Hindsight being twenty-twenty, Kim Se-hun returns to form with this week's chapters. That's pretty surprising because, if you've been paying attention, it never really felt like he'd distanced himself from his style in the first place. There were, however, a bunch of outstanding instances that marked subtle shifts in his writing. In that sense it could be said that he was true to himself even in experimenting with new styles of literary prowess. Se-hun is nothing if not subtle in how he disseminates information so why not apply that same methodology to acquiring information? Looking back it becomes clear that he needed sometime to consider the direction that HARDCORE LEVELING WARRIOR would eventually be taking in the future. Given that North American translations tend to lag behind Korean releases combined with two chapter releases a week, it makes sense that even a creator as skilled as Se-hun would require some additional preparation time in coming up with new material.
There is a lot of guess work that has to go into comprehending a series where the author rarely explains what is happening and why. The story really develops based on how it is interpreted by each reader allowing for a range of discussion and discourse to take place. Se-hun uses this to maximum effect in his portrayal of Sad Smile. The real world loan shark turned magical feudal lord in Lucid Adventure has a heavy hand in how events have unfolded in the story thus far. It should come as no surprise that even without an explicit explanation his personal attribute "An Unfair Bargain" is a Nightmare skill. While it remains unclear how he intends to use the Black Cores, we know that Sad Smile has been carrying out experiments with these Nightmare inducing objects from his speculations about Lazie's horn turned sword turned super monstrosity. Even though none of this information is stated explicitly, the knowledge can nevertheless be pulled from the writing and artistry of each panel. The black aura surrounding Sad Smile upon the activation of his personal attribute, and the completion of HLW's S Rank quest provide sufficient context for these inferences. Sad Smile's schemes remain largely obfuscated, but we can state with absolute certainty that he intends to bring down Giga. His position as Lord of Cobalt Castle essentially affords him vast political powers within Lucid Adventure which, when combined with his presumed knowledge of Giga's organizational secrets, allows him to function as a central figure for conflict. The use of Nightmare in particular appears to have close ties to Sad Smile, and may even hint at a means in achieving his endgame. Given that his current level of experimentation, however, his use of Nightmare may yet prove to have dire consequences for both his enemies and himself. For the time being, it is sufficient that Se-hun has allowed us to believe Sad Smile to be capable enough to bring Giga through Nightmare, and HLW's association with Dark. This last tidbit of information subsequently allows HLW to escape the lowest levels of Sad Smile's real world dungeon in light of his outstanding financial issues. Upon returning to Heart Heater and company, Se-hun expands upon Rim's character, Sora and Dark's training, and what we can expect going into the third phase of Combat God's tournament. In conjunction with a one day time limit we are also introduced to the concept of Skill Gems, Heart Heater's mysteriously overwhelming aura, and the importance of counterintelligence. Though it remains unclear as to where ranking within Lucid Adventure begins, its importance is made abundantly clear. Tying into this Se-hun also reveals three, seemingly, formidable rankers possessing one of the three traditional personal attributes. The sudden black and white of these rankers appears to indicate that each is exceptionally powerful despite being copies operating at fifteen percent of their usual efficiency. HLW, Sora, and Dark have proven themselves to be a fearsome trio over the course of HARDCORE LEVELING WARRIOR. Each has developed a set of skills, and a mindset that allows them to work as an effective team. Though there remain external influences that conspire to make or break their current dynamic, they continue to rely on one another as the story presses forward. With only one day left before the tournament continues, Sora and Dark will have to learn some more essential skills before they can hope to achieve victory during the siege round. Next week's double chapter aims to build on our understanding of rankers, and how effectively Sora and Dark overcome this stage of their training may prove to be the deciding factor in who wins or losses the fights to come! Written By: ALAN "VIENNA" SINGH
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Kim Se-hun continues to elevate himself to new heights with these last two chapters of HARDCORE LEVELING WARRIOR. From the opening panels he wastes no time in throwing both reader and protagonist back into the thick of things. Previously, HLW had made his way into the township surrounding Cobalt Castle where he was then tasked with keeping track of Sad Smile and locating the Laling children's parents. Under more normal circumstances we might have expected HLW to forgo a quest involving helping others at no material gain for himself so Se-hun carefully develops a plot that forces the MC to confront his apathetic nature. In order to facilitate this change he introduces the concept of quest combinations wherein two quest become combined increasing the overall quest level while adding additional conditions in achieving the rewards. Given how exceptional this particular quests rewards are, we can all agree that the increase in difficult was warranted if a little shoehorned.
