Everyone Else is a Returnee

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Yu Ilhan was always the one left behind. Left out of cliques in school. Left out of social invitations. Just…always left out. Except now he’s been left behind for real.

When Earth’s future is threatened, Yu Ilhan stays behind while the rest of the population flees to other planets for safety.

It’s up to Yu Ilhan to save our planet before it’s too late!

Associated Names
One entry per line
EER
Last On Earth
나 빼고 다 귀환자
Related Series
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381 Reviews sorted by


Asphyxia778
Asphyxia778 rated it
December 3, 2020
Status: Completed
Holy sh*t that was hilarious. Like I read it all in one go in 2 days and boy did I enjoy it.

this isn't a super serious story and thus works well in what it tries to show. Like I didn't feel bored reading this. True, there's not much serious elements or something but I do like that the plot didn't derail.

Also the MC becomes op as hell so don't expect too much struggle in his rise so yeah it's a light read.

All in all 3 star material.
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Pokemini
Pokemini rated it
November 21, 2020
Status: Completed
Well written story

... more>>
Spoiler

(despite being a harem with a harem ending haha, the tag is there for a reason)

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The plot is immersive and well written with a lot of depth. The lore is interesting. And the world building is great. Despite not being into harems, I was able to enjoy the many female characters in the story since it felt like they do have a "character" (not only there for harem lol). The side characters are pretty cool too and gets some level of development as well.

The best part of this novel for me is the MC (and his witty comedy lol). Made me stick to reading the novel despite the somewhat slow beginning (it gets better. Stick to it). Yu Ilhan is smart (king of foreshadows lol), cautious (doesn't blindly trust people) and practical. He's not evil but he is willing to do somewhat morally ambiguous things for what he finds important

Spoiler

For example, stowaway in a plane lol. Also killed a whole imperial family including the kids cuz they were killing people in Earth.... he saved their citizens though

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And most of the time he tries to not leave any loose ends and prepares like crazy. In Yu Ilhan's words, not only prepare for the boss, but also the chance of hidden boss lol.

Spoiler

The ending is an example of this. It was anticlimactic but it fits. I mean in context, if you make a Level 999 gear to beat a Level 99 monster, with leeway to spare just in case a Level 100 monster shows up, of course you will win lol. Plus I think the epilogues nicely tied up the story. Another earlier example that I like is what happened in Reta's case. He does hope that she is good and hence treat her as such but at the same time he also prepared a backup plan on the chance that she is not what she seems.

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This of course also means that he is willing to kill and will resort to killing if he needs to
Spoiler

For example he killed Hellinea (tho he "revives" her later though she seemed to bear goodwill but he doesn't trust her (he subordinated her with "Rule" after the revival), he also killed Spiera even though they had some sort of friendship previously because she agreed to abandon Earth.

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Basically a great MC in an overall well written story. 10/10 will recommend. Even with the harem tag.

Spoiler

My favorite side characters actually include the harem members lol. So yes it's that good. Heavier spoilers ahead.

Orochi for the bromance (also gets his own romance with Mystic later on). His relationship development with Ilhan is great.

Yumir for the cuteness.

Liera is best girl. The most loyal and the one who stayed by his side the longest (for 1000 years+). She prioritizes him. The scene where she was ready to sacrifice her life if need be to save him when the Chaos Will attacked was beautiful (falling angel wings and all) since she was both badass and touching at the same time. I also love his relationship with her (it's cute). He trust her unconditionally and it's obvious that he was affectionate towards her (even before their romantic relationship was confirmed... It was just that we weren't sure if it's a romantic affection or if he saw her as more of a sister). I mean he repeatedly thinks she's pretty and implied as much (that other human woman is not that pretty since he already spent a lot of time with Liera) and every time he meets other angels he'll ask about Liera and implied that he wanted to meet Liera again. He trust her and she trust him too. Honestly loved their relationship development and their relationship itself (hence why I was not keen on the harem ending but oh well).

Erta has the best retorts. Seriously her comedy is top notch and fits well with Ilhan's wittiness. I think she is easily one of the most likeable characters (Ertawagon is also an ongoing meme since she basically gets the information explanation role lol). Her relationship development with Ilhan is pretty believable too (I honestly thought they would be great as just close friends too though. But I understand the authors' love of harem).

