#tcf elisneh

[slackerlifewhere]

The female characters

As usual, this post might have SPOILERS about the first volume of TCF so if you don't want to see this, please don't continue. Thanks!

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There's this problem I've noticed as a reader of several novels. It's the reason why I skipped or dropped a lot of novels that disappointed me despite their good plot.

The female characters are either barely in the story, they suck, or turned into a harem member.

Most authors don't know how to write women unless they're the same gender. And while I have no problems with male characters, it's sad that if you see a movie, anime, manga, or novel, the results are either of the three mentioned above☝️.

But TCF managed to surprise me yet again.

Like I said in my previous post,

I did not have high expectations for this novel when I first started reading it. I just wanted to read something because I was bored.

So imagine my surprise when a lot of female characters started appearing everywhere in this novel. While some have minor roles like Amiru, Violan, and Lily, most of them are relevant to the plot. Something that is lacking in most novels. They're not one-dimensional characters but are instead given depth by the author.

Violan and Lily

Violan and Lily, who barely show up in the story because we're focused on Cale's point of view, have their own backstories and goals. Their roles are simple but it's enough that you'll be able to remember their names unlike those characters that are easily forgettable.

You'll be able to remember that Violan loves art and wants to help her husband and family as a wife, mother, and countess. She's very intelligent and even appears to be in equal footing with her husband. She's just as important as Deruth in their territory. If you remember how she appeared when Clopeh attacked them, you can see that despite her worry and anger for Cale's poor state, she appeared calm and was willing to stand by his side despite the danger she faces.

Lily on the other hand wants to be a swordsman to help her brothers protect their territory. I find her small interactions with Cale so adorable because of how much Cale respects her and her dream. She is brave and hard-working, unwilling to stay behind while her brothers do everything. She even grew stronger later in the novel. The fact that she was raised to be confident about her skills and herself is a good sign that Deruth and Violan did not care about gender roles and I just find this awesome.

Witira

Another example is the manhwa.

Let me first mention that I don't read the manhwa. I like it but I prefer the novel. I feel like their thoughts and opinions aren't always shown properly compared to when you read the novel.

But when I first saw Witira illustrated in the manhwa, my first thought was "she looks strong". The fact that I noticed how strong she is just by how she exudes confidence and power amazed me. Her personality is already obvious just by how she talks and moves.

In the novel, Cale likens himself to a shrimp while standing next to them, Raon, and Toonka. He knows that he's the weakest in the group and was quick to hide when Toonka jumped into a fight with Witira. He also thought that Toonka is stupid for trying to fight with Witira.

But what I appreciate about Witira is her care for her brother. She was so ready to interrogate Cale about Paseton and her brother had to calm her to calm down.

Before I wax poetry about how cool Witira is, here is the summary of the women that made an impact in the story.

There's Rosalyn who left her position as a princess to be a powerful mage. There's Mary, an innocent necromancer with a tragic background and Tasha who is a dark elf that wants to support her nephew despite the disgust and fear aimed at their race.

The others, while not often seen, are just as important because of their connection to other characters. Cage wants to be excommunicated and protect Taylor (something she failed to do in the original story) and is connected to the God of Death. Litana is a queen who wants to protect her Jungle from Adin and Arm. And Jopis wants her family and kingdom back from Elisneh.

There's also Cotton but to be honest, she's the one of the few female characters that I barely know about aside from her actions in Endable and connection to the God of War. I'm wondering if she'll show up more in the second volume.

Mary

She's a quiet character but she's my favorite among all the characters. When she first appeared in the novel, she didn't have much presence. It was only when she was brought above the City of Death/Life that she became more than a pitiful necromancer who was hated and feared just because she wanted to survive, like her parents wanted her to do before they died.

She may look naive at first because she spent most of her life in the underground city, but she later proves how powerful and kind she is.

Instead of hating the world that hated her, she moved past that and just wanted to protect the people she sees as her family and friends. Her backstory is sad but it didn't stop her from seeking happiness even if she became a necromancer.

She's one of the strongest characters in my eyes and I'm happy to see her slowly gain confidence in herself.

