Chapter 2: The First World
It was past noon the next day—a little after twelve o'clock—when Du Xin finally opened his eyes. Rubbing his groggy eyes, he rose from his bed and glanced around, realizing he was back in his own home. His gaze then fell upon the stone lying on his bedside table. He sat there for a moment, stunned, before finally getting up to head to the bathroom to wash up.
He had just squeezed toothpaste onto his brush and placed it in his mouth when, suddenly, Du Xin's eyes went wide. Staring at his own reflection in the mirror, he dropped his toothbrush, bolted out of the bathroom, and rushed back to the bedside in his bedroom.
Du Xin stood frozen before the bed, gazing at the diamond-shaped stone that lay silently on the bedside table, faintly glowing with a dark luster. He racked his brain, recalling the events of the previous day over and over again, confirming—time and again—the fact that he had already thrown the stone away. Once that fact was undeniably confirmed, cold sweat broke out all over his body.
"D-damn it... could it be... a ghost?"
Du Xin muttered to himself, swallowing hard. After standing there in a daze for another moment, he decided to reach out and pick up the stone.
"It's just a rock, after all. It's not like it's a ghost or anything... Haha, it's not like it's going to start talking, right?"
Du Xin kept trying to reassure himself, speaking aloud to bolster his courage. However, the very instant Du Xin's hand made contact with the stone, a voice abruptly rang out within the room.
"Greetings, Host. Congratulations on acquiring the Infinite Creator System."
"Holy crap! There really *is* a ghost!"
A loud scream escaped Du Xin's lips as he spun around and sprinted frantically toward the door.
In that same instant, the stone on the bedside table transformed into a streak of black light, shooting straight toward the back of Du Xin's head. Yet, instead of striking him, the light seemed to merge directly into his skull. Du Xin froze as if petrified; he toppled stiffly to the floor, and his body—like melting snow—slowly began to dissipate until it vanished completely.
Du Xin opened his eyes to find himself situated within a silvery-white void. The space around him was utterly empty, save for scattered wisps of gray mist drifting by, occasionally illuminated by a fleeting flash of light. "Am I dead? Why is the Underworld so high-tech and fancy? Where are the Ox-Head and Horse-Face guardians? Could it be that I've reached Heaven instead? Oh God! Amitabha... wait—no, Amen! Please accept this humble monk... or rather, this humble Daoist... *ahem*—anyway, I beg of You: please don't send me to Hell! Aside from buying a few pirated DVDs, I haven't done a single bad thing in my entire life! If anything, I was actually *promoting* Sino-Japanese cultural exchange!"
Du Xin suddenly dropped to his knees, wailing at the top of his lungs.
"You're quite an amusing character. Rest assured, this isn't Hell, nor is it Heaven—and you certainly aren't dead."
A voice suddenly spoke up. It was clearly the same entity that had conversed with Du Xin earlier, though its tone now lacked the friendliness it had previously displayed.
"*Ahem*... I-I knew that all along! How could someone as extraordinary as me possibly kick the bucket just like that?"
Du Xin felt as though a look of utter disdain had been cast upon him, and his old face flushed crimson with embarrassment.
"Wait, what did you just say? Something about a 'System Host'?"
Du Xin quickly changed the subject.
"Could it be that I've received some sort of ancient legacy? Like one of those 'cheat codes' you read about in novels?"
"I hail from... actually, never mind—forget it. Suffice it to say, I'm a seriously badass System. Once I've located a suitable Host, I'm programmed to dissipate; from here on out, everything is entirely up to you."
"Wait, wait, wait—hold on! What did you just say? That's it? You're supposed to be a *System*, for crying out loud! How can you be so irresponsible?"
Although Du Xin hadn't quite grasped the full situation yet, he instinctively felt that simply letting the System vanish like that was absolutely unacceptable.
"I can't help it—I've truly forgotten the specifics. I believe it's a protocol hardwired by my creators: my sole function is to identify a Host, after which I am strictly forbidden from interfering further and must simply dissipate. It is a mandatory self-termination sequence. However, I *will* leave you with one final reminder: go forth and create a world."
No sooner had the words left its—or his—lips than Du Xin felt a distinct sensation, as if something had just departed the space around him.
