Title: The World After the Fall Vol. 3
Author: singNsong (Original Story), S-Cynan (Adaption), Undead Gamja
Publisher: Ize Press
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 288
Genre: Fantasy, Action
Publication Date: July 18, 2023
The Story
Jaehwon needs to save Mino before it’s too late but he lacks the ability to do so. He resolves to kill her himself when suddenly the famed Doctor Cheongheo shows up and as he was trying to save Mino, Jaehwon ended up entering “his world.” There, the doctor learns that he, like him, is an awakened. Since Jaehwon broke his sword, Jaehwon tries to do the Fiend Slash, a technique that can cut contamination, himself and succeeds, saving Mino.
After, Jaehwon is brought before the acting head of Gorgon where is asked, along with the doctor, to save the Lord from contamination; however, we take a few detours before we get there. Through a conversation with Doctor Cheongheo, we learn about an expedition where he and Mulak, the dream demon whose tower Jaehwon broke through to reach Chaos, searched for a mythical fruit that, if consumed, would allow anyone who had died and residing in Chaos to be reborn.
After the history lesson, there is a disturbance at the castle in Gorgon. The Lord is awakening so it’s time for Jaehwon to keep his word; however, he faces some opposition. Apparently, there are those who believe that the Lord cannot be saved and have formed a rebellion. After the leader of the rebellion is uncovered, Jaehwon’s greatest test appears!
Characters
We have a new character in Doctor Cheongheo. Apparently, he has been in Chaos for over 1,000 years and has seen many events in his lifetime. He, too, is an Awakened and can create “worlds” in which he can slice through contamination and save people from turning into fiends. However, he needs a sword made from at least a 4-horned beast in order to do so. He has a bit of a whimsical personality mixed with sarcasm along with boastfulness. He’s just a rambunctious old man but behind that colorful persona is someone who is very highly skilled. He sees great potential in Jaehwon and wants to train his Stab ability so that it can properly cut contamination rather than just having him try to mimic the technique. He seems a bit fun, albeit a little annoying with his overreactions but at least Jaehwon has himself a master for one new ability.
Outside of this, any other characters are not really all that prominent… and discussing some of the new ones would lead to some pretty big spoilers but at least we got a little bit of background information on Mulak, his true goals, and how they defied the logic of what a dream demon is or should be.
Final Thoughts
Funnily enough, in my last review, I stated that there surely would be some plot armor to protect Mino and here we are! She’s saved! I couldn’t imagine them killing her off so quickly after spending so much time introducing and developing her character. I mean, if this were Akame ga Kill, then sure… I could see her dying but we’re not reading Akame ga Kill, are we?
Things did get a bit more interesting in this volume but in reality, it’s the same tropes you would normally see in a fantasy setting involving religion or royalty… just disguised under a different genre. Saying too much will ruin the big reveals in the book but it wasn’t really all too surprising when the big reveal came along. We also did learn about the Twelve godlike masters that we may eventually have to contend with so after three volumes, we do have some semblance of an end goal for the series.
Plus, with the history lesson about the fruit that can resurrect people, we also have another end goal which could be Jaehwon’s ticket out of Chaos and back to the real world where his body is still alive. The mere fact that we were reminded of that makes me wonder what’s happening to his body in the real world. Could a plot develop there where it could become the target of possible harm? What would happen to Jaehwon in Chaos if his body in the real world should die? It’s another interesting tidbit that is set up so subtly that it’s like they don’t want you to think about it but at the same time, it was a little nudge to remind you of the possibilities.
While the series started out kind of flat, it really is picking up and becoming very interesting. Next volume, we’ll probably see the conclusion to this new threat that Jaehwon is currently facing, and judging from the last panel, Akira Toriyama himself might be proud of the main character who was officially given the title of “Protagonist.” (No, really… they actually labeled Jaehwon that!)
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This item was provided for review by Ize Press
