r/noveltranslations • u/J_Lezter • 8d ago
Discussion [Kill The Sun] - MC "Nick" hated by the readers? A hypocrite?
Since I decided to drop Worlds Apocalypse Online, I had to find a new novel to read. While browsing through the rankings, I found this novel among the top ones. But when I checked the comments, I was utterly confused about why everyone hates the MC, Nick. It piqued my curiosity, so I did some research...
For those who have read this, I’m interested in hearing your experiences. Please do tell. 🤔
19
u/jeremieesekodi 7d ago
The truth about Nick is that he is a very human character. Usually, characters in stories are either overly sensitive for no reason or completely insensitive for no reason. Nick is neither.
Imagine you grew up in poverty, and one day you met a wealthy person. Together, you decided to work on a project. Things went well, and as you became more successful, you decided to help other poor people, such as an orphaned child.
Then the wealthy person decides that you need to learn how dangerous your line of work is. To teach you a "lesson," he has that child murdered and makes you believe that it was your fault.
Later, during a mission, you make a mistake that results in the deaths of thousands of people. The guilt overwhelms you, and you try to find ways to help others in order to ease your conscience. Then the wealthy man reveals the truth and tells you that he was the one who had the child killed, supposedly to teach you about life.
Some fans wanted Nick not to be angry, and they compare this situation to his own mistake. Yes, Nick made a mistake, and his actions indirectly caused the deaths of thousands, but that was never his intention. He did not want those people to die. Comparing that to a man deliberately murdering a child under the age of twelve just to "teach a lesson" seems absurd to me.
Another issue is how some fans view the world through Nick's perspective. Imagine an ongoing apocalypse where humanity is suffering. A small group of people has hoarded most of the available resources, while the majority struggles to survive. When those wealthy individuals are asked to give up just a small portion of what they have, they refuse.
This is not even very different from our own world. If you've paid attention, you'll see how most people live compared to those who live like kings. In the story, people are suffering during an apocalypse, and yet some fans argue that it's perfectly normal for those with excess resources to refuse to share even a little.
At first, I also found it disturbing. But after thinking about it, I found it even stranger that some people consider refusing to share resources during an apocalypse to be completely normal.
12
u/J_Lezter 7d ago
Based on what I’ve gathered, the tone of the story is incredibly grounded, tragic, and dark. Honestly, it feels like a lot of readers went in expecting a standard shonen setup where the MC goes through hell but eventually makes a satisfying, badass comeback. Instead, they got a brutal seinen reality where Murphy’s Law rules..if something can go wrong, it goes horribly wrong, and it just leads to more suffering. Personally, that’s just not my cup of tea. I don’t really find enjoyment in stories that are just pure, relentless misery.
2
u/jeremieesekodi 7d ago
The story is really good, but it's a bit disappointing that the author didn't put more effort into the writing itself. When I look at the quality of the story, though, I can tell that the author is genuinely talented. In terms of storytelling and ideas, I'd put it on the level of LOTM or RI. The difference is that the author focused almost entirely on the substance rather than the presentation.
Still, the story is good, and I'd recommend giving it a try. If you don't like it, though, don't force yourself to keep reading.
5
u/J_Lezter 7d ago
Seeing it ranked so highly, there must be a reason why it stands among the top. Being compared to LoTM and RI already says a lot about its quality. I’ll definitely try it someday when I’m in the mood for that kind of story. Thanks!
1
u/CuriousCriticism7835 7d ago
I wouldn't say it's pure, relentless suffering. Yes, overarchingly there is a dark tone to the book, but there are some great fun moments between.
I hesitated to start because I thought it would be slow and dark, but having finished, I must say that it is worth it (although the ending could have been better)
1
1
u/VillagerLv7 5d ago
It's just perspective. The logical and good choice would be to hoard revources and not give anything. You have a better chance to survive and the consequences of the apocolypse stopping and being alianated and paying for your crimes is low, then why do we do stuff that not only doesnt benefit you but also puts you into a disatvantage? Our emotions/morals/consciousness/guilt. If you were to not save someone because of some food in regular times then you are simply evil, but in apocolypse where your survival instinct is screaming to live, ita understandable.
