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나 혼자만 레벨업 [Na Honjaman Level Up] (8 Volumes Novel) #1
Solo Leveling, Vol. 1
THE WEAKEST HUNTER OF ALL MANKIND!
E-rank hunter Jinwoo Sung has no money, no talent, and no prospects to speak of—and apparently, no luck, either! When he enters a hidden double dungeon one fateful day, he’s abandoned by his party and left to die at the hands of some of the most horrific monsters he’s ever encountered.
But just before the last, fatal blow…
PING! [Congratulations on becoming a Player.]
E-rank hunter Jinwoo Sung has no money, no talent, and no prospects to speak of—and apparently, no luck, either! When he enters a hidden double dungeon one fateful day, he’s abandoned by his party and left to die at the hands of some of the most horrific monsters he’s ever encountered.
But just before the last, fatal blow…
PING! [Congratulations on becoming a Player.]
320 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 16, 2021
1329 people are currently reading
7926 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 720 reviews
January 20, 2020
It's like I died and went to heaven and this was the first thing on the book shelf.
I am all ABOUT the underdog working hard to become an OP MC and just sticking it to everyone who deserves a good sticking. I am sleep deprived and on a sugar low but best believe I'm still reading this.
I proposed to the person who suggested it to me.
There's so much to look forward to and turning the pages just gets easier. The twists, the characters, even the humor occasionally tossed in... it's beautiful.
This is a fun ride. With some very K-drama plot twists and add-ins (which, LOL wow)... Kinda hoping it never ends.
I am all ABOUT the underdog working hard to become an OP MC and just sticking it to everyone who deserves a good sticking. I am sleep deprived and on a sugar low but best believe I'm still reading this.
I proposed to the person who suggested it to me.
There's so much to look forward to and turning the pages just gets easier. The twists, the characters, even the humor occasionally tossed in... it's beautiful.
This is a fun ride. With some very K-drama plot twists and add-ins (which, LOL wow)... Kinda hoping it never ends.
September 1, 2020
I like progression fantasy, and this alright. I would say nothing really felt original, but there was an interesting combination of unoriginal things. The protagonist was deeply unlikable, the author continually has characters say what a great guy he is, but there is no substance to support it, he has "friends" that he treats horribly but who still love him, and he has one character trait - he's strong - and there is a revenge porn vibe in the way that he goes from the weakest to the strongest - he constantly says that the strongest people are the richest, most famous, and most lusted after. In the real world, just because someone is powerful does not mean they will be loved. At best this guy is a benevolent robot, and would be loved at most about as much as the A-10 Warthog is. There is no character development, at the beginning he wishes he was stronger and at the end he wishes he was stronger. His primary motivation is supposedly paying medical bills for his mother, but I don't think we ever get a flashback for the entire series, and there's no hospital visit until volume 3, and the mother is a generic prop that we never know anything about. The main character never suffers, and that means the book is lacking the suffering of a boy with a sick mom.
This book suffers from the Superman conundrum: How do you make Superman interesting when you know he can never be hurt and certainly never die? The plot follows the exact arc of the nearly universally praised One Punch Man - this is not a coincidence, it's a borderline rip off. The One Punch Man take on the Superman conundrum worked, so this book does too.
I don't think later volumes of this series are on Goodreads (I believe there are 5), but I got most of the way through the series before giving up. I felt like we just kept going around on the merry-go-round, and I got off on what I assume was the end of the second to last round. I didn't want to go through another 6 hours to see the same thing again, but this time with a stronger boss monster after what little mystery there was had been solved, but unsatisfactorily with hand waving away the parts of the system that didn't fit the resolution.
It's a mess, but it's fine. With a decent editor and a year of revisions it could make a fine series. I thought I might give it one star, but that would be too harsh. It was actually surprisingly good fiction to read for 20 minutes to put me to sleep during the 6ish weeks I read it consistently for. I could shut my brain off while I was reading it, but it was imaginative enough that it transitioned me into sleep. There were even a couple of parts that I read during the day because I cared about the plot; however, Judging the series as a whole finds so many problems, only some of them mentioned here.
If you want great progression fantasy I would suggest the Cradle series by Will Wight.
