Dungeon Defense

Description

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Do you know how this world ends?

Become the hero and defeat the 72 Demon Lords. The game that was boasted as the absolute hardest strategy game, 『Dungeon Attack』.

I used to be the ‘hero’ who had accomplished everything in this game, but after answering a suspicious survey, I found myself in the game as the weakest Demon Lord, 「Dantalian」.

With only my eloquent tongue and my memories of conquest as a hero—.

In order to survive as Dantalian. I shall tear this world apart.

Associated Names
One entry per line
Deonjeon Dipenseu
ダンジョンディフェンス
던전 디펜스
Related Series
Dungeon Defense (WN) (Web Novel)
Recommendations
The Lazy King (13)
My Death Flags Show No Sign of Ending (12)
Dungeon Hunter (9)
The Second Coming of Gluttony (9)
Your and My Asylum (9)
Sevens (8)
Recommendation Lists
  1. enjoyed my time
  2. An actual attempt at ranking
  3. Novels That I Have Read Over The Years
  4. Peak Villains
  5. Op Mc / simulation systems

Latest Release

Date Group Release
11/26/17 Shalvation Translations v5 afterword
11/26/17 Shalvation Translations v5 intermission
11/23/17 Shalvation Translations v5c4
11/11/17 Shalvation Translations v5c3
10/28/17 Shalvation Translations v5c2
10/17/17 Shalvation Translations v5c1
10/09/17 Shalvation Translations v5 prologue
10/06/17 Shalvation Translations v5 illustrations
02/03/17 Shalvation Translations v4 afterword
02/03/17 Shalvation Translations v4 intermission
02/03/17 Shalvation Translations v4c5
01/29/17 Shalvation Translations v4c4
01/21/17 Shalvation Translations v4c3
01/13/17 Shalvation Translations v4c2
01/04/17 Shalvation Translations v4c1
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316 Reviews sorted by


Tasear
Dream Seeker rated it
November 7, 2016
Status: v3c1
Truly cleaver, manipulative, power hungry main character yet not one who is understanding his own character flaws, makes this a seductive read for most. But there are some obvious things that knocks it off from pedestal of becoming a timeless classic. Like many inexperienced and timid authors he becomes afraid of losing readers or gets consumed by their desires and senseless scenes that drive away from essence of the books. So what I like to say is 10/10 start and 5/10 read later on.
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Doc11
Doc11 rated it
August 25, 2016
Status: v2c4
I love this, this is my favourite novel. I love the fact that he is not super strong and only use his brain to deal with all the sh*t he is dealing with. Also, almost every character in this novel are very interesting.
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CaptainToast
CaptainToast rated it
August 22, 2016
Status: v2c2
I'm rather disappointed in this story. Maybe it's because I went in with pre-existing thoughts on the story, but just didn't work for me.
That said, there are many things good about the story.

First off, the writing is phenomenal. The translator did an excellent job as well. The world the author created was also interesting.
The character was really well done...

Up until volume 2 when the author just lost me. His personality just made no sense in context.

Maybe I'll pick it up again later when the story has more stuff... more>> translated, but for now it's dropped. <<less
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originalpls
originalpls rated it
August 19, 2016
Status: v2c2
I don't always write reviews... but when I do, it's for the masterpiece.

To be honest this read is so refreshing from all the stereotypical light novels where characters gain power through random inheritance, friendship/revenge/love powerup or time skip training. The main character is a very cunning character, whose actions are truly indicative of an intelligent ruler unlike most light novel MCs. The plans are always well thought out with few exceptions to showcase the MC's weakness and fundamental characteristics as a human being. Furthermore, the story is written from multiple... more>> perspectives to illustrate a constant battle of wits.

That being said, I would recommend this light novel to only those who enjoy dark and psychological stories. The novel does contain actions but focuses much more on characters and plot rather than random fight scenes. Thus, if you like overpowered characters stomping the villains or happy adventurers conquering dungeons with a touch of genuine romance, this is not the LN for you.

