The Caretaker Summoned by a Dragon Child Forms an Eternal Bond with the Obsidian Dragon Chapter 20 Discussion

Firstly let me make a disclaimer that I abandoned it after 20 chapters. Not because I thought it was bad, but because main character stressed me out a lot. That said I suspect most people will be able to read this story as feel good tale I believe it was supposed to be.

So what is my problem with Mamoru? Well...

Do you know this trope when something fantastical happens to MC and he goes 'I must be dreaming'? And you're like 'that doesn't make any sense, how long do you think dream lasts? And don't you feel pain? ' But you keep reading because frankly you don't expect stellar logic in your web novel fluff. So as veteran reader I easily ignored Mamoru's 'it's a dream' moment.

Only... the more I read, the more that reaction made actual sense. If you consider MC have serious mental health problems. And then it's impossible not to see.

In the beginning we witness MC depression due to stressors in work environment. Then after transportation he heavily dissassosiated resulting in 'it's a dream' narrative. Also

Spoiler

he signed contract presented him by shady individual without any questions. For all he knew it was magically reinforced s*avery contract. Which seems s*upid until you consider his lack is self worth and self-destructive tendencies.

The latter showed themselves all the more clearly when he refused to sleep his first night to watch the egg. And I know that this situation resolved itself when ML literally MADE MC sleep but it isn't feasible to expect someone to care more about your wellbeing than you yourself do. It also shows Mamoru's poor state when his only reason not to make himself sick is his duties to others. Mind you I am not saying that it is unrealistic. Only deeply sad.

That whole situation rubbed me wrong way. Kokuyou assumed Mamoru was not going to sleep... why? What did he 'understand' about MC? It is one thing if he thought that Mamoru would not be able to sleep in totally new environment, torn away from everything he knew. It's another to see behavior of deeply wounded, desperate to prove his worth person as normal.

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I stopped reading here because for all that author managed to create a complex, troubled main character I got the impression that it was almost by accident. And from genre it is in I suspect that solution here will be quick romance and not years of therapy.

I really don't need an ulcer caused by shouting on a fictional character that there is no substitute for self-love.

Still I will probably keep an eye on comments here in case I'm wrong :)