This book suffers from the Superman conundrum: How do you make Superman interesting when you know he can never be hurt and certainly never die? The plot follows the exact arc of the nearly universally praised One Punch Man - this is not a coincidence, it's a borderline rip off. The One Punch Man take on the Superman conundrum worked, so this book does too.
I don't think later volumes of this series are on Goodreads (I believe there are 5), but I got most of the way through the series before giving up. I felt like we just kept going around on the merry-go-round, and I got off on what I assume was the end of the second to last round. I didn't want to go through another 6 hours to see the same thing again, but this time with a stronger boss monster after what little mystery there was had been solved, but unsatisfactorily with hand waving away the parts of the system that didn't fit the resolution.
It's a mess, but it's fine. With a decent editor and a year of revisions it could make a fine series. I thought I might give it one star, but that would be too harsh. It was actually surprisingly good fiction to read for 20 minutes to put me to sleep during the 6ish weeks I read it consistently for. I could shut my brain off while I was reading it, but it was imaginative enough that it transitioned me into sleep. There were even a couple of parts that I read during the day because I cared about the plot; however, Judging the series as a whole finds so many problems, only some of them mentioned here.
If you want great progression fantasy I would suggest the Cradle series by Will Wight.
February 13, 2020
It starts off strong, one of the best light novels with the "game theme" I got hooked right away. The characters are good, the world is immersive, with an intriguing plot to keep you entertained for quite some time. However, it gets really boring and unimaginative by the final arc, when there's little to no struggle to the main character. Also, the nationalism is sometimes too blatant for just a light novel.
Want to read
January 26, 2024im in a solo leveling mourning period because i finished the manhwa but then i just realized i could always read the light novel i-
for my TBR's sake though i will resist this temptation and addiction and try reading some other books first before i go to this😭😭
December 9, 2019
I'm coming after reading the manhwa.
Not reincarnation, not transported.
MC who at first was the weakest hunter but obtain cheat gamer ability, like a game continues level up & growing stronger ends up becoming overpowered. basically discrimination because they only focus on MC growth alone, and another S Hunter becomes weak in front of MC.
After becomes the powerfull hunter, cool character, not really arrogant and still keeping his beloved family. (THE GENTLEMEN FOR YOU)
Fighting scene in here well explained, if you already read the manhwa, you can easily imagine it.
I think the MC think only power and fighting, I don't think the last ending he will change the world only for "Her". The author gives you action, mystery; a plot that made us want to know more, and romance (sightly comedy and sooo lovely)
I keep coming back to re-read it and I wish there is a sequel. The ending half satisfied for me; happy family with cool wife and son. But, for him to back the time and make another (paralel) world, I'm like "what? Why?" hehe.
Not reincarnation, not transported.
MC who at first was the weakest hunter but obtain cheat gamer ability, like a game continues level up & growing stronger ends up becoming overpowered. basically discrimination because they only focus on MC growth alone, and another S Hunter becomes weak in front of MC.
After becomes the powerfull hunter, cool character, not really arrogant and still keeping his beloved family. (THE GENTLEMEN FOR YOU)
Fighting scene in here well explained, if you already read the manhwa, you can easily imagine it.
I think the MC think only power and fighting, I don't think the last ending he will change the world only for "Her". The author gives you action, mystery; a plot that made us want to know more, and romance (sightly comedy and sooo lovely)
I keep coming back to re-read it and I wish there is a sequel. The ending half satisfied for me; happy family with cool wife and son. But, for him to back the time and make another (paralel) world, I'm like "what? Why?" hehe.
March 14, 2021
Light novel authors take note - Chugong's style proves that you don't have to infodump or over-explain your story's world or magic/combat systems. The plot may be fairly familiar - a young Hunter nearly dies and reawakens with improved powers that function like he's a player in an RPG - but the execution is really what makes this book stand out from the crowd. Chugong barely explains to us what "Hunters" are, how they function, or why they exist, only briefly mentions that Gates appeared roughly ten years before the story takes place, and doesn't expend unneeded energy on labored descriptions of how everything looks and works. Instead they let the story do all of the talking, letting us know through the action of the plot why Jinwoo is different and how dungeons have reshaped the power structures of South Korea. The resulting novel is one in which light novel fans will find what they like but is substantially better written than the average similar book. Chugong trusts their readers to understand the story. That pays off.
