Disgusting
A lot of reviewers call it 'character development' I'd call it character washing. Washing out all the unique aspects of this character to make them as white washed normalized same as the rest of any progression fantasy MC.
This book took MAJOR steps to go from the cold calculating practical unique MC to the whiny self reflecting, constantly worrying and soft loving power of friendship MC of every isekai/litrpg/progression fantasy.
Don't believe it? Here's an example, In the first book we have a character willing to threaten and perhaps carry out killing a child if it would get him ahead or protect himself. In this book we have him getting all sad and woah is me reflecting over not getting someone a gift when he bought everyone else a gift.
It's like the author read the reviews, saw lots of negatives for how cold the MC was and tried to fix it in book 3 by making him super sappy and spend all the time 'developing' by reflecting on his own actions until he was gary stu normal.
First world he went through killing every single beast in the forest he could to level up. We know they are all fake because they got exact copies of other groups doing the same thing with same people.
Yet when we get to this world and he becomes stronger, he just beats people up he doesn't like now until they cross a 'line'. Really?
He could have slaughtered the whole city, killed everyone for levels, got their relics to sell. Got extra shards for doing stuff but didn't. First world MC would have done anything to grow stronger, now were sparing basically video game AI NPCs?
This character has become so hero of justice he won't hurt the AI NPCs that he likes?....
I swear by the end of this series were going to have such a white knight, that he'll be refusing to kill anyone. The sort who is going to sit at a table and see a steak, then start streaming tears over how bad he feels for the cow who died for him to get that steak....
No that's not an over exaggeration. That just how bad this book was in 'development.' I am debating if I will read the next book because of it. I guess i'll check reviews myself first for book 4 and if they say he's gone all sweet and friends are the true meaning of happiness, lets all sing by the fire. Then I'm done.