I Rely On Poverty To Sweep Through Survival Games

Description

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Xiao Lan was a pauper who couldn’t do anything that required money.

On the road after work, he was engulfed by darkness and opened his eyes to a frightening and dangerous survival game.

The app that can’t be deleted; the people it locked on to were unable to escape except through death.

Ordinary players: Save me, I don’t want to die!!!

Xiao Lan: Sorry, the phone is too broken and it froze. Can you wait a little longer?

A hand reached out from inside an old-fashioned television; the people caught would enter its world.

Ordinary players: Ahhhhhhh! What to do?!

Xiao Lan: According to my many years of experience repairing old household appliances, it seems that this model can be opened like this…

Finally, the bosses gathered around Xiao Lan one day, prepared to deal with this (game) bug.

But they saw him roll up his sleeves and stride forward on long legs, and he beat up the bosses until they doubted their ghostly births.

Xiao Lan: Do you think an overtime worker’s night travels are for nothing?

Luo: Sir is always this cute.

Passer-by (shivering): Isn’t your definition of cute a little strange…

Associated Names
One entry per line
BROKE
Tôi dựa vào bần cùng quét ngang trò chơi sinh tồn
Я покладаюся на бідність, щоб перемогти в іграх на виживання
我靠贫穷横扫逃生游戏
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
The Trial Game of Life (6)
The Earth is Online (6)
Non-Human Seeking Re-employment (6)
Card Room (5)
I Rely on Kisses to Clear Survival Games (5)
High Energy QR Code (4)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Novel Tracker
  2. Horror BLs
  3. Organizar essa lista
  4. unlimited flow + supernatural setting TBR
  5. Completed

Latest Release

Date Group Release
05/05/22 Chrysanthemum Garden c179
02/23/22 Chrysanthemum Garden c175
01/30/22 Chrysanthemum Garden c174
01/30/22 Chrysanthemum Garden c173
01/30/22 Chrysanthemum Garden c172
01/21/22 Chrysanthemum Garden c171
01/09/22 Chrysanthemum Garden c170
01/03/22 Chrysanthemum Garden c169
12/21/21 Chrysanthemum Garden c168
12/14/21 Chrysanthemum Garden c167
12/14/21 Chrysanthemum Garden c166
11/24/21 Chrysanthemum Garden c165
11/22/21 Chrysanthemum Garden c164
10/20/21 Chrysanthemum Garden c163
10/20/21 Chrysanthemum Garden c162
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50 Reviews sorted by


maria_mtl
maria_mtl rated it
July 16, 2020
Status: Completed
The story is very engaging. Main characters and side characters have their own story, its making you feel close to them. IMO, each character has solid background which make their personality believable.

It has almost the same main plot as other reality game novel but this one is a little bit different.

... more>>
Spoiler

The game kinda has less gameplay. Even a rookie player, they only have to play once a week. As for a senior player, they only required to play the game once every half year.

So the MC timeline is kinda fast. In a few ch, 2 years ady past. This because MC rarely voluntary entered a copy.

