The rat dilemma is extremely difficult, as even depicted in the actual living world proven to be a task very improperly handled and has no correct solution. As stated before by one of the revolutionary rats, they claim that the freedom that they seek, regardless if they were to live day to day risking death and scavenging for their lives, had "glory". Like in the real world, people have stood on the idea of constant struggle to be an honorable alternative than to live shackled until their final breath, even if they were fed and left to live life as they wished--- an example of capitalism and communism (take it as their face and literal definition I don't want to get too political). Because of this, they can't just leave, better yet, be told to. Nobody is stupid enough to leave society and live in the woods enhabiting wolves and bears, that's just suicide. Kim Jiwoo can't just tell the rats to leave and get themselves killed, as that's no better than tyranny and discarding those deemed unworthy, which is NOT what he stands for. The rats would need a plan that would ensure their safety, their freedom and their future, hence why they needed to band together to create a labyrinth of their own. To prevent a candidate for another enemy, prevent distrust and internal conflict from within, and to ensure loyalty, what was done had to be done.
MMMMM!!! This is great insight... I do think it's still kinda weird that Jiwoo is just there and doesn't necessarily interfere with the mice in any way, as his influence and perhaps his kindness would change some of their minds, but I do think it would be kind of circular bc he's already shown his hospitality and they didn't want it so I can see how he can't really do much.. they are their own people, after all.... I wasn't thinking much like Jiwoo telling them to leave, but allowing them to split their society so each half gets what they want
Gosh, I love how central this manhua is... I could yap about every chapter for hours on end
Ahhh I'm so torn about the rat loyalty debacle. Truly, it feels like it can go ways I can't even imagine, I'm so invested. While the sleepy rat having doubts is justified, basing her doubts on a 3 month old rat that was literally raised on the idea of betraying the Naga labyrinth shouldn't be her only point of judgment. Again, what the rats have going on could be more than a subplot and I can definitely see it having adverse effects on how the 9th floor will proceed, but creating an entire regime just to ensure loyalty is kind of bizarre for me... I think if the MC would've at least let the "enemy" rats try to live their life outside of the labyrinth, if only to teach them how good they had it, it would've been so much better than an internal mass murder that he basically wasn't really aware the scale of....
Morrigan is kind of in the same situation as the MC as he has lost his past and is sort of blindly fighting for his life, granted that he killed the nagas that were COMPLETELY INNOCENT FROM HIS MISSION, being able to control your power when you literally spared 2 high powered beings on the premise of them not being your enemy and then killing basic workers (NOT THE FIRST GEN NAGA SACRIFICE) isn't really a consistent principle...
I love the principles of war and society building, I do hope there is some maybe brief discussion about how the 9th and 10th floor war will affect the above ground... (still kinda confused on where this layering comes from and how it works in different countries, etc)