Hannah and Elisneh

But out of all the women, Hannah and Elisneh are the ones who surprised me the most.

Hannah was originally an antagonist. She fought against Cale and his group before she was betrayed by Arm. And she was about to die if Cale, Litana, Cage, and Mary did not save her. Instead of completely changing her character, she still remains bloodthirsty but has a softer side because of her brother and Cale.

She develops in a way that I did not expect. I actually thought she would be another Redika because of her obsession with blood and would later die as an extra character but she proved me wrong. She instead fights Arm with her brother and the group. I believe she's as strong as Rosalyn but I don't remember (I have to re-read the novel).

She doesn't care about the scars left on her by the dead mana and keeps it as a reminder of the betrayal she and her twin faced, proving she doesn't care how people who fear dead mana look at her.

Elisneh on the other hand, remains an antagonist against Jopis. She was originally supposed to "save" the Jungle but judging on how her kingdom turned out (like a storage for dead mana and stuck in an illusion), I can make a guess that she would've done the same with the Jungle had Cale not helped Litana before.

She's an antagonist that left a deep impression on me because of how static she is as a character. She remains focused on her greed and thirst for power and it's nice to see that not all antagonists in the story are turned into allies or kind people. She's strong enough that it took a whole group to defeat her.

On

And last but not the least is On.

She is not as vocal as Hong and Raon but she is the most mature out of all the kids. She is very sharp and knows what Cale thinks of himself and the people around him. She didn't initially trust Cale and I like that. She notices how stupid Cale can be at times and seems exasperated by him. She can still be childish just like her siblings from time to time but her determination to become stronger against the Fog Cat Tribe and Arm shows how much she and Hong had faced before arriving in the Henituse territory.

I understand some readers don't like the involvement of children in TCF because it's bad for the kids to be in war against a strong organization. BUT readers forget that this is a different world with different ways of thinking. These kids are from the Fog Cat Tribe, beastmen who can fight and are prepared for it. They have abilities that normal humans don't and they need to train those abilities if they want to survive in a world full of strong people and wars.

Her being involved in battles makes her feel proud of how strong she became, something she didn't feel when she was in her tribe. Because she's a mutant, her tribe made her feel bad about herself and was ready to kill her and Hong. She needs encouragement and praises that they're not useless or weak. She doesn't need to be coddled and she knows this.

She's smart enough to know that she and her siblings will only be safe with Cale and his group. Even in the war, their only involvement was spreading a poisonous fog so they could hide their presence from the enemy and Cale could hide his ancient powers from the greedy nobles. Aside from that, they weren't fighting in the war. They entered, used their abilities, and left.

Their tribe is good at being stealthy and it's why Ron wants to train these kids. They're good as potential assassins if they want to become one.

I might make a different post about the kids but this is all I have to say about On for now.

Respect

Another reason why I love this novel is because Cale treats these people with respect, regardless of their race, history, and gender.

He doesn't stop them from becoming stronger and instead encourages them to be what they want to be. He respects their failures and strengths. He doesn't coddle them nor does he find them weaker because they're women.

That's why I respect the author. Instead of writing them as side characters existing to make men stronger, the author made me feel amazed at all these strong women, regardless if they're normal or a fighter.

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I can write more about these characters like Rosalyn and Tasha but I'll just end it here because I might just summarize the whole novel at this point 😅

[aro-screams-into-the-void]

TCF Cookies Time!

Sherbet Cookie as a young KRS

Pomegranate Cookie as Elisneh (the illusionist)

And either Oyster Cookie's Envoy or Mont Blanc Cookie as Adin

[blueteller]

TCF Summary Arc by Arc (Part 6/8)

Every TCF story arc in a nutshell

Volume 6: chapters 500-599

[< Previous] [Index] [Next >]

(Due to convoluted nature of the following segment, let me introduce you to a temporarily different summary format:)

Welcome, to the 4-Way-Battle Event! [Contestants:] Team 1 – Cale Henituse & Choi Han, conducting revolution with Princess Jopis! Team 2 – Bud Illis & the Elves, rescuing the survivors of the 1,001 mercenary squad! Team 3 – Clopeh Sekka and Witira, protecting the World Tree from intruders! Team 4 – Alberu Crossman and Taylor Stan, defending the North-Western Territory of the Roan Kingdom from invading forces!