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Try read one. Loved the story! <<less
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remyrem
remyrem rated it
November 9, 2021
Status: c50
Characters: 5/5
Spoiler
  • @ all the people who have ever complained about dumbass/dense MCs: this is an MC you will probably love. He sort of reminds me of Cheating Men Must Die's MC (the manga, haven't read the novel), with the sense of having a lot of life experience and being very intelligent and skilled, but not omniscient. He's poor and in extreme debt; he's street smart, and his skills actually make sense and are justified! He's not just another "I'm strong cuz I'm the protag and need to win" character.
  • ML is more like a sentient system, and I enjoy how dramatic he is in the early chapters, especially when put beside MC. It's really interesting to see an ML who acts like the MC's servant for once, since the usual trend for qt novels (which this sort of is?) is a badass ML in a high position who can help MC (which ML does do later on, but even then there's this sense of "rich butler and poor master" rather than "pretty boy and his golden thigh"). There's mutual care and trust between the two of them, and ML often admires MC's strength on his own.
  • The other characters are colorful and fill in the world very well. There's a lot of side characters who aren't focused on too much, and they're all entertaining when they show up.
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Story: 4/5
Spoiler
  • The gore is pretty vivid and (unfortunately) easy to picture, but it's not overly descriptive to the point of fetishizing it. The first arc is full of it, but the arcs after that are more into the horror mystery aspect with the gore mostly just at the end. The main story chapters also don't really have any gore, they're more like a standard "protag vs the world" shounen anime.
  • The plots are fairly normal (?) and don't really have twists. The first arc is a demented "poor person's Bring Me game"; second arc is a hot springs mu*der mystery; third is a "locked in a mansion", human sacrifice monster horror; etc... YMMV on if that's a good thing or not, but as a lover of classic horror movie tropes this is definitely my jam.
  • The writing (and TL) is clear and concise, which is a relief after just going through so many 100+ chapter novels where half the chapters are just reworded and repeated stuff that waste time. When MC finds a clue or realizes something, it isn't repeated constantly like the author is saying "do you get it yet?" In fact, from the comments, it's more like the stuff is mentioned so briefly that some readers ask "Who was HB again? When did XL get that item?" etc
  • Speaking of writing, it isn't perfect. MC's entire backstory is confusing, when I try to timeline the past I just get a headache. There's plot things that get introduced but then dropped, like the shadow things from the first arc that were introduced like they were a common thing but never showed up again in the subsequent arcs. Side character plots happen in the background which can be a little confusing and shocking when you see how a character has progressed. Also, it doesn't even seem like the summary is accurate? It makes it seem like the main plot is MC going through worlds and making each boss mad enough for a final all-bosses confrontation, when the world bosses are honestly negligible outside of instances and the main conflict is actually MC and ML finding out more about their past and the world. It falls into the common qt problem of "don't think about it too much because it won't make sense".
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Overall Enjoyment: 5/5

Love it! It ticks all of the boxes, and the TL work by CG is very good. Definitely recommend this to everybody who can tolerate gore and horror movie scenarios.
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Carnaxa
Carnaxa
September 22, 2020
Status: Completed
This turned out to be a well thought out backstory of an MC, one of my favourites. I definitely recommended.

I MTL'd this and still enjoyed it.
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gluttony08
gluttony08
June 30, 2025
Status: Completed
It’s a good read overall. Maybe because I’ve read other novels with a similar concept, this one fell a little short for me. I actually had to pause halfway through due to a lack of interest, but I picked it back up just to finish it and cross it off my list.

That said, I did enjoy the main character. He’s steadfast, hardworking, and honestly just hilarious. Watching him bulldoze through every instance like an unstoppable force—and becoming a nightmare for all the instance bosses—was pure entertainment. His abilities are both... more>> funny and kind of pitiful, which somehow makes them even better.

The male lead pretty much carried the entire story. I just wish the author had written a few more chapters to really flesh out the MC and ML’s relationship. Their bond had potential, but it felt underdeveloped. The ending also left quite a few loose ends after the main boss was defeated. It felt a bit rushed, and like a lot of the story’s potential was left unexplored. <<less
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wkhekwjewkej
wkhekwjewkej rated it
June 17, 2025
Status: --
Right right right, poverty..

Can we laugh at the concept first..? I mean of course we’re not making fun of paupers.. Just.. Pfft. Anyway. I love this concept to death. The poorer you are, the stronger? Ain’t that convenient!

I actually had a lot to talk about this novel but there’s.. I.. Forgot too much of it, it just stormed past my mind (it’s been half a year since I read it, I was stalling.)

... more>> But fear not, I can still professionally write you a review.

PLOT:

The plot isn’t bad, it’s actually pretty good. I feel like compared to other IF novels like Card room or Kaleidoscope of death, there was a lot more going on and a lot more to focus on— however. However. We also need to address one issue when it comes to this. Of course we’re not comparing the plot to novels like game loading or High energy QR code but while it stands on it’s own as a well thought out idea, I feel the execution wasn’t that great.

