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The World's Strongest Rearguard: Labyrinth Country's Novice Seeker Light Novel #2
The World's Strongest Rearguard: Labyrinth Country's Novice Seeker, Vol. 2
After a successful encounter with the hidden deity Ariadne, Arihito is ranked number one in the eighth district, where he continues to flex his powers as a Rearguard. Though he's far from getting used to dealing with his hyperactive team, he manages to secure the rights to fight in the seventh district-when he finds himself in the middle of an unexpected setback. Will Arihito be able to protect the city from a violent stampede of monsters?!
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 10, 2018
120 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 24, 2024
After reading the first volume, I decided i definitely wanted to try the second one, to see how it goes. I was intrigued to see how they rise through the ranks (they're in district 8, and they're trying to get to 1). This volume didn't exactly see them jumping to district 7, but it looks like in volume 3 they'll start off there.
This volume was a lot of "helping out district 8" and "getting higher ranks in district 7" before they even move up there. There's an attack on the district, they fight another named creature, etc. Lot of fiddling around and a few levels going up. So, in terms of plot, not a WHOLE lot going on in this volume, more explanation and getting higher levels and more skills.
As for the characters, well, it's a mixed bag. As of now, there are 9 main characters. Here we go. Rapid fire
Arihito: Main dude. Bland, doesn't have much of a personality. Generic "I'm a good guy and am powerful" stereotype. is nice, but really doesn't have a whole lot of personality to speak of. Generic as they come
Kyouka: MC's ex-boss. absolutely the worst character in the series. She's the "vanguard" of the group, but her entire character so far has amounted to "my boobs are big". that's it. that's all she has going for her. Just "my boobs are huge". every single time she's talked about it's how hot she looks. I don't think there was a single thing she did to the plot in this volume other than looking hot.
Misaki: Gambler of the group. Cute, if not at times a little raunchy. has a personality, and is quirky. I have nothing against her and want to see her get stronger.
Theresia: Rogue. Conversely, the BEST character in this series. She's he demi-human that can't talk, but has a strong bond with Arihito. obvious she's in love with him, but is mute. wears a mask over her face since she's a lizardman. she has a lot of secret backstory going on and a lot of intrigue. there's a strong connection between her and Arihito and honestly, out of all the characters he travels with, she's the one i feel that Arihito should end up with. Their connection and interactions are just the strongest and the most well developed.
Melissa: Dissector. she's a no emotion monster dissector who helps the crew out after they defeat the monsters to help them craft and get better loot. she's fine. definitely kuudere, hardly showing any emotions. nothing against her, but she's new to the group in this volume and so far a little bland.
Madoka: Merchant. She hangs out with Melissa a lot since they're the non-combatants of the crew (they even have their own short side story together at the end of this volume) She's cute and fine. She helps them get better deals and find places to sell, etc. She's bubbly and excitable if not a little self-deprecating.
Elita: Cursed Blade: Stereotypical shorty Tsundere. She definitely has the most personality of all the girls and isn't afraid to speak her mind. I like her. She's a breath of fresh air into the amicable ambien group who all treat Arihito like he's amazors.
Suzuna: Shrine Maiden: Essentially the healer of the group. She gets a lot of visible time in this volume since she can use her medium ability to speak with the goddess who they made a contract with in volume one. She's very innocent and sweet, but at the same time useful. No problems with her as her development has been going quite nicely.
Good to bad
Great
1. Theresia
2. Elita
Good
3. Misaki
4. Suzuna
5. Madoka
Meh
6. Melissa
7. Arihito
Bad
8. Kyouka
So, if you can't tell, everyone's very amicable in this group. There isn't a lot of conflict and a lot of the character development is "tee hee, Arihito's amazing" so that gets a little dull. Honestly, i'm reading this more for the "Raising through the ranks" than I am for the group all praising captain Ambien. Still, it reads very fast, and seeing what new skills they receive as well as what they find in treasure chests is always interesting and I look forward to that.
This is definitely a series of "i'm excited for the story, not for the characters" situation.
All in all, yeah, i'm going to continue reading this series, but i'm done buying volumes and the rest i'll 100% be library'ing.
3.5 out of 5, rounded down to a 3.
