In an endless darkness, a single golden orb rotated gracefully, its light illuminating the body of a young man who is lying in the nothingness.
Gradually, his eyebrows quivered, and moments later, he opened his eyes to look the endless darkness around him.
H-Huh?
The young man was confused as he realized he could see nothing except the radiant golden orb hovering before him.
He appeared ordinary, with short black hair and features that would rate a solid 7/10 in terms of appearance.
Panic seeped into his heart, and he frantically looked around "What? Where am I? I was just sleeping in my bed. Shit... What's going on?"
As his gaze fell on the golden orb, it pulsed faintly, as though acknowledging his presence.
"Oh... You woke up, huh?"
A sweet and melodious female voice echoed in his head, startling him.
Looking at the floating orb in front of him, he frowned 'The voice is from this.. golden light?'
"Where am I? And you are...?"
The voice chuckled softly before responding "You are in my divine consciousness. And no, you're not dead… yet. Whether you die or reincarnate into another world is entirely up to you. As for your next question, you can think of me as a... Divine being."
A Divine being? The fuck? Xuan Yan blinked and looked at the orb suspiciously.
Surely, he has heard about stuff like these in the novels he read, but to actually encounter a scene like that?
It is really skeptical.
He is not sure what is happening, but for the time being he decided to go in flow with the situation.
"Can I... really reincarnate?" he asked suspiciously, looking at the orb.
"Yes, you can. But… you're only allowed one wish regarding your reincarnation."
His gaze squinted in thought as he still couldn't believe that this is happening.
"One wish, huh?" Xuan Yan sighed, rubbing his temple.
After a moment of thought, he muttered to himself, 'I don't know what is going on, but let's play along for now... if its a dream, I should wake up soon anyway.'
'Hmm... If I'm going to reincarnate, I should ask for some cool powers.'
Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the voice interrupted him.
"Oh... But don't even think about asking for more wishes as your one wish. And don't try act like a smartass, and find any loopholes, like writing your wishes down on paper and calling that your only wish."
Xuan Yan closed his mouth, staring at her blankly "..."
'Did she just read my mind?'
After pondering for a moment longer, Xuan Yan finally spoke. "Alright, I've decided on my one and only wish."
"Oh? Let's hear it," the voice replied, a hint of amusement lacing her tone.
"Before that," he said, a faint smile forming on his face, "can you see my room?"
"Yes, I can," the voice answered in a curious tone.
His smile widened "My wish is to have everything written in the 'Destruction King' with me reincarnating in the fan fiction as the main character."
There was a brief silence before the golden orb flared brilliantly, "Boy… you… you're a cunning bastard! You'll get a system and all those overpowered abilities."
"What the hell? this is cheating."
Xuan Yan just smiled and shrugged his arms "How is this cheating? According to the deal I asked only one wish."
The golden orb went silent for a second before sighing "Fine. Your wish is granted. But... tell me, what is that book about?"
Xuan Yan's grin turned sheepish. "Well, it's just a fanfiction I wrote for my favorite novel, Douluo Dalu, when I was younger… hehe."
"Oh?" the voice sounded intrigued.
"But the story is incomplete. There are only a few chapters, and you didn't even flesh out the full powers of the system!"
He shrugged nonchalantly. "I ran out of ideas, so I dropped it."
-_- The orb looked at him blankly "Atleast try to finish it... why drop it? This is why authors like you are trash, well anyway, its none of my business..."
The orb flickered, its light dimming momentarily. "Your wish will be granted. You can return now."
"Wait! Wait!"
"What is it now? You can't ask for more wishes," the voice warned.
"No, I don't need more wishes," he clarified hastily. "I just want to know… why did you choose me?"
The orb pulsed faintly, as if shrugging. "Huh? I didn't choose you. I just randomly selected a soul from the hundreds of millions available."
Xuan Yan's eyes widened "So… I was just lucky, huh?"
"Exactly. Now, off you go.. shoo shoo"
"Wait! What do you mean by-"
Before he could finish his sentence, his form dissolved into specks of light, leaving the darkness behind.
The orb flickered faintly "Now lets see your journey in this life, Darling..."
...
Xuan Yan's eyes fluttered open and his vision slowly adjusted to the dimly lit room around him.
The quiet hum of the ceiling fan and the faint rustle of leaves brushing against the window filled the silence.
As his senses came back, he let out a long sigh and his mind was still muddled by the remnants of a vivid dream.
