For the time I got to read this story, it was incredible. The protagonist really felt like a breathe of fresh air compared to many of the other series I've read, and the side characters were incredibly vibrant. The world, too, was fleshed out perfectly, giving us clear explanations of how this version of society works, as well as the worlds power systems, the differences between monsters, humans, and those in between, and so much more.

It is genuinely such a shame to see it go. From what I can tell,... more>> NovelPia, the bastards, most likely sent yet another DMCA claim/C&D so they could replace Ippo, a fully competent fan translator site, with their shitty AI that can't even get names or genders correct half the time, as they've done for hundreds, or perhaps even thousands now, of series across NU. The disrespect towards fan translators is something we should never forget as we boycott NovelPia Global and hope for its absolute failure.

Edit:

It seems NovelPia translations are being added to NU, which is honestly such a shame, especially considering the way they translate with unedited MTL directly goes against the websites rules. Having read through it a little, they don't get a single characters gender right, and the names are all mashed together. I genuinely really love NU, it's where I find just about every novel on the web at this point and I've used it tens, perhaps hundreds of times daily... but it seems it might be time for me to leave it if they're allowing this quality of work despite the rules. <<less

Searching amidst murky mold

Stumbled upon shiny gold

Should have not eaten so fast

Now all I can do is wait and stack

———

Translation: Good, nothing to say here. Although it's a bit early but more chapters would be much appreciated. Please, thank you.

Plot: Basic, but good execution.

... more>>

Spoiler

Although, still no long term goals or finish line in sight as of c30 (except maybe revenge on the lab and growth to Annihilation rank).

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MC: Righteous MC. I always welcome this type more over the braindead psycho or selfish hypocrite. Here, MC can seem a bit naive and overly helpful to people at times, but that's because he didn't receive proper education since he was always in the lab. He only remembers the dying words of his mother to help people. Don't be mistaken though, if threatened MC will retaliate and even kill, monsters and humans alike.

Side cast: Quite good. They have their own goals, beliefs and internal conflicts and undergo some changes throughout the story. There are however too few recurring characters. So far, only the S-rank woman was there the longest. This can also be good: I prefer to have a good small cast than a big tr*shy one.

Setting and worldbuilding: Surprisingly good. You can see that Author though a bit before writing, which is always appreciated. Of course if you use your brain you will see the inconsistencies, but this level of writing should be enough to immerse the reader and make them forget the oopsies. Example: Monsters attack cities frequently, so humans adapted and now use modular infrastructure to repair the damages faster after the heroes have finished their job. Clear causes and effects like that make the world more believable. Not realistic, but believable and immersive. <<less

Ok, I started reading this with no expectations whatsoever and was pleasantly surprised.

The main character is, obviously, a disposed experiment and he lives as he pleases in a superhero city. He doesn't have many wishes besides eating and sleeping well, that's why he is often compared to a cat. He might seem dumb most times, but he just likes to live simply. He does think about things if he needs to or if it bothers him. His antics are pretty fun to read about since he is like a big... more>> cat even in his human form. He is nice, doesn't want to hurt people and tries to learn how to be good despite what his instincts and hunger drive him to act.

The setting is the common superhero one and the power system is very loose. The biggest threat to humans and the main target for heroes is actually monsters, but there are also villains out there.

To give some comparisons, the main character reminds me a bit of Shang Jianyao from Embers Ad Infinitum and Seo Geo from The Artist Who Paints Dungeon. The former because of how his behavior puzzles those around which hides how thoughtful he can be, and the latter because of how simple they like to live, as well as their love for food and how they are not quite human.

In conclusion, at least until chapter 51, don't expect an insanely crafted plot but enjoy the setting and how the characters interact. It's a fun reading that makes you want more. <<less

An absolute feast for the eyes, a unique main character, an interesting world, everything is well explained, and not by infodumps, but organically.

A fascinating plot, from an equally fascinating perspective of the not quite human, not quite monster MC.

I am not eloquent enough to describe it well enough, but it was something I genuenly looked forward to, and now, novelpia global, the absolute s*um that they are, dmca'd the translator, and for what?

For their barely legible "ai", that would be begging to be put out of it's misery could it... more>> comprehend it's own existence, to "translate" this work of art worse than some dude armed with google translate and a lobotomy, and likely bury it under a paywall at that.

In conclusion, it is probably fairly easy to understand how much I liked this novel just from how i've written this review, and so, a little bit of closing thoughts: i've enjoyed reading this unique novel while it lasted, and also, let the bastards behind this dmca strike burn in hellfire for all of eternity, with snakes biting their balls and all. <<less

One of the better korean 'superhero' novels I've read

I believe it deserves a 3.5, but I bumped it up because the theme is hard to find executed well, and this novel does a decent enough job.

I'm hoping that there isn't a romance plot anytime soon

... more>> Also, there's this running joke on married women who get really h**ny around the MC and would cheat on their significant other just because the MC is hot

Not a part I like, which is why this isn't a 4.5-5 star since it keeps happening and wasn't a one-off raunchy joke <<less

Great start with an interesting premise but the story soon falls flat with bloated writing and no real purpose. 3/5

I'm not lying when saying that probably half the story at this point is random internet folks commenting on certain situations or pointless back and forth dialogue on the same topics. The writing here is very repetitive, for example, the MC is a monster that needs to be killed vs. MC is a good monster who saves people dialogue gets repeated every couple of chapters. I thought that we would move... more>> on from this, but every time you think so, either a new character is introduced saying the opposite or a scenario with MC gets misconstrued and random internet people who will say again that all monsters need to be killed or vice-versa.

The other half of the story is decent and feels like a slice of life novel, but these are the parts I enjoyed most. Its fun seeing MC interact with others as his single frame mindset on food and mannerisms make it fun to read. Its nice seeing MC working at a job and the reactions of those around him. If the story cut down on a lot of pointless dialogue and focused more on the characters, it would be a lot better imo.

Moving onto the action - meh. Not very descriptive with powers, ranks, how strong certain abilities are or what the cost to using such abilities. World building is nothing, we are just in 1 city the entire time.

Overall, an okay read to pass time with, not good but not terrible <<less

This is an excellent story.

The characters are written very well. Especially the villains. You would expect someone like with a philosophy of 'superhuman supremacy' to be a one-dimensional a**hole, and he would be in any other story as he is introduced that way in the first place, but he's useful and noble in all sorts of ways, and even has reasons to be like that while still retaining his worldview/principles and not becoming a cardboard mush. The characters' backgrounds, situations and perspectives are all very fleshed out and unique. Villains... more>> aren't completely wrong, spouting off valid points even while being terrible people, having their own unique worldview - not just malicious for the sake of it, and even getting to be cool/good at times. This greyness and character exploration is very, very rare. At most, other works will just give an antagonistic character a sob story or a twisted worldview before getting pummeled by the protagonist and undergoing a 180 'I was wrong...' attitude, but this story explores the rationale behind everyone's perspectives and has them stick to their values accordingly, respecting them as the accumulation of each character's lives and experiences.

Spoiler

This can cause dissatisfaction though, while still being good writing... the poison monster wanted to drug and prostitute the hero and she gets a slap on the wrist, a sob story, and then turned into an ally character. Even then, being free to manipulate the emotions and memories of others freely. This is just my personal gripe though, as she's still objectively a well-written character even if I personally want her to die for her crimes.

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The plot developments are sublime. I can't easily predict future development when it's usually a breeze to do so any other work, it's novel and unique. Tropes or juicy/classic plot developments are used such as 'the former strongest gains power he had in his youth' but it's written in such a way that it is unpredictable and fresh.

Interests weave together in a very satisfying and interesting way, the world and its history being continually fleshed out and revealing depth in a very satisfying and flavorful way, the world very meticulously crafted, things like politics, how people or events from the past influence the present, the difference and connection between cities and the relationship between humans and superhumans all coalesce to create a vibrant and living world.

The pacing is done really well. Each arc has good buildup and climax, with good rest periods/low tension parts afterwards, with the subplot of the internet citizen's reactions to black cat serving the purpose to de-escalate and wind down from the high tension of a big battle. It's a demonstration of a good grasp on proper pacing, and the internet conflicts as well as various other subplots becoming more relevant as Black Cat gains prominence is especially gratifying. The story has a lot of variation and spaced/paces it all well - from black cat acting as a cat with Starlight, to acting as a human with Starlight's sister, to acting as a beast/true self with Gu. There are multiple dimensions to enjoy. Variation, it doesn't get monotonous.

Plot points are spaced well and set up in advance, with reveals sprinkled in at appropriate times. Things set up in earlier chapter are paid off in varied and interesting ways.

This is a great story and one of the best Korean works I've come across, with the writer's skill and vision being properly conveyed. Enjoyable read. <<less

Pretty good. I wanted to give 4 but maybe later it will be worth 5 so it can stay. Mild spoilers ahead. It is fun to read. Maybe a bit annoying that MC has yet to reveal himself. But to be real he has no reason to. It would make things worse if he did.

Go read it and see for yourself. Reviews are usually biased, read first chapter and see if you like it.

Frankly a lot of this novel is frustrating. Fights last way too long and showcase no stakes because the power system does not exist. Injuries do not exist, stamina does not exist, coherent abilities do not exist. Essentially, every fight is just a long prose of explosions, until the end where the actual move happens.

Because I cannot understand whats happening beyond "she shot a laser", I am not invested in these fights.

Moving on from that, the actual plot line is essentially a mess of ideas strung together. It may as... more>> well be a slice of life because the plot flounders across things with no real intent behind it. The main character is also strangely powerless in scenarios that don't make much sense, essentially shoe-horned in to further some plot line that must happen.

Some ideas are cool, and the world building is certainly unique, but it lacks planning and cohesion. <<less

Good start, jut got through an arc that was pretty mid, maybe even bad. Should have included more perspectives to improve clarity, a lot of the arc I couldn't enjoy as I did not know what the hell was going on.

Translation is pretty annoying, but if you don't take it for gospel it's still pretty easy to infer what should have been said, early on they keep saying MC's human form is between rank 2 - rank 5, which is a ridiculous range which is obviously wrong considering his max... more>> strength is rank 4 even in monster form, so you would infer this should say he is between rank 2 - rank 3 in human form.

There are other little things like that, they are annoying but still easy enough to infer that it is wrong and what is the correct translation.

Also... there are some annoying plotholes or inconsistencies? even within the same chapter.

Would give it a 3.5 <<less

The power system isn't very well fleshed out and seems to be a random assortment of cool things that the author has read before. There are a few inconsistencies in the story that are rather critically important. The MC is too lame and doesn't kill nearly enough bad guys. The MC also doesn't want to protect himself very much, which kills the passion for the hero.