The ground beneath Lin Tian’s feet still trembled from the overwhelming force of the binding process. He clenched his fists, his heart pounding as newfound energy coursed through his body. He wasn’t just standing on this world anymore—he was connected to it. He could feel its pain, its emptiness, its desperation for revival.
And it was his.
He exhaled slowly, trying to process what had just happened.
"Alright…" He glanced around the barren wasteland, taking in the cracked earth, the lifeless air, and the eerie silence stretching endlessly in all directions. "Now what?"
As if answering his thoughts, a translucent blue screen materialized before him.
[Main Quest Activated: Restore the World’s Core]
Description: The world’s core is in a critical state. Without restoration, the world will remain in its dead state. As its owner, you must find a way to heal and strengthen the core.
Rewards: Unlocking Basic World Functions, Energy Recovery, System Expansion.
Lin Tian’s lips pressed into a thin line.
Fixing the world’s core… sounded like a massive task. And yet, there were no instructions on how to do it.
"System," he called out, half-expecting silence in return.
Instead, a familiar chime echoed in his head.
[Yes, Host?]
"You can talk?"
[Affirmative. The World Cultivation System possesses a self-conscious intelligence to assist the host in the management, cultivation, and evolution of their world.]
Lin Tian smirked. "Good. Then tell me—how do I restore the core?"
[Analyzing…]
For a brief moment, there was silence. Then—
Possible Restoration Methods:
- Method 1: Absorb external energy sources to repair the core.
- Method 2: Sacrifice life energy to slowly rebuild the core.
- Method 3: Establish a foundation and introduce life into the world to naturally restore balance.
Lin Tian frowned. The second option was immediately out. Sacrificing his own life energy? No thanks. That sounded like a one-way ticket to the afterlife.
The first method sounded plausible, but… where the hell would he find external energy in a dead world?
That left the third option: creating a foundation and introducing life.
"Sounds like the long-term solution," Lin Tian muttered. But if he was going to be a World Cultivator, then he needed to start acting like one.
His gaze fell back to the dry, cracked earth beneath him.
"If this world is dead, then let’s give it a spark of life."
[Understood. Generating World Interface…]
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
The blue screen expanded, revealing several game-like menus. Lin Tian’s eyes widened as he skimmed through them.
[World Management Panel]
- World Name: ???
- Rank: 0 (Dead World)
- Core Status: Critical (Damaged) [0% Energy]
- Available Resources: None
- Environmental Control: Locked
- Lifeform Introduction: Locked
Half of the functions were grayed out, preventing him from accessing them. But one tab caught his attention—"World Creation."
"System, open the World Creation menu."
[Opening World Creation Panel…]
Another interface appeared. This one looked far more intricate, filled with options detailing elements like terrain, atmosphere, ecosystems, and elemental balance.
But as Lin Tian scrolled through, he was quickly met with a harsh reality—
[Insufficient Energy to Generate Lifeforms.]
[Insufficient Energy to Modify Terrain.]
[Insufficient Energy to Construct an Atmosphere.]
Almost everything required energy, and he had exactly zero of it.
Lin Tian ran a hand down his face. "Great. I own a broken world and can't do anything with it."
Then, something caught his eye.
[Basic Terraforming Available]
- Cost: 1 World Energy Point
- Effect: Revitalizes a small portion of land, allowing it to absorb external energy naturally.
Finally, something he could use.
"System, how do I get World Energy?"
[World Energy is generated naturally when the world is in balance. Currently, since the world is in a dead state, World Energy must be manually obtained through external means.]
"External means… like absorbing other energy sources?"
[Correct.]
Lin Tian clicked his tongue. He had already discarded that option earlier, but now it seemed like the only path forward.
He turned his gaze to the barren land. If this world was truly abandoned, there had to be remnants of whatever once existed here. Anything that contained lingering energy.
"Scan the area," he ordered.
[Initiating scan…]
A few seconds later, another notification popped up.
Energy Signature Detected
Location: 1.7 km northeast
Energy Type: Unknown
Lin Tian's eyes narrowed.
"Looks like I have my first target."
The trek across the dead world was uneasy.
Each step kicked up dust from the dry, cracked ground. The air was thick, heavy, as if the very atmosphere resisted his presence. Lin Tian kept his guard up, even though the system claimed there were no lifeforms here.
But a world didn’t just die without reason.
After nearly an hour of walking, he reached the location where the energy signature had been detected.
What he found shook him to his core.
It was a ruin.
Or rather, the remains of an ancient temple, long since collapsed. Massive stone pillars lay broken, half-buried in the ground, while shattered statues crumbled beneath the weight of time. Faded inscriptions ran across the walls, their meaning lost to history.
And in the center—a floating black crystal.
Lin Tian felt his breath hitch.
Even without the system, he could feel the energy radiating from the crystal. It pulsed faintly, as if struggling to remain intact.
[Warning: Unidentified Energy Source. Possible Risk of Corruption.]
Lin Tian scoffed. "Risk or not, I don’t have a choice."
He stepped forward, reaching out. The moment his fingers brushed the surface of the crystal, a deep resonance echoed through the air.
Then—
BOOM!
A violent force erupted from the crystal, sending Lin Tian flying backward. He crashed into the ground, coughing as dust and debris swirled around him.
[ALERT: Host has triggered a Dormant Entity.]
His blood ran cold.
From the shadows of the ruined temple, something began to stir.
Lin Tian’s eyes widened as he watched an ancient skeletal figure rise from the rubble, its hollow sockets glowing with eerie blue flames.
A deep, guttural voice filled the air.
"Who dares trespass upon the land of the forsaken?"
Lin Tian gritted his teeth, forcing himself up. His entire body ached, but his mind remained sharp.
"So much for no lifeforms," he muttered under his breath.
The skeletal entity loomed over him, exuding an aura of ancient power. Lin Tian clenched his fists.
He had just barely stepped into this new life, and already, he was facing his first real threat.
A smirk tugged at his lips.
"Well… if I have to fight to claim this world, then so be it."
End of Chapter 2.