In a dark universe where the strong rule and the weak die, our story follows a guy on the path of Light and his journey through a world of Darkness.
Everyone's childhood is tough. Some have nothing to eat, some aren't allowed to leave their homes, and some can't afford what others have.
And some, like Nick, get gifts, like gene modification, that allow them to tap into powers beyond human capabilities in another world.
This, of course, comes at a price.
Unfortunately for Nick, things went awry. What exactly happened remains unclear, but the Shadow sect knew that they must cover their tracks.
And so they did.
They destroyed everything and murdered everyone who was a witness to their plans -- everyone but one kid.
Nick was saved by a strange book that appeared next to him -- little did he know that his salvation would soon become the very source of his misfortune.
With his genes modified, and he himself corrupted by the artifact that had saved him, Nick was summoned to another world.
Cultivation Methods. Ancient Secrets. Ascension of the Paladin.
Why be the Light in a world ruled by Darkness?
Why be an angel and serve God, when you can become one yourself?
Why pick one, when you can save them all?
My Opinion: 380 pages, $3.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
The beginning of the story takes place on some version of modern earth and is more of a Real Life RPG thing, then at about the 10% mark the main character (MC) and several other characters are transported to a new world where everyone has special abilities, cultivation cores, and power rules. This world is full of sects that travel between dimensions collecting resources and increasing their powers. The MC must learn to control the one power he was given in a weird ritual, healing, and harness the random side effects that it causes so that he can not only survive but become powerful enough to return to earth.
The story is a slice of life with a bit of cultivation, and some light RPG mechanics. The MC in the story has an interesting personality. He insists on helping others, even those that treat him poorly or only look to use him. He’s completely aware that they are bad people and it's honestly a bit annoying that he still tries to be helpful, until you realize that he almost seems to have a compulsion to help like a good aligned paladin in a fantasy story. It’s an interesting twist on a cultivation/wuxia story. The MC is surrounded by the shadow sect, people that use and hurt others for their own gain, yet he still tries to help and is considered corrupt for it.
Game mechanics: Mostly informational with notifications from a book telling the MC what his core rank is, his stats, and the number of slots he has available to learn special abilities. As his core rank or class increases his capabilities increase. The MC also has special abilities that increase in efficiency as he meditates.
Overall, it’s a ok story if you don’t mind the slice of life nature of it, and a bit of a cliffhanger end. There isn’t as much action as I thought there would be, but it’s still entertaining seeing how the MC tries to maintain his goodness in a world where everyone is seeking to take advantage of each other.
Score: 7.3 out of 10
The Hidden Paladin (The World of the Undead Force Book 1): A LitRPG Wuxia Series