December 30, 2023
7/10
Ya lo dice el nombre, novela ligera, algo que cumple a rajatabla.
Basado en un manga coreano el cual por cierto este mes entrante se estrena un anime sobre esta historia, nos encontramos con una novela de estilo LITRPG, donde nuestro personaje protagonista, uno de los cazadores de nivel E más flojos de toda Corea, el E es el ranking más bajo que existe, debe de enfrentarse a mazmorras repletas de monstruos para poder sobrevivir y cuidar de su familia. Obvia decir que no se le da muy bien su trabajo y que cada misión es una odisea para él, terminando herido de gravedad en todas ellas.
La historia no tendría mucho más que contar, hasta que un día Jinwoo Sung y sus compañeros entran en una mazmorra extraña que cambiará la vida de Jinwoo, ya que tras finalizar la quest y al borde de la muerte, se le ofrece la posibilidad de cambiar su vida y ser capaz de subir de nivel al entrenar y matar monstruos. A partir de ese momento se nos cuenta como Jinwoo empieza a volverse más fuerte y como le invade un ansia de querer ser cada vez más poderoso, pero al mismo tiempo debe de guardar su secreto, ya que ni él mismo sabe lo que le sucede y no se fía de que la sociedad y sobre todo los gremios de cazadores, vayan a aceptar su cambio sin unas explicaciones que Jinwoo no sería capaz de ofrecer.
La prosa es ligera y tiene bastante ritmo, hay mucha acción y lo cierto es que el libro se lee en nada, este es quizás su punto fuerte, ya que el resto, aunque la idea no está mal, todo esto de rangos y monstruos ya se ha visto en muchos mangas y animes, por lo que no aporta nada nuevo.
¿Recomendable? Como lectura para pasar el rato sin pretensiones no está mal, además en papel la edición es bonita.
Ya lo dice el nombre, novela ligera, algo que cumple a rajatabla.
Basado en un manga coreano el cual por cierto este mes entrante se estrena un anime sobre esta historia, nos encontramos con una novela de estilo LITRPG, donde nuestro personaje protagonista, uno de los cazadores de nivel E más flojos de toda Corea, el E es el ranking más bajo que existe, debe de enfrentarse a mazmorras repletas de monstruos para poder sobrevivir y cuidar de su familia. Obvia decir que no se le da muy bien su trabajo y que cada misión es una odisea para él, terminando herido de gravedad en todas ellas.
La historia no tendría mucho más que contar, hasta que un día Jinwoo Sung y sus compañeros entran en una mazmorra extraña que cambiará la vida de Jinwoo, ya que tras finalizar la quest y al borde de la muerte, se le ofrece la posibilidad de cambiar su vida y ser capaz de subir de nivel al entrenar y matar monstruos. A partir de ese momento se nos cuenta como Jinwoo empieza a volverse más fuerte y como le invade un ansia de querer ser cada vez más poderoso, pero al mismo tiempo debe de guardar su secreto, ya que ni él mismo sabe lo que le sucede y no se fía de que la sociedad y sobre todo los gremios de cazadores, vayan a aceptar su cambio sin unas explicaciones que Jinwoo no sería capaz de ofrecer.
La prosa es ligera y tiene bastante ritmo, hay mucha acción y lo cierto es que el libro se lee en nada, este es quizás su punto fuerte, ya que el resto, aunque la idea no está mal, todo esto de rangos y monstruos ya se ha visto en muchos mangas y animes, por lo que no aporta nada nuevo.
¿Recomendable? Como lectura para pasar el rato sin pretensiones no está mal, además en papel la edición es bonita.
January 9, 2024
3.5
Complete season 1
It's one of those Korean RPG mangas with dungeons, hunters and monsters where a strong minded underdog is getting a 2nd chance after nearly dying. The art is good but nothing unique, more like a high level standard. So what was it that I couldn't stop and read all of the 110 episodes of season 1 in one day? Might be that it isn't only about fighting scenes (although there are plenty of them) but is thought-through as an actual story where everything had to made sense intrinsically at the end. The creator even thought about a reason for the real-time game setup and the appearance of dungeons but everything without info dump regarding magic system, character classes or weapon sets and one doesn't have to remember spell names or technique titles. There are emotional scenes and some funny moments. So to a certain extend Solo Leveling is setting a gold standard for RPG mangas. I just wished that the MC wouldn't become so omnipotent so fast and that there would be some character development after overcoming his limitation.
