About the Series
Set in the same world as The Good Guys, The Bad Guys follows a different isekai’d character who takes a villain-aligned class. Where Montana punches everything, this MC uses stealth, poison, and assassination alongside direct combat. Same world, same system rules, different approach to progression. Can be read standalone or as a companion to The Good Guys.
The villain-class angle provides variety within the same proven formula. The MC isn’t evil — they’re pragmatic — but the system rewards villain-class behaviors differently from hero-class ones. The progression satisfies the same “numbers go up, challenges get harder” loop that makes The Good Guys work, viewed from a different mechanical perspective.
This works for readers who enjoyed The Good Guys and want more content in the same world, or who prefer a slightly more tactical protagonist over Montana’s brute-force approach. Same completed status, same readable pace. The tradeoff: the same criticisms apply — repetitive prose, thin characterization, functional rather than literary writing. If you bounced off The Good Guys, this won’t change your mind. It’s the same appeal in a different flavor.
Reading Order
- Ruthless (2019)
- Books 2-10 (2019-2023)
Can be read independently of The Good Guys. Same world, different protagonist and location.
If You Like This Series
- The Good Guys by Eric Ugland — Same world, hero-class protagonist; completed
- Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman — LitRPG with more depth and humor; ongoing
- Azarinth Healer by Rhaegar — Pure combat progression at extreme length
- Life Reset by Shemer Kuznits — Playing the villain role in an LitRPG; completed
- System Apocalypse by Tao Wong — System progression with more plot; completed