12 O'Clock Marionette - Chapter 1

While reading a book, a sparkle of light disappeared. And, as it did, a message appeared.

Hugo was a college student known for his intelligence and handsome looks. Being ranked as the number 1 student in the most renowned school on earth, there was no doubt that many people were envious of him. The only problem was, he was from a poor family.

When everything went downhill, and their family fell into a huge debt, he had no choice but to look for several ways just to earn a huge sum of money. That’s when an unknown man offered him $600,000 just to join a secret experiment being held by the government.

However, it seems like the universe was against his way when Hugo died after the experiment.

On the day of his judgment, Hugo accidentally found a hidden door in heaven. That’s where he met Goddess Thalia, who was known to be the kindest goddess that ever lived on the planet earth.

“Since you found my place, what is your wish, young man?” The woman asked in a sweet voice.

“I want to live again and take revenge on those who have wronged me!”

However, that was not the end of it. The world that Hugo came to was different from the world that he used to live in. And the pandemic that was bound to happen in 3 months was much more deadly than it seemed.

Now with the needed knowledge and skills, let us witness how Hugo gets back at his enemies and becomes the most powerful being in the world!

Humanity has endured for millions of years, but recorded history only spans a mere four thousand years. During that unrecorded deep-sea age, what exactly were we doing?Countless indescribable beings ruled the universe, and our powerful ancestors preserved the fire of human civilization under their threat.Then they disappeared, and we rose.Now, they are coming back, mysterious psychic powers are awakening, the flame of human civilization is slowly extinguishing, and no kings are in sight...Chen Ke opens his eyes to see a world full of ruins and himself on the brink of death.The moment his heart was pierced by the Blasphemous Dagger, he became a dying man without a heart.Able to survive only 2 hours...

Living in a world of cultivators is like walking on the edge of a knife. If you slip, the best result is a deep cut, but the likely result is death. Su Fang is brought into this world completely unprepared, knowing nothing, and lacking any skills to help him. This means only one thing. He is destined to die.Fortunately, Su Fang is immortal. Not because he cannot die, but because when he does, he un-dies.In this world, everyone is born with a Golden Finger to help them survive. Su Fang’s blessing is to return to the beginning of his journey after every death. His System provides him credits upon death with which he can purchase absolutely anything, but he is only rewarded enough credits to help him return to the point he died. To advance further, he must rely on himself.This is both a time loop story and a xianxia story. At different points, one element is more pronounced than the other, but it is always a combination of both.This can also be considered a slice-of-life story. It isn’t about saving the world or defeating a big bad guy. It is about living life in an unfamiliar world where it can sometimes seem like everyone is out to kill or enslave you.Expectations:-Detailed cultivation and crafting.-Limited fighting scenes through most of the story.-Slow cultivation progression. Each level will be explored in detail.-Somewhat unreliable narrator. Cultivation affects the mind, and it will affect the MC’s perceptions of the world. Facts can generally be trusted, but many times there are layers beyond what the narrator sees.-Xianxia tropes with a world built around them so they make sense. Why do young masters go crazy shouting “You dare!”? Why do their guards willing throw themselves to their death against someone with significantly higher cultivation? All that and more is explained.-This is a story of cultivation. It has cultivation in the xianxia sense, working to gain strength and power, but, more importantly, it is a story about cultivating the self. Finding ways to make yourself a better version of you.New chapters drop 5 days a week, M-F, at 7:00AM Central Time (US)