The pale glow of the screen spilled cold light across the cracked walls of the room.Silence reigned, broken only by the soft hum of the PC and the tired clicks of a worn-out mouse.
Seated there, headphones clamped over his ears, eyes burning from hours of relentless creation, Lin stared at his masterpiece.
A world. Yet another one.
A virtual labyrinth, sculpted piece by piece in a custom game engine he had modified down to its core.Twisting corridors, traps designed like riddles, mechanisms nested within others, secrets buried beneath ciphers—a nightmare for any player.
He had spent three weeks on it. Three weeks building an impossible challenge.
No one had reached the end.Not even with cheats.Not even he, in test mode.
Too hard. Too unfair.That's what they said on the forums.Just another one of "Lin's cursed maps."
He let out a long sigh—the kind that wasn't meant for anyone, except the void.
His nickname, "Lin," had become a warning across gaming servers: the creator of unplayable worlds.A digital legend.And yet, invisible. Ignored.
A solitary genius, an orphan with no ties, whose only family had always been his machine and the universes he poured into it.
What was the point of crafting masterpieces if no one dared face them?Why keep pushing boundaries, when others fled from the challenge?
He took off his headset. His eyes were sunken, muscles numb, heart… hollow.He stood, aimless, grabbed his worn-out jacket, and went downstairs.
Outside, the night was peaceful. The air carried a cool humidity, almost comforting.The city slept. Streetlights flickered. A few cars passed in the distance.
Lin walked, without destination.His mind still drifted through the ruins of his unfinished labyrinth.
And then—
A step.An engine's roar.A corner.Headlights. Too close. Too fast.
He didn't even have time to turn his head.
The impact was brief.No pain.No fear.Just… nothingness.And then, something.
A voice, from nowhere. Soft. Strangely calm.Neither male nor female.
"You want your worlds to finally mean something?""Then build a world where every step matters."
A vertigo surged through him.A strange wind.A sensation of falling—endlessly.
Then...
The smell of grass.A breeze, warm and alive.A burst of violet light, like a dawn that did not belong to Earth.
Lin opened his eyes.
The grass had never felt so soft.Each blade shimmered, vibrant under his fingers.The air itself pulsed, as if filled with an invisible, ancient magic.
Above him, the sky shimmered with a deep, unnatural violet, dotted with moving stars.Around him, towering trees with golden leaves swayed gently.The silence was no longer empty—it was filled with a presence.As if this world itself… was watching.
He slowly sat up, limbs heavy, mind foggy.
"This isn't… a dream, is it?"
And then, the voice returned.In his mind.Clear. Calm. Unreal.
[Welcome, Dungeon Maker.][Status Loading... Complete.][Initial Talent: The One from Another World — Activated][EXP Bonus x3 | MP Bonus x2][Creation Window Unlocked — Creative Energy: Low]
Lin froze.
A translucent interface hovered before him. Golden. Flawless. Real.No game engine.No keyboard.No code.
He was no longer on Earth.And here, his creations... could kill.
He touched his chest.His heart was beating.
He was alive.
And this world...This world would become his.