Well reminds me of that one CH novel where all humans sent into unknown underground crypt where they dig to next area, the MC tho have 'hint' skill, so he could know what to expect before digging, this novel feels like that but instead of digging dirt wall its going around in thick fog.

Also comparing that novel with this one, this one feels lacking, as its another MC where he adapt to his sudden different environment in short time, the tension also lacking as the MC armor plot quite thick... more>> I might say, imho the 'hints' better be less detailed instead overly detailed, as it feels more like "description" skill rather than "hints". <<less

Good atmosphere but drops the ball as the MC gets stronger as it starts to become an NPC management sort of novel, significantly lowers the tension.

The enemies are very clearly inspired by Dark Souls and My Iyashikei Game, but I mean that in the best way possible.

I like the way the world tells the MC it's "story." Stronger enemies can drop a soul item that once consumed will lay all of the monsters lingering regrets on the MC, this sets the atmosphere perfectly and does wonders for worldbuilding.

The good:

• Such great world building! Like another reviewer said, very much has Dark Souls vibes. We know little about the world, and piecing together breadcrumbs from hints or quests amongst all the cosmic horror makes it so interesting to read. Easily my favorite part of the novel.
• Lots of creative elements, the types of monsters or quests or discoveries.
• Good tension. Although I would feel confident the protagonist's party would survive whatever encounter, I couldn't quite predict what condition they'd be in.

The OK:

• Author is pretty logically consistent with world rules or How Things Work, for good or for ill. For example: most people have zero information on how the fog works, so logically it makes sense that there will be sweeping deaths. And similar to how in some video games there's that one build that starts out weak and then mushrooms enormously, our protagonist is the same: he struggles a lot in beginning, even with a cheat, but eventually the power gap becomes huge. It MAKES LOGICAL SENSE, but it's not as satisfying because most struggles become redundant and separate from everyone else.

The bad:

• The protagonist is really unlikeable lol. On one hand I found myself hoping he wouldn't die because I wanted him to keep exploring the world for me (my favorite part). On the other hand, if he was maimed or tortured in some way I wouldn't feel empathetic.
• Author LOVES their protagonist lol. I'm not a huge fan of the "chat box" story device in general, but wow did the author use it to showcase the amazing, incredible, generous ect qualities of the protagonist. I kept wanting to tell the peanut gallery to shut up, and for the author to stop glorifying this character unnecessarily and get on with the world building. (Maybe author got feedback on how dislikable the protagonist is and very much disagreed? Lol).

Overall, I'd almost prefer the... more>> characters be cutouts, but I love the story's atmosphere and all the small details the author includes. <<less

I just finished reading till the current chapter and I can confidently say that it is a good story.

The MC considers the pros and cons of situations in the long term before committing to them, even if it causes him to face immediate threat at the cost of being seen as a hero-like figure, something he believes himself to not be.

The starting indeed has some relatively cliche set-up to this theme but picks up different as many seemingly random plot points and mentions get explained.

Highly recommended!