TLDR; has flaws but it's good for killing time, average for a story.
*however* you should skip to the last paragraph as there is some info that you should read if you want to give this a go.

This novel had 3 groups fighting for it, so I hoped the story was something special, but the story is just ok at best. It's pretty average. It has elements that could make up a good story but (presumably) due to the authors inexperience the story it's self falls short. This stories main problem is definitely its cast of characters. Now since this is a regression novel, it is understandable why the side characters feel useless.

We learn that the MC regressed, and he retained almost, if not all, of his past's life powers. He didn't just keep his experiences but all his mana (which you can only get as you grow older) too. This mean's at the time of his regression (12) he was capable of preforming 9-star magic and using his op swords skills, the author nerfed this by making him need a stronger body but he was still "capable" of doing it. This means the other characters his age would not only be inexperienced but have low combat abilities. So from the perspective of a reader, the other characters are utterly useless.

Since the main character was an assassin that operated alone in his past life, he's very much of the edgy "I gotta do everything alone" mentality. Not necessarily a bad thing but the way the author handles it gets bit reparative. For example, as the story progresses and he ends up changing certain characters' future he thinks he doesn't care for them and is just opening the path for their own futures, even though he really does care (He's a big tsundere). The problem is, he keeps this mentality the whole time (up till 190s), he is very slowly starting to change but it's long over due. It would've been better for the MC to have acknowledged that his previous way of life wasn't the best and strive for change rather then this "I don't need allies/maybe I do" stuff.

Another thing is the fights, after most of the fights MC barely wins and after says something like "I only 20 percent of my power, " like why? You can kill him instantly, just do that instead of giving us a crappy fight. I'll give the author this though, the MC does have some good one-liners. These last 2 points were probably due to the author's inexperience; I'll bring this point back later.

The characters: As mentioned before, since the MC was regressed with all his powers instead of just with his memories like other novels, the side characters don't grow with the MC so they're not as developed as they could be but here is a brief overview.
-Arin: A princess. She's pretty naive in the beginning, she doesn't have any combat power, and she kind of useless. She does end putting in effort and begins grow a nice pace, she could potentially become a major player later in the story.
-kearam: MC's weapon. She's a spirit that supposedly devours her owner. The thing is she's very contradictory. She doesn't adhere to a specific stance on the MC though. Sometimes she likes him. Sometimes she hates him. Sometimes she wants to devour him. Sometimes she wants to help him. It would fit in her nature as a demonic sword if she was evil but playful but instead she feels like a toxic bi-polar girlfriend.
-Luna: Daughter of a grand mage. She's got some special circumstances at the beginning but after those are resolves, she starts to show more of her personality. She's very smart as a mage, a bit mischievous, so far shows the most usefulness. She does show great potential as an ally later on.
-Sand prince: Completely forgot his name but he's your typical muscle brained idiot. He dumb but loyal, he loves his people and is a training fanatic. He also has some special circumstance which might make him important later on.
-Alice: Mc's big sister. She's barely in the story. She has like 10 chapters of screen time, although she is mentioned, she is quite forgettable. However, due to some events, she may become more relevant later in the story.
-Aschel: Mc's big brother. He's evil. Bad villain and really shallow. That's it.
-Boris: Pretty sure he is the real bad guy of the story so I won't go into much detail due to spoilers but he's a better villain then the other guy.

*Some minor spoilers*
Plot: MC makes it known he is "genius" early on so he has some respect in his house. Around chapters 15-30 to the frontlines for a bit to level up. After chapter 40 are the MC living a "normal" life, hiding most of his powers, and occasionally going on secret missions or changing events from his past life. Makes sense since he's 12-14 and a kid shouldn't have world destroying powers, least it makes others wary. After 100, it starts to pick up. The author seems to have a plan as he has been building up to some bigger event, wont go into details cuz spoilers.

Now as mentioned before. It seems like the author was inexperienced when first making this novel. As such, a few of its qualities are sub-par. This prompted the author to revise this novel. The original is completed with 325 chapters. The revised is still on-going. According to what I read, the revision starts after 164. This novel had 3 groups after it. Galaxy, Hel, and Fenrir causing them to mass release chapters. Galaxy seems to have dropped out of the race so this leaves Hel and Fenrir which made us quickly catch up to 167. The problem starts here, both groups seem to be doing different versions. There is no way to know which group is doing which unless you check the Raws directly. I've asked around but haven't gotten a confirmed answer yet, I'll edit this once I do.

Edit: After a few days of looking and asking around, here is what I found. So, the original ended back in June of 2023. It had 325 chapters and was posted on Naver. After the revision started, the original was taken down from Naver and replaced by the revised version, but you can still find it on 3rd party websites. After looking at some MTL of both versions, it seems that hel's resembles the original version while Fenrir's is the revised version from Naver.

After seeing 3 groups competing for this I was hoping for something interesting. But this is your standard korean regression story. It's ok if it's your first experience.

