It's been a while since I got so hooked on a Webtoon that I had to binge read it even when I'm working. haha
A few days ago, my Taiwanese friend sent me a message asking whether I'd read this Webtoon or not. I haven't. He said there has been really good feedback about it, and so I did. And boy, I'm glad I did. It's still ongoing, but I've caught up with it the other day... I just couldn't post about it because I was still feeling dizzy due to my fever last time, but now that I'm feeling better, I'm excited to talk about it. :)
The webtoon is called The Beginning After the End.

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Originally living his life as King Grey, an unrivaled yet lonesome king, he was reincarnated in a different world filled with magic and monsters. Now, he's born as Arthur Leywin, the son of ex-adventurers Reynolds and Alice Leywin.

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Even from the moment he was born, Arthur was already aware of his past life. He used his knowledge to his advantage. He used concepts from his previous life to manifest his magical abilities in his current life, even as a child. His parents were both so proud of him.
At an early age, they decided to go to the city of Xyrus for his sake. They wanted to send him to a prestigious academy for mages when the right time comes. However, when they were on their way to Xyrus, they were attacked by bandits, and it ended with Arthur being separated from his parents after trying to protect his mom.

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Luckily, he was saved by Sylvia. She's a very kind dragon who, unfortunately, ended up sacrificing her life for his sake. She passed down not only her will to Arthur, but she also asked him to take care of her own child, who later became Arthur's bond, Sylvie.
On his way back to his family, Arthur took another detour when he stumbled upon an elf being kidnapped by humans to sell. Unknowingly, the person he ended up helping was the Elven Princess of Elenoir. There, in the Elven Kingdom, he received help and training. He also got to contact his parents again.

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Fast forward years later, Arthur became more and more comfortable in his new life. However, war started brewing between Dicathen, the place he's living now, and the Vitra, a clan of banned deities who are now ruling another continent. He must now become a leader, despite his worries about his life turning back to his old self as the lonesome king.
The story is still ongoing... they're still in the middle of the war, but Arthur's journey prior to that was so heartwarming and exciting in so many ways.
If I didn't have to work, I would have finished reading everything (200+ chapters) in one day. It was so stimulating, and the storyline was fantastic.
I forgot how many tears I've shed reading it... both tears of joy and sadness. I'm glad I read it. The art style is also really good.
I'm not a fan of romance, and I don't like it to be forced in stories like this, but I actually like his subtle love interest. The romance is quite subtle, and they don't only have love towards each other, but also rivalry... I love strong women! So, yeah... I don't mind the slight romance inserted in the story.
I can't wait to see how the story unfolds in the future. I still have a lot of unanswered questions... and I'm still waiting for Elijah to come back. I just hope he doesn't turn into the enemy; that would be so heartbreaking. (Though, I can't unsee the possiblity of that from happening).
I'm also aware of the anime adaptation for this Webtoon, but the rating on MAL is quite alarming, so I guess I'll just skip reading the anime version for this.
If you haven't read this yet, I highly recommend it. I love the story and the characters so much, I just hope that no other characters that I like turn to dust. T_T
Thanks for reading, and I'll see you around! Have a good one! (^^,)/