"Hey! You never told me—how the hell do I get out of here?!"
But there was no one left to answer him.
"A System is supposed to obey commands, right? Let's give it a shot... I want out! Let me out! Take me back! Teleport! Open Sesame...!"
Du Xin frantically experimented within the stark white void, but no matter what he tried, he remained trapped inside.
"*Pant... pant...* No good. I'm exhausted. I'm absolutely dead on my feet. *Damn it*... I need to take a break."
Gasping for breath, Du Xin sank back down onto the ground.
How do I get out of here? I need to get out! I *have* to get out! Du Xin racked his brains for a solution time and again. Suddenly, a flash of light dazzled his eyes, and he found himself back in his own dilapidated rental room.
"Is that it? All I had to do was focus my thoughts? And here I was, wearing myself out for so long!"
Du Xin grumbled aloud, yet his eyes gleamed with excitement. Focusing his mind and intending to enter, he vanished from the room two seconds later—just as expected—and reappeared in the System Space. Like a child who had stumbled upon a fascinating new toy, Du Xin began experimenting incessantly. With practice, the time required to enter and exit the space grew shorter and shorter; eventually, with a mere flicker of intent, he could instantly materialize inside the System Space.
Suddenly, another thought struck Du Xin: he decided to try bringing objects from the outside world into the System Space. After nearly half a minute—just as he was about to give up—a magazine lying beside his bed vanished into thin air. A grin spread across Du Xin's face as he stepped into the System Space, where, sure enough, the magazine lay resting within the silvery-white void.
Du Xin spent another half-hour practicing until he could retrieve and store objects with effortless ease; only then did he finally stop.
Once he had paused, Du Xin suddenly recalled the phrase he had momentarily forgotten in his excitement over the System Space: *Create a World.*
With a surge of anticipation, Du Xin materialized inside the System Space.
"Create a world? How do I do that? Do I just have to visualize it in my mind again?"
Du Xin strained his mind, visualizing with all his might, yet reality remained utterly unchanged.
After attempting the experiment a dozen times or so, Du Xin finally stopped. Frowning deeply, he began pacing in circles around the space, stroking his chin in thought. After walking for a while, Du Xin suddenly spoke aloud:
"Create a world."
"Host, please define the foundational parameters of the world."
A voice responded—though it was not the same voice he had heard before. It was distinctly different; most notably, it lacked that previous sense of lively, spirited nuance.
"So that's how it works! Alright then: my world shall be a planet—complete with clouds and mist, mountains and rivers, oceans, and life!"
Du Xin called out to the empty air above him.
"Host, you need only visualize these parameters within your mind."
The System offered a timely reminder.
Du Xin closed his eyes and began to visualize his world, striving to replicate Earth in every minute detail. Suddenly, another thought occurred to him, and he called out to the empty air once more: "System, in the world I've created, what exactly am I? Or rather, in what form or capacity do I exist?"
"Host, within this world, you function as the Creator; you possess absolute power."
"Good."
Having received the answer he sought, Du Xin began to visualize his world once more, striving to perfect every detail. After half an hour, Du Xin finally ceased his efforts.
"Alright. Create the world."
As he spoke, the wisps of gray mist drifting throughout the space began to converge toward the center. A bubble-like sphere materialized there, within which the faint outline of a planet could be discerned. As the gray mist poured into it, the planet appeared to expand continuously; yet, it never took on a verdant hue. Even after the entire supply of gray mist had been consumed, the planet remained nothing more than a mass of reddish-brown rock.
"System, what's going on?"
Du Xin asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Insufficient energy. The Host must acquire energy independently to facilitate the world's evolution."
"Energy? You mean that gray mist? How do I obtain more?"
Du Xin asked again.
"The Host may acquire energy by actively modifying the world, or by allowing the world to undergo spontaneous evolution. Additionally, establishing laws of order and rules within the world allows for the absorption of energy."
Du Xin shook his head, signaling that he didn't quite grasp the explanation, and decided to simply enter the world to see for himself.
"System, you're absolutely certain I won't die in there?"
"Affirmative."
Having received that definitive assurance, Du Xin stepped into the world he had created.
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