Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Mecha, Romance, Sci-Fi, Yaoi
Summary [from NU]
A top hacker was chosen by the Lord God to be reborn into countless worlds, always as an expendable villain.
With no free will, every world became a dead end. Every one of his lives ended tragically.
Finally, after wresting control of the Villain System, this ace hacker decided to enact revenge. Even if his very bones were rotten, he’d choose to occupy the very heights of morality, if only on the surface.
Thus, he would change his fate as an abused slag.
Note: The main story of Quickly Wear the Face of the Devil has 16 arcs. It also has 4 bonus stories (or extras), as titled below. Click on the titles to read the translations.
- 薛子轩 (Xue Zi Xuan) – 15 chapters
- 魔教教主與聖僧 (Diabolist Leader and Holy Priest) – 26 chapters
- 妖狐與攝政王 (The Fox and the Regent) – 23 chapters
- 獸人星球蜜月 (Honeymoon on Beastman Planet) – 20 chapters
Personal Thoughts [spoiler free]
A monolith in the quick transmigration (or fast transmigration) genre, this story was the first quick transmigration story that introduced me to the entire concept of quick transmigration. It’s not the first quick transmigration story ever written, as It’s Actually Not Easy Wanting to be a Supporting Male Lead (another running favorite of mine) seems to date back even earlier than this story, but Quickly Wear the Face of the Devil (a.k.a. FOD) was the first one of its ilk that I found, hence it will always have a special place in my heart.
The wonderful Keztranslations did the translations for the main story of FOD. I’m not sure why the chapter links are not showing up on novelupdates at the moment, but you can go directly here for the full table of contents.
The first arc is not the most stand out, but I quite like the second arc, in which our main character, Zhou Yun Sheng, plays the part of an autistic teenager. I think arc nine is a popular fan favorite, and it’s one of my favorites too. Zhou Yun Sheng is super OP, and arc nine is where he hits a hiccup, so this is where we see his natural intelligence really shine. (But even his normal brain is too OP. Apparently his brain has the processing power of several computers… TAT… Ay, leave something for us mere mortals…) Arc ten was a weird one in my opinion. I mostly just remember the MC hypnotizing himself in the mirror. Arc fourteen is where we get the (in)famous Xue Zi Xuan, whose character became so popular that the author even wrote a complete AU (alternative universe) spin-off story for him. (Side note, I’m currently co-translating said spin-off story.) Arc fifteen was a fun one. It’s titled “Cuckold Emperor” and the MC is the emperor. Lol.
I find the male lead of FOD to be quite overbearing. Compared to all the other MLs from other BL stories that I’ve read, he ranks somewhere in the middle of my personal list. His loyalty and devotion to his shou is a huge plus, but his attitude is a minus. He’s mean even to people who are nice and helpful to the MC, simply because he is that possessive (and yandere). I got annoyed with his attitude in arc nine. Out of jealousy, the ML kept hitting the MC’s protector, Zhao Ling Feng, and plotting ways to get rid of him. And Zhao Ling Feng was such a loyal sweetie too. (Also, kudos to the protagonist shou of this world, who learned self-awareness, backed off, and even wished the MC and ML well.) I liked the ML in arc eight. Due to the setting and restrictions of his role, his character was more restraint and thus his interactions with the MC gave me more moe feels, and also more giggles.
I guess the important thing is that the MC really likes the ML. He gets exasperated with the ML’s actions sometimes, but he’s not really bothered by it. The MC is strong, both mentally and emotionally. He stands toe to toe with the ML, and in some arcs the MC is the one pursuing the ML, so it’s not a case of the ML dragging the MC around and the poor MC having to go along with the ML’s whims. I also detect hints of yandere-ness from the MC towards the ML, but he doesn’t get to show that side often, because the ML’s yandere tendencies overshadow the MC’s. All in all, they’re a good match for each other.
It was also my first Quick transmigration novel. Before FOD I didn’t know such genre existed. I had an obssesion with every single arc, except for the ten that’s Just too weird. My favorites are the second, ninth and fourteenth.
Thanks for the recommendation. Now I want to reread.
I think we have very similar opinions on FOD. 😀 2, 9, and 14 are also my favorites, and when I feel nostalgia for FOD, I would reread one of those arcs.