Chapter 2: What Is Your Name?

He didn’t know if his resolve had reached the other side of death, but he felt he should, and must, do this.

As he prepared to make his next move, an overwhelming drowsiness struck him—unusually swift. Though Jia Qi struggled to stay awake, his eyelids shut against his will.

“Are young people’s sleep states this good?”

He thought, as fatigue surged through his heart.

Thud!

The boy in the hospital gown fell straight onto the floor, motionless, as if already asleep.

Fell asleep instantly.

…………

“Gurgle… gurgle…”

Bubbles rose from the deep water to burst at the surface, mingling with the hiss of electricity—clear, crisp.

This was a dream.

Jia Qi knew he was dreaming.

But he never imagined a dream could be like this.

A boundless, empty world divided by grid lines, devoid of any extraneous scenery—monotonous, dull, as if this dream had been manufactured merely to exist, neither warm nor cold.

Here, time lost meaning, existence lost meaning, and he lost his body—leaving only formless awareness able to observe his surroundings.

Something was deeply wrong.

Whether it was his sudden drowsiness, this lucid dream, or… the humanoid light cluster appearing at the center of the space—all of it was wrong!

For the first time, he wanted to describe the indistinct light cluster with words like “powerful,” “formidable,” “unyielding.” Merely observing it with his consciousness, Jia Qi felt an urge to weep.

“Click… click…”

A sound like mechanical joints turning came from the formless figure, and at the same time, Jia Qi felt the light cluster was “looking” at him.

Perhaps “scrutinizing” was more accurate.

It examined him inside and out, thoroughly, completely, utterly—as if patiently chewing and swallowing him whole—Jia Qi now felt a chill.

【Hah—HAHAHAHA!!】

It was a long laugh, beginning with a hint of confusion, then surprise, but ending in pure joy and delight.

The voice grew louder, more majestic, its mighty aura shaking the dream world of white squares and black lines until it trembled on the verge of collapse.

【Cough.】 The mysterious figure halted its laughter, signaling its willingness to communicate.

【I know you have many doubts, and I have many confusions… Though I cannot resolve my own problems, I can explain yours.】

【Now, ask whatever you wish to know.】

“…Was my transmigration a coincidence?” Jia Qi fell silent for a moment, then asked only this one question—the deepest fear hidden within him.

If his transmigration and his past had all been arranged by some unseen hand, he could not accept it.

Now, before him stood this unknown, enigmatic light cluster, willing to answer his questions—he could not let this chance slip… even if it were the very cause of his transmigration. Besides, for some reason, he sensed goodwill from it.

【Yes.】

A blunt answer—it eased Jia Qi slightly.

To deceive him would be meaningless, unnecessary.

He understood: this warm light cluster could crush him in an instant.

A strong one lying to a weak one is itself an insult to strength.

【No more questions?】

“Mm.” He had other trivial matters—why this light cluster helped him, whether they’d meet again—but Jia Qi told himself: one question was enough… enough.

Enough to let him begin everything without fear.

【Since you have no questions, it’s my turn.】 The figure gave him a slight nod, then spoke.

【Kid, the world you’ve come to is more dangerous than you imagined. In ten years, a great calamity will come—you must grow strong enough to survive it. What, how strong? At least strong enough to obliterate the entire world by yourself.】

“Ah, I… ah?”

Jia Qi never expected his main quest to leap in a single sentence from breaking human limits to becoming a powerful martial artist, to becoming the strongest lifeform on Earth.

You mean I, an ordinary guy with an average face, who loves staying home, has no social life, no special talents, mediocre physical ability, and a dull soul, will be reborn as a mediocre, severely injured disciple in another world—and within ten years, defeat the entire world by myself?

Though he’d just resolved to live again and fight once more, this was too…

【You have a promising future. Here’s your cheat.】

“—Clearly, I’m the one-in-a-million martial genius.”

*Snap!* In an instant, Jia Qi stood up.

He stood up from the hospital floor.

He blinked, shook his dizzy head.

“So I’ve returned from the dream to reality.”

But where’s my cheat?

Jia Qi looked left and right, but saw no change—only his own reflection in the mirror, still scowling.

What a hostile face… He sighed inwardly again when the door opened and a voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Jia Qi, are you up?”

A tall, imposing monk in a cassock stepped in, his beard long and streaked with gray, likely sixty years old, yet full of vigor, showing no sign of age.

This man was Jia Qi’s adoptive father and master, Liu Jian.

Wait… Master “Liu Jian”? That name felt oddly familiar—some strange sense of recognition, but he couldn’t recall where he’d seen or heard it. Before Jia Ji could remember, two young men entered from behind Liu Jian, one on each side.

The one on the right was extremely tall, with jet-black hair, his fierce eyes casting a cold, emotionless gaze upon Jia Qi. The one on the left was slightly shorter, with a refined face and clear eyes, a hairband tied across his forehead, smiling warmly at him—instinctively drawing affection from the heart.

Fragmented memories surfaced with two names.

“Luo Wang, Duo Qi. Luo Wang, Duo Qi?”

Jia Qi repeated the names, the sense of déjà vu growing stronger. Looking at his two senior brothers, he felt more and more certain he’d met them before.

“Where exactly…?”

He was desperate—he couldn’t continue, couldn’t stop.

“They’re… important people. People I can’t forget. People I don’t want to forget. And you—who are you?!”

Then the final true disciple stepped in from behind Liu Jian. He was the youngest and shortest, but most striking—his jawline sharp as if filtered through a tough-guy lens, his appearance and aura clearly that of a quiet, reserved man.

His name surfaced quietly in Jia Qi’s mind.

Gah!

Big brother Luo Wang, second brother Duo Qi, little brother’s name is… is…

—The hell is Ken Shi Lang?!

The fog and haze in his memory vanished entirely—he finally knew which world he had entered.

The mystery was revealed.

Oh shit, this is Fist of the North Star?!

Jia Qi’s eyeballs nearly popped out.

So I’m not Jia Qi—I’m… Jia Ji!

Oh my god, that scared the hell out of me!!

Hello, readers who love light novels—I’m your faithful new author Kenshio, a man determined to become a god of memes, hoping you’ll laugh easily.

Here’s the first installment of the Meme Encyclopedia:

1 The chapter title is a nod to the obscure anime “Wishing to Become a Magical Girl” and Makoto Shinkai’s film “Your Name.”

2 “Important people. People I can’t forget. People I don’t want to forget. You—who are you?” also comes from “Your Name.”

3 “—Clearly, I’m the one-in-a-million martial genius.” is from the movie “Kung Fu Hustle.”





(End of Chapter)