One of my all time favorites.

Short version: The story's either chaotic and unstructured or a top notch masterplan. Your pick.

Although for some stretches it was a bit arduous to continue reading, honestly that may as well just be me, since I've had that with other great novels which I ended up loving too, like Overlord, I am the Monarch, etc.

The strongest point of Reincarnator is surely the world building and the plot, it's really well thought out to a degree that you keep doubting if certain events were a foreshadowing... more>> or a revelation of the background of things which happen 200 chapters later. The complexity of the story does however mean that if you pause the novel after reading 100+ chapters, you'll most likely miss many fine details later when you continue. Is it worth it? Yes, absolutely. The story isn't needlessly complex, it adds many bits of information and clues which continue to build the world while also keeping it interesting by not flat-out explaining everything from the start.

This is kind of similar to the many subplots and foreshadowings in Overlord, however it's more obviously/clearly structured in Overlord.

Personally I like the way that Reincarnator scatters references and clues which you have to piece together yourself, but I guess it might be too confusing to some, depending on your preferences.

The protag is really interesting too, I like him because he's down-to-earth and ruthless/calculative when needed, however I kinda feel like most korean novel protags have characters similar to this. Although many people complain that not many side chars stay relevant for long, that however fits the dark feeling of the novel really well, plus the protag's basically in a rush with his priorities sorted out - friendship's not on that list. So I don't see why it would make sense to force minor characters into a friendship with the protag when they can't match his progressing speed or help him in any way, heck they can't even stay in touch once he leaves the zone (with a few exceptions), so what's the point of befriending them in the first place? Since the protag would most likely say something like "I've got no time for this bullshit." if someone tried to befriend him forcefully, I have no issues with several characters staying relevant for a single arc - there are still enough characters which do stay relevant anyways.

All in all the novel is really unique, you could say the story is confusing and in a mess - or you could take it as the style of storytelling, giving hints of what happened, foreshadowings and clues without flatly explaining everything and thereby killing all suspense. You could take the protagonist as cruel and inhumane... or realistic, experienced and someone who has seen humanity's worst.

It's entirely your pick, but either you hate it or you love it. <<less

This novel is the cure to the beta male sh*t in a fantasy setting you're looking for. The MC is badass and OP in a good way, being that he is experienced and knows what to look for and how to accomplish his goals. He doesn't have plot armor so much as he knows the risks and rewards of what he is doing and calculates his actions. No forced romance so far, MC is completely goal driven. It is a gritty and extremely harsh world he lives in and there... more>> is a lot of Machiavellian survival of the fittest themes, but it isn't to the point where the MC goes maximum edge and just betrays and uses everyone, he just does his thing and removes anyone in his way. Not a lot of POV for side characters, only when necessary or the plot is advancing too fast. No shitty inner monologue for every action or plan he has, the readers just get to experience the action raw not knowing how he will overcome this new setback or curve ball thrown his way. The suspense keeps you on the edge of your seat. Also a major plot-twist at c300 so I'm REALLY looking forward for the chapters to come. <<less

TL DR: Different& awesome, zero ass pulls, all plot no filler, MC acts like a real veteran, has an epic plan, gets things done fast and An ocean of problems to deal with, half of it is cause people are greedy/selfish/coward. MC seen them all and laughs at it.

flaws: gotta reread to understand certain things. lots of skipped fights. lots of jumping viewpoints.

There is something about Reincarnator that makes it such a exciting read compared to alot of the other novels on this site. And I came to the conclusion... more>> that it is because of plot.

Unlike alot of other stories, the main point of this story is the progression of the story. unlike so many other stories where the plot goes at a glacial pace while describing various.

