Mask of Humanity

A centuries old cyberpunk assassin is reborn into a world of Cultivation. Heaven’s Great Game begins anew. It extends grasping arms through the Material, clutching at hundreds of planets and peoples, none of whom have any idea of what they are about to be plunged into. One of these arms reaches for a planet known as Earth. In the streets of New London, year 2493, Nicolai is a centuries-old killer whose brain was implanted into the body of Zero-Twelve, a militarized killbot. He spends his days mostly numb and apathetic, a cog in a machine. But when Heaven arrives, and the Great Game with it, Nicolai is reborn as a human, his old body recreated—along with the madness and blood rage that characterised his past. To orient himself in this new world he is only given one direction: find the Lizard. Watch Nicolai try to survive when thrown into Nightmare, a world of Cultivation, Undead, Demons, Spirit Beasts, Sects and Clans, and much, much more. He finds himself in a rambling castle constructed long ago by the mysterious People. Now it is a decaying ruin, filled with undead who lack a purpose. But there is a war raging in this castle, one that started long ago and which is now entering its final stages, with no care for the human arrivals. In the midst of this he seeks to remain in control of himself, struggling against the dark urges which are ever eager to erupt from him. For Nicolai, in spite of all difficulties, this new world is a dream come true. After a century trapped within Zero-Twelve, he is free. Now, he can resume his endless goal. To become the greatest fighter alive. What to expect: Mc is something like 40% villain, 40% anti-hero, 20% oddly noble/heroic, and 110% just straight up weird. It's not pure murderhobo. Mc will switch from solo to grouping up to solo and so on throughout the series. No forever-friend group anytime soon. Lots of manipulation via dialogue. There is a theme of exploration of what it means to be human/how human MC wants to be. Magic system is very in-depth and blends Cyberpunk + Cultivation. Qi gathering isn't really a thing, getting powerful is more about finding resources/things and developing skills. LitRPG elements are more abstract, e.g. helldivers/call of duty style call-ins rather than +1 to strength. Characters are as real and consistent in their behaviour as I'm capable of making them. This story is primarily for people who have read a lot of this sort of thing and want a read that's less popcorn, more gritty and real. Where power is earned by grabbing for it and fighting for it and being a sneaky bastard. Where plot armour doesn't exist (well, as much as this author is able to make it not exist). Basically, the goal is to create a world where if a character fucks up, there are consequences, but if they make smart decisions, there are results! Also, the Modules and the whole killbot thing shown in the early chapters is a core part of the story, not just a once-and-done thing. Though they appear to be gone after chapter 6, they begin to return over time, with the banter and different skills and so on showcased in those early chapters. Schedule and Info:Releasing one chapter a week, every Saturday at either 12:03pm or 1:03pm EST.(varies due to British daylight savings time messing with me >_<). Read 16 chapters ahead on the Patreon. Come chat on the Discord.For those who like the cover art, it was done by Yam4817.