Ending Maker

Description

Links are NOT allowed. Format your description nicely so people can easily read them. Please use proper spacing and paragraphs.

Two heroes of the game Legend of Heroes 2 who were rotten waters*.
Kang Jin-ho in the first place and Hong Yoo Hee in the second place.
One day, they opened their eyes and found that they had reincarnated as characters in the game…

“Hey…you too?”
“Hey…me too!”

The ending of Legend of Heroes 2 was the destruction of the human world.

But if there were two of them and they were not alone.
If it was also the first place and second place in the server rankings.

The path of the rotten waters begins for a perfect happy ending!

*Rotten water is a Korean slang for someone who has played a certain game for a long time and mastered everything. Think of them as oldbies, veterans, or game pros.

Associated Names
One entry per line
EM
엔딩메이커
Related Series
Breakers (Shared Universe)
Dungeon Maker (Shared Universe)
Dungeon Breaker (Shared Universe)
Recommendations
Never Die Extra (5)
Trash of the Count’s Family (5)
I Reincarnated For Nothing (3)
Quick Transmigration: The Host Is Sweeter Than Sugar (2)
My Reincarnation as the Villainess and My Reincarnation as the Villain Prince (2)
Ex Rank Supporting Role’s Replay in a Prestigious School (2)
Recommendation Lists
  1. enjoyed my time
  2. all of my 5/5 novels
  3. KR Novels Recommended by a Picky Reader
  4. ceaseless
  5. Opinionated Reader Reviews

Latest Release

1 group(s) hidden due to dead links. Click here to show all releases.
Write a Review
171 Reviews sorted by


Tearingfire
Tearingfire rated it
October 21, 2020
Status: --
I only saw one review mention this, but I feel like it should be brought up since I started reading this novel based on how positive the reviews are. The story is structured that despite there being two "main characters", the FL is nothing but a beautiful, blushing, tsundere supporting character that acts as a foil to make ML superior. The blatant favoritism (I'd even say sexism), despite this novel not having a harem, is cringey.

  1. FL always gets less stuff than ML, even if she does the blunt of the work. While her dad is tossing this and that to boost ML, including money, FL doesn't get anything, and ML tries to cheat her out of stuff
  2. Her level is somehow always one below despite not starting at a disadvantage. Author makes it very apparent that her natural talent isn't special compared to ML's. The most special part about her is her face
  3. She has always has a supporting role, never receives recognition. ML is the one that steals the kill (which grants more XP). Even when she contributes greatly, she's just someone for ML to protect
  4. ML is literally handed a ton of good artifacts, special items, etc. FL gets the generic stuff even when the event was meant for her
  5. FL is #2 and constantly teased for being #2 because she isn't that smart, can't remember stuff, and just does what she's told to do with no self respect
Overall, the novel isn't bad compared to other shounen, harem novels. But this relationship is essentially Kirito and Asuna from SAO. FL is only special to the point of useful and suitable as a love interest. She doesn't do stuff on her own, ML makes all the decisions for her. I kept looking for the "cute, sweet" dialogue, but it just seemed like the author was rubbing his prejudice in my face. Rather than... more>> FL and ML being rivals, it's very clear how their dynamic is not meant to change. Maybe the story gets better later, but I can't tolerate it any longer. <<less
225 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Galdaen
Galdaen rated it
November 22, 2020
Status: c314
1. Normally, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I saw Tearingfire's review about sexism, and I swear, they would see sexism in a bowl of cheerios. I even went back to re-read chapters. A lot of what they said is wrong. And the rest is just perceived sexism on their part but doesn't necessarily mean anything. Plus it's obvious he only read like first 30 chapters.

2. I guess this is an alright romance, but the author is one of those with a lack of creative juices when it comes... more>> to romance. He repeats romance scenarios and the characters are the stereotypical dumb partners that can't bring up any courage. And it lasts a long time. Biggest issue for me is that the side characters like to purposefully interrupt their romance at any available chance, and the author uses this repeatedly, because this is the only romantic tension he can think of. So yeah, thats kinda annoying.

I am reading machine translation version, so just a heads up, this author reuses scenarios quite a bit. If you don't like the story in first 50 chapter, it's doubtful you will like it later. Romance exists but read my 2nd point above about the romance issues. <<less
192 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
criticalmind
criticalmind rated it
September 1, 2020
Status: c71
It's very promising. But this is mostly a review of the translator who deserves some mention.

To summarise, the translator is awesome. Before the prolouge, the TL mentions that this is 90% MTL and that scared me. But the quality is SO HIGH. The language flows well, Koren slang and pop culture references are explained with links.

Edit:

I'm now on chapter 71, and it is going strong. The comedy is excellent. The heros are intelligent and complement each other perfectly. The other characters are well fleshed out, and I have no... more>> trouble remembering them. The budding romance is well written as well. All in all, one of the things I look forward to in my day. Also, the translator still rocks.

<<less
92 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
estelionsharluluasheelvinchancecelenalia
A story where an unremarkable hot-headed heroine always gets the short end of the stick, and the unremarkable clear-headed protagonist cheats her out of things, one way or another. Both characters are supposed to be super hot.

The banter is either shit, or works poorly in English.

Not really cute or funny. Just the kind of lowkey inoffensive "sexism" that was last popular in the Jomon Period. Like, really, as you read about the protagonist getting one up over the fiery simpleton heroine (the world and their respective personalities conspire to always... more>> make sure he comes out better off than her), you really feel it harkening back to light novels from 2005.

Worth a read just to see if you like that kind of thing. I don't really miss it though. <<less
56 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
TerraEarth
TerraEarth rated it
October 22, 2020
Status: prologue
This novel is emotionally barren, while reading through its chapters not once did I feel even an inkling of anything that could be remotely classified as being an emotional response. The characters are one dimensional and the plot is nonexistent.

The story fails to instill any sense of tension into its scenes. The main characters hop from one event to the next as if they're following a comprehensive guide with all the answers you could ever ask for (they might as well be, one of the characters has a perfect memory... more>> and has researched and archived every bit of knowledge concerning the game world). When all outcomes are known, all contingencies planned for and every chance pitfall remedied by good old plot armor, you're left with a story that falls flat and feels more akin to knocking down a list of chores than an adventure to save the world.

On top of this, the plot is virtually nonexistent. The progression of the plot is fully engrossed in collecting miscellaneous objects, buffs and quest events and never bothers to weave together a compelling narrative. <<less
46 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
ErikHarrison
ErikHarrison rated it
March 31, 2021
Status: c204
I couldn't narrow the original review to under 2000 words. So I'll make it easy with bullet points.
    • Great chemistry
    • Top tier slow romance
    • Two reincarnated allows for good pacing (both dialogue and tactics)
    • Fun supporting cast
    • More about the journey than the destination (lots of fluff and sub-quests)
    • Clearly defined roles for ML & FL
*Response to other reviews about 'sexism'*
Spoiler

I've read reviews that seem to negatively display FL & ML dynamic, however I never had a problem. The ML is good at planning and negotiations while the FL is good at fighting and socializing. The ML is reliant on consumables while the FL acquires new forms and gear.

I think the perception stems from the fact that the first arc is nearly all about Jude. His disease resolution, navigate through wildness/cities, Jude's mature falling in love.

The next arc (Capital Arc) focuses nearly entirely on Cordelia. Socializing with nobles, being a charismatic thief, Cordelia's messy falling in love.

It's the dichotomy that makes things interesting. They aren't good at the same things, they're mentally different ages and they fall in love at different times. Any issues like last hitting or item distribution are surface level issues (that also get resolved)

[collapse]

It's a experience so good I found myself being jealous of past me since it's unlikely I'll ever read anything similar (First time reading). 10/10
42 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Yorvamu
Yorvamu rated it
April 16, 2021
Status: c150.1
If someone calls this "top tier romance", either the romance genre is tr*sh altogher or they have real low standards.

I'll be honest, the story and setting aren't bad at all, may be a bit one the generic side with the Angels vs Demons from Hell stuff and some inconsistencies here and there, but all in all, it's good enough. The problem is the 2 MCs, Jude and Cordelia, though they don't start as a problem at all, they start with good chemistry and both having their strenghts and weeknesses... but... more>> slowly, as the novel advances, Cordelia, the female lead, becomes more and more like an accesory for the male lead.

Jude and Cordelia are Outboxer009 and Yellow Storm in their previous lifes, #1 and #2 of a certain game they used to play (also, apparently their names are in reference of some Starcraft players?), where they're always competing for the first place, that Jude always manages to keep. After reincarnation, they show why it was like that, they're both absurd, Jude has a memory for every little bit detail from the game, remembering every tiny bit of lore and info the game gave to them, while Cordelia is absurdly good at controling her body and reading the flow of battle, making them having a brain and muscles dinamic early on. That doesn't last too long though. Jude starts pilling power up from power up and while Cordelia also gets power ups, Jude simply overshadows her, relegating her to a purely support role, Cordelia's strength also becomes Jude's as he gets stronger.

All in all, that wouldn't be that bad, I mean, it wasn't that bad that made me instantly drop it, I read 150 chapters after all and I would say that the Wild Lands arc (that ends at chapter ~125) was actually pretty good and as a said, Jude slowly overshadows Cordelia, it's not until the late part of the Wild Lands arc that it becomes really apparent. But the glaring problems, those that you just can't ignore, becomes painful apparent by the start and as the next arc advances. You see, by this point you'll know that Jude is a sly bastard and Cordelia isn't the brightest person in the world, but it's reapeatedly said at any moment the author can, that Cordelia has animal like instincs, so the fact that, knowing that Jude is a sly bastard (they played and competed in the game for 5 years, and were contantly together the whole novel, or around 4 months) she never, ever questions that he may be toying or teasing her. By chapter 150, Cordelia is a complete "yes woman" to Jude and their interactions in the last chapters I read are either him toying with her or simply saying over and over and over how "cute and pretty" Cordelia is. Like, we get it, we got how cute and pretty she is by the 30th time you said it. Also, some people may be creep out by the fact that Yellow Storm (before isekai Cordelia) was said to be a high school girl (~17 yo), while Outboxer009 was implied to be at least in his late 30's (he's said to be retired from a job that had him traveling around the whole world and doing all kind of odd jobs, but it's never actually clarified), because, that, at least it bothered me.

Spoiler

Also I really want to complain somewhere about the last plot point. See, they're trying to make Cordelia the Rogue Master, something like an idol for thieves and to become and be recognized as the Rogue Master, so have to had the 5 artifacts from the first Rogue Master. But it's explicitely said that the were multiple Rogue Masters before that... so did they found those extremely hard to get artifacts and then returned them when they were about to die? Did those teleport back when the RM died? Also making Cordelia to be the RM, while wearing a rabbit tail and ears was... cringy. Just, cringy. Wasn't she supposed to be respected by the thieves? Maybe that all was actually explained if I kept on reading of course... but I'll pass.

[collapse]

As a side note, I would like to commend the translators. While they say that it's MTL, it's actually really easy to read and not painful at all, of course is not a top tier translation, but it's quite high up there. <<less
39 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
MangoGuy
MangoGuy rated it
August 14, 2020
Status: c28
This series is Mango approved.

Well well well... is c28 too soon for a recommendation? I don't think so. The story has gone in a format which promises much, and even so far, it has been an absolutely unique and fun ride.

Let's get the basics right: There are two characters who get transported; The older and more-seasoned gamer guy, and the suspiciously younger and more impulsive gamer girl. The interaction between them is absolutely a joy to watch, with a mixture of flirtatious quirkiness and genuinely funny moments. In addition, the... more>> original series writer has put in a lot of effort with the naming of literally everything, to draw parallels and references everywhere. That is high quality writing.

What about the plot? The regular world is ending so power up and try to stop the apocalypse using your previous life memory. Seems pretty standard right? Well, it is. Except, the addition of one more character who knows the past actually shifts the paradigm. There are no longer endless monologues explaining the reader, but rather funny interactions are used to explain to us. The two leads work together to support their growth, and also try and not expose their unique identity. Eventhough they are a couple, they don't actually love each other initially.

But wait! I smell good character building based romance, built upon constant interactions! So far, the support characters have also added new colours to the already beautiful canvas that is this novel. I recommend everyone to read this just for the side characters at the very least! Currently, we are seeing shades of the two leads actually forming organic and long-term connections to these characters.

Are they overpowered? The male lead has an active illness to curb his power, while the female lead is by her nature not a very diligent person. The result? A more balanced combat where the focus is on preparation using their memory. All in all, there are certain issues. The plot could become rather stale unless a proper antagonist is introduced, but I feel like this one is going more towards the slightly slice of life type fantasy romance setting. That could potentially make this into a rinse and repeat story, so we have to wait and watch.

But from what I have read so far, this one is absolutely worth giving the time to engross yourself. It is worth the risk. And you better be on the lookout for a deceptively quirky ride which brings freshness to the fantasy adventure genre. <<less
32 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
blitznova123
blitznova123 rated it
August 14, 2020
Status: c67.2
The premise is a breath of fresh air on an already over used concept. There are many stories in which the main character gets trapped in a game that they are overly familiar with. This novel uses the twist that another person also gets transported to the game to stand out. The plot is just starting, but there are already several things to look forward to.

First, our Main Characters. The two are both unique in perspective and characteristics, like what MangoGuy said, one of them is a more mature, older... more>> guy, whose exact age we, the readers are not yet made privy of. The other is a female who is younger. The story has some foreshadowing to what there actual age is.1

Their dynamic is also very interesting. It is not your typical romance. As the tags suggest their is couple growth. There is also the relation they had in their previous life.2

We then have our setting. It is not the most unique,

for now. Remember, we are barely starting off the story.3 There is a lot of time for the world building. The author did do a good job of showing us the framework of the world, as they mainly use the chapters for character building and the action. I like what this author did, as it is not just boring info dumps, but rather important exposition and the info which matters for what the characters are doing now. This makes the novel more readable, and allowing the characters to thoroughly introduce themselves in the beginning chapters through interactions is a great way to start in my opinion.

The side characters are also interesting. We see their relations to the main characters, and we are reminded that this is not your typical reincarnation. As the author puts it, the two lives have combined. There is no previous life self, and this life self. They both influence the main characters. But enough about them, more about the side characters. These side characters are not mindless robots, or mere caricatures, they have their own minds. The author also shows us that they can properly write these side characters, with their thinking also making sense for their position and age.

The romance. There is not too much of it for now, but you can see it slowly building. It is not fast enough to be dumb, but it is not slow enough to be a JP RomCom. It is also interesting to see their current relationship, considering their past lives, and what happens in the game.2

Spoiler
    1. The FL is surprised by the fact that the ML does taxes, and she proceeds to think about whether she should call him oppa. This means that the FL is not old enough to do taxes, which I assume is 18, so she is <18. The ML monologues about having 20 years more of memories, so >20 for him.
    1. The FL and ML have known each other for 5 years, and have been communicating for 3. Their selves in the game haven't met yet, and so they know each other as their gamer selves more. This leads them to act differently when they are alone with each other, as opposed to in front of others.
    1. We literally got through the first main scenarios of the two characters.
[collapse]
<<less
24 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Steffan Loves Marcus Lo
Steffan Loves Marcus Lo rated it
January 8, 2021
Status: c136
Translation: 5/5. Don't let the MTL disclaimer make you click away. This is hands down the best MTL I've read so far, and it's even better than most translations that aren't MTL in terms of grammar and mistakes. The TL notes are thorough and I'm genuinely impressed at the translator's quality of work, even it if is MTL.

Story: 4/5. The story is pretty good focusing mostly on how the main characters bulldoze through the world with their knowledge. Their interactions with each other are entertaining.
23 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
caelumsidhe
caelumsidhe rated it
September 16, 2020
Status: c361
Oh my gosh, this novel is just so so amazing!!!!! I love everything about this novel and the story is just freaking good. I think this is one of the author's best works. The dynamics between all the characters is just so great. Jude and Cordelia are awesome and I love them so much. ughhhh....I'm just so excited to share this story to everyone. I 've completed the novel already via MTL but there are still sidestories which aren't released yet and I'm really looking forward to it. If there... more>> is an official English translation, I'd definitely buy it. <<less
21 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
BookedOnAFeeling
BookedOnAFeeling rated it
September 26, 2020
Status: c63.1
The Translator alone makes this a wonderful read.

Excellent writing style, informative without being long-winded and funny as hell.

The story is fun but it's amazing how much the translator elevates this.
20 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
1life4death
1life4death rated it
December 14, 2021
Status: Completed
The story was very interesting and entertaining to read. I love the relationship and dynamic between the two leads. There are some cliches you can expect like repeated scenarios but with different flavors, and fantasy troupe. But it was still a good read.

Though I understand some of the feedback about the female lead being more secondary. Some of the points about "sexist" seems to be cherry-picked to drive an agenda.

The novel portrays Jude, the male lead, as more of a cunning and shrewd person. While Cordelia, the female lead, is... more>> more on instincts and brawl. They balance each other throughout the novel as there are some things only one or the other can do. In most of the major fights in the novel, Cordelia is the one who deals the finishing blow or does the most damage and impact on the battlefield. And when it comes time to plan and scheme Jude takes most of the spotlight.

As far as the romance, you have to take it from the perspective of the leads to understand. Cordelia is a 17-year-old girl who is a gaming addict. It is known later in the story that all she did was pretty much go to school and come back home to play games. From that ideology, she probably never really interacted much with the opposite s*x. So her experience with romance is non-existent. It is even shown in the novel how innocent she is when it comes to love. The same can be said with Jude, though he is in his late 20s, he never really had any experience with love either. The difference is he grew up in an environment where he was forced at a young age to have a very mature mind in order to survive (a key element of his background). So when he left that life and found the game and Cordelia's character, it was like his mind finally return to being a kid again and finding a toy for the first time. He might have more sway in the relationship as his mind is more mature but still innocent at heart. That's why he enjoys teasing her. Plus he didn't know she was at that age at the time anyway as he thought she was older due to her obsessive usage of foul language.

If we really want to get into it as far as details and "sexist". This is a Korean novel. Most Asian countries still hold a lot of patriarchal traditions where the male is more dominant over the female. So trying to put Western views, which I assume is a majority of the demographic on here, on an Eastern novel and views is like trying to tell the ocean it's not filled with water. But we will leave that as is.

Apologizes for the long wall of text and getting a bit rough there, but just wanted to make some points clear. Overall, everyone is still entitled to their own opinion, you can dislike the novel, or heck you can even hate on my review and I'm fine with that. As CheesyCheese143 mentions, you can read it first and decide for yourself. <<less
18 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
manjuone
manjuone
August 3, 2020
Status: c18
Quite fun to read, and its nice to see the protagonist working together supporting each other.
17 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Beaztgaming
Beaztgaming rated it
January 11, 2021
Status: c80
  1. Normally I don’t read adventure novels with 2 MCs as it often feels that 1 is left out either due to power differences or rewards but I think this author does this very well
there’s some reviews about sexism but I believe that’s just perceived sexism due to the little chapters they’ve read

At the start of the the novel the ML has a OP sealed special body that makes him extremely weak so FL does most of the actual combat so the ML compensates by doing the strategic planning, drawing... more>> scrolls, runes, seal, and giving buffs because it’s clearly stated that the FL doesn’t now as much in depth knowledge about the game as she gets most if not all her points by farming mobs while ML gets his points by doing hidden bosses, quest and special events so of course he memorizes them.

The FL may not appear especially talented at the start but that’s because her talent is more of a combat based instinct and anything she needs to do she just feels and in combat kinda just fed her own thing it might not seem op at the start but it really shows later in the novel during fights plus she has an op mage/witch inheritance plus some op angel bloodline plus angels are so op that some get confused for gods but it’s not one sided as The ML is op in his own right so it’s balanced

The ML may get some rewards from the FL special scenario but that’s because there in a party and female characters give ML better rewards than FL while male characters give FL better rewards than ML

The ML may tease the FL about being second place but that’s just because that’s how there used to interacting for the past 5 yrs through a game and in my opinion it’s more of like how u tease ur brother or best friends because before the reincarnation the ML thought the FL was a man and the teasing is not even that deep because at the end of the day a game is just a game plus the teasing doesn’t even go past the first few chapters as it’s just a way for them to learn how to interact with each other

would give it 5* but the romantic interactions get a bit repetitive and go from funny to stale so 4* <<less
16 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Xynester
Xynester rated it
June 23, 2022
Status: Completed
just finished reading this, originally I was just going to rate it and then move on but then I saw Tearingfire review and decided to write this instead

  1. As for why FL's father keep giving ML gifts is so that he can be cured faster and protect FL rather than be protected like in early chapters. And ML shared the stuff he get with FL anyway.
  2. Her level is not always one below, heck, even in the beginning she was higher level than ML because he cant even deals damage at first
  3. Idk how he meant by her never receives recognition while she herself is as famous as ML, also its not always ML getting the last hits because FL sometimes too. They both always compete for last hit
  4. ML handed good artifacts and same as FL too. Besides personal items, they both shares the loot anyway.
  5. FL getting constantly teased for being ranked 2 is just their thing, they both have been doing that for years ingame. ML doesnt even know that FL is a female ingame
Anyway, my point is the sexist thing doesnt exist here, and their relationship is kinda like kirito and asuna but they both carry eachother, literally and metaphorically.
15 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Blukookie
Blukookie rated it
August 10, 2020
Status: c25
Wow, this is so fun to read. Especially the banter between our two MCs. I love how its sort of a rivalry friendship they have going on. Reading about how they plan, support, and grow together is really enjoyable. I hope their fake in-love-act becomes true later on. So far so good ?
15 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
jianguangsizhixing
jianguangsizhixing rated it
November 3, 2021
Status: epilogue 4
The top two players of the game transmigrate into the game itself as Jude and Cordelia. Using their skills and knowledge from the previous life, they make plans to avert the disasters of the Salen Kingdom and prevent the seven calamities from being summoned. Meanwhile, the mystery around the truth of their transmigration deepens...

Translation: 4.5/5. Very good for a machine translation, although there is the occasional minor grammatical mistake. Nothing that disrupted the flow of reading for myself, personally. Translator left a lot of useful translator's notes -- much appreciated.

Writing style: The author tends towards a sparse writing style. Detailed descriptions are often saved for the most climactic, "cool" moments of the story, to good effect -- although I often skimmed these descriptions so I could quickly find out what... more>> happened next.

Things I enjoyed in this story:

    • The transmigration mystery. The truth behind Jude & Cordelia transmigrating is not as simple as a higher being plucking two souls out of the modern world. This mystery does not receive as much attention until the Southern Region / Malekith arc (around ch240+, from my memory) so you will have to hold out for this one.
    • Tension/suspense. Jude & Cordelia's knowledge from their previous life is not complete, so occasionally they will come across unexpected truths or plot twists that were never fully revealed in the game -- some good, some bad. They uncover secret mysteries they don't know the answer to and take the whole novel to resolve. Due to the butterfly effect, the changes they make also impact future events -- sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, though mostly for the better in the end. Otherwise, this wouldn't be a "fix-it" story, would it?
    • Completionist satisfaction: For those of you who like seeing a protagonist "complete" something (for example, collecting all of a weapon set, fully mastering all the steps of a powerful martial art, etc.), the novel does a pretty good job of showing these benchmarks of progress throughout the story to give a sense of growth and satisfaction. In addition, Jude & Cordelia are slowly collecting all the important characters of the game, so it's fun to meet new characters and see the cast grow.
    • Final themes: Contains heavy spoilers.
      Spoiler

      The last chapters made it clear how much the current "happy ending" was made by previous generations, or previous iterations, sacrificing what they had in order to preserve the 'hope' of a better future. I was touched by the sacrifice, by the neverending hope, the last gambit repeated over and over again on the off chance that just one time, there would be a perfect, happy ending.

      I liked that the efforts put in by the characters was acknowledged. For example, in the Lucas vs. Maximilian fight, even though Lucas' talent was "inferior" to Maximilian, Lucas won because of his indomitable will and his refusal to give up. Rather than giving into inferiority and jealousy, he simply persistently took one step forward at a time along his own path, and he created his own ending with his own efforts. Him and Landius both have this admirable quality, and they are both rewarded narratively for it.

      I liked this message that there is always hope, and that the path you make for yourself is not wrong, and to believe in yourself. These are rather "stereotypical" messages that are hard to pull off refreshingly. Nonetheless, it makes me happy to read this kind of stereotypical story.

      [collapse]
As is typical with this type of novel, much of the enjoyment the reader derives is from seeing how the protagonists will resolve the crises in front of them. What surprising plan will they come up with? Which trump card will they use? There isn't much I can say without spoiling the plot, but I enjoyed the experience enough to read all the chapters. I would describe this as a light-hearted read, not too deep although it has appropriately dramatic "it's darkest before the dawn" moments, and a story about good triumphing over evil.

Things that discouraged me from enjoying this story:

    • Growing power gap between ML & FL: In the beginning, Jude and Cordelia are pretty evenly matched, power-wise, and Jude has to depend on Cordelia as much as Cordelia depends on him. However, as the story goes on, I can't help but feel like Jude is pulling ahead of Cordelia, and that Cordelia serves more as a support/glass-cannon character rather than someone who Jude has to struggle to win against. Off the top of my head Jude has
      Spoiler

      photographic memory, inhuman calculation ability, Cheonmujiche (Heavenly Martial Body), yin-yang affinity, the Ninth Heaven's Nine Doors technique, the Ultimate One sword, magical smelting with an Ancient Dragon's remains, 12 snowflake swordsmanship, black supreme sun divine art, etc.

      [collapse]
      while Cordelia has

      Spoiler

      beast-like instincts, an angel's bloodline, a witch's blessing, a contract with a Great Spirit, exploding cords that can't be restored once used.

      [collapse]
      In addition, Jude is the one coming up with most of the ideas. At the beginning of the story Jude & Cordelia had a very brains-and-brawn relationship, but now that Jude is also a close-combat fighter with brawn, it becomes harder for Cordelia to shine outside her support roles (for example, crowd control, environment modification, support magic, etc.) As time goes on, in many of the "cool" fights, Jude also has more screentime than Cordelia dedicated to describing his growth and how cool he is. Give some of that to Cordelia too, okay?

      This isn't a deal breaker for me, but it does make me feel occasionally dissatisfied with the story, as I would have preferred for Jude & Cordelia to maintain a competitive rivalry where Jude still feels challenged by Cordelia's progress and loses to her on occasion as well. This shouldn't be a relationship where Jude is the best at everything, right? It doesn't help that Cordelia is always getting teased and embarrassed by Jude, as it makes it feel like she is always at a disadvantage against him. This is not a dynamic I enjoy... but maybe it will be to a different reader's taste.
    • Age gap: It is constantly implied that Jude in his previous life was an older man -- maybe in his 30's, since he'd already held a job and then retired -- whereas Cordelia was a younger girl still in school. Epilogues confirm the age gap as nine years. I thought she was in her undergraduate years at university although a previous commenter thought she was in high school; not sure who is correct between us both. Either way, I felt like the circumstances of their past lives were something to ignore rather than something that added to their characters, because of this age gap that occasionally comes up. The story is enjoyable if you can ignore this fact and pretend they are the same age.
    • Occasional cringe factor: Happens with all stories, but here are some things that the author thought was funny but I did not.
        • The time in the capital when
          Spoiler

          Jude made Cordelia wear bunny ears for her costume or something. Can you give Cordelia some dignity or at least embarrass Jude an equal amount? It ends up being a running joke, which I personally did not care for.

