In the boundless void, where time and space hold no meaning, a storm of pure nothingness roamed freely.
It was not wind in the conventional sense, for in this place, concepts like direction, speed, or even existence itself were fluid.
The Void Storm was paradoxical—at once infinitely fast and infinitely slow, its form shifting between a spiraling vortex and a fleeting wisp that vanished and reappeared in an instant.
Yet, amidst the ceaseless turbulence, the storm encountered something strange—a perfect black sphere.
This should have been impossible, for in the void, where even form and scale were meaningless, a defined shape had no right to exist.
And yet, this sphere was unmistakably there, radiating an oppressive vastness.
This sphere was a universe.
And within the Void Storm, something even more incomprehensible took shape—a soul.
Páng kè drifted within the storm, disoriented.
Moments ago, he had been walking home after buying stationery, worrying about his upcoming college entrance exams.
Then, without warning, he found himself here, in a vast nothingness colder than anything he had ever imagined.
Strangely, he didn't panic.
Instead, an instinctive understanding settled in his mind: This is the void, the endless emptiness that exists beyond existence.
He didn't know where this knowledge came from, but it was as natural to him as breathing had once been.
His first thought was absurdly calm—Well, at least I don't have to take the exams anymore.
Realizing his situation, Páng kè recalled countless stories of reincarnation and transmigration.
If those protagonists could navigate the unknown, so could he.
His first step: perception.
He lacked a body, meaning his human senses—sight, sound, touch—were useless.
But perhaps he could rely on something else.
Focusing inward, he willed himself to perceive his surroundings.
To his surprise, his awareness expanded effortlessly, revealing everything around him with a clarity beyond mere sight.
The first thing he perceived was the Void Storm itself, an endless maelstrom of nothingness.
It spun in a state of both infinite motion and stillness, existing everywhere and nowhere at once.
Then, he turned his focus to the massive black sphere—the universe that had birthed him.
Páng kè attempted to move, but the storm held him in place like an invisible chain.
He was trapped, embedded within the nothingness itself.
"So, I can't go back."
Time had no meaning here.
Whether seconds or eons passed, he couldn't tell.
But the void had an effect on him.
His soul, once fragile and uncertain, was changing.
The loneliness, the fear—they should have consumed him.
Instead, his very being adapted.
He shed his emotions as naturally as a creature growing armor in response to danger.
Fear and isolation no longer had any hold on him.
Then, something new appeared.
A vast purple sphere materialized in his perception—another universe, far larger than the black one.
If his home universe was a solid, well-crafted fortress, this new one was a sprawling empire built on shaky foundations.
Beautiful, vast, but… flawed.
Before he could process this revelation, the two universes collided.
The impact sent ripples through the void, shattering unseen barriers.
Punk sensed fragments scattering—small, gray shards breaking away from the collision.
Some vanished into the void, lost forever.
Others were swept up by the storm, carried aimlessly.
His attention snapped to one such fragment drifting toward him.
Without thinking, his soul reached out.
The instant it touched him, warmth flooded his being.
It was like sinking into a hot spring after an eternity of cold.
"What is this…? Some kind of essence? The origin of a world?"
Excitement flared in him.
If these fragments contained power, he needed more.
Unfortunately, most of them remained out of reach, slipping past him into the endless abyss.
Still, he managed to absorb five or six.
Each one sent another pulse of warmth through his soul, reinforcing the changes he couldn't fully understand.
He sensed that his very existence was evolving, shaping itself according to some subconscious desire.
Then, the storm began to fade.
The two universes, now bound together, exerted an irresistible pull on everything in the void.
Punk felt himself being drawn toward the massive purple universe.
He quickly realized the danger—if he entered unprepared, he would be devoured instantly, reduced to nothing.
This was how the universes sustained themselves, absorbing whatever existence they could from the void to grow stronger.
"Whatever my soul is evolving into… it better finish quickly, or I won't even exist to see the results."
As if responding to his desperation, the process completed in an instant.
Páng kè's awareness expanded—and what he saw left him stunned.
A system.
He had evolved a system.
For a long moment, he simply stared at the knowledge unfolding before him.
Then, a strange, almost self-mocking thought crossed his mind:
"Did I… just turn into a cliché protagonist?"