Just finished this Aaaaaaaand it was just a hair's breadth above a waste of time for me. I can understand why people would like it since the MC isn't a "moral-fag" but he's way to unfeeling/heartless for me to enjoy reading about him. There were side plots I didn't really care much for either. I must definitely avoid Age of Adepts since I hear it's similar.
Age of Adepts is really good. I'm worried that due to lack of Patreon support that they might not continue translating it. The MC has certain morals. I think you would like it.
Age of Adepts is way way way way worse. It is terrible. Spoiler A copy of warlock of the magus world with its own unique spin on things. Every woman is a horrific insane psychobitch, and MC is a masochist so he waifus a harem of horrific women even though I prey for them to die instead (I am looking at you Alice. you murderous sadistic nutcase). I am being literal here, MC literally gets off on being physically beaten by Mary (vampire waifu) The AI cheat is stated to be weaker than the WMW by many reviewers... but this is only on the first chapter, it rapidly gets better and better and quickly surpasses WMW AI cheat in terms of cheat factor (letting him instantly cast spells, and store extra mana vastly increasing his casting stamina, things WMW AI cheat never did). Like WMW it can copy all data he sees, process it so he "learns" it, optimize spells to be better, and take control over his hands to craft items at obscenely high levels. He specializes in golem making, where the AI cheat takes a book that teaches the making of basic golems and reverse engineers the principals behind it to allow him to "invent" ever more powerful golems, as well as different material types (each golem design is only useful for a specific material). Unlike WMW he doesn't need any specific reference materials or research to do so. Even when all he has is that original book his AI cheat can still invent things like having a golem with multiple cores. The AI cheat also controls his hands to craft the runes at microscopic size to create massively better golems, and controls the golems for him in combat. Author also cannot be arsed to remember what rules he sets, completely forgetting things like mana limitations ("ok, I can cast this spell 3 times per day at current level". next chapter, cast the spell 30 times in a row). MC is a suicidal moron who repeatedly and knowingly commits suicide only to survive via plot armor. Where leylin would say "if I go there I would lose my little life" this MC says in character something that basically amounts to "wow, I will surely die if I try to attack this official adept monster despite me only being an apprentice... but meh, he has some treasure I want to steal so lets do it, I am sure it will work out" There is also the time where MC got "too excited" (author's words) to wait 3 days between doses of spirit enhancing potions he bought (using most of his money from a pretty big windfall that doesn't seem like it can be repeated), even though he explicitly stated in character that not waiting the 3 days between doses will cause massive drop to his physique stat and reduced gains to his spirit stat, he still drank it anyways because of being too excited. He ended up so weak he literally couldn't walk and had to spend most of his remaining funds on uncrippling himself. Also, for some reason MC has XP bar and HP in addition to stats, and must spend XP to learn spells once the AI cheat activates. Unlike WMW where the AI chip only estimated the MC's "stats" of strength, vitality, and spirit based on comparing him to other people (1.00 being an average normal human) and there was no such thing as XP and HP. Here nobody else seems to have XP and HP... I don't know what the deal is with that bit, it is never properly addressed by the author. also Spoiler Author suddenly decided that MC was not acting evil enough, so he had buy some literally mute slavegirls then torture them because they are "refusing to speak to him". They are also of a magical race that becomes extremely loyal to masters who treat them well as he is repeatedly told, and is very useful to have. And a bunch of other instances of horrible fail. Like the witches being perfectly fine with him enslaving their chosen maiden for some reason oh, and there is the one time he fights a level 1 official wizard when he is only an apprentice to protect vampire waifu because he thinks with his penis
Dude, the MC cares a lot about his goals, is just that people tend to think that emotion is a measure of importance when actions are the real indicator, a character can easily claim to care a lot about something but it will only be important after action has been taken to back up the claimed importance Basically, the MC cares a lot about his goals, thats why he does so much for their achievement The thing is that there is people who want to identify themselves with the characters even if in some small accounts, but the real craft of writing is to be able to make the readers understand the characters even if we dont identify with them, so, look at the actions and is easy to see the true nature of a character despite how much or how little emotion they show
