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


sohaile199
sohaile199 rated it
August 26, 2016
Status: v2c2
WOW!!!!! I haven't read a novel that played with my emotions so mush, like zhu xian, other then this one. I was very reluctant to read DD because of the short number of chapters, but in the end I read it and was happy with what I read. If you are also like me, then just start reading it now, it is very satisfying. There are a little bit of cons here and there, but I assure you that the author/translator does an incredible job in making it better when... more>> he explains why do those things happen, which is part of the reason this novel is a roller coaster of feels. So good, so good. There are not any new novels in this genre to compare it to. Btw zhu xian is my favorite novel in case you didn't know. <<less
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tehrealone
tehrealone rated it
August 21, 2016
Status: v2c3
As Korean novels usually go, this novel has an interesting and unique premise that is not usually seen in Chinese and Japanese books. Starring a main character that dwells within the grey moral boundary of an anti-hero, various intelligent enemies and a world of demons and heroes. This novel combines game elements, strategy, a slight tinge of pe*vertedness and plenty of politics.

As of Volume 2; battles, death and gore are somewhat infrequent but are likely to increase in frequency as the novel goes on.
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Deltrus
Deltrus
July 31, 2016
Status: v1c5
Not good enough to be 4.9/5, but still decent. If I had to rate it, it would be like 4.3 or something, but I don't want to ruin that pretty 4.9 score for all the fans... it was still entertaining to read and not a waste of time.

Something about super intelligent MC's rubs me the wrong way, because they aren't actually intelligent, the author just sets up a situation with the result already known to him, and then works backwards to complicate things. The author makes the MC look smart... more>> by decoding every puzzle the author himself designed.

I guess you could say the same thing about strong MCs too, the authors just says that the MCs are strong, and we already know the end result. The MC will become the strongest, maybe become the ruler of the universe etc.

But nowadays, there aren't really many novels in which the MC is just constantly battling and being strong. There's tons of other stuff to spice it up. In Dungeon Defense, you could say the MC is constantly battling with intelligence and wordplay. Next, he's in a situation similar to if he was reincarnated, so he knows all these shortcuts, very similar to TDG. There isn't a ton of stuff to spice it up other than that.

The logic and word battles are good enough that it is still entertaining, though. <<less
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Tezra
Tezra rated it
October 10, 2021
Status: v5 afterword
This is truly one of the best series out there but it's also a bit of a hard sell.

The best aspect of it is without a doubt, the stellar story-telling. Admittedly the setting is a bit cliche as most isekai are. With some glaring potholes if you think about it. However, the main plotline is interesting enough on its own without even considering the isekai label. Yet at the same time there is no singular detail which pops out among the rest which could hook someone in. What builds the... more>> strength of this series is the sum of the interconnected plotlines, the characters which all carry their own story and the grim and dark (realistic) tone in which war and politics are represented. Oh and let's not forget the lovely artwork and art style.

TLDR check it out and if you like the tone, this one's for you. <<less
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Kedluben
Kedluben rated it
July 1, 2021
Status: v5c5
This is really good story and it's pity its so short. It has almost everything I expect from good novel of this genre. MC is smart and fair and characters around him likewise. It is often sad and maybe too serious. World building and politics are also present. I don't really know what else should be said about this, just read it, you won't be disappointed.
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Dojmopo
Dojmopo rated it
October 17, 2020
Status: c55
An excellent dark fantasy novel that expresses its thrilling action through dialogue, political intrigue, depictions of (in) humanity, and witty, if sometimes edgy, dialogue. Although there were some more dragged out parts, it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It's someting you can easily revisit every few months just to re absorb the details.

I am tempted to give it five stars, but I will hold it at 4 in light of some other reviewers' opinions. I will give this a re evaluation in time.
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QuetzalCoatlGAM
QuetzalCoatlGAM
September 2, 2020
Status: v2c4
I like diversity so even if this novel is not for me I will still recommend this read because I think is well done for the most part. As any light novel the dialoge it's a 3/10 and the author tries to depict intelligent characters but the level of the conversations make it difficult to believe they are as smart as they think.

... more>>
Spoiler

there is a scene whre 2 of the character have a talk about how geniuses they are and even say"I am confused most of the time by how they get to live this far being so idiots" refering to people in general. But like... you're a s*ave and the other is the weakest demon lord... if you were as smart as your think you are you should know that being intelligent is not necessary for success.

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But this is something that any light novel reader should have learned to endure a long time ago. most of the novels have shitty dialoges but the premises are sooooo good XD

Spoiler

out of nowhere at the end of the second volume the main characters go full phyco mu*derer and the MC hints that he is going full hi*ler with the humans but there is no set up for this or at least not enough to convince me that this is necessary.

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There are times where I don't know if the ideology of the MC is purely a trait of the character itself or a devise to vent out the author's ideologies. This is important for me because in the former I could get the hope that the characters are going to be challenged and be forced to think more about what they do. The later is less interesting as in all moment the characters are going to be in the right since they think what the author thinks and their way of thinking will never be an obstacle for them since the author would be contradicting himself if he challenge their ideologies.

