To address some negative points from other reviewers:

• • "MC is unlucky, weak, and tortured (even by his own cheat). Not parody/satire and the situation doesn't improve."

Yes, he is unlucky. Yes, he is weak. At the BEGINNING of the story. His situation DOES improve and he does get stronger. While his system can be ridiculous, like giving him ridiculous dialogue options, the MC is able to turn the situation around because of his intelligence. Also, the whole point is that he's a member of the Demonic Cult, so of course his life is very difficult. It's the Demonic Cult; their members kill each other on the regular. The MC is surrounded by enemies. That was what led to his first death, and the many times he dies afterward. It makes the MC's situation urgent, makes him incredibly motivated to get stronger, and is very real justification for why he needs to become the strongest and kill his enemies.

• • "The random missions the system gives to the MC"

• • "The combat system"

I honestly had no problems with it. I like that he can switch between different combat types, and he has to choose the right combat type to maximize his advantage in the battles he's in.

• • "Toilet humor"

Yeah, I don't know what's up with that either honestly. Thankfully, those are very minor parts of the novel.

• • "The romance"

The romance with the love interest could be less dry, but at least she's strong and also has a similar goal to the MC, i.e. she also hates the Demonic Cult. Also, what's the problem with falling in love at first sight? Have you never fallen in love with someone because they were beautiful? She's not a bad person either, and it's not like the MC is nerfed just because he has a love interest.

Overall, I like this novel a lot. I like the protagonist. I like the world building of the story. I like how the Demonic Cult and Justice Sects like Mount Hua aren't that much different. There is no distinction between "good" and "evil" in this world, only good and bad choices. You can be a member of a Demonic cult or a righteous one and still be bribed by money, greed, slaughter your enemies, etc. Despite how dangerous the Demonic Cult is, the story and the world acknowledges that it is the best place to grow stronger. It's why it's the best place for the MC, despite danger and enemies around every corner. The MC is not an evil person, just because he's a member of the Demonic Cult. He's not a mass mu*derer; he cares about his subordinates' lives,

Characters around the MC are, in my opinion, pretty well fleshed out. His enemies, inside and outside the Demonic Cult. Enemies turned allies, especially the

Update (after reading up to chapter 150 in the novel) : This novel is honestly so surprising. I really don't know how to describe it. Just when you think you know what's going to happen, the author and the story still manage to surprise you. I really did not expect Despite how controversial this decision might be, I think it's for the best. After all, the AI always tells the MC Seol-hwi "not to get eaten by the system". He's just some lucky guy who got the chance to redo his life with a system. But what is his "strength" without the system/cheats, right? I think it makes Seol-hwi more of a real person. How many protagonists actually draw a line between themself, and the cheats they use to get stronger?

The author really is creative when it comes to this novel. It's not what you expect from a weak to strong, game interface/system, etc. like other novels, but that's what makes it interesting. It's never boring, because the protagonist is never too OP even though he is strong, which means his life is engaging to read about. He really is one of those "hardworking" protagonists, truly.

Response to Decarabia's review: The feeling that everything is being controlled by the system, that humans/people are just NPCs is intentional. Seol-Hwi is trying to rely less on the system/break away from the system, since it feels like everything in his life is being controlled by it (we haven't learned why, what the system really is yet, etc.)

Response to all_missing's review: There are no "arranged marriages" in this novel??? Neither the MC, Seol-Hwi, or any other character in the novel is getting married??? And there are no "young masters"??? The closest I can think of is the Earth Demon, who is described as pretty, but he is the weakest of the Heavenly Demon's disciples. He is respected by his subordinates, but no one else in the Sect. I really don't know what this reviewer is talking about. Those are things that are not even in the novel...

the protagonist in this series is just dying and getting sh*t on by every single person that he meets because he's crazy weak. He saves himself from one life threatening situation by talking out of his ass and gets plunged into another because the place he's at is completely f*cked. Then he gets locked into a horrible situation and then, since he doesnt have plot armor, he ends up dying and having to restart.

i really like how it commits to the save and restart aspects of a game. Really makes... more>> for a new sort of way of storytelling. I really like the protagonist too. He's got no sense of humiliation or anything at all, because he really is an ant in every single situation. Man's just a guy using his brain to try and survive.

its pretty good so far, and its finally something of the action genre that is more or less unique and fleshed out at the same time. Try it out?

nvm god you should be able to delete reviews. Martial art novel writers need to just stop writing women in their stories at all holy jesus. Ive never seen them write a decent romance on god please please please please why is it too much to ask for a romanceless martial arts novel <<less

Anti-cliche protagonist. Author makes him unlucky, weak, and tortured (even by his own cheat). Not parody/satire and the situation doesn’t improve.

I personally didn’t like this but I could see this being 2-3 stars in writing quality.

The gist of the story is that the (very weak) MC is not isekaied or anything, but he got some game like system in a demonic sect where political shenanigans are threatening him.

