AnimeSuki Forums

Forbin · 2014-11-05, 15:41

Korean Light Novel Title.

I am completely shocked that something that is read by so many people here does not have a thread.

For people who like 'Re:Monster', Arifureta, and Log Horizon.

Title : Ark
Available from BT - 3 Volumes complete 4th in progress - 24 Volumes Total

Hyun-Woo is a boy living in the city of Seoul. Having to hold many part time jobs to pay for his apt and his mom's hospital treatment, he is offered a job applicant from his ex Sensei from college (That Hyun-Woo dropped out of ). After applying (he lied on his form that he was a college student) and being admitted as a 'Temporary Employee' for Global Exos Korea, his job is to play/test a new Virtual Reality Game. He's given a small stipend and a promise that out of the 2000 applicants, Global Exos would hire 10 of them as permanent employees after 1 year.

Creating a character named Ark, Hyun-Woo finds a world as real as the real world and he gets immersed in playing the game. (No he isn't stuck in the game like other scenarios, he can quit at any time)

What is Global Exos's true purpose in hiring Ark? What's the conditions to become one of the 10 permanent employees? How can Ark juggle gaming and pay for his rent? Will anything ever happen between him and the nice receptionist? (Haha)

Spoiler for List of Characters in Order of Appearance(In Test):

senjiro · 2014-11-05, 15:46

Lol? Ark didnt had a tthread? Weird....

I like this novel much. Ark spartan way to tame his familiars is just funny,
The only thing i dislike is so far i read there are not love or harem. Out of it, very interesting novel.
Just are too little TL, only 3 vol. Going to the 4. The serie is rnded now with 20 vol. And i think there are sequel called ark legend...
Go skull go... snake cacht all japtem...

Forbin · 2014-11-05, 15:48

Hmmm...not sure what to spoil here but I seen people post a 2nd post with spoilers

Spoiler for What's Exos's True Purpose:

Spoiler for How powerful is Ark:

Spoiler for How does Ark solve his money problems:

Spoiler for What makes this novel interesting:

Spoiler for Does he ever get with the receiptionist?:

Spoiler for Ok Tell me what Ark's true Power is:

Spoiler for Does he get the job?:

Sarka · 2014-11-05, 16:41

Ark is pretty much another Moonlight Sculptor.

El Rue · 2014-11-05, 17:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Forbin

Hmmm...not sure what to spoil here but I seen people post a 2nd post with spoilers
<stuff>

I pretty much have seen most of that already reading Moonlight Sculptor & I think it was done better. Though Weed is far more greedy & far more willing to manipulate players & NPC alike.

Don't get me wrong, Ark is still pretty nice. I also do admit that battle where he teamed up with an Assassin was a pretty cool fight. I also like his fighting style of swordplay & kicks.

goyya214 · 2014-11-05, 18:13

wow.... it appeared

nakie08 · 2014-11-05, 20:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by senjiro

Lol? Ark didnt had a tthread? Weird....

Haha surprising ^^

This is a really good novel. Very much like LMS but more down to earth. The MC is still a little cheat though which says much about LMS. Then again probably nobody would be interested in reading an MC who fails and gets scammed all the time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by El Rue

I pretty much have seen most of that already reading Moonlight Sculptor & I think it was done better. Though Weed is far more greedy & far more willing to manipulate players & NPC alike.

Don't get me wrong, Ark is still pretty nice. I also do admit that battle where he teamed up with an Assassin was a pretty cool fight. I also like his fighting style of swordplay & kicks.

Actually I like this better than LMS. One thing that Ark has that LMS doesn't IMO is that Ark has ups and downs. He occasionally gets screwed but then gets up again. LMS is pretty much just ups.

SinsI · 2014-11-05, 21:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by El Rue

I pretty much have seen most of that already reading Moonlight Sculptor & I think it was done better. Though Weed is far more greedy & far more willing to manipulate players & NPC alike.

Don't get me wrong, Ark is still pretty nice. I also do admit that battle where he teamed up with an Assassin was a pretty cool fight. I also like his fighting style of swordplay & kicks.

