Everyone Else is a Returnee

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Yu Ilhan was always the one left behind. Left out of cliques in school. Left out of social invitations. Just…always left out. Except now he’s been left behind for real.

When Earth’s future is threatened, Yu Ilhan stays behind while the rest of the population flees to other planets for safety.

It’s up to Yu Ilhan to save our planet before it’s too late!

Associated Names
One entry per line
EER
Last On Earth
나 빼고 다 귀환자
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Seoul Station’s Necromancer (27)
Infinite Competitive Dungeon Society (18)
The Second Coming of Gluttony (15)
Evolution Theory of the Hunter (13)
Arena (13)
Sovereign of Judgment (12)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Korea Novel (Non BL)
  2. My Gem Collection
  3. For the chuunibyou guy inside us all: male centric...
  4. The most interesting Light Novels
  5. Favorite Best Novel

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381 Reviews sorted by


Puru.The.Great
Puru.The.Great rated it
July 13, 2017
Status: c204
It's funnyh!

Unexpectedly a series like this ended in 349 chapters. Well, I've yet to finish this series so no point on why it ended at that number.

The protag sure is somewhat similar to a typical Japanese dense MC on the romance front. But unlike the typical Jap MC, this guy has better background conditions to let him have a character like that.

All in all, a light entertaining series which I wouldn't mind re-reading.
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Mahiro9
Mahiro9 rated it
July 10, 2017
Status: c254
This novel is a big middle finger to the stereotype fantasy (and overpowered MC) novels out there.

There are no heroines that fell in love with the MC after just one chapter.

... more>>
Spoiler

If the MC received affection so easily, he'll become uncomfortable and feel that such a thing is strange.

Yeah, "love" is a strong word so F those forced romance.

Many heroines might have fallen in love with the MC but he's not like those other MCs who quickly jump into s*xual carnage with the heroines.

He might be dense but that doesn't mean he's s*upidly dense, this novel made me realize that denseness and s*upidity doesn't always go hand in hand.

An MC who's brain isn't controlled by libido and not s*upidly dense?

Dear lord, I'm glad they still exist.

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Villains have personalities and not simply annoying.

Spoiler

It has been shown in this novel that villains have many forms.

An ally who will forsake or betray you for their own sake?

Sure, maybe that decision is the correct one, but don't expect to that your actions forgiven and/or forgotten, this fantasy novel isn't a fairytale after all, face the consequences of your actions.

Filler villains that are short-lived? Sure, but they are what they are. Unlike some novels out there where all villains feel like filler villains.

They do what they do so no need to keep makimg them pop out every single time or the MC will shout at you.

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The story could be unpredictable (but not annoyingly so), allies are not necessarily forever allies and villains are not necessarily forever villains.

Spoiler

Ah sure, a selfish and ambitious guy appeared.. Did he hurt anyone? No. Did he offend anyone? No. Oh he harbored some selfish desires against the MC, but is it necessary to kill him for that? No no, let's just ignore him and hide away from trouble.

A strong ally was by MC's side at all times but then they joined those people who had forsaken him and held firm of their decision until the end. Did he keep pestering them to return? No. After hearing their answer, he respected their decision and became honorable opponents.

MC offended someone or someone offended him then they met again after a while in order to cooperate. Did they keep biting each other's ass and schemed against each other? No way. They are open-minded and doesn't have to keep making enemies unlike some novels out there, priorities please.

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The comedy also doesn't feel too forced and enough to make me laugh and smile from time to time. <<less
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Gluttony
Gluttony rated it
July 5, 2017
Status: c121
The novel isn't particularly flawed like so many of the genre but it doesn't have much depth. Which is, of course, fine considering the nature of the novel but after bingeing 120 chapters in one sitting it still leaves me disinterested. I enjoyed it while I read it and I may come back to it when I have nothing else to read. It had some unique elements but the execution was bland overall.

Frankly speaking the scathing 1 stars make far less sense to me than the 5 stars-- how could... more>> you feel that much negative emotion for something that is pretty much mediocre and easily consumed when many highly rated novels have far more problematic issues (their fondness for r*pe and ridiculous portrayal of women being a recurring motif).

A weak 3 stars (maybe 2.5) : nothing to call home about. <<less
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darkenkidu
darkenkidu rated it
June 21, 2017
Status: c207
If your wondering is this novel is good or not?

My advise, just read some chapters like : 50 - 70 chapters.