So far so good, with some caveats.

Pro

• The sense of progression is interesting, from zero to more powerful. I'm also curious on the world and what's going on, which is a good sign.
• The system is worth exploring.

Con

• I like romances when well executed, but this looks like at best boring, and at worst horrible stuff,
  Spoiler

  with MC basically falling in love at first sight with the "amazing beauty" of a woman we literally read about less than 10 sentences up to now. Even worse with love points quantifying his love for her.

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• What's with the obsession with latrines, sh*t and scat stuff in general? It's really disgusting to read that in such details. Once is ok, twice is already pushing it (no pun intended), but THREE TIMES we got descriptions of someone defecating on MC, or MC defecating on someone. Like, I'm good public, but why??
• The system went from "logical" to "random" with the last chapters with
  Spoiler

  the random quest with the librarians for zero reason.

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Most of the review will be spoiler, but my view is the opposite from other reviews, this novel looked promising early chapters, trolling system, hardcore world where you can die, limited lifes, powerful characters

... more>>

Spoiler

and it gets progressively worse and more messy as it goes, the skill progression does not make sense, the story makes zero sense, the characters become worthless flies passing by, the system itself turns from cheat to reverse plot armor obstructing MC in every way possible, MC gets 1000+ lifes, which won't be written about as they seem redundant at this point

MC kills heavenly demon disciples with a flick of a finger, but it turns out they are not negative characters at all, but heavenly demon is, than it turns out that heavenly demon is just a puppet, the real enemy is the absolute a supreme being that is the owner of the system that raised MC

So the real enemy of the MC is the system itself

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The manhwa for this is great and it brings me here to read the novel. And it doesn't disappoint (although the translation does makes things quite confusing at the later chapters, but it is still... readable. Anyways, the essence of the novel remains quite solid. ... more>>

Spoiler

It talks about the MCs struggle to go against the fate laid by the system, something that is absolute and seems impossible to go against. And the inevitability of having to follow the path laid by the system at the end. To make the impossible possible and how to retain his humanity even when he keeps restarting.

If anything I guess I wish the author had delved into his relationship with Gonma or his other colleagues more. I'm not sure if it's because of the novel or because of the translation but when I moved from the manhwa to the novel, I can't feel the relationship of the MC with others.

I feel like the manhwa highlights his relationship more. Maybe if the manhwa ever gets completed, all the supposedly sad scenes in the novel will be more impactful.

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The novel start out pretty decent but then the author force plot too much as well as making almost everyone else useless. As the story progress the MC got a squad of people but somehow it always force into situation alone. The worst was when around 292 it's so s*upidly bad that had to create an account to review.

I can't understand why this novel has such high ratings. The translation quality is awesome, but the plot is mediocre so far. It's Korean, but it has the qualities of typical Chinese martial arts novels: reincarnator protagonist, arranged marriages, young masters, fast growth, and plenty of face slapping. I've read so many of these types of novels, I've become numb. It just couldn't hold my interest after reading until chapter 39. Maybe it gets better further in? I don't know. Trying to keep reading feels too tedious.

Lol, my fellow reviewers are hilarious. I think the author was being ironic by unlocking a love life if MC endures humiliation and becomes someone's dog. Lol.

The series is most likely MTLed by sky demon order and edited. There's quite a bit of incomprehensible sentences in some sections of the series, but putting the issue with translations aside, the novel itself is a bit flawed but overall a pleasant read. I'll point the flaws first.

Is there any novel out there that actually turns out to be great by quantifying Combat Power, especially with numbers?

It's a s*upid mechanic that's going to severely limit a reader's expectation. I kinda blame dragon ball with that Over 9000 power meme.... more>> In HDCS (heavenly demon cultivation system), numbers don't really mean a thing. Maybe the goal is to show familiarity to IRL gamers where they win against Elden Ring bosses by wearing nothing but a jar on their head. Even if the boss power is over 9000, and you're a measly 1000, you still show the boss who's the real boss? But either the author didn't do it well, or he realizes that it's a shitty aspect of his novel, and entirely discards the numbers around the second half of the novel.

Romance is also not a strong point in this series. The author tried to tie in an emotional plotline around the romances, but they are not written good enough to bring tears to the eyes. Should I call it a valiant attempt? I guess the complexity and emotional tragedy would have carried over better if it's written better.

System aspects are also strange. The author probably intended to add some comedic flavor in the earlier half of the series. As an example, comedic emojis = insults. The protagonist is forced to select to pick them in various 'QTEs', and as the secret of the System is revealed in the second half of the Part 1, there's no actual reason as to why the protagonist is forced to pick them other than the author's whims.

These are the general flaws of HDCS. How about finer details?

If you look at the summary description of this series, you probably won't understand much other than guessing the protagonist having a few cheat options.

Basically without giving too many spoilers, it's about the protagonist understanding he has a cheat system after getting his first death in a 'game system', then trying to secure a 'win' by rebelling against it. It's a messy plot that's all over the place, but I appreciate the effort of the author's efforts to come up with something other than the Murim/dungeon/reincarnation tie-ins.

The series is technically classified as Sci-fi/Murim, but there's more of a genre shift from Sci-fi to Murim in the second half. In the first half of part 1, the protagonist is aided heavily with the game system, ranging from instantly acquiring martial arts from reading books and acquiring Cheat skills like AI helper/Shown Simulation to perform Task X/Ability commands, equivalent of casting Hadouken in Street fighter with no Qi usage. Perhaps these cheats are too powerful that the author had to raise the power levels of 'Murim' skills, to offset 'Divine Weapons' Hadouken'. This is evident in the second half of Part 1. I guess Power Creep happens even in novels and not just the gacha games, funny.

Still, the series is enjoyable as the protagonist gears up for facing the Boss in Part 2.

I'll say that turning off the brain is best to enjoy HDCS. Ignoring all the issues will make for a more pleasant read (especially the problems from MTL). 4/5 stars. <<less

This novel has pretty strong start, which makes it doubly unfortunate that, after about 200 chapters or so, it gradually turns into an incomprehensible word salad. I don't know if that's due to the writing or the translation, but either way, I'm now completely lost as to what the MC is planning and who any of the character's he's interacting with are.

This is not a bad novel, in fact I find it quite refreshing and well thought out in comparison to the great abyss of cultivation novels. But it thoroughly ab*ses the litrpg element, at some point the novel starts to get very game-like. I would've given 4 stars otherwise from being generally interesting.

The purpose of introducing a game-like system on a novel is primarily to connect with readers immediately and have a smooth flow. It was used very well in this novel by exploring the reality-breaking ways a game character... more>> could interact in real life (or, at least, Murim life), and slowly unravelling many of its functions.

Therein lies a problem. Characters in this novel are not NPCs, or at least they don't start like that. But the more reality functions as a game and characters start to follow predetermined patterns, the more they feel like NPCs and become as pieces in a board game. The unexpected and unpredictable events that happen around MC to spice up the story, due to him eventually entering the mindset of a player, paradoxically makes him look like an NPC too. Because the general RPG player would treat their character's life as such, merely an envoy of their will. Everything becomes a puppet theater.

Novels about transmigration to a game go through NPC->Human mindset, but this one which isn't even transmigration is running backwards from human to NPC. I simply cannot find in myself the heart to care about any character in the novel, sympathize with their feelings, stories, motivations, etc. It becomes too shallow. <<less

Probably closer to a 4.5, but since people don't like initially weak characters, 5. But the translation is def good.

It's pretty interesting, the MC is just some desperate bottom tier guy that gets another chance with a system. The take on the system is rather refreshing, it has strengths and weaknesses, and is kind of weird, forcing the MC to do some questionable stuff. Only having very limited revivals while being in deadly situations also gives it some stakes. The MC is likeable, he isn't dumb but isn't a super... more>> genius either, and the way the system works actually encourages thinking strategically.

At this point in the story the MC is def in his growth phase, I wonder how the story will go once he is super strong since one major point is MC struggling due to his weakness. But I' looking forward to more. <<less

IIf you're here to look for instant power up cheats that instantly defeat the villains to slap face you're in the wrong place.

MC is a mob character sent on a su*cide mission in a world of martial arts.

But upon his death he gets a game system. To be exact, it's a visual novel system, with finite lives and save slots.

... more>> It's also rogue lite, he gets to keep martial arts proficiency and items he has gained across lives, and he can earn extra lives achieving certain accomplishments.

Pretty interesting premise and the MC doesn't stay a mob forever. <<less

This is just a personal preference but VR novels and game like are my least favorite type of novels especially when the MC is forced to follow only the choices given to him by the system so I skipped this one for sometime and only read it due to boredom but I found that it's really a good one. I like the plot development and always want to find out what's going to happen next. I still don't like the choice system and combat types so I'll give 4 stars... more>> for now

the translation rate is very slow so I read the MTL but the quality is bad and the choice system looks more annoying so I'll stop for a while till more translated chapters come

edit: I'm dropping. When the free style was introduced, I thought things will get better but the system now can control other people, the side characters are like npcs, the sudden huge power rise and the plot became boring. I guess this novel style isn't really my type. <<less

I'll try to be as concise as possible.

Whether good or bad, one thing I can say is that this novel is quite unique and somewhat unpredictable compared to most cliche tropes and writings of this genre despite having some inconsistencies. However, the narrative is quite interesting because the story sacrifices some consistencies to bring unpredictability and plot twists. This kept me on edge. Another thing to note : if someone is new to cultivation and murim novels but the reader has prior experience to "system" based novels, then this should... more>> be the choice to go. As it starts from the very bottom of hierarchy and slowly climbs towards the highest position and even exploring the divine and god levels. I understand that it has many writing flaws from literature perspective, but it has merits to entertain me. <<less