Ark is much, much better done than Moonlight Sculptor. Weed is a classic Marty Stu - authors wish fulfillment: he gets absolutely overpowered abilities with no weak points at all, somehow is able to work more than 24 hours a day without rest, and though he is supposed to be just a Jack of all trades (so Master of none)- even most of the Swords are not able to hold a candle to him - and those are the guys that are practically living battle! Real life arcs are even worse - to show how cool he is, author makes other people completely incompetent, not even able to boil an egg... Add that he has no actual need for money, and his friends are

Spoiler:

.

Compare this to Ark -

Spoiler:

With Weed, you very soon start wanting somebody to teach him a lesson - with Ark, you want to cheer for him.

El Rue · 2014-11-05, 21:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by nakie08

Actually I like this better than LMS. One thing that Ark has that LMS doesn't IMO is that Ark has ups and downs. He occasionally gets screwed but then gets up again. LMS is pretty much just ups.

Weed does get screwed over at times too. Though Ark seemingly does seem to get the a conga of bad stuff as well so far from his current journey.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SinsI

Ark is much, much better done than Moonlight Sculptor.
<stuff>

Everyone has their own opinion of course. Though I would like to add some stuff...

Is he a "Marty Stu"? That's debatable, but all of his skills & know how is justified or given enough background. Like having prepared for a year solely for entering the game, from martial arts to knowledge & info about the game & anything in between that he might need, those who see him see & know him know how insanely "obsessed & driven" he is (And that's just in the 1st chapter). His cooking know how from his life taking care of his family, his long patience from working on mind numbing jobs, money making experience from his various down trodden child labor days. You'd also be surprised on just how a lot of 'well do' people can't even break an egg properly so cooking it is even beyond them (they exist, so does all those gamers who don't sleep for days).

So all those cons you've listed really has been justified & has proper story backing by the author throughout the tale. He worked very hard for everything he has & can do, though it has twisted his personality. Also he has his own views on money so borrowing from those he knows is a big No for him.

I do like both Weed & Ark. They are both clever & driven, knowing what they want & is willing to do what they must to achieve their goals. Although Ark is definitely more likable & relate-able (which to most are the biggest factors I guess) than Weed though, and I can see why some people get annoyed by him.

So again, you don't like LMS & Weed? Oh well, too bad. No biggie. Ark is like that but just as fun (for me) so no body loses really.

nakie08 · 2014-11-05, 22:35

I can't remember a time when Weed was really in trouble. Real trouble like you'll feel bad for him or something. Weed IS Marty Stuish IMO.

Spoiler:

And those reasons for his strengths is what made it more unbelievable for me. They sounded like reasons the author made up on the spot. "And Weed countered him on the last moment by grabbing the arrow and threw it back at the opponent. Oh, he was able to because he was a ninja in the past" (note: Fanfic, didn't happen xp)

Don't get me wrong, I love LMS. It's very satisfying to read about him kicking ass. I read up to volume 25 swimming through summaries and GTs.

Back to Ark.

Has anyone here read ahead of the current translations? Can you people spoil me on

Spoiler:

Kna · 2014-11-05, 23:11

Weed is Gary Stu with plot armor thicker than nuclear reactor's wall.
For example when he invested his money into his own town his choice of invest was the same with another guild who own another town but the NPC magically didn't do as he was told to do (and only just this once too) and invest in Art instead so Weed reap benefit while other guild got f*^&ed from their choice, yeah right.

There's no 'choice and consequence' at all. Whatever he did it'll always turn good for him.
When he has to make party to tackle the quest he always tried to screw his party member and get all (or the best) the loots for himself and those ppl still willing to call him friend, believable.. right? He's no difference than those loan shark in the first Vol., heck I'll say he's worse.