Complete season 1
It's one of those Korean RPG mangas with dungeons, hunters and monsters where a strong minded underdog is getting a 2nd chance after nearly dying. The art is good but nothing unique, more like a high level standard. So what was it that I couldn't stop and read all of the 110 episodes of season 1 in one day? Might be that it isn't only about fighting scenes (although there are plenty of them) but is thought-through as an actual story where everything had to made sense intrinsically at the end. The creator even thought about a reason for the real-time game setup and the appearance of dungeons but everything without info dump regarding magic system, character classes or weapon sets and one doesn't have to remember spell names or technique titles. There are emotional scenes and some funny moments. So to a certain extend Solo Leveling is setting a gold standard for RPG mangas. I just wished that the MC wouldn't become so omnipotent so fast and that there would be some character development after overcoming his limitation.
February 27, 2021
Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Solo Leveling in exchange for an honest review.
From what I've gathered, this is a novelization of a manga and since I want to get into different styles of storytelling like manga, I figured this would be a good transition but it just didn't work for me. I don't think you need to have read the manga beforehand since this appears to be a novelized version of the first volume, but I don't think this transferred well. The core plot was really interesting which I'm assuming is what lead the manga to popularity, but the narration somehow manages to make it seem really boring. Everything is blunt and generic and I wish I'd given the physical manga a try instead.
From what I've gathered, this is a novelization of a manga and since I want to get into different styles of storytelling like manga, I figured this would be a good transition but it just didn't work for me. I don't think you need to have read the manga beforehand since this appears to be a novelized version of the first volume, but I don't think this transferred well. The core plot was really interesting which I'm assuming is what lead the manga to popularity, but the narration somehow manages to make it seem really boring. Everything is blunt and generic and I wish I'd given the physical manga a try instead.
May 4, 2021
This was a really gripping and compelling light novel. It asks the question of what happens when a quest-driven MMO rule system becomes available to one person in our reality (or in our reality if random mystical dungeons popped up regularly in downtown Seoul and some humans got mystical powers to deal with them). The low-powered protagonist is cagey and uses his unique circumstances to power up and find a way to make a life for his sister without giving away his secret. The story sets up some good allies and some very interesting conflicts and antagonists, and while it was more violent and morally grey than I was expecting I really had a hard time putting it down. Lookin forward to more!
**Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
**Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
May 20, 2025
So... it is safe to say that I'm a little obsessed with this series. I've watched the two available seasons on Crunchyroll, read all available manhwa volumes, then decided why not read the completed story by way of the novels on which both are based on? There are eight novels in total, and this is the first one.
As a comparison, the manhwa follows the events of this first book faithfully, with the exception of minor changes to a few scenes and a better explanation of certain things that are happening during battle.
What I most enjoyed was how this medium allowed for the humanization of Jinwoo Sung. In the manhwa, he comes across as this stoic, cold, sometimes ruthless person with little emotional depth who understands things quickly and makes tough decisions easily. Because the novel gives us access to his inner thoughts and feelings, we get a better understanding of who he is. While he isn't perfect (I'm still deciding whether I like this version of Jinwoo), he's more relatable, and we get a better understanding of why he acts the way he does.
4.25 stars
As a comparison, the manhwa follows the events of this first book faithfully, with the exception of minor changes to a few scenes and a better explanation of certain things that are happening during battle.
What I most enjoyed was how this medium allowed for the humanization of Jinwoo Sung. In the manhwa, he comes across as this stoic, cold, sometimes ruthless person with little emotional depth who understands things quickly and makes tough decisions easily. Because the novel gives us access to his inner thoughts and feelings, we get a better understanding of who he is. While he isn't perfect (I'm still deciding whether I like this version of Jinwoo), he's more relatable, and we get a better understanding of why he acts the way he does.