Perception plays a significant role in HARDCORE LEVELING WARRIOR in how Se-hun ties the concept to his characters. While playing within the game world his characters have information, memories and thoughts, but all of these are able to be altered by use of game mechanics. Spells and abilities that provide debilitating effects are not overwhelmingly prevalent, but their uses have a large impact on how the story unfolds. Recall that HLW was still being hunted down following the loss of his status as the number one player in Lucid Adventure. It was only by interacting with his mirror version that he was able to erase from the minds of all users his past as a less than friendly player. Even his desire to hunt down Nightmare and find Armes were the result of Constance's use of his personal attribute, allowing him to easily manipulate the minds of his companions. Fittingly, the appearance of Constance at the end of the first chapter and his continued presence throughout the second chapter help to tie the idea of perception and Constance together. On a smaller scale we experience slight perceptional shifts from the start of this weeks first chapter. There is a sickening dread that creeps up on us as we see people in cages waiting to be turned into the living dead by powerful dark mages. Se-hun's writing, however, alleviates the tension of his visuals by introducing comedic elements to the scenario. The dark mages are incredibly outlandish in their portrayal while also proving to be less than capable of dealing with our hero in any satisfactory manner. Legions of undead attack HLW, but their lack of teeth stop them from inflicting any damage upon his person. Even HLW's inability to kill the undead because of his quest is used to lighten the atmosphere by forcing him to avoid excessively violent conflicts. Given his character, we all know that effective self restraint in itself is a feat when it comes to our protagonist. This also provides a level of irony because he immediately loses all self restraint upon spotting Constance. Constance has grown significantly over the last two years going from shy guy to Giga enforcer. The difference in his personality, and capabilities are significant enough that he is able to hold Sad Smile for ransom within his own castle. Given his appearance, and interactions we can also assume that he has risen significantly under Giga's tutelage. Whether his more sadistic nature is a result of his Nightmarized personal attribute, or a personal shift is still unclear enough that it gives pause when considering how different he has become over the understated timeskip. HLW wastes no time in attempting to kill him on sight, but is met with an almost lazy resistance from Constance who easily manages to avoid death. While the first chapter helped to introduce the key players, the second chapter raises questions about Giga, Constance, Sad Smile, and even HLW. There has long been a shadowy quality to Giga and how they interact with others within Lucid Adventure. The conflict between Zara Guild and Giga served to explain some of their motivations, but their endgame remains hotly debated. Constance's role as an investigator is surprising given his history with Giga at first, but upon realizing that the choker he wears constrains his personal attribute we can understand better why Giga would increase his clearance. It is clear from his attempt to use his personal attribute that Constance may yet be waiting for an opportunity to break free of Giga's control. In a similar vein, Sad Smile is already taking steps to overcome Giga's hold on Cobalt Castle. It just so happens that HLW and Constance are obstructing his machinations though this relationship remains unknown to the former. Sad Smile's acquisition of Lazie's horn also presents another conflict of interest between HLW and the lord of Cobalt Castle. How he intends to use the horns in conjunction to overcome Giga, however, remains to be explained. Amidst all of these overlapping plans, HLW's relationship with both characters presents an interesting opportunity. Both Constance and Sad Smile seem to want HLW to join their respective teams, but his hate of both characters is unlikely to subside anytime soon. In fact he seems indifferent to their propositions in the face of his potential quest rewards. Given his poor relationship with both of these enemies, however, Se-hun has really set up a promising next chapter by throwing our hero into their midst. HARDCORE LEVELING WARRIOR continues to excite with each new chapter released by Kim Se-hun. Their are many overlapping stories that continue to be driven by character growth, and interaction that generates an overwhelming sense of realism in each character. Though Dark and Sora are side characters to the larger narrative surrounding HLW, they both hold positions of interest for us as we go forward. Their histories serve as springboards for subsequent story arcs, while also allowing us to experience the growth of these characters along side HLW. With luck next weeks chapter should see the conclusion of the Cobalt Castle side story, and then we'll return to the next stage of Combat God's Tournament. Look forward to more mind blowing additions to this amazing story next week! Written By: ALAN "VIENNA" SINGH I'm ever in awe of how crazy HARDCORE LEVELING WARRIOR has become with each passing episode. Kim Se-hun has done a splendid job in blending together a heady mix of unrelated paradigms to create a work unlike any other. He has this amazing habit of containing his excitement within the lines of his drawings. Combine all of that with a vast and intricate plot design, and one might have something close to what makes this webtoon exceptional.
