The beginning was relatively difficult to read. However, that changed later (and it's not that much). Moreover, even at the beginning - we see that the MC is not just "s*upid and knows nothing but himself", but there is a lot of negativity around him. It would seem that getting a legendary class is good - but it will immediately bring him problems. Especially since it is some kind of "blacksmith". The author further develops both the hero in the game and his social skills. Once again, it proves that... more>> only talent without hard work is not enough, as well as vice versa. The main thing is that the author manages to maintain the story, new characters and "changes" do not break the world, it is interesting to watch them - although all the MC's actions are more "unreal" for them the further they go - but it is still hard work for him. However, this does not mean that the rest of the characters are background - they perform their actions, they are not focused only on the MC, but due to their talent - they surpass him in certain aspects. Especially in these last chapters, where the MC, once banished by everyone, receives help from many sources, because he would not have been able to do it on his own.

This is a story similar to some - first of all, about the change of the hero, about how the world reacts to that change. About the fact that the world itself can undergo changes. Something like Naruto, known to many.

It's strange to read comments about "just" and "all his girls" here. Even at this moment, only two girls are "competing" for him - if we talk about "reality" (and no, his sister was never interested in him). <<less

So far, the main point of Grid IRL character development is about a relationship with the girls whether it be Yura or Jishuka. And like the relationship between them is still going on a few dates every week or so and nothing more (with Jishuka got turned down once and he comes back). But in-game, he got to a really god-like status, if you want to read a lucky guy with the RPG elements without isekai, this novel is good enough to keep you entertained for a few days.

This is a fantastic novel, and probably in my top 5 of all time.

Now, the highest critique offered against this novel is that the main character is a (multiple random slur here). Well, thats true. For the first ~50-100 chapters, after which he becomes a (single random slur here) and gradually becomes a friendly, caring and competent person, being utterly unrecognizable from the start after a few hundred chapters (not just in ability, but in his fundamental character).

This character development is the single strongest point of this novel. It isnt... more>> some random "hes good now", but gradual, reasonable change. Him becoming more caring and less greedy as his living situation and reputation improves is relatable and greatly done.

But thats just a single point of the many great points this novel boasts. For one the game and fight scenes themselves are masterfully crafted, being among the best I've read.

Then there's the "harem" that usually is a plague upon innocent readers. Well, not here! The MC marries early on in the novel and truly loves his Wife. There is a single other woman in love with him, but she respects that he doesnt like her and has a little arc about coming to terms with it.

The side characters are also great. Theres the strongest player, who rarely appears but has a wonderfully Rivalry/Friendship with the MC, making all their interactions a joy to read. Theres the main characters wife and child which actually have personality and agency (admittedly only at later chapters). Theres a NPC much stronger than the MC who stands by his side and has a great arc about the violence he lives by, becoming a better person and character through it. There's the MC's defacto adoptive father, who has a fantastic relationship with the MC that is explored in interesting ways. Theres many more, which are slowly getting their own arcs, although of course there are also some undeveloped "cannon fodders", but those are in the minority.

The humor is also quite well done. There's not tons of it, but the jokes it makes usually land - the character built on insulting his enemies, for example always gets a chuckle.

I genuinely love this novel and cant recommend it enough. It's okay for the first few dozen chapters when the MC sucks, but it grows exponentially in quality from there. <<less

The story starts with a deeply flawed character who then manages to turn things around due to getting lucky and gaining some op powers. Throughout the process of turning things around he becomes a better person, smarter kinder, and less spiteful. The process itself was a fun read due to the dumb things the MC did and the hilarious situations he got himself into sometimes. But while it was fun, it's not very satisfying, it doesn't feel like the MC really worked to get himself out of the hole he... more>> had dug for himself, he just got lucky, also at the end the MC is still exploitative of his companions and kinda a jerk.

At this point of reading I see that there is still over 1000 chapters to go and I don't really understand why. The growth of the MC is basically complete, he has overcome his debts and become a powerful figure in the game so there is no motivation for the me to keep reading this novel. There is nothing that can threaten the MC at this point, he just feels omnipotent, so there is no real tension in any of the fights he gets into. There is also no one who can challenge the mc's remaining deficiencies of being unskilled and not very intelligent since his stats are so high.

Overall, I rate this novel 3/5 because of the interesting but loosely told growth of the MC up until now. If I were to take into account the remaining chapters I would probably rate this novel a 1 or a 2 due to the MC still being a prick even though he has solved all of his problems and has no reason to be so selfish.

There is also some romance in the novel, but it's one dimensional, basically the MC saves a girl and they fall in love with him, rinse and repeat. The love interests themselves prior to falling in love with the MC are interesting and feel like they have their own lives outside the MC, but after falling in love they lose all of that and just chase after him. <<less

Good beginning, but the story became boring and prévisible.

The romance plot is so slow and generic that's just sad

It's really rare for me to drop a novel especially with such a good start, but it manage to make me do it.

I usually don't leave a review, but this is time I made an exception. This novel started of good and I had high expectation, but it then went right in to that unreadable, unbearable region. This would have been a great novel if it had ended around 400 chapters, it would still have been good novel if ened around 700 chapters, but right now this plot is utterly useless, MC is someone who breaks laws of the game, repeatedly, even after the game is patched. MC is someone even the... more>> super sophisticated AI and GM can't regulate or control. So the plot keeps stretching, plot armors and cheats/Legendary players keep getting added and people keep praising MC and MC keeps advancing to newer rinsed plot and gains newer plot armor and circle continues. <<less

I would recommend anyone interested in the story to start with the Manhua, it's a really good adaptation and covers most of the bad parts of the start of this novel. I am now caught up with the novel and I can say it is one of the best I have read. The story keeps getting better as well as Grid and other characters. This is a story with a bunch of hype moments as well as slow character moments. As the story progresses it increases in scope and what... more>> he plans to accomplish. With a solid translation, an ever-evolving main character and an every expanding world, I would highly recommend joining the journey.

Spoiler

ALL HAIL GOD GRID!!!

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The MC is fine after a while, not good, just fine. Many side characters are more likeable, the NPC'S being the best example. As a rule of thumb:

If the character has met the MC in this novels real world, and they are friends, its not a good one, with maybe two exeptions.

The novel at the start is a good read as it goes on and on the MC forgets the main world or he just doesn't care about it and every single thing is focused in the game world and the character building of his real life just stopped and just how dense can this motherf*cker be. And he is weirdly into thinking and playing the game as it is a ne life and cares more about his digital wife and son, I think the author should have straight up transported... more>> him into the another world as the game characters are way too much real and the supercomputer is treated as a god like existence and around the 1200 something his treatment as a god is crap, and the only other player who could fight him is his friend all the others are too weak to him. And a lot of Korean propoganda is there and a lot of stereotypes is heavily reinforced the Italian mafia, russian skinhead, the nationalistic Chinese guy and the treatment of a black character is APPALLING. My advice would be to never treat it as a game novel just treat it as a slightly different isekai novel.

If you want a better VRMMORPG novel I think" thief who roamed the world" is better from the author of tales of demons and gods although it has some tropes but it is in low amount and it's set in future so there is a reasonable explanation for most things. <<less

As the intro blurb states, the MC starts out as a complete jackhole but he eventually, slowly becomes better. The story as a whole has decent progress, and the worldbuilding is excellent. The ancillary characters are mostly well drawn, but it does get a bit cloying how much they love the MC even when he's being a selfish douche. Every time he's misunderstood, it's to his benefit. We see what a jerk he is from his own perspective, yet everything works out in his favor.

The thing I don't like is... more>> that the MC never, EVER fails when it really matters. He never has any notable setbacks? He never loses anything he really needs. He never fails to make top-ranked items when he's using irreplacible ingredients. He never loses an important fight, or fails to gain important alliances. This isn't really noticeable until after chapter 300-400, but by that point he basically never fails again. So, as the character becomes more bearable, the plot becomes pretty predictable.

That said, I do like this story, read all 17000 or so pages of it and intend to continue as more is translated. But... it is getting slightly boring due to lack of credible threats. I really wish that either Ares, the Empire, or Agnus had become a long-standing and active threat to the MC and his allies, yet none of them really are. And some of the characters have been static from the early stages, not changing or advancing much at all. They were very well written initially, but became wallpaper later. Only a few really stand out now, but they're really good. <<less

It is enjoyable enough that I can read it continuously up to this point but it is starting to get less and less interesting for me. First off, the protagonist in the first 90 chapters was a bumbling and petty idiot but it was an enjoyable read because his actions and decisions are painted wrong and he often suffers for it making it a hint for development, 90-180 chapters is where the MC gets annoying since he gets drunk on power and starts becoming insufferable while everything major goes his... more>> way. At least at 200 chapters and beyond he starts becoming a more sympathetic character. My problem with this is that MC is getting at least 3 times stronger than his allies making some of his earlier allies who matches him become insignificant as time passes, especially when MC got a legendary 2nd class when he is already a legendary class which is beyond what the system predicted due to how "unlucky" he is. Also the author seems to have a habit of shoving down to your throat that the MC has changed by always mentioning how he would act in certain situations if he didn't change. Finally, the events/arcs are completely lacking in emotion from what I read. There are a lot of fights but the best you could pick up from them is the drive to become better or competitive spirit, though aiming for those is not actually a bad idea, it becomes dull when it was always the drive in a fight. Also, the characters other than MC aren't exactly that developed and focused. Other than Piaro, no other character has a character development comparable to the MC. The best change I remember of the other characters is that they became more trusting towards MC and the 3 most beautiful women (Irene, Jishuka and Yura) in the game began to like MC. I feel like I need to stop reading it for a while in order to enjoy it again to wash away the feeling of reading about fights with the same idea behind, it doesn't have a gripping and compelling story that would make me want to eagerly know what happens next anyway. For me, I think I would only read this if I'm bored and find nothing else as interesting to read.

I rate it 7/10 <<less

Reviewing it as a 4.5 so far but giving it a five because of the amount of people giving it a one star rating. The MC has a really bad personality at the start making him almost unbearable if not because of how interestimg the game "satify" is introduced and the side characters at the begining they arent perfect but they aren't bad fun even. The world is fleshed out and the writing gets better as the story progresses, probably resulting from the author getting more experienced which is also... more>> amazing considering the way that the MC Grid develops as well. He isnt smart or talented, early on you would even wonder how he made it to his age without dying although that's how he acted, it also makes the level of growth he had really remarkable, the way he learns to appreciate what he has achieved along with his family and the friends he made, laments the fact that his more admirable of a protagonist its your typical from zero to hero but if any reader has followed the story to this point I would assume they would know what I mean the MC really earned everything that he is now and the realization of change of himself and the awareness he gains and a sense responsibility develops is truly wholesome.. Originally you would feel like the MC doesn't even deserve any of the benefits he gained but eventually he lives up to it and its satisfying see him grow.

The side characters as well, like Kraugel and Agnus who impact the vrworld just as much as the Grid, and Ares who like the MC has remodeled the territories of the continent it makes the vr world so alive that it actually feels more than a game and a story..

Recommended read. <<less

So it's been stated below, but the beginning is kind of a mess. MC is annoying, the writer's still learning his craft, etc. All of that said... stick with it. It gets 'good' after Ch90. It gets spectacular after a couple hundred. Just have faith that the initial investment is worth it, you won't be disappointed.

While I wouldnt describe the MC as terrible, he has many bad features that dont do anything to endear him to the reader. I think its coz theyre supposed to be funny but it doesnt hit any of thr right notes it just makes him slightly awful.

Plot development is kinda... idk oddly paced, while the stakes do rise it sorta just seems like we're building up to nothing.

Also sometimes the irrelavant conversations will happen during conversation for I guess "world building or character development" feels like just get on with... more>> it.

If you want to read a moderately entertaining but overall forgettable light-novel, this is it. <<less

I am needing to skim so much crap that it frustrates me the hell out of this story in the first 50 chapters. And I'm still reading hoping that its get better at chapter 90...

EDIT; Changed it to 5 STAR after chapter 80s etc. But god damn do you need to skim a lot to get to that point. It's otherwise very good from that point onward. One of the best, and with a clear ending in the work too.

I, like most others, stopped reading this very early on, chapter 10. I thought that it would be a story about a main character that stabs anyone in the back for a piece of copper and ... more>>

Spoiler

would grossly exaggerate a very early "glitch level" mechanic in the beggining.

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But I'm glad I was wrong. The main character is still a piece of sh*t till about chapter 62, but he doesn't act like scum, more like "and if I help you how much money will you give me." I suggest you read it at least after chapter 10, which I think is the hump that takes this novel from, why the hell doesnt this MC just get hit by truck san, to, he's just really in need of money, don't be so hard on him. <<less

Pros

Translation speed, Main character development, Fun virtual MMo world

Cons

... more>> Plot armor, Gary sue (the game will literally revolve around main character), Poorly developed side characters

If you can get past the first 100 chapters you can finally resist the urge to flip a table. This main character is this stories biggest weakness early on but later the biggest or only reason you read. To be honest, it's more of a guilty pleasure since when his personality changes from a piece of scum to someone you might admired but the plot armor becomes ridiculous. He becomes the number 1 player in the game, Korea's hero, admired by people around the world, has a harem of 3 women, and countless admirers.

Not to mention his legendary blacksmith class of epic swordsmanship can survive a fatal wound, can craft better gear then farming so no need to quest, and he can find a companion for every scenario. In other words there's no tension at all on chapters 200+. Sure the author will try to downplay his personality at times but his companions/minions are brainwashed by the fact that he's the loot generator and best player in terms of gear and stats. Overall read it with your brain turned off. I rated it 5 stars to offset the early reviews. <<less