- #1
Oh. My. Noah-sama, I'll just say it now, read this all the way through. I kinda go on a rant below here so I'm just gonna say it so nobody misses it. Cool? Cool.I'll be frank, wasn't expecting much out of this novel. We all saw the title, right? It's basically SCREAMING "Behold! I am the newest power fantasy harem story! Bow to the greatness of this weak MC shocking everyone with his absurd new powers! Grovel at the majesty of the as*hole superficial hero having his medium rare roasted ass served to him on a silver platter by the quiet kid who he hath scorned!", right?But no. All those expectations, shattered.Oh, the bullying a**holes? They get some verbal jabs in at the MC's expense, definitely a d*ck move, but then get on with their business. No ab*se of power towards their weak classmate, they just... leave. Like a normal person would. And we don't hear anything about them for a good long while after that.And the hero? Just a genuinely chill guy, even offering the MC the chance to tag along (as for why, that's explained much later). There's no real place for any 'I'll pay them back' motivation that's pretty common in this archetype, since the MC is absolutely dead weight. There's no punch line to this weakness like 'oho! Turns out healing is the most OP power since it's actually reversing time for the wound so you can turn anyone back into a baby!' (there's ya next WN storyline, 'ave it ya greedy bastards), he is genuinely, absolutely, pathetically limited in strength by his stats. And he knows this better than anyone, so why would he unconditionally hate the people who have their own lives to live for not taking along a sack of potatoes that can barely waterbend? It's obviously the best choice to just leave him behind."B-but what about the absurdly fast growth!?" I hear you cry, lamenting the absence of a much loved trope. Desperately hoping for the presence of the quintessential cliché for books with weakest in their title. But nay. The goddesses' divine protection he receives is not that strong. This boy stays weak for dozens upon dozens of chapters, only gaining 'situational strength'. Fight him in a desert? You could kill him with a sneeze. Fight him near a lake and I'd suggest you pray to god, except Noah's rooting for the other team. It's just, nice to see a fragility to our MC at all times.But if you're worried about a lack of shocking others with their strength, don't worry. We still have PLENTY of that. If anything, the MC being so powerless makes these moments far sweeter. The MC's weaknesses are properly utilised and it's really satisfying to see him gradually patch them up (except his abysmal lack of firepower). Also his 'RPG game' skill is really well used too, those who know what I'm talking about, you get it. As the MC gradually increases in power, it just feels a lot more genuine than other, similar stories. He doesn't get explosive strength, no world ending cheats, just better precision, efficiency and more innovative uses. All of which is rendered useless in certain circumstances, remember.Now, something I enjoy that a few people don't is exactly how the MC wins Major confrontations. He literally has to walks a tightrope to victory because of his own weaknesses. Half the time it is sheer luck that he survived, and I LOVE IT. I don't know why. Just, having every single major victory come with a parenthesis like "magic went berserk, needed to be knocked out", "had to literally shave several years off my life span" or "the enemy could've killed me easily, but chose to die rather than live as an abomination. Also had to shave years off my life." is really fun.I could keep going but I'm gonna round the rest up quick.The world always feels like it's moving, it doesn't feel like it revolves around the MC (but it's getting pretty damn close in the later chapters). Every character feels like a person, not a plot point. For example, the hero. He leaves with two girls bickering over him, the usual stuff. Surely, when we see him again we'll be able to see the two of them gradually increase affe- NOPE one of the girls is already pregnant and the hero already has a harem in the double digits back home! WHOA DAMN!That's what I'm talking about. A whole ass living world.As for characters. They're all fun. The harem is at a reasonable size and comprised of lovable girls, the MC isn't a dense jackass which is always a plus, I've already mentioned the hero of chill and adventurer buddies are good to be around. Villains aren't really fleshed out, so we can't get a read on them yet. But that vampire guy was fun. Oh, and that cult that sells snake oil and weed (or something along those lines) is full of twats.I especially enjoy how it takes time for relationships to bloom. Fast get togethers aren't that big of a deal for me, if the chemistry is good then the time for them to get together is not an issue for me. Unless it's like a day. I just appreciate it when authors give a longer timeframe for love to bloom.Okay, I'm done now. I blacked out for half an hour and now I have an essay. I probably have more I want to say but the demons demand I sleep, so I will summarise.Fun read. Really good to sink your time into.