for some reason almost all fantasy south korean novels are about an mediclub trying to survive in a country dominated by companies, are the megacorporations really that influencing. If it were me I would try to emigrate, especially if there is a dangerous neighbour up north.

This is a really cool novel. The setting is kinda like Shadowrun; the world feels lived in and has some nice texture to it, the economics and faction jockeying all make sense, the power system and the MC's cheat seems satisfyingly scaleable without immediately breaking the setting and the MC himself is relatable and cool. I thought from the name and summary this would just be an enjoyable but ultimately disposable system novel but it's actually really good and one of the novels I've been most excited for in a... more>> long time. Recommended. <<less

Here is the review from the translator.

A dystopian novel would be the best definition for this novel. Our protagonist reincarnates into a game world Arcane Seoul, a dystopian society controlled by Corporations, Sects, Towers and Legions. The setting is futuristic, a lot like Cyberpunk. Various kinds of organizations dominate the landscape.

The main character has transmigrated into body of Kim Jeonsa with a very special ability. He has six characteristics/ability/trait slots, whatever u wanna call it but he can learn infinite number of them and can rotate them on his wish... more>> which makes him a very versatile fighter. The story focuses on him slowly being at the bottom of society to slowly climbing up the hierarchy. You might expect him to be overpowered which is not exactly true. He truly struggles and overcomes situations to gain traits/characteristics/abilities to rise though the ranks.

This is purely action and story focused novel, from dungeons, ambushes, street fights, gang warfare to any kind of combat which you can imagine. It is highly integrated game elements like ranks, items, abilities.

The story clearly progresses through various arcs which are related to the game guests from his previous life. He explores dungeons and challenges foes to do anything to survive in this crazy dystopian world. To survive he must become the bigger monster as this a world of eating or be eaten.

The novel obviously has dark elements like mu*der, body mutations and what not so if you are expecting a happy to go fluffy story then I highly recommend to NOT read this.

The characters are very well thought of and designed in the story, I can clearly remember personalities of each character. Specially all the supporting ones are definitely very well crafted with clear backgrounds. The main character does help them but obviously for merits in return. He is not goody to go who does everything for free unless he has a clear motive in mind.

This is a great novel for those interested in Action, Adventure, Dungeons, Game, Game Elements, Dark, Dystopia, Fights, Warfare, Modern Weapons, Futuristic Setting.

This novel is not for you if you are looking for Romance, Slice of Life, Kingdom Building, Fluffy, Happy to Go life, Harem, etc. <<less

Story is pretty fun to read. MC has his character leveling path mapped out from his game knowledge so he strives hard to achieve his "ultimate build." At least he does put in some work and goes through some difficult-ish battles to progress his build. There is a level of plot armor at work, so there's not too much tension but so far it's been entertaining enough to read.

I'm currently caught up to the translated chapters part (c80 as of writing this) and chapter 200 MTL. The plot so far has been pretty consistent with the typical idea of getting stronger in a dystopian game-esq world that combines science, magic, and martial arts. The plot consists of the MC having six slots that once learned by doing the respective activity (i.e. Smelling surströmming to gain a smelling ability), he's able to swap out his traits. There is the trope of him overpowering enemies despite being somewhat weaker but... more>> there's a good enough power creep and progression that feels appropriate (given how short this novel is). I'll echo what other readers have said in that fights are thought out well with a good mix of realism and fantasy, and there's a good balance between the gaming aspect and growing stronger. If you're a fan of the Legendary Mechanic, I think you'll enjoy this one as it's similar in terms of the game style, characters (more character depth/progression here) and kingdom building (not as much but he does end up having his own faction/territory although it's pretty surface level). <<less

I'm up to date with the raws as of the date of this review

Pretty common Isekai premise in that you're a shut-in style gamer with an unmentioned but definitely tragic/soul destroying dead-end corporate life. He's a FTP player getting crushed by P2W and gets reincarnated as essentially Warrior A from the tutorial who somehow has some game-like abilities still - the ability to reset your perks/traits/skills. This obviously means his obsession with the game and its story allows him to quickly and efficiently gather OP skills with synergies and great... more>> items.

The cool twist that stops this from becoming too easy is that he reincarnates several years BEFORE the game even starts, the knowledge isn't always correct, the game characters are real people and he starts out with the combat ability you'd expect from an office worker/gamer. He needs to train, learn the reality of the frankly horrifying corpo-dystopia and protect himself from the incredibly deadly threats around him.

He starts out weak, the character isn't naturally OP so he needs to build everything up and the fights feel really close and tactical most of the time. They feel visceral and you can imagine what's happening really vividly.

Pros:

• • Imo balances game and irl aspects well

• • Nice twists on a tropey genre and premise make it feel fresh

• • The world feels rich and interesting

• • Power system is interesting

• • Characters are mostly unique and interesting

• • Fast paced

Cons:

• • It dangerously skirts the line between dark/gritty and edgy chuuni fodder a bit too often for my tastes

• • It's frustrating that the MC expresses little to no curiosity about the world or people around him unless there's something in it for him, I lost count of interesting plot points that are teased and dropped because MC states he just doesn't care to know (Why mention it?!)

• • MC isn't very likeable - Admittedly he's not a good guy and is self aware of it but this genre is so saturated with mean MCs it'd be a nice change to have someone likeable
    Spoiler

    although in recent chapters he seems to be getting slightly nicer and there are moments here and there where he is almost likeable.

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    Overall 6.5-7.5/10. It's a good read with some fun takes on the genre but is unfortunately hamstrung by some of the weak points and tropes endemic of the niche it fits in.

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what a blast! first of all salute to the translator mattreading for this wonderful novel been reading from you since the demon prince academy translation! anyway, this novel is seriously good. the pacing hits just right, never dragging or rushing. the characters are where it truly shines – everyone feels real, with their own goals and quirks. even old characters who reappear later aren't just forgotten names; they come back with their personalities intact, definitely not cookie-cutter.

and the mc? his whole personality boils down to one driving force: "to become stronger." love how he faces every single challenge head-on, not just overcoming them, but actively twisting them into opportunities to push himself further. the way he perseveres, constantly turning obstacles into stepping stones for more power? absolute perfection. watching him get stronger and stronger, fueled by pure, relentless drive... honestly? it's a chef's kiss. 🤌 highly recommend if you love solid progression and a truly determined mc!

At C71.

So far has been quite fun to read, there hasn't been a powerfantasy type of deal yet so every bigger fight is a struggle.

Some of the smaller fights aren't dealt with force either, more often it's handled smartly instead of punching everything so that keeps things fresh as each encouter is something new to look forward to.

As I'm still looking forward to each new chapter I think 5 star is a decent rating for it so far.