The first book in this series is generally speaking, pretty weak. While Anthony is not entirely unlikeable there is far too much focus on him and the stats he’s stacking just to survive. It’s a bit like listening to a workout video where the the teacher narrates their every action and then takes a minute break to blurt out some numbers. But it’s (nearly) a one man show. This persists until around the middle of the second book where it starts to hit its stride, adding in extra characters and building the world from the perspective of others who dont view this world as a game. The stat vomit falls to the wayside and the world starts to take better shape. Even Anthony starts to grow beyond a simple monster, only craving biomass and mutations, into someone curious, seeing potential in everything around him. And once he starts to make real impacts on his new family, fun characters like Vibrant and Leroy start to creep out. By the third book it starts to become a proper fantasy. Even a good one. Almost missed hooking me but I will continue with the series.