4.25 stars
April 5, 2024
The manga is fire 🔥
April 16, 2024
This whole thing is weird but I liked it! Would have been 4 stars if it had a proper ending rather than just feeling like the first book in a series (even though that’s obviously exactly what it is, so not really a fair criticism!)
August 10, 2022
This books was bad. The description and first few chapters present an interesting concept, but the book itself is bad. The main character undergoes a dramatic personality change that is supposed to be badass but is actually really psychopathic. It's not presented a psychopathic, which makes me think the author is a bit psychotic and actually holds some of these absurd and mildly offensive opinions. For example (no spoilers), at one point the main character tells the reader that fear is the best way to control people. This seems to be something the author genuinely believes as the main character proceeds to do that in several situations then is promptly described as badass by the other characters who's fair warning do not actually have personalities.
It's rather unsettling that so many people are going along with the authors narrative. As if the author said a situation made the main character looks like badass therefore that's true. If you take even a second to reflect on the main characters actions they are absurd and disturbing. Beyond that there is no real plot beyond the main character getting more powerful, and the side characters exist entirely to praise the main character or fulfill power fantasies.
If someone tells you this book is good, I recommend you be concerned about just how deranged that reader may be. I have read books about literal monsters told from the monster's perspective that explore some messed up stuff and walked away less concerned because the author, reader, and book world are all aware of how much of a monster the character is. Books like this where the author, readers, and book-world all appear to ignore what's sensible in favor of some sort of teenage power fantasy are deeply concerning.
It's rather unsettling that so many people are going along with the authors narrative. As if the author said a situation made the main character looks like badass therefore that's true. If you take even a second to reflect on the main characters actions they are absurd and disturbing. Beyond that there is no real plot beyond the main character getting more powerful, and the side characters exist entirely to praise the main character or fulfill power fantasies.
If someone tells you this book is good, I recommend you be concerned about just how deranged that reader may be. I have read books about literal monsters told from the monster's perspective that explore some messed up stuff and walked away less concerned because the author, reader, and book world are all aware of how much of a monster the character is. Books like this where the author, readers, and book-world all appear to ignore what's sensible in favor of some sort of teenage power fantasy are deeply concerning.
December 30, 2021
Power fantasy/wish fulfillment LN of a low rank/level character that progressively turns into an OP MC in a non isekai but kind of isekai (ie gamified) world and I honestly really REALLY enjoyed it. I had just come off of finishing the manhwa and couldn't get enough so went straight into the light novel.
I remember staying up until like 4am to read the manhwa when I had really originally wanted to read maybe the first 5 of 179 (beautifully drawn) chapters but I digress. Is this original? Nope. Does it do anything new that hasn't been done in isekai type anime/LNs? Nope. But it does it extremely well. I liked that this delved more into the world and covers more stuff compared to the manhwa.
I do recommend reading it over listening to the audiobook though. I know some people enjoyed it, but the added sound effects of the narrator took me out of the story, so much so I ended up buying the ebook to read instead, I know some people liked the audiobook version but it wasn't for me, personally. I also do recommend reading the manhwa first as well.
**light 4**
I remember staying up until like 4am to read the manhwa when I had really originally wanted to read maybe the first 5 of 179 (beautifully drawn) chapters but I digress. Is this original? Nope. Does it do anything new that hasn't been done in isekai type anime/LNs? Nope. But it does it extremely well. I liked that this delved more into the world and covers more stuff compared to the manhwa.
I do recommend reading it over listening to the audiobook though. I know some people enjoyed it, but the added sound effects of the narrator took me out of the story, so much so I ended up buying the ebook to read instead, I know some people liked the audiobook version but it wasn't for me, personally. I also do recommend reading the manhwa first as well.
**light 4**
January 30, 2025
It is amazing how bad this book is! It is so bad that it is funny! I appreciate especially audiobook with all the noises the actor makes. It is pure comedy. I am actually wondering if author is maybe 12?
March 15, 2020
بەڕاستی ئاڵۆزە تێگەشتن لێی گرانە ئەوەش وای کردووە چێژ بەخش بێت
July 24, 2021
Sound effects read out loud by the narrator makes the audiobook unbearable to listen to. Every fight is like listening to a bad Schwarzenegger soundboard. Swing! Huh? AAAAH!
