Main Character Hides His Strength

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Enemy of the world, cursed by all, Kim Sungchul goes on a quest to prevent the ‘prophecy of the end’ from coming to pass.

But no matter how much he raised his strength, there were still some things he could not achieve with physical strength alone.

Resolving to obtain the power of magic, he goes into hiding to learn magic from his most hated of enemies, The Mages.

Associated Names
One entry per line
Enemy of the World
Juin Gongi Himeul Sungim
The Protagonist's Hidden Strength
주인공이 힘을 숨김
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
The King of the Battlefield (13)
Master Hunter K (8)
Seoul Station’s Necromancer (8)
M E M O R I Z E (7)
The Lazy Swordmaster (5)
Reincarnator (5)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Favorite List : Transported to Novels/Games/Otherw...
  2. Male Protagonist (No CP)
  3. Fantasy NO romance
  4. List of Goods
  5. 8th-Grade Syndrome Policy

Latest Release

Date Group Release
03/22/18 OppaTranslations c131
03/11/18 OppaTranslations c130
02/28/18 OppaTranslations c129
02/21/18 OppaTranslations c128
02/15/18 OppaTranslations c127
02/09/18 OppaTranslations c126
01/31/18 OppaTranslations c125
01/28/18 OppaTranslations c124
01/17/18 OppaTranslations c123
01/12/18 OppaTranslations c122
01/02/18 OppaTranslations c121
12/29/17 OppaTranslations c120
12/19/17 OppaTranslations c119
12/10/17 OppaTranslations c118
12/01/17 OppaTranslations c117
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60 Reviews sorted by


mrchad88
mrchad88 rated it
November 13, 2020
Status: prologue
One of the best novel I read thus far. Stories just keep getting more interesting the further you read. Keeps you wanting for more.
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Daniel14541
Daniel14541 rated it
February 13, 2017
Status: c32
So far while the Main Character has retained his strength that has cowed the world he now lives in. He hasn't acted foolishly. He has goals and his previous actions in gathering strength have backfired on him forcing him to act in the shadows, not drawing too much attention to himself but enough to still gain access to strong magic. So far he has managed to acquire his class of magician, not saying which one or any other specifics but he still needs to get taught magic.
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delorz
delorz rated it
January 24, 2017
Status: c24
This is honestly one of the best ones yet. It has the twist to the "summoned-to-another-word" and u gatta fight to survive and stuff. But its no time-travel or some BS and the MC is still OP af. He also hides his strength because he has a real reason, unlike some s*upid made up stuff. And it just got more interesting at ch. 24. Gatta read it man.

Spoiler

why the hell does it only have 4.4 rating? I needs 4.7 atleast ffs

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hk
hk rated it
January 27, 2020
Status: c100
I'm still on break from catching up on this but I thought I'd visit it to give it the review it deserves. I have given a lot of 5/5 to stories that were inflated to counter all the s*upid ratings I would see. I think this one deserves its 5/5. Some people have pointed out inconsistencies with the story. Tbh I find most either exaggerated, debatable or sometimes wrong. To each, his own. For me, I like lighter-toned stories, which is why I am taking a break from this.

One critique... more>> I'd like to address against this novel is that the most powerful guy in the universe does not use his power to force others to his will. Like, kidnap someone to cook his food. Force others to understand his objective. Kidnap a mage to kill the demon lord. And most of all why he can't find an ally. To this, I would simply say.. What?
Any character having power doesn't need to use it to lord over others. Also, it's not the most effective or fulfilling thing either. Like the guy likes good food because this is his rest from long battles. Is he not allowed to make a selfish choice here instead of bringing someone who will be a nuisance, almost certainly die or poison him? A magician who will help him? No one will help him. If I were in that universe, I would never help this MC. His reason for rushing because no one wants the next apocalypse phase to start is understandable but most would side with the sit around and choose the lesser evil. Which makes it perfectly understandable why he is alone most of the time. I wouldn't need any more info to know why he is alone. Like even he has an ally. Would that ally be of any use now? <<less
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Piknos
Piknos rated it
January 3, 2020
Status: c157
Ultimately a huge let down, the MC is truly the worst part of the story. He acts like how a low EQ version of a villain would act, don't like you? I'll kill you. Want something? I'll disregard everything to get it. He's about as interesting as an unsalted chip made out of cardboard and fried in water. Character development is non-existent, while everything else around him is the made of the same stuff. You don't get a sense of awe at all despite how stunning some of the places... more>> he goes has the potential to be. It's like the worded version of a set for a school play. You understand what it's supposed to represent but it lacks substance.

As of this chapter he hasn't met anyone that has harmed him or come anywhere close to winning a fight. Because of this, it feels like someone is playing on god mode and it really isn't all that satisfying. Combine this with a boring MC and subpar story-telling the only thing you can possibly get from this is that it makes a lot of other novels seem good. <<less
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ZeroBlink
ZeroBlink rated it
January 27, 2019
Status: c140
3 star

It's fun for the first 60 chapters, but then it looses it's charm.
It starts out as a sort of survival game in a foreign world. Which is a strong and welcome fantasy setting.
The MC is OP in terms of physical attributes.

From day 1 all the suspense is out of the window, he's toying with fodder for 100 chapters literally, you're more into side charters than the MC most of the time.

If you can overlook these major flaws, then first half of the novel is quite action packed,... more>> its a 4 Star, but later it drags on and on as things get revealed in a very long winded manner.

About 80 chapters in the MC states in plain text "I can beat all of my enemies c0mbined" and so he does over and over and over again.

There are interesting concepts here to explore, but undeveloped, mc's magic, alchemy etc are really underused and in fact pretty much useless in the first half of the story.

The MC is basically is the same person day 1 as he is at 140 chapters... nothing changed besides his stats.
He has all these amazing things, but tbh I don't give a damn about this dude. See if he started with normal stats at the begging of the story, maaayyybe I would care, but I don't... for all I care he's an overpowers douche from start to finish that didn' have to work for anything in his life. The author bestowed near infinite strength to the character at the begging of the story. Making him work for it in 1-2 brief paragraphs or flashbacks, goes against the spirit of adventure. It's lazy.
There's only one type of OP character I hate more than the Omniscient Peerless Expert Reincarnated and that is An invincible MC from day 1.

This would not be a problem if the focus of the story wasn't "power" predominantly, like in greek mythology gods had near infinite strength, yet it was more about drama and their fickle nature.
This story is nothing like that, all of the characters are just predictable freaks that act exactly the same way. You will not find a more cunning enemy than Dolores in this book. <<less
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FamilyGuy
FamilyGuy rated it
June 26, 2018
Status: c130
The op-ness of the MC is what's stopping me from removing this novel from my reading list.

Some parts of the novel are a bit interesting but everything else is just boring. So boring that you would leave it alone for months so that it piles up chapters and even after that you would come back, read a chapter or two and then stop coz it's not worth it...
5 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Nuinui
Nuinui rated it
March 30, 2017
Status: c48
The first chapter was kind of "meh" because we're pretty much thrown into the story without any prior knowledge. The MC reaches the final boss, who he needs to take down to prevent the end of the world, but soon realizes he is unable to kill him with purely brute strength. He needs magic, something he neglected in exchange for power.

The MC pretty much leaves in search of a way to gain magic and become a magician. I found his nonchalance kind of odd (why did he come all this... more>> way to kill the last boss, only to go, "Oh okay, I need magic then I guess"?) Personally, I'd be beyond pissed and annoyed. And while it's understandable (I guess) that the MC merely focused on strength, he would have at least accounted for the chance that the boss was immune to brute force.

Despite the somewhat bland beginning, things start to really build up after that. It turns out that the MC is actually quite notorious, and something really terrible had happened to him for him to become this jaded and cold. We aren't told what, but we are given hints as the story continues to develop. So readers who prefer to have things explained at the beginning might find themselves disappointed.

The story is quite dark and grim, as its world pretty much emphasizes the rule of "survival of the fittest." Betrayal is everywhere and self-gain/profit is the goal. No one is safe from death (except the MC, haha) and the fighting scenes are quite gruesome. The MC himself is ruthless in destroying anyone that gets in his way or poses as an obstacle. It's implied that his jadedness comes from what occurred in the past with his previous "companions."

I do like the MC's personality, and as the story continues, we learn a lot about him. He isn't just some overpowered brute. He works hard, is quite the overachiever, and still takes joy in learning. Plus, he likes cooking!

One of the few niggles I have about this story is the MC's lack of caution. Yes, he doesn't blatantly reveal his strength, yet he does a really terrible job of also hiding it sometimes. For someone who is notoriously known, you'd think he'd change his name or something.
Spoiler

It turns out that the MC has a lot of money because he stole it from the Merchants Guild. He spends the money like water but doesn't consider/realize the consequences of that. (Imagine robbing a bank and then using the money... The serial numbers are recorded, you know?)

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The story still is quite interesting, and the translation is very good, so I'll be keeping an eye on this story. <<less
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Dragon
Dragon rated it
May 14, 2021
Status: c226
I really like this series. The MC is very similar to many other overpowered, stoic, "I alone will save the world" main character types, but his interactions (especially with Bertelgia) add depth to his personality and pushes him towards character development, feeling more nuanced and natural than other similar novels.

I definitely see the main character changing and fighting his fate, altering slowly over time due to his talking book companion. The book companion Bertelgia in turn also develops her personality over time as she gets fiestier and more attached to... more>> the MC and vice versa, making very interesting interactions and conversations between the two characters. She is definitely more complexed and better than most talking artifact/talking grandpa soul companions.

Also, the translation quality is amazing! The writing flows and I enjoy it. 3 stars base for story, +1 for Bertelgia, +1 for the translator. <<less
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Shosha
Shosha rated it
July 22, 2020
Status: c198
When I read the name of this novel I did not have high hopes, it sounded cliche, boy was I wrong.

For me, it was a fresh and new fantasy idea. The main character's sense of justice suits me well, I really like how he handles things by not being overly nieve but not totally an as*hole.
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
chucke
chucke rated it
January 12, 2020
Status: Completed
I would like to give this novel a score of 5 because I liked the world - especially when all the mysteries were explained - it did create a good picture of a vast world, that usually korean novels lack.

The problem that doesn't allow me to rank the story is the events close to the end. Honestly, the final confrontation with the main bad guys was kinda pathetic. And in general, the final fights were not that interesting.

Though with a proper translation it might have felt better, but MTL is... more>> MTL. Still, the arc of Seven Heroes is the best - it really ties the past and the present.

P.s The description of the novel always bothers me because it feels like a prologue instead of the description as it doesn't really reflect a story that much. <<less
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Hamsta
Hamsta rated it
December 31, 2017
Status: c106
So-so. 4/5 because I'm bored without anything else to read (really closer to a 3/5).

    • Author writes fun and engaging scenes which is where the majority of praise is coming from. Unfortunately...
    • The author sucks arse at setting up situations. Nooba is right, there are a metric ton of plotholes because the author can't figure out how to make people act..... like people & can't set up situations so that they make sense.

      Spoiler

      For example: Getting magic power/class, MC snuck into the summoned's group again so he can get a magic class because apparently magic academies & organizations won't let him in & he's scared they might have someone/something powerful enough to see through his deceiver's veil.... Then the author promptly forgets about this and has the MC directly enroll in one of the top magic schools. Wat. Author also has the MC sneaking in all manner of places without fear of discovery (dumb MC goes around using his real name and face). Wut. It would have made much, much more sense if the MC decided to join the summon'd group because he knew of the 7 hero shrines and wanted to snag the legendary hero magic class (es).... Chapter 1 & 5 makes it very obvious he wasn't aware of such which makes his future actions ridiculous because he could've just derped around sneaking into magic academies, tricked demons into giving him their stats (gambling), and steamrolling through their quests/missions like he later does at Airfruit.

      Also like NoobaLoob said, people are willing to help out the MC left and right as long as he doesn't reveal his identity to them, even after he does, several are still willing to help him (or at least not attack him outright) as of c106 which kills the credibility of MC's backstory.

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    • It's not all bad though, the author does try to justify some times in a semi believable manner.
      Spoiler

      Turns out the higher ups crafted most of MC's bad rep on purpose since they actually don't want the demon king dead due to the numerous even worse calamities that follow. This is plausible as there is no Internets and it would be fairly easy to spread false rumors widely via authorities in a place with middle age tech. Especially as everyone takes the status window as law.

      MC also isn't just hauling a half decent mage or scrolls to defeat the demon king since he's aware of the future calamities.

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lamb
lamb rated it
May 28, 2017
Status: c72
I want to start off by saying that I obviously haven't finished the book, and I think the fact that I can't has lowered my opinion of it. This book was not made to be read slowly. I feel like the author is trying to come up to some big reveal about the reason that no one (not even the mc) seems to care about the massive number of s*aves, or the caste system they are living in. This combined with the slightly ridiculous premise makes me want to just... more>> take this as a light hearted book, but then the setting is a completely distoppian world on the brink of collapse. I say that this book isn't meant to be read slowly is all we know about the mc's motivation
Spoiler
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I'm fine with a book being secretive about their mc's history and motivations and the story has done a great job with that (one of the best parts about it). The author however, has decided to leave so many questions that should have obvious answer that would give away nothing, and only serve to flesh out the world, blank. It is a great story once you get past the setting, premise and, tone (things that have no plot relevance obviously). I suppose what I'm complaining about is a common theme among web novels; the authors seem to have no f*cking clue what they want their story to mean. Look at each chapter individually and they are all great, put them together and it becomes lack luster. There are books that have put the tone together by pure accident such as 'Epoch of Twilight'; wherein the characters' actions make sense if you think hard about them, but the narration seems to have no f*cking clue why.

I feel like everything I read on here is half a book from the beginning (aside from the fact they are half translated). An example would be a book where the whole thing is set up to be grim and the characters under lots of stress; the tone will suddenly shift from grim to a laughable situation (or worse echi). It is completely normal for people under lots of stress to joke around light heartedly, and I find that when they do one of 2 things happen, the narrator/ descriptions will change with it into a incredibly light hearted scene; or the author will repeatedly bash your face into to it yelling "LOOK I UNDERSTAND BASIC HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY, PRAISE ME PLEBIANS" well something similar. I find the later to be obnoxious and the former to be boring. This book is definitely the former (Epoch to the latter and yet the former at the same time; it is really a mess). Now all that being said, and despite all its flaws the book is probably one of the best you will find on this site. No matter what is said, in the end almost everyone on here is either a new writer, or a professional ametuer. If I had to pick ones who have a good amount of promise it would be ones like 로드워리어 and Road Warrior.

P.S. I think I got a bit side tracked <<less
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scribbledoutname
scribbledoutname rated it
May 14, 2017
Status: --
I thought I'd reviewed this already but I guess not. Just a great story all-round. The world is quite deep, with many different factions and some secrets/mysteries that are slowly being unveiled as the story progresses.

Now, for those who want more detail:

The MC is an OP guy who's snuck back into a sort of newbie summoning area in order to fulfill a plan he has. He's got godlike physical strength, but he needs to learn magic in order to be able to prevent an impending calamity by himself. He tries... more>> to stay low key to avoid alerting his enemies, because he's a big shot with A LOT of enemies, but he's not afraid of revealing who he is if someone or something really needs their ass kicked.

I'd originally expected the story to pan out like Reincarnator or Master Hunter K, where the MC is stuck in one of those death tournaments and must work through stage after stage after stage (blech), but thankfully it's not like that. The MC leaves the "game" (which is more of a deadly crash course for the newly summoned) quite early on and the world quickly becomes an open sandbox.

I'm currently caught up and eager for the next chapter. This is a very nice break from all of the edgelord MCs and tiring mofu mofu harem hunting stuff that's been slowly drowning the RPG LN genre. The MC here is quite cool and laid back with a good personality.

If you're sitting on the fence then you should absolutely start reading. <<less
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Magicwafflez
Magicwafflez rated it
April 21, 2017
Status: c58
You would think that because the MC is completely overpowered that it would be boring to read (since the MC would be fine no matter what) but it's actually a pretty enjoyable.

It's fun to watch him do quests, fail at them, then give up and punch the quest or quest giver. "That-That's not... ug fine whatever, here is the reward" XD. Also, he usually comes up with pretty interesting counters to issues... not always punching.

Contrary to expected, this series isn't really an "all humans are evil" story; MC meets lots... more>> of good people, and bad guys usually have motives for what they're doing, not just being bad. <<less
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Araren13
Araren13 rated it
April 3, 2017
Status: c82
Well written, good plotline with just enough variables that you won't get lost. Great MC and realistic supporting characters. Don't miss out if you like unorthodox protagonists. Though if you're here for OP-ness, you're still in the right place.

There are some elements of well developed chuunibyou popping up here and there but trying to understand our MC based on what we do know of his past helps.

Lots of ominous hints everywhere, and I especially love how the author kinda just gave up on listing MC's full status almost every time.

Translators... more>> are doing a good job except for a few patches of text. Though translation speed is very slow, we aren't even up to 1/4th of the story despite being a relatively shorter light novel.

One last nag, the hammer in the picture does not do justice to MC's main weapon.

Spoiler

10th champion is betrayed by the other 12, and they use their influence to turn the rest of the world against him. He became more badass as he survives and tries to solo all the ''Calamities" the world is trying to overcome. But since he is super OP with physical type of combat his magical type is non existent which those calamities take advantage of.

So what this genius does is, he goes back to the summoning grounds and mixes in with noon to get magic.


Now read the story.

The author doesn't seem to have mentioned such as why the MC did things which might have pissed factions/people off but I'm hoping the explanations​ comes later.