The MC has a clear goal, acts like a proper seasoned veteran who dealt with all the bullshits of humanity. He admits that he is flawed at dealing with people. with all the things he has to do, more than half of all his problems is due to people acting selfish, scared and selfish. (s*upidity is never a big factor)

*the amount of bullsh*t the guy has to deal with is enough to MC's of most other stories insane, and that is why this story feels so different and refreshing to read. He is experienced enough to deal with all the issues with zero asspulls/du ex machina.

power levels/growth. MC is overpowered, but he has earned it. Best way to describe it: system is like darksouls, first time for everyone except MC, hes doing it NG+, and getting much stronger by doing so.

Alot of the poor reviews for this series is due to its writing style. Unlike many other writers, the Author is willing to skip alot of the fights where the result is already obvious. but when he dose describe it, it's almost always detailed and epic. (fish) There is alot of jumping around with different view points which makes it confusing for lots of readers.

Adventure 1: “Kang Hansoo... You bastard.”

MC: “It seems like I’m the villain when I appear at a time like this... But what can I do. I gotta do what I’ve gotta do.”

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Adventure 2 “Why are you doing this! I told you to go!”

MC :“You can enter at any time but leaving is a different story.” (‘This used to be Kangtae’s catchphrase, it’s quite pleasant today.’)

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villain: “Wait! I’ll go back! So please ==spoilers==!”

Wouldn’t Hansoo have made those offers for a reason?

Hansoo laughed coldly.

“You should’ve taken the chance back then.” <<less

Well... the idea is nice. I am a fan of the Apocalypse genre. Especially when the MC has a 'leader' trait. In this novel although the MC pushes people away a lot, many admire him as someone strong and want to follow him. Anyways, it's the writing that I have a problem with. The story jumps a lot. One minute the MC is making plans about something and before we can actually see his plans be carried out he's already at the last stage taking on the 'last boss'. This... more>> makes the story confusing at times... and I heard that it even becomes more confusing after chapter 100. In my opinion, besides the MC, the characters are too flimsy. It's as if they aren't there at all. I actually want to know more about the MCs three friends that we read about at the first chapter. I feel as if they have more 'presence' than the others. So far, this story simply follows a guy who is willing to sacrifice others to reach his goal and eventually save humanity as he gets more OP along the way. <<less

This novel started off pretty strong. It has some very unique elements which are, by no means new but still the author does give them a new spin which makes the LN an interesting read.... at first.

First talking about unique elements, we have a combination of time travel, apocalypse, dark undertones of humanity showing its dark side but still vanilla enough that people who do not like it too dark can also enjoy the story and finally we have game elements of leveling up done in a very unique and... more>> interesting way. All of these things give rise to a LN which has a decent potential to be an interesting read and making readers curious enough to see how the LN story will end.

Basically, the story of the LN is nothing new. The MC is sent back in time to just before the start of the apocalypse so that he can save the world. As I said, nothing new, but since there some unique elements in the story, it was interesting at first. But the problem is that the LN is just too fast paced. There is not a moment's respite in the story telling to properly develop characters and the world. The MC is on a very very tight schedule and he has to do all the hidden quests and stuff like that which can make him powerful quickly. But the problem is that MC, after 30-40 chapters just becomes plain boring. He has almost no interactions with other people, he is incredibly passive to everything that happens around him. He is just plain absorbed in furthering his own strengths. The fast paced action type story telling looked interesting at first and it genuinely felt that there was a tension and the MC was up against clock. However, the author just maintains this fast paced narrative without any respite whatsoever and after 50-60 chapters, the readers just go numb feeling... bored.

The LN is worth a read but I just got tired of it after 100 chaps.... <<less

A few good points that stood out for me:

The character of the MC and a few other important characters are consistent.

Plot twists. It's really cool how the author makes you expect the MC knows everything and then has a step by step strategy to solve it. Then boom. Plot twist. Good plot twists too.

I love how the story focuses a lot on challenges created by psychological states of the people, including good twists on prisoner's dilemma, but it may be used a bit too much.