This volume was a lot of "helping out district 8" and "getting higher ranks in district 7" before they even move up there. There's an attack on the district, they fight another named creature, etc. Lot of fiddling around and a few levels going up. So, in terms of plot, not a WHOLE lot going on in this volume, more explanation and getting higher levels and more skills.
As for the characters, well, it's a mixed bag. As of now, there are 9 main characters. Here we go. Rapid fire
Arihito: Main dude. Bland, doesn't have much of a personality. Generic "I'm a good guy and am powerful" stereotype. is nice, but really doesn't have a whole lot of personality to speak of. Generic as they come
Kyouka: MC's ex-boss. absolutely the worst character in the series. She's the "vanguard" of the group, but her entire character so far has amounted to "my boobs are big". that's it. that's all she has going for her. Just "my boobs are huge". every single time she's talked about it's how hot she looks. I don't think there was a single thing she did to the plot in this volume other than looking hot.
Misaki: Gambler of the group. Cute, if not at times a little raunchy. has a personality, and is quirky. I have nothing against her and want to see her get stronger.
Theresia: Rogue. Conversely, the BEST character in this series. She's he demi-human that can't talk, but has a strong bond with Arihito. obvious she's in love with him, but is mute. wears a mask over her face since she's a lizardman. she has a lot of secret backstory going on and a lot of intrigue. there's a strong connection between her and Arihito and honestly, out of all the characters he travels with, she's the one i feel that Arihito should end up with. Their connection and interactions are just the strongest and the most well developed.
Melissa: Dissector. she's a no emotion monster dissector who helps the crew out after they defeat the monsters to help them craft and get better loot. she's fine. definitely kuudere, hardly showing any emotions. nothing against her, but she's new to the group in this volume and so far a little bland.
Madoka: Merchant. She hangs out with Melissa a lot since they're the non-combatants of the crew (they even have their own short side story together at the end of this volume) She's cute and fine. She helps them get better deals and find places to sell, etc. She's bubbly and excitable if not a little self-deprecating.
Elita: Cursed Blade: Stereotypical shorty Tsundere. She definitely has the most personality of all the girls and isn't afraid to speak her mind. I like her. She's a breath of fresh air into the amicable ambien group who all treat Arihito like he's amazors.
Suzuna: Shrine Maiden: Essentially the healer of the group. She gets a lot of visible time in this volume since she can use her medium ability to speak with the goddess who they made a contract with in volume one. She's very innocent and sweet, but at the same time useful. No problems with her as her development has been going quite nicely.
Good to bad
Great
1. Theresia
2. Elita
Good
3. Misaki
4. Suzuna
5. Madoka
Meh
6. Melissa
7. Arihito
Bad
8. Kyouka
So, if you can't tell, everyone's very amicable in this group. There isn't a lot of conflict and a lot of the character development is "tee hee, Arihito's amazing" so that gets a little dull. Honestly, i'm reading this more for the "Raising through the ranks" than I am for the group all praising captain Ambien. Still, it reads very fast, and seeing what new skills they receive as well as what they find in treasure chests is always interesting and I look forward to that.
This is definitely a series of "i'm excited for the story, not for the characters" situation.
All in all, yeah, i'm going to continue reading this series, but i'm done buying volumes and the rest i'll 100% be library'ing.
3.5 out of 5, rounded down to a 3.
April 16, 2022
This is the second volume of the light novel series. It was a "successful" web novel series that was published afterwards which in this special case has made this story better (cleaned plot holes and made the story better according to the afterwards by the author). This second volume has 5 chapters and bonus content and close to 200+ pages.
The author has made the main character, Arihito Atobe, (Strongest Rearguard) rather addicted to success, so every mission, everything that he gets his team to do, is won by the seat of their pants, winning with impossible odds. There is such a incredible difficulty level in everything they do, so much so, that it makes the story not that credible anymore. It's not that one as a reader wants the main characters to fail, it's that their success streak is going for too long, too hard, and thus not credible.