Ark is also greedy but he holds it in check just like when he help merchant friend of his. He makes it a win-win situation not I_win-screw_the_rest. That make Ark way way better than Weed in my book.

wtfkjp · 2014-11-06, 01:35

This is awefully really similar to Legendary Moonlight sculpture
where
(LMS - ARK)

Real name:
Hyun Lee - Hyun Woo
Pets/familliars:
Dark Knight - Skull >that evolves to skeleton warior (the undead familliar)
Toori - Bat >that evovle into a young kid noble vampire (the vampire familliar)
Cow(various name)/biryong/wyverns - Snake >evolve into a transformable monster that can be ride (the carrier familliar and the flyers)

Settings:
>poorfag
>one famiily in hospital
>has one old guy acquaintance that got connections with all sort of people, then persuaded to play the game
>earns money by gaming
>improving other stuff other than own fighting and level
>gains secret job, that MC did not like and regret at first
>has public icon as a rival and has a really dark attitude unknown to everyone and hates MC cuz stealing glory
>MC legends only known to NPC and a mystery to players
>dislike being known to players
>money grubber (ark altho is only at some point)
>VRMMO
>The creator of game has objective, some sort of conspiracy
>everything else that familliar in LMS to ark

if you gonna differentiate the two my answer will be
LMS is light hearted comedy kind of gary-stu,
ARK is slightly darker version of LMS, and LMS has slow pacing in their arcs(by putting a lot of fillers) while ARK can do it in a volume or less.
(just like dragon ball z and dragonball z kai)

iLikePotatoes · 2014-11-06, 02:27

Yeah I don't mind either of them, I enjoy both as I find them to be really fun to read. I'm a really big fan of LN's and media in general where the underdog's make something of themselves. Although if I had to choose between them I would choose LMS only because there are more volumes translated in English that I have read, on the other hand I have only read the translated parts of ARK and there is still a long way to go.

With that said, I have actually read some fan fictions of LMS that I find to be more enjoyable than both of these novels.

Also I find Only Sense Online and Log Horizon to be more enjoyable than both.

Just my 2 cents.

Anyway back on topic, it is really shocking that this didn't have a thread.

One thing that I find annoying about this novel is that there are way too many scumbags, so many people in this novel are just scum. I thought the scumbag quota for novels is capped at 3 but this seems to have shattered that with the level of scum.

nakie08 · 2014-11-06, 03:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by iLikePotatoes

One thing that I find annoying about this novel is that there are way too many scumbags, so many people in this novel are just scum. I thought the scumbag quota for novels is capped at 3 but this seems to have shattered that with the level of scum.

That's how online games often are in my experience, full of two faced scumbags waiting to scam you off of your hard earned gold. So whenever I play an MMO I usually do what Ark does, never trust anyone (except people I know IRL, then I can just trash his ass if he screws me over ^^)

thunder123456 · 2014-11-06, 03:15

@iLikePotatoes: I enjoy the fan fictions on Royal Road website too ^^ such as Seeker of Myth, Silent Wave, Tales of Adventure, Dragon's Road, and Chronicles of the Blade ^^ or some original stories like Don't fear the reaper, and Emperor Saga ^^ but the pain when you reach the lastest updates... >__<

On to the topic, for me, Ark's most enjoyable point is that the ones who apply martial arts into the game include not only MC, but also other people (the unique one, not mass-produced mobs like the SwordNoobs) ^^ As for LMS, I think that it makes sense since the guy is supposed to become the one and only emperor ^^

SinsI · 2014-11-06, 03:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by El Rue

That's debatable, but all of his skills & know how are justified or given enough background.

The problem is not with each individual skill or know how - the problem is that they all belong to the same character, and that the author didn't pay proper attention to how much time each of them really requires or the consequences of Weed's actions:
Weed doesn't want to "waste" money on bus fare? Please subtract an additional hour from his gaming time since he is using inefficient transportation method.
He shops not in supermarket, but in ordinary market? That's another half an hour lost due to negotiating with each individual shopkeeper.
Weed keeps hens and small garden?
Cooks for the whole family?
Cleans the whole house? You know the drill - if you try to live frugally, you pay for it with your time.
Add his exercises, time to sleep - and it becomes obvious that his gaming time should be less than that of many, many other players.

