I think there is a really interesting setup here that Gavis and The Witch might be evil spirits that got to leave but chose to come back. The witch says so you’re like us when bjorn says he belongs here. I think Gavis might’ve chosen to come back and regretted it, now he wants to go back. The other versions of him who chose to leave in parallel dimensions realize bjorn met a version of himself who chose to stay. Maybe most spirits choose to leave when given the chance but our bjorn is an anomaly like the versions of the Witch and Gavis who chose to stay and he is meeting in Raphdonia.
2. Baekho may actually have had more character growth than bjorn this Arc
3. The reality bjorn was in, was not a dream and was real.
4. The L1 monster not chasing is sus, what's it actually guarding
I think the earth witch scene would have hit harder if bjorn had properly severed ties / exhausted his resources with the other reality. Bjorn telling the witch something like, no I belong here, my friends, family, funds were all burnt for me to get back here in just a month, I can't miss the events at the end of the year, blah blah friendship and actual character goals. Would have been simpler, more character defining and a better step than the “ohoho so mysterious” slop we keep getting.
We have another earth witch interaction, we have more unanswered and frankly unasked questions than before. HOW did you move me to that dimension WHY shouldnt i open the abyss gate? Are we allies? What do you want? Why don't you just isekai baekho, he's the one causing issues in your world who wants to leave and will accept it?
Bjorn isn't asking questions someone who is role-playing with incomplete information would ask let alone someone who seeks to fucking live in the world he chose.
Imagine been isekai'd to our reality, not knowing what electricity is, encountering it then never asking clarifying questions.
Well, I called it but the author half-assed it. He didn't want to complete his growth yet so he can stretch out his progress for the end. That's lame af. Super weak writing here. He even acknowledged it as the witch in order to point out that he's aware of his nerfed character growth, hoping that it makes it better. It doesn't. Just kill off Hansoo please for the love of God. It's okay if he dies then just bangs whoever he wants! There can still be conflict (greater actually) by needing to protect his love interests and even failing. This is some weak beta male writing.
The issue I have with your phrasing here is that hansoo is bjorn, the author isn't writing a convincing character development arc or resolving any of hansoos issues. Our guy is just denying reality, who he really is and spiralling. All it would take is a chapter or handful of paragraphs of self reflection and exposition about who he was and who he wants to be ending on a “the old me is dead" line and we'd be Gucci.Had this happened BEFORE this Arc we could have made the dream Arc our MC having a proper mental breakdown about his chosen identity been stolen, could line the earth witch up as a proper villain or muddy that plot.But nah. Why plan a story and develop a character when you can just throw shit at the wall and see what sticks.Honestly, my expectations for a webnovel are far too high.If this turns out to be a double dream eg the witch changed the dream to him been in raphdonia because his original reality didn't trap him well enough I'll take my criticism back.
I agree and that's the thing that is so freaking frustrating! He's setting himself up but choking at the end. I don't think your expectations are too high, they're fair for what happened already as this novel used to be really good. The author just lost the benefit of the doubt after failing to deliver time and time again.I'm victim to the sunk time fallacy and can't bring mystic to drop it fully. Blue said the author acknowledged his writing slipped and he was going to tighten it up, so I'm really just holding out hope for that.I do think he's on the right track but he's dragging it out when he doesn't need to. Much like he’s doing with Bjorn and his romance. It feels like he thinks it'll be over if he closes certain conflicts in his character but he's wrong. It's true that a person in a perfectly healthy relationship, with no internal conflicts about identity can make for a boring read, but that's only if it's viewed through a shallow lens. The goal just shifts from attaining that growth to stressing it with the threat of losing what you've built. My life would be boring as he'll to read. I have no growth anymore, I know exactly what I'm about and comfortable with it. If my kids or my wife are endanger though I would literally slit people's throats to defend them. There's actually very little I wouldn't do for them, but there is a limit. So what happens when you push someone like that to the limit? Then it becomes more interesting of a read.
That's my concern, bjorn losing stuff has been foreshadowed alot, but I don't think he's actually fully committed. He can just re-shift his goals and alogn with baekho wanting to leave and return to reality if this goes sideways, he still has things there for him. Author is very lukewarm on actually locking in development, goals, motivations and actions. A few hundred chapters back and it was up in the air still, maybe passable Right now after he's actively chosen to return to fantasy land? Ship has sailed.
