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


ddrx291160
ddrx291160
August 30, 2016
Status: v2c4
A really enjoyable light novel. If you're looking for a smart protagonist, this is the novel you're looking for. No, no, not the MC's you find randomly on novelupdates with the tag "smart/wise lead" that ends up doing some pretty s*upid shiet or is justified by the author trying to make him/her appear smart by saying in the text "the MC will kill everybody to avoid future vengeful enemies in the future, so he's smart." The MC we have in this novel has eloquence in speaking, has logical reasoning in... more>> debates that even sways the readers, and has the ability to manipulate all around him. You're probably gonna be frustrated after reading Vol 2, chapter 1... chapter 2.. and chapter 3..., but keep reading it til the end of chapter 4 before you decide to drop it. <<less
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Inathero
Inathero rated it
August 28, 2016
Status: v3 prologue
Very well written and beautiful work by the translator. This novel is a political game about lies and deceit with a lovely anti hero theme throughout. It is a very refreshing and enticing read.
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Same
Same rated it
August 27, 2016
Status: v2c4
It's maybe the only novel I found on novelupdates in which the MC was actually smart. I hate those supposedly genius MC that act exceedingly s*upid when the plot demands. So I love this MC, I hope he remains like this! Twisted, dark, sarcastic, it's so funny.
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kamishhirou
kamishhirou rated it
August 27, 2016
Status: v2 afterword
The story is great, the scenes are very well written and translated (good job man you rule). You can completely immerse yourself in the history and there's little to break you out of said immersion, unlike some other novel, this is a near perfect score for me at 4.8. The only issue is have is that I feel the the romance is somewhat awkward and hammed in there.... more>>
Spoiler

i mean he is way too in love with that girl I fell that it would be more in character for him to use her and keep her at bay, especially after she killed the guy he was wanted to spare.

[collapse]
But that is just a personal preference and it don't change the fact that this is an excellent history. If you can definitely give it a go. <<less
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freenovelreader
freenovelreader rated it
August 27, 2016
Status: v2 afterword
Nice. Just like reincarnator and LMS, I love this series. I guess most Korean novels are good, huh?

I like how MC portrayed himself as an antihero protagonist. I have been wondering why other people hates the MC being ruthless, cold or a psycho, well he is a DEMON LORD. Would you want to see a Demon Lord being timid and being dragged around by women without making decision for himself?

Well, I like the MC's character better than other MC who justify their actions as justice or right, when they mu*der... more>> or loot mob characters. <<less
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VortexMagus
VortexMagus rated it
August 25, 2016
Status: v2 intermission
Great story, great characters, fun spin on an old setting. Note that each chapter is f*cking enormous, so don't be put off by a low chapter count that is split into 3 or 4 separate parts per chapter.

If you enjoy humor, plot, evil masterminds, and political drama, this is perfect for you.
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yamitokaze
yamitokaze rated it
August 7, 2016
Status: v2 afterword
The author's writing style is good and the plot is decent. The characters in the story are very extreme and would have made for a very plain story if not for the author's captivating writing. Absolutely the best story I have read on NU for now
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Gleir
Gleir rated it
July 21, 2016
Status: --
Great story, utterly twisted MC with dark past, distinctive and twisted characters, character development, wars and military strategy... frankly speaking the best Korean WN I've read, and that includes LMS.
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Everythingwasadreamisilegal
It started as an interesting story with some very interesting lines... but I can't stand stories where women are almost supposed to thank the MC for not being totally vulgar and not totally see them as objects... If the author is a man, I almost wish for him to transmigrate into his own story but with the story being distort into a BL universe... ehehe... It wasn't terrible, but the psychology of women in this story, not great at all, I'm drooping it...
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Lawl
Lawl rated it
October 10, 2021
Status: v5 afterword
Truly a great story, too bad there haven't been any updates since 2017. I would still recommend reading it though.

The MC is strong mainly because of his intellect and it always feels as though everything is under his control.

The writing is good as well.

