Revisiting ‘Rebirth of the Thief Who Roamed the World’: A Reflective Critique of an Older Lit-RPG…
Exploring the Highs and Lows of a Lit-RPG That Started Strong but Lost Its Way.
Revisiting ‘Rebirth of the Thief Who Roamed the World’: A Reflective Critique of an Older Lit-RPG Novel
‘Rebirth of the Thief Who Roamed the World’. The title (which is a sentence) is, to say the least, interesting, and that’s what drew me to reading this novel in the first place. If you are familiar with web novels, you should know there are way weirder names like Young Master be Monster Slaying or While Killing Slimes for 300 Years, I Became the MAX Level Unknowingly. The discussion on why publications prefer these titles is a topic for another day. For now, let’s dive into the story.
This Lit-RPG novel is in a futuristic setting where the VR and the real world are tightly integrated. Our story begins with Niè Yàn, a man who lost everything due to someone else’s greed, now seizing his chance for revenge. However, he loses his life in the process. In the final moments, he feels extremely bitter about his choices and actions and desperately hopes for a second chance. By a stroke of luck, though, he regresses to the day his life started changing. He wakes up a week before his parents are set to return from their business and regrets everything he had done in his now-past life.
The novel’s futuristic setting presents us with multiple interesting aspects, like the all-in-one nutrition packs or the ways to digest advanced studies in just a few days, which our MC plans to make the most of. Determined to succeed, he meticulously crafts a plan and diligently follows it, all while gearing up for Conviction, the ultra-realistic game at the heart of the story. It is a lot more than just a game. It allows players to pursue various lifestyles, from conquest to peaceful activities like fishing — making almost anything possible. The game also has an “in-game currency to Real-world money” system, meaning one can earn from playing the game. This aspect is widely built upon in the latter parts of the novel.
As interesting as the setting is, the story falls flat after the first 200–300 chapters. The arcs feel repetitive, and new systems fail to keep us intrigued for long. The modern/real-life part, however, is more engaging as it presents an interesting future where the meaning of assets and resources is not limited to those of the real world. This raises the ‘pro-gamer’ status to one of the most coveted positions, which, while still respected today, is portrayed on a much grander scale in the story. However, like all systems of the story, this feels under-developed and under-utilised. Don’t get me wrong, while the story has moments that try to keep the reader engaged, it often feels dragged out. Many interesting systems and plotlines are introduced that are left hanging until the novel’s end.
While the novel has some engaging moments, most of my dissatisfaction lies in the extremely dragged-out ending. It felt like I was watching an extremely slow soap opera. By the last 150–200 chapters, things were dragged to the extent that I wanted to drop everything. However, I forced myself to complete it because I had already spent much time reading it. This is one of the main reasons I don’t often recommend this novel. The last few chapters particularly damaged my taste for the novel. Of course, your experience may differ, but this is my take after reflecting on the story.
Except for the first-degree characters, the side characters as one aspect are purely two-dimensional. They exist to either call the MC a weakling or get beaten up by him and realise that the Main Character is the most awesome guy in this universe. Another aspect that I find illogical is that the Main character remembers minute details from 10–20 years ago, even when he didn’t play those arcs/seasons of the game. He knows the smallest hack to get a level up or gain an artefact that originally was supposed to have a one-in-ten-thousand or even one-in-hundred-thousand chance.
If you asked me when I first read the novel roughly seven years ago, I would have called this an A/B+ tier novel. Now, though, it’s unlikely that I recommend this to others or even re-read it myself. It’s strictly a B-tier novel.
That wraps up my thoughts on the Rebirth of the thief who roamed the world. Stay tuned to The Story Taste Blog for more such interesting novels. I am also publishing my reviews and more through my podcast show. Find it on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and make sure to give it a follow!
Until Next time. Happy Reading.