That's the thing I like about Ark - he is painfully aware that he cannot afford not to concentrate on his main priority, and even had to quit his part-time jobs not to be hopelessly left behind by other candidates.

Altrelo · 2014-11-06, 13:16

I enjoy LMS better than Ark. I don't mind OPness as seeing things done cleverly is way more interesting than having a down-to-earth character. Stealing kills yet never getting caught due to doing manual labor and being stealthy? Having people pay you for a quest and then basically do it for you? His preparations before fighting Lich Shire?

Weed works hard for everything and accomplish it with wit and humor. Even when he scams others, he does it without them noticing! I am fine with Weed not being 'schooled' as many others wish, he spent all his life being put down.

My qualm with Ark is just that he is not personable, humorous or consistently clever. In volume 1 the only thing I can applaud him for his making the mice and wolves fight each other. Though using the canon on the lake was marvelous. He has small downs, but he then thinks something up to ROLFstomp it. I don't see how Ark is less of a Gary Stu.

Ark is the story of someone currently facing difficulties. LMS is the story of someone who, through hard work, no longer has to worry about money yet is unable to be 'normal' due to his childhood.

Edit: I quite enjoy Only Sense, it's really funny even though there's no way a MMO is full of combat junkies. If it is, why isn't her shop constantly running out of stock due to all the buffs she sells? I have a few emergency consumables that make sure to always have, it just doesn't make sense.

Forbin · 2014-11-06, 14:05

When I was reading Ark I was reminded of all the things that went on in Everquest / World Of Warcraft.

KSing from a NPC at a certain level lowers your 'faction'.
PVP dudes will backstab you the MOMENT a good drop happens.
People who play 'Holy' characters tend to become 'Holier than Thou' types in a crisis.
Training NPC Mobs onto other NPC mobs (Usually nerfed)
Ebaying all your stuff.
Training Faction to ridiculous levels (For Example, Dark Elves in the Light Elf Town)
People who are helped by entire gangs of flunkies just to get the bragging rights.

Ark reads like a history book to me.

Go0gleplex · 2014-11-07, 14:05

Read through this last night. Unexpectedly good story.

CutePurpleBunnies · 2014-11-08, 03:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by nakie08

Has anyone here read ahead of the current translations? Can you people spoil me on

Spoiler:

2014-11-05, 15:46	Link #2
senjiro ecchi sage Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: moonlight kingdom	Lol? Ark didnt had a tthread? Weird.... I like this novel much. Ark spartan way to tame his familiars is just funny, The only thing i dislike is so far i read there are not love or harem. Out of it, very interesting novel. Just are too little TL, only 3 vol. Going to the 4. The serie is rnded now with 20 vol. And i think there are sequel called ark legend... Go skull go... snake cacht all japtem... __________________ "Why did you three progress your relationships where I can't see? Why am I set aside despite being with you the entire time? Where's my flag? Heyy, why?! Why won't you raise my flag, Takeru?!" Mari the pityfull witch

2014-11-05, 15:48	Link #3
Forbin I'm a sucker for Harem Join Date: Aug 2004	Hmmm...not sure what to spoil here but I seen people post a 2nd post with spoilers Spoiler for What's Exos's True Purpose: The inventor disappeared and Exos has no idea how this game plays, so they hired 2000 people to help them find out how this game works Spoiler for How powerful is Ark: Well in level wise, he's about 50% of the top players. In skills he's near the top as he builds even the smallest skills to a high level. The top player Alan is double Ark's Level Spoiler for How does Ark solve his money problems: He Ebay's his higher level loot! Spoiler for What makes this novel interesting: How Ark is pushed down by some of the other nasty players and how he comes up with ways to get back Spoiler for Does he ever get with the receiptionist?: Not so far, but she does show an interest in him in the game Spoiler for Ok Tell me what Ark's true Power is: Ark ended up on a quest for the Hero Maban, one of the 7 Great Heroes of the world. Ark appears to be the only one on Maban's Quest Line (Alan is on a different hero), and he's a bit of a dark horse who keeps winning but no one around him knows why Spoiler for Does he get the job?: He was disqualified on Week 1 but Exos hasn't told him yet. What makes it funny is Exos doesn't know who's this 'superhero' because they don't read Ark's reports anymore haha __________________ My Favorite Anime Quotes Courtesy of Answerman of ANN: 1) By and Large...they are and ***. 2) What kind of girls do Anime Otaku males want? ..................... Female. 3) The odds are good, that the goods are odd.