My point isn't that he doesn't care much for his goals. As a matter of fact I'd say those are all he cares about. To the extent that he can do almost nothing unless they benefit them in some way. His every action is calculated and the only kindness he's capable of offering comes when the party he's being kind to is so beneath him that it's like petting a dog. Throughout the entire novel friendship plays pretty much no role in any action he does, kindness less so and love least of all. That is utterly inhuman, and almost reptilian (I guess the snake does fit him after all) in cruelty. Often, even the bad guys (if well written and not caricatures) have some level of humanity in them. There's little to understand about him so it isn't hard to do so. He's a psycopath, through and through. And while in many cases I don't mind them (I mean I read a lot of crazy manga like DeadTube), in this case he's just a pure cold, calculating person that has nothing I find interesting. His entire character seems to be a sort of "fuck you" from the author to the standard hero archetypes; this is why the author always places emphasis on him doing something only for benefits/not giving a shit about the consequences and him talking about how stupid heroes just are. I don't need to identify with him completely or even mostly or even at all. But if I'm not going to, then he should at least be interesting enough to not react to every single situation the same way. Dungeon Defense's MC is also pretty crazy/cruel, and I don't identify with him at all, but he has a penchant for dramatic flair that just makes him amazing to read. True, good writing makes us understand characters' intentions no matter how distanced they are from us as people, but in this case there's nothing shown about him apart from what we saw on day one. His true nature is exactly what is says on the tin. I'm not one to say character development is necessary or even always a good thing, but with a character as bland as him, I feel he could do with some. Honestly I find him appalling. But this is completely my point of view, and as I've said, I can understand why people would like WMW to an extent.
I think he is more of a fuck you to all those "villain MC" stories where the MC is constantly thinking with his penis instead of his head. Or just doing evil things for the lulz even if it hurts them to do so, without any care for benefits. And don't get me started on hypocrite MCs who are evil but claim they are good. I have only ever encountered 2 stories on NU where the MC did not think with their dick, did not act randomly, did not do evil for the lulz but for benefits instead, did not break character, and did not pretend to be a hero. Warlock of the Magus world, and Reverend Insanity. That is literally it. There are a lot of other evil MC stories out there but they usually fail at least one of those requirements, (often all of those requirements). True, although often he is being kind to randos as part of a calculated plot. Mostly to create a fake persona of a nice person so he can exploit it later.
I highly suggest to read "Devourer of Destiny" on RR if you want a very interesting story with an excellent "villain MC".
I honestly dont believe that you read 1200 chapters of WMW expecting Leylin to not be heartless and cold. That is both his nature and what is expected to live in that dog-eating-dog magus world. He wasnt heartless because he liked. Well, he did enjoy tricking other parties a little bit. But in most of his actions you can see that he cared to some extent to the people that worked for him. Those that he hired or aquired with the intent of just using until their deaths or breaking he used, but he left legacies to many of them. And for those that one feel he was more cruel, like the whole Balin incident on subterranean world...well, he continuously reprimanded amd taught him about how harsh real world was. If he didnt learned it on his own, then it wasnt Leylin's fault.
I didn't. It was pretty clear by the time I was halfway there. I'm just saying that I would have liked it more if he a) was a bit more interesting or b) developed in some way as a character. If he was't so heartless I don't think I would have had much of an issue, but I couldn't give him even that in the first place. Swapping him out with a robot for an MC would barely have changed the plot tbh. The way I see it he saw people who weren't heartless as fools (just look at his scorn for Rafaniya's idealism). True, he cared to some extent about the people around him, but not the the point that it'd affect his conscience (or what little he has left of one) if they were killed. The only legacies he ever left behind were things that were useless to him. So it's much like giving the bones of meat you've already eaten to dogs. I mean it's better than nothing, but I wouldn't really call it kindness. And even those actions were extremely rare. Even then, the author just has to keep hammering his point that Leylin is only doing something kind because he can gain from it somehow. For all my talk of kindness, it's not like I need an MC to be a goody-two-shoes. He can even be downright evil so long as he's entertaining. While Leylin's plots could be somewhat interesting, I'd say that as a character, he was extremely bland. There are reasons for me to dislike him, but pretty much nothing for me to like him for.