March 18, 2022
Possible Triggers:
Death | Gore | Talk of Rape
Summary:
This is the first book of the ‘Solo Leveling” light novel series.
Characters:
Jinhoo is my favorite character in this book. I can absolutely picture his happy go lucky, chirpy (and sometimes fearful) self. Such an odd devoted little lemming.
Negatives:
- So I dunno if this is a normal thing in light novels or not, but there were a lot of times in the story that the sound effects (?) were written out in “” and it irritated the crap out of me. This is absolutely not a big complaint, it’s just a small thing because I'd be in the middle of reading dialogue and then all the sudden some weird noise would be there and it was SO disorienting for a moment.
- Switching between character views is sudden and not always clear. A lot of times this happens when there is a quick PoV change between a character that is grouped up with the main one for a short time.
Final Thoughts:
I want to preface this review with the fact that this is my very first light novel. This was SUCH A FUN READ. It was like I was playing an rpg and reading a more fleshed out quest journal. I can’t even really express the true extent of my delight in words. I love the energy and the pacing of this book (more so after the first two chapters). While I've usually got my nose tucked in a chunky grim dark or high fantasy, this was a refreshing step away from my norm into something that was just delight after delight. Sure a lot of it was things i have experienced before watching Anime or playing a video game, but it FELT like i was experiencing the wonder of unlocking game mechanic understanding for the first time, while i was reading. I already have the next book ready and waiting to read.
Death | Gore | Talk of Rape
Summary:
This is the first book of the ‘Solo Leveling” light novel series.
Characters:
Jinhoo is my favorite character in this book. I can absolutely picture his happy go lucky, chirpy (and sometimes fearful) self. Such an odd devoted little lemming.
Negatives:
- So I dunno if this is a normal thing in light novels or not, but there were a lot of times in the story that the sound effects (?) were written out in “” and it irritated the crap out of me. This is absolutely not a big complaint, it’s just a small thing because I'd be in the middle of reading dialogue and then all the sudden some weird noise would be there and it was SO disorienting for a moment.
- Switching between character views is sudden and not always clear. A lot of times this happens when there is a quick PoV change between a character that is grouped up with the main one for a short time.
Final Thoughts:
I want to preface this review with the fact that this is my very first light novel. This was SUCH A FUN READ. It was like I was playing an rpg and reading a more fleshed out quest journal. I can’t even really express the true extent of my delight in words. I love the energy and the pacing of this book (more so after the first two chapters). While I've usually got my nose tucked in a chunky grim dark or high fantasy, this was a refreshing step away from my norm into something that was just delight after delight. Sure a lot of it was things i have experienced before watching Anime or playing a video game, but it FELT like i was experiencing the wonder of unlocking game mechanic understanding for the first time, while i was reading. I already have the next book ready and waiting to read.
March 18, 2022
Der Roman startet eigentlich echt stark, was mich sofort mitgerissen und in die Welt abtauchen lassen hat. Dann jedoch lässt das Buch immer weiter nach, schwächelt nicht nur im Worldbuilding, sondern auch in den Charakteren und deren Tiefe.
So wurde beispielsweise als Motivation des Protagonisten anfangs gesagt, dass er die Krankenhausrechnungen seiner Mutter bezahlen muss und einfach keine anderen Talente als das Hunten der Monster in Dungeons hat. So weit, so gut. Allerdings kommt weder die Mutter noch eine Krankenhausrechnung je wieder vor. Die Motivation wird zwar noch einmal erwähnt, aber um glaubwürdig zu sein, wäre doch zumindest ein Besuch bei der Mutter – oder auch nur ein Anruf – vielleicht ganz angebracht gewesen.
Mit dem Worldbuilding verhält es sich ähnlich. Auch hier werden einzelne Punkte erwähnt, aber nicht wirklich geklärt, wo und wie wir uns eigentlich befinden. Eigentlich bekommt man von der Welt fast absolut gar nichts zu sehen außer irgendwelchen Dungeons und einmal einen Besuch in der Wohnung des Protagonisten. Sehr schade, da ich glaube, dass das wirklich viel Potential gehabt hätte.
Trotz dass die Handlung wirklich schwach ausgearbeitet ist (Später habe ich gesehen, dass es im Englischen als »Light Novel« bezeichnet wird, was wirklich gut passt.), hat sich die Geschichte schnell und gut lesen lassen und zumindest für einen Leseabend unterhalten.