Na Yuna had one of the best developments. At first she's just the annoying immature narccistic cute type, but as you get to know her, she showed more depth. She felt shallow (and her interest in Ilhan also felt shallow) at first but it got deeper and more genuine as time went on. I also liked that Ilhan didn't like her at all initially (her personality is not great lol) but appreciated her in the end due to this development.

The other harem members felt less developed tbh. More like the authors just cram them in? But they don't take up too much screen time so it's fine (most of the romance scenes focus on Liera anyways who is best girl. Ilhan reciprocated her first too and if she doesn't allow it, the harem ending wouldn't have happened either).

Kang Mirae had decent-ish? character development and gets the OP Mage role. But her relationship development with Ilhan seemed a bit forced initially (later they elaborated that it's because she felt like he was similar to her in a sense) as her affection went too deep too fast. Tbh I find her the most bland in the harem. I'm so glad the author change the female lead to Liera (there were rumors that the initial female lead was supposed to be Mirae aka The Empress).

Hellenia simply had less time than the other harem members since she showed up much later in the story. Her character (and the development) is interesting though. So I find her entertaining at least (and I find her affection for Ilhan believable.... him to her not as much but I guess it's because of her power of charm?)

Spiera had some relationship and character development but I didn't find her likeable (at least she's not bland).

The thief elf whose name I forgot (Phiera?) came out of nowhere. She seemed like a minor side character. If they wanted an elf, even Pate (well he's a male) had more development than her. But it's in the epilogues (essentially you don't have to read it) so its fine I guess. I guess author just wants to cram in all the harem.

Essentially the main story ended with "open-ish" ending for the harem since only Liera was confirmed to be in a romantic relationship with Ilhan (he actually initially rejected the other girls romantic approaches since he is already in a relationship with Liera which I appreciated....I really didn't want a harem ending due to this but sigh what do I expect from Toika, at least he said that he will always love Liera the most). The epilogues covered a soccer team made out of the harem members kids though so yeah the ending is harem.

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Purps
Purps rated it
November 5, 2020
Status: Completed
novel is great, just one single complaint that basically ruins the novel for me, makes me skip entire chapters, rolls my eyes and makes me want to never read this novel again

its the "Child" that Toika loves to do for some reason

its basically a copy of every child he does "Daddy this" "Daddy that" "Daddy dont look at this person look at this one"

doesn't help that everyone seems to love this annoying little thing
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Cooker2007
Cooker2007
August 7, 2020
Status: Completed
It's very boring. There is no tension. Every character is one-dimensional, they has no backstory and get no development. The harem members are acquired like pokemon.

Through-out the story the MC is never any danger. He is always stronger then any enemy he fights. He keeps complaining about being even though he is never alone after the first few chapters.

Five of the eight harem members love for the MC can be described as "Just Because".
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Healfhwit
Healfhwit rated it
August 2, 2020
Status: c300
It was fun at the beginning but over time the continuously same stuff grinds on you. The most enjoyable part of this was the writing and translating style I had my self laughing pretty hard quite a few times. The romance isn't really going anywhere for me. No other characters are super fleshed out. Just not really enough at this point to make me really really wanna keep reading.
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beddedOtaku
beddedOtaku rated it
February 22, 2018
Status: Completed
Everyone Else is a Returnee is a mixed bag. On one side, it has some interesting ideas, decent humor from time to time, and some relatively interesting characters. However, on the other hand, it has absolutely non-nonsensical plot that couldn't be patched up properly without an entire rewrite, a whole host of underdeveloped, 1-key characters, and rather random 'crafting' system as well as the, well, whole 'system' really.

As with most web novels, my greatest gripe lies in female characters. All of them - every single one that has more than... more>> 10 lines - turns from whatever she was into 'MC mclovin' girl'. Reasons are as base as you can think (wow, he's so strong; look, he's so cool, etc.), and it just sort of happens. For no reason. But, whatever, it's not AS bad as with some other web novels, and girls are at least useful (well, in specific scenes I suppose) in battles rather than just being throwaway dolls whose lines of dialogue consist of sucking MC's dick.

MC himself is also a mixed bag. Rather, to be more precise, he's a compilation of characters where one surfaces when plot is necessary. What I mean by this is rather simple: when plot requires him to be an idiot, he'll be an idiot. When plot requires him to be a genius, he'll be a genius. When plot requires him to act dense, he'll be dense. When plot requires him to act charmingly, he'll act charmingly. When plot requires him to be strong-willed, he'll be strong-willed. When plot---you get the gist of it. There's no 'single' personality that MC exhibits, but rather multitude that rear up when necessitated by specific situations. From start to finish, we're supposed to witness this transformation from a 'loner' to a 'leader', but he's never truly a 'loner'. Just a socially awkward guy, at most.

