Really well written horror plot that the synopsis doesn't explain very well. The story is about Chen Ge expanding the haunted house his parents, who mysteriously disappeared, left for him. The expansion involves a system-like plot device that sends him to different "haunted" areas to solve the mysteries, gain some ghostly companions, and complete the system's missions to uncover the truth behind himself and his parents. The premise is a bit cliche but the execution is more than enough to make up for it. ... more>>

Major pros:

- "Romantic subplot" stays very much a subplot. 

- The different missions create arcs that are similar to the world-hopping setting. Fans of QT would like this.

- Funny/shameless mc. A nice balance of humor and horror. <<less

I'm not sure why I like this novel as much as I do but for now, it's at the top of my list.... more>>

The novel starts with a rather fast pace. At the time, I was looking for something to pass the time and the plot was well written enough for me to hold on so I continued. Good thing I did because like other interstellar fics, the good plot doesn't start until the mc leaves his home planet. The story does admittedly take a few chapters until it reaches that point though, and many of the poorer reviews often point out the common CN cliches of that arc, but if you manage to stick it out, I guarantee it gets better.

One thing I do dislike is the harem theme. I really hate the trope of all powerful and coming-from-prestigious-background characters being females that inevitably become entangled with the op mc but it's unfortunately very common place in the good stories and this one is no exception. However, something about the plot has kept me going and at the very least, there is no true romance and the mc does not "encourage" or pursue the females himself (though there is something infuriating about "victimized" harem characters, but that is a whole other rant). <<less

A classic. I think every webnovel reader has read this, and if you haven't, you should.

Just finished the novel and I'm honestly speechless. You know that sense of loss you get after completing a book and not knowing what to do with yourself? That's what I'm feeling right now. ... more>>

Things I liked:

- No romance. Has very slight hints of harem budding but to the very end nothing sprouted.

- Fascinating twists. Never got bored even in the final chapters. I was not prepared for the rollercoaster of emotions that the epilogues put me through. The full plot was a plus. Every time I thought 'this arc is the last', it wasn't, and the following arc was even more stunning. 

- Good character development from everyone. The existential crises were tasteful.

- Everything came full circle. I could tell that the authors had a plan. (The little meta moment in the end was well done haha).

The main story is complete but the side stories are not officially translated, hence the "incomplete" status. <<less

I'm probably biased since this was the first novel I read in the virtual reality genre but it holds a special place in my heart. ... more>>

Unfortunately, like many other action novels, the last few chapters were chaotic and ended without actually coming to a conclusion. <<less

This was my second exposure to the virtual reality theme (bias warning!). I read this in tandem with Reincarnation of the Strongest Sword God, but I liked the latter a little more, hence the rankings. I didn't actually complete Legendary Mechanic though due to my anxiety of ending a great series (and also a bit of exhaustion from keeping up with the chapter updates) so maybe the rankings will change.... more>>

Maybe it's because of my bias, but I consider this to be one of the must-reads in the gaming genre. The mc being an NPC instead of a player is a nice twist from the average MMORPG novel. I also enjoy the bit of political manipulation that happened later on that was realistic for the average reader but not overwhelming. Good action scenes. <<less

People seem to have mixed opinions in the reviews and I agree to an extent. But overall, I rate it positively.... more>>

The downsides:

- The mc originally joins the deadly game due to the financial pressure of his impending death-by-illness. It's not very original but it's understandable. The problem is, for a condition as dire as the mc is in, there is little to no mention of it besides that. 

- The last arc was draining on the spirit. Like many other action novels, lots of chaos is shoved into the last few chapters which then ends rather abruptly. By that time, I was already skim reading so it didn't bother me too much but just an fyi.

- There's a subtle harem going on.

The pluses:

- I thought it was still an enjoyable read. The worlds were original and had decent world-building. It was an interesting gimmick to have the continuation world be the reward for a high clearance (though I thought some of the worlds were better off with less episodes).

