- #1
One of the most enjoyable reads I've had in a while, and almost rivals other novels on all my rec lists. This novel really doesn't sugarcoat what it's about. It truly tells the story of Lee Hwan, a returnee that is also the strongest person to exist. With his return, the typical "gates and rankers" setting snowballs, and we read about how Hwan comes to exist several levels above all these elite hunters.If you expect anything more than an insanely OP gigachad any% speedrunning rank system end boss because of his gruesome 10 years on vallhalla (an alternate world) that made him who he is, then you will definitely be disappointed. The storytelling is also not too elaborate, and it's actually quite plain. This works to the benefit of the author, because the story of Lee Hwan doesn't come across as pretentious and wish fulfillment-y as many other OP shounen MCs come off as. Basically, it's a fact that Lee Hwan is the most powerful person to exist through many of the cruel and painful circumstances he has endured, and it's not something to admire or be jealous of. Not a single character in RLR glorifies his strength, it always comes with fear and worry.About Hwan himself, he is self assured in everything he does. As an anti hero, he's never imposed some set of righteous ideals on his companions like many other MCs, but he's also never once acted like a lone wolf in the name of "saving" his companions. He always looks forward and gives his companions the choice of continuing to stay by his side or leave. Nothing more and nothing less. Honestly, I'm just fanboying over the MC at this point, because he's the perfect anti-hero protagonist. He doesn't hide his past, he's confident, and he always pushes the plot forward.I also love that many of the characters around him are fairly fleshed out and have their own motivations for being hunters. But many characters still lack depth, especially the female characters (absolutely hate the emilia thing in ch 70-90, who writes a female character like that??) One annoying point is that he constantly mentions his time on valhalla, and also that either he or someone else will mention how he plays tit for tat in regards to how people treat him (if you're nice, he's nice in return; if you cross him, he'll kill you).Hoping for more chapters to the completion of this novel, it's been such an enjoyable read that I've caught up within a day.