[Supporting Roles:] Team 1 – joined by Raon, Mary, Tasha, On, Hong and the Molan Assassin Squad! Team 2 – joined by Rosalyn and the Sun Twins! Team 3 – joined by Archie and Paseton! Team 4 – joined by Lock and the Tiger Tribe!

[Schedule:] Team 1, Versus; Queen Elisneh the First! Team 2, Versus; "Mysterious Endable Forces"! Team 3, Versus; Dorph and the Lion Tribe! Team 4, Versus; the White Star! (All taking place at the same time!)

Round 1: Battle at the Molden Kingdom! Team 1 wins! (Elisneh, your illusion power sucks… Cale's "greatest fear" is waking up in Korea and eating ramen??? Wait Pendrick, bad idea, no don't give Cale that stick-!) Team 1 retreats to support Team 2! *Cale coughs blood and/or faints counter: 19* *World Tree Branch & Fake World Tree have been added to the Inventory*

Round 2: Battle at the Gate to the Demon World! Team 2 gets away safely! (What's up with that thirsty Vampire…? Cale, are you SURE you wanna be allies with that weirdo??) Teams 1 & 2 retreat to support Team 4!

Round 3: Battle at the Lake of Despair! Team 3 wins without issues! (Witira, my Queen, you're so cool 🤩 Lol Dorph you loser, get dunked on)

Round 4: Battle at the Stan Territory! Team 4 persists! The enemy retreats upon the arrival or reinforcements! (Gasp! Crown Prince Alberu is revealed to be a Highest Grade Magic Swordsman!? His popularity skyrockets!!!) Team 1 arrives to save the day!

(Now back to regular summary format!)

Conspiracy Theorist White Star Strikes Again! White Star: *holding Alberu up by the neck, about to dramatically reveal his Dark Elf form to everyone* *The Cavalry Arrives!* Cale: Let him go. White Star: *actually does* Cale: …wow you actually did?? White Star: Of course. Your dragon would have stabbed me in the back otherwise Raon: Huh, how did he know? Cale: You don't even look pissed off? White Star: I took some time to think about it. It all makes sense now Cale: (…why do I have a bad feeling-?) White Star: Obviously, you're my Destined Rival, the Chosen One of a God Cale: … Cale: (WTF???) White Star: At last, a worthy opponent. Our final battle shall be legendary! Cale: (Oh HELL no!!! Is he trying to destroy my slacker life dream?!) Cale: You're just saying that to confuse my allies and run away!! White Star: That's right Cale: Wait what White Star: *disappears* Cale: (Well f***) Also Cale: *accidentally radiates charisma* The Soldiers: Gasp! Our Commander HAS been chosen by the Gods! Alberu: (…I should probably stop him, but honestly I'm too tired for this s***)

To the Endable Kingdom! Cage: Hey Cale, the God of Death wants to make you his Saint. Whaddya think? Cale: …That motherf***ing God of Death!!! (Does HE want to ruin my dream, too?!) THE ANSWER IS NO! Cage: Cheers! *pulls out wine glasses* Cale: Your highness, PLEASE stop those ridiculous rumors about me Alberu: … Cale: It's too late, isn't it Duke Fredo: *shows up in a crow form* 'Sup everyone, 'tis I, your friendly neighborhood Vampire. Give me some of your blood pls Cale: No. Duke Fredo: Shame. Be my son then Cale: Wait what Duke Fredo: I have an artifact that stores the appearance of my younger self. I use it to pretend that I have a son Cale: So…? Duke Fredo: So I can give it to you to infiltrate the White Star's secret kingdom Cale: Wait, so I get to play a spoiled brat?? *excited* Duke Fredo: No, no. My son persona is very polite and well-behaved. Also, he's the White Star's favorite nephew Cale: … Cale: *rants* HYUNG, CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS S***!? Alberu: *dying from laughter*

