If you think that leveling an acad is hard now, you should have tried it before the forest/enemies/stats changed. Let alone the add of KGs. Back then, people quit the game simply because they couldn't get past the first few levels.
Sure, you might get the bad roll of the dice while playing, but it happens. It's just like playing any other game. I've had my fair share a few months ago while playing. It took me a almost a week to get past level 5 b/c I'd get some auto-kill event or an enemy that hit me for damage higher than I could ever dream of achieving at no DKs.
It'll be okay. Everyone wins/loses more than not. It's just a roll of a dice and strategy.