I don’t know what you’ve done vocab-wise outside of WK (I think you mentioned in another post that you have used Genki?), but in general:
- “Looking up so much that it doesn’t feel like reading” is the standard experience for your first native manga. It happened to me. It happened to others. It’ll get better… if you continue.
- This first part has particularly specific vocab since it’s a fantasy fight. The next week’s part might go better for you.
- The manga is on the harder side for the ABBC.
So, now you have a choice:
- You can try to press on and see if it gets better. Maybe give it the second week where we get out of the fantasy environment.
- Else I’d recommend trying to read along with one of our finished easier picks. My recommendations there would be Chiisana Mori no Ookami-chan or Happiness. Don’t be instantly intimidated by the amount you have to look up there too. Like I said: That’s just what happens for new readers. The first native manga is always hard.
- If those are also too hard you can try a graded reader. My introduction to reading was this book, which is (unlike what the title wants you to believe) definitely less than captivating, but I was just so excited to be able to read Japanese without having to look up every word.
- Or you can just give up on reading for now and learn more vocab. It’ll probably make your next try reading at least slightly less painful.