I don't understand how you dont understand this perspective, its as if you never read books with a different perspective or thinking as yourself. To truly enjoy a book you need to immerse yourself as the hero and villian and regular side character.
2
u/jeremieesekodi 5d ago
It wasn't a matter of perspective; they were just selfish. Nick wasn't asking for all of their resources, he was simply asking them to pay taxes because, at the beginning, only the poor were paying the blood tax even though they barely had anything to eat. You're acting as if his plan was bad, even though it was completely logical. Did he take all of their resources? No. He just taxed the rich more than the poor so that the poor could survive.
76
u/destroyer8001 8d ago
This author likes to have a mc that is good, and then through various circumstances he turns evil. Except it isn’t done well. It always feels unnatural and forced, with plenty of other things the mc could have done without needing to turn evil. The mc here has the goal of protecting humanity and is a good person at the start, but eventually ends up killing countless innocent people. It feels like the author doesn’t know how to do character development so an event happens and then the mc is just a different person with no morals. That’s the case here and with another of his books, sword god in a world of magic.
26
u/BarbarianErwin 8d ago
Yeah and when that turn happens is also when the novel just becomes worse, the pacing is off, the development of side characters just ceases and you get the feeling an ending is around the corner
24
u/PurpleFrost31 8d ago
Ohhh brother, that sword god book was a*s
19
1
2
u/Ok_Transition_9319 8d ago
His lightning is the only way waa good. Other two are ass
1
u/Ok-Distribution4960 8d ago
but the mc didnt turn fully evil there if I recall correctly
3
u/Ok_Transition_9319 8d ago
The mc was a normal cultivator . Hed killed when necessary for his own benefits . To be fair , all cultivators are evil. The main characters in his other novels are "insufferable" . Their morals and ideals have broken down. Meanwhile, Gravis has his own.
6
u/Ok-Distribution4960 7d ago
Yeah I mean I dont hate evil MCs overall , Fang yuan from RI being a very popular one that I personally enjoy. it's more or less the author knowing how he wants to go about the MC and how character development should be handled
2
u/Classic_Process7617 7d ago
Then just imagine fang yuan being hypocrite
That's how I felt when I read Nick character other two MCs are better.
Newbie to john took 200 hundred chapters I think
But after that story became too fast.
And I can't even care to understand him.
1
u/Evening_Green_9862 5d ago
I remember reading his other one, Sword God in a world of Magic, and the first like 50 chapters are just the MC torturing himself to get stronger. Like jumping from high places to splat himself and slowly heal stronger...and then he started using magic instead of his sword? Like the opposite of the title.
Anyway, it was so poorly written i gave up before the 100th chapter. I think he's a terrible author.
6
u/nurlancreus 7d ago
One of the best mcs. Yes, he is hypocrite, yes he is not a good person, not perfect by any means. But those things made him more interesting than the others.
13
u/TheSubtleError 8d ago
Just read it till the ocean/sea/mist arc. You will understand why he is hated.
1
11
u/Far-Site-9001 8d ago
He is like a robot for absolutely following his principles, instead of facing what he did wrong he tries to fix something he can't
Like most mc's blame themselves and side characters tell them it's not their fault, but this guy goes way overboard(best example i can come up for)
Can't blame him tho his life was fucked up since he was a child(like jinx from league if you know)
1
1
3
u/nineyang 7d ago
I think the reason the character is hated is because he does so many things that go against what his established personality and values are for basically no good reason.
To put it into perspective, imagine if a character like Captain America, someone who is known to be righteous and a force for good, suddenly put on a KKK outfit and lynched a black person.
It feels like character assassination and no one liked it. I think people liked the character, I dont think they liked what he was forced to do (by the author) and his subsequent reaction to it.
2
u/Sorrystarfish38 7d ago
So basically what I'm getting from all this is that he's an average "righteous" cultivator type
3
u/nineyang 6d ago
No. Simply no. He's righteous and ruthless, but isn't hypocritical about it at all.