What do I mean by that? I don’t mean there’s plot holes or issues that need to be fixed but the writing itself, you’d know if you’ve read other IFs, I won’t even compare it to KOD or CYSE because those novels promise top-tier setting and mood that can instantly submerge you. I just feel the air wasn’t thick enough, I didn’t feel the crisis, didn’t feel the looming fear of death. It’s not because we have Xiaolou but just in general, when there’s conflict, we want that ‘feel’ of conflict for resolution to feel good. I won’t say it’s bad, definitely not! But it isn’t amazing either.

ROMANCE:

Honestly I feel like, coughs, we could’ve just left our MC as a straight man because the chemistry.. I feel bad for Lou, destined for a one-sided love.. I would never judge an IF based on the romance but it is a key factor in my rating if it has significance to the plot. Their romance was okay, it was cute after they got together somewhat but, it’s missing too much. I mean, it kinda has the same vibe as Wen Chen and Mo Yi from CYSE but god. Woah. Their chemistry was off the roof. But then again, was this book all that serious in the first place..?

Are we expecting too much from Someone Relying on poverty? To sweep through.. Escape games?

It all suddenly feels too absurd and my head’s spinning.

CHARACTERS:

Before I say anything- yes. The twins seem like carbon copies from Xi Zixu’s KOD and that’s okay, moving on.

Xiao Lan: Straight man, literally that’s his personality. You can laugh a bit and cry but there’s no real development, so don’t worry (fret?/care?/pity?) too much anyway moving on.

Lou: Lou! Fei Lou! Xiaolou! Lovely Lou, butler Lou, baby basically carried the entire book. No Lou = No nothing. No need to even considering reading the book.

Spoiler

Cameo (?) appearance of dead dad. I think it was dad haha. Anyway I actually really love dad, if dad had more screen time my love for the book would’ve increased~ but oh well.

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Overall:

It’s not a novel meant to be serious or to be read seriously, I’ll admit some arcs are pretty good but there’s no real horror at all and sometimes it may even feel a bit bland due to there being no real feeling of threat anywhere in the book but if you’re someone who gets scared easily and can’t read stories that have gore and horror like CYSE then this ones for you, and a Lou!

P.S- Yes. I love CYSE to death if it wasn’t obvious already. <<less
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Kitix
Kitix rated it
May 11, 2025
Status: c210
I love such genre of infinite horror game survival and it was a decent read, but missing something... It is like you got a cake from well-known place, packaging is beautiful, taste is good, but not amazing. You enjoyed cake, but it didn’t met your expectations. This novel felt exactly like that, lots of potential, great side characters, interesting powers, but feels empty.

Advent world wasn’t explored that much, we know structure, there are restaurants, homes, shops, but MC only went to few and most of time spent in training grounds.... more>> Time between entering instances grew to 1-2 instances per year cuz advanced players enter instance every 6 months... I feel like author gave too much time in between those, how can I believe that advanced players have any type of urgency with such a long time? Such long wait also affected narrative, MC and ML did stuff in those months, but we just get few sentences that they were preparing, feeling of timeline was a bit hard to grasp. Instances themselves felt a bit nonsensical, I mean it was hard to grasp idea of clues/story/end goal... really vague. The most enjoyable was Crow instance, it felt most polished, others were just there. Also when they got home in real life, it was hinted to be haunted, but nothing came of it... Kinda weird ngl, could have just said it was normal house and be done.

Furthermore, I am not sure how I feel about Luo, even though he is typical male lead: handsome, powerful, possessive and does everything MC wants and respects his decisions. Unfortunately, he was made too much into butler (just imagine Sebastian from Black Butler) and never left that role even when they became a couple, he got rich in real world fast and even if MC was poor, technically he became instant rich with Luo beside him. Also their romance started kinda weird, I mean Luo suddenly becomes interested romantically (certain arc gave us some idea why, but it still felt too short and at most was some interest) and then MC starts to think he is sooo handsome and good to him, but at most Luo was always a backdrop in games or if to explain in gamer terms he was like henchman npc which always stuck with you (but more useful). My main gripe tho, that he kept addressing Xiao Lan “Sir” till the very end... cmon you are already husbands what’s with constant sir here and there?!

