MTL - The Dead Cycle - Chapter 8 Hung Hom Star Motion

DESTINY GAMES. It has been 85 years since Earth-11 became aligned with Yggdrasil and 73 years since Icon became the first demigod from Earth. Icon, as the first demigod, was privileged to weave the thread of fate for everyone. He was supposed to cut off Yggdrasil and free Earth-11 from the grasps of the other Earths and their god kings. That’s why everyone helped him climb the tower of Destiny. But instead of ridding earth of Yggdrasil, he turned the destiny of mankind into seven rings of immortality. The first ring was for the immortality of power. The second was for the immortality of the knowledge. The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth were for the immortality of the mind, energy, body, and soul. The last ring, the ring of the paragon, was made to rule them all. Icon kept the ring of the paragon for himself and became a dictator. He ruled with an iron fist for many years. His was a reign of terror. But he was eventually vanquished by the collective effort of the world. It has been 62 years since then. Icon is no more, but the damage he had done still remains. Earth-11 is still connected to Yggdrasil. The deadly games of the Tower of Destiny still remain, and the fight for the seven rings of immortality still continues. Kelvin Thorn has just awakened his ability. It came at a good time too since he is running for his life. The ability he awakened saved him, but it came with a cost. He must climb the tower of destiny under the witness of the whole world and accumulate destiny, or he will die. His situation is not unique. Everyone that awakens, which is mostly everyone, must climb the tower of destiny. It is one of the curses that Icon left behind before he died. But Thorn is different because the seventh ring found him. The tower of destiny is where everyone granted power by destiny, be they humans, non-humans, or otherworlders, must fight in games of might, skill, and knowledge to gather the power of destiny. They will either die or eventually overcome death. Kelvin will be one of the latest in the line of billions of others in this struggle.

Deep below the earth's surface, a mystifying subterranean seascape lurks, an archipelago bathed in inky blackness where suspense and horror hold court. Here lie strange islands and even stranger monsters, far beyond the realms of human imagination. In this domain, mankind is far from dominant; instead, madness and death rule supreme.

Pleading for mercy from the unknown creatures of the deep only leads to a slow, tortured existence. The trapped survivors gradually distort, losing what made them human, both physically and mentally, to the gloom as they remain trapped in this eternal obscurity. Their only hope? A perilous expedition into uncharted sea territories.

Fueled by determination, Charles embark on this daunting voyage aboard his steamship, aiming to reclaim humanity's past glory. Together with his crew, they sought a way out of this hidden sea world, a path back to the sunlit world above, where humans once stood tall.

=========================================

I read a few comments from Chinese readers that compared this novel with Lord of Mysteries because of similar elements: Lovecraftian, western fantasy, first industrial revolution, and steampunk. However, I have yet to finish reading Lord of Mysteries to do any actual comparison, but I do think those who have enjoyed that novel would enjoy this as well. Also, the author of LotM, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, also did a shout-out for this novel, so I guess he approves of it too?

……………………………………………………………

Dear readers! Without any ads, maybe you will prefer .

What if you spend your whole life like a vegetable in a hospital bed? Only being able to speak and listen. Just that. Would you go crazy? Unbalanced? What if it was all the fault of a degenerate madman looking for his parents' inheritance? Would you be angry? Would you be mentally broken?That was Kayden's life for 20 years and as quickly as it started, it ended, but luckily for him, reincarnation existed and by some miracle, he still had his memories of it. And....his new world had...magic.In the first moment of consciousness, Kayden made a promise to himself, in this life, he would achieve everything, he would reach the height of power, he wouldn't give a damn about women or money, futile things that would condemn him to mediocrity, his focus was to have the power to rule his destiny, this time he would not be a slave to his own life, he would be a monarch.

Suddenly, the mysterious book I received turned out to describe my own life?Once I chose to change my destiny, the life within the book changed as well.In the book, I encountered insincerity, spent ten years behind bars, and witnessed viruses laying Siege...Cancer, bus plunging off cliffs, plane crashes, senile dementia ... even the end of days – a variety of deaths; was this fate's punishment for the rebels?No one is a hero; it is just that this disaster-ridden fate forcibly made me into a warrior charging into battle.Those who killed me over and over will ultimately make me stronger!Through numerous life simulations, I amassed wealth from the financial markets, rescued innocent girls from felons, and acquired advanced technology from the future...Although I always encounter various disasters and accidents, I still strive to flutter the butterfly's wings, changing my original fate little by little.After countless simulations, the world too embarked on a completely different path.However, where did this autobiography come from?Behind it all, what kind of unknown conspiracy is lurking...[A literary man's laid-back daily life of unlimited simulations to save the world]