I love it, period.

I'm a sucker for loyal subordinates, MC's squad respecting/caring for MC despite him being of lower skills compared to them, and them squad members offering to teach and train MC so MC can have higher survivability rate, I like their bonds. The squad members are considered troublemakers and doesn't even get along all that well except towards their Squad Leader (MC). I just love how they show they care about MC.

All the characters are fantastic, and none of them I really hate. Yes, even the stabby pe*vert guy in the beginning or the ferryman.

It's a wonderful story packed with tension, team bonding, learning, and introspection. Especially from the MC, who has to at least be slightly crazy by now.

And I love how it's slower paced because of the time loops. It feels like the MC has real walls to get over, unlike other stories where the MC is pretty much just overpowered and can do anything easily. It's also very... more>> refreshing that the MC doesn't have talent. He literally gets good because of his persistence, training, and extreme determination, which is also why his squad members (I adore them) also look up to him... though maybe not in the skill department since they're better than him in skills, but they teach him and care for him too.

I don't get why this novel has lower reviews on Novel Updates. It's an absolute gem, and the manhwa does it justice.... in fact, I absolutely recommend checking out the manhwa as well because the art is beyond fantastic.

Only downside is, I'm a little sus that this might be harem or would have romance. I don't mind romance, but I don't exactly prefer the MC with any of the woman so far in the novel, and I wish the author focused more on the female characters and their personalities/backstories. It seems so sus that everytime a woman appears she might be interested in the MC, which is something I very much dislike in a story because it just smells of harem, and if not, just making every woman's personalities that of just "interested in MC", or what she can do for the MC. So it's very disappointing that the women are reduced a lot to just who they are to the MC, because I never see scenes of them outside him.... although to be fair, I don't see scenes of the squad members a lot when not in context of the MC.

I'm also

Spoiler

Beyond disappointed that the panther was a beautiful woman who was cursed or something. And of course she likes the MC, kind of. Why couldn't they have kept the adorable panther as just a decently powerful panther, are you kidding me? I guess it's why tr*sh of the Count's family was so good, because they never turned the dragon or any of the animal companions into handsome men or beautiful women like authors usually try to do.

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This would be a five star if not for the portrayal of the women... which, typical to shounen, makes every woman like the MC. Disappointing. At least have one of them like the squad members or something, that would be interesting to see. <<less

People said it's basically ReZero but with a likable Main Character. And you know what? True.

Encrid is a soldier who dreams of being a knight. But he's weak and dull. He couldn't even rise through the ranks, let alone become the hope of humanity. Then one day, he died. Before he somehow woke up, in the morning of the day where he will meet his end on the battlefield.

Read the manhwa first, then got impatient and continued on reading the novel. It's very good. Cool action scenes, memorable characters, and... more>> evenly paced improvement. He didn't become strong in a snap, he had to die multiple times just so he could survive one battle. In fact, there was one instance where he had to redo his life for a whole dang year because the enemy was way too strong to beat.

I like it. Definitely love his interaction with his teammates. They are so loyal and always ready to help Encrid whenever he needs. They can also become very childish too, not wanting to obey the order from their superior just because Encrid was busy with his own mission and was not there to babysit them haha.

One thing that might irritate some people off, however, is that there's a harem undertone in this novel. Well, not exactly Encrid flirting with all the women but more like the women fell in love with him at first sight. I think this is just a Suspension Bridge Effect (because they are on a battlefield and I don't blame them if they got infatuated with someone who had saved them from danger) and Encrid was too focused on his training to ever reciprocate their feeling for him anyway, but still. Just a warning for people who don't really like the Harem/Harem undertone.

Will edit this review when the novel (or manhwa) is finally complete <<less

tl;dr It's a fun read and I can't wait to see the heights Encrid reaches.