On the other hand, what shined the most are secondary characters, Wang brothers, Qi Ning, Cheng guy, Wushe and many other side character’s development and stories which were more interesting than main couple. Sadly, author decided to invest into AU extras of main couple instead of getting us extras about all those characters and their life afterwards or even insight of how they got into Advent world. At least there were extras about Qi Ning (depressing tho, gave us hope and dropped it right there) and Master (honestly it’s interesting how he ended up in that instance xD). However, I really disliked obsessive kind of fan/cult MC gained cuz of weirdo fan (Fugui), she actually got quite nice reasoning behind her actions as revealed in the end, but I really wish it wasn’t done in such a hurry.

It is not obvious when you read it first time, but I needed to re-read it since I started long ago and saw it finished, but literally remembered nothing. I thought it is weird that I read till 158 chapter and can’t remember anything related to plot, considering that title sounds fun and I love horror survival. This novel is decent read, you will have fun with it, but it goes into wasted potential category, maybe it’s main couple who became overpowered too fast, unremarkable instances or secondary characters about whom you want to learn more about, but unable to do so, there is no fulfillment from reading and ending felt lack luster, why they need to stay in Advent world? Becoming Awakened? Why? For what purpose? Left readers hanging for some kind of epilogue, but there is no more.

Thanks to both translators for working on this novel ♥️ <<less
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a_N_a
a_N_a rated it
March 27, 2025
Status: c1
I generally am too lazy to write reviews but in my personal opinion this story and it's premise were a missed opportunity to write something truly interesting instead of yet another story about the MC and ML's quirky adventure through horror scenarios were people are brutally mu*dered, tortured, brutalised by forces beyond their imagination and their own species.

Like, I know quite a lot of infinite flow novels are like this and maybe this is just me airing out my grievances about a genre staple but I cannot help myself, this... more>> could have been so much more. I have fallen asleep while reading for the umpteenth time about how Xiao Lan has no f*cks to give about anything instead of seeing any visible character arc far too many times. He could have been so much more and I mourn that a bit.

Here are just some of my gripes that I can think of from the top of my head:

1. Honestly if the author was a little less preoccupied with making the same jokes over and over, I think this would have been a more interesting read.

2. In fact the later instances were quite interesting and could have been fleshed out even more.

3. The lore behind the advent world was also interesting (if a little cliche) and I would loved if it was expanded upon more.

4. Xiao LAN was pretty one note and I wish more of his relationship with his parents was explored instead of going on and on about how

5. Lastly I wish Xiao Lan (MC) faced at least the first instance on his own before Lou (ML) swooped in to become his golden finger.

Despite all of this, I will not deny I did not derive some moments of enjoyment out of this read. The side characters, although pretty 2 dimensional were fun to read about (especially Tie Hanhan) Qi Ning was a stand out character for me personally. The author has a knack for visual story telling and I great at writing action too. It's just that I know if the story was a bit more concise it would have been more memorable. <<less
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BeneathAHibiscusCanopysWarmth
BeneathAHibiscusCanopysWarmth rated it
November 2, 2024
Status: Completed
Plot Quality: 4/5

Entertainment Value: 4/5

Very interesting horror worlds, cute main couple.
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erialolita
erialolita rated it
January 6, 2024
Status: Completed
I really enjoyed this novel. It kept me interested for most of the novel and there were only 2 arcs near the end that bored me.

I will say, the MC and ML are both OP so if you like watching a MC and ML struggle, this isn't it. The MC and ML are not the best, but I didn't dislike them.

It would have been nice if the ML got a bit more in terms of character development as they were both basically main characters. So much untapped potential with the... more>> ML's story and growth.

The arcs weren't complicated, which I appreciate. I find it annoying when some unlimited flow authors make the game s*upidly complicated in an attempt to be intelligent. Not saying these arcs show some great intelligence, but they also didn't pretend they were.