You wouldn't get a good respond for yourself if you just read it for a few chapters, because in the few ones, you'll get the MC is kinda... like bit of a bad guy and a bit of a good guy and that is just how he is, this kind of character gives us a lot of possibility and potentials for our MC in the later chapters.

And the developments is... more>> a slow-pace and would irritates some people but hey,

It doesn't just give us some insights of how his gonna develop in the future but will give us how will out MC is gonna react to the world AFTER that First Incident;Left-Out from Humanity I mean...

By the way, the comedy is good too, and the writing style is the JP style, you'll see what I meant if you read it.

Have FUN reading~! <<less
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Wyntile
Wyntile rated it
April 25, 2017
Status: c143
*Feel free to skip to the end if too bothered to read this entire thing

-------

Personally I love over-powered protagonists. As long as the world and the events itself don't blow too off the proportion and manages to be consistent then I would not hesitate to dwell upon and see the adventures of the main character. I only wish that more of the popular works would be based on a female protagonist though. Works like Kumo desu ga was just an downright insult to any fantasy novels I've ever read, other... more>> than Sarah J. Maas's Female Assassin novel series.

Story & Rating: [4.5/5]

That aside, Returnee and Seoul Station's Necromancer have both brought out interesting stores I have read in such a long time. I might just be still relatively new to reading LNs/WNs (still intentionally avoiding most CNs), but I am no newbie when it comes to reading fantasy literature in print. And despite having read many fantasy stories growing up as a kid, these two works with their settings of "monsters using the system of dungeons to invade Earth irl" have honestly brought upon a profound change in my heart. And unlike it's other counterpart (S.S.N.) which later ends up having a dungeon system which I felt expanded beyond the scope of the story's reality a little; Returnee still, after 143 chapters manages to capture my interest. (Ever much so to the point where I've stayed up until 5am in the morning just binge read this series. *sighes*) I only wished that before going in, the synopsis on this page could have been better written - if the author himself ended up writing this, then well... I don't know what to say.

So overall, just for the refreshing story idea alone ends up earning a 4.5 from me. (A rating of 5 will always go to stories like Haken no Kouki Altina) And coupled with the fact that again, I love OP protagonist stories, reading Returnee ended up being a blast! If I hadn't read Kumo-desu ga prior to this, I might have complained that this story was one of those which took forever to get going - but in comparisons to Kumo-desu this story doesn't focus entirely on a single or multiple dungeons, and has a reasonable pace and story progression.

And unlike "the Lazy Swordsmaster", this series has plenty of fights and action that manages to build up the protagonist "Yu IlHan" in a reasonable manner, where even if he later ends up acquiring everything, he still sticks to his the fighting style he used from the beginning.

Characters & Rating: [3/5]

I agree with some of the reviews here which stated that the characters apart from the protagonist are bland. But man, try reading the Korean LN "Dragon Maken War", you'll see that this level of bland-ness is relatively nothing. In Returnee at least, as a reader I can get a feel for the distinct personalities, at least in the characters surrounding the protagonist. Their interactions with the protagonists were funny to read, sometimes cute even. Our protagonist, after having been left behind by humanity for many years, sure does know how to joke!

Grammar: [4/5]

Translation of this story was pretty good. The level wouldn't match skythewood's translation level for Haken no Kouki Altina, but I found that it was at least it's leaps better than the active group doing the translations for Kumo desu-ga! (Those who read this will know what I mean).

Conclusions:

Would I recommend it? Most definitely yes, where for one thing if you're the type like me and love OP characters, who gain their powers through reasonable means. Considering that on this site I've been reading nothing but either reincarnation stories or "hero from the past travels XXX years later" lately, Returnee has been absolutely wonderful and such an enjoyment to read! And I don't know what other people have said the protagonist, but I love Yu Ilhan, he has always manages to keep a level-head and never manages to get arrogant unlike other OP characters I've come across. <<less
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Lunnear
Lunnear rated it
April 23, 2017
Status: c140
Seriously, I don't know why people give this novel 2 stars or lower. Read it yourself to judge if you like it or not.

ME? Personally, I love it. Always looking forward to reading more about the MC and his son. I do hope that this novel won't turn into a harem one, thought. After all, I really don't like novels that make girls into harem.

There is couple reason why this story was a Five Stars for me. First of all, the somewhat complicated psychology factors in this novels aren't overrate... more>> or underrate. There are a lot of hints and the MC isn't an outright genius that would know everything. The Earth that this story settle on have a lot more complications in the background then it was reveal but I like it. The story DOES NOT evolve around the MC, as most story does. I won't say that it DOES NOT evolve because of the MC's presences but it does not seems like it.

