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Cale Henituse/Kim Roksoo is such a nuanced character that you need to read the novel from the beginning at least twice to understand his conviction and the motivations behind his actions. Like why he hates seeing children hurt. Why the first thing he asks someone he just met is "have you eaten?" Why he says he wants to become a slacker. Why he gets himself involved in situations he shouldn't need to despite saying he wants to stay out of it. Why he takes the position of Commander during the war despite initially saying he wanted to stay in a quiet place far away from the war before. Why he is so unfazed by sights of blood and massacre. Why he is so good at strategising. Why he is such a natural at leading. Why he exudes such great aura and charisma even when not using the Dominating Aura. Why he has such good memories of the details mentioned in the novel he read. Why he says he doesn't care when he very clearly does. Every single action that could simply have been dismissed as plot armour for the main character, the author crafted such well thought out plot points to give background to those traits which in turn gave depth to his character. He's such an interesting character to unpack. The more you get to know him it turns out you actually knew so little about him the whole time.

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A redraw

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Starting on a new manhwa 👀 ~1st fanart

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LCF readers at the start of the story when the side characters mistook Cale to be a "good person": pfft, you fools. You couldn't have been more wrong about him. You've all just been scammed. That guy is only using you for his own benefit.

LCF readers a few hundred chapters in: wait- they actually were kinda right?? We were the fools who got scammed into believing whatever he said? Goddamn.

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I think we as a fandom need to talk more about cale's lack of reaction to his ancient powers. Like one day one just started speaking in his head and he just was like. okay this is happening now. And over time the number of ancient powers speaking grew. And cale was just like wow ok new family members only in my mind this time.

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I think my favorite thing about the TCF novel is that although Cale is a transmigrator he didn’t go from regular person to super smart just because he transmigrated. In a lot of novels you’ll see transmigrators and regressors just suddenly becoming geniuses in everything they do. I like that the author created a back story of why Cale was as smart as he was. And, he had to go through a lot of trial and error and see a lot of things for his plans to work.

I don’t remember where it was in the book but I remember reading that in KRS’s early days at the company with LSH they got beat up after a mission gone wrong. I think the way LSH just laughs the whole ordeal off is just a way that alludes to how Cales plans back then didn’t always work. He had to work on the front lines for a long time before his plans became so intricate and easily switched and replaced for new ones as more obstacles are thrown at him.

Cale is naturally smart, yes, but things like that can only be achieved through experience and I’m glad the author gave Cale the experience before they gave Cale the ability.

Anyway this is just a little quark I saw in the book that I’d thought I’d share with the rest of the fandom.

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"Would you save me, even if I was weak?"

And you know what? He did

One of his indignity trials was to save (Not)Raon again

He came up with an entire plan to drug everyone and spent quite a bit of time with the preparations for it.

Put some poison in their drinks, wait for them to fall unconscious, take the key, and free the dragon. Easy, right?

And then, as soon as the torturer took out the whip he was like "Nope" and immediately threw hands to release him right then and there, plan be damned

Cale

Who hates fighting and has avoided it as much as humanly possible, and has made a point several times about not wanting to

Yeah, that Cale

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reading some cale quotes for fic purposes and i can't believe how much you can forget when you blitz through 1000+ chapters in less than two months.

like, cale curses so much. so much. i guess i didn't really internalize it since it was spread out over the whole novel, but he has such a dirty mouth and literally every time he mentions his enemies, he's cursing up a storm.

"i don't care if he's lived a thousand years or not, that shithead is a fucking bastard from now on." cale henituse, on the greatest threat of the whole part one of the novel. he's so eloquent.

i forgot how snarky his internal voice is. actually, maybe not forgot. just, kind of got used to it? until i stopped registering the absolutely sick burns he keeps dishing out on the regular.

it takes him until chapter 270 to realize that he should have just let choi han beat him up. that seems like a lot, but we've still barely reached the eastern continent. adin is still alive. cale doesn't even know who the white star is. the trouble hasn't even started.

also, at one point he actually admits to being raon, on and hong's parent??? out loud??? i can't believe i missed that, the whole dodori thing distracted me.

"raon. I’m someone who cannot forget. don't be like me." i didn't actually forget this one, but it feels like a gut punch every time i read it again.

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Cale needed that evil god's test. Not only to fight despair, but also for his mental health.