Anyway, leaving characters aside, the worst part of this novel is definitely to story. Concept is fine; it's actually rather intriguing. However, the story is a mess. Part of it is because of its attempts to be cheeky; MC's constant shouts about foreshadowing and whatnot, along the fact that whenever he steps a foot out into the world, something HUGE will happen... this reads far more like a parody, yet it still tries to be more than it. You can't have an MC who's self-aware about the ridiculousness of his situation, and still attempt serious storytelling. This is impossible simply because of the fact that parodies can never be serious stories. Their very idea negates the notion of serious storytelling entirely. Is it funny? Yeah, from time to time I burst my ass off laughing. However, never have I once taken anything in regards to the story seriously.

Now, let's move onto the 'system'. It's random. And by random, I mean it's literally random - as in ANYTHING can happen. Well, to be more precise, author gets cheeky here as well, because any time he acquires either an item or some new skill, an event will transpire that will require him to use that item or skill. We can't grasp the base of the system by which the universe operates in this story, making it impossible to look forward to anything BECAUSE anything can happen. There are no restrictions. The clearest example is also the simplest: blacksmithing. Apparently, MC reached max level of blacksmithing in a few hundred years of studying. Fine, great. However, halfway through the story, he becomes the best blacksmith in the universe. That's right, not in his world, but in universe. Later on we learn that the higher existences are basically immortal and that higher-higher existences have lived for millions of years, yet MC somehow becomes the best blacksmith within what, a few hundred years, give or take? This extends to most of his other skills as well. His growth simply defies every bit of backstory the world has. He doesn't posses a cheat by which system simply gives him sh*t on its own, it's not the bias. He doesn't have a mega-uber granddaddy teaching him. He has nothing except himself, yet he practically surpasses every other living thing from the start of life until present in more than a few categories. That has nothing to do with the talent. It's not even 'system' that's broken, per se, it's just that, well, I don't even know what it is. It just sort of happens.

I won't rant on any longer. I've mostly focused on the negatives of the novel because positives really dwindle down to being relatively humorous, with decent power-fantasy feeling. MC encounters only a single situation where his life is truly in danger throughout the entire novel, and that's about it really. Oh, and it's not a harem... well, sort of. So, that's also a plus. <<less
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LordGrim102 rated it
September 2, 2017
Status: Completed
I dont have many words to describe this novel because it feels like im undervaluing it so just read it :)

Most korean novels are worth reading. No bullsh*t crap beating around the bush or anything else unlike the typical chinese xianxia. I'm sorry for mentioning it but I need to mention it to compare how good novels are overshadowed by crappy chinese novels that doesn't deserve to be high ranked. In my opinion the only reason why the chinese novels are high ranked because of the chinese people themselves... more>> rate their own novels to get it to high ranked which is understandable because the population of china is humongous and there are people who doesn't know how to review and just rate their countries novels like a blind fool that automatically rate it to the highest possible rating.

So now I finished the novel and I think it's good it deserves 5/5 because guess what? The most problem of long story novels is.... the story is degrades as the chapter goes on but.... this novel everone else is a returnee does not degrade in the slightest instead it give the story much more interesting. Even the narration of the author doesn't contain fillers and no forced drama! Bullsh*t chinese novels. LOL. All in all this novel is great and I would be glad if it is adapted to webtoon/koreanmanhua/manga/ or even get adapted to anime/animation. <<less
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k-r-i-s
k-r-i-s rated it
May 29, 2017
Status: c168
I like it but it's repetitive. I'm probably going to stop reading it for a bit because reading it in large sections is hard.

Problems I've seen are the following.

He still acts like a shut in even though he read all the books on Earth​ which I imagine would give you a new outlook on life. They even say in a part of it that it does change a part of him but just some random characteristic.

I get that he's super talented but it's kind of hard to buy that he... more>> can learn so much in that amount of time.