Having now inserted himself into his own story Se-hun continues to up the ante with his characters, and plot. We're now closely acquainted with the events of HLW leading up to the dissolution of Zara Guild under the guidance of Armes. It was tragic for everyone to learn of her death from Master Swordsman, but the fact that Sad Smile and Giga benefited the most from her decision to capsize the guild is something that our hero continues to contend with. Its with a languid bit of writing that Se-hun brings those early events into an elaborate full circle; HLW has to pay his bills in order to remain breathing in the Real and his payment has to be made in Lucid Adventure to a dealer located in Cobalt Castle. If not for the inherent dangers present to his journey the sheer coincidence of the situation might almost be considered laughable. As it is, things are far from comedic in these two chapters. In fact, these two chapters see a significant up tick in combat, mechanics, and visual resolution. Were it up to me, my personal character placed into a work of fiction of my own making would certainly hit glorious heights the likes of which MCs only dream. Se-hun turns that dream of overpowered authorship into a reality in these two chapters. Superior strength, combat capabilities, skills, and even sharper artistry mark the mysterious old man avatar of Se-hun as an amazing new character. Add to that his sudden quest request, and without too much effort our author has effectively installed himself into the very fabric of the world that he created. His arrival has certainly left HLW at a complete loss for words particularly when he starts swinging around the Sword of Seven Truths. A pretty impressive feat to add to the mysterious old man's rapidly growing list of accolades when you consider that the sword is bonded to HLW and in theory should be completely inaccessible to anyone except him. Even with the focus shifted back to HLW in the later of these two chapters, the author's avatar retains a level of importance in bringing the plot forward. Given his selfish nature there was a fairly slim chance that the protagonist had any intention of solving the undead problem surrounding Cobalt Castle, but again Se-hun has managed to pull him willingly back into the thick of it. The interaction is clever enough its way because of how the author-character relationship works. After all, who better to leverage personality traits than the author who wrote them down in the first place? This is especially vital in driving HLW to enter Cobalt Castle because he isn't the type to do anything for the love of others. In truth the ability to have empathy for others is a factor that often makes protagonists who they are. At a basic level protagonists have a tendency to care profoundly about others. This inevitably allows them to tap into and access power far beyond their general capability. HLW goes completely against the grain of more average heroes in this regards to this, and yet we join him as he begins to uncover his empathy. It is a subtle difference that strikes profoundly at the heart of what makes a hero what they are under the belief that empathy is not something inherent to humans. In fact, Se-hun's writing appears to indicate that emotional attachments to others requires significant development and teaching in order to acquire. The paradigm is an interesting one, and the manhwa does a spectacular job of selling it to readers more attuned to traditional archetypes. HARDCORE LEVELING WARRIOR tends to avoid direct confrontations with us. Instead, small tidbits and hints are dropped allowing for a range of potential scenarios to circulate. Only in the more recent chapters has Kim Se-hun attempted to explain a small fraction of what has lead our heroes up to current events. These chapters tend to be filled with profound insights about the plot, and the direction it may be heading. The last two chapters, however, are much more self contained despite their connection to chapters past. Having already given us details about what to expect from HARDCORE LEVELING WARRIOR's presumed end game, Se-hun places an advanced focus on his own avatar, and the development of HLW himself. Having now slipped into Cobalt Castle, our hero is set to face down the machinations of both Giga and Sad Smile. The next two chapters are sure to be just as exciting as the last! Written By: ALAN "VIENNA" SINGH |
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