The main character's arrogance or naivete makes him decide, in this volume 2, to take the trials of the Seventh District (even thought they had already been approved to pass, because of the help their team made during a Monster Stampede). This places their team under an extreme and unneeded danger. If they had already passed the trial, what did they have to gain by taking the trial anyways? Everything is life and death here at the Country's Labyrinth, alternate reality world. I feel this team of seekers is making bets their bodies can't cash, and thus feel a somewhat ominous "destined to fail" premonition.
If at the beginning it seemed that this world was a kind of purgatory, one perceives a constant persistence of evil, to completely annihilate everybody, not just the seekers (reincarnated people looking to improve their levels) but also the seekers that support them (guild, marketeers, smiths, etc.)
Even though members of the team of main characters have weird jobs (professions): Gambler, Shrine Maiden, Valkyrie, Rogue, Swordswoman, and Rear Guard, the additions of the Silver Dog, and others have solidified the missing strengths needed to survive and overcome. More than the total of their individual skills, the coolness under pressure and the unending attitude to overcome by Arihito, is what has kept them alive and at number one of success as a team of seekers. I feel Arihitto lacks humility and a strong fear of failure. Because of the car accident where his parents died, and all of the tragedies that he lived in his former lives, he is risking more and more the lives of his team members (without really gaining anything). Well, they gain experience and levels, but they are risking their lives (of completely wiping out) in everything they do.
The monsters in this volume 2 are more about debuffs, mind and sense control. Because most of the team members are still of the lower levels, they have yet to complete all of their vulnerabilities.
Author mentions that in addition to the web novel, and this light novel (up to Volume 6 so fat) they have plans for a manga version of this World Strongest Rearguard.
The author has made the main character, Arihito Atobe, (Strongest Rearguard) rather addicted to success, so every mission, everything that he gets his team to do, is won by the seat of their pants, winning with impossible odds. There is such a incredible difficulty level in everything they do, so much so, that it makes the story not that credible anymore. It's not that one as a reader wants the main characters to fail, it's that their success streak is going for too long, too hard, and thus not credible.
The main character's arrogance or naivete makes him decide, in this volume 2, to take the trials of the Seventh District (even thought they had already been approved to pass, because of the help their team made during a Monster Stampede). This places their team under an extreme and unneeded danger. If they had already passed the trial, what did they have to gain by taking the trial anyways? Everything is life and death here at the Country's Labyrinth, alternate reality world. I feel this team of seekers is making bets their bodies can't cash, and thus feel a somewhat ominous "destined to fail" premonition.
If at the beginning it seemed that this world was a kind of purgatory, one perceives a constant persistence of evil, to completely annihilate everybody, not just the seekers (reincarnated people looking to improve their levels) but also the seekers that support them (guild, marketeers, smiths, etc.)
Even though members of the team of main characters have weird jobs (professions): Gambler, Shrine Maiden, Valkyrie, Rogue, Swordswoman, and Rear Guard, the additions of the Silver Dog, and others have solidified the missing strengths needed to survive and overcome. More than the total of their individual skills, the coolness under pressure and the unending attitude to overcome by Arihito, is what has kept them alive and at number one of success as a team of seekers. I feel Arihitto lacks humility and a strong fear of failure. Because of the car accident where his parents died, and all of the tragedies that he lived in his former lives, he is risking more and more the lives of his team members (without really gaining anything). Well, they gain experience and levels, but they are risking their lives (of completely wiping out) in everything they do.
The monsters in this volume 2 are more about debuffs, mind and sense control. Because most of the team members are still of the lower levels, they have yet to complete all of their vulnerabilities.
Author mentions that in addition to the web novel, and this light novel (up to Volume 6 so fat) they have plans for a manga version of this World Strongest Rearguard.
July 5, 2020
I failed to realize when I ordered the first volume of this series, I also pre-ordered the next two. I wanted to believe that this second volume was much improved over the first. The horrible dialogue vomit at the end of the second chapter changed my mind... too many ellipses too... While there is more focus on establishing characters and world building, far too many shortcuts are made with the “magical” conveniences of the world. The author has no interest in establishing action, so you get a lot of game-speak abilities followed by a string of text with the damage, defense, and other effects. There is no immersion just flat statistics reporting. It’s like trying to see the whole of a football game with little more than the box scores. Unfortunately, this particular feature is all to common with light novels. There are also your typical fan service-y moments with the requisite oblivious male lead and his thirsty harem. A new party member, a rather large dog, gets in on the heavy petting, but there are some problems during translation as the pronoun for the dog vacillates from he to she early on before settling on the female gender.
