The hum of the gaming PC was a familiar lullaby, the soft glow of the monitor a constant companion in the late hours. Xuan Yan, a self-proclaimed connoisseur of light novels and a passionate fan of the Douluo Dalu universe, stretched languidly in his gaming chair. He had just finished re-reading his own fanfiction, "Destruction King," a passion project he'd started years ago but never quite finished. A wistful sigh escaped his lips. "If only I could live in a world like that, with a system and all those cool powers…" he mumbled, drifting off to sleep.
A jarring sensation ripped him from his slumber. It wasn't the gentle creak of his bed or the distant city hum. This was an oppressive, all-consuming darkness, a void that stretched infinitely in every direction. Panic, cold and sharp, pierced through him. "What? Where am I? I was just sleeping in my bed! Shit! What's going on?"
His frantic gaze darted around, finding only an endless expanse of black. Then, a single point of light, a golden orb pulsating with an ethereal glow, materialized before him. It spun lazily, casting the only illumination in this desolate space.
"Oh! You woke up, huh."
A voice, sweet and melodious, resonated directly within his mind, devoid of any physical source. Xuan Yan's eyes, still wide with alarm, fixed on the golden ball.
"Um, where am I? Am I dead? And who are you?" he stammered, his voice echoing strangely in the emptiness.
"You are in my divine consciousness, and no, you are not dead… yet. It is in your own hands if you wish to die or reincarnate in another world. As for your third question, you can think of me as… God!" The voice held a hint of amusement, a playful lilt that somehow managed to be both comforting and utterly bewildering.
Xuan Yan's mind, usually quick to process information, struggled to keep up. Reincarnation? God? This wasn't a dream, was it? The sheer impossibility of it all warred with the undeniable reality of his current predicament. But then, a spark ignited in his eyes. This was it! The chance he'd always fantasized about!
"Can I really reincarnate?" he asked, stars practically forming in his gaze.
"Yeah, you can! But… you can only have one wish regarding your reincarnation!" the voice replied, a subtle warning in its tone.
"Oh… I see, so I can only have one wish, huh," he mused, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face. He'd imagined a grand list, a cheat sheet for an overpowered new life. Still, one wish was better than none. He began to formulate his perfect request, a cunning plan already brewing in his mind. 'I think I should ask for some cool powers if I am going to reincarnate,' he thought, a smirk tugging at his lips.
He was about to speak, to unleash his carefully crafted wish, when the divine voice interrupted him. "Oh! But you can't ask for more wishes as your only wish! And also, don't act like a smartass and say you will write your wishes on a paper and consider that as your only wish."
Xuan Yan's jaw dropped. "…" Had she just… read his mind? The smirk vanished, replaced by a look of utter astonishment. This God was sharper than he anticipated.
After a moment of stunned silence, he pondered. His original plan was foiled. He needed a new strategy, something that would still give him an advantage without directly asking for multiple powers. A mischievous glint returned to his eyes. He had just the thing.
"Well then, I have decided about my one and only wish!" he declared, a newfound confidence in his voice.
"Oh! Let me hear it!" the God sounded intrigued.
"Before that, can you see my room?" Xuan Yan asked, a sly smile spreading across his face.
"Yeah, I can."
Xuan Yan's smirk widened. "My wish is to have what is written on the 'Destruction King' with me as the main character!"
A beat of silence. Then, the golden ball pulsed violently, and the sweet voice roared, "Boy… you… you are a cunning bastard! You will get a system and those broken anime powers. Sigh. Well, I can give you that wish. But what is that book about?" The exasperation in the divine voice was palpable, yet there was an underlying hint of grudging admiration.
Xuan Yan remained calm, his smirk unwavering. "Well, it's just a fanfiction I wrote for my favorite novel 'Douluo Dalu' when I was young… hehe."
"Oh! But the story is not complete, and there are just a few chapters, and you didn't even write the full powers of the system!" the God complained, sounding genuinely annoyed.
"Well, after I didn't get any ideas to write, I simply dropped it," Xuan Yan replied nonchalantly.
"Sigh. Your wish will be granted! You can return now," the golden ball flickered, its light intensifying.
"Wait! Wait!" Xuan Yan cried out, a sudden thought striking him.
"What? You can't ask for any more wishes," the God's voice was firm.
"No, I don't need more wishes. Why did you choose me?" he asked, genuinely curious.
"Huh? I didn't choose you. I just randomly took a soul from hundreds of millions of souls."
"So, I was just lucky, huh!" Xuan Yan mused, a slight chuckle escaping him.
"Okay! Then I'll send you back!"
"What? Sen—" Before he could finish his words, the darkness consumed him, and he vanished from the divine consciousness.
A familiar sensation of soft sheets against his skin, the faint scent of his own room. Xuan Yan's eyes fluttered open. He looked around. His gaming PC, his messy desk, the posters on his wall – it was all there.
"I'm still in my room, so it's all a dream, huh! And here I thought that I was going to reincarnate. Sigh." A wave of disappointment washed over him. He pushed himself up from the bed, about to start his day, when—
[Ding! You have received a message!]
A translucent blue screen shimmered into existence directly in front of him, startling him so much that he yelped and tumbled back onto his bed.
After a moment to calm his racing heart, he let out a shaky sigh. "So it's not a dream? But what is the system doing in the modern world?" He was utterly puzzled.
He tentatively reached out and tapped the message box on the system screen.
[Do you really want to reincarnate with the wish you asked for?]
[YES / NO]
Xuan Yan's eyes widened. "So I can still choose whether I want to die or not." A grin split his face. This was it! The real deal!
"I choose YES!" he declared, a thrill coursing through him.
[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 and the Truck-kun will pick you up!]
Xuan Yan stared at the screen, a mixture of awe and morbid amusement on his face. "The legendary Truck-kun?" He couldn't help but chuckle. The infamous harbinger of transmigration, a trope so common in light novels, was actually making a house call.
The system panel faded away. He glanced around his room. He lived alone; no parents, no siblings. There were no regrets, no ties to hold him back from this grand adventure. "The only regret is I don't know what the real One Piece is!" he muttered, a genuine pang of curiosity hitting him. "At least I got to see Naruto becoming Hokage, and I don't want to see that shit Boruto. It's better to die than watching it."
He glanced at the clock on his wall. 3:06 PM. Shanghai Road was about an hour away. Plenty of time. He quickly got dressed, a strange sense of anticipation bubbling within him. This was it. His new life.
He arrived at Shanghai Road at precisely 4:16 PM. The bustling street was alive with activity – cars whizzing by, pedestrians hurrying along, children playing on the sidewalk. He stood there, a lone figure amidst the urban chaos, waiting for his destiny to arrive.
Crash!
A sudden, deafening screech of tires, a blur of metal, and then a violent impact. He felt an inexplicable sensation of flight, his body soaring through the air. In the brief moment of suspension, he twisted his head, catching a glimpse of crimson blooming across his chest. Then, he hit the asphalt, rolling several times, the world blurring into a kaleidoscope of pain and fading light.
As consciousness began to slip away, a colossal, unmistakable vehicle filled his vision.
'The Legendary Truck-kun!'
A faint smile touched his lips, a profound sense of satisfaction washing over him. His vision darkened, and the world went black.