apopoi's manga / #male lead(4)

It is a typical martial arts story with a male lead who is hell-bent on getting revenge against those who have wronged him. What was a surprise tho was how quick he debated whether revenge was really worth it and at least thought if not considered about living a normal life in hiding. The Central Alliance and the Northern Sect, two organisations that were supposed to be side by side ended up in such position. The former created the latter by summoning (?) martial masters from across the globe to battle against the 'Silent Night'. But in the fourth generation that is the MC's father gen, the Silent Night supposedly disappeared after centuries of fighting countless battles, soon after there was internal struggle or dispute over control of the mainlands. The Northern Heavenly Sect had grown too powerful so the Central Alliance devised a plan that was possible through the betrayal of the brothers (not biological) of the Northern Sect leader. Politics..ugh..such is the way of the world both in reality and fiction. They are more concerned for themselves over the safety of the world and the people. They were granted the highest status befitting the role they played in the murder and framing of the Northern Sect leader. Tho it is an open secret that they collaborated as the leader was an honest man famous for that trait. I don't wanna dictate everything cuz noone but me will read it so just a review is enough. The Silent Night were said to be the perpetrators but that seems to be an assumption following how the story progresses. Also the MC while being OP is not the top dog. There is potential romance between him and Ha-Seol ( the next in line for one of the position of the Four Demon Lord of the Silent Night), he even named his Bewitched Sword after her so..My fav characters are between his Uncle, love his loyalty and dedication, and his first blade (?) who swore allegiance to him and spread the word that the MC was dead and supported him in the shadows.

The start hooked me right in and I read through the chapters in a flash. Then, it felt like the author started losing their vision for the manhwa, because sometimes things felt so cliche. When they were talking about friends and family, the way the subject matter was approached felt so childish and without a strong foundation like the bald guy from 'Fast and Furious' kept saying 'For Family' or some shit like that. I liked the ML when he was a child and I still like him for his thirst for knowledge. Ofcourse he's OP but it felt like watching someone who was truly passionate and would do anything and everything for magic YET the story started falling flat after a great start. His friendship with Rian although cute felt so cliche and inorganic. The way he was willing to die because they are friends, and the way his whole family sentenced him for execution over that silly thing felt like a necessity for the plot and not for the flow of the story. It just feels like this is something that is scripted, rather than a living and breathing world. His interaction with the Headmaster was my favourite. It felt like a genius recognising a genius. Their interaction, I wanted to absorb and memorize every moment of it. The FL is the tsundere redhead, the same one that traumatized the ML. Her thinking pattern was so anime-like that I felt like ripping all my hair off. If she just apologised instead of making all those mundane threats and made him give her coffee every morning to make it seem like (to the public) that he has feelings for her so when she inevitably rejects him, his words would fall on deaf ears. The logic is not reasonable. Instead of this roundabout way of doing things, just apologize. He isn't the type to spread rumours, she is the one who is spreading this like wildfire from her unnecessary actions. Also him going over to the place the 'kidnappers' abducted(supposedly) the MC was so... Ofcourse she got into trouble because of some boys who couldn't handle rejection. They used anti-magic so she couldn't defend herself, then the MC appears and by making his spirt zone more solid, he was able to deflect it. Then the teachers appeared as per the MC's request to the redhead's friend then they calmed the situation down(not sure how to put it). Then they regret, even tho they attempted murder. Sure we will gloss past that. But I hope that there would be character growth for the fl but she made things worse, saying that he is her boyfriend so that they won't pry into their business and find out about their secrets. I thought she had a moment of realisation when she was truly in danger, that she thought 'Is this how he felt then?'

This single-handedly cured my exasperation of this genre. Most of it from male-leads but female-leads as well, everything felt formulaic so I guess I like how straightforward this manhwa is being. I don't like how the male lead sees people as chicks or underlings but he atleast has five people he cares for now : Ron, Master, his sister, Charlotte and the bulky crybaby. He spares no expense for them. The plot is generic at best and it follows the typical cultivation method of Chinese novels but in place of that is mana and sword aura. The MC still possess the skills he has but not as proficient as he used to be and the longevity is halved. I hope to see his sister as a brand new person after the trigger has been placed. Their father is trash, so fucking narrow-minded. He has his eldest child who has the potential to become a master in his grasp but because of his idiocy, their family fell into ruins. Just because she is a girl, she didn't inherit her family name(?) And became the plaything for the royal family. Her younger brother parades around young lords asking if they want to bed her just to gain their favour. Jack cares deeply for his sister but he is a realist and makes preparations for his sister's change. I think his Master is the one he cares for the most, his sister comes second probably then Ron probably. The last two are interchangeable. His master is such a fascinating woman and would be the usual MC for other manhwas I feel.

It has its moments. I don't like the MC at all.. I don't like his hair, his face, his expressions, his personality, his justice.. The plot ain't plotting here but there's something there. The 13th disciple is very interesting to me and turned the story upside down I feel. The characters are one dimensional except maybe the uncle.. The uncle is a fascinating one. His love for Eugene is so heartwarming to see, he was the reason he joined the Abyss and became a Apostle. That made my heart ache.. I love that the MC acknowledges that as well, that his uncle and brother were more like parents to him then his own parents. The mom is cool on paper but she's so callous.. I live for wild women but she ain't it. I hate that theC can't grow a spine and isn't getting a proper character development... His antics are too much and is bringing too much trouble to his friend.. His complete disregard for everyone and his self centered attitude pisses me off.