Chapter Two

Pain.

A deep, skull-splitting, mind-numbing sensation slammed into Rayden’s consciousness the very instant he regained the ability to think.

"...Ah."

That was the first intelligent sound he managed to produce.

For several seconds, his mind felt like rotten soup being stirred with a metal spoon. Thoughts crashed into each other chaotically while an unbearable throbbing assaulted his brain from every direction.

Wait.

Pain?

Rayden froze. He could feel pain. Actual, physical pain. This wasn’t the strange emptiness of death or the floating darkness from before. This was real. Solid. Annoyingly vivid.

His thoughts exploded.

*Wait wait wait wait—*

Excitement shot through his nerves so quickly that he nearly stopped breathing. Was he alive? No, seriously. Was he actually alive?!

Rayden’s eyes snapped open.

"AH!"

He immediately slammed them shut again. The sunlight above felt like someone had shoved an entire star directly into his retinas.

"What kind of demonic flashlight is that?!"

Tears formed at the corners of his eyes as he covered his face instinctively. After several moments of suffering and dramatic internal complaints, Rayden slowly reopened his eyes bit by bit until they finally adjusted to the blinding brightness.

Blue sky. Clouds. Warm sunlight. Wind. Grass. The smell of earth.

Rayden lay there silently. His chest rose and fell slowly as emotions flickered across his face in a frantic cycle: disbelief, shock, confusion, excitement, and finally, a full-blown existential crisis.

"...No way."

He stared at the sky blankly. Did those two cosmic lunatics actually give him another life? Or maybe everything had been some insane hallucination caused by oxygen deprivation while burning alive.

Honestly, that sounded reasonable too. Rayden had hallucinated before. Granted, it was usually after staying awake for two days straight binge-watching shows while surviving on instant noodles and emotional damage, but still. Maybe the giant gods were part of that.

The only issue with that theory was the fact that hallucinations normally did not come with full-body pain. And right now? His entire body felt like it had been folded, crushed, stabbed, beaten, trampled, burned, resurrected, then folded again for good measure.

Rayden groaned and slowly pushed himself upward. The moment he tried standing, agony flared through his nerves.

"Mother of suffering!"

His legs nearly gave out. Every muscle screamed as if his body violently disagreed with the very concept of movement. Rayden stood there trembling, breathing heavily for several minutes.

"What happened to my body?! Did it fight a mountain?!"

After several agonizing attempts and enough suffering to qualify as spiritual torture, he finally managed to stabilize himself. Then, he frowned.

There were no wounds. No burns. No cuts. Nothing.

"...Huh?"

Rayden lifted his hand slowly and froze. That hand was not his. His expression twitched violently. The fingers were slimmer. The skin was smoother. Even the proportions were wrong.

Rayden blinked repeatedly.

"...Who authorized this?"

His gaze dropped toward his clothing. Dark robes. Long black pants. Heavy boots. The robes looked like they had been expensive once upon a time, but now they were covered in tears and dried bloodstains as though the wearer had recently lost a very one-sided argument against death.

Rayden stared at the outfit in horror.

"...Why do I look like I’m about to challenge young masters?"

This was not his clothing. There was not a single anime shirt in sight. Not even one. Worse still, the robe looked exactly like ancient cultivation outfits from those fantasy series he used to binge endlessly.

Rayden’s heartbeat quickened.

"No no no no..."

His head snapped around wildly. Where was he? Who was he? Why was he dressed like he was about to participate in the *Heavenly Jade Dragon Phoenix Sect Tournament of Eternal Destiny* or whatever absurd names those places always had?

Unable to endure the confusion, Rayden stumbled toward a nearby spring. He nearly slipped twice. The second time, he almost drowned himself by accident. Eventually, he reached the water and looked down.

Silence fell.

Rayden’s face twitched so violently it almost counted as a medical emergency.

"...Who the hell is this pretty bastard?"

The reflection staring back was unquestionably not his old face. The youth in the water looked around seventeen years old with long dark hair, pale skin, sharp brows, and facial features so refined they looked artificially designed.

Rayden had always considered himself handsome. Not bragging; just factual observation.

Several modeling agencies had approached him before, though he rejected them because acting emotionally for photos sounded exhausting.

But this? This body was ridiculous. It was the kind of face that would absolutely cause trouble in cultivation worlds. The kind of face arrogant young masters would instinctively want to slap.

Rayden grabbed his cheeks. The reflection copied him.

"This is real." His breathing slowed. "I actually transmigrated."

The words felt surreal coming out of his own mouth. He died. He saved children. He met two cosmic monarchs that behaved like a divorced couple managing anger issues. Then he got thrown into another world.

Rayden suddenly started laughing. At first quietly, then louder, then uncontrollably.

"Hahaha... this is insane."

This kind of thing only happened in fiction. Webnovels. Anime. Fantasy stories. Yet here he was, actually inside one.

His laughter slowly died down as he stared at the water again.

"...Wait." His brows furrowed. "I don’t remember this guy’s memories."

That was bad. Very bad. In stories, transmigrators usually inherited memories. Meanwhile, he got absolutely nothing. No background. No information. Not even a name.

Rayden immediately felt cheated.

"What kind of low-budget transmigration package is this?"

Unfortunately, his stomach interrupted the crisis by growling violently.

"...Right. Priorities."

Without hesitation, he lowered himself and started drinking directly from the spring like a dehydrated cave goblin.