But if you are like me who appreciates the dark elements of human nature in a battle of wits and politics, then you are in for a hell of a journey. The translator is already doing a great job but I simply can't contain my excitement to read the rest of the story. <<less
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imasteak
imasteak rated it
August 17, 2016
Status: v2c2
Absolutely amazing read. The characters in this story are fleshed out and have deep personalities that not many other light novels delve into. Not only this, but the author challenges the reader's foresight and knowledge of what is happening to string you along giving you an amazing thrill ride. I cl**ked on this story knowing that it only has ~20 chapters released, but it has been the best surprise I've had in at least month. Also, don't let the low amount of chapters released let you down, the chapters themselves... more>> are fairly long and definitely worth it in even the smallest quantity. The story aside, the translation itself is the one of the best I have ever seen. The English is written beautifully and as someone else mentioned before, to the point where the story seems to have been written that way. <<less
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yalejanguie
yalejanguie rated it
August 15, 2016
Status: v2c2
I can't even explain how much I'm loving reading this. Amazing well developed characters, and the writing flows nicely making me a non stop reader in one seating. For me the only problem is there I need more right now. Lol.
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whitecrow90
whitecrow90 rated it
August 13, 2016
Status: v2c2
Do yourself the favor and read this. you'll thanks me when you end 1st chapter.

It is glorious. I can't stop speaking praises of it, more so since the drop of other reading materials' quality. it is a great kindness that the author did not focus heavily on the korean culture, or maybe because it is because of the translators skill, but it presents a story that does not focus on the Korean nationality and culture of the MC, but creates a wonderfully twisted and comedic character all on it's own.... more>>

The characters are nicely fleshed out and properly developed. From the MC to the supporting characters. The MC is of incredible note. an MC worthy of respect. An MC who knows who they truly are and acts consistently to that effect.

the setting and writing style is incredible as well. it kept me constantly wanting more.

i just love the MC for his honesty especially....
Spoiler

when he revealed his decision to become a NEET. He simply did so to be honest to his very being. true it is due to his laziness. however the core of it was due to his kindness. his kindness his fellow humans because he himself knows what kind of a human being he is.

[collapse]
<<less
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rasyidmystery
rasyidmystery
August 13, 2016
Status: v2c2
It's truly a hidden gem that is very beautiful when you find it.

At first I just tought it as 'good for nothing MC with cheat skill and harem making abilities' but after I read some chapter I realize that I am totally wrong.

First I will talk about the MC.
The MC is not some dense womenizer / arrogant MC that you usually find in many japanese/ chinese novel. But he is someone that is ruthless and sadistic intellectual type MC. He is the master of scheming and he know very... more>> well about political affairs.

If you want to know about his scheming abilities, think of shiro from log horizon. But unlike shiro that is oblivious about the feeling of his surrounding women, he is obvious about his surrounding people feeling (with the help of his privilege)
[Heck... I don't know if I place the term right.]

Even The side characters is as promising as the MC. The SC here is not just the fillers of the story but each one have important role in the story and everyone has different personality

Lastly I want to thank author and translator that make it possible to me to read thus magnificent work. <<less
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lawrsun
lawrsun rated it
August 12, 2016
Status: v2c2
Absolutely amazing... One of the most devious translated works I've read so far, and definitely the best Korean one. The depth of the characters is incomparable. perspective shifts are done extremely well. everything is awesome. I've read over a hundred of these translated novels, and I have to say, just read it, its worth it.
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H4cko
H4cko rated it
August 5, 2016
Status: v2c1 part2
A great novel, one of the few that makes worth having the tag "Cunning Male Lead". The way the author manages the different POVs is quite amazing, I dare to say it is as good as Mushoku Tensei in this regard.

The only thing I found odd was the morality level of demon lords, on this world the're an existence similar to high nobles, doing rampage and killing without a reason is not part of their agenda. Their society is quite stratified and lower demons/mixed breed have a lower value,... more>> are treated like tr*sh. The politics is not heavy up to now but I like the world this author has created.

The translator is also passionate about his work, doing something close to 4k words a day, he is doing not only a fast job but a good one ! I have not seen any typos or major grammar mistakes as it's common on several novels out there - tough I'm also not a native eng speaker... Anyway I highly recommend this one. <<less
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WeebIdiot101
WeebIdiot101 rated it
September 6, 2021
Status: v2c4
Honestly, I'm at the end of volume 2 and I'm really glad I didn't drop it then and there

So far in my opinion this is a really good novel, all the characters are not how they seem at first so it's like you can't really trust the personality they portray in the beginning, and it honestly sometimes, or at least for me, puts you at the edge of your seat because your always wondering what the MC or the other character are going to do. All in All so far... more>> this novel is really great it's just volume 2 will kind of make you start to lose interest in the main character sometimes, but it get's better, you just have to have patience and read on or you'll get really confused in some situations

