If you want to read an isekai with a strong and smart male lead who isn’t OP and constantly struggles, I think you’ll love this.

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Plot Summary

Hansu Lee has been trying to beat a roguelike game, Dungeon and Stone, for 9 years and finally reached the end-game boss’ room.

But then he’s suddenly thrown into the world of Dungeon and Stone as a barbarian named Bjorn, among other barbarians who are in the middle of a ceremony to pick their weapons before they enter the labyrinth.

We quickly learn that:

1) people who are discovered as being reincarnated are killed on sight

2) he must risk his life in the labyrinth so that he can earn enough money to pay his taxes or be executed.

Having never fought, let alone risked his life before, Bjorn is scared of having to fight monsters but he has no choice.

My Thoughts (Contains Minor Spoilers)

TL;DR I wouldn’t survive a week in this place

Bjorn is an incredibly smart protagonist and that’s not just because of his in-game knowledge.

He has to use his wits to get past challenges, both fights and conversations, that could end with him dead.

There’s this medieval mindset that someone using unknown words, or showing unusual skills is an “evil spirit” and should be killed on sight.

It’s because of this that Bjorn must be careful speaking with anyone, even members of his own party, about what he knows from the game.

He’s also supposed to be dumb and straightforward, as that’s what’s expected of barbarians.

Which gives him an additional challenge when even common sense can put him under suspicion of being an “evil spirit.”

This general expectation of barbarians also seems to be a factor in the relationships between barbarians and the other races, mostly for the worse.

I feel that the author has done an excellent job with this stereotype because it’s always a good time watching Bjorn panic internally while trying to pass himself off as just another barbarian.

Or getting annoyed when he knows that someone is trying to take advantage of the “dumb barbarian.”

All of that said, he does get to know other characters who become more fleshed out in their backgrounds and motivations as he adventures with them.

And while his knowledge does give him an advantage in surviving the labyrinth, it doesn’t make him OP, which makes this a very different story from similar transmigration manhwa.

He still struggles while continuing to get stronger throughout the story, which makes his accomplishments all the more satisfying to read.

One thing that makes Bjorn so compelling to me is that he is essentially forced to adapt to the reality of his situation.

He often doesn’t have the luxury of showing mercy or giving someone the benefit of the doubt and has to act in ways that he wouldn’t do normally.

Act like a barbarian, to be specific.

We also get to learn more about the world that Bjorn is now in, why there’s a tax system combined with a death penalty, the different ways people try to earn money, and so on.

Lastly, there are hints throughout the story that Bjorn isn’t totally separated from his original world as his computer is shown updating his stats whenever there are changes to his build.

So far (that I’ve read, at least) we haven’t learned much about that connection but I’m guessing it means there’s a way for him to go back home.

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