Much better than how some reviews say it is. Main character in some ways is the ideal MC must people want in this generation. OP, smart, cunning, no fall down a cliff and become OP, and no harem. Best part he isn't the stereo type of the above in recent CN main characters. He is mature enough to not get upset over things long as you don't cross his line and doesn't become ruthless and look down on good people. Other characters to my amazement are so real. The other... more>> world the story takes place in forces people to make hard choices and the constant danger forces people to strive for the right balance of survival and desire for power. We'll find very few real good people, but good people who forgotten who they are and act selfish and bad. Even selfish people in a time of crisis are shown as not just evil or pricks. Of course there is evil here, but not in the generic way. Real evil by people unable to trust there fellow humans or just want the world to burn. The main character is a individual who won't just kill someone in their way for small reasons, so we get to see all sides of humanity. Good, bad, and the middle.

Edit: No one will see this, but the review by bloggbigg was written as if he read it mtl while drunk. It's not weak to strong as MC was always strong. He's a Regressor from top 4 of humanity. MC punishes people who cross his line. That's not karma like they die without MC influence. There is one guy with mind control, or close to it, and its explained well enough.

Mc's actions are explained and justified knowing the future.

MC has to be the leader of humanity, not a tyrant or cold killer, to set an example for humanity in this apocalyptic death game. Him having a shadow guy to do what he needs to keep his image clean is normal. Also, said punisher was determined to follow the mc's lead so he did as told and has been rewarded.

The scene with the family of three didn't happen as you described. Father just knocked out daughter and planned to send her away alone.

All major quest objectives are done by MC or team member and are shown.

Also, ORV is over hyped with too much drama and a author more focused on storytelling than the actual story. <<less

What do you get when you combine danganronpa with GDW and TDG? Reincarnator.

The translation can be a bit sloppy at times but other than that this is a nice read. Currently about halfway through the translations: MC feels like some kind of badass, based old man that gets things done and isn't overly pompous or conceited about it (cough, Nie Li, cough). That's the 'reincarnation' tidbit of the novel. There is also obvious rpg elements, and I must say that the rpg system while somewhat simplistic, is more elegant than... more>> what you usually see in most rpg-themed novels, I quite liked it (though there would be a few minor things I would have liked to see changed). Finally there's a bit of psychological intrigue mixed in, as this rpg also doubles as a death game where people are made to distrust and suspect one another. So not only does MC have to deal with the suspicion, jealousy and fear of other characters, he also has to deal with powerful trouble-makers and even god himself it seems. I recommend giving it a try. <<less

Very enjoyable, but definitely not for everyone. Can get gritty and characters other than the MC take a long time to build up. One positive is that the story stays very true and realistic to its theme. Another highlight is that the MC has a logical definitive plan that he follows and is true to his personality. This novel focuses a lot on the over-arcing plot and doesn't have as much spontaneous comedy etc. All-in-all I found it to be a great read and currently it's still in the beginning... more>> stages so I look forward to seeing how it progresses in another 200-300 chapters. The only major downside is that some of the plot-progressing fights are a little repetitive, but thankfully the author usually tries and shorten those as much as possible. <<less

This is one of my favorite novels. The story might not be very well written but what really matters here is the plot and action and the psychological reason about any action that he takes. I learned so many new concepts here and I enjoyed every fight and conversation.

One of the better regression stories

background plot/world building is VERY well done. Characters seem a bit off, and most people wont like the MC... even though he is written very well for his situation. He's actually hundreds of years old and has been slaughtering enemy forces while watching all of humanity die for that time. If he acted normally, the author would be a hack.... saying that, it makes MANY interactions and thoughts almost unenjoyable?