January 21, 2022
It is a great story despite what others may say and it really feels like an RPG action isekai but my only problem is how cliche the main character can be at times. Seriously can we move past he is too dense to notice that his entire party and then some has a crush on him or is obviously infatuated with him. This main has a heart of gold but the density of tungsten steel. Despite that simple cliche, this story wins out with its simultaneous world and character development along with the exciting world exploration it has with the different labyrinths.
May 7, 2020
I feel as though the story really improves in this second Volume. As the story progresses I find myself wanting more. It is a fun read, and the characters development is shown slightly but mainly in levels. You shouldn't expect anything profoundly deep from them, and I don't expect that will change in the third Volume. However, the story accomplishes what I think Towa wanted to portray and I very much enjoyed it. If you read the first Volume, you wont be let down with this one!
January 4, 2026
Loving the story
Story seems to follow along the normal reincarnation, but with a little twist here and there. Mischief from some of the female characters and of course a leader of tries to remain saintly. Good details on a land different from our own, looking forward to completing the series.
Story seems to follow along the normal reincarnation, but with a little twist here and there. Mischief from some of the female characters and of course a leader of tries to remain saintly. Good details on a land different from our own, looking forward to completing the series.
August 13, 2020
Great story
Liking these books more and more. Rely enjoyed this one. Has plenty of action and some funny bits. The MC is little dense when it comes to his party though. Look forward to reading the next book.
Liking these books more and more. Rely enjoyed this one. Has plenty of action and some funny bits. The MC is little dense when it comes to his party though. Look forward to reading the next book.
July 27, 2020
Great series
This is truly a great series. A new slant on the protagonist hero. He protects his little harem from behind. Lol you just have to read it 😂. The hijinks are good to.
This is truly a great series. A new slant on the protagonist hero. He protects his little harem from behind. Lol you just have to read it 😂. The hijinks are good to.
September 6, 2021
Good stuff
I am enjoying this rollercoaster ride. Moving on to the next book. I want the good doggy so much from the description!
I am enjoying this rollercoaster ride. Moving on to the next book. I want the good doggy so much from the description!
January 6, 2022
Good overall
Not as good as the first book but still pretty good. No real twists, but a few things that come out of nowhere, the spice up the story.
Not as good as the first book but still pretty good. No real twists, but a few things that come out of nowhere, the spice up the story.
February 18, 2022
Much like an open ended game, the heroes were dropped in a setting and I don't see the ultimate goal of the heroes even in volume two. A few laughs here and there, but that's about it.
September 16, 2024
Enjoyable
I enjoy the chemistry and respect between the protagonist and everyone in his party. I can not wait to read the next book.
I enjoy the chemistry and respect between the protagonist and everyone in his party. I can not wait to read the next book.
February 26, 2020
As great as volume one.
This tale keeps getting better and defiantly dose not big the reader. Each individual is growing at a good pace. And the densest of the main character to the other party members just adds to the story.
This tale keeps getting better and defiantly dose not big the reader. Each individual is growing at a good pace. And the densest of the main character to the other party members just adds to the story.
February 11, 2021
The questions which were left unanswered at the end of the first volume has been answered in this one. The plot of this book has two awesome major fights.
I really like how the plot is progressing and the consistency with the previous book.
I really like how the plot is progressing and the consistency with the previous book.
April 9, 2023
Great volume and good story.
Good volune that picks from Vol 1. Good Worldbuilding and great characters. There are plenty of fun dialogues and action scrnes that are well paced. One of the strongest point in this serie is the skill and magic system as os the world were the story takes places, with some misteries introduced in the previous volume and that has been expanded in this one. For sure, I'll be looking for the next volume in this series.
Good volune that picks from Vol 1. Good Worldbuilding and great characters. There are plenty of fun dialogues and action scrnes that are well paced. One of the strongest point in this serie is the skill and magic system as os the world were the story takes places, with some misteries introduced in the previous volume and that has been expanded in this one. For sure, I'll be looking for the next volume in this series.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews