Overlord (LN)

Description

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In 21st century, world entered a new stage of VR games…and “YGGDRASIL” is considered top of all MMORPG…but, After announcing that all its servers will be off, the internet game ‘Yggdrasil’ shut down…or so was supposed to happen, but for some reason, the player character did not log out some time after the server was closed. NPCs start to become sentient. A normal youth who loves gaming in the real world seemed to have been transported into an alternate world along with his guild, becoming the strongest mage with the appearance of a skeleton, Momonga. He leads his guild “Ainz Ooal Gown” towards an unprecedented legendary fantasy adventure!

Associated Names
One entry per line
Ōbārōdo
オーバーロード
不死者之王
오버로드
Related Series
Altina X Overlord Special Collaboration Booklet (Side Story)
Overlord (WN) (Web Novel)
Recommendations
Dungeon Defense (18)
A Berserker Mob, I’m Going to Participate in the Main Story (5)
The New Gate (LN) (5)
Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyusoukyoku (WN) (5)
Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken (WN) (5)
Kyuuketsu Hime wa Barairo no Yume o Miru (4)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Strong misunderstanding
  2. enjoyed my time
  3. OP MC's
  4. light novels
  5. ALLJP+

Latest Release

Date Group Release
09/20/22 Hitori v16c5 part3 +...
09/11/22 Hitori v16c4 part5 + c5...
09/04/22 Hitori v16c4 part4
08/28/22 Hitori v16c4 part3
08/22/22 Hitori v16c4 part2
08/21/22 Hitori v16c4 part1
08/14/22 Hitori v15c3 part2-4 +...
08/07/22 Hitori v15c2 part3 + c3...
07/31/22 Hitori v15c1 part3 + c2...
07/24/22 Hitori v15c1 part1-2
07/23/22 Hitori v15 prologue
07/28/22 Hitori v15 illustrations
06/08/20 Hitori v14 epilogue
06/05/20 Hitori v14c4 part11
06/02/20 Hitori v14c4 part10
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126 Reviews sorted by


kuneus
kuneus rated it
July 24, 2018
Status: v13
What if your isekai character wasn't a world hugging hippie with a hero complex?

Then your isekai character would be much more interesting than his billion clones of all the other stories.

Overlord provides this, but doesn't go quite as far as the balls to the wall insane psychopathic mu*derfest that is Re:monster, still clinging to at least a modicum of humanity. And also does the world-building better, better than many others of it's kind.
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renzonokuken
renzonokuken rated it
June 16, 2018
Status: v13
One of my favourite light novel. However, the lizardman arch felt boring to me. I don't really like how the sugary and over-the-top worshipping of Neia Baraja character, though.

I've read all the WN/LN from volume 1 to volume 13, it's one of the best novel out there.
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DeathStroke96
DeathStroke96 rated it
June 3, 2018
Status: v5c1
It’s pretty good, and that’s all I can say, the part that this novel shines the most is the characters and their interactions, which makes you engrossed in wanting to read even more and more, however the fights leave a lot to be desired, to be honest I am on the brink of dropping it, as the way author writes combat, it is so lacklustre and full of over explanation that it just puts you to sleep.

however once you are done reading the fight chapters you get engaged once more... more>> and you start engaging the story one more.

personally haven’t read the fan translation so can’t comment on the quality, but Yes Press has done really well so far so sticking with the official translation even though it’s slower <<less
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soleil de la ange
soleil de la ange rated it
February 23, 2018
Status: --
This is one of the best (if not the best) novel especially among those that adapted into anime (well, some novel just garbage from start). Some story were just unsuitable to be made into animation namely novel that wrote heavily in description and inner thought and in the end many of its important part being cut. Another novel were written with intention to be made into anime and end up less detailed that give the feeling of something off. Even though this novel got some parts not included in the... more>> adaptation it still comfortable to watch especially for you who watch the anime first (including me).

This is a dark fantasy with sanity I think. This is a novel wrote with sanity and logic, basically sane and reasonable novel written by sane author. Some dark fantasy emphasize the dark side of the MC without giving consent to the environment and some novel justifying everything the MC done, killing and raping innocent people without reason and any aim while saying "This is dark fantasy" and worst, they forgive the MC just like that saying the MC's cool or actually a good person. Good My ASSS. Another novel starting good but end up being wet dreams and/or a pile of corpse of lab rats of the author.

Well enough of that. This novel well written with great world building and god character development. The flow of the story is smooth without forced plot. Well, there are some aspect that being thought off as a plot hole such as his emotion, the small town etc. His emotion isn't lost it's somewhat suppressed, and about the small town he made into potion producer, it's one of the evidence of the remnant of his humanity. About some character end up having grave fate after depicted grandiosely namely
Spoiler

Neia in 12th volume

[collapse]
I found something like this in many story written by female author about protagonist that abandoning a great heroine for his 'true' feeling, I'm sad though but still it's interesting (I'm probably psychologically M). And about one that criticize the editor, there is a HUGE difference between the LN and WN in terms of quality, character development, and world plot.

About MC's OPness, his power were developed in line with his initial characteristic. He's depicted as smart character and his prowess not only based of sheer power but his capability exploiting what in hand moreover in the game era he's appointed as guild leader because his managerial skill.

On more thing, some people may assume the MC only dragged by the supporters whilst being the overlord. But in the first place he's become the overlord because he's considering the supporters' feeling and he's thinking 'is he good enough to be their lord' and decided to fulfill their expectancy.

Then, about the minus. The MC's quite dense, but I doesn't find romance tag up ahead, well this novel not about it and the other aspect covered it up. I love ero. That's an absolute fact. Ave Venus Geneterix of motherhood, love beauty, desire, s*x, fertility and prosperity! I usually hate MC that's too dense and herbivore or ones that doesn't have meat such as skeleton or wither that couldn't or never could the 'deed'. But unexpectedly I could reconsider it when reading it.

Last but not least I love writing this review. <<less
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KodamaDauragon
KodamaDauragon rated it
September 20, 2017
Status: v11
The story is about an over-dedicated MMO player who get transported, presumably alone, into the MMO he loved to play. The story follows his achievement, interaction with the it's inhabitants, with the empire he built.
This novel is more about self boasting in the dumb, lucky and vastly overpowered protagonist who everybody view as a god-like entity and worship, with a very interesting world building. The novel fall shorts when it comes to making it that extra step that most Isekai-type novel seems to lack, in other words, if you... more>> are looking for a novel that goes beyond:
-self-gratification
-constant reminder about how baddass the character is
-Situations that happen by chance and get solve mostly due to misunderstanding and how powerful the protagonist is
-Actions by the protagonist that seems more motivated by the author to prove how dark and cool the protagonist is but yet remain at odds with many situations in the story.
-a seemingly serious gory atmosphere that includes the typical dere-type commentaries and reaction often exclusive to bad story writting.
Then I will stay away from this novel.

While I like fantasy genre and particularly 'Isekai' type of novels, I do like it to remain interesting and realistic, as far as the world settings goes, as such please keep that in mind when reading my review of this over-exaggerated novel and the ratings that comes with it.

The story: 3 out of 10
The story is very bland. The introduction of the normal characters are often great, the world building very interesting only to end up in a typical, 'I am too powerful' moment.
The main problem with the story is the how predictable it remains even up to volume 11. It follows the pattern: new characters are introduced > contact with the protagonist> admiration for the protagonist> overpowered response from the protagonist > gory scene > situation resolve due to misunderstanding > gory scene to showcase how brutal and baddass the protagonist is.
Everything is spelt out and spoon fed to the readers.

Character Development: 5 out of 10
There is none to speak of. The characters remain very black and white throughout the entire novel. But I do think that the author attribute some interesting characteristics to many characters and they remain constant throughout the series. The most character development that I could recall is when the farm girl finally decides to sleep with the pharmacy boy (very late in the series) and declare their love fore each other. But after that, everything remain unchanged.

World Building: 9 out of 10
It is perhaps the only positive thing about this novel. The author goes to great length to describe locations, equipment, buildings. If most of the description didn't focus on how powerful and advance the protagonist is as compared to the norm, it would have been a bit more interesting.

I watched the anime and decided to give the novel a go.
If you are a fan of the anime and wish to know a bit more about what happens to Momonga and the entire cast of Nazarick, I would recommend to give it a go only out of pure fan curiosity.
If you are into more than just a self bragging novel about how gore and being badass and rich while being incompetent is. Then maybe this novel is not for you. <<less
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BaramII
BaramII
September 5, 2017
Status: --
As usual, it's an OP protag.

If you came for kingdom building, well, there's not much kingdom building going on, any domestic affairs or political issues, nothing like that.

But Kingdom Building isn't wrong, if I say anymore it might prove to be a spoiler. So, don't get your hopes up for the novel to be like Genjitsushugisha, Release that witch, et c.

If you came for interesting novel, then you're in the right place. Although the MC has the japanese mentality (being no balls typical japanese man). He doesn't cry about... more>> it, there will be times he'll mention it, but he's pushing through as a Guild Master.

The MC, himself is interesting, although frustrating at time, since everything that happens is a misunderstanding. Even after he acknowledges the misunderstanding to be reality, everything that happens after that is still a misunderstanding, a fluke. It's like regardless of what happens, what he does, what he says, it'll be great.

And, I feel like the MC didn't grow much from prologue to the recent chapters. And it's all because the Author keeps on pushing the idea of "misunderstanding carries the MC"

The characters has their own distinct personality, They feel very much alive, like when a side character is talking about another side character, you the reader knows who they are talking about, you can tell the characters apart. The characters growth are visible, excluding the MC, the story should've taken several months, but he's still the "Japanese Man" he was before instead of an Overlord. Although some might disagree, since he can kill at will, but remember, It's a game reincarnation, do you care about killing those bandits you killed in an mmorpg? Over the fact that his feelings are restricted by his racial passives. That is not growth.

But the story is, none the less, great. It's written out very well. The world is massive, the story, itself is about that whole world, you'll be reading about not just the MC's story, but those who were affected by the MC, there will be chapter focused on them.

Although there are a lot of flaws, it is still a 5/5.
I highly recommend it, be wary though, each chapters are long, extremely long. And skipping some paragraph here and there might lead to a confusing later on, everything connects, what the MC or other side characters has done will affect the later chapters. Also, if you skip some stuff, you'll get confused, from the sheer amount of characters. <<less
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Fuxy
Fuxy rated it
July 24, 2017
Status: v7 prologue
Seeing it from the MC's point is just exhausting and upsetting for me.

He is supposed to be this great moderator in a den of quite OP and warped characters yet he fails to have the balls to do it.

In stead everything ends up good by sheer dumb luck and plot armour.

... more>> He is but a fool who thinks that acting according to others image of him will make everything ok and asking questions when you don't understand is a sign of weakness.

If you can stomach that kind of MC I guess it's an OK but bloody story. <<less
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6thGod
6thGod
March 6, 2017
Status: v11 afterword
Basically the best light novel series I've read. Just can't get enough. Pretty dark and gruesome. Slow paced and well-worded. Funny and entertaining with nice characters.

People who score this novel low usually comment on how the author goes on to describe the place and atmosphere, which makes me think they haven't read real fantasy novels which are known for lengthy visualization. They might also say something like the author doesn't really talk about the MC too much after some volumes; to them I say that that's the best part. The... more>> author actually accomplishes something other light novels I've read failed to do, which is make the world where the MC is transported in seem real with real people with lives and problems. <<less
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mechafanboy
mechafanboy rated it
November 27, 2016
Status: v8 epilogue
Hmm... I'm a bit conflicted about this novel.

The overall plot is pretty good but the way it's laid out is relatively complex. Complex tends to be a good thing if the writing is up to par and that's where the first conflict lies. The style of the author is to set up a single main point of view per volume and then swap it constantly near the end of the volume to allow the reader to understand what happened from multiple viewpoints, the problem is that with each switchup of... more>> characters, the readers are forced to reevaluate if they like the current character or not and there's enough variety of them that reading each volume can feel like a brand new experience separate from the last. Which is good if one is looking for world building, but deals a serious blow to the consistency of quality, particularly if a reader has a positive impression of certain characters and that character doesn't appear again for a long, (long, long, long) time.

There's also a side issue of the way the novel approaches plot points through a view point that naturally arises from the current main character's view point in my opinion becomes a large loss of focus, one minute you could be reading about how the novel's titular character is wrapping up the plot then the next, you could be thrown into the viewpoint of a villager with no apparent relationship to the storyline. Compound this with the fact that most of those characters then become irrelevant out of necessity (focusing on a different person's story where that character hardly shows up) creates a giant loss of points of reference, alienating the readers even more.

Additionally, although the first 2 volumes have the titular character as the main POV for most of it, every volume thereafter has relegated him to being a background character. My understanding of this is that the author made the character too powerful and is using "lower level" characters to create a more even playing field for world building but that's a problem in and of itself, I started reading this novel to get more of the main character and his ideas. I did NOT start reading it to learn more about every Tom, d*ck and Harry.

Adding to this, the text is heavily descriptive and overblown to the point of ridiculousness at times. Consistency of power levels is something that is next to impossible to even consider given that at the very start of the novel, many fights happen between high level protagonist characters and high level inhabitants of the world. Those fights are so flowery that readers who are trying to gain an understanding of the world probably use them as a yardstick. Problem? given the power differential shown by those fights, every single fight thereafter feels like the author is rewriting the rules for the same general level of power (i.e a level 100 vs level 40 fight is written the same way a level 100 vs level 10 fight is). Frankly speaking, as a fan of DnD I'm highly annoyed by this inconsistency as it becomes next to impossible to judge anyone's rough abilities whether they are strong or weak. Additionally, the character sheets that are shown at the end of the volume make things even worse as human characters are given no levels but express various levels of belief that monsters in general MUST be stronger than humans. Again, conflicting heavily with the text in the novel itself that implies that for the most part, levels of humans and monsters are equal aside from rarer monsters.

Putting those these major issues together honestly gives me a headache. If I wasn't curious what the overall goal of the novel is, I'd have frankly stopped reading it by now because of being forced to care for people I honestly find boring. I think I am forced to give it a low score due to a huge lack of focus. There's gold to be had here, but only if you're willing to sift through mountains of words of less than interesting characters, an effort I feel would be better spent on finding a novel that more consistently delivers on what it promises.

Edit: Having read a bit of the Web Novel and seeing what the author intended and differences between them, upping the rating. My thoughts remain unchanged, the novel's style isn't the best for this kind of storytelling but seeing the alternative route which is more straightforward, I think the LN's polished nature shines through enough that it's worth upping the rating. I think this is one where reading the WN as a supplementary reference enhances both experiences. Something that is rare in most LN/WN translations. <<less
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TheRise
TheRise
November 17, 2016
Status: v11c1
This (light) novel is really well written, it is comparable to "real pro" work, however the style may not please to some people; the level of details and the depth of the entire world's background is here, which means three things : the focus on the MC isn't as important as in other novels (occidental-type) & light novels, and only some chapters are filled with action and the pace isn't fast. However, even if you think this isn't to your taste, you should still try it.

As for the MC, we... more>> have someone who became a being of humonguous power and holds little interest toward the life of those who aren't his subordinate, and only has a few remnants from his previous life. Thus he is more of a last boss than a hero, which is refreshing. Sometimes, funny misunderstanding happens due to his OP-ness.

The only thing that sometimes disappoints me is that he can be very intelligent, but sometimes has difficulty with things that simpler (to me at least) <<less
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kedar080340119014
kedar080340119014
November 12, 2016
Status: --
A decently written novel.

Cons:
1) Writer has this tendency to portray the story telling in a very convoluted and lengthy manner. The manner of thinking and though processes of the MC and his subordinates is just too weird and convoluted. Considering the fact that MC is so damn powerful and the sheer difference in strength between MC and his team and rest of the world, it makes me wonder 'Why go through all the trouble of the convoluted planning (and believe me, it is convoluted), when MC can just steam... more>> roll all over the world?'
2) MC has severe contradictions in his way of thinking. At one end, he has absolutely no regard whatsoever at all for human life. Considering such nature and sheer strength, he still feels the need to justify his conquest on the neighboring kingdoms with some weird and overly thought-out plans. This just does not make sense AT ALL
3) The chapters are overly long for an 'LN'. And believe me when I say this that there is a LOT of fat that can be trimmed of the novel (in terms of words) to make it shorter.

Pros:
1) Decent writing
2) Overpowered MC are always liked by everyone (lets be hones, we all wish to see ourselves in these kinds of OP MCs)
3) OP subordinates (OP enough that each and every subordinate on their own are sufficient to bring down entire empires)
4) Likable MC (It is fun to see how MC struggles with his overbearing inherent cold bloodedness conflicting with his 'humanity' from the previous life (life before he was transported in this world))

Overall, to be frank, I do not usually like Japanese LNs, they are too flowery and light hearted for my liking. But atleast this has some dark elements and decent writing. <<less
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Guymaioh
Guymaioh rated it
July 28, 2016
Status: v9 afterword
This novel is all about power and the anti hero maybe even the anti villain. If you like dark characters with a comical side this is one for you!

The artwork is amazing also! In fact I feel it adds a lot to the novel!
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Scaethys
Scaethys rated it
June 28, 2016
Status: v10
Really well written. Definitely loved the quick transition from merciful human to unforgiving undead tyrant. What made it even better was ... more>>
Spoiler

the quick escalation in brutality. Like the first 8 volumes were about Ainz and company crushing groups of small fry, but then all of a sudden in volume 9 Ainz ends up massacring hundreds of thousands of soldiers with a single spell. Before I was a little disappointed with the level of magic he was showing especially since he was supposed to be a "high level player" (I mean, grasp heart is cool and all but if you meet an army of 10, 000 are you really going to yell "Grasp Heart!" 10, 000 times and go through the movements 10, 000 times? Lol that would be funny though) but volume 9 really showed what it means to be an OP Sorcerer King. On a side note, I had originally thought that the undead knights he summoned were considered weak, but apparently the undead in this world are seriously overpowered.

[collapse]
Character development was well done, especially since the author goes out of his way to develop the side characters in the story (meaning the characters outside of the guardians and Ainz).
Well worth the time invested, too bad Yen Press ruined that. Probably gonna just buy the original and read it at a slower pace. <<less
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Hantosh
Hantosh rated it
May 30, 2016
Status: v11c6
Interesting unique concept. OP MC and his OP NPC guild descend to a lower realm for some noob-stomping; coincidentally, they're the bad guys. The story is slow paced, so don't expect non-stop action. The world setting is a grimdark medieval world, so expect lots of cruelty.

There's a colorful gallery of rogues on the MC's side, and Ainz Ooal Gown's details and secrets are slowly teased over the story to keep you interested. The power system is an atypical D&D type system; many of its specifics aren't immediately revealed. The MC... more>> is level capped and the NPCs are level-locked so there's no power crawl.

My only fault with the story is that the world they've been transported to seems rather bland (so far) and some of the chapters are pretty boring to read (usually those revolving around the native characters). The lizardman volume I didn't particularly enjoy (though I understand what the author was going for), nor Climb's backstory.

Fan translation starts off pretty rough, but get better by the end. They used chinese raws for some reason, translation similarities with chinese WNs are noticeable. My only minor criticism is that due to the author's writing style (compounded by the translation perhaps), I don't find re-reading the story to be enjoyable. <<less
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achronous
achronous rated it
December 24, 2015
Status: --
The strength of this novel is in it's uniqueness. The protagonist is OP, but unabashedly evil and becomes more so, with a huge cadre of followers. The novels do not create conflict through the question of 'who will win', but through lively characters, grim endings, and a sense of scale. I have tried to look for similar novels, as I did earlier on an 'isekai' binge, but beyond the 'Kyuuketsu Hime', which is markedly less evil, there is nothing. If the themes appeal then it will be an enjoyable read.
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Zone Q11
Zone Q11 rated it
October 30, 2015
Status: --
MC's problems and reactions are funny. Great stories and detailed too! Though most of the NPC's who came alive are a bit..., well at least they are loyal to him.
Recommended for people who likes RPG games.
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apetros
apetros
June 11, 2021
Status: v14
This is probably the best LN I've read. I love the way the plot is laid out and the developments. I really enjoy the "happy-go-lucky" approach of Ainz and how seemingly random actions weave together with him ending up being worshipped.

Volumes 12-14 seem to have slowed down. Meaning, the LNs started adding lots of fillers and unnecessary character developments leading to a very slow development pace.
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zozzythebeast
zozzythebeast rated it
December 12, 2020
Status: v14
overlord is a great novel. The world building is well done characters are extremely developed. I love the evil protagonist theme. It's such a nice break from the pg rated I'm going to defeat my enemies with kindness and make them my friends holier than thou saint main characters Japanese novels are so obsessed with. All Japanese novels either being that or p*rno novels is why I dropped them for Chinese web novels. Overlord is the only one I still read. The only flaw being the main character. Not Ainz... more>> but Suzuki Satoru the human ainz used to be. He is basically a cross between the mc's of 40 year old virg*n and grandmas boy. He's supposed to be a normal working class person transported to a new world but... from what I can tell he's a mid to late twenties virg*n that's never even been on a date. Is a moron with no people skills what so ever. Also by his own admission being in his guild with friends who he never met irl playing an online game was the highpoint and crowning achievement of his entire life. Basically he could be crowned the king of all losers. Every time they write abought him its him freaking out being his loser self who can't even come up with anything to say on the spot. Don't get me started on albedo. the npc's are like his friends kids cant do anything with them. Even though they left the guild and he never even met them, my god he's such a loser. like there's not a transformation talisman or someway to give him a flesh and blood body to make albedo and my dream come true. If it wasn't for Suzuki Satoru I would of given it a 5 out of 5 stars. <<less
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Just a random guy
Just a random guy rated it
August 24, 2020
Status: Completed
I would say that this novel is beautifully written, with extensive descriptions and very specific imagery. Its description, development, and internal conflict of even the most minor character is done skillful. The novel is also fairly realistic towards its description of a magical medeival world. The nobles take advantage of peasants, the knights are but tools of slaughter, and the world overall is just a sh*t place. It is also translated masterfully, and is almost without error. However, this novel isn't doesn't exactly flows everyone's boat. First of all, the... more>> MC is callous, and his subordinates are mostly downright evil. They will kill hundreds of thousands, or even millions for not much of a reason, and many criticize the book for that. However, their whole position was entered around being evil, and their guild is essentially a group of monsters. Ainz is also a bit of a (?) yandere, he would sacrifice the lives and happiness of millions just for the happiness of his subordinates. The novel also base many arcs off side characters, only to kill them off later, or just become irrelevant. Essentially, if you enjoy Beta-male MCs who are the very image of self-righteousness and hypocritical justice, or MCs who prefer to save anyone, including their nemesis, then this book is not for you. <<less
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Balcazar2945
Balcazar2945
May 30, 2020
Status: v6
Well, this is pretty much a slice of life with a god like MC. It is well written but it reached a point where the story isn't going anywhere, this kind of story is normally made to enjoy the process, however, there is anything thrilling at this point, the MC can revive his subordinates, the MC can stop time, his sole weakness is his low intellect, unfortunately this wasn't made on purpose, the MC was not supposed to be ret*rded just a social awkward but in order to move the... more>> plot the MC became s*upid, which was a kind of obligation; if he were a little smart, it would have finished in one volume. <<less
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