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


bukubuke
bukubuke
September 8, 2016
Status: v3c2 part1
First off don't be tricked by the name like me, so far almost nothing to do with dungeons.

This novel isn't for people who are too used to the typical japanese shonen and "intense" action which happens in every other chapter with your main characters shouting at their simple minded precarious villains and slashing 'em up etc. Also the novel is not for the faint hearted.

To give a nice comparison, Dungeon Defense is like Code Geass except lelouch's special ability is not present and the mechas are gone. Ok bad comparison... more>> but you catch my drift?

DD is about the schemes and thinking as our MC uses his wits and eloquent speech into getting his intended outcome. If you dislike impotent, dense and insane Deus ex Machina moments as well as your courteous japanese MC then try korean novels like Dungeon Defense.

TL;DR Dungeon Defense is like wine, you can't enjoy it with a childish mentality.

Tried not to put in spoilers as the story is very enjoyable. <<less
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Mellows
Mellows rated it
August 25, 2016
Status: v2 Intermission
After reading the Volume 2 Intermission, I find it hilarious that other comments with a 'genius protagonist' and some other shit. Seriously? IT'S one of the 'Masterpiece' out there that haven't discovered up until now. Great POV's not where the cast where it's always aligned in the Protagonist, where others don't care for the character build up like other korean novels like Moonlight Sculptor, Ark, etc. The Plot is brilliant where all the scenario is unexpected and;

Lastly the twisted nature parts and the views which more exciting and thrilling to... more>> read it. Two Sentence. Simply Magnificent.

Oh and also, Thank you for the Translator for doing this and for your hard work translating this 'Oh so novel'. Looking forward for the Volume 3 of it.

:) <<less
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Rice1321
Rice1321 rated it
August 12, 2016
Status: --
This is one of the BEST novel that I have read with a RPG setting. None of these epic adventures, money-grubbers (ahem Weed and Ark), harems, exaggerating OP skills, and annoying ranking systems. JUST PURE 100% DEMON DOMINATION. Loving every minute of it.
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Foxuoa
Foxuoa rated it
June 27, 2020
Status: v5 afterwood
If you’re the type who like a psycho MC but still have compassion then this is the novel for you. First thing first this novel highly focuses on politics so expect a lot of unexpected sh*t to happen and lastly if you’re not into gore or psycho characters then I think you’ll find this novel horrifying since most of the characters are like that...

~Still waiting for vol 6 : (
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Ubiquitin
Ubiquitin rated it
April 29, 2019
Status: v3
I rate this as a 3 stars cuz I really love the 1st and 2nd volume. But the 3rd volume f*cked it up, distorting the characters behavior and characteristics. In addition, the I always face palmed when I read the actions or thoughts of the characters. The plot was also affected such that it caused me to drop the novel.

This is just my opinion and I hope that you respect mine as I respect yours.
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vaizard12
vaizard12 rated it
March 28, 2019
Status: v3c1
After reading the first volume, I thought this would become my new favorite novel. But I was wrong. This is more of a comment than a review. I'm just too disappointed.
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Mild Fracas
Mild Fracas rated it
July 29, 2018
Status: v5 afterword
Before reading this, there is one thing everyone needs to know.

... more>>
Spoiler

Nearly every single character near the MC is either twisted or downright insane (including the MC himself) (the witches are the best). This is what the essence of the novel is. It is this single quality that makes the story truely interesting. Everything else is just filler.

[collapse]

Firstly after the MC gets his dungeon back in the opening chapters, the part with "game elements" gets almost entirely shoved out the window. But this is good, since it allows the novel to be something different from the abyss of tropes it would have been bound for.

MC is so s*upidly smart that when he decides to finally get off his ass he becomes a literal miricale man. At least this is the case until he changes so much of the world settings that his game knowledge no longer applied. Then the real game begins.

More than that, the characters and their interactions are simply... incredible... it's beautiful, crazy, violent, brilliant, depressing, uplifting and completely delicious!

Example:

Spoiler

Before the war begins, the representatives from each side meet in the middle of the battlefield and "negotiate". The MC is the rep for his side and the supreme commander is the rep for the other side. They meet in a tent, introduce themselves, then proceed to play Go. It takes like two weeks to determine a winner. During the ENTIRE time they play, they don't speak a single word to each other. For two weeks.

[collapse]

Its totally ridiculous, and also complete genius.

This is the reason why this novel is so good. Watching all the personalities smash into each other and twist around one another is so entertaining.

There is some plot armor, but it's mostly very well done and clever plot armor so it doesn't stick out to most people (except the decision boxes, we could do without those). It doesn't really detract from the enjoyment of watch things unfold, unless you are a person who hates any and all plot armor. In that case, you should probably stop reading Web novels.

In the end it's all about the characters. The plot and devious ploys and thwarting of other devious ploys comes second. Though the plot kicks into high gear when the war starts. Please read it with this in mind. <<less
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killjase
killjase rated it
October 18, 2017
Status: v3 afterword
I have complex feelings about this novel. On one hand, the writing is quite enjoyable and the world it takes place in interesting. On the other hand, I can't relate to any of the characters mentioned in this story. What starts like classic - "Ughhh my childhood was bad, so I'm totally not against taking other life for survival. Also, I'm a total badass in all ways, thus I have to rely on my background being horrible to give me any character qualities." - Quickly takes turn into the realms... more>> of complete madness that brings with it great and complex character development. The characters are mentally broken and ill, I find that to be a problem for me as most sensible things seem so obscure to them and vice versa, thus it leads me unable to sympathize with any of them. However, this doesn't mean that the novel is bad.

If you into fantasy/psychological/Horror/Mature/dark tones story (these genres, in my opinion, is what the story's all about). Then this will be a great read for you. I, however, stopped reading at volume 3 end. 4/5 stars from me, as while I dislike this novel, it is a great read for people into that stuff. Not 5/5 as there are still some places that have logical fallacies (that are not part of emotional, mental spectrum). <<less
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AvERaGeNP
AvERaGeNP rated it
August 5, 2016
Status: v1c5
This novel has its moment but its extremely slow. MC describes everything related to subject even the ones not needed. Example: There is a glass of water, its on a table, the table has other plates too, water is made from hydrogen and oxygen etc... And don't even mention the pov changes. I have to read the same thing countless time which is fun at start but boring as we go on. Nice set up, poor execution. This novel will fantastic for Jp novel fans but decent for Cn novel... more>> ones. <<less
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OGNoeli
OGNoeli rated it
June 17, 2022
Status: Completed
Before I begin I would like to make some things clear

A. PLEASE read more of volume 2 before you say anything the out-of-character moments are explained by the author you should finish reading something before you give a review IMO.

B. It is highly contested whether the author plagiarised or not but Shalvation (The Translator) said that most of the accusations were exaggerated. He says that the main reason for the continued delay of updates is that the author is in a slump. I'm willing to believe him since he seems... more>> to have done more research than other people who just spread that information around after hearing it rather than research themselves anyways enough rant on to the review.

This is a story that speaks to our inner demons that threaten to consume our sanity and I love it for that. No one character in this story is sane everyone has a few screws loose and so far no one is completely evil
Spoiler

Besides maybe the higher-ranking demons like Baal, Agares, and Gamigin, but I haven't read the web novel so I don't know their personality and even then the LN and the WN are basically different stories at this point.

[collapse]
and no one is completely good you don't have that saintess character here that tries to bring the best out of everyone or the seemingly perfect protagonist that could do no wrong. The MC has no power on his own he was a NEET with daddy issues with his innocence revoked and a good head on his shoulders and as he beat the game "DUNGEON ATTACK" it asked him a question. He naturally picked yes and asked a couple more and gets isekai'd into Dantalion the 71st demon lord of "DUNGEON ATTACK" and gets put in a situation where he can die in a matter of minutes. This setup introduces us to how the MC thinks his cunningness, his pragmatism, his twisted personality, and his ultimate goal in life is to never have to do anything again, and now that he is a demon lord "DUNGEON ATTACK" is now "DUNGEON DEFENSE" this isn't important but it's just to answer the question "Why is it called dungeon defense is he never defends a dungeon and that's your answer well at least my interpretation.

I'm letting you guys know that if you want a lovey doubly romance this isn't for you while the MC falls in love it isn't the normal kind it's his own twisted view of it don't think things like obsession or things like that he merely places this girl as the thing he loves 3rd most and the girl does the same the reason they can love each other is because they both love another thing more "AUTHORITY"

anyways this is getting a little long so imma just saying this if you like things like overlord or a smart protagonist who manipulates in the background this is the story for you it was a really good read also another thing read this story with your the full attention of you'll miss important details also while your at it take a look at Shalvations other translation all of them are high quality <<less
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Wolfinn
Wolfinn rated it
June 22, 2021
Status: v4c1
A lot of people are getting quite mad by the plot in chapter two. Simply, the only thing I can say is wait. Dantalian's irrationality in the second chapter is due to the author's planning, not lack of skill. If you... WAIT... you'll see that compared to other novels, this one is completely planned. Every action builds the story and moves the pulse, in a way that both captivates and immerses the reader. IF - and only if- you can think, wait, and really analyze the story rather than do... more>> a shallow evaluation, you will see how while this novel may not be perfect, it is deserving of your attention and patience.

In conclusion, appreciate the work, stop complaining when there are seven other comments on the page complaining about the same thing, while each more shallow then the last. While the author may not ever see this page, they are a person, and this is their life's work. So seriously, have some tact. <<less
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Mahesvara_
Mahesvara_ rated it
March 22, 2021
Status: v5 afterword
One of the best MC for me as I love evil Protagonists. Evil, selfish, cunning, had an unquenchable greed for authority, twisted views and very manipulative. He takes pleasure by tormenting others and invading their minds, taking pleasure on watching the terrified expressions of his enemies/victims. He's good at blackmailing too.

He's treating his subordinates well but taking advantage their weak minds, molding them into his puppets. Pulling others into depravity by corrupting their views with his own.

MC is the lowest among the lowest bastards.
I love it.
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bheyer
bheyer rated it
April 17, 2020
Status: v5
Started off strong with an interesting concept. But starting with volume 3, it became too verbose and excessive.

The story doesn’t flow, as it keeps being interrupted with Long pointless monologues and side characters POVs.

Character development of main characters also doesn’t make sense. It’s not consistent, one moment MC is a NEET, next moment his got the whole world in palm of his hands. His companions too. Other Demon lords were first presented has powerful, but then they become incompetent bumbling pawns of the MC.
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Pompero
Pompero rated it
July 30, 2019
Status: v5 afterword
This series is basically all I want in a good story - a smart, ruthless and ambitious antihero protagonist, a touch of politics and army building, beautiful artistic metaphoric writing and smart pretty ladies. Also, the translation quality is top notch.

The other reviews commenting on how they're surprised/disappointed about how the protagonist changes and becomes a total bad guy after the first volume must have not read or forgotten the prologue completely as the punishment he gives out in the prologue is worse and more cold hearted than any single... more>> thing he does in the following 5 books.

Don't miss out on this series is all I can say, it's amazing. <<less
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LordGriM1997
LordGriM1997 rated it
May 16, 2019
Status: v5 afterwards
After overlord dungeon defense is 2nd best novel in terms of dark protagonist, kingdom building, well developed characters

But sadly author is taking so much time for writing its been 2 years but no volume 6 ?
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aaronlz
aaronlz rated it
June 19, 2018
Status: v5 prologue
In short: Dungeon Defense was a novel I was excited to try out, but it quickly destroyed what was special about it. I hate harem tropes, and so did the protagonist. Until he didn't. I was sick of reading wuxia about marshalling armies and going on the offensive, the protagonist is lazy and going to defend his domain! Once. A truly weak protagonist who will have to use his wits to overcome powerful enemies! Oh wait, he knows the future and can use it to manipulate markets for an insta-fortune,... more>> blackmail or threaten the powerful individuals to his side, and know where to recruit the individuals who will become the most valuable. It is still a decent read if you ignore the title and the set -up through most of the first book, but not every character needs to have severe mental health issues and I'm so sick of horn-dog isekai protagonists with broken advantages conquering the world. If I try and step back to see it objectively, it would probably be closer to (but definitely not over) 4 stars. I'll just say the extra star off is to discourage future authors from false advertising, disgusting masochism, and flipping the script 180. <<less
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forgotten
forgotten rated it
June 9, 2018
Status: v5c3
I liked the idea behind a very smart MC who wins by using his head and knowledge of future instead of using force but these flaws I will name below is what really makes it hard to read.

But sadly this story has enough flaws to me off reading it.

First of all, it's extremely slow.... there are like 2 or even 3 volumes about a single battle.

Second, the author tries to make protagonist with scared mentality but now everyone is mentally unstable, + in volume 5 I had to read about... more>> 20mins about crazy rambling of words which make almost no sense (not MC pov).

and lastly unless you have masochististic tendancies there might be some issues with that. MC isn't just looked down like in a lot of other novels, No he is physicly and verbaly abused all the time. to the point that I have to skip huge chunks of a story just to be able to read it. <<less
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Pyushis
Pyushis rated it
November 15, 2017
Status: v5c3
Was baited so much by the first few chapters. I totally did not expect politics and power tripping will follow the suit later on. This is the type of novel where you either hate it or you like it but you cant say that its bad.

tl;dr - Highly recommend for you to read the first two volumes. Then you can decide to continue or to stop. I wont judge you if you dropped it. JK I would.

Disclaimer: game aspects of this novel is slowly being discarded in the latter chapters.... more>> MC is f*cked up as well. You have been warned. Plot - 5/5

This is a top-tier novel in terms of plot. The fights in this game is both the combination of brains and brawn with a side of politics. It is not the typical fight and get stronger where powers are being wielded left and right. There is little to no cliches. The romance for me is not rushed at all. It has been properly laid out. The introduction of characters are quite nice as well.

Characters - 5/5

Character development here is so delicious. The enemies here aren't just mere enemies to be consumed during the fight. They are properly given life and personalities. Allies have an outstanding character development as well.

