Thank you.

I try to look for your comments, though I am certain I would have missed a few. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, I appreciate it. I won't keep reading, it is true, but your words mean a lot.

"Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?" Matthew 7:3 This is a novel with some of the best world-building and story-telling I have ever read, yet it falls hard on its face once the story branches outside of Korea. As soon as Japanese characters enter, they are depicted - as an entire people group - as racist, two-faced, shallow, and cruel. I cannot in good conscience support a novel that blatantly pitches another people group as sub-human or inherently evil, especially when they are unwilling to share their own people group's faults. This is in itself inherently racist. If you are going to write about racism or any similar issue, write about your own failings first before calling out others. The author clearly chose to depict the racist side of the Japanese first before anything else, just as much as they chose to not depict the racist side of the South Koreans first (which is ironic, because by doing this the author only proves they are racist, not the Japanese). The author may later on show good Japanese people and racist South Koreans, but the issue is that they are already set up to be the exception to the norm. In any media - whether webnovel, film, speech, etc. - what you say first about someone or something is what you are making the "normal state or condition" about that someone or something. This can be done intentionally so as to manipulate people to think about someone in a particular way. Introducing my wife to my friends as someone who loves to play board games will have a drastically different effect on the initial perspective they have about her compared to introducing her as someone who loves to nag (I am not married, fyi), no matter how she acts for the rest of the night. Do I want the precedent I set about who my wife is be something she has to work against, or something she can work with? How about entire people groups like the Japanese, or the people of any nation? As of chapter 123, where I stopped, the Japanese have been painted as racist, two-faced, shallow, and cruel - and not as individuals, but as a group. In order for a new Japanese character to look different to us the readers, they are going to have to prove they aren't also racist, two-faced, shallow or cruel. Can they do it? Sure. But they shouldn't have to. No one should by their gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, or color of their skin, have to prove that they are "different than the rest." This is not how we end racism. We end it by confessing our errors first, for those are the only errors we can fix. “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you... How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye." Matthew 7:1‭-‬2‭, ‬4‭-‬5 If you haven't read this novel yet, don't start. It is addicting and amazing in nearly every way, which is what makes it such a disappointment when the author starts to demean and dehumanize entire nations. Look elsewhere for a good story that does not normalize racism. You won't die skipping this one.

Thank you for your kind words. They mean a lot. I did really like this novel; it is one of the best written webnovels I have ever read. Outside of how the author chose to depict the Japanese thus far, I loved basically everything about this novel. In one sense you are right about main characters, events and villains, but in another sense no. The main character can be good (though not required) and the villains evil (though not required), but that is addressing them as individuals. The author did not address the Japanese as individuals, but painted an entire people group as the villain. The author may later on show good Japanese people and racist South Koreans, but the issue is that they are already set up to be the exception to the norm. In any media - whether webnovel, film, speech, etc. - what you say first about someone or something is what you are making the "normal state or condition" about that someone or something. This can be done intentionally so as to manipulate people to think about someone in a particular way. Introducing my wife to my friends as someone who loves to play board games will have a drastically different effect on the initial perspective they have about her compared to introducing her as someone who loves to nag (I am not married, fyi), no matter how she acts for the rest of the night. Do I want the precedent I set about who my wife is be something she has to work against, or something she can work with? As of now, the Japanese have been painted as racist, two-faced, shallow, and cruel - and not as individuals, but as a group. In order for a new Japanese character to look different to us, they are going to have to prove they aren't also racist, two-faced, shallow or cruel. Can they do it? Sure. But they shouldn't have to. No one should by their gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, or color of their skin, have to prove that they are "different than the rest." As said in my first message, I don't want to, by any of my actions, encourage others to think that such an attitude about a people group should be considered normal. So I cannot in good conscience continue to support this novel by reading it. I am sorry. Thank you for giving me time and writing a response. I appreciate it.

"Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?" Matthew 7:3 If you are going to write about racism or any similar issue, write about your own failings first before calling out others. The author clearly chose to depict the racist side of the Japanese first before anything else, just as much as they chose to not depict the racist side of the South Koreans first. Maybe it will come up later, and maybe there will be good Japanese people later, but this still establishes a precedent of what the Japanese (and likely other nations) will be like in comparison to the South Koreans in this story: that "they" are the evil ones and we are the good ones - which is inherently racist on its own. I have no desire to normalize such an attitude of "us" versus "them" or encourage others to think of any people group as inherently racist by any of my actions, which is what is happening here, so I will stop reading here. This is not how we end racism. We end it by confessing our errors first, for those are the only errors we can fix. “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you... How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye." Matthew 7:1‭-‬2‭, ‬4‭-‬5

Depends on where morality comes from. If it comes from man, then it is certainly shattered or at least changed heavily. If it comes from god/God, depends how powerful that god/God is in comparison to the scenarios, disasters, dokkaebi, and constellations. Could they stop that god/God if he/she/they decided to act? If they can't, then the law, including the moral law, of that god/God remains. Just it seems in this novel that no such god/God exists, for they have seemingly not done a thing through all this. Either that, or the god/God has a moral standard so low that not even the scenarios have crossed it.

I mean, He got the Imyuntar symbol without killing Lycaon. I forgot how, but he did.

No, Lee Hyunsung has a solid point.

Fast should be correct, since the paragraph suggests he found her already asleep. Fall asleep would mean he saw her close her eyes and go to sleep. Fast asleep means she already is, and appears to have fallen into a deep sleep very quickly.

Thank you Yoo Sangah.

I mean, if he is done with misunderstandings, why not take this moment to clarify?

have -> had

I never knew this existed, but I am glad I did.

Support your friend and brother.

Thank you.

I believe it should say: "However, it is this cleverness that is your Achille's Heel."

That is a pretty cool analogy.

Thank you.

Yes. Just yes.