Original Review (August 19, 2024 - c97) : Some people might find this novel monotonous, but I find it to be an addicting breath of fresh air. Encrid is not an OP character. He was praised for being talented when he was younger, but found that when he went out into the world that he had just been a big fish in a small pond and became crushed under the realization that he could never amount... more>> to more than that even though he dreams of becoming a knight. His mad platoon members were actually born talented geniuses, but experienced what I imagine to be something like "gifted burnout" of boredom and lacking motivation towards a predictable future of heights that will only bring annoyances. The relationships and interactions between Encrid and his mad platoon members is a beautifully violent work of art, much like blacksmiths hammering a sword and trying to force and incorporate unconventional ores--the members become satisfied and re-energized at how sharp the dull blade has become and Encrid crawls one excruciating step forward to becoming the living weapon he wants to be. The energy of this story is infectious as readers also get drawn in by the current Encrid creates as we judge his stubborn resolve and that judgment slowly transforms into a sort of doting admiration. I swear I've become a little mad myself just by proximity.

P.S. Babayaga02/RevengerScans really does top notch quality. They're doing a slow release, but you can purchase advanced chapters on their ko-fi. Definitely show them some love because their translations are very decent compared to those who just plug the novels into translators without taking the time to touch up grammar and comparable idioms, etc. There are a few gender errors by RevengerScans, but Korean is a genderless language that colloquially relies on context rather than specifically designating females under "그" so I'm not all that bothered by the tiny bit of extra mental math.

UPDATE NOTE (October 24, 2024 - c480) : There is no romance. Women do sort of flock to him because of his looks and his intriguing abilities, but Encrid is solely focused on his sword and has no interest in physical intimacies and romance. And the women themselves aren't really interested in him romantically though they may joke about it. Instead, they mostly appreciate his crazy and inspiring persistence and get swept up with everyone else in introspection on the path to their own goals. It might change in the future because I haven't completed this story, but almost 400 chapters later and that hasn't changed. There is quite a bit of found family and their own bizarre bromance, but no bl as Encrid and the main secondary characters are quite hetero. <<less

I really like the concept of this story, regression but not overpowered then gradual development. I really love how MC's self awareness of his lack of talent but is relentless in improving himself, thus affecting those who encounter. Its beautiful to see how he grow slowly even with his regressions, and not just speed running everything on the next turn. So far so good. And the manhwa really do it justice with the visuals.

I came from the manwha and immediately come to the novel and I have to say, it's very good. The pacing, the overall plot, the MC that literally doesn't know when to give up. Also love the comradeship he has with his squad. They don't exactly like each other but they all respect their squad leader enough that, alongside his growth, they're shown to be protective on him.

No romance so far, and coming from me who often seek for one, it's actually isn't so bad. There are potential candidates, but... more>> there isn't exactly any interaction where they could be in a relationship really.

Will keep following this novel just to see how the end would be. <<less

I'm obsessed. I love the squad dynamics and how they care about him in their own way but don't coddle him. Encrid is one of my favorite mc's. He isn't obsessed with money or women and looks after his people. Some main characters are either too vicious or too soft; he is neither. He seeks after battle to improve himself but doesn't delight in wanton bloodshed.

Unlike many other novels/manhwa, this story does not involve a harem or any romance at all from where I have read. The "romance" in this... more>> honestly seems like more of an ongoing joke that his squad enjoy in perpetuating. He has an ongoing bromance with some of his crew but they are all 100% straight. Sometimes their declarations of heterosexuality seem a little suspicious to be honest hehe.

This is a story about a man who has a goal and is pursuing that goal simply through hard work and determination. Besides his revival ability he has no special powers and all his achievements are earned through hard work. Edit

Spoiler

Still no romance so far but every woman he meets immediately wants him. Thankfully I don't see any signs of harem.

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Great novel, but only complaint stopping it from being 5 stars is that later the author lingers on scenes for too long and repeat inner monologs for character.

The main character does something to surprise his comrades or fails, but we have to see each character's thoughts on the matter which can take up half or a whole chapter. A character would talk about how they feel about the MC to themselves one chapter, do it again later, and do it again later. It's fine if the context changes, but... more>> half the time it doesn't.

This is a good read, but it becomes frustrating if you catch up. <<less

I honestly loved this story so much, I highly recommend it, the development of the characters is great, the evolution is incredible, I laughed a lot, I was moved, I had only joy with it, I highly recommend it, it is too good, the current chapters are incredible.