Spoiler

The MC didn't become a dumb generic demon lord MC because of love, He literally said that she isn't his first priority, like sure he loves her, but that doesn't mean he's gonna put her first in every single situation

[collapse]

I originally took a break from this novel and then thought about dropping it because I didn't like how the MC was acting but I came back to it just today, and honestly I regret taking a break from it, v2 is literally In my opinion the start of all the sh*t the MC is about to do, so please don't drop it during v2, you'll miss out on a lot of things, I assume lmao <<less
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imsotrash007
imsotrash007 rated it
November 19, 2020
Status: v3c3 part1
[This plot is actually genius. If you dont mind the s*upid sadboy segment between volume 2 and 3, you would understand how good this is. Dantalian is a f*cking genius with his plots and the surrounding cast matches him perfectly. Read to find out what I am talking about]
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Asphyxia778
Asphyxia778 rated it
October 21, 2020
Status: v5c5
Why did they ruin this. Why!!!!!!

The first volume was brilliant. I loved it. But from the second volume onwards it loses it's charm.

The MC somehow becomes obsessed with authority which totally ruins the prologue where he was shown to be charismatic and had a villainous flair. It's like the MC was replaced with a clone who only has two braincells left.

... more>> I hate the love interest. Her character is so flat and not interesting enough for me. Plus she's the one who binds our MC and makes him devolve.

Aaaaahhhhhh give me back the actually smart Dantallion. The one that made me go - 'this guy's awesome'

Honestly I have only read the Light novel so I don't know about the wn but I will give that a read too. (Cause others have said that it actually maintained the MC's Personality)

Honestly though this had so much potential. I would like to recommend this to others but I have very mixed feelings about it.

Sigh. I only hope that it improves and Dantallion becomes his awesome self again. (Not this piece of sh*t who only brags about being smart and authority)

Justice for MC!!

3/5 in current state. (5/5 when MC actually returns and destroys s*upid clone version of himself) <<less
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DDosGaming
DDosGaming rated it
August 20, 2020
Status: --
it feel like you are reading a rant on internet. It lack energy and edgy.

-always complaint about life

-use half-assed philosophy

people will become s*upid when plot need it to.
Spoiler

half succubus girl. One who climb up from buttom of society. Genius merchant with impregnable poker face.

-go with mc’s plan even though she know it’s a trap

-hide recorder in obvious place and think that cunning MC who trick her once won’t find it

[collapse]

magic system is on level of tr*sh isekai manga. One dimensional villain. The world is shallow stage setup to make all mc’s risky move success.

nobody act like sane person. Rationality only came when playing mind game.

it’s edgy novel that try to be smart. But fail halfway.
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Cinemote
Cinemote rated it
May 22, 2020
Status: v5 afterword
tl:dr You like clever, scheming MCs willing to heinous things to achieve their goals? This is the story for you.

NOTE: 5/5 does NOT mean this is a perfect story or masterpiece. It does mean that I think it's great and when compared to most stories on this site, it's definitely worth a read.

Translation is really great and edited very well. Props to the translator (s).

The premise is the MC is reincarnated into the body of a low-ranking demon lord, Dantalian, and is immediately about to be... more>> killed by a bunch of bandits. The rest of the plot is the MC trying to survive and thrive as the demon lord using his wits and acting skills in this world of demon societies and human kingdoms.

The story starts off very strong and the MC is pretty fun to read about, despite a bit too edgey for my tastes. The other characters are also well done too, with different POVs helping flesh each character out. Although, there is a common theme that they all have a couple screws loose, the MC included. The plot stays interesting because of Dantalian's shrewd plans involving the other characters. There's a focus on politics and wars happening within the world in the later parts that does seem pretty different from the first volume, but it maintains the same level of quality of interesting plot points.

If there's one thing to complain about it'd be:
Spoiler

The lack of the 'Decision' moments and Affection Status that shows up during the first volume. Even though the 'Decision' moments are a little on the nose, it's odd how both of them kinda disappear in the following volumes, despite appearing like a major powers for Dantalian.