"Uhh.." With a disappointed groan, he sat up and glanced around.
His bed was as unkempt as ever and the small apartment room he called home greeted him with its familiar surroundings.
"I'm still here," he muttered, running a hand through his tousled black hair.
"So it's all a dream after all..." A trace of disappointment lingered in his voice.
"And here I thought I was going to reincarnate or something." He chuckled dryly, shaking his head at the absurdity of his wishful thinking.
He let out a deep sigh, muttering under his breath, "Guess I'll just go back to the same boring life. Another day, another pointless grind."
With that, he swung his legs off the bed and reached for his slippers.
Just as he was about to stand, a sudden chime echoed through the room.
[Ding! You have received a message!]
Xuan Yan was taken aback and his heart skipped a beat as a glowing blue screen materialized before his eyes, hovering mid-air.
Its glow illuminated the room, casting soft, shifting light across the walls.
He blinked in disbelief as for a moment his mind struggled to process what he was seeing.
"What…" he stammered, falling back onto the bed.
His eyes darted over the words on the screen and after a few moments of stunned silence, he managed to calm himself.
"Wait, wait," he muttered, rubbing his eyes and pinching his arm. "This… isn't a dream, right? What's a system doing in the modern world?"
Tentatively, he reached out and tapped on the floating 'Message Box' icon with his finger. The screen shimmered briefly before displaying a new message.
[Do you really want to reincarnate with the wish you asked for?]
[YES / NO]
Xuan Yan stared at the words, and memories of his dream resurfaced.
"So… I can still choose," he whispered, his voice trembling slightly.
"Whether to live this mundane life or… start anew."
The weight of the decision settled on him, but only for a moment.
Without hesitation he steeled his resolve and his finger hovered over the glowing 'YES' button, then pressed it.
The screen flashed again...
[You have selected to reincarnate in the alternate plane of Douluo Dalu!]
[Contacting Truck-kun for further procedures!]
[Come to the Shanghai Road at 4:30 PM. Truck-kun will pick you up!]
"Truck-kun?" Xuan Yan blinked in surprise.
'The legendary Truck-kun… the harbinger of all isekai journeys?'
The system screen faded away, leaving him alone once more.
He looked around his cluttered room and the reality of his current life sank in.
No family. No close friends. Just a never-ending cycle of dull days and lonely nights.
"Well, I won't miss much," he muttered, his gaze softening.
"Oh, also I need to deposit my remaining money in the landlord's account; the old man has been taking care of me for a long while."
He glanced at the clock on his wall. 3:06 PM. "It's about an hour to Shanghai Road," he calculated.
"I should get ready."
Xuan Yan quickly changed into his usual casual attire... a plain black tshirt and jeans.
His gaze lingered on the fanfiction book he wrote and thought 'Wait.. maybe if I add stuff right now into the book, will it change? It won't hurt to try.'
Grabbing his phone, the book, and wallet, he stepped out of the apartment for what would be the last time.
The city outside was alive with its usual hustle and bustle.
Cars honked, people chatted, and vendors shouted about their wares.
For once, Xuan Yan felt disconnected from it all.
None of this mattered anymore.
His destination was set.
He boarded a bus heading toward Shanghai Road, finding a window seat and letting his thoughts wander.
As the minutes ticked by, he found himself growing more and more impatient.
Sitting inside the bus, he made some 'modifications' in the book, 'adding' a bit more 'stuff' before reincarnating.
When the bus finally pulled up at his stop, he checked his watch. 4:16 PM. He had just enough time.
The street was quieter than he had expected.
Children played by the roadside, their laughter echoing in the cool afternoon air.
Xuan Yan found a spot near the edge of the road and waited with his heart racing in anticipation.
Xuan Yan stood there, his eyes scanning the street for any sign of the infamous Truck-kun.
Just as doubt began to creep into his mind, a low rumble reached his ears.
He turned his head and before he could react, the truck struck him with bone-shattering force."Arghh..."
Pain exploded through his body as he was flung into the air with blood spraying around.
For a fleeting moment, he felt weightless, suspended in the sky and his vision blurred, but through the haze, he caught a glimpse of the truck's windshield.
"The… Legendary Truck-kun…"
As he tumbled to the ground, the world around him began to fade.
Darkness crept into his vision, and a strange sense of peace washed over him.
His last thought was one of satisfaction.
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I hope you guys liked this chapter!