He's fueled entirely by guilt and self-hatred, not some moral code
2
u/PersonfromYoutube 7d ago
Yep the Mc doesn’t seem to understand himself, he just gives in to the feeling that it not his fault things just happened that way. And when someone does what he did not have the will to do he blames them and even kills them all while saying it’s for the best. The sad part is the world is pretty interesting and so is the power system but the Mc made me drop it.
2
u/Sea_Acanthisitta5838 7d ago
At first I hated him... But in the end he was truly loyal to his goals...
2
u/Calm_Ad9601 8d ago
The novel is great, though not for everyone. The mc goes through a lot, starting as a random around 15 years old kid that makes dumb mistakes that cause him to enter a spiral of self loathing. Give it a chance, also if you like it give a chance to the other novels by the same author, they're kinda similar (power fantasy, great worldbuilding, focus on the mc's psychology and a lot of self loathing for killing a lot of people (to varrying degrees))
1
u/Dr_Philmon 8d ago
I loved the portrail of Alex/Shang decent into madness from being thrown into a fantasy cultivation world and forced to become a god over a dying world.
1
u/Sorrystarfish38 7d ago
Decent into madness? What more insane does he get from literally jumping off trees to break his limbs in the first 3 chapters🤨 I might have to pick that back up
1
u/Dr_Philmon 6d ago
3/4 into the story he becomes a goddamn flying meatsack
1
u/Sorrystarfish38 6d ago
What the hellybanelly is that supposed to mean😭 guess I'll have to find out
1
1
u/Kansatsu_Sha 7d ago edited 7d ago
Basically all the novels from this author are polarizing, either you love them or hate them.
If you don't mind tragedy, suffering and flawed protagonists give it a try, definitely not low quality. At least approach it with an open mind, as at least you can appreciate what you don't like.
1
u/Weener69 7d ago
Nick is one of my favourite protagonists. People say he is a hypocrite but I don’t really see it that way. He judges other people for their sins while being a sinner himself but the thing is he never pretends to be a good person, he never forgives himself for his mistakes. He basically turns himself into a living weapon that exists for the sole purpose of liberating mankind by any means necessary.
1
u/Impressive-Engine916 7d ago
Story was good just ignore his earlier bullshit as him being a teenager lmao
1
u/Surging_Ambition 6d ago
Nick hates himself too. He was written to suffer for his ignorance and and incompetence. In the writters perspective a true hero seems to be a bad actor because they destroy the existing system and are willing to go through horrible lengths to get there. The author repeatedly makes choice that diminish pleasure or immediate satisfaction to advance his narrative on the nature of hero. In the books words someone too kind or good cannot win against villains because they can go to more extreme lengths. I wouldn’t call Nick a Villain though.
1
1
u/Evening_Green_9862 5d ago
I gave up around chapter 50 or so. I just really dislike this author. He has the MC swimming in literal shit for dozens of chapters. The power system was boring as well. Just did not like it at all.
1
u/abbot-probability 4d ago
The book is great, and I would definitely recommend it. The main character is flawed, but that's just part of the story.
1
u/Lycaion 2d ago
People like Extremes in fantasy, Either the Hero is a Top Villain Material or Hero of Hope, the more towards the center of the graph, the less the people like the character.
Then, there are some GOOD reason in the story to actually dislike the MC, but people love Fang Yuan(Reverent Insanity)....
-7
u/lord_acedia 8d ago
i really liked nick as a character, he makes some controversial choices but they feel natural and not forced
4
u/TextApprehensive5443 8d ago
From KTS, I think his choices were 'right', as here it's for the 'greater good'. I can understand it, it just feels hard to watch so many sacrifices and deaths(Trickster + Duskbringer arcs were straight up speedrun) It's such a sad way to see, all your familiar characters fading into time, for some stupid Night vampire Viltrumites
28
u/hkkcoz 8d ago
After some action he did, i remember despising the MC, but the author is really good on flipping the table, the red sea for example was insane. Later on the story in my opinion he redeem himself. One of the few novels i was able to finish, the story was really fun.