Naru Time! Cale: *Naru mode on* Naru!Cale: *looks gloomy and depressed* Endable Citizens: Poor Young Master Naru! He must be so heartbroken about his father being in a coma! Naru!Cale: (…I can't f***ing believe this) Naru!Cale: …That evil Cale Henituse, I will never forgive him! White Star: There there, my dear nephew, cheer up *pats him on the head* Naru!Cale: (This bastard, using the hand that already I RIPPED OFF OF HIM…!) Naru!Cale: *looks even more depressed* Solena & Melundo: (Wow, this human is amazing at this!) White Star: Naru, let us hug before I go Naru!Cale: (…should I kill him?) The Ancient Powers: CALE, NO, YOU'LL DIE Naru!Cale: (Goddammit.) *White Star and Cale hug, traumatizing Cale for life* Choi Han & Raon: *watch everything hidden in a closet* Raon: Poor Human! He's so great at acting! Choi Han: *emotional* Cale-nim… you truly are strong… Duke Fredo: *snickers inwardly while playing dead* Naru!Cale: *dying on the inside*

Cale Henituse Orders a Hit on Cale Henituse Fredo: The White Star has a device that can turn him into a member of the Demonic Race and every citizen of this kingdom is cursed so that they can't destroy it. Cale: I see, THAT'S why you needed me Fredo: Correct. You also need to attend the Nobles' grand assembly in my place Cale: So I can do whatever I want? Fredo: Sure thing son. Have fun Cale: Thanks, father! *munches on cookies from the White Star* Raon: Oh wow these are tasty! Cale: (I know, right?) Choi Han: So, are we going to loot them? Cale: *confused* No? Why would you think that?? Choi Han & Raon: (…Don't we always do that??) Choi Han: Then what are you going to do, Cale-nim? Cale: I'm going have them go to war against Cale Henituse. Choi Han: I see- wait what Endable Nobles: *at the assembly* (Hmph, what can a weak little kid like him do…?) Naru!Cale: LET'S GO KILL CALE HENITUSE White Star & Gersey: ??? White Star & Gersey: *actually want to do their demonic stuff in the background* Wait, that's- Endable Nobles: (A chance for a promotion!!!) Endable Nobles: YES, YOUNG MASTER NARU, LET'S GO KILL CALE HENITUSE White Star & Gersey: (…well s***) Naru!Cale: *radiating naive confidence* Uncle, please let me lead our warriors to victory! White Star: *pressured* …I shall think this matter over Naru!Cale: *drops info on Cale Henituse's "biggest weakness" into Count Mock's lap* Count Mock: Look at this my Liege! With this, we can totally defeat Cale Henituse! White Star: …seems legit. Go ahead then

Chilling in Endable Fredo: You've seen the streets, right? You know we're simply people like the rest of the world? Cale: Yes, I get it. You just want to have a place for dark attribute races to live in peace, so you want to be the King of this place Fredo: That's right. So, to show my good will, I saved 500 of the mercenaries you sent to spy on the Gate to the Demon World Cale: But you won't release them just yet, right? Fredo: Correct, I want to have the high ground of course Cale: *Uno Reverse Card* But now you need me to complete your plans, so I have the high ground Fredo: …well played, son Choi Han: Cale-nim, we found Fredo's secret notes on the White Star… But why is his name "Cale Barrow"? Why was he cursed on the same date as our birthday?? And why does his face look like Kim Rok Soo??? Cale: (WTF???) Cale: …you know, whatever that means, I don't even care. Alberu: *shows up in his Dark Elf form* Alberu: Hello. My name is Bob. Cale: Hi Hyung, 'sup? Alberu: …did you get fatter?? Cale: I guess so. Hey, White Star's cookies are better than yours. Alberu: *legit upset* I-is that so…?