Well, Leylin is in the end, an evil workaholic. But thats quite expected from the beginning, since story starts with an artificial intelligence chip fused to his soul. He has his own desires and personality (which is, as expected of someone evil, cold), but they are adapted by always following the best path calculated.
I remember telling myself the same thing about the robot thing, I though: "Wait he has an AI fused to him, maybe the AI overtook him" with how little emotion he has, it seemed a really good explanation
All kinds All kinds of affection are inherently selfish because caring for something or someone means you care for it more than you care about other things or other people, and if you are aiming for eternity everything else looks smaller by comparison But even then Leylin was shown to do plenty of stuff in the background while dealing with his family and friends, we know his wives have their own territory each and designated schedules to spend time together, their children have a good relationship among themselves, we know his followers were well rewarded and his friends received extra aid when possible, is just that those things are side stories in his main goal so they stay n the background where they belong If we read a romance it would be weird if the side characters were popping up as the man romance develops, the same here, if the story is about a man reaching for eternity then eternity is the thing that takes the most space, it was on the synopsis The things he gave to others only seem small because he kept moving forward, just imagine if he abandoned his quest for eternity and settled down with any of the girls he got into a relationship with, it would look like an important change of heart at that moment and with the power level we have seen so far but it would look like a very stupid choice if we compare it to the final goal I think A Will Eternal is a good comparison as the MC also wants to reach eternity but it starts as a vague desire with no focus or a path and he only manages to advance it by a series of coincidences, the MC has plenty of personal relationships but in the end is the plot armor what allows him to go that far in his path while still keeping his personal relationships So yeah, if the final goal is that big then you need a MC with a lot of focus or a lot of plot armor, take your pick
A will eternal is a comedy so I don't think it makes for a good example Thanks, I will give it a shot. this one right? https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/18730/devourer-of-destiny
While the personal interactions are a comedy the cultivation elements are taken as straight as in any other novel and even better than in most, a good comparison is how in AWE the MC becomes the heir of his realm because some was fated to do so and thus he receives the chance to become an archaean by default, but in WMW Leylin had the power of fate because he sacrificed his apprentice to harvest his fate, one got his fate because the plot had a spot available (like soooooo many MCs) and the other got fate because he took it to advance the plot
I think WMW mc is pretty good, cause you get to choose this kind of mc or chinese trash young master or japanese edge lord mc or a jap beta mc
The side plots were fun in the beginning but as the story progressed, I just couldn’t care about them.
I think it is important to note that Leylin isn't Evil. Sure it is easy to say he his evil because we see him steal plunder and murder but his nature isn't evil. Referencing the D&D Alignment I peg Leylin to be a pretty spot on Chaotic Neutral. Leylin does things almost exclusively in the story for personal gain in some way. He is not very altruistic and even then it is usually only to those who have shown their loyalty in some fashion. But I digress. Chaotic Neutral is what you are when you care not for good or evil but for the advancement of yourself or your own goals. You do not harm for the sake of harming nor do good for the sake of doing good. You do what you do and Fuck everyone else. For any reason or no reason, you follow your whims. Leylin has killed people he has not needed to kill, he has also given charity to those unrelated to himself. To me he is the embodiment of Chaotic Neutral. Just adding this in cause I see everyone calling him evil when I really think he isn't. He also isn't a Psychopath not completely atleast he shares certain traits but not a majority. Just my 2 cents