2014-11-05, 22:35	Link #10
nakie08 Member Join Date: Oct 2014	I can't remember a time when Weed was really in trouble. Real trouble like you'll feel bad for him or something. Weed IS Marty Stuish IMO. Spoiler: He's a character that can raise an army of orcs, undead, dragon and undead dragon able to lay waste to a city if he wanted to all by himself. He can even turn into a zombie dragon lol. I can't think of anything that would trouble him enough in-game that would make you really feel bad for him. And those reasons for his strengths is what made it more unbelievable for me. They sounded like reasons the author made up on the spot. "And Weed countered him on the last moment by grabbing the arrow and threw it back at the opponent. Oh, he was able to because he was a ninja in the past" (note: Fanfic, didn't happen xp) Don't get me wrong, I love LMS. It's very satisfying to read about him kicking ass. I read up to volume 25 swimming through summaries and GTs. Back to Ark. Has anyone here read ahead of the current translations? Can you people spoil me on Spoiler: when the game exec guys finally realizes they're missing out on his great adventures by throwing his reports away?

2014-11-06, 13:16	Link #17
Altrelo Member Join Date: Jan 2014	I enjoy LMS better than Ark. I don't mind OPness as seeing things done cleverly is way more interesting than having a down-to-earth character. Stealing kills yet never getting caught due to doing manual labor and being stealthy? Having people pay you for a quest and then basically do it for you? His preparations before fighting Lich Shire? Weed works hard for everything and accomplish it with wit and humor. Even when he scams others, he does it without them noticing! I am fine with Weed not being 'schooled' as many others wish, he spent all his life being put down. My qualm with Ark is just that he is not personable, humorous or consistently clever. In volume 1 the only thing I can applaud him for his making the mice and wolves fight each other. Though using the canon on the lake was marvelous. He has small downs, but he then thinks something up to ROLFstomp it. I don't see how Ark is less of a Gary Stu. Ark is the story of someone currently facing difficulties. LMS is the story of someone who, through hard work, no longer has to worry about money yet is unable to be 'normal' due to his childhood. Edit: I quite enjoy Only Sense, it's really funny even though there's no way a MMO is full of combat junkies. If it is, why isn't her shop constantly running out of stock due to all the buffs she sells? I have a few emergency consumables that make sure to always have, it just doesn't make sense. Last edited by Altrelo; 2014-11-06 at 13:29.

2014-11-06, 14:05	Link #18
Forbin I'm a sucker for Harem Join Date: Aug 2004	When I was reading Ark I was reminded of all the things that went on in Everquest / World Of Warcraft. KSing from a NPC at a certain level lowers your 'faction'. PVP dudes will backstab you the MOMENT a good drop happens. People who play 'Holy' characters tend to become 'Holier than Thou' types in a crisis. Training NPC Mobs onto other NPC mobs (Usually nerfed) Ebaying all your stuff. Training Faction to ridiculous levels (For Example, Dark Elves in the Light Elf Town) People who are helped by entire gangs of flunkies just to get the bragging rights. Ark reads like a history book to me. __________________ My Favorite Anime Quotes Courtesy of Answerman of ANN: 1) By and Large...they are and ***. 2) What kind of girls do Anime Otaku males want? ..................... Female. 3) The odds are good, that the goods are odd.

2014-11-05, 16:41	Link #4
Sarka Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2014	Ark is pretty much another Moonlight Sculptor.