By the way, this story have a lot of
Spoiler

Angels that are corrupted.

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Raidou99
raidou99 rated it
March 2, 2017
Status: c125
This is gold! The story is entertaining, the MC is op but to an understandable level, the comedy is great and the action is well described and non repitive. Believe me u won't regret reading this novel. The op MC still gets into sticky situations, women don't throw themselves at him (well they do but.... U will understand when u read it) it's one of the best novels I have ever read and I have read many.... Those who are not reading this are missing out on something really... more>> great! <<less
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cstrife
cstrife rated it
February 27, 2017
Status: c32
5-star. It doesn't really rate 5 stars. There are probably lots of little things that one could complain about, but at the end of the day, it's funny and entertaining. The diagloue between the MC and Erta is hilarious. This novel doesn't pretend to be anything more, and for that gets full marks.
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Agnie
Agnie rated it
February 9, 2017
Status: c190
What's wrong with the hype and this novel's ratings?

It's super mediocre, average with a lame sense of humor if one can call it humor at all. And boring, and predictable, and sleep-inducing as hell. I keep reading in hope it's gonna get better (so many people can't be That Wrong, right?), but... it's really barely tolerable read.

MC is overpowered. He succeeds in every endeavor with the first try. No angst. No mistakes. Everyone is in awe.
...
Really?
....
Hey there, Garry Stu, don't wanna take a hike?

It can't be... more>> even called a parody or gag, seriously. Oh man. I wish I had something else to read but I'm so out of titles, so yeah... Hope dies last, they said. Maybe, maybe it will get better in the future, won't it? <<less
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xp32
xp32 rated it
January 13, 2017
Status: c88
I've read this to c88 then decide to gave a review then seeing how low the rate from some review shock me. For people who aren't ret*rded, this story is a really fun read.

MY ADVISE: IF YOU HAVING SYNDROME =>" PICKY ABOUT HOW A PROTAGONIST OR MC SHOULD BE", DON'T BOTHER TO READ. TRY TO READ "TILLEA's WORRY" to cure that illness. Either way, if you okay if with Low profile MC, Overpowered, Super Fast Growth, Common Sense's killer, RPG elements, Absurd things like God & angels, Chuunibyou-like titles and... more>> names then Plus Fantasy like world build & creatures mixed with modern set. Put those inside a blender and you got the genre.

For almost "literally' NEGATIVE review from "some" reader, whenever they complain about almost every novel listed in this NU site are about their disappointment because the "MC" a.k.a "protagonist" are not suited to their taste. I believe not every protagonist is sharp and domineering as a "certain" MC from "certain" xianxia or novel. First, I enjoy this novel and that's a good reason to give good rate. Objectively It should beat least 4/5 star but I gave it 5 since the author really know how to make a comedic conversation (for a reason I found it very funny) while their topic were not funny at all (plus how good the TL;ED-tor translate it). I really wish if actually "Arifureta" (one of the novel that killed by the author strange sense of humor) has this element of humor. <<less
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Shuc49
Shuc49 rated it
January 7, 2017
Status: c81
This is one of the best novels out there. There is a good balance of comedy and action, I absolutely enjoyed all of the references and jokes within this novel, especially the JoJo ones. The MC has a rather realistic personality and point of view (Coming from someone who experienced countless years in solitude), which is very refreshing. He doesn't spout bullsh*t about justice or whatever, he just does things of his own interest. The concept is rather refreshing due to being different from overused world transfer and VR Games... more>> tropes, but still brings out the best of the two genres. There are people who complain that the MC is too powerful, but he obtained this power through sheer effort and hard work, unlike other novels where the MC just get's power ups. There are also complains about details of his training/grinding etc being left out. I'd say it is beneficial for it to be left out. The readers will be bored to death if we were to have to read about his lengthy grinding. The information is presented to us in an easy way which can be easily understood and digested. We are not bombarded by any more information than necessary, which is in my opinion a good thing. I would highly recommend you to read this novel. Best way to decide if you like it or not is to try it yourself. <<less
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ogdyolnafets
ogdyolnafets rated it
January 2, 2017
Status: --
The plot is hilarious.

Everything is hilarious but that drove me to continue reading. Its about another OP MC in a costume that was forced to be low profile because of his inherent skill. The mc's development is somewhat unique by giving him OP skills via free training time for years making him eccentric coupled with godly passive stealth abilities in exchange for his ability to use mana at the moment with a free tsun guide/assistant. The pacing is fast too but considering the long chapter lenght, its somewhat acceptable but... more>> this is definitely a good read. I give this a 4.3/5 <<less
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UncleOddball
UncleOddball rated it
December 28, 2016
Status: ch74
I'd go 4/5 on this one. 4.5/5 wich is official average is also situational acceptable score.