Attack on the Black Castle Count Mock: *points at the castle inhabited by a bunch of Dragons* See this enemy base? There are only weak people there! Let's conquer it!! Endable Forces: *immediatelly all get captured*

First Contact with the Sealed God Cotton: *leads Cale and co. to a secret shelter* Ok, so here are the mercenaries, all safe and sound Cale: Great, time to infiltrate the Temple of the Demonic God Cale's Group: *sees the statue of unmasked White Star* Wow this statue sure is ugly, I wonder who this is Cale: … Cale: (…Well, at least I never made an expression like that) Cotton: …well s***. Gersey spotted us!!! Eruhaben: I'll slow them down Cale: *enters into a room with 8 monster statues* Cale: WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL (Why are there unranked monsters from Korea here as statues?!?!) [Mysterious Black Hand Appears] White Star & Gersey: WAIT, NO! Cale's Group: Wait, why are they-? Cale: *gets captured by the Black Hand* *One Continent Away* Cage: F***!!!! Young Master Cale's Vow of Death was cut!!! Everybody: …Is Cale DEAD!?!? *panic* *Meanwhile:* Cale: The hell is this…? Sealed God: Hello. I am pure evil incarnate. Wanna become a member of the Demonic Race? Cale: How about NO?! I want to be a slacker, you crazy bastard! Sealed God: What a funny joke. Cale: Actually, I'm not joking- Sealed God: Anyway, I will MAKE you want me. *dumps him into a test* Cale: What kind of-?! Cale: *wakes up as 20-year-old Kim Rok Soo*

Genre Change: Welcome, to Monster Apocalypse! Park Jin Tae: *beats KRS up* Hey Kim Rok Soo, admit that I'm the king of this place already! KRS!Cale: Oh yeah, this was the time when Park Jin Tae was the king of the shelter… PJT: (…he finally admitted it???) PJT: …I guess we're done for today, then? KRS!Cale: (Ok, so this is right before the monster flood that kills everyone in the shelter. Is this real or an illusion…?) Sealed God: I'm always watching you, waiting for you to give in~ KRS!Cale: *ignores yet another god simping after him* (It feels real, so I'm going to act like it. Let's flip this whole thing over) KRS!Cale: Ok, I got an announcement everybody. I awakened my ability PJT: (He's an ability user now??) What kind of ability…? KRS!Cale: Foresight. And we're all going to die tomorrow Everybody: (WTF???) PJT: You got any proof? KRS!Cale: You would have saved my life and fought to the end to protect this place despite projecting yourself as an irredeemable a**hole. Also, you're a multiple ability user. PJT: !!! PJT: …I suppose you're telling the truth then… We're all going to die? KRS!Cale: It's okay, I got a plan- Choi Han: *suddenly shows up* KRS!Cale: (Choi Han???) The Koreans: Who is this?? Choi Han: *smiling* I'm someone who came to pay for his meals (Me and the whole fandom: *cries*) KRS!Cale: How… how are you here?? Choi Han: You're imprisoned in a black orb right now. This isn't time travel btw, this is probably just a different universe. I made a deal with the God of Death to cut off some of my lifespan to help you. Only the part where I outlive Raon, tho KRS!Cale: Are you crazy?! Choi Han: I didn't want to be left alone. (Me: Seriously, I am crying right now) KRS!Cale: …I am sorry. And thank you. Really, thank you very much. (Me: *ugly sobbing*)

Time Travel Fix-It, Korean Style! Koreans: *deliver KRS's "foresight" message to nearby shelters* KRS!Cale: *makes detailed plans on how to effectively use everybody's abilities to surive* Choi Han: *slays the monsters true Protagonist Style* The Koreans: *shocked* …H-huh? KRS!Cale: Ok so the Grade 1 monsters are the biggest problem, but there will be only 7 of them PJT: "ONLY" seven??? (This bastard is crazy…) KRS!Cale: We can do it. Oh, and let's call those two people currently hiding one building over The Koreans: Huh?? Kim Min Ah & Bae Puh Rum: What's going o-? KRS!Cale: I'm going to teach you how to fight monsters properly now. KMA & BPR: Huh??? Cale: *fights like a boss despite his emaciated body and less-than-half powered Ancient Powers* PJT: (I don't care what other abilities there are… this foresight ability's the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life…) *Cale coughs blood and/or faints counter: 20*

