A Monster Who Levels Up

Description

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

This is a story of a man named Kim Sae-Jin, who one day, inexplicably wakes up as a Monster. Follow him and his perilous journey to get his life back as a Human, all the while growing even more versatile as a Monster in the process. This should be… complicated, somewhat.

Associated Names
One entry per line
Monster
Seviye Atlayabilen Canavar
레벨업하는 몬스터
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Seoul Station’s Necromancer (8)
The Second Coming of Gluttony (7)
Lv1 Skeleton (7)
Everyone Else is a Returnee (7)
Infinite Competitive Dungeon Society (5)
Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken (WN) (4)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Novels I have read
  2. Not masterpieces, but enjoyable enough.
  3. Enjoyable read
  4. Favorite
  5. Best cultivation novels

Latest Release

Date Group Release
05/04/18 Novel Life c174 (end)
05/03/18 Novel Life c173
05/02/18 Novel Life c172
05/01/18 Novel Life c171
04/30/18 Novel Life c170
04/29/18 Novel Life c169
04/28/18 Novel Life c168
04/27/18 Novel Life c167
04/26/18 Novel Life c166
04/25/18 Novel Life c165
04/23/18 Novel Life c164
04/21/18 Novel Life c163
04/20/18 Novel Life c162
04/18/18 Novel Life c161
04/16/18 Novel Life c160
Go to Page...
Go to Page...
Write a Review
173 Reviews sorted by


Mahiro9
Mahiro9 rated it
January 21, 2018
Status: c104
Started out great but became very simplistic wish fulfillment cliché midway.

The story was also very generic, getting stronger, rich, and famous while fighting against some "evil forces" while hiding with a hidden identity.

Some developments feels forced, the story about his family and the involvement of those evil forces, and the coming of a revenge story came out of nowhere and became the sudden focus of the story, it could have been executed better.

The romance with multiple girls while acting like a beta japanese MC then picking a single girl was... more>> good.... but then the author just couldn't leave it at that and decided to continue the harem after the MC's f*ckfest with the first girl. What actually made this worse is the author is being indecisive about it that it somehow feels like the MC is leading on the girls. <<less
7 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
murilofranco
murilofranco rated it
January 12, 2018
Status: c97
I am really disappointed with this novel.

The character grow was good at first, but the MC is an idiot. He lacks something that would make me cheer for him.

I think I kept reading just because there were only 175 chapters, 78 more to go to me, but I have decided to abandon it.

All the girls are lacking in personality, reading this chapter (97), ... more>>
Spoiler

MC met a new girl, the author describes her as a beauty and with a beautiful voice, and I know she will become part of his harem, its very sad.

[collapse]

I can't recommend this one <<less
7 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Cheesetakery
Cheesetakery rated it
October 20, 2017
Status: c32
A fast paced video game like story with powers reminiscent of Reincarnator. Personally I like that the MC has a limited number of transformations because I find stories with tons of skills (like ICDS) confusing and difficult to read. The MC has encountered quite a few "beautiful women" at this point in time, and judging from the Harem tag they will all eventually come to like him. He himself seems to be a generic Dense MC, and I hope that the harem will not ruin the story for me. However,... more>> at chapter 32 there is still no real romantic relationship between any of the female MCs.

The twist of the story, the human -> monster is common but the MC's ability to continue interacting with society due to the increasing amount of time he can spend in his human form is something new. The MC has a definite goal in mind that is not saving the world, he is growing stronger at a reasonable pace, and he is building relationships with others (mostly girls). Pretty nice story. <<less
7 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
bkwrm
bkwrm rated it
June 4, 2018
Status: Completed
While the novel is addictive and I love the setting, there was 2 things that each knocked off a star. Basically around the time he gains access to his human form for large periods of time the novel slowly goes downhill.