Für mich wird es der Reihe aber dennoch nicht weitergehen, da es mich ehrlich gesagt einfach nicht neugierig gemacht hat. Als Comic, wie es die Geschichte auch gibt, glaube ich, funktioniert die Reihe sehr gut.
So wurde beispielsweise als Motivation des Protagonisten anfangs gesagt, dass er die Krankenhausrechnungen seiner Mutter bezahlen muss und einfach keine anderen Talente als das Hunten der Monster in Dungeons hat. So weit, so gut. Allerdings kommt weder die Mutter noch eine Krankenhausrechnung je wieder vor. Die Motivation wird zwar noch einmal erwähnt, aber um glaubwürdig zu sein, wäre doch zumindest ein Besuch bei der Mutter – oder auch nur ein Anruf – vielleicht ganz angebracht gewesen.
Mit dem Worldbuilding verhält es sich ähnlich. Auch hier werden einzelne Punkte erwähnt, aber nicht wirklich geklärt, wo und wie wir uns eigentlich befinden. Eigentlich bekommt man von der Welt fast absolut gar nichts zu sehen außer irgendwelchen Dungeons und einmal einen Besuch in der Wohnung des Protagonisten. Sehr schade, da ich glaube, dass das wirklich viel Potential gehabt hätte.
Trotz dass die Handlung wirklich schwach ausgearbeitet ist (Später habe ich gesehen, dass es im Englischen als »Light Novel« bezeichnet wird, was wirklich gut passt.), hat sich die Geschichte schnell und gut lesen lassen und zumindest für einen Leseabend unterhalten.
Für mich wird es der Reihe aber dennoch nicht weitergehen, da es mich ehrlich gesagt einfach nicht neugierig gemacht hat. Als Comic, wie es die Geschichte auch gibt, glaube ich, funktioniert die Reihe sehr gut.
February 20, 2021
3.5/5 stars (rounded up to 4)
I received an ARC of this light novel in exchange for an honest review.
Jinwoo is pretty much the worst hunter ever. He's the lowest rank and he has no money. His future has always seemed rather bleak, but it gets even bleaker after he enters a dangerous dungeon. The dungeon ends up being deadly, and he's abandoned by the other hunters. As he's facing death, something happens...
[Congrats on becoming a player!]
This light novel was pretty interesting! Jinwoo, the main character, is like a cross of Deku and Lelouch in my opinion. I liked the video game aspects of this book, like dungeons, raids, abilities, etc. The stats and other features were cool!
The story felt a little long at times, and the writing sometimes made it hard to tell whose perspective I was reading. Other than that, I think this series has a lot of potential in the future! Personally, I would love an anime of this as the fight scenes seem like they'd be awesome if animated!
Content: violence, mention of rape, language (f-bombs)
I received an ARC of this light novel in exchange for an honest review.
Jinwoo is pretty much the worst hunter ever. He's the lowest rank and he has no money. His future has always seemed rather bleak, but it gets even bleaker after he enters a dangerous dungeon. The dungeon ends up being deadly, and he's abandoned by the other hunters. As he's facing death, something happens...
[Congrats on becoming a player!]
This light novel was pretty interesting! Jinwoo, the main character, is like a cross of Deku and Lelouch in my opinion. I liked the video game aspects of this book, like dungeons, raids, abilities, etc. The stats and other features were cool!
The story felt a little long at times, and the writing sometimes made it hard to tell whose perspective I was reading. Other than that, I think this series has a lot of potential in the future! Personally, I would love an anime of this as the fight scenes seem like they'd be awesome if animated!
Content: violence, mention of rape, language (f-bombs)
April 19, 2023
April 2023
Audiobook
6h 19m (1.3x)
I chose the audio version so I haven't read the kindle edition of the novel. This was a strange one for me since I loved the graphic version. Because of that I know what the characters look like and kept checking back each time a new character was introduced.
For the most part it was a standard rpg book and the system annoyed me with the constant stat updates. There was also the sound effects which was probably what I remembered most about this book. They did get annoying but some of them were funny.