He drank greedily until his stomach felt ready to explode. Finally satisfied, Rayden collapsed backward onto the grass while staring at the sun.

A smile spread across his face. He was alive. That realization alone felt unreal.

Then another thought struck him.

"Wait..." His eyes widened slightly. "Where’s my cheat?"

Every transmigrator needed one. It was practically tradition. Some got systems, some got broken manuals, and some got ancient grandpas trapped inside rings. Rayden personally preferred systems. They were less creepy.

As if responding to his thoughts, a mechanical sound echoed directly inside his head.

DING. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Rayden bolted upright. "Oh, thank God."

Blue light exploded before him. Several translucent screens materialized in the air.

> [Ding! System synchronization complete.]

> [World analysis complete.]

> [Necessary adaptation protocols complete.]

> [Infinite Reflection System ready for activation.]

> [Would the host like to activate the system?]

Rayden stared at the screen for exactly half a second.

"Yes."

Immediately. No hesitation. No caution. No dignity.

**[Activating system...]**

The screen froze, then continued loading. Rayden stared blankly.

"...You cannot be serious."

Finally, the UI refreshed.

> [Infinite Reflection System]

> Host: Li Yu

> "...Li Yu?"

So that was this body’s name. Honestly, not bad. Way cooler than Rayden.

> Current Realm: None

> Clones: 0

> Current Level: 0

> EXP Required: 0/100

> [Reach Level 1 to unlock first clone.]

Rayden nodded slowly. "Okay. Alright. This is good. We’re cooking now."

Then the next tab appeared.

> [STATUS]

> Name: Li Yu

> Realm: None

> Physique:None

> Bloodline: None

> Cultivation Technique:None

> Combat Power: 15

> [Alert! Alert! Host spirit root has been critically damaged.]

> [Recommendation: Restore spirit root immediately to begin cultivation.]

Then another line appeared beneath it.

> [System Remark:]

> "Holy hell. Host might actually be poorer than roadside beggars."

Rayden’s smile vanished instantly.

"...Excuse me?"

His eye twitched. He reread the screen. Nothing. No physique. No bloodline. No talent. Not even a weapon. This body was so broke it made poverty look wealthy.

"What happened to this guy? Did heaven personally dump him?"

Trying not to cry internally, he moved to the next tab.

> [ Clone Archive]

> Contains all active clones and synchronization records.

> Current Clones: 0

> [Create a clone to unlock this feature.]

"Hm. Interesting. Next."

> [SYNCHRONIZATION]

> [Locked. Requirement: Obtain at least one clone.]

"Alright. Then the next one."

> [INVENTORY]

> "Storage space for weapons, relics, pills, and treasures."

> [Feature Locked. Requirement: Reach Level 1 or enter Qi Gathering Realm.]

Rayden stared. Then he stared harder.

"...Wait." His expression darkened slowly. "Level up?"

He pointed aggressively at the screen. "How exactly am I supposed to level up if I CAN’T CULTIVATE?!"

The system remained silent. Rayden nearly exploded.

"You literally just told me my spirit root is broken!"

[DING.]

> [System Remark:]

> [Host truly possesses extraordinary luck. Died in flames. Reincarnated into the body of a cripple. Currently stranded in unknown wilderness. Probability of early death remains impressively high.]

Rayden’s face froze.

"...This system is insulting me."

He threw a punch at the screen. His fist passed right through it. Rayden nearly lost his sanity.

"Oh, COME ON!"

Was he not supposed to become some terrifying overpowered protagonist? Was he not destined to dominate the heavens and slap arrogant geniuses? Reality was beginning to feel suspiciously rigged.

Rayden covered his face tiredly. "I asked for broken powers... not this kind of broken."

As if sensing his suffering and deciding it was insufficient, the system continued.

> [Additional system functions remain sealed. Please level up to unlock further features.]

Rayden inhaled deeply, then exhaled. Meditation was important during emotional breakdowns. Eventually, he stood and looked around properly.

Endless grassland. Mountains in the distance. Forest nearby. No humans. No civilization.

"...Fantastic."

Then, suddenly, pain exploded inside his head again. Rayden stumbled violently as fragmented images flashed through his mind.

A young man. Covered in blood. Running desperately through a forest. Fear. Panic. Something monstrous chasing behind him. Then, darkness.

Rayden gasped and grabbed his head. "What the hell was that?!"

Before he could recover—{DING}

Rayden snapped toward the screen murderously. "If you insult me again, I’m deleting you somehow."

But instead:

> [Ding! Successful system binding detected. Reward package granted.]

Rayden blinked. He immediately became alert. Finally. Actual protagonist benefits. A new blue screen slowly appeared before him.

> [Reward Obtained: Primordial Destiny Wheel]

> " Description: A forbidden roulette capable of drawing treasures, abilities, relics, curses, spirits, creatures, bloodlines, techniques, and unknown entities from across countless worlds and realities."

> Luck determines everything. The wheel may grant heaven-defying fortune... or unimaginable disaster.

> Reward: 5 Free Spins.

> Would the host like to spin the Primordial Destiny Wheel?

[YES]/ [NO]

Silence.

Rayden stared at the screen expressionlessly. Then at the words "unimaginable disaster." Then back at "heaven-defying fortune."

Several emotions fought for dominance inside his head: excitement, suspicion, greed, fear, and common sense. Greed won.

Finally, Rayden spoke in a flat voice.

"...What kind of broken nonsense is this?"