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Junior Member
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Some details on the setting
Hi all, I'm quite a fan of this series, and am quite pleased to see it getting some attention. Seeing as some plot spoilers have been posted, I would like to add some details on the setting, etc.
Bear in mind that this is purely from the web-novel, though supposedly changes between WN and LN are minor. Also, Japanese is barely passable, so some of the details have been supplemented by reading Chinese translations (which are up to date to the latest WN chapter). I'll try to leave out plot spoilers as far as possible.
Spoiler for Levels:
Already stated, Satou (MC) is OP as hell, at lvl 312. For comparison, no other human mentioned so far is above lvl 100. The "hero" Hayato is lvl 69, with a party of >lvl50 females. For a 'normal' person, being above lvl 10 is considered to be above average. Currently, all of Satou's party (I hesitate to call it a harem) is at least lvl 50.
Satou has stated that one of his primary objectives is to ensure that his girls are high enough level to defend or deal with enemies like demon lords before he would consider looking for a way to return to his home dimension.
To put levels into a clearer perspective, especially with regards to fights. Satou has stated that it would take a group of similar levels to deal with an opponent up to 10 levels higher without trouble. With superior equipment (i.e. the OP gear his girls are kitted in), enemies 20 levels higher can be dealt with. A gap beyond that is extremely difficult to surmount.
At the same time, there are exceptions with regards to level gaps. Abilities, skill, experience and gear have the potential to even the playing field. E.g. the hero Hayato has a skill that allows for infinite revival, which can only be used once a month.
The existence of a level system is widely known by all, as the technology for one to check a person's levels, stats and skills was created long ago by Yamato, a reincarnated/summoned Japanese. There are also skills which allow one to see another's levels.
Spoiler for The hero:
I'll have to be sparse on names and translations for this part as my Japanese isn't that good yet, and relying on Chinese translations for names is pretty iffy.
The summoning of a hero from another world is a common occurrence, due to the fact that a demon lord surfaces every 66 years. The ability to summon a hero is held by one kingdom. From what has been revealed so far, summoned heroes are always Japanese, and seem to come from a modern time period regardless of when they were summoned. Presumably, the status of the hero when summoned is already OP (compared to plebians, not MC), as Hayato was already lvl 61 when summoned. Upon defeating the demon lord, it is mentioned that the hero gains the ability to return home, which most seem to choose to do, hence no additional heroes running around. Note that Hayato has been around for a few years so far, and is still actively grinding levels.
As for the purpose of a hero, it has been stated that the 'title' of hero gives a bonus to damage against demons/demon lords. Heroes will gain the title of "True hero" upon slaying a demon lord.
Spoiler for Demons, demon lords, etc.:
Again, I base this off my own translation of the WN.
The 'enemies of the world' can be roughly separated into 3 categories.
1. Demonic (magic) creatures - basically cannon fodder for MC. Just mindless creatures. If plebs, requires a group to handle. Large variety, with some super strong exceptions like enormous flying whales, able to have the ability to destroy a city on its own. (Whole group was one shot by MC so fast that the summoner thought they were de-summoned. Becomes unlimited supply of whale meat)
2. Demons. Comes in 3 classes. Possess intelligence, able to cast spells and have abilities. Still cannon fodder for MC. Note that they typically appear in small numbers. So far, max number at one location has been 3 (I think)
- Lower class demons: can be dealt with by a large group of soldiers, but have the ability to destroy a town.
- Mid class demons: normal soldiers useless, but groups of top-class adventurers are able to deal with them.
-Upper class demons: Very strong. Even a group of high level fighters will find it tough to deal with one. Hayato's original party was almost wiped by just a single lvl 70 upper class demon before the events of the novel. Even after leveling up and getting better gear/skills, still took slight intervention from MC for Hayato to kill it. Upper class demons tend to have pretty overpowered skills, such as strong resistance to physical/magic damage, ability to reflect spells, and even unlimited revival through space-time shenanigans.
3. Demon lords: At the top of the food chain (other than MC and some others). More OP skills and abilities. Examples include unlimited revival without limits, 99% physical immunity, evolving to stronger forms, etc. They are apparently able to be brought back infinitely, as those that were successfully summoned mention previous defeats.
It should be noted that other than the mentions of a demon god, there does not seem to be a coherent organisation amongst the demons. E.g. they are unaware if other demons have died, and their agenda seems tied to a particular human organisation as opposed to being under a demon lord.