What I did like is the authors tone. It's kind of hard for me to really articulate, but one example is there wasn't any of the overly patriotic undertones that accompany many Chinese novels. There wasn't any Chinese vs the world, no putting down other countries, it was just a story about a boy stuck in unlimited flow.

The romance is a bit lacking and it is a slow burn, then wham type. The ML is the devoted type and the MC is the thinks he is straight type, found it kind of annoying.

I loved the ending, I'm a sucker for a good happy ending. Was disappointed with the extras though. I mostly skimmed the extras via MTL, but they didn't have much to do with the main story so I was bored.

Translation was great and I loved the little translator notes about certain Chinese character meanings, it's sad that the translation only got to 190. MTL isn't impossible, but not the best. <<less
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ZeyFletcher
ZeyFletcher rated it
March 6, 2023
Status: c138
Did not finish it cause I think TL is not yet completed? I choose to cliffhang myself, at least I have a bit of control on where I want to stop HAHAHA

anww, this is good, it's action packed? Not much romance, pretty nice mysteries, but I just have to say thaaat the flow is not the best? Like every arc is too different? Altho it's nice, sometimes it's also kinda weird that like, I can't really tell what the Advent World is all about? Even after all those arcs I've... more>> read. Or maybe that's really the plot? That those are just different 'Games' so ofcourse you won't feel something consistent. Anw, I've always liked QT. Hope I can reread/finish this when it is completely TLed.

MC is unique, ML is even more unique. It's kinda weird that it's already been 138 chaps but I feel like I still know so little about them.
Spoiler

I just finished the part of their first kiss and I guess it was a satisfying part that I can happily pause this HAHAHA

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<<less
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Honefuusen
Honefuusen rated it
February 25, 2023
Status: --
A well-written infinite flow story. World building was solid. The comedy is gold. And while it's gory, it has that shounen-esque optimism to it. Which is just right for a faint hearted reader like I am.

... more>>
Spoiler

comedy sample: the MC discovered a door which made farting sound and played beatboxing with it. The neighbors weren't supportive of this particular endeavor, lol

[collapse]

The romance is not quite slow burn, but it burns gently. While the ML might have yandere tendencies, ultimately he showcased his love in the gentlest form. The MC and ML dinamics were lovable.

The supporting characters are also colorful, fleshed out enough, and while there were a lot of comedy, they also were with sombre realism to them.

Again. Despite some hasty cover ups of what felt like a bit of plot holes, it was a well written story. I might read other novels from this author if there's any.

Translation was amazing. A shout-out for the translating team. <<less
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Cjiji
Cjiji rated it
January 16, 2023
Status: c190
Best! Best!!! Best!!!! Love it!!

MC n the ML are the cutest! Tho there are some parts which are a lil gore and haunted there are many funny plots also!!

Hehe >< The romance is a slow burn romancee! Which is very exciting..!

Side characters are also very lovable!

A BIG THUMBS UP TO THE AUTHOR!!!!

Nothing was out of place, the plot was very good!

Not one complain! It's just the BEST!

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KeraShr
KeraShr rated it
July 15, 2022
Status: Completed
Great storyline, interesting plots, awesome & powered protagonists, impressive dialogues & savage punchlines!

This novel has it all!

I loved the chemistry between the leads. Plots and punchline delivery was great. I lost count of how many times I must have thought, "ohh, savage, emotional damage!" 🤣🤣

Rating 5 Stars! ✨️ Definitely recommended!!
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trash_generalist
trash_generalist
May 19, 2022
Status: c53
Aaah well 🤔 For some reason, I lost interest in this. I’m not sure why? Maybe it’s because I don’t really like the main characters all that much? Like, I don’t dislike them, but I also don’t love them, they’re lacking appeal to me. In comparison, I really liked the side characters introduced so far 😂. Uhhh idk, it could just be the lack of direction too. Like most survival games / infinite flow novels tend to have more tension or and end goal (e.g. Making it out of the... more>> survival world), but this one feels kind of aimless. It’s definitely more feel-good than I was expecting, which is not bad. Just not what I was looking for currently.