10/10 would recommend.
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Ms. Jackson
Ms. Jackson
October 17, 2020
Status: v2
Like many other reviews, I think that the first volume was nice but the second volume goes crazy. He's a psychopath but it's not like he can do anything about being a psychopath but it's still uncomfortable to read about some of the mu*ders. Also, there is an unusual amount of other psycho's in the story including the loli, the second loli, and then the female lead. Not to mention they aren't just psycho's but also cunning, and extremely intelligent psychos. I'm not an expert but I'm pretty sure that... more>> the chances of that are pretty low. I feel like the author just likes having emotionless and psychopathic characters but a lot of people also like that. I also like it at times but there are times where it crosses the line and makes me uncomfortable. Anyways, I would still recommend this as some people don't mind psychopaths. (I'll also continue to read since I gave nothing else to read currently.) <<less
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KneelToMeHuman2
KneelToMeHuman2 rated it
August 14, 2020
Status: v5 afterword
I read this so long ago (it's been on hiatus since 2017), but I just noticed that I never rated it lol. 5 stars of course. I've read too many light novels to count, and until this day, I truly believe this is the best one. To me, this author is a genius. Just read it and pray every once in a while that the author writes volume 6.

P.S. The reason I suddenly came here to check, it's because I just found out a few minutes ago that someone has... more>> been translating the web novel version! Search it up on novel updates and make it a top monthly/weekly activity rank guys! <<less
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200206
200206 rated it
May 12, 2020
Status: v2 afterword
This review will come as somewhat mixed, despite the fact that I gave this story a 4/5.

I would like to first reiterate what people have said about this LN; it's not the best that I've ever read, but it's up there. The elements and intrigue that run rampant that are seemingly innocuous are for the most part, tied up very well by the author. However, this story is mainly more about exploring the psyche of an negative protagonist, a premise that was pulled off and executed very well.

Now, I will... more>> get onto the gripes that I have about this novel; at times it seems a tad bit unrealistic. Though the protagonist is seemingly disillusioned with a typical person's view of life, the way that he, and others around him, act are very irrational. The MC is a very driven character with very outlined objectives, yet there seems to be no direction in this story other than to survive, and not walk in his father's footsteps. Yes, these are long term goals, but there are no immediate short term goals to keep the reader fixated on what occurs outside of the protagonist's life. After the first volume, which was magnificently done, the author seems to have lost his direction, losing sight on the foundations that made the first volume so extraordinary.

This by no means states that the following volumes are tr*sh, but you get my point. There is a drop off and general sense of disconnect (that the author acknowledges) from the first volume and the subsequent ones. They just seem dull and lackluster. The interesting plot that an antagonist/negative protagonist can uniquely explore is abandoned in favour of chasing after exhausted tropes that typical JP LN s*x starved NEETS or angsty protagonists typical have in dealing with women.

The point is, the story gets annoying, fast. Characters do things without any motive, and there are a lot of unexplored gems here that the author neglected after the first volume, for seemingly no reason.

At least, this is my review. <<less
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Balcazar2945
Balcazar2945
May 10, 2020
Status: v5 afterword
This novel is awesome, I don't know why some reviews point out as a defect how most of the characters are hypocrites and forget that they are politicians, they act according with their own interests, not personal feelings or preferences.
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eli
eli rated it
January 15, 2020
Status: v5 afterword
I can confidently say that this is the best novel I've read until now. It's seriously at the top of my list.

I can somewhat understand the complaints of the people who didn't give this a good rating because I agree with most of them to a certain degree.

At first it indeed is quite generic, but despite that, I think it still had some creative aspects to it. And back when I had only read until volume 2, though I couldn't say I loved it, I certainly liked it.

To address one... more>> of the problems with the first 2 volumes that one of the other comments mentioned: the choice boxes. In my opinion it is not entirely as this person says. He does not have to choose between the 2 options, but instead, after he completes an action, the system will decide based on the outcome which one he chose. I will say that I also think this is unnecessary for the plot. What is necessary though (at least in the first 2 volumes), is what comes after. Which is that the system shows what kind of influence his actions have on his reputiation, which is a power Dantalian himself chose because he thinks it is important for him to know what people think of him before he takes another action.

