There are many similarities between LMS and Ark. It's almost like the authors wrote this novels together.

But if you're a big fan of one you'll certainly enjoy the other one too despite the many similarities

Minor Spoiler alert*

Great fast releases.
A lot of similar plot points with LMS but ultimately establishes itself a different story.
Ark is highly relatable and someone you want to root for. He's strong but isn't severely overpowered.
His quests aren't as epic, but the journey is enjoyable and much faster paced.

Many interesting side characters, especially his companion/pets.

Ark is witty and clever, knows how to rise as an underdog.
Self motivated and very independent.
His greed for money comes from a place of desperation rather than selfishness. Imagine having to pay $6000 a month for your mom's hospital bill as a young adult with no real job.

Hey, this is Lastear from Japtem. Just thought I'd give you a heads up that there are more updates than are showing up here since another group has picked it up. Check out this site. https://arkmachinetranslations.wordpress.com/ark-table-of-contents/

Ark is about a guy who dropped out of high school and gave up gaming to make money for his ill mother's healthcare. He ends up making an account for a VRMMO and picking up gaming again to apply for a job in a game company. His progress in the game marks how well his application is received.

I suggest reading this and Legendary Moonlight Sculptor at the same time; they have the same translators anyway. It's almost like watching someone start to turn into Weed.

Comparing the main characters, Ark is something like a less exaggerated Weed. They're both desperate for money and greedy as a result but while Weed's penny pinching is a source of humor, Ark's can't really be laughed at. It's less of an omnipresent force. Weed's desperation drove him to become somewhat superhuman in terms of physical ability. Ark's physical strength is quite normal. Weed somehow manages to encounter famous people online and irl. He finds good teammates and while he sometimes journeys alone, it's usually by choice. Ark's online isolation seems more sensible given previous betrayals by teammates. Even Ark's irl relationships seem more natural than Weed's. A normal coworker, his mom's friend, etc. On the whole, Weed is funnier to watch but Ark is easier to relate to.

Weed is a funnier character to watch but Ark isn't derived of humor either. The job system is played for laughs. The survival cooking scenes are pretty funny. While Ark's irl situation is worse than Weed's, he concentrates on making the best of his time so some of his game adventures can be quite light hearted.

The VR aspect is explored pretty well in both games. In LMS the interplay of reality and game is explored better than in Ark but Ark is more creative in his thinking and abuses the VR system better in battle.

It's pretty early in the series so things can change but for now I'd recommend it.

This turned into a comparative essay. Good job self.
TL;DR: IT'S A SLIGHTLY MORE SERIOUS LMS. GIVE IT A READ IF YOU LIKE LMS/MMO SERIES.

So far, it's been okay but nothing special. It shares far too many similarities with The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor, including not-thought-out things; were the authors copying each other's ideas?

it took me a long time to finish this series.
i got to volume 11 three different times and never came back to it. i didn't like the things ark started doing in book 10 and it got worse in 11.
it got to the point where i didn't like ark very much as a person.
the hot tempered vindictive vengeance story-line was replayed over and over until it was more than worn out. i was bored with it by volume 11 and wanted the story to move on already.
i also had a hard time believing that a character like ark would be stupid enough to sell set weapons/armor to a person he knew was his enemy and who had used earlier bought weapons against him. since good self preservation instincts was something his character was supposed to have, i found that scene particularly unbelievable.
and the humor is pretty much dead in the latter half of the series.
unlike weed, ark is lacking, in the end, that special something that makes the reader like/ love him despite the bad things he does.
i like weed/lee hyun because of his flaws and the unintentional humor that his misinterpretations of various situations entail. he has a strange charisma that makes him likable, despite all his grumbling just for the sake of grumbling.
also; Ark was started a year after LMS began and the author flat out stated they were a fan of moonlight sculptor so it shouldn't surprise people that the two series are often compared. get over it.

... Last updated on January 5th, 2016, 2:17pm

A nice twist on the VRMMORPG genre. The game setting is really interesting and the story is really funny. It focuses on real world and the world of the game. Seeing the world develop is truly fascinating, even more so when additional aspects of the game's interface is revealed.