          [collapse]
        • When Jude & Cordelia have the same evil gamer thought and share "dark smiles" in front of everyone who is watching. I feel like this should be a dead giveaway to the other characters not to fully trust what they're scheming... it does break my immersion sometimes.
        • Melissa, an artificial spirit, often gets forgotten in the wand she is inhabiting, and repeatedly expresses to Cordelia & Jude that she doesn't want to be left behind and forgotten. It's supposed to be funny, but I don't find "negligence of a friend and only remembering her when you need her help" very humorous.
    • Excessive and repetitive romance tropes: I really don't need half a chapter describing how much Jude & Cordelia are kissing each other so tenderly. Author runs the joke of "Jude and Cordelia are sickeningly lovey-dovey in public" into the ground. I also don't need half a chapter dedicated to describing Cordelia's lovesickness or embarrassment about her feelings. For a lot of these moments, I feel like telling the author, "You could easily convey the point in just a couple of paragraphs, so please stop dragging it out for so long." But if you are into that kind of fluffy romance, maybe you will enjoy it.
    • Occasionally insensitive worldbuilding: Again, not a dealbreaker for me, but something that made me go "This is kinda cringe" when I read it.
        • For example, in chapter 287, Jude compares the "elf mafia" of the Argon Empire to the conspiracy theory that "Jewish people are the secret elite who secretly control the world." Like come on.
        • With regards to the arc in the "barbarian" wild lands: I also thought it was embarrassing for the story to fall into the "foreign savior" trope where the noble savages are saved from their plight by two outsiders who are better leaders and better at the native people's customs than the native people themselves. Admittedly this is not an uncommon trope among fantasy isekai webnovels so a veteran reader can easily gloss over this flaw. I do appreciate that the "barbarians" of the wild lands were eventually vindicated by the plot, because the wild gods they believed in turned out to be just as real as the gods that the Salen Kingdom & the Argon Empire believe in.
        • So the book mentions that there are orc and goblin kingdoms with their own societies in this world, enough so that the Southern Region has to be mindful of them in how they handle the aftermath of the Malekith incident, but orcs & goblins get treated like cannon fodder monsters in quite a few scenes. I do wish the worldbuilding had explored this "sentient, civilized monster races" setting more.
    • Sexism: I see a lot of other reviews have brought up the issue of sexism. First I will say that this story is much less obtrusively sexist than other webnovels translated on the website, especially stallion/harem wuxia novels, so if you can tolerate that kind of thing it's unlikely that this story will turn you off either. However, it is true that the male characters get more in-depth character development and more screentime to show off their growth in battle (see: Jude, Lucas, and Landius too in a way). The female characters of course have their moments exhibiting their strengths and capabilities, but the male characters get the more interesting battle descriptions, such as Jude's struggles to calculate a way to victory or Lucas striving to move forward.
Other points: There is a fair amount of shipping in this story. Many side characters get paired together, Cordelia is quite invested in others' romantic relationships later in the novel, and Jude & Cordelia's parents are very interested in the development of their children's relationships. Skippable if you don't enjoy that kind of content.

I hope this review will help other readers figure out whether they will enjoy this story. <<less
14 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
KanameShiro
KanameShiro rated it
February 23, 2021
Status: c160
To give a mediocre novel a 5*, shame on every person here who gave that review. This story is a 3* at best and 1* at worst.

The story is basically the author's self insert m*sturbation story where everything works out for the MC no matter how big the f*ck up is. An example of this is the Wild lands arc where the MC had a massive blunder of underestimating the plan of the villain which should have caused them to lose the whole Wild lands, but no, the author swoops... more>> in like a captain-save-a-hoe, and makes it so that it was 'all according to plan' afterall and ends up having an easy win.

Besides how the story is on mentally challenged mode because of how easy it is, the MC is a disgusting piece of sh*t that scams everyone whether they are allies or not. A man has to have a bottomline no matter what, and for him to even scam a child and claim he felt 'guilty' but still proceeded anyway because of his self serving agenda, I lost all hope for this sh*tty novel. <<less
14 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
CookieMonster
CookieMonster rated it
August 10, 2020
Status: c25
So far so cute. The main characters' interactions are funny. Jude remembers all the plot lines and details about the game, so he makes the plans for them to get stronger. But then Cordelia has to say cheesy lines with a straight face like “I want to go with my beloved Jude Bayer! We-we’re inseparable!” so that they can travel together to get powerful items lol. Jude enjoys teasing Cordelia about this and just about anything, and she just cusses him and gives him the middle finger hahaha. They're both... more>> good people with a fun rapport, and they cooperate with each other quite well, and that's what really drew me to this novel. <<less
13 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
1 2 3 9
Leave a Review (Guidelines)
You must be logged in to rate and post a review. Register an account to get started.