He needed to see that there was a world where "Kim Rok Soo" was not left to survive alone. He needed to see all his "what ifs" happen. He needed to resolve all the regrets of "Kim Rok Soo" to fully live as Cale Henituse. Because even if it wasn't his world, he now knows that a "Kim Rok Soo" was happy, surrounded by people he loves, people who would survive with him.

That is how he can loosen the shackles of fear of being alone again as Cale. "We will all survive" is not just a random mantra for him. He needs it to be true. He has had so much loss and grief in his life.

Even if he doesn't really say so, that grief was what kept him going. To "not waste" the sacrifices of all those who saved him, he kept surviving. But that is also why he's reckless despite "valuing" his life.

I think, subconsciously, he thinks that if he can save more people, then that would be a good "payment" for those who saved him. His "slacker life" is basically world peace. 🤭

Back to the point... The test showed him Kim Rok Soo and everyone he cares for survive, so now he has more courage and less doubt to face WS because he wants a life like Parallel KRS', as Cale Henituse.

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You know one of my favorite things about this novel?

Is that Cale (Well, Kim Roku Soo) actually acts his age (36)

I personally haven't read many Isekais aimed at male audiences, so I can't speak for those

I have, however read quite a bit of Otome Isekais

And one of the things that annoys me the most about the genre, is when the protagonist, usually an adult woman, gets reincarnated into a baby, a child or a teenager and you sometimes forget their actual age because some of the things they do, some of the decisions they make are /baffling/ when you remember they're a grown ass adult

But with Cale is quite the opposite, people around him are often left scratching their heads at some of his actions and level of maturity ("Aren't you supposed to be 18-20?")

Hell, one time he told Raon that he is "30 years older than him" only to remember mid-phrase that nope, he's actually supposed to be only 15 years older

-Spoilers for P1-

And it's also very funny when Alberu finds out that Cale is, in fact actually older than him, his reaction is pure gold because he's supposed to be the hyung around here you know?

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Greetings oh wise one! I come asking for advice/analysis.

How would you describe the type of chaos Cale starts? Like, is there a play by play of Cale’s usual migraine inducing shenanigans?

"Oh wise one" - that's a new one haha! I'll try my best for you~! 💖

In the past, I made short joke posts on Cale's typical step-by-step MO, like: "scam, loot, destroy", or "fight with overwhelming advantage, run, smack them in the back". And while those steps are hilarious and quite accurate – since you've asked for an analysis, let's dive a little deeper into the subject.

First of all, why is Cale's personal brand of chaos so enjoyable? Simple; it's because it's always targeted at people who 100% deserve it. Civilian casualties? Not an option with Cale in charge. This man takes his 10+ years zero casualties record completely seriously.

And no, there are no exceptions to this. While at first it might seem impossible – for example there were times when Cale and his group attacked buildings with servants in them or destroyed whole ships with crew on board – and it can make you wonder, weren't any innocent workers there? But no. If you look closely, any time there were any civilians involved (any people who weren't onto the whole murder and torture thing the bad guys were doing), Cale made sure to either capture, evacuate, or leave them alone. From the first heist with Choi Han when they freed Raon, to the Unranked Monster battle at Puzzle City, or heck even robbing the Sekka estate, they always made sure to not kill the civilians. Even with the battle ship, I'm 100% certain there were only armed people on board, prepared to be the ones who would murder civilians without hesitation. Cale left no chances of innocent people getting hurt.

That's what makes his MO so wonderful. Because Cale only screws over those who deserve it. Of course, Cale doesn't see it like that. From his perspective, what he's doing is "vicious", so he must be the bad guy. And while his MO is definitely ruthless… It only matches the weight of the crime of his opponents. Cale only gets involved and makes a s***show when he is really pissed off. And by pissed off, I specifically mean innocent people getting hurt. Because that's what it all comes down to, really. He can delude himself and claim he's doing it for profit, but there's nothing wrong with profiting off well done work. He never cheats his allies off their right rewards, either. Despite him being so chaotic with his actions, he... never actually does anything that crosses the line.

(Yeah you could try and argue that torture crosses the line, but uh… At least Cale never ordered torture for personal pleasure? The first time it was to help a child heal from their trauma, and every other times since it was to extract information from particularly nasty and stubborn murder cultists. It might be morally grey of me, but I don't believe it was wrong of him. That's a matter of personal opinion of course.)

