- #1
Rating: 5 stars (yes, no decimals for now, just 5 stars because I'm quite impressed).It's a great novel. Excellent world-building, seemingly weak but very very strong MC *in mentality and tactics.* I consume a lot of novels and have a goldfish memory, but still the plot and feelings associated with this novel remain with me.You're really going to feel for the MC, who is desperate to find out the truth behind the ML's involved incident many years ago. He's not aggrieved though--no, he is far from that. He is a character determined to keep a promise no matter the cost, and you can see his love for the ML an infinite amount of times. The ML is a cold tsundere, and a lot of his introductions in the novel and his unfolding backstory will have your head whirling and your heart clenching. Both characters are done excellently, and they're really the highlight--the romance, the companionship, and the trust between them is incredible. I'm not going to say more in this regard, but truly, their relationship is impactful and stretches beyond lust, which many novels tend to portray with love. It is so hard to describe in words, but what they have between them is this iron love that is unbreakable in nature. Truly, man.... It really does impact you reading about them.Now, to the plot, which is lovely. Plot is a huge part of this novel, and everything is quite intertwined with the mysteries in the past. I'm not going to spill much, but I must say, that while there is no huge plot twists, this novel is gripping in its own right and has constant action. Both MC and ML are not OP, making the plot even more immersible for the reader--after all, if you know the ending, the enjoyment is reduced a bit. The side characters, while not built as dimensional as the ML and MC, are still quite vivid in portrayal. Females aren't antagonized, males don't just end up liking or bullying the MC, and the people in power are not all corrupt and actually help the MC and ML out. Ain't that refreshing? Friendship and comradery is something the author focuses on, which makes her world-building so much believable. It really isn't just the ML and MC against the world, you know?Oh yes, speaking of world-building, it is hella cool. Evolved humans are of the crystal race, in which crystals are quite literally integrated into their body at birth; these evolved humans are evaluated at letter rank based on how well they can utilize the crystals in their body (and our ML is S+). MC is especially at an disadvantage, especially when most mechas and weapons are based on crystal manipulation, but he continues defying the current stigmas with his brain. It's tough for him, and he really goes through quite a bit, but his determination to find out what happened to ML makes him willing to do anything (my kid, I just wanna wrap him up and take care of him).This is my overall evaluation, although I ain't finished yet! It is a very... long novel for me, and I'm not the hugest fan of MTL-ing complex novels like these. The only thing I would say is that the ML's power-ups at moments feel.. illogical? Same thing with plot complexities and answers to a few mysteries. I'm not sure how to describe it, but something is not piecing together for me... almost feeling incongruous. That's probably the cons of MTL-ing, and I'm not going to hold it against the author just yet. Enjoy! To those who can read Chinese, I am quite envious of you.