Personal Enjoyment - 6 / 5

Do I even need to further explain why? Its top-tier. <<less
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Amnesiac
Amnesiac rated it
July 3, 2017
Status: --
The plot of Dungeon Defense centers around and is largely told in the voice of a nameless man who, upon answering a survey regarding a video game by the name of Dungeon Attack, is transported into the game's world as the second weakest of the 72 demon Lords who rule therein, Dantalion. Having completed the game and come to a conclusion regarding how the world would come to an end after the hero had defeated all 72 demon Lords, Dantalian vows to aquire authority and save the world by any... more>> means necessary.

The world of Dungeon Defense isn't anything particularly remarkable; the low fantasy setting consists of the usual genre tropes - the segregation and discrimination of races being first and foremost.

However, what makes this story notable is neither the plot nor setting. Rather, Dungeon Defense is, more than anything, a novel defined by it's characters and thematic content. Few characters in this story are either foolish or uninteresting. Take the misanthropic misfit Dantalian for example - a lazy and physically weak yet decidedly licenteous meglomaniac with a tongue of gold and the shittiest moral compass this side of the Mexican border (don't get your panties in a bunch; it's just a joke) - a colorfull character to say the least. Indeed few characters in Dungeon Defense are uninteresting and even fewer are unintelligent. Dantalian is a master schemer, with all likelyhood the best in the story, and yet on a myriad of occasions he is outwitted by friends, enemies, and individuals of dubious standing. The resulting dynamic is unpredictable, exciting, and not at all insulting to the reader's intelligence (as with Death Note where stories attempt convince you that characters are smart by constantly explaining what they're doing and why it's so damn smart). Furthermore, Dantalian's lack of individual strength forces him to consistently rely his on wits and eloquence to accomplish important goals, meaning that intellectual and rhetorical confrontations make up the bulk of the novel. The author, Yoo Heonhwa, evidently understands his strengths and the strengths of his story, and is able to play to them quite adeptly.

The plot, while more or less a vessel for character interactions, is also well thought out. This story clearly isn't a hastily strung together novel composed of disjointed plot-points Making up unrelated story arc after unrelated story arc. No, this is a well paced, planned, and executed story and that also boasts suprising thematic density for it's medium.

The prose here is consistently excellent, at times even gorgeous. When characters choose to wax poetic while monaloging, their thoughts are rendered with the uptmost clarity and startling eloquence. While not so good as to warrant a read in and of itself, the gravitas and concision that Yoo Heonhwa has employed in writing Dungeon Defense is not entirely incomparible to the excellent prose of Light Novel paragons such as ErGen and only serves to enhance the reading experience.

Dungeon Defense a superlative novel - a well written, well paced story with adequate world building and morally ambiguous, intelligent characters. There's very little to objectively critique here besides a couple of game mechanics that are introduced early on and slowly fade out of relevency as the story continues. To my mind, even this choice on the author's part impacted the story positively. Rather continue to shoehorn game mechanics into the story in order to appeal to a demographic, the author chose to make the story more immersive by discarding tired cliches such as choice boxes in favor of traditional storytelling. If you share my tastes - if you love to watch scheming and tense character interactions awash with subtext and complexity; if you love solid storytelling and good prose; if you love structurally sound and concise stories - you will likely anxiously await the release of volume 5 along with me and this novel's burgeoning fanbase.

Tl;dr Really good story w. Really good characters. Try reading through the tutorial segment if you're interested cause nothing prior to that is truly representative of what DD is all about. <<less
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Reindeer
Reindeer rated it
December 27, 2016
Status: v3c6
It's amazing.

Likeable MC, check. One of the best out there, he's really intelligent, and like the others said, an intelligent person, not some dumb, dense, idiot "genius", *cough* the so-called geniuses who are actually passive and usually react to conflicts via genius skills, not genius genius way of thinking *cough*.

Likeable plot, check. The MC vs. Allies, Demon vs. Other Demons, and Demons vs. Humans, also some Humans vs. Humans. I like the stage of the play.

... more>> Likeable supporting characters, check. Laura is waifu, waifu is laifu, laifu is Laura.

Likeable villains, check. The imperial princess, no need for words. It's like the MC and her are dancing. That bald northern commander, we get to connect with him. The other demons, where we can't really say they are allies or enemies.

Good writing, check. No doubt the best I've seen. The way we see the enemies POV before and during conflict, it gives me the feeling that the story is well thought and already has a plan on what it's doing, not suddenly adding sh*t like, oh we need a villain, why not add one right now. Volume 2 was pretty cool, and if you've read it, you'll know what I mean.

For negatives, I guess it's that what happened to the "dungeon defense"? Not that it matters though. The only time they actually defended the dungeon was when they lost the dungeon castle. Though I guess it was called this way cuz of the Dungeon Attack game.

All in all one at my top 3. <<less
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