Title: 은하계를 각성했다
Synopsis
The 28-year-old protagonist, who is completely average in looks, height, education, and everything else, desires an average life. However, he unexpectedly awakens. With an EX-grade awakening, a rank that only one individual per planet can achieve, the protagonist embarks on his climb up the tower.
Personal Review
Patriotism Overload
The story features 198 countries worldwide but highlights South Korea, ranked 172nd globally. If the required points aren’t met, dungeon breakouts occur, leading to loss of territory. Thanks to the protagonist’s abilities, these crises are averted, drawing the world’s attention to South Korea. Penalties are applied after reaching a certain level, but the protagonist uses tools such as divine water and fox beads to suppress them, earning global admiration. The protagonist also purifies lands rendered uninhabitable by dungeon breakouts. These developments mirror reactions often seen in patriotic YouTube videos, where the U.S. is amazed, China is shocked, and Japan is envious.
Realism
The story includes S-rank awakeners emigrating to China, Japan, or even defecting to North Korea. While immigration or naturalization to countries like China, Japan, or the U.S. seems plausible, the survival of North Korea in such a scenario strains credibility. Furthermore, South Korea loses territories such as Jeolla-do, Gyeongsang-do, Busan, Jeju-do, and Gangwon-do due to dungeon breakouts. Despite the loss of Jeolla-do, a major rice-producing region, the absence of a food crisis undermines the story’s realism.
Padding the Story
The narrative is bloated with meaningless chapters. While readers tolerate a degree of padding, this novel excessively stretches its content. Instead of advancing the plot, entire chapters are filled with trivial dialogues with summoned creatures, reactions from citizens, online communities, government officials, and foreign nations. This raises doubts about whether the author is deliberately stalling due to live serialization.
Derivative Work
The novel is rife with familiar tropes. The protagonist’s average setting to avoid being a “loser,” the existence of summoned creatures more capable than the protagonist, the decision to hide the awakening, and the protagonist’s unique ability and title all feel heavily derivative.
Evaluation
Originality: ★★★☆☆
Does the story exhibit originality compared to others?
The writing and settings feel unoriginal. However, elements like patriotism as a core theme and purifying foreign planets add a touch of uniqueness.
Immersion: ★★☆☆☆
Does the story captivate and engage readers?
While the dopamine-inducing content provides some appeal, overall immersion is limited.
Popularity: ★★★★☆
Can the story attract a broad readership with trendy elements?
Following the success of “The Average Man’s Guide to Conquering Towers,” this work uses similar themes, making it accessible to a wide audience.
Writing Style: ★★☆☆☆
Does the writing suit the web novel format?
The writing is cluttered with excessive explanations, and the humor often misses the mark for the target audience. Missing commas in numbers and typographical errors further detract from the reading experience.
Consistency: ★★★★★
Is the update schedule reliable and the chapter length appropriate?
Though scheduled for six updates a week, the author averages 6.6 updates, demonstrating remarkable consistency.
Overall Assessment
While heavily borrowing from existing tower-climbing novels, this story attempts to inject its own originality. The focus on patriotism, unique characters like a garlic-loving vampire unaffected by silver and a goddess-hating, alcohol-loving saintess, and its dopamine-driven narrative are noteworthy. However, the novel fails to deliver a compelling reading experience, despite its placement among popular tower-climbing works. Though it was selected for the “2024 Greatest Casting” in November, its inclusion raises questions about its merit. If adapted into a webtoon with excessive padding removed, it might provide entertaining dopamine-fueled progression. However, as a novel, readers are better off exploring other tower-climbing stories.
Average Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.2)
