He was bullied in the village because everyone thought he was cursed. Him being weak probably didn’t help, but it wasn’t the main reason. I don’t know about you, but I’d be a bit bitter towards the world if a whole village thought I was cursed because my hero of a grandfather killed a lot of monsters and my parents died young, then my grandfather died to save such people… His disposition could also be a result of how he was trained. We didn’t get much detail about that, and we didn’t really see how he acted during that time and before he became a seeker. This could have been how his grandfather taught him to fight as a talker.
I’m on chapter 45, and his status as a talker isn’t really met with outright contempt. It’s just the weakest class objectively speaking. It has virtually no combat ability when combat oriented jobs are understandably held in high regard. Noel wants to be the strongest seeker, but you can’t do that with the job that he has. That’s just the facts. The main issues people tend to have in regards to him being a talker are the missed potential, and him being mouthy to people who could realistically kill him with a punch. His actions don’t match his class. It’s like some scrawny kid mouthing off to a heavy weight like it’s nothing. People here do understand the value of his support as multiple people have tried to recruit him, but it’s also easy to look down on a non combat class because these people seem to be used to getting things done with their fists, and well… what are they gonna do about it? Fight back? Also, it’s been said that a lot of talkers can’t support the same way he does by reading both his comrades and the enemies to give appropriate orders and buffs. What he does is said to be incredibly difficult, so he is definitely above average compared to other talkers. If every talker was as skilled with their abilities as he is, they would for sure be more valued. Compared to other comics with a similar ‘weakest ability’ setup, he has far better treatment and is more accepted. He’s not outright discriminated against, and strong people even become jealous of him.
That’s how I’ve interpreted things so far at least. I wanted to catch up before I formed an opinion on the other things you brought up
This manga is a fun read......but the minute you turn your brain on and start asking questions the world building falls flat for me. This gonna be a long comment so be ready for that.
Even after 60+ chapters, I dont understand why being a Talker is met with such contempt. With all the rpg elements littered throughout the story, I dont understand the disregardment for the Talker class...sure they have no clear cut combative abilities of their own, but what does that matter if they're supplying the team with substantial buffs? Its not like Seekers operate in 1-Man parties. I guess having a pure support member in your party early on in your career seems to be more of having deadweight since they're an extra person to worry about in addition to yourself. Not sure if thats made clear in the webnovel, but thats not case for the manga.... Which is kinda surprising( or not) with the way exposition is handled. (Not great, makes no sense to be having dialogue with Noel about the way of the world when he already knows it and it just serves to provide information for the reader. Thanks for the info, I guess, but the way its presented leaves a lot to be desired.)
Noel feels like an amalgamation of the perfect revenge mc....but he lowkey doesnt earn the right to act the way he does.... His parents died young(we dont know why, and I doubt its important as he doesn't think of them or maybe its mentioned in the novel in the distant future), while bullied for being weak, his grandfather is there to take care of his bullies and trained by said grandfather for 4 years.....The most tragic part of his back story is the level 12 abyss opening in his hometown and leading to the death of his grandfather.....None of this points to the Noel we have that is ruthless, merciless, and manipulative(his ambition is one of his positive qualities)... Yes he wants to live up to OverDeath's legacy (naming conventions is another problem in this manga), but is some of the actions he takes necessary?
Also....something I find funny is that the story can be simplified into "Noel genius 4d chessmaster, everyone else struggling to grasp the rules of checkers" what is with this intelligence imbalance? (Yes talkers have the highest intelligence amongst all the classes, doesnt excuse the fact that Noel has yet to meet his match in terms of wit). I personally feel like theres no stakes in the story as Noel doesn't really struggle, his biggest adversary is time. I'm never made to feel that Noel isnt going to get his way or he needs to work super hard to achieve his goal....its practically handed to him with elementary manipulation tatics. The dialouge, nor his domineering attitude feel sharp or intimidating during times he negotiating with an opposing party.
The main difference between this and other stories with dungeon crawling, party formation, rpg class elements is that the main MC is a short pretty boy with long hair vs your standard self insert mc that's tall, with an average face and black hair.
Am I expecting too much from a power fantasy?