As of chapter 70 there is not even one likable character, it is amazing how the author was able to do it I am very impressed 👍 The MC character is really inconsistent, what is worse he is entitled, not very sharp (but thinks himself pretty clever), takes the high moral ground (but he worked for the Libra and also in the underground- so also hypocritical) and is over all a self-righteous talentless prick with delusion of grandeur that doesn't work hard Spoiler

well he has a freaking cancer

, but he is even too tired to read! 98% of the "important" cast are women with such an dislikeable attitudes that I want to slap them to death. Communication between characters is lying under the bridge and crying, most of the cast has zero chemistry and all of them are failure as a human being. The novel overall gives a pretty stuffing/frustrating feeling and together with a slow pacing it gets irritating quickly. Well it is nicely written and translated.

Up to date with the MTL and damm, I can alr see the train wreck that Gab Song is setting up but tbh, I sorta respect that he’s not starting to add all this drama at around 100s of chapters later like how he usually does.

when it comes to the MC himself, he’s not as chad as MC from Villain wants to live and infact he’s closer to the MC from novels extra. It’s sorta annoying because I was hoping Gab Song would stick with a “smarter” MC but oh well.

when it comes to his powers, he’s def more OP compared to Novels Extra and Villian wants to live but I actually like that more. Usually Gab Song says his MCs are “weak” but in fact they are usually always strong when the plot wants them which feels sorta cheap. I like what he’s doing rn because he’s OP and he’s taking advantage of his cheat to be OP, so his wins are nice because he uses his advantages to his max and it doesn’t feel like a force from the plot.

when it comes to the Heroines, you can tell the drama that Gab Song is tryna set up and he doesn’t even try to hide it, in fact there are hints to his Harem members right from the first chapter. Tbh the drama can be exhausting and annoying in his works but honestly main reason I read his works is cause of the train wreck drama and tbh I’m enjoying it and it has me coping that it might be good, but Gab Song has disappointed every time so I’m tryna have low expectations.

overall, at chapter 108, and not much has happened but I’m coping it’d be good in terms of the ending.

As of chapter 70 there is not even one likable character, it is amazing how the author was able to do it I am very impressed 👍 The MC character is really inconsistent, what is worse he is entitled, not very sharp (but thinks himself pretty clever), takes the high moral ground (but he worked for the Libra and also in the underground- so also hypocritical) and is over all a self-righteous talentless prick with delusion of grandeur that doesn't work hard Spoiler

well he has a freaking cancer

, but he is even too tired to read! 98% of the "important" cast are women with such an dislikeable attitudes that I want to slap them to death. Communication between characters is lying under the bridge and crying, most of the cast has zero chemistry and all of them are failure as a human being. The novel overall gives a pretty stuffing/frustrating feeling and together with a slow pacing it gets irritating quickly. Well it is nicely written and translated.

Very similar to this author's previous works, so if you want more of that you'll like this one too.

Many tropes in the author's previous works come back: angsty love/hate relationships filled with misunderstandings; MC using his skill to become a skilled artist/craftsman; confusing timey-wimey shenanigans with pocket dimensions; even the name of the maximum security prison in this world is re-used from a older webnovel.

Like with Toika's novels, this author's stuff is basically all the same but I gobble it up anyway.

The story is fun and entertaining, like the other works of the author. It has a flaw for which I don't think it receives 5/5. This is that the MC is such a pushover. Like he gets scorned all the time, which is obv not his fault but nevertheless a bit frustrating. This is not the problem however. The problem is that the MC saves the ones that scorn him. He even puts his life on the line for it. Call me petty, but if someone is constantly looking down on me, insulting me and incites bullying, I would not try to save them.

"That girl, who hates me so hard she will probably try to kill me the moment we graduate, she is the reason for my mother's death, the girl that I hate to the core, the one who never shows and ounce of gratitude, let's save her from this crazy prisoner."

Nahh fam that won't do.

I don't know what fantasy is waffling about in his review but it seems like we're reading different novels. The MC is far from overpowered, his ability has a huge drawback, the fact it has a small capacity of storage. The MC is also never described as handsome, he's a short (though he does get taller as his body develops), bald guy who's unkempt. So far there is no romance, and the story is focused on drama mostly. The interactions with the school "celebrities" seem organic in the way that their connections are out of necessity, not desire. The mc's past life is revealed in bits and pieces as the story continues to flesh itself out and as new characters are introduced. The interesting story paired with the quality translation and constant releases make for an easy novel to keep up with and read.

The biggest problem for me is the beginning portion, but when it gets to the college board it starts gaining momentum.

I would recommend

I'm sorry, but every character in this novel is brain dead...

The main character - Remembers every single detail of his old life, can mimic skills 100%. Instead of winning the lottery a couple times, investing in something that'll become big later, OR mimicking a very desired money making skill. Our main character decides to go to live in a dump, s*ave away as a dishwasher, and go to school where all the rich kids hate him??? Hello??