The first is that I really didn't care for his girlfriend at all, she had no character or interactions with him beyond being a waifu.
Spoiler

He lies to her constantly. He NEVER tells her more than the bare basics of his trait. He never trusts her. It's just lies, minor jealousy fit, bedroom makeup time, repeat. Pretty much all of the other girls were better written.

[collapse]

The second bit is the ending, I found it really unsatisfying. Not terrible just empty.
Spoiler

I loathe resets, and this one isn't even fully resolved beyond a "things are looking up". And both the end "fights" are like a short paragraph.

[collapse]

Oh and as one extra tidbit, after he becomes big and powerful he does very little to power up the world to help fight back beyond a few very powerful very rich people. It's very much a power trip, but an annoying one.
Spoiler

Mostly it's just his own organization he builds up and that takes place behind the scenes typically (as in briefly mentioned but not really written). Which would be fine, but he knows the freaking world is ending soon. He even waits 2 months to hold a press conference to warn that things are accelerating after finding out.

[collapse]
6 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Boon
Boon rated it
January 28, 2018
Status: c105
3.75/5. More than an average filler novel but with a little too much wish fulfillment.

There are a few minor problems to the overall plot but they can be easily overlooked. The MC changes into monster forms and gets their abilities. Apparently goblins are good at crafting and magic tattoos, and orcs are great at making weapons. The hard part to believe is that humans are unable and unwilling to study these weak creatures that they far surpass in strength despite acknowledging a desperate need to do so. So our MC... more>> makes hundreds of millions selling things that weak and dumb species can make and quickly becomes the worlds best manufacturer of everything. Despite these shortcomings the story is still pretty good with many secrets and subplots, and large story lines.

The characters aren't too bad. They aren't forgotten but there isn't a tremendous amount of depth. I don't like harems at all so while this isn't a harem yet it is still approaching one and so I find the romantic characters severely lacking.

There can be a bit too much cringy wish fulfillment where the MCs ego is stroked, but a light skim gets you passed it pretty quickly.

A good tl, a decent story, nothing to really skim; lacking a bit for a top rated novel but it's enough for a good filler read while waiting for other novels. <<less
6 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Miss Ruby
Miss Ruby rated it
January 16, 2018
Status: c99
An interesting read at first but the MC starts to bog down the story. I find myself hating the MC more as I read hence the book has swiftly turned unenjoyable for me.

the premise is indeed very interesting and that is what has kept me reading till now
6 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
apaulose
apaulose rated it
December 12, 2017
Status: c80
An interesting story with decent characters compared to similar stories. Chapters aren't too long and updates frequently so I would recommend it I suppose. Not a lot of exposition or world building. Main character's Monster forms are reasonable in strength but have totally overpowered crafting abilities. Goblins are potion experts and Orcs are expert blacksmiths (Not sure if dwarves exist...). Humans seem to suck at both of these things.

Another interesting thing is how the monster forms evolve. They don't evolve based on reaching a certain level but rather based on... more>> achieving random conditions that the MC doesn't learn about till he achieves them. It could involve becoming famous, Saving someone, almost dying, eating a certain monster or item, it is totally unpredictable. You can perceive this as a difficult obstacle because there's no obvious way to evolve no matter how hard the MC works, or you can see it as really convenient since the MC seems to luck into most of the conditions pretty easily just by doing whatever he wants.

This is one of the stories where most people are good people, if a little boring, so don't expect people to try and assassinate or ens*ave the MC just because he mildly offended them. It's not that kind of story and most people generally like the MC.

System tends to reward MC for being a good person. Though that doesn't mean there aren't incentives for just killing people. We don't know because the MC doesn't want to kill innocent people regardless. So far the MC hasn't tried to seriously injure anyone even when they attack him in his monster form. <<less
6 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
ReCarn
ReCarn rated it
December 7, 2017
Status: c74
Purely amazing. I am very hooked from the beginning. One thing I hated about novels were that later on the world they were in begins to increase in a massive pace not allowing the readers to catch up at all. This novel really takes the time to create character into the different people. Although the Korean names of the characters might be confusing because of the fact that the name Kim is very dominant in Korean society, the characters in the novel have something special to them and background information... more>> to explain what they are thinking.

I think I have been checking everyday just for an update and it is exhilarating to find that the updates were so quick. I am madly in love with this series and hope other people see it like I do. <<less
6 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Jamacario
Jamacario rated it
September 22, 2017
Status: c19
CH.13

Great so far. Hoping that this gets more chapters to look forward too ! :D I really like how he has the ability to change to 3 different monsters. I also enjoy how he is not insanely strong like a cheat but seems like he's getting really strong in a steady pace. There are time leaps which also shows that it takes him time to improve not like he is Over powered after hunting in the forest in JUST a couple of days but it takes him time. Good story... more>> so far and i'll keep reading it something NEW compared to other reincarnated series or New CHEAT abilites stories.

CH.19

Just updating Still story going great I WANT MORE!!! Loving the action scenes too <3 Hopefully they can speed up the chapter Updates.I like how he's leveling up himself and the story shows that he doesn't know everything that going on with him which makes it more realistic. <<less
6 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
draygon
draygon rated it
October 13, 2018
Status: c174
Story 4/5

Translation 4.5/5

cliches/plot armor -1

CLIMAX 5/5 the final 10 chapters or so is what makes this story amazing, for the people that didn't read til the end I honestly suggest finishing this novel (slight spoiler without spoiling anything) ... more>>
Spoiler

be prepared for a bitter sweet ending

[collapse]

Rating this 5/5 to counter some of the low ball reviews of people that barely started the novel and missed out on a gem, yes this story has cliches, yes this story has blatant plot armor but its not as exaggerated as people are trying to make it seem, the place slows down midway for story building BUT remember its buildup for honestly one of the best endings I have read in a novel WARNING MASSIVE SPOILER
Spoiler

If you have watched Charlotte then this is similar

[collapse]
the story is not extremely long I read it slowly as it was released but have come back to reread it a couple of times or even just rereading the last 20 chapters for the feels.

This is a story that I STRONGLY recommend reading all the way through don't drop it midway. <<less
5 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
rhianirory
rhianirory rated it
August 13, 2018
Status: Completed
I'm not sure how to rate this one. up until the final chapters it was around a four for me, despite it's flaws, but the ending...

... more>>
Spoiler

he works so hard and saves the world and what does he get? his powers taken away and his memory wiped. everything he's learned along the way, all his growth as a person, the lessons learned through hardship and experience all end up meaning nothing because he goes back to being the person he was at the beginning of the novel! how can they seriously claim this is a happy ending?! I really hate these "everything goes back to normal" stories. why did I just bother reading this novel when the ending made the entire book, other than the prologue, redundant?

[collapse]

there is some character growth in this story but the final chapters negate everything in the 172 chapters before them so it's kind of meaningless in the end. it's not really a harem; the main girl is decided fairly early on, though he does have a bunch of annoying flies buzzing around him all the time. also, the second half of the novel gets a little sloppy, as though the author was either running out of ideas or getting tired of writing his own novel.

final conclusion, worth killing time, but not worth the frustration of the ending if you're like me and really dislike that kind of thing. read at your own risk. or read until 172 and stop there. yeah, good luck with that. <<less
5 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Saronin Jayhart
Saronin Jayhart rated it
June 21, 2018
Status: c174
Overall Rating 4.02

  • Story 4.2
I enjoyed the story very much, it is now among my favorites. Though there are a few plot holes, the majority are resolved by the end.

... more>>
Spoiler

The ending is wholly unsatisfying, basically like a punch in the gut to the readers. I suggest stopping reading after he beats the final boss, but that's just my opinion.

[collapse]

  • Character Development 3.7
I praise the development of the main character.

Spoiler

The main character has to deal with his personality being slowly changed as the Monsters' instincts grow with their strength, constantly worrying that he might lose his humanity. Could you stay sane in his shoes.

[collapse]

Unfortunately not very much is done to flesh out the majority of the other recurring characters.

  • Emotion 4.9
This story very much drew me in and at times played my emotions like a fiddle.

  • Worldbuilding 2.8
Probably the worst thing about this novel is worldbuilding or lack there of. Though it improves towards the end, it's not by much. Though that may be a characteristic of Korean Low-Fantasy in a Postmodern setting. I'd go as far as to call it Implied Worldbuilding which leaves the majority of the Worldbuilding up to the reader's imagination.

  • TL/Editing 4.5
A little bit of a shaky start but overall easy to read and understand. There's a few sentences here and there that make no sense, but most of the time the translator will give an explanation, and sadly there are just some things that can't be translated no matter how good you are. There's also cases where the author makes a mistake and a translator can't do anything about that. <<less
5 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Chachingmel
Chachingmel rated it
February 10, 2018
Status: --
Story starts off amazingly well and I see why this has such a high rating...

However, recently, this Novel has become painful to read.

What really gets to me is the introduction of Vampires and how the MC suddenly goes mad with revenge.

... more>> Every Vampire is evil cliche and that's about it for the race.

The females aren't much better, I don't really care for them or bother to remember their names.

When the MC, in his Orc form, helps the Human side against the Vampires, the Author fails to make me emotional invested in the latest female of the week.

I honestly find myself confused about why the Author decides to spend chapters building up this Romance, when he hasn't wrote anything to make me even remember her name.

I wonder, how many people forgot about her the next chapter, like me?

I don't know why the Author turned such an original concept into such a Cliche driven mess.

The first person who knows his secret is some random guy who comes out nowhere with the special power to dream, by looking through other peoples eyes.

Wait, what?

And to make it worse, I can't remember his name nor do I care.

Then there is the growing number of identities he has in his human form.

I get why he has to hide his identity but is there a reason why the Author is still creating many to this day? <<less
5 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
CrimsonPendant
CrimsonPendant rated it
January 29, 2018
Status: c109
Average start. Good middle.. But the last few chapters.. Just couldnt take the level of narcasism he's been having.

I mean, the translator's great. No doubt. It's just that the story was too much for me. Too much self fantasizing and gratification going on. MC got way too narcassistic, so full of himself. Also cant decide which one to focus on. Lastly, the harem part, and how arrogantly he plays it off. Just went down hill there for me.

It was a good story. You could try it out. It's just that... more>> I couldn't take where the story was going. <<less
5 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Ryukashin
Ryukashin
October 15, 2018
Status: c174
Spoiler

This was a great series right up till the end. I hate that Sae-Jin never maned up and told Sae-Jung the truth about himself and what was going on before the final conflict and that the author ended it without him returning to her for a happy ending. I feel sorry for Sae-Jungs character, she may have been his girlfriend/fiance but she was really neglected a lot in the story for really no reason at all. She was literally the only guild member not to know his secrets, how messed up is that.

Its definitely worth the read, just wish the ending was a little better.

[collapse]
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Hayate
Hayate rated it
September 8, 2018
Status: c174
Honestly, this could get a 5star from me if not for the last 2 chapter. The plot was fine to me but that ending

... more>>
Spoiler

He spent 500 years in isolation, always reminding himself why he's doing it; so that he could be with everyone again. He's not doing it for the world, or anyone else, he's just doing it for a selfish reason of being happy when he could finally meet them again. But somehow the 'reward' he obtained for saving the world is a full memory wipe? Like, that's the worst you could give to someone who's waiting alone for 500 years to meet everyone again. I know author put that memory loss for the feel, but he could have make him regain his memory again to make this a proper ending.