Enter Tigeru KRS!Cale: (I remember hearing that some of the Grade 1 monsters can talk… perhaps I can negotiate with them?) Dark Tiger: Hello. My name is Alberu Crossman Everybody: (WTF???) The Koreans: …Is Kim Rok Soo a monster-charming fairy tale princess or something??? KRS!Cale: …ok, how is this possible?? Dark Tiger!Alberu: I made a deal with the Sun God to help you just like Choi Han- KRS!Cale & Choi Han: You sacrificed your lifespan too?! That motherf***ing God of Death!!! Tiger!Alberu: No, I- wait, you sacrificed your lifespan?! Choi Han: … Tiger!Alberu: We WILL talk about this later, Instructor-him. But for now, Cale please explain what's going on. KRS!Cale: … KRS!Cale: …Are the children doing well? Tiger!Alberu: *sigh* (I knew he'd ask that first) Yes, the children are well KRS!Cale: Are they eating well? Tiger!Alberu: Yes, they are eating well KRS!Cale: I see. I'm a transmigrator. Tiger!Alberu: Huh? KRS!Cale: I possessed Cale Henituse's body two years ago Tiger!Alberu: Huh?? KRS!Cale: My real name is Kim Rok Soo and I was 36 when I transmigrated Tiger!Alberu: HUH??? KRS!Cale: Also Choi Han's my friend's uncle/paternal cousin once removed. He's actually super old Choi Han: *nonchalantly* That's right, I dimension traveled at 17 and I'm actually older than your grandfather Tiger!Alberu: …You motherf***ing bastards Tiger!Alberu: … Tiger!Alberu: I'm still the Hyung tho.

Enter Choi Jung Soo & Lee Soo Hyuk KRS!Cale: Ok, the first unranked monster is going to appear soon, so we're going to Seomyeon, Busan. Lee Soo Hyuk will be there, too. PJT: *realizes that Lee Soo Hyuk is going to be furious at him for beating up KRS* (…well s***) KRS!Cale: On the way, let's help some other shelters. We'll be picking up more allies from other places The Koreans: …Huh? KRS!Cale: Also I made allies out of 2 more talking Grade 1 monsters off-screen The Koreans: Huh?? KRS!Cale: Also we're launching a counteroffensive against the monsters nearby as they're waiting for their turn The Koreans: *who went from hiding in fear from the monsters to fighting them within the span of 24 hours* …HUH??? KRS!Cale: *using Alberu as a steed* Hyung, please roar Tiger!Alberu: …You son of a b**** Tiger!Alberu: *roars* Joo Ho-Shik: *sees KRS!Cale* (…I can make a religion out of this) Joo Ho-Shik: I HAVE FAITH! *uses Faith Power to make everyone stronger* Choi Han & Tiger!Alberu: *snickering* (Why hello Clopeh 2.0) KRS!Cale: (IGNORE.) Tiger!Alberu: …hey, isn't that Choi Jung Soo? He looks just like you described him Choi Jung Soo: …wut's goin' on?? KRS!Cale: *beams at him happily* We're taking your group with us. Btw, Choi Han will be teaching you sword arts CJS: *is confusion* KRS!Cale: *arrives at central shelter in Seomyeon* Tell Lee Soo Hyuk that if he won't show up right now I'm going home Messenger: *panicking* Sir, some people are looking for you! Do you know someone named "Kim Rok Soo"? Lee Soo Hyuk: …Kim Rok Soo? That punk? Messenger: He says that if you won't show up he's going home! LSH: That does sound like Kim Rok Soo... LSH: *shows up* Hey you! …Have you been eating properly? You look terrible KRS!Cale: Not as terrible as you LSH: ...It really IS Kim Rok Soo! LSH: *hugs him* LSH: It's been too long. …Thank you for surviving, Kim Rok Soo (Me: 😭😭😭) KRS!Cale: Why don't you move away? LSH: *even happier* Wow, you haven't changed! (Me: I am slayed. I'm dead. A ghost is writing the rest of this summary…) KRS!Cale: Anyway, this is Alberu Crossman-Hyung- LSH: "Hyung"? How old are you? Tiger!Alberu: Me? I'm 25- LSH: I'm older then. I'M the Hyung. *smug* *Cale coughs blood and/or faints counter: 21*