Teachers - Sees a student who gets 100% on every test and can solve the most difficult magical formulas. "This guy is tr*sh because he's not from a rich family."

Rich Kids - "Why is this tr*sh here?" they say for the 5th time. As the 'tr*sh' passes the 5th round of tests and has one of the highest overall scores.

The author tried way too hard to make our MC an underdog that it actually stops making any sense.

This one is probably Jee Gab Song's masterpiece. I always thought the setting in the Villain Wants to Live was something super unique and the plotlines were quite good, but no matter how far that story went there was a sense of something missing, this novel is one that has built up on all the things from his previous works with, so far, absolutely none of what makes it bad. The story is great, the characters are not one dimensional at all with each of them following different motivations and goals, the plotline and world setting is unique and fresh, it's a self contained system that is very loyal to the rules it has set for itself. The best part of it all is that all kinds of possible misunderstandings are handled right away and the story consistently seems fun. By all means, this one is a 'mature' work.

I can go on and on about how fun it is and how much I like it, so instead I'll talk about some of the common complaints in other reviews.

100% troll reviews. Shion is a very nice protagonist and gets better as chapters go down. He isn't a mu*der hobo which is likely what's making many of these kids seethe. It takes a while for him to adjust to his place and for us to adjust to the very different world setting, but once the focus truly goes on Shion and his goals, he quickly becomes a very fun protagonist and kind of the best lens to see the world through.

I don't understand this point. The world is very mystical, it follows the rules it has set for itself very strictly. There is a lot of mystique in things. I see that a lot of people these days absolutely need explanation for everything, this work, in my opinion keeps the 'magic' in its definition of magic and that reflects the best through the world. It never goes too far to stretch the thread of suspension of disbelief too thin. I think it is done well.

It isn't exactly slow paced as it is dense. You see a lot of stuff from the beginning of the story, it is very happening in very little time which makes it seem slow paced. The fact that there are some info dumps doesn't help. That said, it has the perfect mix of tension and relaxation, and it's definitely not an issue of things going too slow since a lot is constantly happening.

Yes. This is a very valid critisism. Notepad is a loose power that isn't exactly following any determined rules. I personally think it was a good decision from the author and makes things very fun, but if you are someone who absolutely needs quantification behind every ability, then you might have some qualms with Notepad. It is fun nonetheless and I am certain won't work as a deux ex machina wherever it counts.

Absolutely not. The characters are the best part of the novel.

You might think this for exactly one person in the beginning, Elise. But that character's transformation is done so well that Id bet everyone would want her to be the main heroine.

The other female leads are good. They're funny, quirky and all of them have their own ambition.

Believe it or not, there was a moment very fit for a misunderstanding. If it was in The Novel's Extra or Villain Wants to Live the misunderstanding would have easily continued for a hundred chapters if not for the whole novel. And this time, it was resolved, in a grand total of 1 chapters all thanks to a mature dialogue with a side character. Unbelievable for one of this author's novels, but it is so. There is still a vague one sided misunderstanding that can't exactly be called that, but I don't see it being a problem in the future either since the MC has been very clear about his stance on the character and the event.

Overall, I think the rating currently is too low and not really reflective of how good and mad fun this story is. Would highly recommend.

This one is probably Jee Gab Song's masterpiece. I always thought the setting in the Villain Wants to Live was something super unique and the plotlines were quite good, but no matter how far that story went there was a sense of something missing, this novel is one that has built up on all the things from his previous works with, so far, absolutely none of what makes it bad. The story is great, the characters are not one dimensional at all with each of them following different motivations and goals, the plotline and world setting is unique and fresh, it's a self contained system that is very loyal to the rules it has set for itself. The best part of it all is that all kinds of possible misunderstandings are handled right away and the story consistently seems fun. By all means, this one is a 'mature' work.

I can go on and on about how fun it is and how much I like it, so instead I'll talk about some of the common complaints in other reviews.

100% troll reviews. Shion is a very nice protagonist and gets better as chapters go down. He isn't a mu*der hobo which is likely what's making many of these kids seethe. It takes a while for him to adjust to his place and for us to adjust to the very different world setting, but once the focus truly goes on Shion and his goals, he quickly becomes a very fun protagonist and kind of the best lens to see the world through.

I don't understand this point. The world is very mystical, it follows the rules it has set for itself very strictly. There is a lot of mystique in things. I see that a lot of people these days absolutely need explanation for everything, this work, in my opinion keeps the 'magic' in its definition of magic and that reflects the best through the world. It never goes too far to stretch the thread of suspension of disbelief too thin. I think it is done well.

