Bolverk

Alright hmm.. If you couldn't get into Chaos Seeds (this has a audiobook as well btw) which I'd consider a nice beginner series. If you want more action. Something like Reborn apocalypse or Shadow sun. If you want more world exploring/info-dumps prbly Completionist Chronicles.
But if I'd say one. I'd go for first book in Reborn apocalypse series. it's just great.

Oh god, no clephas. Don't do this. That's how I felt as well when I started reading the litrpg books as well. Basically english isekai more or less.
Many of the litrpgs have excellent audible audiobooks as well. I recommend trying those for those who don't want to read and prefer to listen. I personally tend to keep my eye reading to books that doesn't have audio books.
Some other series I enjoyed were:
Reborn apocalypse series, audiobook is really good I'd like to mention. The Voice actor has the very very dark and edgy voice going down so good. I grinned like a moron while I listened to it.
Completionist Chronicles, good comedy, feels kinda like choas seeds in that regard and funky stat build going on in a weird world.
The Wraith's Haunt, has the I am in isekai yaay, but combined with fatalism haha.
 

The sound of a train indiscriminately moving, carrying you through the ride was the perfect metaphor. Its calming and comfortable, but there is a recognition that you aren't in control. It captured the themes of this story so well.
My high school was close to a subway station, and in some classrooms I could space out and just watch the trains pass by. It often reminded me of this VN, as it just furthered the relevance of the ka-chunk sound to my own HS experience. Just like you it seems, I can really only look at this visual novel with the lens of nostalgia now. I've boarded off the train years ago. Existential anxiety has a different flavor now.

I can still remember the sound of the train going ka-chunk ka-chunk ka-chunk vividly. That feeling connected to that sound never really disappeared even years later. The reaction to living passively, making your live feel like a never ending boring train ride.
I still get that feeling from time to time. I think when life feels to calm, easy and repetitive. It feels like I am on the train again. Back in high-school again. ka-chunk ka-chunk. Just different scenery. Mostly, for me the ka-chunk has been replaced with new kinds of existential anxiety as I got older. More manageable anyway, early life was more soul crushing imo. 
Tried playing the vn again a few months ago. But I couldn't get into it again. Partly because as you said I think. That kind of life is somewhat past us now. Also I'd note. I think that yume miru is a lot better than Catcher in the Rye. Which I read about same time. When I was about 19 years old as well. haha.

頑張れ！

*Can't lock pick a locker.* *Takes out my massive "knife" and smashes the locker door*. Diz be Deus ex.

I recall reading that 2200 hour label before I started learning Japanese. The time doesn't really says it. The more important part is how the activity studying Japanese is like, and whether or not you can adapt to it.  It's not that difficult. It's not like high level math, where if you don't develop serious intuition and analysis skills you'll never become competent. It's just a ton of work, and there are pitfalls for new learners who miss finding a reasonably effective method of studying. Throughout the process, there are places where you have to make your thinking flexible, and stop comparing Japanese to how English works (that's a whole other beast, and you could spend hundreds of hours becoming a linguist, except that it wouldn't help your Japanese at all.). Although to be fair, studying grammar is about as hard as studying any other course material, and reading native material a bit above your level is mentally exhausting. You can end up mentally spinning your wheels, or misinterpret a topic. Hopefully as time passes you learn where to spend your brainpower and what to just accept as being "some noun/word/thing" or "maybe some grammar I don't know yet".
To give you a picture, if you some up all my Japanese VN reading and Japanese studying combined is probably about 2700 hours over 3.5 years. Can read unassisted basically all topics which aren't technical (vocab sometimes is a limiting factor). In an easyish light-novel in a familiar setting probably look up about 0.4 words per page , in actual modern literature aimed at adults, about 3-6 words a page.
If you are used to reading off of TA, reading unassisted (off the VN text instead of the TA window) is just a matter of getting used to it (varying fonts, no word highlighting, no automatic furigana). It's faster to look up words while reading off of TA, which is why most people stay on it for a long time, until they get the common vocab down or start using J-J dics more. Nothing wrong with reading off of the TA window, the vocab lookup speed is great, the only downside is, when it comes to reading unhookable text: not being used to different fonts, and reading only having the kanji. Not that you can still use TA as a faster dictionary while reading off the the VN text.

I don't want to put an hour count to how long it takes to start reading untranslated novels with a TA dictionary because that sort of gives the wrong impression. People get to that step at different speeds and using different methods. http://forums.fuwanovel.net/blogs/entry/779-japanese-learning-for-vns-skills/ It's not nearly as helpful for me to tell you how long it takes to learn 1000 words, as it is for you to try learning 50 first and see. Of course, everything: grammar and especially vocab/kanji gets easier to learn more the more you learn.
Oh come on, one man's random entertainment medium is another man's laifu.  How is Japanese going to help me, unless I want to work in Japan or be a translator (not like the pay is any better) . It's all subjective enrichment of one's life.
I think what he means is that
1: Don't expect to get far unless you really want it, and have a solid reason. "I'd be cool if I could know Japanese", doesn't cut it.
2: There's more you can enrich your life with through learning Japanese, besides reading otaku media.


 

I wonder how many nukiges will pass this test. Prbly not so many, considering most girls would partake in the orgy. 
Although prbly many normal vn's will pass the test. As it has side character girls never getting a route, so not getting to have sex with the protag. Although I doubt that would make the h-scenes still anything feministic. #kyaaa #Stop~~ #(Don't stop)IreallyLikeIt

VN's are the greatest at immersion I feel. With the elements of visuals, music, voices combined with loads of text you get a great result. I find it a lot easier to get into a vn than I do a book most of the time.
Although I read books at a regular basis. The main reason I do that is for trying out different genres and classics that might have a intellectual value. But I don't feel so immersed in them, nor do I enjoy them as much.
 
The best vn's imo are those who combine both interesting ideas and a great story with the immersion of the visual novel medium. It's like you can have your cake and eat it too for me.
 
Even though I like having both, I can enjoy the immersion of being inside a good story. Hananono felt was somewhat like this. I enjoyed the most the interesting setting around the protag, as well as I found discussions with Ouka and things surrounding her. But the drama and story was the majority of the vn, and ofc I enjoyed that as well. But not as much as the latter.

Your thoughts shall be shouted here. And I will listen~~ :3