Gearing Up for the Final Boss KRS!Cale: Ok let's get everybody here, I don't want to say this more than once Shelter Leaders: *show up* So, who's this punk who claims to know the future? What a waste of our time, hurry up! KRS!Cale: *starts reciting exact numbers of survivors at each of their shelters* Shelter Leaders: (…WTF.) KRS!Cale: So a monster stronger than anything we've ever seen before is going to show up. With my plan, we're going to achieve an overwhelming victory. If you don't wanna join and learn how to defeat those, your loss. *mike-drop* Shelter Leaders: (…well f***. Looks like we all gotta fight that thing) KRS!Cale: Ok, so the monster will show up at the shore and go through a subway. It can split in two and use electricity and sonic blasts. Also it's skin is nearly impenetrable LSH: Sounds great. Excuse me for a moment, I gotta go educate someone. *beats PJT to a pulp* CJS: *learning swords arts from Choi Han* (Something is clearly up… this guy has my family name and uses similar techniques… who the heck is he???) *Back in the Roan Kingdom:* On, Hong and Raon: So how is our Human doing? Alberu: *sweating* Alberu: He's… doing great. *thinks of all the blood and monster fighting going on in Korea* (Cale you bastard, how am I supposed to "keep it positive"?!) The Sun Twins: We found a lead about something that could help us against the Sealed God! "Only someone who's overcome the curse of the sun will be able to bring out the memories buried underneath this boulder"… Alberu: *remembers the boulder with the Crossman family curse on it* Ok, let's see.. Alberu: *puts some blood on it* *AI spear appears* Taerang: Hello sir, I will be your best weapon against unranked monsters Alberu: Well, well, would you look at this… *Unbreakable Spear Taerang has been added to the Inventory* *Meanwhile, in Korea:* KRS!Cale: So we all trained up and made a plan. Everybody ready? LSH: Yup! PJT: *having survived LSH's "educational" sessions* …y-yup, sure… JHS: *whispers* I have faith…! KRS!Cale: Ok, everybody to their positions [A Wild Electric Eel Appeared!] The Koreans: *stare at the Godzilla-sized monster* (…Well f***.)

End Volume 6.

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[aro-screams-into-the-void]

Long post incoming! TCF NRC dorms, Choi Han Edition!

For me, he fits best in Savanaclaw or Scarabia, though he has traits of Heartslabyul, Pomefiore, and Octavinelle as well.

Choi Han is determined, strong-willed, and caring. After years alone and gaining and losing his first and second families (the Choi Family in Korea after he got isekai'd and Harris Village after Arm's attack,) he's especially protective of his third family (Cale and co.) Even in TBOAH, as despairing as he is, we know Choi Han still teams up with and cares for Rosalyn and Lock. He puts himself on the frontlines again and again and gives his all no matter who his opponent is. (Technically, he doesn't have to do that. He could take Cale out easily or just say no, but he doesn't because he's loyal and just.) There are very few obstacles that can stand in his way and actually stop him when he's on a mission. (Heartslabyul, Savanaclaw)

As the original protagonist of TBOAH and the one known survivor of the Forest of Darkness (for years, decades even,) he's gotta be adaptable, observant, and resourceful. Realistically, he had to survive with just the clothes on his back, fashion a weapon for himself (unless he had one on hand), figure out what was edible and what wasn't, and make a mental map of the forest for himself to get at least some sense of where he was at any given time if he needed to move quickly. He would've had to study the monsters and their patterns, their strengths and weaknesses, figure out where they resided and where they didn't go, etc. He would've needed to continue his training on his own and to develop his own aura and skills as a swordmaster with no one to guide him. And then! He would've had to presumably learn a whole new language and readjust to civilization once he got to Harris Village! Choi Han may not be able to act to save his life but the man is intelligent. (Scarabia, Octavinelle)

Choi Han is always talking about needing to get stronger. He needs to be better, to be faster, to be able to do just a bit more than before. He wants to achieve his full potential as a swordmaster (even though he could probably take out a whole army already if he wanted to) in order to better protect his loved ones (and keep Cale's self-sacrificial ass off the battlefield). He doesn't neglect his training at any point in TCF from what I remember, and he doesn't hesitate to take on strong opponents (ex Choi Han vs Toonka, Choi Han vs the fake Dragon Slayer, etc). (Pomefiore)

