It's crazy to think the manga adaptation started half a decade ago, this is around where I stopped reading the novel myself... I should get back to finishing that.
Thanks for the chapter.
If you stopped here in the novel, you will probably enjoy what is to come. A lot more world building and new characters will be introduced. It's a good read in my opinion. To me the spot we are at in this manga, is kinda comparable to early Alabasta in one piece. This arc is where the series finds its footing, and subsequent arcs build more directly on top of each other.
I am just a bit behind myself(just backlogged in catching up on series after having multiple trips in succession), but I am not too far behind current translation.
That said there are minor differences in this manga, where some concepts are being introduced earlier. To use Pupil of the Wiseman as an analogy, the manga has MC meeting other Wiseman directly in brief appearances way earlier than WN. Like I think manga had mc meet soul howl briefly like in the first arc or 2, where it only now has occurred in WN translation.
Or in this case
watching god appearance/personality/motives is shown earlier, where novel is more
implied existence through the system/interactions with characters. For example
the audience doesn't learn of the god watching hero in addition to MC dragon, until the aftermath of this arc(and again, god existence is more vague in our understanding compared to manga).
Judging the favorable reactions here to the minor change, it seems to have been well worth it. Especially as it isn't actually changing the story much, just giving the audience a little more context.
I can't wait for
partner to be introduced in this manga. That character really makes things so much more entertaining.
Hopefully the glacial pace improves though. If this is 5 years worth of chapters, unless the manga speedruns things I might have grandkids by the time the manga ends. And I don't have kids yet either.