How does he have Max level skills and still be able to upgrade them? Doesn't that destroy the whole concept of Max level. <<less
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Anoton
Anoton rated it
May 21, 2017
Status: v1c155
Amazing! I can sort of make out his future of being a complete transcendent being not tied down to any army (heaven or hell) and the journey of getting there will be keep be entertained! I love you guys write there exp gain, new skills learned, and everything with game elements! Most Novels stop using them after a period of time but DONT! It shows progress! Either way I enjoy reading this and thanks for the translations!
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Dannie1993
Dannie1993 rated it
December 27, 2016
Status: c74
One of the best web novels I've read till now. This is how you correctly make a OP MC enjoyable. His motivations are clear and you can totally get behind his character. He even has a bit of deadpool in him being able to recognize forshadowing in the story almost as if he recognizes he is in a web novel. Also MC is not just strong for no reason like most other OP characters. He worked hard to obtain everything he has
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Teunayven
Teunayven rated it
November 4, 2016
Status: c51
This story is amusing as hell. One of my favorite MC's and I really like the authors mind set. The ideology of the author, that I gather, is that as long as you put your mind to something and work at it you can succeed. The MC shows this the most. All of his skill and power are attained not through talent, gifts, or luck. They are achieved through hard work and sheer force of will. There is also a slightly tragic tinge to the MC's mind set which makes... more>> him even more interesting to me personally. It is not uncommon to see MC's that have strong force of will to attain some goal they hold dear. It is a bit weird that this MC developed his iron will as a defense mechanism against insanity.

I have seen some complaints about the MC's personality, but it makes perfect sense to me why he the way he is. He has lived most of his life alone and as an outsider. Estranged from other people so much that others can barely recognize his presence. He desperately wants social connection but has absolutely no clue how to get it. It is not a contradiction that he doesn't reach out to the people or accept those who try to get close to him. Its his natural defense mechanism. It feels far safer to continue being on your own, especially when you have always been an outcast, because it is what you know. The pain of accepting the hand reached out to and finding out it is a joke or a lie hurts much worse than refusing that hand yourself.

I would also say that it is not that amazing for a loner to be really weirded out when you go from completely ignored to being good at something and everyone suddenly wants to be your friend. After that happens I would be more amazed if he did open up to them.

I really enjoy the authors weapons choices. He pulls from some fairly esoteric but amusing items to have the MC wield. The battle scenes are awesome as well. The detail and the viciousness of the fights is too much fun. The MC's fighting style is also pretty amusing and brutal. He goes for any vital area he can reach which often time means the eyes to try and get to the brain.

There are some complaints that the MC is too OP, but to me it is power he has made for himself. Everything he has was achieved through his hard work and effort. He even has a handicap that the rest of the people of earth aren't dealing with, but still has managed to prepare and focus his strength. He has managed to fight and kill stronger enemies more often thanks to his precise judgment rather than his overall strength. I think people see him as OP because he has so meticulously prepared for his fights. He constructs weapons and strategies to hinder his foes. He also observes their movements and abilities before striking at the most opportune time. Some call it cowardice, but the world has become law of the jungle the one who lives wins. There is no need for honor in battles where your opponents are desperately trying to take your and other peoples lives.

For the actual story there is definitely something happening underneath the surface. The MC is mostly desperately trying to get stronger just to survive in the crazy changing world while sh*t is going off the rails of God's plan. I love how the Author kind of inverts the MC is transported to a different world by having everyone BUT the MC transported to different worlds, lol. There are a lot of interesting subversion to expectations that I find really amusing in the authors style. The banter between the MC and others has an interesting silliness to it where they sometimes comment on foreshadowing of different things. I could understand how some might find that pretentious but I would suggest giving it a shot. The story is worth it and not like anything I've read before.

All in all, I strongly suggest giving the story a try. I realize that I am pretty predisposed to it since the Author seems to share my overall philosophy that humanity can do anything as long as we keep working at it. I also like the somewhat tragic aspects of the MC that are mixed in. This gives the MC an interesting depth I don't see often in other stories. <<less
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Dragn555
Dragn555 rated it
October 27, 2016
Status: c49
EER is fun to read, just don't expect deep characters or plot. The characters and plot are about as deep as a puddle. They only exist for a very simple reason-- so the author can write about cool sh*t. And this is true for most of the novels on NU. So why bother? Well EER is a very fun read, and that's all I can really say about it. It's something I look forward to reading, and something that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.
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Mizura
Mizura
October 16, 2016
Status: c41
The story has a strong introduction and is fast-paced later on, alternating between the protagonist killing monsters, gaining levels/stats/skills and crafting his latest items/weapon, with plenty of comedy in-between.

