The reader is annoying in this first book. Wooden, with obvious mispronounciations. (For example, “trebuchette” instead of “treboochay.”) But he gets better in Book 2. The story itself also gets better the deeper you go. Granted, you may need to grit your teeth through the first 90 minutes or so. If you do, though, you will be rewarded with some of the most satisfying skill-driven combat in LitRPG. The last big battle had me buying additional credits so I could start Book 2 right away.