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
3 Comments
6/22/2018 09:40:09 pm
hi Alan, this is so cool that someone loves the HLW as much as I love it. Do you where we can get more info about the author Se-Hun? Thanks!
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6/23/2018 10:53:25 am
Hey Gian!! Always nice to hear from a fellow HLW fan!! Unfortunately, HLW has only been getting published since 2016, and has only recently been pulled over to LINE Webtoon. As of yet, the series doesn't have a wiki page or even a very large following as of yet. Given that the popularity of the series is still increasing we might be able to expect details about the author Kim Se-hun in the near future, but as of right now there is nothing to my knowledge that expands on him. With that said I'm certain that there are Korean blogs or sites that do have information about him and in order to access these places I'm learning Korean. Please be patient with both me and the series for now, and hopefully we'll be able to get more information soon!! Thank you (Y) :))
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Gian Gallegos
7/18/2018 07:26:45 am
That is awesome! I cant wait to know more about the author. Probably a good idea to start a wiki fan page for HLW. hehe Leave a Reply. |
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