Chapter 1 — Two Years
Pain.
Not the sharp kind that fades after a breath, but the deep, tearing agony that feels like your very soul is being shredded. A screech of tires. The blinding flare of headlights. Metal crunching, glass shattering, then—
Nothing.
No sound. No light. No body to feel or limbs to move. Only an endless void that stretched on forever.
And then, just as suddenly, something.
A sound.
> [Initializing…]
[Binding Host Soul…]
[Synchronization: 37%… 62%… 100%.]
---
I gasped and sat bolt upright, sucking in air like a drowning man. My chest heaved, lungs burning as if I hadn't breathed in hours.
The ceiling above me wasn't my ceiling. Rough-hewn wooden beams, patched with straw and clay, stretched above me. The faint scent of dust and herbs clung to the air.
For a moment, I thought it was some kind of weird hospital. Then I caught sight of my hands.
Slim. Pale. Calloused, but not the familiar scars I'd carried for years.
"What the…?" My voice cracked, younger and smoother than I remembered.
The memories slammed into me then—like a tidal wave I couldn't stop. Seventeen years of someone else's life, bleeding into mine. A small, forgotten branch family. A nameless boy. Weak. Untalented.
And then the voice spoke again.
> [Welcome, User.]
[Simulation Multiverse System booting…]
[Current Location: Profound Sky Continent — Floating Cloud City.]
[World Identified: Against the Gods.]
[Timeline: Two years before Yun Che awakens the Sky Poison Pearl.]
I froze.
Floating Cloud City.
Profound Sky Continent.
Against the Gods.
A world of gods, devils, and monsters. A world where the weak were chewed up and spat out without so much as a thought.
And me?
I was weak.
I knew what this place was. I'd read the story, raged at its twists, memorized its key events. I knew that in just two short years, the storm called Yun Che would sweep through this city, turning lives upside down.
Two years until the plot began. Two years until the first ripples of chaos.
I swallowed hard. "This… can't be real."
> [Affirmative. Host soul integration complete. System functions online.]
I rubbed my face with shaking hands. Real or not, this was my reality now.
---
The door creaked open, snapping me out of my spiral.
A middle-aged man with a sharp face and a thin, disapproving mouth stepped inside. His faded robes bore the faint insignia of our branch family.
"You're awake," he said flatly. "Good. Don't think that excuses you from work. The woodpile's low. Get to it."
Memories filtered in—his face, his voice. My uncle. The one who never let me forget that I was a burden, a mouth to feed with no talent or future.
"Yes, Uncle," I muttered, keeping my eyes down.
He grunted and left, muttering about "useless boys."
The silence that followed felt heavier than it should have.
---
Two years.
Two years to find a way to survive in a world that didn't forgive weakness.
As the thought formed, the voice returned.
> [Tutorial Simulation Available.]
[World: Beginner Combat Simulation — Basic Swordsmanship.]
[Duration: 10 simulated years / 1 real-world hour.]
[Proceed?]
My heart lurched.
Ten years. In an hour.
This wasn't a dream. This wasn't fake.
I clenched my hands, knuckles white. "Yes."
---
The world shattered like glass.
---
I stood barefoot in an endless white void. No horizon. No shadows. Just… emptiness.
A wooden practice sword rested in my hand.
Across from me, a figure took shape—a human outline, featureless and still, but with a presence that made the hair on my neck stand up.
> [Simulation begins.]
---
The first year was hell.
I stumbled. I tripped. I swung too wide and too slow. And every mistake carried pain—sharp, stinging bursts that seared the lesson into me.
By the second year, I stopped falling.
By the fourth, I could meet the figure's attacks without flinching.
By the seventh, my strikes flowed without conscious thought.
By the tenth…
I wasn't just swinging a sword. I was the sword.
---
> [Simulation complete.]
[Reward: Basic Sword Mastery integrated.]
[Combat reflexes synchronized.]
---
When the world snapped back into focus, I was back in that cramped little room.
But I wasn't the same.
My body felt lighter, my movements more fluid. I crossed the room without thinking and picked up a dull kitchen knife. My stance shifted automatically—feet solid, balance perfect.
I breathed out slowly. The knife felt… right.
Then the system chimed again.
---
> [Tutorial complete.]
[Multiverse Simulation Interface unlocked.]
Available Simulations:
– Basic Combat (John Wick: 10-Year Contract)
– Chakra Fundamentals (Naruto: Academy Arc)
– Breathing Techniques (Demon Slayer: Butterfly Estate)
– Haki Introduction (One Piece: East Blue)
– Martial Arts (Ip Man: Wing Chun Training Hall)
Time Dilation: 10 years simulated = 1 hour real
Cooldown: 7 days before next standard simulation
Warning: Physical adaptation required. Overloading skills may result in injury or synchronization failure.
---
I froze.
"…Seven days?"
> [Affirmative. Cooldown prevents neural collapse and memory fragmentation.]
Neural collapse. That… didn't sound fun.
> [Additionally: Host's physical body must adapt to integrated skills gradually. Pushing beyond limits risks permanent injury.]
So I couldn't just spam simulations and walk out of here a god in a week.
I laughed—short, sharp, a little wild. "Fine. Guess I'll have to earn it the hard way."
Even so…
Ten years of experience every week.
In two real years, that was over a century of training time.
And if my body had to catch up to my skills, then I'd just have to train harder here, in the real world.
I looked down at my thin arms and wiry frame.
"Step one," I muttered, "get stronger."
Outside, the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows across Floating Cloud City.
Two years until the storm began.
Two years until the world tried to swallow me whole.
I looked back at the glowing list in my mind, a slow grin spreading across my face.
"Step two," I whispered.
"Break this world before it breaks me."