So, the starting point is always Cale facing people who pissed him off through messing with innocents in some way.

It can't be some petty political squabble either, Cale doesn't mess with those – remember how he reacted when the King of Whipper Kingdom wanted to agree and give up 100,000 citizens of his country to Adin, just to save his own skin? Raon offered to loot the king's safe… and Cale totally could have done that out of pettiness? But Cale left it alone, because it never came to that. So yeah, Cale only messes with those who already hurt people on a large scale, not just crooks or cowards. Even the bandits who messed with the Super Rock Villa entrance, he just had the leader beat up and made them work for him – he even had them formally employed and educated. Which honestly, probably improved their living conditions drastically, now that I think about it. …Cale is such a freaking softie, I swear.

But we're going off track – Cale and his specific brand of "migraine inducing chaos", that's the main topic here.

First, Cale always gets information. Who are his opponents? What have they done? What kind of powers they have? What dirt does he have on them? Where is their money located? Stuff like that.

Next, there's the planning & preparation phase. However, we rarely see that part because of the "no repetition rule" of storytelling. The only time we ever see characters make plans and explain them to their allies is when things are about to go south. In case of TCF, we only ever find out what kind of plan Cale has is when either 1) it's already ongoing 2) something went wrong and Cale wonders how it happened, for example when Cale set up the trap for the White Star in the Dark Elf city.

Then, with a solid plan and allies all prepared, Cale infiltrates the combat zone. Be it Real Arm uniform, priest get-up, pretending to work for some unnamed scary higher-up; you get the idea. Even during open-field battles like the Maple Castle, Cale made sure to have multiple hidden assets and key players disguised. It's a very important part of his MO; making sure he and his allies are as safe as they can possibly be.

Once everybody deals with their designated obstacles, be it simple head smashing or straight up scamming his opponents, Cale loots stuff. Sometimes the looting comes before the combat for the element of surprise, but usually combat happens as a distraction for looting anyway. Naturally, this is the part Cale enjoys the most, because according to Cale's logic, nothing feels as good as pissing off the people who pissed you off first. Not to mention how money is extremely useful, and Cale whole deal is that he always makes sure to take full advantage of anything and everything he finds useful – be it people or treasures. Classic Cale behavior, really.

After the looting stage, here comes the destruction! This part gotta be Raon's favorite, as he's usually in charge of it. Considering how his first destruction spree happened without Cale's input – the cave he was trapped in – I think it's a natural draconic trait lol. Everything that cannot be looted and can be still useful to the enemies must be demolished, that's the rule. After all, the revenge can only be complete when the enemies are left totally furious and powerless.

As for clean-up… pfff, what clean-up? Cale doesn't do clean up! That's the job for the janitor- I mean his dear Hyung-nim 🤣 I bet it's Cale second favorite part about making a huge mess; that he doesn't have to clean it up himself thanks to Alberu hahaha

So, a general play-by-play of Cale's chaotic shenanigans goes something like this:

Cale finds out there are troublemakers "messing up his slacker life", aka. people are getting hurt and his soft, squishy heart cannot ignore it

he gathers his team, info and gets down to planning

cue in hilarious scamming and Mission Impossible flavored undercover shenanigans

looting for fun and profit

destruction mostly for fun but also profit

when things go awry, Cale gets to overuse his Ancient Powers and spill blood like chocolate fountain spills chocolate at fancy events, it's just the same never-ending cycle really 🤣

retreat if necessary, but that rarely happens (I think couple of times throughout the whole series, really)

the enemies are left furious and/or utterly defeated

Cale's fam is left generally more worried over Cale being reckless again, than whatever epic chaos is going on around them, causing lots of delightful misunderstandings and comedic moments as a result

Alberu Crossman gets a headache once again

…aaaand that about sums it up! 💖

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OHRweek Day 7: Free

The perfect cue for me to draw my favorite father and children in my favorite season’s colors.

I’ve made up my mind to fill in the rest of the challenge, wish me luck, guyssss!

