Ryan felt as though his entire body was on fire—waves of pain surged through him like some unknown energy tearing through his veins. It was unbearable. He tried to open his eyes, but they felt like they were glued shut, impossibly heavy.
Again and again, he struggled to lift those eyelids. Again and again, he failed.
Trapped in darkness—isolated, tormented by the agonizing pain that kept pulsing through his limbs—he didn't know how long he had been drifting in this torment. It could've been hours. Days. An eternity.
And just when he felt like he was about to lose his mind—
His eyes snapped open.
"Ugh…" Ryan let out a muffled grunt. An invisible pain hit him like a hammer. He wanted to scream, but his mouth wouldn't open. All he could do was groan.
In the haze, he vaguely made out the cracked, deteriorating ceiling above him. Oddly, the sight helped calm his thoughts.
Wait a second… wasn't I crushed by that chopping board while saving that little girl? How am I still alive?
And where even is this? This sure as hell doesn't look like a hospital… don't tell me someone dumped me in this dump?!
A flood of questions rushed through his mind. He stared at the broken roof, trying to piece it all together.
This place… it feels like it belongs in some backward village with no proper development…
Just as confusion was starting to give way to unease—
"You're not dead."
A voice—calm and sudden—rang out inside his mind, making Ryan nearly jump out of his skin.
He wanted to speak, to demand answers, but no words came out. His eyes darted around in a panic, desperately searching for the source of the voice.
"Don't bother looking around. I'm in your consciousness," the voice said again. It was unmistakably that of a little girl, but somehow… ancient, as if countless lifetimes of wisdom hid beneath the innocent tone.
"Consciousness?" Ryan blinked in surprise. As a hardcore anime fan and occasional light novel reader, he'd come across terms like this before. Wasn't this related to spiritual energy or something? But that's just from fantasy fiction, isn't it?
"Just think your thoughts. No need to speak out loud."
Ryan hesitated—then gave it a shot. Who… are you?
"I'm the one and only divine artifact—the Dimensional Seal. You died. I brought you across dimensions."
Divine artifact? Dimensional Seal? Dimensional travel?! Ryan's thoughts spiraled. But then again, how many times had he imagined something like this when life got frustrating? A second chance. A new world. Maybe it wasn't so impossible after all.
But… why did you save me? he asked, still skeptical.
"I'm a unique existence in all of creation. I've been dormant since the moment I came into being. I only recently woke up, and to my disappointment, my world had entered an era of spiritual decline—no more cultivators, no more warriors, just lifeless silence."
"I was preparing to tear through space to find a worthy bearer… and happened to awaken right near you. I saw you risk your life to save a child. You have a good heart. So I decided… why not give you a chance?"
That… sounds too lucky, Ryan thought, still unsure. There are probably other people on Earth who'd do the same. I can't be the only one.
"I already told you—I woke up right next to you. It was purely coincidence. Don't flatter yourself." The girl's voice suddenly turned snarky, full of playful irritation.
Fair enough, Ryan chuckled internally. Still… thank you. Even if I don't end up becoming your chosen bearer, you still gave me a new life. I owe you.
"Alright, alright, enough of the gratitude. Let's get to the point. I should explain what I can do. First off—don't expect me to help you in battle. I have no offensive power. Heck, I can't even shield you. My abilities lie elsewhere."
Ryan blinked. Wait, you're a divine artifact… but you can't fight? So what exactly do you do?
"Like I said, I'm called the Dimensional Seal. My ability lies in dimension travel. I can take my host to various dimensional worlds. Right now, I'm still recovering, so I don't know many world coordinates yet. That means the first few worlds we travel to will be completely random."
"However, once we've been to a world, I can mark it. You can return to any marked world at any time."
"And here's the key—anime worlds, or what you call '2D worlds,' have a unique property. Time remains frozen while you're gone. No matter how long you leave, when you return, time picks up exactly where it left off. It's not that the world revolves around you; it's just that, relatively speaking, time doesn't move in your absence."