But regardless of it at the end of the second volume I could no longer endure MC ideology and I dropped. The world is gonna end that is for sure but for this MC is more the reason to do nothing while for me is more the reason to try to do anything.

Spoiler

At some point the MC recites in public the romeo and juliet tragedy and makes everyone cry to then in his words"ah~ what a delight to present the cruel reallity to my audience and let them despair by this tragedy"

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The MC or the author himself confuses catharsis with despair in the audience after watching them cry. To cry after an emotive scene is not to suffer but to once again reafirm why life is such a beautiful shitty thing.

Again... not for me but I can tell why people that like it like it. <<less
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Master10K
Master10K rated it
August 9, 2020
Status: v5
From the get go I really liked this Master Manipulator "Dantalian", as I knew I could enjoy a more cerebral Isekai. With world building so phenomenal that one does not even think about the ridiculous circumstances that got him into this fantasy world. Until the game elements popup and then swiftly disappear by the end of volume 2. With a title like Dungeon Defense, I expected a dungeon keeper oriented story, like the lesser known KR WN "Dungeon Hunter".

Nevertheless beyond the usual Human vs. Demon military conflict and politics; this... more>> felt more like a story of twisted love & strife, with lunatics having an insane amount of chemistry with one another. Coupled with a lot of character introspective moments, which can be both a good and bad thing. Shame this LN has been stuck in Hiatus, because I eventually got into it. <<less
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Schwarzberg
Schwarzberg rated it
August 9, 2020
Status: afterword
Translation quality is absolutely overwhelming. Story itself is by far the best dark novel I have read. Vastly intelligent and cruel though not overpowered MC. Insane yet integral characters. Twisted romance. It is almost like Dostoevsky reversed and perfected by purging weakling MCs he loved oh-so-much.

P.S.: I hate Dostoevsky's looser MCs. But his depression... The Depression. Yeah.
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senseilinx
senseilinx rated it
April 7, 2020
Status: v5 afterword
MC makes the first 'p*rn playback device' in his world. Shows it to a powerful demon lord that's about to squash him. Result? Profit.

It's got a wonderful translator that has epub downloads available so you can enjoy it even more on your phone.

You might think this is a story about a guy playing something like a tower defense game inside his dungeon most of the time and figuring/planning dungeon related stuff and so on.

... more>> But Oh Panna! There is so much more than that.

The MC himself and the people around him are not normal people. The negative reviewers are talking about useless things. This is a unique story and you definitely haven't read something like this before.

I knew that when I was about halfway in the first volume I was going to lament the fact that I won't get to read further than the fifth volume. Apparently, volume six is nowhere in sight right now and I am sad. <<less
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a1302427
a1302427 rated it
March 31, 2020
Status: v5 afterword
This novel is the perfect example of the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover."

By its Title and Cover Picture you might assume this novel to be more generic garbage, but I can promise you it is far from it.

Our protagonist Dantalion, the 71st Demon Lord has neither Physical nor Magical Might. With only his intelligence he plays with Demon Lords and Humans as if they were actors on his stage. I'm really looking forward to Volume 6.
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Darkmaster72
Darkmaster72 rated it
March 27, 2020
Status: v5 afterword
This novel is mind blowing awesome, what can I say, it's unlike anything, the character development, the story development etc are superb.

Please read more then 2 vol before judging the novel, I've seen some bad reviews but the sad part is they have not gone past vol 1, and this novel takes it's time to set it's stage but once it's done, you'll enjoy every part of it.
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Dafaq
Dafaq rated it
February 8, 2020
Status: v5
This is the best novel I've read so far... It's actually better than wmw cause I'll admit to some point leylin was bland........ don't take what the other people say about the MC having a personality change they just didn't understand what happened in volume 1 the MCs personality didn't actually change throughout the novel he continues being lazy but controlling everything in the background it's just in the next 4 volumes he had to be active to set everything up so that he could control the whole war and... more>> that wasn't even him doing that but actually just sending his subordinates to do all that while he sat down in the backgrounds.... Though I'm still confused on what makes demon Lord's special <<less
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apa
apa
October 14, 2019
Status: v3
This.. This novel.. It could have been everything, it could have been great..

The characters are boring and dull they feel they don't really have anything to do there but to.. be

The main character feels brain dead and well really boring.

In the beginning our main protagonist gets to choose a skill after completing the tutorial, , but what after that? We do not see anything after that, there is no more skills.. No more "quest" or something like this.. We just got a skill from a list of skills.. Why couldn't... more>> we get more ?? The story progresses and becomes more boring after some time.. The story doesn't really contain anything that would keep me reading this.. The war.. The lying the.. the everything feels like its just there to be there, , there isn't that much of a story progression overall, , there clearly is more for me to hate on but I just cant bring my self to that.. The novel... Its boring <<less
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xExekut3x
xExekut3x rated it
August 16, 2019
Status: v2c4
Putting this on hold, possibly dropping.