- Mc had a cool power system going on. The concept wasn't necessarily original but I liked how it was implemented.

- Despite the subtle harem, mc doesn't get with any of the girls. Even if he does, it's a monogamous relationship. <<less

This novel had a few interesting points that drew me in.... more>>

1. The mc's main career is a composer. Granted, like many CN action novels, he ends up being more of an op fighter and general all-rounder, but it was nice to have that added music knowledge. A downside to that was the accuracy of the portrayal of a composer. As someone who's played in an orchestra for a few years, I can tell you straight up that composing a great symphony can take years, not only to write but to receive inspiration and the mc's ability to write them as fast as he did was unrealistic. 

2. NO ROMANCE/HAREM. Enough said.

3. The action and fight scenes. Although the novel's description makes it sound like the entertainment genre, the bulk of the plot is more sci-fi related. For one, there's a bit of a virtual reality gaming arc and then there's also some interstellar components as well--both of which involve the mc demonstrating his fighting prowess (it's honestly pretty surprising how many genres the author fit into this relatively short book). The author justified his strength as his past-life experience, which is fine, but did get a little repetitive and was somewhat unrealistic. However, it is a common flaw in CN novels and wasn't too distracting overall.

4. The sudden fantasy/sci-fi component towards the end. Like I said earlier, the author had included several genres but with one of the main ones being slice of life, readers run the risk of getting bored. To resolve this, the author included somewhat of a plot twist towards the end that kept me interested. The novel is quite short compared to most CN action ones but I think the author ended it at the right time while the reader was still invested in the storyline. <<less

An earlier work of the same authors of Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint. It's not as well developed and the pacing is much faster but the same... more>> "meta" thinking is present and with greater emphasis. Just like ORV, the world building is unique and the theme revolves around the mc defying the "rulers" of the universe, but everything happens much faster and in shorter arcs. I feel a bit unsatisfied bc of the way the mechanics were sort of glossed over in the last 20-or-so chapters but if you're not too concerned about the specifics and want to read a leveling novel that's different from the rest, this is it. Be warned though that the tower-fighting only takes place in the prologue chapters.  <<less

Read this awhile ago so can't remember the plot exactly nor how I felt about it.... more>>

What I do remember is my sadness when I finished the novel. I don't think there was anything extraordinary about the plotline, but I enjoyed the nice and straightforward plot. Also, the lack of romance/harem added a few brownie points. <<less

The second novel I had ever read so a bit of bias is in play here. ... more>>

I'm not a fan of harem, especially when all the women willingly throw themselves at the mc despite him already in a relationship(s), but I gave this novel some leeway. Part of it was because it was my second novel, and part of it was because how interesting the plot was. I can't say much since it's been a few years since I touched it, but I do remember that there were quite a few plot twists and the fights were fun to read. I had come from a background of reading those tr*shy, Japanese, transmigration LNs (and in their manga adaption form no less) so this novel's concept was a nice reversal of that setup which definitely contributed to my satisfaction. <<less

The first webnovel I had ever read so its existence in this list comes from my unseasoned reader's standpoint. I can't remember much but I do agree with all the naysayers that the ending was ridiculous and did not come with any closure. Most of the novel, however, was good enough to warrant a 3.9 rating and I think that's saying something. ... more>>

Would recommend even if the final chapters are crazy. <<less

Tbh, I can hardly remember anything about the plot other than the mc being a water mage, a rare class in the game mc played.... more>> It was one of the few novels I had actually completed in my reading list though so that's a good sign. <<less

Not sure which came first, this or Omniscient Readers Viewpoint but they share some similarities: 1) the godly societies/characters, 2) an mc that grows to... more>> become/transcend these godly beings, 3) a system, 4) some terminology. If you liked ORV, then this will be right up ur alley. The two books have differently plot lines though so I never got tired of this. Because it’s longer and better paced, I actually prefer this over ORV. Has minimal romance though.  <<less