At the first, this story is kinda boring. I really wanna drop it but now I am glad that I didn't.

You know what... I really like the development of characters here. The stubborn sword is now seeing the world as it is and not dwelling on his era (400 years ago).

And the uncle. I like him too. He meant what he said and do what he think right. Like him.

I just don't like the possibility this story will become a harem. :") that's all

I am rather choosy with what I read because I am not fond of harems and I easily get fed up when there is a romance subplot so this novel really works for me so far. It has all the elements of amazing kingdom-building, politics, family, and I just love the fantasy! Reminds me of LotR in lots of ways but in an easier and reader-friendly scheme, and also without too much description of places! The MC, dragon slayer Adrian is also amazing! He is cool, a bit inhumane... more>> (which is understandable, of course!) And extremely war/battle maniac. Somehow reading this could really draw some emotions.. I sooo love reading and is thrilled of their war/battle strategies, I cheer in their celebration of victories and also shed tear from their defeats.

Spoiler

Specially during and after the fall of the Winter Castle, what became of Adrian was so heartbreaking! I got teary eyed with the death of one of his most important person. Loved how he became a madman slaying all those idiot nobles and then after they finally defeated the Orc King.. The cool, inhumane Adrian just broke down and cried as he remembered his lost. This is my favorite part! Also his angry exchanges with his father about the kingdom's abandonment of the north, one of the best!

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Definitely worth reading!

Edit: urgg I caught up! Now I understand why some people say that it has a bit of ORV concept. What ORV refers to fables/stories are songs/poems in this wonderfully epic novel. Anyways, those with the blood of a Balahard are the best! Whoever is reaďing this review still waddling in confusion and boredom amidst the quarantine life, yes you, just read this novel. This is the sign you are looking for! XD <<less

This was surprisingly good.

We have an old sword spirit take over the body of the most useless and hated prince. His methods and knowledge have all faded from the common sense and new techniques have taken over.

I won't spoil more, but it was a fairly good read. Well I am a sucker for these kinds of "take-over useless people and change their image"-kind of novels, so I might be a bit biased.

I'll rate it 5 stars for now, I might update this in the future, however.

Maybe this is a good novel, but it is impossible to enjoy, because the translation, while maybe readable is terrible. It needs an editor. The story itself in the moment is nothing special. A sword got transferred into the body of a good-for-nothing prince and he will change the mind of everyone around him, so that they will see him in another light.

Meh.

It’s really good and I’m really glad I didn’t gloss over this. The MC isnt op or anything because of his age and he does make mistakes in assumptions and corrects himself (character development). The action is well written and some parts gave me goosebumps.

It’s like a serious ish fantasy, you aren’t gonna be seeing the MC blow a hole in the mountains anytime soon (maybe in the future I dunno) but you will see some brutal wars and fights against overwhelming opponents

It has a rather cliche premise: super old powerful being possesses a younger body, beats up everyone's expectations, and gets really strong. He also finds that the power system/standard has "declined", and uses the ancient version instead of the modern one.

But it stands out in a few ways:

Unfortunately, there are also a few cons:

Someone defended the original owner of the prince's body... you realize the guy tried to r*pe someone, right? You realize you can't just call that "immature" and say he doesn't deserve the insults... right?

FYI: You should probably ignore the ratings from people who read less than 10 chapters, it's not enough to judge a novel of this length, the exposition is not nearly finished yet at that point. As for the translation, when I read it, it was pretty good. Active Translations goes back to edit their chapters, so it might have been bad before I read it.

Love every part of it, but I am very scared from the betrayal tag, the more happy the novel is the more sadness I will feel when something go wrong.

The normal strong OP guy go inside a loser and fix his mistakes and his surrounding life.

After 35 chapters, I don't know what to make of this story. The only thing that kept me going was the smooth style, really.

There is no plot. We follow the MC's whims, and the first trace of a 'plot' appears at chapter 35 when the MC suddenly wants to become the king (even though he had explicitly rejected that avenue). Even so, his motivation to do so is 'for the sake of his dead friends' who would be ashamed of the current state of their country. It would have been... more>> an okayish motivation if not for the MC's constant characterisation as a hypocritical, cynical meathead.