[collapse]

Overall, pretty fun read. <<less
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thespeech
thespeech rated it
March 6, 2020
Status: --
If you dislike dialogue, you will not want to pick up this LN. If you enjoy Monogatari, this resembles it in form, at the least. One of the few LNs which can have a protagonist with basically no powers at all or direct combat, and have the plot remain interesting by virtue of the sheer quantity and quality of bullsh*t he can spout. The first few parts are the worst, when the author tries to keep up the game facade and has skills and windows; then he drops all of... more>> that by volume 3, and that's where it starts to shine. None of the characters in this novel are people readers should empathize with, but they stay compelling. Everyone is in a constant Mexican standoff with each other - even from the witches, who practically 'worship' Dantalian, you get the feeling they would execute him themselves if he ever utterly failed their expectations. The protagonist himself keeps professing his hatred for his father even as he becomes hypocritically far, far worse - in fact, the author seems to want to draw too much attention to that, which became a little off-putting, but seems necessary judging by some of the comments here. There is a level of constant danger to the protagonist that I have never seen from any other WN, and he revels in it. People may dislike the swearing parts, but their existence sets a very different tone between the human and demon forces. <<less
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VWanderer
VWanderer rated it
January 28, 2020
Status: v5 afterwords
Meh... It was interesting and disappointing at the same time... Why is this novel called dungeon defense when there is no dungeon to defend with. When I initially read this novel, I expect some game like mechanics like skill, potion and stuff. Because duh.. he's thrown in a game world.

The first chapter was interesting. He's struggling in a tutorial with insane difficulty mode and forced to use his brain to tricks his opponent. There's spacial storage, Dungeon map, status or affection gauge. And other skill stuff which makes him a... more>> demon lord.

But as the story progress it gets more disappointing. He didn't get a new strenght or skill and barely any character progression. He didn't even use his skill anymore and he didn't have anything that makes him a demon lord which is super sucks... He's no different than a human noble a baron at that which is low noble, no even worse... I had thought that he would slowly rise up the rank of demon lord and destroy his opponents with wits and skills he use. But no he would just be the lowest as the story goes and even when he use the excuse "i want to live in the shadow, I dont want the spotlight" its still dumb. How is everyone in that world so s*upid that they believe all the coincidence which give him gains numerous time a pass just as a lucky dude and didn't even try to research him more like paimon.

At first his character is quite twisted but not that bad I guess. He's lazy and just want a peaceful life... As the story progress he decide that if he want to have his peaceful life, he got to have an authority. Then he starts to rage a war and the story goes down rock bottom. His personality which is lazy is nowhere to be found anymore and just an average twisted guy who's out twisted by other characters... The author really want the readers to feel the MC madness and forced his readers to just chuck in all the madness of that world even the side character and heroine all have insane mind. This is just dumb.

And dont even hope that there's lovey dovey stuff. All of the characters just give you unsatisfaction romance. Lala barely got any dialogues or character exploration. All we know is that shes just a twisted smart girl with stone heart and facial expressions. Not an interesting character at all.

Nevertheless... As I said its quite interesting even though disappointing novel. <<less
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icr0
icr0 rated it
June 29, 2019
Status: v4c1
Great novel, MC is intelligent and it's very, very fun to see him work his way out of incredibly challenging situation that you think will completely doom him with brilliant eloquence and tact. The plot over volumes is also well paced, there are a variety of short-term engaging plot arcs, and a nicely woven overarching plot that extends across volumes. A highly intelligent novel, but I must say that I can't relate to the MC's twisted darkness. Although at times it is thrilling to see him brutally slaughter hundreds of... more>> innocent people, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and I personally don't like his selfish cruelty. A classic ends-justify-the-means plot that I don't really like. Another thing that I found that greatly detracts from the plot is the godly, completely overpowered knowledge that the MC has, coming from the fact that he has played the game through already, and he uses this knowledge on multiple occasions that give him an incomprehensible advantage over his enemies. I think that the story would have been more enjoyable as a pure fantasy plotline instead of an isekai one, simply because it would have been more entertaining to see the MC survive without his overpowered knowledge, and purely on raw ability. Overall, a good read, something I would highly recommend to fans of series like Death Note, Code;Geass, or Overlord. <<less
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skywolf8118
skywolf8118 rated it
December 1, 2018
Status: v5 afterword
I read all the volumes available and it was an amazing read. You can't skim this light novel since it is very descriptive. A very adult light novel. If there was a physical copy of this light novel in English, I would buy it in a heartbeat.
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fireh
fireh rated it
July 19, 2018
Status: v5c4
The novel is build on the concept of socialism. If you didn't stand for the lower people, if you acted for your own profit, you are an enemy of the protagonist.

The background is a strong theory which made this novel a strong material, as for ingenuity I don't know, I have not spent time reading socialism in depth.
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