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モンスターの肉を食っていたら王位に就いた件 (Novel) #1
モンスターの肉を食っていたら王位に就いた件
少年は（全く望んでいないのに）最強の王へと成り上がる
たった一つの勘違いから始まる狂食英雄伝、開幕！
▼あらすじ
ファルーン王国の第一王子であるマルスは、12歳ながら暗殺に怯える日々を過ごしていた。
食事には高確率で毒が仕込まれているため、城外の森でモンスターを狩り、その肉を食べて飢えをしのぐ日々。
そんなマルスの前にある夜、大剣を担いだ赤髪の美女が現れ告げる。
「おまえ、見込みがあるな。私の弟子になれ」
たった一つの勘違いから、少年は（全く望んでないのに）最強の王へと成り上がる――。
投稿小説全ての書籍化が瞬く間に決まった驚異の新人、衝撃の２作同時デビュー！
たった一つの勘違いから始まる狂食英雄伝、開幕！
▼あらすじ
ファルーン王国の第一王子であるマルスは、12歳ながら暗殺に怯える日々を過ごしていた。
食事には高確率で毒が仕込まれているため、城外の森でモンスターを狩り、その肉を食べて飢えをしのぐ日々。
そんなマルスの前にある夜、大剣を担いだ赤髪の美女が現れ告げる。
「おまえ、見込みがあるな。私の弟子になれ」
たった一つの勘違いから、少年は（全く望んでないのに）最強の王へと成り上がる――。
投稿小説全ての書籍化が瞬く間に決まった驚異の新人、衝撃の２作同時デビュー！
- GenresFantasyLight Novel
320 pages, Paperback
First published September 29, 2023
40 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 28, 2025
I picked this up mostly since I enjoy light novels as quick popcorn entertainment in between other reads, and from that perspective, this book was a nice little tangent.
There's no isekai or reincarnation here, instead our MC is the only son of the king's first marriage and he lives under constant threat of assassination now that the king has remarried and had a son with the new queen. After three food tasters in a row are poisoned, the young prince takes to sneaking out of the castle into the nearby Forest of Beasts to find weak monsters to hunt and eat. Monsters are dangerous to hunt and their meat disgusting, but our MC feels he has no other choice.
A passing swordsman happens upon the young prince one of these nights eating monster meat and decides to take him as an apprentice. The reason: eating monster meat gradually makes a person stronger. But since the meat is also poison, the key is only eating monsters that are just strong enough to not kill you and allow your tolerance to build.
And so begins the prince's quiet ascension into a powerful swordsman.
The characterization is pretty bland, which isn't a huge problem, but can be confusing when the certain chapters are from other pov characters. This can also be a little annoying since the same scenes are retold multiple times from other perspectives, but with little gained from the experience.
The story tries to play up a bit of comedy with the MC being a bit dense regarding his effect upon the other characters, as he is just winging things with little thought while the other characters believe the prince is a superhuman of infinite wisdom.
Overall, this was a fun read and if it floats your boat then you might enjoy going deeper into the series. Personally, I'll probably stop here. I enjoyed this for what it was, but I don't think there will be enough characterization to keep me invested as it moves into tropes I've likely seen dozens of times before.
There's no isekai or reincarnation here, instead our MC is the only son of the king's first marriage and he lives under constant threat of assassination now that the king has remarried and had a son with the new queen. After three food tasters in a row are poisoned, the young prince takes to sneaking out of the castle into the nearby Forest of Beasts to find weak monsters to hunt and eat. Monsters are dangerous to hunt and their meat disgusting, but our MC feels he has no other choice.
A passing swordsman happens upon the young prince one of these nights eating monster meat and decides to take him as an apprentice. The reason: eating monster meat gradually makes a person stronger. But since the meat is also poison, the key is only eating monsters that are just strong enough to not kill you and allow your tolerance to build.
And so begins the prince's quiet ascension into a powerful swordsman.
The characterization is pretty bland, which isn't a huge problem, but can be confusing when the certain chapters are from other pov characters. This can also be a little annoying since the same scenes are retold multiple times from other perspectives, but with little gained from the experience.
The story tries to play up a bit of comedy with the MC being a bit dense regarding his effect upon the other characters, as he is just winging things with little thought while the other characters believe the prince is a superhuman of infinite wisdom.
Overall, this was a fun read and if it floats your boat then you might enjoy going deeper into the series. Personally, I'll probably stop here. I enjoyed this for what it was, but I don't think there will be enough characterization to keep me invested as it moves into tropes I've likely seen dozens of times before.
December 2, 2024
Written by Daken and illustrated by Shiba, Cross Infinite World’s latest title, How I Became King by Eating Monsters, shows how survival requires a non-discriminating appetite.
Following the story of Farune’s first prince, Mars, it finds him under the constant threat of death. Enduring endless assassination attempts, his lack of trust in those around him leads him to discover a loophole in getting stronger: eating monster meat. Though foul and poisonous, if consumed in the right order, the meat can bestow its devourer with abilities and skills beyond any normal human. Perfect for anyone looking to survive.