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need beacrox to have a dream about being the cook at the restaurant where kim rok soo was a part timer

to keep having dreams about this skinny teenager that reminds him so much of someone he knows

this orphan that lives such a lonely life but shows up to work on time always and does his duties diligently despite how weak he looks

he never buys or brings any food with him to work either. so he starts just feeding the kid, 'kim rok soo' whenever he can. sends him home with leftovers and makes him eat during his breaks

in return kim rok soo starts helping him out in the kitchen. he's not amazing, but he learns fast and soon enough he's able to pick up a few kitchen shifts

beacrox notices the kid studying between customers one day and asks what he wants to do

kid tells him without hesitation, not looking up from his studies

'I wanna be a slacker'

and it makes becroix laugh. because he immediately thinks of a certain young master who claims he wants to be a slacker while working himself to death as well

the dream ends when that world itself seems to end, the restaurant itself being crushed

the ending point is specifically when he pushes that scrawny kid out of the way from the roof caving in

he gets the funniest feeling seeing that kid again, just a little older, replacing his young master when he joins him on a trip to another world

the funniest

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Litana 🫶

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It was technically Cale when he fainted for three days at the elf Village. He was supposed to wear the fake Arm uniform but I took the privilege to change it into something else for aesthetic purpose :))))

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Krs!Cale (probably): I adopted three children, saved and inspired others and the world at the expense of my own health several times to the point where I tried to sacrifice myself and I'm in the process of saving the multiverse....selfishly.

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You know... I often think about the fact that out of all events in TCF? Rescuing Raon was the most important.

It wasn't just because Cale got himself a "Draco Ex Machina" at his side that could use OP magic at his convenience. He could have used tools or Rosalyn's magic instead, at the beginning at least. We saw how he planned ahead and used an enchanted tool to make Taylor and Cage invisible to sneak them into the capital.

It wasn't just because through Raon, Cale was able to make connection with Eruhaben and later Sheritt and many other Dragons. They were important for their victory, but Cale could have gotten in contact with them through other ways – Pendrick, for example.

It wasn't just because Raon could detect things like dead mana or magical traps and disguises – even if Rosalyn wouldn't be able to, Cale would have probably figured out Alberu's connection to Dark Elves sooner or later. He already had suspicions about "a secret to his birth" before Raon mentioned the dyed hair.

Yes, those thing mattered, don't get me wrong. But, out of all the changes Cale made after his transmigration – saving Raon was the event that truly changed the whole game... not for the world, but for Cale himself.

Raon was, in many instances, the pushing force behind Cale's motivation to participate in various events. Slacker life? Cale's wishful thinking. But the motivation to actively get people involved – like Mary, for example. Raon was the one who cheered Cale on, kept him company through everything, especially the tough times. Raon was the one who, along with On and Hong, melted Cale's heart the fastest, getting this stubborn, traumatized man to admit they were "family". It's not that he wouldn't be a good man doing good things without Raon; but without Raon he would be in a lot more denial (even more than he already is!!) about why he is doing such things.

Raon represents everything Cale loves about his new life. The joy, the hope for the future, the curiosity and enthusiasm. Yes Cale often acts tired of (or freaks out over) Raon's antics or pretends to ignore him. But in the end... he never actually does. Cale never stops paying attention to him or tells him to go away.

Raon was the one who truly "got under his skin", so to speak. Cale wholeheartedly trusts and respects Raon. Of course, Raon is still a child under his protection... The reason why Cale always insisted on him staying hidden, throughout most of their adventures. I remember the moment Cale got the Dragon Blood Drinking Crown, and his first reaction was "let's throw this away/destroy it". The utter repulsion towards anything that could be a danger to Raon, despite how potentially useful such an artifact could be, logic be damned. Or that moment when they met the White Star for the first time, the villain telling Cale how he would kill the child and feed his heart to him – how Cale outwardly showed terror for the first time in the whole novel, instantly hugging Raon close to him and activating the shield to its fullest.

That's what really gets to me, you know? Raon's protectiveness for Cale is so obvious, but Cale is just as protective of him in return. I truly believe that while all relationships that Cale had shaped him as a person (just like the God of Death stated in his letter to him), the relationship between Cale and Raon is one that shaped them both in equal measure on both sides.

This relationship between them feels like fate, and that's no accident.

Changing Raon's fate was fundamental for saving the world, yes. But it equally important for Cale's own growth. An event which happened right at the beginning on the story, shaped the course of the entire future.