2014-11-05, 18:13	Link #6
goyya214 [][][][][] Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Behind you	wow.... it appeared

2014-11-05, 23:11	Link #11
Kna Member Join Date: May 2011	Weed is Gary Stu with plot armor thicker than nuclear reactor's wall. For example when he invested his money into his own town his choice of invest was the same with another guild who own another town but the NPC magically didn't do as he was told to do (and only just this once too) and invest in Art instead so Weed reap benefit while other guild got f*^&ed from their choice, yeah right. There's no 'choice and consequence' at all. Whatever he did it'll always turn good for him. When he has to make party to tackle the quest he always tried to screw his party member and get all (or the best) the loots for himself and those ppl still willing to call him friend, believable.. right? He's no difference than those loan shark in the first Vol., heck I'll say he's worse. Ark is also greedy but he holds it in check just like when he help merchant friend of his. He makes it a win-win situation not I_win-screw_the_rest. That make Ark way way better than Weed in my book.

2014-11-06, 01:35	Link #12
wtfkjp Time Traveller Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Philippines	This is awefully really similar to Legendary Moonlight sculpture where (LMS - ARK) Real name: Hyun Lee - Hyun Woo Pets/familliars: Dark Knight - Skull >that evolves to skeleton warior (the undead familliar) Toori - Bat >that evovle into a young kid noble vampire (the vampire familliar) Cow(various name)/biryong/wyverns - Snake >evolve into a transformable monster that can be ride (the carrier familliar and the flyers) Settings: >poorfag >one famiily in hospital >has one old guy acquaintance that got connections with all sort of people, then persuaded to play the game >earns money by gaming >improving other stuff other than own fighting and level >gains secret job, that MC did not like and regret at first >has public icon as a rival and has a really dark attitude unknown to everyone and hates MC cuz stealing glory >MC legends only known to NPC and a mystery to players >dislike being known to players >money grubber (ark altho is only at some point) >VRMMO >The creator of game has objective, some sort of conspiracy >everything else that familliar in LMS to ark if you gonna differentiate the two my answer will be LMS is light hearted comedy kind of gary-stu, ARK is slightly darker version of LMS, and LMS has slow pacing in their arcs(by putting a lot of fillers) while ARK can do it in a volume or less. (just like dragon ball z and dragonball z kai)

2014-11-06, 02:27	Link #13
iLikePotatoes Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2014	Yeah I don't mind either of them, I enjoy both as I find them to be really fun to read. I'm a really big fan of LN's and media in general where the underdog's make something of themselves. Although if I had to choose between them I would choose LMS only because there are more volumes translated in English that I have read, on the other hand I have only read the translated parts of ARK and there is still a long way to go. With that said, I have actually read some fan fictions of LMS that I find to be more enjoyable than both of these novels. Also I find Only Sense Online and Log Horizon to be more enjoyable than both. Just my 2 cents. Anyway back on topic, it is really shocking that this didn't have a thread. One thing that I find annoying about this novel is that there are way too many scumbags, so many people in this novel are just scum. I thought the scumbag quota for novels is capped at 3 but this seems to have shattered that with the level of scum.

2014-11-06, 03:15	Link #15
thunder123456 Member Join Date: Dec 2009	@iLikePotatoes: I enjoy the fan fictions on Royal Road website too ^^ such as Seeker of Myth, Silent Wave, Tales of Adventure, Dragon's Road, and Chronicles of the Blade ^^ or some original stories like Don't fear the reaper, and Emperor Saga ^^ but the pain when you reach the lastest updates... >__< On to the topic, for me, Ark's most enjoyable point is that the ones who apply martial arts into the game include not only MC, but also other people (the unique one, not mass-produced mobs like the SwordNoobs) ^^ As for LMS, I think that it makes sense since the guy is supposed to become the one and only emperor ^^

2014-11-07, 14:05	Link #19
Go0gleplex The Old Guy Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Oregon, USA	Read through this last night. Unexpectedly good story. __________________ "Integrity is the only thing that has to be abandoned before it can be lost." "No society can thrive when it puts more money, effort, and emotion into its vices rather than its virtues." Harem of choice? Uzume, Rory Mercury, Raphtalia, and Yasaka.