The novel ends in a bit of bizarre place in the middle of the stranger raids which is book three in the comic. There are some bits which felt fleshed out and some bits which are re-arranged. It did like that the stranger raids was longer since those were entertaining.
I ended up pausing at the Kang Shik fight to continue reading the comic, which ended up being a re-read of the entire series. The art style is too strong to fall back on the novel. I don't think I'm going to move onto the second one.
Audiobook
6h 19m (1.3x)
I chose the audio version so I haven't read the kindle edition of the novel. This was a strange one for me since I loved the graphic version. Because of that I know what the characters look like and kept checking back each time a new character was introduced.
For the most part it was a standard rpg book and the system annoyed me with the constant stat updates. There was also the sound effects which was probably what I remembered most about this book. They did get annoying but some of them were funny.
The novel ends in a bit of bizarre place in the middle of the stranger raids which is book three in the comic. There are some bits which felt fleshed out and some bits which are re-arranged. It did like that the stranger raids was longer since those were entertaining.
I ended up pausing at the Kang Shik fight to continue reading the comic, which ended up being a re-read of the entire series. The art style is too strong to fall back on the novel. I don't think I'm going to move onto the second one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2025
The light novel gives a lot more detail and depth to the story, and I absolutely adore that. Reading is always like watching a movie in my head; combining that with the beautiful art from the manhua I had so much fun reliving Jinwoo’s level ups.
February 3, 2022
Loved loved loved it.
I followed the webtoon (Manhwa) until it ended and I absolutely loved it.
I cannot wait to hear more of the following volumes.
I followed the webtoon (Manhwa) until it ended and I absolutely loved it.
I cannot wait to hear more of the following volumes.
June 8, 2024
I want to give you a 0 but I can't, so I give you a 1.
June 23, 2024
I read the manhwa first, but since it's ongoing and I wear my patience thin, I decided to read the light novel and my goodness. It is the best shonen I've ever read since naruto and mentenei conan.
February 24, 2024
This was amazing !
I miss the pretty visuals of the webtoon but I love having more details etc about everyone's thoughts. I also know that they tweaked up the story at some points so it's good to read the og material ✨️
I love how they sometimes change people's POV it's so smooth
The grinding part of Jinwoo's journey is amazing to watch it's my favourite part, contrary to the more "political" moments
I miss the pretty visuals of the webtoon but I love having more details etc about everyone's thoughts. I also know that they tweaked up the story at some points so it's good to read the og material ✨️
I love how they sometimes change people's POV it's so smooth
The grinding part of Jinwoo's journey is amazing to watch it's my favourite part, contrary to the more "political" moments
September 1, 2022
I liked everything about the book. From how it was written to what it's written about.
Love how the game system works and how it's described by the author. The book is fast pace and an easy read! There is a good mix between seriousness and silliness. I laughed pretty often reading the book and I love when a book makes me laugh 🤭
At the same time it's important to underline that the book includes a lot of killing, so don't start reading it thinking it'll be a cozy game-driven book. Anyways, even if described, the deaths are not to "splattery" or revolting. So you can be pretty sure to not grimace while reading🤣
I recommend the book to whomever would like to try something new.
Love how the game system works and how it's described by the author. The book is fast pace and an easy read! There is a good mix between seriousness and silliness. I laughed pretty often reading the book and I love when a book makes me laugh 🤭
At the same time it's important to underline that the book includes a lot of killing, so don't start reading it thinking it'll be a cozy game-driven book. Anyways, even if described, the deaths are not to "splattery" or revolting. So you can be pretty sure to not grimace while reading🤣
I recommend the book to whomever would like to try something new.
May 21, 2025
I think it is better to read this physically because of the light novel format as the audiobook narrator read all the sound effects and most of them made me cringe or laugh. With my ADHD though, I will continue with the audiobooks.
As for the story, I love the plot especially with the gaming like aspect but I wasn't a fan of most of the characters because they were unlikable on purpose which I noticed was common thing with a lot of Korean media (manhwa, light novels, kdrama, etc.).
As for the story, I love the plot especially with the gaming like aspect but I wasn't a fan of most of the characters because they were unlikable on purpose which I noticed was common thing with a lot of Korean media (manhwa, light novels, kdrama, etc.).
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