I Killed the Main Player

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This power fantasy Manhwa features someone who reincarnated into his video game as a side character and has to become the main character to finish the storyline, specifically changing the storyline to have a better ending than any of the routes originally in the game. The game is a dating sim RPG but this manhwa doesn't actually lean too hard into the RPG elements unlike most stories in this genre because the main character is only meant to be a side character without full access to the main character UI. This story features a slight romance element but it's all one-sided as in typical anime ... fashion, the main character has other things on their mind but they do bring it up occasionally.

Despite the dating sim aspect of the game, there's not much to do with it and the story is mainly about how the MC uses his knowledge of the game change the storyline (and deal with the unexpected outcomes of those changes) so the characters don't really feel like fleshed out characters, just tools for the MC to develop and use. There's a lot of weird socks and bare feet in this manhwa, so I'm pretty sure either the artist or author has a foot fetish.

The MC is pretty obviously portrayed like a good person with a bit of a scumbag, and I think the author does a good job of conveying the feeling of being a gamer trying to 100% complete the game with the best ending into the main character's personality. It's not the most well developed story or cast, but it's very entertaining to read.

Let’s start with the title, which suggests an online game. However, we're introduced to a game world where the main character is no longer the protagonist from the previous story, but rather a secondary figure. Right from the beginning, there’s a clash in perspectives: while the protagonist believes this world is now his reality, the 'player' sees it all as fake, believing that the ends justify the means, even if it means killing anyone in his way to progress more efficiently. Interestingly, the 'player' only kills the heroines—make of that what you will, as manhwa can draw inspiration from anywhere.

Let’s go over the negatives:

The heroines ... have rather simple personalities.

The protagonist, despite clearly knowing that the heroines like him (up to chapter 54), chooses to ignore their feelings. Even though they fight over him, he doesn’t give them much attention. (There will likely be a romance arc later.)

While the story is interesting, it’s fairly simple.


Now, for the positives:

The artwork in the manhwa is stunning! The fight scenes are beautifully done, making it worth reading for the art alone, even if the story isn’t to your taste.

Some of the secondary story arcs have been great so far, with satisfying character development.

The heroines are just as strong as the protagonist, so there’s no one dragging him down.

The protagonist is quite charismatic. Despite his flaws, he’s versatile and fun.


Overall, it’s a solid read. I personally enjoyed it and would give it a higher rating, but the plot isn’t strong enough for that. A fair score for this manhwa would be between 4 and 7.

The name of this manga wound up being quite strange. I came into this expecting something like Death Note, a protagonist commits a murder and the police/detectives slowly close in as he tries to cover it up. It could have been a very refreshing and thrilling story. Instead, the murder happens (The MC kills an abusive partner after travelling back in time for second chance at life) and stops being relevant. This all happens at the very start, and after its done it just... ends? The thrilling and morally dubious stakes hinted by the title just don't pan out.

Instead, for better or worse, we get ... the very cliche Manhwa power fantasy story about a martial artist and his single-minded goal of training to get stronger. Much of the plots are the MC using his knowledge of the future/past to set things right in his second life mixed in with mini training arcs. There is a bit of a harem that forms but as per Manwha cliché, the MC ignores their feelings and just takes advantage of them for plot elements.

Definitely some wasted potential here in the lack of murder plot. If "Martial artist obsessed with training so he can save the world, after dying and being sent back years to get a second chance" is something new and interesting to you, then read it. But this sounds like something you've read a lot before (Because its common), there might not be much new and interesting for you