An interesting point to consider is that although the earliest hero summoning took place a thousand (or is it thousands) years ago, records of demon lord activity date back to tens of thousands of years.
Creation of demon lords will be explained later on, as it is tied to reincarnated humans.
Spoiler for Skills and abilities:
The presence of skills and abilities is the norm in the Death March world, with an enormous variety, as can be seen from MC's enormous skill list.
There seems to be no real differentiation between passive and active skills and abilities by the author (that I can see), so I'll be referring to them all as one large mass.
There is a wide variety of skills and abilities mentioned, ranging from typical stuff like combat skills/magic, profession skills (blacksmith, etc.) to ones like 'item storage' (able to store things RPG style ignoring physics), 'inspection'(able to see a person's true name, level, stats, skills, etc.) to 'naming' (able to change a person's true name)
Skills and abilities are not only restricted to those that one is born with, but can also be learned. The exact mechanics of how plebs pick up skills, other than one particular method, is never really elaborated upon.
For everyone besides MC, new skills and abilities are only gained through leveling up. It should be noted that not having a skill does not prevent one from being able to use it, except for the more exotic stuff. E.g. Lulu is able to cook, but upon gaining the 'cooking' skill after leveling up, her food becomes better in quality compared to before.
It is mentioned that one can gain a skill through practice or learning, though the exact amount of effort required is not certain. One unusual method mentioned is that touching a person with the 'item storage' skill raises the chances of gaining that skill upon leveling up. Whether this actually works is never mentioned.
The only exception to the above would be skill gems. These are rare drops, apparently only from dungeon floor bosses, which can instantly grant the user a particular skill. One use only.
Skill and ability levels are separate from one's personal levels. MC and reincarnated persons like Alisa are able to allocate points to level up a skill, but it seems that plebs do not have the same ability. No mention is made of how plebs level up skills, so presumably it is through constant usage, etc.
Skill and ability proficiency levels range from 1-10. (Rough translation from Chinese translations)
Lvl 1 = Beginner
Lvl 3 = Amateur
Lvl 5 = Experienced
Lvl 7 = Master
Lvl 9 = Genius
Lvl 10 = God-like
As an example of how lvl 10 skills function, Satou has numerous damage resistance skills at level 10. With lvl 10 fire resistance, his regeneration instantly heals the minor damage he gets from fire magic which is strong enough to destroy the remains of a demon lord. He still feels pain, but attacks have little effect on his HP.
To emphasize how OP Satou is, he only needs 10 skill points to max out a skill. In contrast, Alisa has stated that her skill point requirements increase greatly at each subsequent skill level. (note that skill points are apparently granted on level-up, but seem to be useless unless one is able to access a menu function like Satou and Alisa.)
Spoiler for Summons and Reincarnations (i.e. the Japanese):
The appearance of Japanese in the Death March world seems to come about in a variety of ways, loosely separated into being summoned or reincarnated.
Other than the hero, the summoning of ordinary Japanese has also been done, but the people summoned are normal, with normal levels, stats and skills. There seems to be a specific skill for summoning people from other worlds, with the results always being Japanese from different eras, etc. On a side note, the Japanese so far seem to come from differentiated Japans, as noted by Satou when comparing details of their Japan with Alisa.
Those being reincarnated, or reborn, also enter the Death March world in different ways. They can be born or just be inserted as they were. (For the latter, not sure if I misread, but it seems that they just appear somewhere or something? May not be accurate on this). Reincarnation is not just limited to human bodies. There have been cases where one is reincarnated into a goblin or an orc.
The only set factor is that all met with a god/God prior to entering the Death March world. They then gain an opportunity to 'absorb' a fragment of god/God. Each fragment grants them a unique ability/skill. The number of fragments absorbed is based on the capacity and suitability of one's soul, with some not able to absorb any. Alisa mentions that the amount that one is able to absorb is instinctive i.e. one is unable to go beyond the limits and will know when he/she cannot absorb any more fragments. Reincarnated individuals are characterised by their purple(purplish?) hair. Note that memories of past lives are retained, but it is not known if death in the original world is a pre-requisite.
Knowledge of reincarnated individuals seems to be commonplace (i.e. the fact that they come from the 'same place' as the 'hero' and have skills/abilities/knowledge beyond the norm) but they are sometimes regarded as cursed individuals.
As mentioned, the above infodump is based off a mix of my own translations and Chinese translations, up to the latest WN chapter. Feel free to point out any mistakes I've made and I'll correct it.
Last edited by poorep; 2015-02-05 at 03:44.
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