This series has some real struggles. On the LitRPG side, the game elements don't really seem to make sense and will change to fit whatever plot point is currently being focused on. The main character has a skill that completely quells negative mental states. No insanities, fears, or otherwise as long as he is in charge. Except it just doesn't work sometimes. We see generic characters break down in fear, and we see the gold-loving granny get so overtaken by greed she tries to steal the golden armour of a gargoyle that is actively trying to kill her. On the character front, everyone outside the MC is really only allowed to have one character trait and embodying that trait is what they do when they show up, no exceptions. The MC himself is inconsistent in his motivations, but the narrative doesn't reflect that. At times, he is cold and cunning, only fulfilling his role as commander to get the "wish" he was promised if he wins. Other times he is completely soft-hearted and does everything he can to protect his allies even if it is unreasonable. The "god" of the game is forgotten repeatedly even though the MC can talk to him at any times, and the MC refuses to press him for answers even when he is being cagey or explicitly lying to his face.

But then... It also fuckin' slaps at times. The storyline with the former lord who sacrificed his wife for the job of protecting the front, only to regret it and turn to wasting away as an alcoholic, before finally returning to the front in one last hurrah made me feel shivers. His daughter desperately trying to figure out who to blame and where to direct her anger when she finds out her dad passed away before they could reconcile, truly touching!

It's like the author is very good at writing individual moments and scenes but just can't weave together the connective tissue to make it cohesive on the whole. Maybe it needs an editor, maybe the creator just needs more experience. I think I'd still recommend it, but come in with somewhat lowered expectations.

... Last updated on June 28th, 2024, 8:28pm

4/10. The cardinal sin this manhwa commits is that all the characters are extremely boring. None of them have more than one personality trait. Many of them are frustrating to read or plain unlikable, an issue compounded by the fact that the authors clearly intend them to be likable and fail at that task. When I have the desire to skip vast sections of a chapter to avoid having to listen to a character talk, and then can rejoin the conversation half a chapter later and infer exactly what was said, you've got an issue on your hands as a writer.

Several chapters at a time are wasted reciting the most trite backstories, glorious last stands, new introductions that we've seen a hundred times. You can skip these wholesale and miss nothing. There is a severe lack of originality here.

The central theme, or at least what passes for a theme, is that soldiers die fighting against monsters, and that's sad. The hero has to shoulder the responsibility of those deaths and work to minimize them, and that's hard. And yet the protagonist still compromises his chances of victory for base sentimentality over boring side characters the author expects us to ardently root for.

The main character is supposed to be a general/commanding officer, but he is simply not cut out for the job. Generals have to make hard decisions, but he can't because he wants to be the good guy. He ends up prioritizing the well-being of named characters at the expense of faceless mobs, a trait which often not a big deal in manhwas but is unforgivable when a central thematic component of the story is all soldier's deaths are equal tragedies.

The world is nothing special. No new ground broken here. The art is below average but serviceable.

Just about the only good thing I have to say is that watching tactics that have been prepared in advance succeed once in a siege defense environment is satisfying to watch.

Wouldn't waste my time with this one.

... Last updated on May 31st, 2024, 10:54pm

Started out good, but at this point it's not really grounded in the world. Establishing that anything can happen and everything is kinda random, shifts the story into battle/monster of the week. Can't gauge how far a long the story is, meaning author can prolong it with whatever he comes up with at random.

Good characters, an interesting plot. The battles are well thought out and engaging. Some quality humor sprinkled in.

Most comments about MC making obvious mistakes stems from commentators being obviously mistaken.

The translation could be better, even the official one. Some of the finer points of the story become unclear due to that, but at least this story is complex enough to stumble on such an issue.

This manhwa is a prime example of why it doesn't matter how tropey a story is, but only how well it's executed. In this case, the story takes a while to find its footing, plus I find the art occasionally uneven or hard to follow. In exchange, the protagonist is great (as in, both competent and compassionate); the side characters are enjoyable; some story arcs are genuinely outstandingly good (e.g. the Cross Family arc); and so on.

I've read a ton of manhwas and find this story to be almost at the level of the absolute peak manhwas (like The Greatest Estate Developer), so I was genuinely surprised to see that the reviews here on MangaUpdates were so bad.

... Last updated on August 28th, 2023, 7:04am

Why yes the protagonist of course he'll have the plot armor.

But same can't be said as of the characters. The author establishes them decently so when the times comes to make them die it is surprisingly emotionally poignant.

It has a unique idea despite the isekai part, this is a shitty world and many people die in this world. Is it pointless? Yes, but it serves the message of how bad the situation can be and the mc has to change his strategy because as long as he can get win it doesn't matter how many people die but now he feels the weight of it and has to change his plans to survive with the best outcome.

Each wave is never an easy win for the characters and the characters no matter how op they maybe have a clear chance of dying if not careful. Every time a new wave starts will the mc win? Yeah but what will he sacrifice in order to get that win? There is always this feeling of how bad it can go or if mc can win without any loss. It pretty good story then your usual ones

It's a luck based gacha game world with random enemies and allies.
Random extremely convenient rewards and crafted items, every single one having durability that's ignored.

Then a god-like entity interferes and makes random on-the-fly adjustments, turning the 'system' into a liar and the plot into a completely unreliable narrative structure.

Why read it if anything can happen, just assume that it ends randomly victorious and continue to ignore any decisions and achievements made by the characters themselves

... Last updated on May 17th, 2023, 7:36pm

I’ve read the manhwa up to chapter 25.

First some expectations: the game setting is hell mode with no save points. Death is permanent and like GoT, prepare to feel moved by a character only for them to die 4 chapters later. That’s war.
As for OP skills, they get balanced by the impossiblly hard trials.
Unlike other transmigration stories, they actually provide a reason for the transpo and a reason for the game.

I’ve read thousands of manhwa by now. This ain’t masterpiece level, but it ain’t trash also.
For gaming-based storylines, tower defense + dungeon offense is fresh,
and the rules & worldbuilding are clear.
Structurally the story is clear with it’s motives, objectives, and character development.

... Last updated on December 16th, 2022, 4:09am

A gamer suddenly became stereotype shounen mc with shouting and all. Overly dramatic situation. Even the transfer to "game world" was forced. With unlogical transfer situation like that, can't feel that world is real, just a game situation some gods created to watch players try to clear it.
But all those unnecessary dramatic scene, truly manhwa...