12 O'Clock Marionette - Chapter 42

Eli Turner had perfected the art of coasting through life, gaming, lounging, and vibing with no grand ambitions beyond the next high. But his laid-back existence is upended when his laptop inexplicably transforms into a gateway to another world. What starts as a surreal escape becomes a perilous journey as Eli finds himself wielding a mysterious system that allows him to level up, fight monsters, and gain abilities beyond his wildest dreams.At first, the portal world feels like a haven, offering purpose and adventure Eli never knew he craved. Guided, or manipulated, by Azrael, a mischievous god orchestrating the game, Eli rises as one of the system's chosen players. But as the quests grow more dangerous and Azrael’s true intentions begin to surface, Eli struggles to balance the fantasy world with his life back home. His girlfriend, Sara, and his friends are left grappling with a version of Eli they hardly recognize, as the lines between his two lives blur.When the system expands to players worldwide, Eli crosses paths with others drawn into Azrael’s cosmic experiment: Yumi Tanaka, a fiercely disciplined Japanese student with a perfectionist streak, and Arjun Mehta, a charming Indian playboy with secrets of his own. Each carries their own burdens and ambitions, but all three must face the harsh truth: Azrael’s game is far more than it seems.As alliances are forged, rivalries ignite, and the stakes escalate, Eli must confront not only the dangers of the portal world but the growing rift between the person he is and the hero he’s becoming. In a game where every move is a test and every choice ripples across both worlds, the question remains: can Eli, Yumi, and Arjun uncover the truth before the system consumes them all?

In order to be reborn, Shen Mubai took up the task of saving the male lead from the path of suffering. Xuanzang struggled through eighty-one trials before he finally obtained the true Buddhist scripture, and yet she, Shen Mubai, had to toss in her entire self.

Shen Mubai: Are all male leads this strange? Thanks. I want to make a complaint.

System: What does him being strange have to do with me?

Note: Xuanzang is a character in Journey to the West based on the historical buddhist monk Xuanzang. He journeys to obtain the Sanzangjing, “Three Collections of Scriptures”.

- Description from Novelupdates

“You want me to go on an impossible journey, sacrifice everything, and risk my own life for a mere 1,000 gold? Hell no!”Lukas never really had anything going in his previous life. When he found himself transmigrated into a new world, he had hoped the soft and gentle touch of a hot milf would mark the beginning of a lavish lifestyle befitting a king.Instead, he quickly learned that he was just some random extra. Worse than that, this extra was only known by everyone as the “Divine Simp,” someone who would do whatever the gods asked.“Divine Simp? Fuck that!”Refusing such a pitiful existence, Lukas decides to take this new life in his own hands. Instead of waiting for some lavish life to fall in his lap, he would create one for himself.How?Well, the gods seem to love him. They shower him with quests, thinking that he will just take them for free. Little do they know... that old extra is dead and gone now.The Divine Simp has become the Divine Extortionist: someone who can obtain the greatest rewards for completing the easiest tasks.

In life, the most important thing is appearance.To compensate for his lack of good looks, he worked hard for years to reach the peak.However, the reality waiting for him at the end was nothing but betrayal and despair.[The system has been activated.][You have obtained the ‘Handsome’ attribute.]On the brink of death, he gets a second chance at life.Now his goal is clear.[Quest Completed]Reward: Talent obtained through the ‘Handsome’ stat.[New Quest]Task: Become more handsome.“I will become handsome.”