The first volume sets the tone for this series nicely. The first chapter acts as an introduction, setting out Mars’s desperate situation and his overwhelming instinct to survive. It makes clear that Mars’s monstrous snacks came about as a last resort and shows clearly that the young prince has few allies to speak of since the kingdom’s prime minister began accumulating power.
As the first chapter progresses, so too does the story’s genre. With Mars gaining power and allies in unexpected places, the series evolves to reveal that it revolves around misunderstanding tropes. Often used throughout the light novel genre, it is mainly seen as a way to keep the protagonist under the assumption that they are weak when, in reality, they are immensely powerful. By the end of the chapter, this becomes clear as Mars’s perspective on usurping the throne shows he sees it as an act of survival.
This story handles the misunderstanding trope well. In the early stages, the novel keeps the perspective away from Mars and onto several important side characters. As a result, we can see a wider view of Mars’s delusions and a better understanding of the real situation at hand. Moreover, many of the perspectives from different characters can be entertaining, ultimately creating a more engaging story.
The misunderstandings deepen as the volume progresses. The final chapters are dedicated to Mars’s battle to keep his country afloat through a series of battles with neighbouring nations. Not wishing for any of it to happen, these misunderstandings drag him to fight after fight with enemies of ever-increasing strength. With each passing battle, however, the story starts to lose its edge. These back-to-back scenes with constant victories muddy the series’ overall goal of survival, if only slightly.
Overall, How I Became King by Eating Monsters’ opening instalment makes for a strong start to the series. Starting by setting up the series’ tone in the introduction, its strengths keep coming as it moves to showcase the story’s events from different character perspectives. Hopefully, as the series continues, the author will be able to keep up with the trope and switch it up rather than become a one-trick pony.
Following the story of Farune’s first prince, Mars, it finds him under the constant threat of death. Enduring endless assassination attempts, his lack of trust in those around him leads him to discover a loophole in getting stronger: eating monster meat. Though foul and poisonous, if consumed in the right order, the meat can bestow its devourer with abilities and skills beyond any normal human. Perfect for anyone looking to survive.
The first volume sets the tone for this series nicely. The first chapter acts as an introduction, setting out Mars’s desperate situation and his overwhelming instinct to survive. It makes clear that Mars’s monstrous snacks came about as a last resort and shows clearly that the young prince has few allies to speak of since the kingdom’s prime minister began accumulating power.
As the first chapter progresses, so too does the story’s genre. With Mars gaining power and allies in unexpected places, the series evolves to reveal that it revolves around misunderstanding tropes. Often used throughout the light novel genre, it is mainly seen as a way to keep the protagonist under the assumption that they are weak when, in reality, they are immensely powerful. By the end of the chapter, this becomes clear as Mars’s perspective on usurping the throne shows he sees it as an act of survival.
This story handles the misunderstanding trope well. In the early stages, the novel keeps the perspective away from Mars and onto several important side characters. As a result, we can see a wider view of Mars’s delusions and a better understanding of the real situation at hand. Moreover, many of the perspectives from different characters can be entertaining, ultimately creating a more engaging story.
The misunderstandings deepen as the volume progresses. The final chapters are dedicated to Mars’s battle to keep his country afloat through a series of battles with neighbouring nations. Not wishing for any of it to happen, these misunderstandings drag him to fight after fight with enemies of ever-increasing strength. With each passing battle, however, the story starts to lose its edge. These back-to-back scenes with constant victories muddy the series’ overall goal of survival, if only slightly.
Overall, How I Became King by Eating Monsters’ opening instalment makes for a strong start to the series. Starting by setting up the series’ tone in the introduction, its strengths keep coming as it moves to showcase the story’s events from different character perspectives. Hopefully, as the series continues, the author will be able to keep up with the trope and switch it up rather than become a one-trick pony.
July 16, 2025
I greatly enjoyed books one and two of the series, so much so that I’m not going to bother writing a actual review. Instead, I am just noting my enjoyment as I will be able to get back into these books by simply reading their descriptions when book 3 comes out.
August 24, 2025
I Enjoyed this a bit too much
January 14, 2026
I really liked this one. Very strong Eminence in Shadow vibes but instead of behind the scenes power its inadvertent world domination
December 8, 2025
What a truly disappointing story. It starts off strongly with an interesting premise and protagonist who is quickly wasted by being unable to simply interact with his subordinates. They all praise him and see him as a great bloodthirsty, mastermind, king when he is just a normal guy who barely understands what is going on in and is simply dragged along by others. He keeps saying he wants to live a quiet peaceful life but never, once, speaks it to anyone so now he just wallows confused as to what is happening. It is the most frustrating archetype where he is simply lucky that things go his way.
Here are some examples of the main character's ineptitude.
Here are some examples of the main character's ineptitude.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews