Surviving in a Romance Fantasy Novel

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I found myself drifting into an Eastern-style romance fantasy novel that I didn’t even finish reading.

And to make things worse, I became the younger brother of the female protagonist who didn’t even exist in the original story.

My motto in life is to work as little as possible while earning as much as I can.

Seol Tae Pyeong, a third-rate warrior, whose sole goal is just to live comfortably.

But from a certain day onward,

I monopolized the love of the Princess Consort of Cheongdo Palace.

“Let’s survive.”

Nothing is too much.

When it comes to survival.

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Recommendations
The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide (2)
Breaking Up with the Heroine of the Female-Oriented Game (2)
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04/22/25 Lorenovels c175
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VLADISLAKA
VLADISLAKA rated it
April 15, 2024
Status: c48
So. I've read the MTL'd version of this novel to c48 or so, and believe me when I say it's barely comprehensible. Like most Murim novels, there's a plethora of terms that translator algorithms struggle to interpret, so Korean-speaking interpreters are very important here. Support translation efforts if you can!

As for the novel itself - it is very focused on harem/romance shenanigans. I''ll be making a judgement based on what I've seen to date, but don't expect any thrilling plots or dungeon-crawling or such; the novel's story is almost entirely... more>> centered on the women (some manner of princesses or nobility) that grow closer to the protagonist and quickly fall in love with him after he's resolved some trouble of theirs. For now, there hasn't yet been any actual intimacy or such happening, but it may happen in the future. (In story the protagonist doesn't want to have a romantic relationship with them due to these women being part of the imperial harem, so it would be an automatic death sentence if this was discovered by the imperial court).

Summary/synopsis (No major spoilers) : Ghosts and demons exist, magic does too (taoist magic) which is primarily used to deal with such beings. There is a sickness, extremely painful with a mortality rate of some 99%, that grants the survivors superhuman powers (these can be extremely strong). Our protagonist contracted it when he was young, granting him incredible physical attributes, combat instinct and mastery over the sword. He also happens to be a transmigrated individual (of the type where he read some story then just entered it. As of the first chapter, it's already been many years since he transmigrated, so he's actually lived through the disease and actually quite the cruel past), and hence has a pretty good understanding/general idea of the future from having read the og story he's transmigrated into (beware, butterfly effect things and "hidden plotlines" that had not been known before abound). His sister (Seol Ran) shares genuine familial love with him, and is the original protagonist of a "reverse harem" story where various male figures with high positions in the country fall in love with her (She's not the focus of the story), and provides the rationale for him living in the imperial palace as a simple low-rank warrior. Yet despite his lowly position, due to luck, his incredible abilities as well as his general kindness and willingness to risk his life to help others, he becomes heavily involved with women in high positions with whom he isn't normally allowed to interact with.

Reasons to like this novel:

Harem/heroine focused. Many harem novels have a strong focus on the protagonist growing stronger/defeating monsters/saving the world, with girls only incidentally falling in love with the MC. Here instead every plot point is directly linked to a romantic interest, with many of the chapters being written from the perspective of the women or other people around him (I personally am very fond of this), and there *not yet* being an overarching plot/antagonist to fight against (some foreshadowing in the later chapters). As such, if you came here for the harem stuff specifically, you'll find more of it than in the other novels in the same genre. Not much intimacy (hugging, kissing and such) yet though.

Genuinely attractive protagonist. While certainly the heroines do fall in love a little too quickly, the protagonist is objectively a great person; he's talented, compassionate as well as idealistic, willing to risk life and reputation to help others, even without any benefits. He shows great mental tenacity and willingness to bear pain even just to stay by the side of someone suffering to give them emotional reassurance, and doesn't really care for wealth or power. In fact,
Spoiler

he doesn't like wielding a real blade due to having killed many before for survival. While he'll say he's lazy and doesn't want to get into trouble, the truth seems to be instead that once he had to kill many in self-defense, and had hated both the killing and the sight of the bereaved families, bitterly wishing that he had found another method to save himself. As such, his dislike of combat is nothing more than his desire to avoid using his own incredible talent for killing, as well as a general wish to live a simple life by the side of those he cares about.

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He has a rational reason for not accepting the affection of the girls around him, and has verbatim asked them not to fall in love with him, to no avail (they're all quite aware of the danger it could cause), while still having done enough for each woman that their love for him is quite understandable.

Overall, for a harem/romance novel, this is great stuff. I don't understand why this would be rated at 4 or below when many novels in the same genre receive much higher ratings despite having far less charismatic protagonists and much weaker reasoning for the affection borne by would-be heroines. <<less
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derpotatoes
derpotatoes rated it
April 7, 2024
Status: c14
So far, really good, not sure why it's currently rated so low (3.8)

Created by the author who made The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide, which is also really great, especially on how the author resolves that story. The protag on this one is more light hearted unlike the more stoic protag on the previous novel, but have similar depth in personality.
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titor420
titor420 rated it
July 6, 2024
Status: c66
This is a pretty enjoyable novel. Has a lot of the usual characteristics of transmigration + romance cliches, but also has its own unique & compelling points.

However there is a really poor and tasteless subplot that started at around chapter 60. Ruined all interest in the characters and story, so I had to drop it. If you can overlook this which might not bother everybody then it wouldn't be difficult to recommend it.

... more>>
Spoiler

At chapter 59, one of the love interests is charmed by the MC in disguise, when she doesn't know its him. What sort of horrible romance story is this where the girl is so quick to change her target of attraction, on a single moments whim, to someone she thinks isn't the MC. Haha it's supposed to be a romance fantasy not real life!

Kind of bad- not sure what the author was thinking. It not only feels out of character & makes me displeased with her, but also invalidates some emotional development from her initial arc.

I skimmed the mtl and this is a long subplot that goes on for many chapters! Totally out.

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OnePunchMan12
OnePunchMan12 rated it
June 22, 2024
Status: c38
I liked it, though not as much as other reviews here it seems. Still, it's definitely on the very good spectrum.

The concept and the execution of it is fun. The protagonist is not quite as brain dead as others in this genre and his activeness in trying to stay away from the girls is pretty hilarious. The FL are all well developed (initially) with different back stories and personalities that feel well thought out+good reasoning for them falling for MC.

For me the novel just takes itself too seriously after the... more>> 3rd girl was added to the harem. I kinda just wanted it to go into complete absurdness and lean into the comedy (which is it's strongest part) but instead were doing a pretty strong take on a romance story that I just don't think works at all.

(For context the girls aren't yandere. They are just love sick teenage girls and having any romantic relationship with MC could get him executed since they are engaged to the emperor)

Showing him affection is literally going to get him killed and they know that, but they still do it. Which after the comedy of that idea wears thin, just makes them really unlikable imo.

It's a really fun concept at the begining, because you can buy into it for a short period. Unfortunately, as it goes on its more like 'well why would he ever like you if you're acting like this? And even if you did love him do you want him to die?'.

The novel wants to have it's cake and eat it too. Either go full comedy and downplay trying to make these girls likable (like having the MC actually develop some animosity towards them) or go serious and explore the romance side.

Trying to do both just doesn't work because no one would ever believe that these girls actually care about this guy in a real way, or that he would have even a bit of positive emotion towards any of them (Considering their actions are literally driving him to death!). <<less
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Cheo
Cheo rated it
September 1, 2024
Status: c88
I absolutely loved the first 50 chapters of this novel which focused more on the romance and harem but unfortunately as the novel goes on, it strays from the romance parts and instead shifts to the greater overarching plot which I find not as interesting. The first 50 chapters are focused of the 4 princess consorts and gaining their affection to help with the overarching plot that is killing the plague demonic spirit. The story gives a valid reason why the MC wouldn't be able to reciprocate their affection as... more>> he would get executed due to the consorts being tied to the crown prince. There's some romance-esque moments as he gains their affection and the individual arcs all do a good job in showcasing the dynamics of the consorts. There is tension in the story due to him not being able to reciprocate and overall the chapters are well written.

After the first 50 chapters, the princess consorts take a back seat and now the MC is doing all he can to make progress in killing the plague demonic spirit. There's no longer any motive to get closer to the princess consorts and we even see 1 consort give up her affection for the MC and replace it with a person that the MC was disguised as. We'll see if the misunderstanding ever gets rectified but as of now it seems like it's not on the table.

Overall there is nothing in the TL or the prose to complain about but if you were looking for a romantic and harem focused story you might feel a bit baited due to the shift in focus. I wouldn't say the story is bad by any means but it lacks the consistency that could have made it all the more better. <<less
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VoxAura
VoxAura rated it
July 7, 2024
Status: c60
It's an interesting read. I really enjoyed the storyline behind how the MC got close to each of the four heroines. The setting is also unique. Note that most of the romance is suppressed. The heroines are engaged to the crown prince and thus any outside relationship is forbidden. The forbidden part is important because the MC would certainly die if he was caught in a scandal. After each of the heroine's individual arcs, there is noticeable less mention of each of them. I wish the author included more interactions... more>> and perhaps adventures to build the relationship between the MC and the heroines. In general, it is lacking. The heroines lack depth since the author does not fully develop them after their individual acts. Furthermore, the MC continues to distance himself from them because, again, his life is endangered. <<less
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Andou67
Andou67 rated it
March 29, 2024
Status: c23
Pretty decent. At the time of this review, this novel is at a 3.5/5. I've read some absolute tr*sh that was 3.8 or higher and can confidently say this novel doesn't deserve a 3.5. Give it a shot.

The setting resembles Ming Dynasty China. (If you've read or watched Apothecary Diaries, then that setting translates pretty well to this.)

All the side characters are likable, and their interactions with MC gave me a couple of good chuckles. MC's moments with his older sister are especially enjoyable. (Don't worry, she ain't a... more>> part of the harem. They have a completely normal brother-sister relationship. Hopefully)

MC isn't anything special, but I wouldn't call him dull. His internal monologues make him seem level-headed and sound of mind, but he looks like a crazy lunatic to everyone else, which he probably is. Usually, in these types of 'transmigrate into otome game' novels where the MC doesn't want to get involved with the story and live a peaceful life, some random, coincidental, and out of nowhere events make them get involved. This novel, on the other hand, actually has a reason for MC getting involved. His master is some Wuxia Seer or something and is just f*cking with him. <<less
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gottesurteil
gottesurteil rated it
June 16, 2024
Status: c49
Ridiculously great novel. It's comedy/drama/harem first and foremost. The plot is actually really interesting, but the start of it really is about 'surviving'. The number of chapters I burst out laughing is easily greater than ones I didn't. The sheer ridiculous antics he gets into are amazing. The best part is that it's played totally straight, the humor lies in the fact that he's faced with death at every turn BECAUSE of the heroines (none of which are Yandere btw), and him desperately trying to survive.

What makes it better is... more>> that the world is a 'otome game' (or romance fantasy, rofan, which I guess is a more recent genre to develop?), so even at the beginning he remarks on how it seems like there's a romance pathogen in the air that makes people do s*upid things for love, like Guards jumping over the Inner Palace wall to have romantic meetups with maids. (But not him, he's likes to think he's a 50 YO mentally, and immune to the 'love virus', though his mental age is actually closer to 30 iirc.)

His issue is that he accidentally charms one of the 4 future palace consorts - one of the 4 most powerful people in the empire, 2nd only to the actual emperor (their future husband), and the Heavenly Dragon Maiden (kinda head priestess of the empire?). And you know... getting the crown prince's consort to go after you would quickly get you killed. So he - with his supporting friends/coworkers are desperately trying to avoid this girl with love on the brain.

Needless to say, it doesn't work. And WHILE he's trying to lower his appeal without getting himself executed, he manages to interact with the 2nd of 4.... and so on and so forth. It gets to the point
Spoiler

that when he's at 3/4 collected, the 4th who's basically a villainess figures it out, and his friends basically say: 'you're already 3x screwed, might as well make it 4x, otherwise she'll try to use use to kill the other 3' and recommend he go out and ACTIVLY 'seduce' her. It works. Catastrophically well.

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Spoiler

Side note: the villainess (4th heroine, White Tiger princess), has this ridiculously awesome chapter after her arc is concluding where she spends the entire time monologuing to herself on how she's a villainess and political power is absolute and he's now her pawn in her clutches... and then he walks up in front of her and she hiccups and loses her train of thought and can't make eye contact and quite obviously has completely lost -in the vein of 'Kaguya-sama love and war', whoever falls in love first loses. It's frankly a hilariously adorable version of tsundere that probably has a technical term.

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The entire setup can be considered 'Task failed Successfully!', and it's wildly hilarious.

But besides the ridiculous comedy (of which there is a ton), the cast is all amazing, and all
Spoiler

4 (I think that's it)

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of the harem members are fantastic. But pretty much any character that gets screentime is well developed, from the Taoist palace he's in and its Old Man, Eunuch, Warrior, and Maid, all the various casts from the 4 Consort palaces. Everyone is great, and there are some really moving moments (like actually truly moving, I teared up at one chapter - damn onion cutting ninjas).

I'd like to also make a special note of some MAJOR plot twists that happen at around ch 41-45 or so (I won't spoil), but they drastically influence how the story will go, and at the same time cut off his escape routes lmao. He was planning on leaving the inner palace because it's a freaking minefield of deathtraps for him, but that plot twist changes EVERYTHING. Also some seriously amazing character reveals and developments.

There are also assorted chapters that have some truly moving philosophies, and they tend to pop up relatively frequently - I mean, all the people who fall for the MC do it for rational, reasonable reasons. There's none of this where girls just throw themselves at the MC at the drop of a hat. As I said, no silly or non-existent reasons. So having philosophical moments where you can see the MC just being so BAMF mentally, emotionally, and physically, really help the heroines fall in love lol. Side note, while he's transmigrated into this game, he did it like 10 years ago and has suffered and gained, lived and lost, since then. So it's never him gaming the system or being false: his core premise is that he's honest and straightforward and wants to live without regrets (while acknowledging that being human and having regrets go hand-in-hand).

So as a reader, I'm doubly satisfied because they're amazingly well written chapters, AND they provide good reasons for heroines. Having cardboard thin reasons for romance can work if you're just reading a guilty pleasure, but if it's a serious story that's actually GOOD, you need actual reasons, and this story provides them.

Highly recommended. <<less
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Leftail
Leftail rated it
July 21, 2024
Status: c46
Grade:

9/10 (Surprisingly good overall: Even wiuth the combination of western//wuxia elements)

TLTR:

Being honest here, I personally came to this story not with high spectations, the name kinda sell its as the usual isekai/transgression story about reincarnation on a harem yada yada, but honestly? It subverst the expectations, it has some good characters, and personally the author is spitting facts with some of the chapters, like literally has some deep phrases. At the same time, the character development is good, and I enjoy it doesnt happen in overall three weeks, unlike... more>> others stories, this one mades a good deed separating the times.

Personally, I cried on this little story, but that could maybe just be me, I have a weaknest for master/student stories.

Its not bad by any means, and quite interesting, . I higly recommend if you want a fast and interesting story. <<less
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Lelouch55
Lelouch55 rated it
November 23, 2024
Status: c30
ffffffffffffkk uuuuuuuuuuuuyu.

I am so frustrated I could commit su*cide. What the heck was author thinking when he wrote the black princess arc.

The Start of novel felt somewhat generic but was enjoyable. When the first princess was introduced it somewhat deviated from the norm. The author put great thought into how every character and their interaction should be and how to progress the story without much unnecessary complications. But then both he and MC went full on brain dead after just 20 chapters.

... more>>
Spoiler

So when black princess see our MC. She escapes from him because he is showing killing intent, why the heck was he showing killing intent? The princess had a special power to read people, why couldn't she discern MC's intentions? All that chasing around was top tier s*upid plot.

then MC decided to fight the other soldiers so he can take away the princess and she can fulfill her wish to say goodbye. She has been running away for a month and still hadn't cleared her regret. Why the heck was running away her first decision to say goodbye to people. And why would none of them thought to explain the situation to commander.

MC says he completely thought out his brain dead decision, but why was everyone taking the matter of fkng crown princess running away so lightly. Everybody acts like it's no big deal. And why the fk would he think that the punishment for running away with the to be wife of future emperor while fighting a military commander will result in just light punishment? Weren't these type of crimes results in family eradication.

then plot armor after plot armor to show he was right in his thinking and s*upidest development to establish the worst developed character and feelings kept pouring out of author a**.

damn u author. Everyone who thinks there is nothing wrong with this plot should see a doctor.

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