[collapse]

Personally, the ending is pretty much the same as open ending, if not worse to me. Like, why even bother with all that development to have it all end up just like that? My advice? Feel free to read it. The story is almost 5 star, but the ending will prevent you from giving this even 4 star. It's not the worst ending for us readers, but it's the worst ending for the MC. He deserves better ending after all he went through <<less
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Oroan
Oroan
July 16, 2018
Status: Completed
I honestly found this story to be both good and bad. The "game like elements" didn't really mean much or help as far as an interface or seeing progress because it very quickly becomes a messaging system that is only used to tell the readers that the MC has obtained a new skill/passive and what it does. Sometimes, however, it doesnt even tell what it does until the MC has used it and its explained in exposition which undermines the game like element.

Character wise I would say that the MC... more>> will come off as Dense in 99% of situations but then be mature in others. I get that its made to seem like he just ignores the advances of other women besides the "Chosen Girl" but it can get annoying that he doesnt even care about them half the time except when needed. It is definitely not a Harem as he very quickly chooses a girl and stick with it basically ignoring everyone else while not really drawing the line. side characters are ok but rather flat and not well drawn out except for a few of the potential girls.

Story Wise..... Oh Boy did this go places. It started out as a decent concept with minor game like elements and was going good. then romance got involved along with mostly useless empire building (he ends up leaving most of the work to others anyway before he gets almost all the credit as the head honcho) but its still salvageable because in the end it was going toward an actual plot, for awhile at least.

Spoiler

Eventually Time travel gets mixed in resulting in the main character going back in time. Objectively not the worst plot device but after the MC then waited HUNDREDS of years for the event the leads that to happening, happens, and he saves the world like planned, he loses his memories. His entire reason was to make sure all these important people to him were saved and so that he could be with them again and then ends up forgetting all about them and becoming an entirely different person all of which happens in the last two chapters and leave off for a rather unsatisfactory ending.

[collapse]

If you don't want it spoiled from above my recommendation is that you read the story from the prologue up to chapter 172, and then stop and imagine the ending happening however you want it to. Many reviewers also said this and even though I ignored them and read the ending anyway, I have to agree that this is the best course of action.

Overall I would like to give the story a rating of 4/5 up to 172 and a 1.5/5 for 173/174. This is my personal opinion of course. <<less
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
GregLuck
GregLuck rated it
June 7, 2018
Status: Completed
First of all, the rating I gave might / might not be based on frustation because of preference.

The author starts the novel with a smooth sailing and great prospect, going down a little bit because of some repetitive act, and end it like a real a--hole. From any possible ending the author could give, he choose to butcher it, give the worst possible ending.

Actually the story is easy to follow, although predictable. The plot is quite good actually, the harem is actually not so bad (although if you read till... more>> the end you would doubt the harem tag). The battle is not intense at all.

For me I even suggest to not read the last 4 arc and find a fanfic out there. All in all decently written, but for goodness sake, the way it ends just bad, lazy, despairing, also anti-climatic. Heck, I'll settle for the usual harem happy-ending or even the 'battle still going on', rather than this lazy ass 3rd rate ending. <<less
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
CloverMilk
CloverMilk rated it
May 22, 2018
Status: c174
I had to write this review because of how bad he ending was. I'd like to say that I love the story, and I loved the journey of the story. Too bad the final destination of the journey was a big pile of sh*t written by the author. It was as if he was a goat and sh*t out pellets of excrement that hit his keyboard which resulted in this novel's ending.

... more>>
Spoiler

The ending was open ended and isn't even a good one. All the MC's hard work throughout the story ended with absolutely no rewards and makes you wonder why you just read 174 chapters for nothing.

[collapse]

TL;DR: Follow what others said, skip the last 2 chapters (173, 174) and imagine your own happy ending. <<less
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
pomoli
pomoli rated it
March 11, 2018
Status: c115
Good read.

Pro

  • The idea is original.
  • Characters are interesting.
  • MC is not a bad dude.
Con

  • Later in the story, the MC behavior becomes worse, emotional instead of level headed.
  • The romance is going toward drama/jealousy.
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Leave a Review (Guidelines)
You must be logged in to rate and post a review. Register an account to get started.