It isn't exactly slow paced as it is dense. You see a lot of stuff from the beginning of the story, it is very happening in very little time which makes it seem slow paced. The fact that there are some info dumps doesn't help. That said, it has the perfect mix of tension and relaxation, and it's definitely not an issue of things going too slow since a lot is constantly happening.

Yes. This is a very valid critisism. Notepad is a loose power that isn't exactly following any determined rules. I personally think it was a good decision from the author and makes things very fun, but if you are someone who absolutely needs quantification behind every ability, then you might have some qualms with Notepad. It is fun nonetheless and I am certain won't work as a deux ex machina wherever it counts.

Absolutely not. The characters are the best part of the novel.

You might think this for exactly one person in the beginning, Elise. But that character's transformation is done so well that Id bet everyone would want her to be the main heroine.

The other female leads are good. They're funny, quirky and all of them have their own ambition.

Believe it or not, there was a moment very fit for a misunderstanding. If it was in The Novel's Extra or Villain Wants to Live the misunderstanding would have easily continued for a hundred chapters if not for the whole novel. And this time, it was resolved, in a grand total of 1 chapters all thanks to a mature dialogue with a side character. Unbelievable for one of this author's novels, but it is so. There is still a vague one sided misunderstanding that can't exactly be called that, but I don't see it being a problem in the future either since the MC has been very clear about his stance on the character and the event.

Overall, I think the rating currently is too low and not really reflective of how good and mad fun this story is. Would highly recommend.

Damn, I caught up to the latest chaps.

Thank you Serene Translations for doing this, appreciate it.

Compared to Gab-Song's other works; it's pretty much what one would expect. If you aren't for drama, don't read this. If you are, good for you.

Admittedly, the ubiquitous issues of Gab-Song are to be present in this novel too. Also, I don't know where, but I can feel like there are some problems that Nit-pickers might not enjoy. Yet the plot and events feels smother nonetheless than the previous works of his.

To warn anyone, there is a clear pattern on what kind of characters the author likes. So you will probably see them here. For events, it's also applicable here as there is a specific event that happens in TNE and VWTL too which are similar.

Spoiler

During the second semester, where the students went into a sort of ghostly, dimensional space; there are two time-space events that happen consecutively. Though they are different when one observes them.

Right, as every novel of this author, the characters are fleshed out and side characters seem lively. I love some of the villains, hate some of the "good people." No one is "black and white." (cliche ahh quote)

Spoiler

Void might be counted as "black" with no backstory though ig.

If the quality of this story flows as it currently does, it might become a gem. Nonetheless, I hope all of you will give this a try and enjoy yourselves, or hate it.

Also, tremendous props to the author for churning out chapters like a machine, without losing quality. Thank the heavens.

First off, none of that "This guy is tr*sh because he's not from a rich family" hasnt ever happened in the novel from teachers, it's the classmates that are in denial and elitists. Aside from that, the elitists start to acknowledge his skills, but they won't suddenly praise him to be the second coming of Jesus or something.

Secondly, the world and powerbuilding here is really interesting, one can view it as that every character has protagonist-ic abilities. Example, magnetism (attraction/repulsion), Avatar (powers based off on having another identity.) They all function like beyonder abilities from LotM, many being conceptual in nature.

The main functions of [Notepad] is "Recording/Writing", "Viewing" and "Copying/Editing." Imagine it more like a computer's notepad. These were upgraded due to Perion in chp1, thus making the [Notepad] not some random diary anymore.

A concept, function, diary, spell or memories can be "recorded." (Spectrums, or essentially anything unique is currently impossible) Therefore, "Everything" (not rlly, as there are limits like subconscious stuff) recorded AND experienced by [Notepad] is remembered.

Though that only applies to his own memories, everything he himself has experienced or already knows is essentially memorized forever.

The recorded concepts, functions, and memories can be edited or viewed, allowing Shion (MC) to compare spells, data, or memories quickly. However, the editing/copying over isn't omnipotent— it requires a mana source to maintain the edited form, and he can't edit something he hasn't recorded, nor can he co. Think of it like a PC drive needing energy to function and hold onto documents.

Example:

Spoiler

Shion copied over a cheap book with a Latinel school book he recorded (it was expensive as sh1t) relies on a mana core.

And or his mana heart essentially being driven partially off of the mana he himself drowns himself in.

The [Notepad] operates on mana too, so copying something from the future (his memories pre-regression, for exmple) or beyond his own abilities requires mana to use and mantain.

The MC incorporates stuff like skills (woodcutting) and techniques into muscle memory to reduce relying on [Notepad] due to storage and mana issues.

It works because [Notead] recorded everything from muscle, breathing and more from memories or observation, he can incorporate it slowly into his own body.

In conclusion, this isn't some annoying ability limited by being a superpower like MHA, nor is it a unreasonable deus ex machina. It's an explained, creative power used to the MCs advantage with its own limits.