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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