He's got a strong sense of justice as well. He wants to stop Arm for revenge for Harris Village, yes, but he also wants to stop Arm to protect his family and protect both the Western and Eastern Continents because it's the right thing to do. (He fully agrees with Cale's habit of smacking your enemies in the back for revenge-or taking a limb or two...) And! During the humilation/shame test, he gave young KRS warm food, shelter, warm clothing, and the care he deserved. Why? Because he cares about and it's the right thing to do. (Heartslabyul)

I'd also like to add that he's strong both physically and mentally. For example, he was able to break out of Elisneh's illusion of the Forest of Darkness in the Caro Kingdom because of his mental fortitude and determination. Also, while years of isolation in the Forest of Darkness drove TBOAH!Choi Han to despair (and probably insanity), TCF!Choi Han was lucky to have Cale this time around, but he still could've fallen to despair. Remember the fight with the golems (it was in the Whipper Kingdom if I'm remembering correctly). Choi Han was tempted to absorb the despair of the golems he'd defeated but he was able to pull back and strong enough to resist. He knows he doesn't need despair to achieve his full potential as a swordmaster. (Savanaclaw)

TLDR: Choi Han is an almost Avatar of the dorms, but is probably best suited for Scarabia or Savanaclaw

[blueteller]

The Beauty of the Butterfly Effect in TCF

The amazing thing about Cale's actions in TCF, is that despite his "selfish" (and I use that words very skeptically; just because you gain profit from helping people doesn't negate the good things you do) choices to change the story he read in "The Birth of a Hero", all of his actions actually make a bigger and better impact than Cale himself can even imagine.

And I'm not just talking about him saving the world from a 20-year-long war and the White Star winning.

Starting with Choi Han, who got demoted from the Main Hero to the Second in Command. Despite his obvious physical predisposition to take on the protagonist role, he's actually much happier as someone with less responsibility. By "stealing" his spotlight, Cale turned Choi Han from a depressed hero with the weight of the world on his shoulders, to a man who's learning leadership skills from the best leader there is: Cale.

Saving Raon from death had enormous consequences, not just for Cale's side chances of success but for the fate of dragons accross the continent. Even the World Tree mentoned how much Nature was shaken by this diversion from the original timeline.

Making Lock and Choi Han meet just a bit early changed the fate of his entire family, as well as the other Wolves they rescued from Endable much later in the story.

Saving Paseton, who discovered vital information, prevented the mermaids and Arm from taking over the ocean routes from the Whale Tribe.

Connecting with Toonka not only developed his character from a self-destructive brute into a decent leader, but also saved the entire Whipper Kingdom, which was supposed to lose against the Empire in a prolonged conflict.

Putting out the fire in the Jungle saved it from an even more terrible fate than it burning down: Cale unintentionally stopped Elisneh's plot to mind-control Litana and her warriors to attack the Whipper Kingdom.

Befriending Alberu changed the game completely, because Alberu was the one who connected Cale with the Dark Elves and the last Necromancer – who were absolutely essential for their victory against Arm and the White Star. They could have never won without them, even with dragons on their side. Not to mention how thanks to Cale, Alberu figured out a way to overcome the "curse" of the Sun God and got a weapon which could slay the strongest Unranked Monster.

Without Mary Cale couldn't have helped Hannah, who alongside Jack was also absolutely essential to winning against he Empire without a ton of people dying in a bloody revolution. And with Jack in charge as the new Pope, Cale basically made peace between the Sun Church and creatures with dark affinities.

And last but not least, by saving Ron and helping him bring back the Molan Household, Cale flipped the entire eastern continent's underworld upside down, since it was under Arm's control.

Basically, Cale action's had such a large impact it's hard to call it Butterfly Effect anymore – more like "HurriCale Effect", lol. No wonder he became a famous heroic figure across both continents. He single-handedly changed the entire world.

...Too bad Cale is allergic to self awareness 😂