In short: my opinion on the first 2 volumes is that they were alright. It's not bad, but it's not very good either. But all with all, I think it's still an enjoyable read.

And then comes volume 3.

In this volume the author completely changes their writing style. The choice boxes also don't appear often anymore, if at all.

It's also from this volume onwards that I started to love this novel.

The writing becomes more and more beautiful by each volume, to the point I regret that some of it must have gotten lost in translation. Which doesn't mean that the translator didn't do a good job. If they didn't, I probably wouldn't have liked this novel as much.

The story becomes more intricate, as well as the characters. Dantalian, our main character, is indeed smart, but he makes mistakes, he misjudges people, and he doesn't always foresee certain situations. This is something I like a lot because it makes the story more believable.

The other characters also play significant roles. They all have their own personalities and act accordingly. Among them are people who Dantalian, at first dismisses as pawns in his plan, but later on turn out to be much more capable then he first thought. They won't go along with his plans easily and will deceive him just the same as he tries to deceive them. None of the characters are easy and an established relationship or friendship may fall apart later on.

This all really brings the story to life.

Another thing I really like is how certain things are stylized. There are black boxes in which some of the enemy's conversations, some characters' thoughts, things that the characters hear or remember,... are written. I would really recommend people to read them for yourselves because in my opinion they're really beautiful and add to the artistic value of the writing.

In short: from volume 3 onwards this novel just becomes amazing. I absolutely love it.

Conclusion: I really hope that whoever reads this decides to at least read until volume 3 or 4 regardless of whether they like the first 2 volumes. You won't regret it. This novel has made me happy, sad, and laugh. Of course it does have its clichés and its faults, but despite that, it's an amazing read.

I sincerely hope that you will read this novel because I loved it and I think it deserves to be appreciated. <<less
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killerchamps
killerchamps
October 30, 2019
Status: v2
The translation is amazing, and the story starts of well, but it all goes downhill at the start of Volume 2, Like soo many here, I was excited to find a series with such a high note (4, 7 while im writing this review), the first volume was a fun read, the MC cold and manipulative, calm and composed and only acts when he knows it will save him from some hassle later on, everything through V2, MC becomes a s*x maniac, becomes impulsive and childish, all the characteristics that... more>> made him interesting are gone, and now it's just your typical evil to be evil edgy MC.

I'm really disappointed with how this novel turned out, First Volume 5 stars, but after that it barely deserves a star. <<less
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VesperNyan
VesperNyan rated it
June 23, 2019
Status: v5
This was the first novel that actually got me into the website. It holds a certain nostalgia because it reminded me of Overlord. Its has huge Isekai feel with distinct korean influence. I find that Korean novels tend not to be too shy on s*x unlike most isekai wimpy protagonist. The Japanese isekai MC in my experience tend to be either s*x maniacs or aliens on the topic. This novel fits right in the goldilocks zone in term of their approach on the subject.

Pro-Good MC and Plot

Con- not much, maybe... more>> the pacing

Overall its a good read. ~Nyan <<less
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stormblessed65
stormblessed65 rated it
June 20, 2019
Status: --
I will keep it short. I read it 2 years ago and I still regularly check for the release of new volume. This is very solid work that will leave a strong impact on you. It has depth, interesting characters, enthralling protagonist and it's very sophisticated despite the setting and world it revolves in. Read it. If not for the plot, for the cultural value.
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eristo
eristo
May 30, 2019
Status: v5
I really enjoyed this novel at the beginning, the MC is physically weak and defeat his opponents with ingenuity.

It's a pity that the latter volumes are swearing encyclopedias.
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mculo
mculo rated it
May 10, 2019
Status: v5c4
Very brilliant and origal idea, sound like a s*upid isekai at the start and I have to admit that the first chapters are not the best but as the story unfolds it keeps getting better and smarter.

Some plot holes and errors are present but are relly minor.

The phycology of the characters and thoughts are really original and well planned. I'd say that the reader shouldn't go too deep into analyzing the story (leave it to the MC) and just follow the flow.

Definetly a must read LN even if the first... more>> chapters are not the greatest. <<less
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