The Beginning After the End: Novel, Webtoon or Anime First?

The version problem defines this series more than any plot detail. The original web novel by TurtleMe concluded in 2025, at roughly 529 chapters including side stories. The comic adaptation is still running, having launched its seventh season in March 2026 and sitting around chapter 247 by August 2026 - meaning the illustrated version is about 280 chapters behind a story that is already finished. The anime is further back still, adapting the comic rather than the prose.

The pacing warning is specific and applies to every version. The opening arc is a childhood section that is deliberately slow, and readers expecting immediate action will wait through it. That patience is load-bearing rather than padding: the relationships and the understanding of the world's class and magic systems are what the later arcs rely on to carry weight. The protagonist is a capable lead with memories of a previous life, which makes him competent from the start and emotionally unresolved throughout.

Where to start depends on what you want. For the complete story, the novel is the only option. For the visual experience, read the comic and switch to the novel when its coverage runs out. One caveat for the comic: the artist changed in June 2023, and the visual shift between seasons is noticeable, on top of the general improvement in line quality over time.

Editorial Discussion

This is one of the clearest multi-version cases in the format, and the differences are large enough to change the experience. The comic is the version most readers encounter, and its production values - full colour, distinctive casting effects, strong character design - are genuinely good, but it will take years to reach an ending that already exists in prose. The anime premiered in 2025 with a second season in 2026 and drew mixed reactions abroad. Pick by format rather than by quality: readers who want closure should read the novel.