Not sure if this is just a pessimistic author thing... but there is just a sh*t... more>> ton of terrible people. and the seemingly goodish people don't step up? it's hard to articulate what I mean on this one... but just consider this, the MC finds good individuals, but has to CREATE good groups. The final sections of the story has some of the people he helped come in with more new people as the calvary, but there is never an actual good force out there before these side characters create it for the MC. <<less

Loved the novel. Ignore the negative comments. The author is just completing any future plot holes that may arrive when he changes the thinking of the character by all that memory altering arc. And it has it's good reasons too. Never have I completed a full novel after god of martial arts (it was my first xinxia novel). Believe me, if you're mature minded and not a brat who does not even not understand how the story is building until it is pointed to specifically by the author, I... more>> would absolutely recommend this novel to you. It's my first comment. Just had to logic and comment so that people doesn't ignore this gem because of the bad reviews. <<less

I am rather disappointed with this one. Disregarding all of the annoying onomatopeias that clog the writing and the lack of interesting characters, most of the first 300 chapters were rather good. It was around a 3-star story. The design for each of the zones and the enemies were pretty interesting and it was always an entertaining conflict to unite the humans and suppress the enemy in that zone.

However, starting at around Chapter 300 it started going downhill. The author decided that he didn't like the main character's personality, which... more>> had previously focused on saving humanity, so he randomly switched it up by saying his memories had been altered and his true personality is that of a selfish as*hole who wants to become a "Demon King" of the abyss. As such, he lets out the Abyss early so that he himself can get more powerful at the expense of everyone else when he could have continued with the original plan that kept everyone alive and achieved the same result. His character, which mind you was the only character that had any effort put into by the author, was completely destroyed because he really has no motivation for gaining power quickly other than for power's sake, just like those cultivation novel protagonists. The fact that he wants to become a "Demon King" just makes it all the more cringe. It feels as if I went from reading a normal character with motivations to a teen edge lord.

Personally, I would have preferred if he continued going through each zone uniting and empowering the humans, and then the author did something with the Abyss where it was a true struggle for survival against the other races. Perhaps limiting the main character's power or making it so that individuals have limited impact. I think if the Seven Zones were treated as the appetizer to the Abyss it could have been an amazing story. I also think that if the friends from the past were put in the spotlight more often or he established a team then the story would be much less boring. <<less

Well I must say the most important thing first don't judge the novel by its high ratings only as this novel has just a decent starting but as the story progresses it becomes just unbearable to read.

the novel is full of plot holes no character development no world building even worse than run in a mil op protagonist with memories of past.

Every time our MC makes an ally on any floor repeats the betrayal fearing his power if that makes any sense.

... more>>

Spoiler

Doesn't explain how MC got past 3rd floor in last life and didn't tell his friends at higher floor about Clementine's acts in lower level.

this is just one of many bland plot holes

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there are so many jumps in story that you will have to check that u didn't skip any chapter or paragraph while reading.

I mean the way the protagonist is is able to defeat people with much more power than him is just tr*sh writing. I mean it's like a new born is able to overpower an adult just because of past experience. I get that experience is an important thing but dude there must be things that must be believable even in fantasy novel.

and about villains only one thing can be said that there are none. The characters of a villain is so missing as they go up in zone.

I have never reviewed any novel before neither had an id on this site but made it just to save time of others so that they can't be swindled by the high ratings and hopefully save some by reading this review.

and the final twist is some random sh*t that author spills in order to do damage control.

all on all just extremely lousy writing with no development in any part of story what so ever while filling it with plotholes in every single chapter <<less

I'm so glad the TL picked up this novel again, because now I can remember how EPIC it is.

To start off, the world-building is second to none. Plot line and MC are built around the world they live in, not the other way around. Because the worlds (yep, plural) are just that awesome.

Also, the life-or-death aspect is handled so well that it makes some novels look childish by comparison.

... more>> But the real winner for me, is the sheer epicness of this story. I really can't describe it any other way.

I'll admit, there were times where this novel felt like a drag, and some things just straight up confused me. But don't stop there, because those moments where everything ties together at the end of an arc are so worth it. <<less

It’s like arifureta, it has a strong start and is quite enjoyable for roughly the first hundred or so chapters. Past there you’ll slowly realize the plot stagnated a while ago, and it becomes tedious to continue. Much like re:monster, arifureta, etc.