That's… incredible. Ryan's eyes widened. That means… no matter how long I'm gone, my friends and family in that world won't even realize I left…
"Exactly. For any traveler, it's the ultimate blessing. You'll never have to return to mourn over your loved ones' graves just because you left for too long."
"But be warned—if you die in one of these worlds, your soul might survive, but if it's destroyed by a powerful being… that's it. Game over. True death."
Yeah, that makes sense. If the soul's gone, there's no coming back. Ryan accepted that reality without complaint. After all, just getting this second shot at life was already a miracle.
"Good. You're thinking clearly. Now, let me explain my most important ability: have you ever heard of Fate Energy?"
Fate energy? You mean like luck or destiny? I've seen it mentioned in cultivation novels… something about boosting one's chances at breakthroughs?
"More or less. My power lets me suppress and harness the fate energy of entire dimensions. The more worlds you conquer, the more fate energy I can seal for you. That energy can then be channeled into your cultivation—giving you massive advantages."
Ryan's heart skipped a beat. So if I can master enough worlds… my power could grow at insane speed?
"Exactly. But if you only control one or two worlds, don't expect miracles. The more worlds under your influence, the greater the energy—and the faster your progress."
That's still amazing. But… do I have to do anything to prove myself to you? Any kind of trial or test?
"Since you're the first candidate I've ever chosen, I'll go easy on you. Conquer fifty dimensional worlds. Once you do, I'll fully recognize you as my master."
Fifty? Ryan paused. That sounds like a lot, but considering how many possible dimensions there are… that's probably not even scratching the surface.
"Exactly. So take this as me going easy on you. And one more thing—I'll give you one opportunity to seek help from me when it comes to cultivation issues. Just one. After that, you're on your own. And don't even think about asking me for cultivation techniques or comprehension—because I don't have any to offer."
"If your body runs into problems during cultivation, I can step in once. That's it."
Understood, Ryan nodded internally. By the way… what's going on with my body right now? I feel like I've been paralyzed.
"I placed you in the body of a child who had just died. The pain you felt earlier was due to his meridians being blocked, making the body unfit for cultivation. I've already cleared the blockages and reinforced the physique, so you're good now."
"Right now, your soul is still syncing with the body. You'll be fully functional by tomorrow."
That's a relief, Ryan sighed with visible gratitude. But… what kind of world is this?
"No clue. But the natural energy here is thick and potent. That usually means strong people—and a high-level world."
Chapter 003 - Left for Dead (Preview)
"Alright, our contract officially begins now," the Dimensional Seal announced. "Until you conquer fifty worlds or use your one help request, don't bother me. Unless I come to you, I expect silence."
Got it. And… thanks again, Ryan said sincerely.
There was no reply. The seal had gone completely silent.
Suddenly, images surged through Ryan's mind—foreign memories, forced into his brain like someone was shoving in a data drive. The pain was so intense that he passed out immediately.
Outside, the sun was barely rising when hurried footsteps echoed through the yard.
BANG!
The firewood shed door burst open, hanging awkwardly on its hinges as if it would fall off at any moment.
"You worthless brat! Get up and get to work! Your little brother needs breakfast!" a gruff voice barked angrily.
A short, heavyset middle-aged man stomped into the room. His clothes were old and worn—poverty clung to him like a second skin.
"Did you hear me, you useless trash?! Get up!" he snarled again, storming toward the corner.
Seeing Ryan still lying motionless, the man's expression darkened. He gave the boy a hard kick.
No reaction.
"Hey! Stop faking! Don't make me kick you again!"
Thud! Another violent kick landed.
Ryan didn't move.
The man's anger flickered into something else. "Crap… I didn't actually kill him yesterday, did I? I might've kicked him a few too many times…"
It was a confession—one that confirmed the body Ryan now occupied had been horribly abused. Were it not for the Dimensional Seal strengthening it, Ryan might've died the moment he arrived.
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