oh well! I think it deserves another shot so I’ll come back to read it again one day. If nothing else, I did enjoy the instances (even if they did lack structure and made it seem equally as aimless as the plot DX). For now, I’ll leave it unrated cause you can never be too sure. I did quit pretty early on. <<less
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jellyfishies
jellyfishies rated it
February 25, 2022
Status: Completed
4.3

The premise of this novel is honestly so interesting. First of all, the ML's first appearance is in an envelope. Second of all, the MC's power grows with his poverty (and he has really bad luck). The horror setup of the arcs are done quite well as well. They weren't actually scary, but the settings were always interesting, and there's a component of mystery to some of the arcs as well. For me, the story kind of started dragging on near the end when they were figuring out how to... more>> fight against the main antagonist. There's quite a bit of cliched elements sprinkled in onto the final resolution as well. MC and MC's romance development was really sweet too. Nothing too exhilarating or dramatic, but just a slow process of ML pampering MC and MC slowly figuring out he's not as straight-man as he thought he was. The romantic subplot definitely plays second fiddle to the actual instance-clearing/fight against the big bad plot, but it's definitely very existent and cute. <<less
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Dianille
Dianille rated it
July 3, 2021
Status: c143
I love this story MC and ML. They fit my ideal horror character requirement which was brave and not jumpy. Well, he kinda has a bad luck in one area but good luck in other. I don't think he's too OP, but the ML certainly is OP. He doesn't show it much though, I think the ML was somewhat like an admin or GM on video games.
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Althame
Althame rated it
January 2, 2021
Status: c78
Shameless MC and Butler-like ML (Sebastian is that you? Not really but me like anyhow), some scenes are definitely funny, and it doesn't leave me with a painful impatient urge to know the answers (thank you author). Something is always happening and the pacing feels good.

Just don't read this at night, if you're a scaredy-human like me.
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MofuMofu
MofuMofu rated it
October 4, 2020
Status: Completed
Ahhh I luv this novel so much 😭💖 the MC character is so likeable. ML is a loyal dog character, but not pushy about his feeling to MC but trapped him slowly. So it's kinda slow romance, but it's still sweet!!

I luv how the story going on and the each character building is very good too. But just a little. A little complain. Why the extra chapter after ending is not about the story after that? 😭 I am a bit disappointed for the extra though they are cute.... more>> I feel heartache for Qi Ning, he is my favorite side character 😭 ca-can I counted the extra for Qi Ning as a happy ending? 😩 I just want Qi Ning get his Happy Ending too 😭 Whyyy author 😭

But bsd this one, and my personal feeling of love for Qi Ning, all in all, this story is Soo good. I hope u enjoy read this one if u deciding to read 💖 <<less
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Killgore
Killgore rated it
July 24, 2020
Status: Completed
I MTL'd the Novel because I couldn't wait for the TL'ed Chapters and I was right.. One of the best books I have read.

It's funny, engaging and is funny. You never feel bored and the plot is also kind of refreshing. I loved the book and although there are some parts where I am not satisfied with - No book is Perfect. But this book is damn near it.

It's a great novel which is funny and keeps your interest.
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secondthots
secondthots rated it
May 28, 2025
Status: Completed
I finally finished this!!

This took me forever to complete & it's not because of translations but because I would get distracted every other arc & it'd be a while before I get back into it.

Personally it reads like a 4-star, but plot wise it could be a 5. I only say the former because there were moments that it felt really dull for me. Slow-burn sure, but it wasn't as gripping as I thought it'd be for a horror instance. Still an interesting plot & I stayed tuned for the... more>> main CP's relationship. The instances could have been better but it didn't feel out of place with the trajectory of the overall plot.

Definitely episodic-like. 130+ chapters just for a first kiss is a crime but again—it's a slow-burn romance.

I wished the extras were better tbh <<less
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