Contradiction is the major problem of this novel. The MC has an overwhelming pride which drives his decisions; he reacts badly to insults and being underestimated, yet sometimes it's fine to get humiliated in front of a crowd, at his own party (i.e. When an old man throws wine at his face). He treats his girl-knights as objects and then criticises others for doing the same. He says that the previous First Prince was tr*sh for all the bullsh*t he pulled on everybody, then pulls more bullsh*t like killing 14 heirs and insulting his guests. He acts upon incomplete information (what? I'm going to a 'seedy' party? Everybody says it's really a bad idea? Bah, what's the worst that can happen! I like surprises.) Our MC is quite simply out of control. <<less

You really just don't know how much badassery this series has. Instead of the usual Wuxia bs of celestial techniques that ultimately don't mean anything, the wars in this series remind of the reading the Iliad including the epic poems. You don't have the usual bs about the moral quandary of first kill and angst of all the bs typical in young MC stories. Instead we have a MC who is a literal human weapon and embraces the slaughter inherent in war. It also helps that the foes he kills... more>> deserve it so you are rooting for him to lay waste.

Exquisite build up before each battles lends to gravity to each battle and then graphic details of weapon impacts on specific body parts perfectly illustrate the brutality of war with cold weapons. Best military webnovel for sure.

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I came across this on accident and I honestly think that it was a huge stroke of good luck because I am in love with this novel.

The main character accidentally possesses the body of a prince, whose reputation and personality is an absolute mess, after 400 long years of slumber. He may come off as an arrogant jerk in the beginning for glorifying the old ways and barely giving any thought to the new ones but over time, he corrects this viewpoint. His character development is amazing and realistic, and... more>> you won't even realize it until it hits you that he's changed a lot. Strong to the strong and weak to the weak, he can be cruel and mu*derous but he's also terribly generous and caring. Not gonna lie, I am horrendously in love with the main character.

The novel is relatively serious and realistic, as the characters do not have the power to crush planets or defy the universe. It focuses on small and large-scale wars and conveys the struggles of these battles. There is a lot of loss and pain in this novel and I've cried many, many times reading it. It is easy to sympathize with the characters because the feelings are conveyed very well.

And the characters! They are so well-written and have so much depth to them. Their interactions are so precious and fulfilling. The characters are not at all unimportant. In fact, I think one of this novel's best points is the the relationships and dynamics between the characters. (No romance as of right now)

I am so glad to have chanced upon this, in my opinion, very underrated novel. Although it may not be great at the beginning, it gets better and better as you go deeper. And I'm glad I stuck to it. It is amazing, and it is seriously worth reading. <<less

I imagined a different tone and theme after looking at the cover art and the first few chapters, but this is unexpectedly enjoyable. Several elements are quite familiar. For example, we have the Game of Thrones barren North and its main family who maintains a fortress to guard the kingdom against invasions of monsters as well as the wealthier South with its useless nobles. There's even a scene where the Northern rangers take the monsters to show the Southerners. The novel also recalls Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint a bit: in ORV,... more>> characters create "myths" through trials and tribulations, and these serve as the foundation for their strength and power; here, it's the same but with "poems."

I'm nearing the hundredth chapter, but the mana and the "system" are not yet fully fleshed out or completely explained. Also, sadly, there are hints of harem elements that I could do without. <<less

Don’t listen to that Diego guy... I don’t know how he read up to 50 chapters and still wasn’t able to figure out the plot, dude lacks comprehension skills.

Without a doubt one of the best and most well written Korean novel I have ever read. A story about an absolute badass and his journey to becoming a great monarch and destroying everything that threatens his nation (he’s strong af, but he’s not OP. There’s always someone/something stronger than him). Character development: 10/10, plot 9/10, action: 10/10. Overall: 9.5/10

just gonna say this is a disappointing novel with exaggerated rating. I expected a lot because of the reviews, it's very boring until 50 chapters then it gotten more boring after 120 or more.

it has good points but the glaring flaws outmatched the good. War strategies: none. Plain ass side characters would only be mentioned if needed. Power level and ranking doesn't exist because MC and his lackeys can smash enemies several stronger than them for no reason. Fighting scenes are lackluster without any details on how they're fighting, slash... more>> and stab with stronger energy, that's all the fights. And again, this is a novel about war but there's no strategies except keep on defending the wall or charge with more numbers. The only strategy mentioned is waltzing in the enemy camp and assassinating high ranking enemies but there's no explanation on how they did it, just one paragraph of that and voila, enemy is defeated. This keeps on repeating on and on and on that it gets boring. THE TOTAL LACK OF DETAILS AND EXPLANATIONS. And very plain side characters again, they were interesting in the beginning chapters but got forgotten till MC remembered them and they got their own screen time.

good points: props to the translators for their use of various vocabularies that made the noble image shines.

MC character development but there's not much except him realizing something

epic/badass scenes where MC is badass? I guess.

honestly it's a chore reading this. Sigh just disappointing, don't trust the reviews with full stars because it's mose likely they're new to webnovels, if you're experienced get ready to be disappointed. But it's still worth reading if you turn off your braincells. <<less

The most underrated novel ever! Totally masterpiece! The thrill! Characters! Plot! And the sword dance poems! I love them all! I hope they can upload like 10 chapters/week lol thank you!

The story can be a bit over the top at times, but it improves as the story progresses. The beginning of the story is not noteworthy, but my 5 stars are precisely for the later parts. The translation was good at first, then it went downhill for some time. There were some changes in their team, so now, I believe the translation is quite good and hope it remains so for the rest of the story.

I really love the novel. I don't have any fancy words to say about it but the translation is amazing and has certainly widened my english vocabulary. (They hired a new edditor and are even redoing the translation on the first few chapters)

The protagonist is pretty awesome and makes you want to cheer him on. The way the author writes makes you feel like you are also there in the middle of a battlefield with the soldiers. There is already some character development and I hope that the novel... more>> will keep going this route in the future.

I would definitely recommend it! <<less

I really like this novel. At first, I wasn't quite sure what to expect on this story but as of the latest chapter, I got a glimpse on the goals of the MC and his possible future struggles and I'm very excited about it. The idea is not that unique - a sword becoming a human but to me it's much better than the usual transmigration/reincarnation stories in this genre. The MC is also likable, he seems somehow arrogant and a bit narrow minded in his beliefs (justifiable since he's... more>> an ancient & you know how closeminded most old people are) regarding powers however that changes later though he still holds true to his beliefs and that's very admirable. Granted, we're still in the very early chapters of this novel but I really look forward to seeing his character growth <<less

For those who are contemplating whether to read this story or not, if you like stories that focus on the reformation of a degenerating kingdom, beating the odds, lots of battles, comradery, character developments and little to no romance, then this story is good for you 👌

If you're still second-guessing, I'll mention a few key factors that might help you decide whether to give this novel a shot or not:

1. PACING - Tbh, when I read the first 10 chapters, I found it a bit lacking. Still, I was curious... more>> on what will happen so I continued reading. By the time I was at chapter 23, I felt a bit bored and wondered if I should still continue. It lacked the "pushing force/exciting factor" that entices a reader to be motivated in reading a story. So, I read a few more reviews & even spoilers (I'm the type who loves reading spoilers to get me going) and I stumbled upon a review that said the story is like Game of Thrones and even has a wall on the north. It also stated that starting chapter 40, the story gets more interesting. Since I'm a big fan of GOT, I resumed reading. Boy, I'm glad I did. Because starting chapter 38, I read the story without pause. I had to force myself and tore my eyes away from my phone because I had to sleep 😂 The initial chapters before 38 weren't extremely boring. It was obvious that the author was merely laying all the groundwork. Still, for me it felt a bit stagnant and predictable. But once you get past that, you'll be reading this novel like there's no tomorrow 😂👌

2. NARRATION - The narration was a bit confusing at first because the author tells the story in first person POV then transitions to third person POV then back to first person POV several times. It would've been better if there's only 1 pov for the entire story for consistency or if there's really a need to tell the story from a different character's perspective, then at least maintain a single pov per chapter then shift to a different pov on the next chapter—not in the middle of a chapter (regardless whether the change of POV starts from a section break or not) cause it will really confuse the reader, especially since during the first few chapters, a reader is still not familiar with the characters yet. Better yet, name the chapter title with the character's name to indicate that specific chapter will be told in the corresponding character's perspective. Then, either use the first person POV or third person POV for the whole story—just like what Rick Riordan did in his The Heroes of Olympus & The Kane Chronicles book series. Nevertheless, you'll get used to the multiple transitions of POV as you read on. Plus, it's still great that you'll get to view the MC and the surroundings from a different character's perspective.

3. POEMS - In this story, the characters—especially the MC—use poems/dance poetry as their main power. Weird right? I know. It's like Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint but the difference is that in ORV, they use stories instead of poems. Tbh, I don't like the poems 😅 I even skip reading most of them when a character recites them (sorry not sorry). I just find it extremely weird. I had to remind myself that the poems are like incantations magicians/wizards normally recite to cast spells—just to appease my brain which kept on questioning about the logic in them 😂 Maybe if the poems rhymed I could've tolerated them a bit. This, however, is just my personal preference. I've read quite a lot of reviews where they said that the poems made the story a lot better and unique. I guess it's just really a matter of preference.

4. CHARACTERS - A piece of advice: DON'T JUDGE A CHARACTER TOO EARLY. Some might seem like a villain, some are close-minded, and some may even annoy the hell out of you. You'll most likely wonder 'Why the hell didn't they do that?' or 'Why is he acting this way?' Some have their own reasons and circumstances why they're acting the way they are, which will all be explained as the story goes on. BUT, don't worry since most will have character developments. It's actually what I like about the story because as they experience countless tribulations, they gradually change for the better—both the MC & supporting characters. MC isn't the most likeable (in my opinion). Since he had lived as a sword for a century or more, he lacks the common sense or compassion a normal human typically has. Plus, since he's been to several battles, won most of them (wielded by his master ofc), and received a great deal of karma which made him powerful, he's arrogant and overconfident, especially in the first chapters. He became stuck (almost drunk) in his past glories & knowledge. Still, he'll slowly realize his faults and grow for the better 👌 Moreover, you'll probably notice sooner or later that he's a battle-crazed maniac, which I find kind of irritating at times but that characteristic of him also has a reason so just stay tuned to find out. My most fav character is a minor supporting character: Jordan (just saying 😁).

5. ROMANCE - As some of you might've noticed, there's a harem tag. But you don't have to worry too much about it since this story has little to no romance at all. I think there's only a harem tag cause the MC is indeed surrounded with quite a few beauties (they're not mere decorations tho). There's even an elf (most harems doesn't miss this kind of character smh 😒). Still, don't let that elf fool you 😂 Nonetheless, the story doesn't stray away from its main focus which is to overthrow the empire which had degraded the MC's kingdom & reform the kingdom.

6. BATTLES - If I had to rate all the battles, I guess it's a 3/5 (maybe 3.5 if it's a stretch). In terms of action, it's great (since the MC and his comrades are strong) but when it comes to strategy, meh 🤷‍♀️ There's a bit of strategy but most of the time, it's more on the MC or the other champions battling in the frontlines and wiping out the enemies. For me, I like it when there's some superb strategy and it will play a big role in winning the battle but that's just my personal preference. Also, the battles in the north kind of got repetitive tbh. Still, my most fav battles were the one with the Warlord and the fight with Sigrun. For me, they're the most intense (which really got me hyped up) and the most tragic (I seriously cried hard).

7. TRANSLATION - In the first few chapters, there are some small mistakes in the translations. But, they won't hinder you in understanding the story because they're quite easy to comprehend. For example, when the third prince was talking to the first prince (the MC), there's a dialogue that said: "Blah, blah (basically taunting his brother) , " the first prince said. In here, it's pretty obvious that the one who actually said it was the 3rd prince and not the first prince (MC). The few mistakes, if I remember correctly, can only be found in the initial chapters. In the later chapters, there's none.

Tbh, it could've been better if they stabilized the internal affairs of the kingdom first and prepared more thoroughly before warring against the empire or involving themselves with other wars. It all seemed too premature to me. Still, this story is worth reading 👌 <<less

This novel is interesting... there are some cliches such as the MC being an old spirit taking over the body of a prince and a lot of prejudgement based on the original host's behavior. But it's actually decent. The characters are interesting and the world-building is quite deep, as it's a core foundation of the plot.

I also like the way they use their sword arts or skills... one of the most unique ways that I have read so far in any novel. Most novels have skills be a set of... more>> techniques or abilities. Here they blend it with poetry, similar to bards tales or sea shanties of the past. Poems of great knights, battles, heroes of the past etc... definitely allows you to create a very unique imagination when reading <<less

3 chapters in and I can say it seems interesting and have a good potential. I think, if you like "How To Live As The Enemy Prince", you will like this too. also fight scenes and the atmoshpere seems very good. writing is good. not just some words put here and there..... and ignore that one review or whatever. like, regardess of anything he said, just what does that mean "The world-building is not that bad". lol. we didn't even get a world building yet in ch 20. anyway, give... more>> it a try guys and you will be amazed. he just made conclusion so very fast. <<less