I'm glad, that I was initialy repulsed by negative comments. It got me a chance to gulp almost three "books" at once.

EER is (of course) a story of supernatural, op and dense MC. He was left alone on earth for ten (lol) years with everyone else scattered in different worlds.

... more>> Our Earth changes, so do the common sense.

I love the way author sneaks nods and winks toward popculture here and there.
It's been a while since I laughed so much.

I wont give it full score, because it's obviously Desumachi/OnePunch Man kind of comedy, wich hallows story quality. And MC, despite being fun, is a "lovable idiot with sensivity of a brick", wich was tried to be justified, but still is a nope from me. Also he gets convenient sixth sense/luck, wich makes everything play out on easy difficulty for him. Plot Gundam, cus plot armor is too weak expression.

Still, a good read. <<less
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notapunnyguy
notapunnyguy rated it
September 13, 2016
Status: c28
This is all SPOILERS, don't read if you don't want to. But, here's the deal, the novel is good, on varying levels. I just wish there was more to it that what it seems to give.

... more>>
Spoiler

This has the potential of an all encompassing novel with a multitude of worlds that the MC could dive into. If only the author uses the things that the MC learned all those years in training except for the fighting techniques and handcraft/blacksmithing, then it'll be good for character development. The author could have put a lot of references here and there regarding literature and the languages he learned. I thought he could run hundreds of kilometers per hour and not just 60kph. Also, it'll help if the mysterious identity of god is somehow present in the novel and also the mystery as to why just monsters are appearing. Who is the main villain? It's already almost 30 chapters in and the monsters just seem like fodder to him at this point. Also, why is he not leaving Korea, what's so special about it? He could just roam around like he used to and basically grind like a madman. I'm pretty sure he knows how to ride a Jet Fighter with all the time he had. I want him to ride an SR 71 Blackbird at mach 5 speeds without G-Force suits so that he can go wherever he wants and grind whenever there's a monster that's way too overpowered for the people who stayed. The author's trying to make Korea special... tsk tsk tsk... All of the wasted effort to mystify the MC's persona all went into the tr*sh bin with this one. I'll still be reading it though.

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Viola
Viole rated it
September 12, 2016
Status: c28
I didn't expect much out this seeing as it was a textbook game element universe at first glance but am I ever glad I tried it.

The prologue and the first 4 chapters are astounding. It could use a little bit of editing as far as the translation goes but it's is still of a good quality. In the first 4 chapters the author should have you totally hooked, I loved the concept that he created in the beginning. It made it so that we really didn't need to know anything... more>> about the main character because in those four chapters you see the MC grow and get a great grasp of who he is.

This isn't a novel where you gotta give it 20 chapters till it gets good this novel comes right out of the gate on fire. There are a few points that you'll have to deal with, alot of the humor is pretty specific to Korea. Most of it is universal humor but there is definitely some stuff that just won't be as funny since we aren't the intended audience. The TL'ers do a good job with footnotes in those cases though.

Also, for me the high point of these 28 chapters was the very beginning. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as the rest of it so far is very good I just don't want to see such a good concept and great beginning turn stale after awhile. For now the author has my trust though.

First 28 chapters - 5/5 <<less
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Eiys
Eiys rated it
January 1, 2022
Status: Completed
I addictively fully read this a few years ago when I was a young little lad. I've even fully revisited this 3 times, yes it means I've fully reread this novel 3 times throughout my life as of writing. IMO its a fun novel to read, this is one of the novels that really shaped my favorite genres and got me into reading light novels and the like. I'm a sucker for at least decent OP power fantasies and weak to strong.
The other top reviews here, whether it be... more>> the 1-star or 5-star reviews, are already constructive enough on why you would want or would not want to read this novel yourself, make of that what you will. <<less
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CadmarLegend
CadmarLegend rated it
December 25, 2021
Status: Completed
I read this while the links weren't dead and I completely finished it. I consider myself quite lucky.

This is one of the most popular novels on NU for a reason.

The thrill you get while reading is quite fun, and it's a page-turner. Well, link-clicker, but you know.

... more>> Ahem, anyways, I saw a lot of the 1 & 2 star reviews, and can only say this:

everyone has their preferences.

I personally think that this is one of the most memorable Korean novels I'll ever read. The jokes are pretty softcore, especially because of things lost in translation, but they still achieve enough of their goals.