Tbh, I don’t know at which point in the story the author said that – I just know it happened some time after the doll incident and after a series of breaks and hiatuses. I’m hoping it’s sooner rather than later, though.Also, I can’t say I'm disappointed with this turn of events – I think this was the goal, a more roundabout way to show how Bjorn solidified his resolve to live in Raphdonia (maybe will come into play later), and also to show his affliction- where he’s deluded into thinking this life is better suited for him than his earth life. The discourse with the Witch had some stuff to unpack for the future I believe.Was there any missed opportunities? For sure, but I'm looking forward to what the renewed Bjorn has in store, and how he will aim to overcome the challenges and misfortune we know is coming. I kinda see Bjorn like a tragic hero, thinking he’s got it under control and know where he’s going, but fate is not on his side. The Witch tried to save home from it, but he may end up being his own foil.
So the witch did create a world that reflected his real world and by successfully beating the game in said world he was able to get back.
The fact that Gavis showed up in that world means that he probably sent Wolf there or somewhere similar. I’m guessing he knew Bjorn was there due to the magic he cast on him placed some sort of tracker on him.
I’m curious to find out about this we collective that the witch mentioned.
I don't think she's creating these worlds, they're probably just alternate realities. Like how Gavis and some players are considered aliens. He's not an outer space alien he's probably just from another reality. She likely had the same ability to move people from dimensions like Gavis does. She probably just found a version of earth that has what Hansoo wanted.
We don't know if the witch created that world or can just shift people to alternate dimensions. Bjorn isn't asking and the witch isn't giving answers to stuff like “what was that world I was just in" “how did I get there" “did you make that or did it already exist”Exposition is more anaemic than your average souls-like clone.I think the collective is probably this world's big hitters, they're probably no lifers like bjorn who chose this fantasy world over our reality. We may never find out with how many incomplete threads the author has strewn about.
I wonder if the We includes any of the gods, like Leatlas/Tobera/Heindall… seeing as Leatlas also intervened in Bjorn's fate. Could also include Gavis too seeing as he seems to be observing and interfering with fate as well. Time will tell
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I think there is a really interesting setup here that Gavis and The Witch might be evil spirits that got to leave but chose to come back. The witch says so you’re like us when bjorn says he belongs here. I think Gavis might’ve chosen to come back and regretted it, now he wants to go back. The other versions of him who chose to leave in parallel dimensions realize bjorn met a version of himself who chose to stay. Maybe most spirits choose to leave when given the chance but our bjorn is an anomaly like the versions of the Witch and Gavis who chose to stay and he is meeting in Raphdonia.
Okay so
1.No timeskip
2. Baekho may actually have had more character growth than bjorn this Arc
3. The reality bjorn was in, was not a dream and was real.
4. The L1 monster not chasing is sus, what's it actually guarding
I think the earth witch scene would have hit harder if bjorn had properly severed ties / exhausted his resources with the other reality. Bjorn telling the witch something like, no I belong here, my friends, family, funds were all burnt for me to get back here in just a month, I can't miss the events at the end of the year, blah blah friendship and actual character goals. Would have been simpler, more character defining and a better step than the “ohoho so mysterious” slop we keep getting.
We have another earth witch interaction, we have more unanswered and frankly unasked questions than before. HOW did you move me to that dimension WHY shouldnt i open the abyss gate? Are we allies? What do you want? Why don't you just isekai baekho, he's the one causing issues in your world who wants to leave and will accept it?
Bjorn isn't asking questions someone who is role-playing with incomplete information would ask let alone someone who seeks to fucking live in the world he chose.
Imagine been isekai'd to our reality, not knowing what electricity is, encountering it then never asking clarifying questions.
Well, I called it but the author half-assed it. He didn't want to complete his growth yet so he can stretch out his progress for the end. That's lame af. Super weak writing here. He even acknowledged it as the witch in order to point out that he's aware of his nerfed character growth, hoping that it makes it better. It doesn't. Just kill off Hansoo please for the love of God. It's okay if he dies then just bangs whoever he wants! There can still be conflict (greater actually) by needing to protect his love interests and even failing. This is some weak beta male writing.
So the witch did create a world that reflected his real world and by successfully beating the game in said world he was able to get back.
The fact that Gavis showed up in that world means that he probably sent Wolf there or somewhere similar. I’m guessing he knew Bjorn was there due to the magic he cast on him placed some sort of tracker on him.
I’m curious to find out about this we collective that the witch mentioned.