Was expecting more fantasy, but this is mostly politics and dialogue. It's written/translated well, at least. MC has nothing special about him except his wits, which isn't exactly my cup of tea.
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ceireavne
ceireavne rated it
July 25, 2019
Status: v5 intermission
Very fun read. This is the first and only Korean novel I've read, and I'd love to see more of it released.

Rather than being brought to another world as a hero, our MC is reincarnated as the least among 72 demon lords. And instead of being a violent sociopath like a lot of antiheroes in Isekai, our MC is a schemer. In point of fact, most of the characters he recruits to his side are all pretty whack in the head, and often mention how "everyone else in Dantalian's camp... more>> but me is insane, even milord Dantalian himself."

This series is quite clever, fitting with how much of a schemer the MC is. At first it's a bit clumsy, but by the end of the first volume Dantalian has proved himself at least competent. Every time some conflict comes up, it is fun and refreshing to see how our MC ends up handling it.

For better or worse, Dantalian does seem to unintentionally build a harem. Of the many girls who irrationally have feelings for him, our MC isn't really interested in more than a platonic relationship except for with Lala. One of this story's strong points is the fact that I like so many of its characters, so I guess I end up rooting for the underdogs (like Humbaba!). I can't really say whether they're realistic, since most of them are intentionally written to be somewhat mental in one way or another, of which I don't have enough experience to comment.

The biggest strike against this novel is it gets a bit too cerebral at times. We're talking humongous inner monologues with barely anything to break it up. The end result is the pacing overall ends up worse than it could have been. The author seems to try balancing it out (as well as the overall dark themes) by including some lighthearted, immature banter now and then, but it isn't great.

Artwork is excellent, really. I'm also going to point out that Shalvation's translation was excellent and I'm quite pleased to have sunk time into this series.

So all in all, I'd give Dungeon Defense a recommendation. When it's good, it's excellent. I won't claim it's perfect, but it is definitely a lot of fun and is quite refreshing. <<less
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murilofranco
murilofranco rated it
February 1, 2019
Status: v5 afterword
I don't usually give a 5 star, but this novel is that good. Perfect way to build a world. Lots of politics, the MC is weak, but he is eloquent. Just perfect. I have read this novel one time per month.

The sad think is the author, he really takes his time to launch more chapters. The translator said it was because of plagiarism. But I have not found such thing in this novel.

I really recommend it. But not for new guys in the novel aspect. It's only for veterans that... more>> have read a lot of novels and gets bored reading new ones because they lack something. So read this one. And if you like, send a mail to the author declaring love. X[D <<less
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baqar_otaku
baqar_otaku rated it
January 3, 2019
Status: v5c3
Best Novel Imo. This is the Novel that got me Hooked on Novels. It is Amazing. Truly. But there is one thing I have to warn you about if you are going to read it...... You'll have to Grit your teeth and read through vol 2. It seems REALLY shit. But they explain everything at the end. and the novel picks its Awesomeness up from Vol. 3. You Cant Skip Vol 2, As it is Important and various characters are introduced. I just wanted to give u a heads up... more>> so you arent Disappointed in the novel. It all becomes good at the end of vol 2. <<less
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Clepta
Clepta rated it
December 30, 2018
Status: v5 afterword
First things first, its good. Well written, high quality translations, and an interesting setting with interesting characters. With that out of the way lets break things down a little bit. What starts out as a fairly generic if well written "I transmigrated into a game as a X" morphs into more of a political intrigue and military tactics thriller with a genius sociopath for an MC. So if you like scheme's and actually smart characters plotting and backstabbing each other then give it a read.

That being said fair warning, volume... more>> 1 is completely different from the rest of the books, so if you started reading for the game elements drop if after that. And if you stopped because of the game elements then I recommend you keep going. In fact the majority of things set up in volume 1 are completely dropped in future volumes, with the only things that are kept being the characters themselves and the future knowledge the MC has because of the premise. <<less
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bbctheory84
bbctheory84 rated it
July 14, 2018
Status: v5 end
Absolutely fantastic novel. It has a very a unique psychotic MC. His unique personality is very charming. MC is unlike any other MC I have read about so far. He is rational and has some paranoia and other problems. His problems add to his charm. There are a few flaws preventing the novel from hitting 5/5. There is too much focus on some characters who won't matter much later. The antagonist is also somewhat extreme, in that she is a genius to an unbelievable degree. Regardless, the antagonist is still... more>> very unique and refreshing, far more depth than an average cultivation novel, far more depth than average KR novel and definitely far more depth than average JP novel. Far more unique motivations (a true visionary villain) than cliche villains in normal stories (people who do crime out of spite or other s*upid reasons)

Spoiler

Some plot holes are that MC could have made a better choice when given the chance to choose a special ability early on. He chose an ability to read status which suits his acting but objectively speaking some of the other abilities offered were extremely broken

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