But if you read enough of them you see this as what it is; i.e. "Oh we are doing this pattern. Bastard child. Underdog. Face slap scene to grab fathers attention. Here comes the morality pet sister, that is only good person in family. Time to get the hidden treasure to jump start"

Honestly I am half writing this review because I know I... more>> would not remember this if I notice it again 6 months later. It's that unoriginal.

If you are into this type of stories don't let me discourage you though. <<less

Reading this novel is a matter of preference.

If you're like me who likes reading novels with an underdog MC but gradually gets OP and is misunderstood as "hiding his abilities, " then this story is for you.

Now onto the dissection of the story:

... more>>

1. PLOT - The premise is obviously cliche. The MC gets OP fast and he defeats enemies with no sweat at all. Every situation almost always go according to his plan/wishes except for a couple of instances with a few hiccups. Although, there is this one event in which the enemy was able to escape and he is a big threat to MC and co. if left be so there's finally some tension going on. The plot armor here is very thick and because Cyan is the main protagonist, he enjoys the privilege of having "chance encounters" that no supporting character nor extra will ever experience.
   • Revenge theme - MC's way of revenge is thwarting his mortal enemy's plans and waiting for him to reach his peak (the same level in his 1st life) then he will kill him so the revenge will be sweet and he will be satisfied (although I can't say I agree with his way of revenge because if it was me, I'd immediately nip it in the bud.) There are events when the MC messed up Aschel's plans but the actual revenge has only really started at around c114 and it's not even in earnest but more like a prelude. So we still have a long way to go before Cyan gets his ultimate revenge on his older brother.
2. CHARACTERS:
   • Cyan Vert (MC) - If I have to describe him, he's in denial. It's understandable cause he's an assassin in his 1st life (and is still is in his 2nd life) that's why he's indifferent and lacks empathy & compassion. Whenever his emotions get stirred up, he always denies that he cares and makes excuses that he's helping them cause it may be beneficial to him in the future and whatnot. Yeah, right. Boy can't fool me. Apart from that, I like his trait of giving hints on some supporting characters about the "path" that they can take but doesn't involve himself much with the actual journey. Cyan just lets those characters decide for themselves and fly free. One thing I don't like about Cyan though is his arrogance and overconfidence that he can defeat every single enemy that comes his way. I mean, I get it he's OP and his plot armor is very thick but I find it a bit irritating if it's constantly being reminded.
   • Supporting Characters - Quite a few of them are fleshed-out with backstories. Surprisingly, they all left impressions on me. (btw, my fav character is Emily... just sayin)
   • Villains - Aside from the third-rates, the main villain is foolish. I can't say much cause I'll have to spoil practically everything but I had quite a bit of expectation because he uses his brain to form his devious plans but it seems he lacks common sense.
3. BATTLES - I can't say they're exciting cause the MC almost always pummels his enemies in one strike or at a very fast pace (well, he's an assassin so). I guess the most "exciting" or rather longest battle in this story is their battle with that one enemy that has escaped. My rating for the battle scenes is around 1-2 stars.
4. ROMANCE - There's occasional hints of romance, which I would normally hate in this kind of stories but surprisingly, it adds to the depth of the FL's character. The way the MC's and the FL's relationship gradually develops is natural and satisfying. There's actually another potential candidate for the FL but honestly, it's quite obvious who's the endgame. The FL isn't some damsel in distress. She puts in massive effort even with her unfavorable and almost hopeless circumstances. I rarely like FLs in stories with OP MCs but I just can't help but feel proud of her. I felt like a parent watching her daughter gradually grow up for the better.

I stopped at c131 because the next chapter is the start of a new arc and there are only a few available chapters left. I didn't want to feel the frustration of having to stop at a crucial point so I'll be waiting for more updates before I pick this up again. Btw, there's a few mistakes in translations mainly in pronouns but it's nothing big. It won't hinder your comprehension of the story (I read in Fenrir Translations btw).

I gave this 4 stars for now because of my personal enjoyment but if I have to rate this novel without bias, it's around 2.5 - 2.8 stars. In short, it's mid. <<less

This book is seriously s*upid, it has many elements that could make it an interesting story.

An interesting power system, reasonably fleshed out world and power structures, reasonably interesting dialogue.

The problem is, what the bloody f*ck is the main characters motivation, and why are new characters being introduced randomly (I won't elaborate on this to avoid spoilers)

The MC is strong to do whatever by like chapter 50, he then chooses not to do anything, because he wants to kill the antagonist at the right moment, we then get a... more>> 7 year time skip, I have utterly no clue what the f*ck was the MC doing during the time skip, honestly I have no clue what the MC is doing throughout the plot, because he intends to prevent harmful future incidents but at the same time doesn't need to go through such a contrived way of doing things because he is strong enough to kill.

My point is the plot exists for the sake of existing, there is no way to rationalize what the bloody f*ck the characters are upto, the author tries to create some powerful reasons as to why characters behave the way they do, but upon basic inspection everyone is going about things in incredibly brain dead ways <<less