The Villain's White Halo (Novel) Vol. 1
Hao Da Yi Juan Wei Sheng Zhi
4.6
Lout of Count's Family (Novel) Vol. 1
by Yu Ryeo-Han
Published Sep 3, 2024
About this book
The wildly popular Korean novels that inspired the hit webtoon! A man who wants nothing more than to kick back and relax must use his wit and wiles to survive the fantasy novel he's fallen into. Ever dreamt of waking up inside a novel? For Kim Roksu, this dream becomes reality when he finds himself in the shoes of Cale Henituse, the lazy, wine-loving son of a count—and punching bag for the novel's destined hero. Determined to dodge his grim fate, this new Cale Henituse vows to rewrite his story, aiming for a life of leisure far from heroic deeds and inevitable beatdowns. But the path to a peaceful life is twisted by irony. As Cale plots his escape from destiny, he inadvertently gathers a motley crew of magical allies—including a haughty baby dragon and two mischievous kitten shapeshifters. Every attempt to avoid heroism entangles him further in a whirlwind of unforeseen adventures, proving that sometimes the best heroes are the ones who resist the call.
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What readers are saying
AelvanaMisunderstandings, Found Family, and Great Adventure
"Kim Roksu only got five volumes into Birth of a Hero before falling asleep--and waking up as Cale Henituse, the minor villain the protagonist Choi Han beats up on his way to starting his adventure! Since Cale is not a fan of being beaten to within an inch of his life, he decides a few small changes to the plot can't hurt . . . and finds his dreams of a lazy life as a rich layabout are somehow getting farther and farther away. This is one of my favorite stories, and I'm so happy to see it's finally gotten an official English release! Cale is a unique protagonist. He's unapologetically selfish, lazy, and entitled, yet he's also unable to turn his back on the suffering, and unwilling to put someone else in a position where they'll be harmed. Unless they deserve it, of course. He hates work so much he refuses to learn swordsmanship or magic and instead opts to collect Ancient Powers---a kind of historical relic the book's characters never got much use out of, but might help a weakling like Cale if a situation turns sour. Over the course of this volume, he collects a number of people either in need, or whose goals simply work well with his purposes, and starts a chain of machinations that will alter the face of the world. Cale is very much more of a chessmaster than a player---he prefers to create the plans and then issue orders, but he's also not above doing what he can on his own. (One of the funnier instances of this is when he creates search teams for the plaza, and assigns himself the role of drinking at a local bar. When one of the party members tries to protest, she realizes that everyone, including Cale himself, agrees he'd be useless.) There is NO ROMANCE in this series. Personally I find that a huge plus. Cale ends up more in a dad role to two kittens and one very young dragon, and is well on his way to building solid friendships with a number of other characters, both men and women. It's also refreshing that secondary characters by and large have their own personalities and goals, and Cale is simply appealing to their own inclinations to get them moving in the way that he needs. For the lonely, he provides friendship (and not only with himself). For the ambitious, opportunities. And for the villains? Endless frustration. Choi Han is also interesting, as Cale has an outsider's view to a very typical protagonist. Here's a 17-year-old kid who got thrown into a fantasy world in the middle of a very dangerous forest, then had to survive for decades before he started on the story's adventures. Cale never tries to undercut his strength, or steal anything that Choi Han would acquire. He can see the emotional journey that Choi Han is taking, and if Cale's actions shortcut some of the trauma, what's the harm? He's simply helping a little. And Cale completely fails to acknowledge that his actions are starting to make a much bigger impact on this wayward hero than he ever planned. Because that's the main attraction of this story. It's full of misunderstandings. Other characters misunderstand Cale, whether by his plot or by accident. Cale misses some clues that the readers pick up on. But there's also a layer where the readers are being misled by the narrative Cale is telling himself. Look at what he says. Then look at what he DOES. Cale likes to lie, even to himself. This particular volume covers the first segment of the journey, although irritatingly it cuts off in the middle of the plaza arc. I still recommend it wholeheartedly, and the cliffhanger hits before any of the action gets started, but it does end before the rising tension gets a chance to pay off. Before we get to that point, however, there are a few other arcs that do get completed, and they also serve to build up the ongoing story. Highly Recommended. ["
September 5, 2024 Verified Purchase
C.L.A solid start
"This writer has a real knack for holding a reader's interest; the translation is also clear and skillfully done. I do think they ought to have titled the book "Lout of a Count's Family" and am puzzled as to why they went with their more awkward alternative. ["
July 4, 2025 Verified Purchase
