Epic, but short story. The First Hunter is about a special forces soldier on leave who suddenly finds himself in the middle of a monster apocalypse. The story is fast paced - typical for Korean novels, where suddenly you may find yourself reading about another scene in the next paragraph. This fast paced story telling, full of sound effects, is pretty well utilized to paint a picture to the reader regarding the intense environment, and as typical as other Korean novels the MC grows from weak to strong pretty quickly. This is definitely one of those hidden gems that you can finish pretty quickly with an overall satisfactory ending (including an epilogue). Even though the story is fast paced, the chapters are pretty long, but like other Asian novels, the characters are pretty 2D - you get a name and that's it, and no significant development. Another significant detractor, in my opinion, is the lack of MC relationships, romantic or otherwise. The MC has several women who are interested in him, but he's as cold as a machine - and he's like this from beginning to end. No banter, no relaxation, no love, no fun, nope, nope, nope. I mean, c'mon, I get that he's a "Ghost soldier", but no one is completely devoid of human feelings (unless he's a sociopath (or is it psychopath?), which could also be argued), right? Another detractor is the annoyingly frustrating stunt the author pulls every time the MC catches up to the antagonist - the antagonist always seems to be just one step ahead, and can seemingly go from Moscow to Rome in the same time it takes for the MC to go half that distance (and remind you, this is a world full of crazy powerful monsters, and the MC is the most powerful one of them all). *sigh* it just annoys me when there's such a plothole where the antagonist can seemingly teleport and is omniscient regarding the MC's actions. It simply made me skip read a few chapters in the latter half of the story, just to proceed with the plot. Back on topic, the story, despite its flaws, IS really good and is definitely worth your time. Expect fast paced action, powerful MC, nice battles, and a clever protagonist. Don't expect romance, character development, world building, or multiple detailed POV from the side characters. Oh, and I suggest you prepare a good cup of coffee. It's good for the read 😉
The MC is definitely out for himself, which would be fine if he actually managed to do anything by himself instead of leeching his gains off of others efforts. People are of no use to him unless they are obedient slave sacrificial pawns. They are tools to facilitate his survival and might elicit empathy if those he meets were just as shrewd. Instead, the plot is full of his explanations about why he doesn't do things that actually make more sense in a post-apocalyptic event. The author knows what a plausible scenario might entail, but instead proceeds to present what seems like his wish fulfillment at the cost of credibility. For example, most other people are worthless trash and are abandoned by the MC early on. Those that the MC does recruit must obey him absolutely. Women are regarded as largely useless except as servants ready at his beckon call. The author writes these characters to accept his leadership not because it makes sense, but because it serves his own views on society. A view on society that evokes DPRK propaganda with the potential of MC to become the successor to Kim Jong-un...or worse.
This story is unusual, when compared to most of the stories on Webnovel. It's short, it has a proper end, and it doesn't exactly fit into any of the normal templates. It's a Korean novel, but is a little unusual even compared to Korean novels. Unless you just hate Korean novels or postapocalyptic settings, do yourself a favor and read it.
A fun read! Don't be misled by the review posted 4 years ago. The story has been completed. The MC is basically the Korean awakened version of Jason Bourne. While the wording can be awkward or repetitive at times, the characters are engaging, the story has great action scenes, and MC character development is OP but believable. I found the ending to be satisfying, and it tied into the theme set in the beginning. I definitely recommend this story. An easy read with fantastic action scenes. I love how the MC took down his first monster encounter. Check it out 👍😁
When I see a story that has "The First" in its name, I automatically associate it with something very good! After all, everything with "The First" on the front is usually good, for example: The First Man to Travel in Space, The First Man to Step on the Moon, The First Man to Fly, The First Man to Sleep on the Job and Get Fired for it, The First Man to be Cuckold, etc... Hmm... okay, maybe not all options above are good things, but you probably understood what I meant! Anyway! I liked this story, and because of that I will give five stars to "The First Hunter"! Don't you believe that the story is good? Well, in that case... why the hell are you still reading this? Go read and judge the story yourself, you goofy! Ahem... that's all, folks! Have a great day!
Everything is great except that the translation is confusing to understand sometimes. I'm really hooked with the story. I love how human the characters are. The lead is someone efficient and smart and logical. I love characters who think. Everything that happens has significance in the story, which is great because I don't like unnecessary portions that are there without any purpose. And the pace of the story is great.