- #1
There is a lot of things I want to say about this novel.First off, the starting 20 or so chapters. The start is almost impossible to read. The starting 20 chapters is a hybrid of training arc and slice of life. And from all the slice of life options that the author can choose, he decides to go with food and cooking. Sure, food is important when considering the context, but it is so boring and oversaturated that I have no idea why people keep on writing those stuff. Then, even if the plot is boring, you can still make it up with good characters and fun character interactions, right? Unfortunately, the MC is a childish and hardworking person, and that is all he is. His childishness can get to the point where it's annoying, and he doesn't show much personality besides that. It is also fine if the 20 chapters also served to develop the MC, but of course, it didn't. There is no other characters besides him at the start, so you're stuck with such a childishly annoying MC's training/cooking hybrid for 20 chapters without any character development. Even worse, this 20 chapters is located at the start of the novel, so your motivation for reading will be killed off the moment you started reading. Good luck.But even then, I still kept on reading. Because I thought its gonna get good. The question, did it get good? Yes, it did, but not by a lot.The author decides to finally move the plot along by having a 20 year time skip, during which the MC didn't mature mentally by even a bit, and introducing another character called Abel. The MC decides to travel with Abel to the nearest human settlement. So you're saying that I read all those cooking slice of life for nothing? I read more than 20 chapters worth of boring cooking slice of life just for the author to render that all irrelevant by making the MC go out of his house and leaving all the things he build?Sure you can say the 20 chapters isn't irrelevant because he cooked food and did training, but the only food he brought with him is some self-made seasoning. Even the training arc can be shortened to 5 chapters instead of an overextended 20 chapters.Anyway, to this point I thought the story is finally gonna get good, but I'm wrong again. The new characters introduced are mentally deficient. They didn't seem to know what it means to "ask". Abel is wondering what the MC's power is, he asked, but he never asked the "right" question. All it takes is "what can you do with your full power?" and the characters iq deficiency can be solved, but the author decided to not do that because, from what I presume, he wants to make it a big surprise to the characters by revealing the MC is actually op! Wow! So cool! (Yes, I'm really salty rn) So he decides to sacrifice the characters' intelligence for the plot.He also decides to sacrifice the MC's own iq to make him dense about his own power level.A lot of things are also questionable. Like, the MC didn't have any problem communicating with others despite living alone without a conversation partner for 20 years. Sure, he kept on talking to himself, but it's not rocket science to know that talking to yourself and talking to others is way different. There is also the Dullahan, but the Dullahan doesn't talk. The 20 years time skip only served to make the MC stronger, without developing him at all.Also, the MC never once used his sword during the travel with Abel to a human settlement. I find that a little questionable, bu the MC is a mage, so I guess that's alright?The MC's background is also questionable, but for some reason the side characters just never questioned him.Good thing is, the world-building is at least alright. It's not good, but not bad either.The only thing I find even the slightest bit enjoyable in this novel is the character interactions. The banter is a little bit entertaining, it's not fun, but at least it's something you'll be able to read.All in all, this is a very slow novel. Without much things happening or an overarching plot. If you're searching for a chilling slow life novel. Then I guess this one is for you.