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reader_
reader_ rated it
December 8, 2022
Status: c320
Honestly, the MC is a very strong man physically and mentally. I can still accept his mentality when he lived on Earth, but, the trial, betrayal and abandonment when he is in the Other World, make me question him, and admire him, although just a tiny bit.. If I were in his shoes, maybe I had long gone mad and be the worst villain by destroying everything, or I already succumbed to despair and chose to do nothing.

In my opinion, he, who received no warmth from his original world, and... more>> finally found ally in the new world, he regards the connection that he made as very precious, when they betrayed him, he not hate them because he still has hope that their connection is not over yet. He kept fighting and living everyday although alone, for me, is not because of the promise with that woman, but because of that hope. Well, you can read it yourself, his conflict before he use the final elixir, because he knew the affection he received was fake, but his heart just not able to accept it, it just a moment to face reality that made him hesitate.

It is a fact that he's the strongest human, but it made the reader upset (look for other reviews) that he's still being trampled, and I feel the same.

BUT, what's wrong with cooking for himself??! Something that may seem insignificant to others, but it is his only way to reassure himself that he's still alive, something that he can enjoy for himself, because he like it not because of some nonsense promise, oath or the like. Do you know, to have something to look forward to in a seemingly bleak path is what prevent him from losing himself.

Sory, I got angry when I saw a review which said that he cook for himself because he's no corrupt!

There's a few chapters left before I finish this novel, but I won't continue, because I can feel that he will be fine after this, with a few hurdles left to resolve everything. And I skip until the few last chapter, haih, what's coming will come. At the end, he created a new beginning for himself, happy moment at last after all hardship.

Lastly, Author, for the next novel, please be more kind to the MC. That's all. <<less
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Valixiant
Valixiant rated it
September 14, 2021
Status: c127
Mediocre. At least an attempt was made.

Alright, this novel is fairly good early on. However, it drags on far too much. The amount of filler in this novel and combat thats resolved extremely quickly makes the world-building very half-hearted. This rapidly turned from a decent world-building focused novel into a wish-fulfillment novel. I honestly liked the plot and the way this novel started out, and it would've been a five star if they focused on side characters, amping up the mystery, and world-building. However, it kept focusing on combat against... more>> random mobs that are clearly far weaker than the main character.

Also, maybe this is just me but I despise novels when no matter what the main character does, everyone underestimates him. Like that isn't even a exaggeration. He is literally called the Destroyer/Enemy of Humanity. Despite this title, no one individually takes him seriously. Countries will send armadas and platoons after him once he appears, but anyone worth a damn completely disregards him until he finishes them in two hits. It's really irritating.

Furthermore, the pacing was kinda meh. It was too slow to keep me hooked, and thats probably why I dropped this novel. At chapter 127, not a single question has been answered since this start of this novel, and it keeps getting worse.

Overall, this novel is pretty mediocre. If you like wish-fulfillment you might like this. <<less
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Neurotoxic
Neurotoxic rated it
August 28, 2021
Status: c237
The story start with our op MC fighting the demon king and realizing that he cannot defeat him ... more>>
Spoiler

it is later revealed that the demon king actually almost died to MC inmense strength so he abandoned his body and became inmune to pshysical attacks, but vulnerable to magic ones

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.

So he infiltrate into a sort of begginers village to obtain magic, which in the 2nd chapter they show us his status and his values of magic related things are in the negatives, because of a lot of curses he had.
Spoiler

Escentially that happened because the world is facing a Calamity that tries to destroy the world (the demon king in this case), and if they defeat him another more powerful will appear till 5 of those calamities are destroyed. His friends, the 13 Champions decided to not kill the demon king in order to not let the other powerful calamities start. They argue and they split ways, so his friends starts spreading rumors of him to damage his reputation so that he cant gather allies to kill the demon king, MC goes on rampage, steal things, and gain power exceding humans by meeting a god, in the process of all that he is cursed by a lot of people, lowering his stats, he goes to kill the demon king but the demon king survives by leaving his body

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. So he tries to gain magic by himself so that he can kill the demon king alone.

I like the story, it may have some loop holes
Spoiler

regarding the returnees and other things I probably havent noticed

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but overall its a good novel if you are reading it focused. <<less
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Saksham18g
Saksham18g rated it
December 12, 2020
Status: c102
In my opinion, a simple sentence can describe the novel main character as a masochist. Everything was good till this chapter after which he becomes a brain-dead fool and from the other reviews, I can see this is going to get much worse. Anyway, I hate masochist characters as I invest a lot of time in connecting with the characters in the novel, and if the main character is like it makes me uncomfortable. So if you love ML how loves helping people while they are trying to kill him... more>> then this is your cup of tea <<less
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