The characters are more fleshed out than most characters of mosts web novels nowadays.

There are quite a few plot twists that keep you on the edge of your seat.

The world-building is great. Marvelous. Beautiful.

The very plot, the foundation of the story, is unique and creative.

I will say, it isn't that fastest-paced novel. But it is a good read nonetheless.

TLDR;

just read the boldened points. <<less
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Foxrider
Foxrider rated it
November 24, 2021
Status: c168
This novel started like a normal novel with OP MC. And until some moment it was pretty enjoyable to see after his journey. But after some moment I started to feel some boredom while reading the novel. I tried to endure this, because I believed that after this bore moment it will be better. But even after 50 more chapters boredom never leave, so I dropped this novel

It is a feeling like MC has plot armor. Nothing can even shake him. Jokes has stagnated and almost disappeared so it seemed... more>> like some overly po-faced novel. <<less
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fly_high__
fly_high__ rated it
November 15, 2021
Status: Completed
'A world with Apocalyptic plot line with a loner protagonist' is a best way to describe the story with single line.

The story is fixed in a chaotic world where factions fight for supremacy, destruction of worlds, seven desires, a racial discrimination, etc. Various planets (or worlds is what author calls) are faced with the crisis of mana wave which results in evolution of every living creature except humans beings or other intellectual beings into mindless monster whose only desire is destruction. (Pretty cliche right, still it's enjoyable.) The story follows... more>> the protagonist Yu Illan whose world faces the crisis of mana evolution.

The imagination for the world building of the author was so vivid that It feels real and descriptive. Author has my praise for his imagination for world building. I always like world building with slight mystery, where information is given at slight intervals, I pretty much disdain where info is dumped into few chapters at start of the novel which becomes bland and uninteresting which decreases my interest novel. There are some inconsistencies in the world building of the novel, which if you ignore should not be a problem.

As for protagonist, best way to describe him would be a loner, workaholic, low self-esteem in relationship, somewhat dense (you guessed right JP protagonist, but after some time it changes because of character development.), extremely caution and well slightly cunning. While making equipments or artifacts MC likes to name it in grandiose and in chunni way, which results him being slightly chuni. MC also always tries to foreshadow future with some cliche settings which sometimes comes true. And remember folks MC is strong point of the story.

From start MC is shown op with reasoning which can be justified why, after you read some earlier chapters. MC also likes to joke around often to set the mood, which in he succeeds, and yes novel has lot of comedy. And Comedy can also be strong point of the story for casual readers. Also MC is not some random guy who was chosen to be protagonist, MC was born to become protagonist or else you know world might have end, pretty cliche right? At end of the story you will get answer to your question why MC was an anomaly which was pretty interesting. Author also puts some airs for mystery which becomes pretty interesting later at the story.

Now for the side characters, side characters are just one dimensional and bland, what I mean is that most of the characters don't stand out except for one or two. Most of the side characters are shown to become shadow for MC to shine. Which I don't blame author as MC stands out most and main actual focus of the author was on MC. As for harem, girls are falling for MC with no actual reason, typical of the author who does not understand romance. Well there are some actual good points of romance and that would be interactions between Yu lllan and Liera (main wife of the MC and also my favourite. When the novel was at its peak, Liera was wifu candidate for most the fans) for one millenium which somewhat justifies their relationship for romance, others are just for appearance sake I guess or to fullfill harem tag. And I don't blame author for this as it's problem for most of the harem novels. !I miss TOCF!

Atlast, story is consistent and keeps you hooks until the end and can also make you binge it. So, there is no reason to not read it, definitely give it a try. The story specifically can be top tier for new readers and as for veterans it can be repetitive, but still you will definitely enjoy it. Also definitely read side stories which can cherry on the cake for the novel. <<less
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Ivasama
Ivasama rated it
August 23, 2021
Status: c225
I love this novel. It's like Yu Ilhan is one of those reincarnated characters that prevent the things that are going to happen, just that he is not reincarnated nor did he regress time. There were some novels in wich I couldn't really understand the mecanisms or the battle scenes but I was thrilled every action scene of this novel. Loved the interactions of Ilhan with the other characters too, specially the angels.... more>>
Spoiler

I think, from where I am in the novel, the harem will gradually become real (? Or canon and I kinda have to change my mentality or smthing because I don't want that to ruin my pleasant experience. Really I like them all that's why I'm gonna try my best, and its kinda thrilling too. ;P

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will edit this review when I finish it. <<less
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