Despite the fast pace though, most chapters left me feeling unsatisfied for some reason, and it wasn't just wanting more. Eventually, I realized that it's because the story lacks world-building, long-term plot and character/relationship development. Apart from hunting, leveling and blacksmithing, the protagonist literally doesn't do anything else (okay, he's starting to cook too), and most of the characters he interacts with... more>> can be summarized as 'pretty girl #n' (a characterization that feels pointless when the protagonist shows no interest whatsoever).

Like with games, it makes you want to read on because the next milestone is always in sight. The comedy, crafting and action components Are rather entertaining too, so despite what I'm saying, I do enjoy reading it, if only as light reading. Just be aware that it's missing depth, and for now the story hasn't left any foundations to suggest that it will be more developed later on. <<less
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9pillars
9pillars rated it
September 2, 2016
Status: v1c24
I know it is only the first volume but the story is fantastic. The MC is crazy overpowered, similar to a lot of the CN novels in that regard but instead of cultivating everything is based gaining experience such as in Re:Monster without the ridiculous harem elements. It's a fantastic read and I highly recommend it.
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ImperfectMemes
ImperfectMemes rated it
August 17, 2016
Status: c16
This novel is great! The MC is a little unhinged in a good way. Fortunately, it's not Japanese so he actually has a pair and there hopefully won't be a harem. Author has introduced one love interest and apologized for it. The fight's aren't very descriptive, but there's enough to understand what's going on, which avoids the paragraphs of descriptions that tend to get boring after 1-2 fights.

It feels extremely similar to one punch man.
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Sherrynity
Sherrynity rated it
August 8, 2016
Status: c6
Totally fun to read. The MC has some screws loose in his head tbh, considering he spent hundreds of years with his personal angel (lol) in that temporarily-abandoned world. But in the end, effort + persistence > talent, and he'll get his just dessert.
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fang-oppa
fang-oppa rated it
October 3, 2022
Status: c56
Absolute tr*sh.. I never even used such words to describe any novel but this... ughhh I had to

it just makes me so frustrated that I spent like a day binge reading this trying to see if it gets any better cuz of all the dumb 5 star reviews and the unbelievably high rating but on the contrary, it keeps getting worse.. a lot worse

the premise it started with was pretty interesting and there was A TON of possibilities.. but the author made it out in the worst possible way anyone... more>> can think of..

characters development is nonexistent, in fact it's the opposite of it.. the MC keeps getting more ret*rded and acts even more braindead.. even though at the start he was your generic cold, detached, almost cool, loner MC.. after he spent 1000 years on earth with an angel babysitting him, reading books and learning everything possible for a human.. he devolved into a complete ret*rd instead

the side characters are so shallow and bland.. they might as well not exist. they made no difference whatsoever to when he was alone on earth.. that's how bad they are.. other than the fact that they have no set personality.. they literally flip personalities every single chapter.

i would've much preferred if MC was alone and kept exploring dungeons, fighting OP monsters, lvling up and getting all those power ups instead of the whole "angels/ high existences" garbage the author came up with

the "comedy" wasn't anything notable.. like who the heck would go reading this for comedy anyways.. just stick with goddamn genre, shouldn't dungeon/rpg sorta novels supposed to be just that,

I wouldn't mind if it was actually funny like AWE or smth, but the comedy here was just a bunch of corny one liners that made me cringe..

there's a lot more to be said but ill just leave it at that..

it's unreadable and that's me doing it justice. <<less
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solsolar
solsolar
February 12, 2022
Status: Completed
Setting wise and world building is fine. But the harem element tbh was kinda ehhhh I guess, every girl he met wanted to get down with him lol.
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Mistermaker
Mistermaker
February 2, 2021
Status: afterward
Among my faves. It was fun to read, not too serious or dull, not too childish or cringy. Left me feeling satisfied.
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Giernold
Giernold rated it
December 10, 2020
Status: c222
This novel starts up very itneresting, with a super fun premise and great writing. The relationship between MC and the angel was fun and lovely, and it was by far my favorite part of the novel. This is a story where the MC becomes unbelievable overpowered, and I would be okay with that, if it was written in such a way that it benefited the story and the side characters and MC had interesting character development. What happens is not this. Every woman in this world fall in love with... more>> the MC, the relationship between MC and the angel he was with for xxx years was not in focus, and the main story of the world couldn't keep my interest with the weakness of the cast. <<less
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