If you’re not convinced try reading king of the battlefield, another korean novel, with a plot nearly identical to reincarnator’s. It suffers from the exact same issue.

Holy f*ck yes this is back. I read this back when the releases were coming in fast and I really liked the setting and system but, as it seems many people did, I had issues with the lack of characterization and the main character being a robot. After reading the most recent chapters, it seems to me that the author is explaining the main character's strange demeanor and lack of interpersonal relations as a deliberate plot point.

Anyways, I greatly recommend reading this story and persevering through the occasionally monotonous portions at around Chapters 150-300 because from what I can tell, the story is going to change for the better from that point on.

Update:

Bit disappointed how this turned out tbh, still quite well written but internal consistency has become nonexistent and the whole system has been pretty much abandoned, which is a shame since it was my favorite part of the whole thing.

The story has become a mess of sci-fi and seems to just be the author throwing things together without really thinking anything through just to build up big fight scenes, like Bleach if Bleach had way more forgettable characters and no awesome art or music.

I enjoyed it for a while, the protagonist was an interesting mixture of pragmatic and still motivated to do what he needed to to help other humans survive, rather than simply hoarding everything for himself the way the usual KN protagonist does.

And then the writer tossed that all out the window at a specific point in the story, after which I couldn't see any of the attractive points in the protag's personality anymore, just another cookie cutter "I M BES" Korean protagonist who'd slit his mama's throat for a nickel... more>> and take a dump on a baby for one stat point. Maybe it improves beyond that point, and he regains some of his humanity, but I'm not the type to forgive so easily, especially not for getting my hopes up and then making me waste my time with a letdown. <<less

READ IT!! READ IT!! READ IT!!

Tower climbing done right!

Don't let the other reviews dissuade you like they did me for a while.

... more>> I'm not going to summarize because you can read that in the dozen of other reviews. Rather, I'll debunk a huge falsehood that some reviewers who barely managed to get into the story are saying:

"Main character is heartless / not caring " - Not true. First off, the characters actions prove this to be incorrect, as he constantly endures a load of **** and a harsh path to save humanity and pave a way for their future. Secondly, his personality is one from a future in which a handful of humans barely managed to survive after decades in the cruelest of worlds that promoted slaughtering each other, and erasing trust. Lastly,

Spoiler

there is a plot twist around chapter 300 in which you find out why his personality is so dead-set on saving humanity and why he tries so hard... it's even more interesting moving forward...

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"Side Charecters are dropped "- Not at all. Side characters exist, they are just constantly ahead of the "current" MC and their actions affect him as he climbs the zones. Furthermore, the people he entered this world with have to be left behind (as he progresses at a rate none of them can match). He was selected by his peers from the FUTURE because of his special traits, and then given the collective knowledge of humanity on the means to grow while saving as many as possible... it's obvious why he has to climb these worlds faster than everyone else and doesn't have time to play.

Con's:

- A little more introspection would be nice, but his motivations are later reasoned.

Beautiful plot, amazing story world, an interesting break from your traditional wuxia trope. It's my favorite novel to date.

Take my advice and read it for yourself. <<less

Reincarnator is definitely a good read, its action packed, full of adventure and has great world building. The MC is OP though it really doesn't feel that way at times, which can be a good or bad thing depending on what your looking for. However this novel is not without its fair share of problems. The MC is very, how should I put this, emotionless, machine like, perhaps but at the at the same time, somehow proceeds to be a major d*ck to everyone in his surroundings. There are no... more>> side characters, by that I do not mean there are no other characters but there relevance and prescience in the overall plot and story is so small it may as well be non existant. So in summery this novel is about one douche of a man's power trip through a very huge tower, there are no good character interactions, there is no romance (that's not necessarily a problem but I thought this story would be improved by it) and there are no breaks from these action. However this novel is the perfect read for someone looking for a power fueled romp against seemingly impossible odds, its just not for someone looking for a more genre diverse story. This one is a pure sci do fantasy action adventure. <<less