Chapter 1

Su Lin stared at the news broadcast on TV, his eyes dry and gritty from prolonged use, eyelids twitching incessantly.

He casually opened his computer’s browser and clicked directly on his last search history.

Today, no strange incidents occurred anywhere; everything was calm and quiet.

He picked up the eye drops on the table and dripped two drops into his dry eyes.

This was just a normal parallel world.

Maybe there were some extraordinary events—after all, novels and films often featured them: secret organizations, the hidden side of the world—but those were things a normal person like him could never touch.

“I did my best, I did my best.”

After a blind date, he came home and got reincarnated as his parallel-world self—fine, his parents were still his parents, and he even had a system as a newbie bonus; inwardly, he was a little excited.

But if this was just an ordinary world, why did his system give him a “Manifest Divine Presence” system instead of a plagiarism system or a celebrity system?

Seriously.

Extraordinary systems are stronger than ordinary ones.

But...

Su Lin racked his brain but couldn’t figure out how a normal person could manifest divine presence to earn points.

It’s too hard... he wasn’t good at literature or martial arts... he couldn’t even remember lottery numbers, and even if he could, it wouldn’t help much.

His newbie pack yielded two one-time-use items.

“Linear Time Reversal Watch” and “Library Series—Ability Log.”

【Zokot’s Linear Pocket Watch】: I did my best. Even if I return to the past, the present cannot be changed—it only creates new branches. Then so be it. Let me escape. Abandon everything now. Steal the past version of myself. Let me drown in the happiness that never belonged to “me.”

Note: One-time-use item. Upon returning to the original time point, this item will permanently expire.

【Library Series—Ability Log】: All existence in the world ought to be remembered. —Fara.

The items came with small stories, reminding Su Lin of his days playing DNF.

But Su Lin had no time to dig into what hidden meanings lay behind these notes.

The first item granted him one chance to return to the past, but any changes would spawn a parallel world—meaning you couldn’t alter your own future, only guide the past toward a divergent timeline.

The second item lasted 24 hours and could record abnormal abilities, then reproduce them; the only drawback was that it required recording the entire process from activation to use, and only one ability could be used at a time—after 24 hours, the recorded ability vanished.

In this mundane world, where was he supposed to find abnormal abilities?

Without abnormal abilities, he couldn’t manifest divine presence to earn points, draw rewards, or exchange for cultivation techniques—thus, no sustainable development strategy.

It seemed he was trapped in a vicious cycle.

The Scripture of Illuminated Longevity, the Eternal Unextinguishable Method, Starlight at the Fingertip, the Creation Map...

Wine of Immortality, Ninefold Golden Core, Staff of Ashes, Law Simulation Device...

Aside from the brutal start, this system had nothing wrong—it had every kind of item system from every web novel category.

Looking at the dazzling exchange list and gacha rewards, tears slipped unconsciously from the corner of his mouth.

Since graduating college, he’d been unemployed and stuck at home for half a year—if he didn’t find a job soon, his family’s support would cut off.

Before he was reincarnated, he’d landed a relatively stable job after college.

But who could’ve guessed that in this world, he’d majored in civil engineering?

So this was the consequence of choice—the parallel world. I get it now.

Was he supposed to go work on a construction site and mix concrete?

No way. The parallel-world version of him quit and ran away precisely because he couldn’t handle it—how could he manifest divine presence by going back to a construction site?

Should he film short videos pretending to be a construction worker, become the king of the garish fashion crowd... would that count as manifesting divine presence?

The system informed him that any achievement leaving a record among a certain number of people would earn him points.

OK, everyone, look at me—I’m announcing something...

Actually, Su Lin had another plan: memorize major historical events from the next few years, then travel back in time and try being a prophet.

The risk was that without any self-defense capability, he’d most likely vanish from public view first... rendering the item useless.

Just as Su Lin pulled out a sleek silver pocket watch and fell into deep thought, a sudden voice echoed in his mind.

“The Multiverse Chat Group has opened. Su Lin, Xiao Yan, Han Li, Ye Fan, Monkey D. Luffy, Emiya Shirou have joined.”

“Congratulations, you are all beta members of this group.”

“This group aims to foster friendly exchanges across worlds, shatter dimensional barriers, and eliminate information walls to contribute to the evolution of all worlds.”

“There is no group owner, but daily moderators will be appointed based on activity levels and member votes.”

“The moderator cycle is one year; both moderators and members receive fixed monthly packages.”

“To cultivate a harmonious chat environment, members must not fight each other. Violators will be forcibly expelled.”

Su Lin was slow to react.

What the hell? I’m not supposed to be a modern-system protagonist?

“Ding—Monthly member package has been distributed.”

“Congratulations, you have received three Cross-World Tokens (must be used with the consent of another group member; if that member leaves their world, you will be forcibly ejected).”

“You may now begin chatting.”

No way, you can actually do this? Wait—aren’t these group members characters from anime and novels?

Monkey D. Luffy: “Chat group? What’s this? Hey, is this some Devil Fruit power? One of Kaido’s men?!”

Someone mentioned you.

A message flashed before Su Lin’s eyes.

Monkey D. Luffy: “@everyone Waaah, what is this?”

Xiao Yan: “Stop joking. Has Lao Ma expanded his business across worlds? Leave me alone—I’m broke. @Monkey D. Luffy, I vaguely remember you—are you the pirate guy?”

Ye Fan: “If I recall correctly, he’s the man destined to become Pirate King. I didn’t expect to encounter a chat group even after moving to another planet. @Xiao Yan, are you from Earth too?”

Monkey D. Luffy: “That’s right! I’m Monkey D. Luffy, the man who will become Pirate King! Ah, I’m off to a celebration feast! Meat! Meat! Meat!!!”

Xiao Yan: “Another planet? Whoa, I got reincarnated in 2009. Brother, what year did you go to another planet?”

Ye Fan: “2010.”

Xiao Yan: “???”

Xiao Yan was about to wonder why humanity entered the interstellar age just one year later.

Ye Fan: “My situation is a bit complicated.”

Notice: Emiya Shirou (member has entered soul state)

Xiao Yan: “...”

Ye Fan: “...”

Su Lin: “...”

Notice: Member Emiya Shirou has been revived.

Xiao Yan: “Impressive.”

Ye Fan: “Impressive.”

Su Lin: “Indeed.”

Su Lin ignored the pole-vaulting protagonist’s sit-ups, considered carefully, then posted in the group.

Su Lin: “Thanks for the invite. Just reincarnated. Parallel world.”

Li Feiyu: “Fellow cultivators, what exactly is this chat group?”

He’d already changed his name on the spot.

But wasn’t that just covering one’s ears while stealing a bell?

Su Lin fell silent for a moment, then decided to speak plainly.

Su Lin: “Han Li, I know you. More precisely, I know all of you here.”

Li Feiyu: “?”

Han Li, currently in the Chaos Star Sea, furrowed his brow. He wasn’t surprised his name change was noticed—but the tone of this man suggested he knew Han Li inside and out?

Fortunately, he was currently in the Chaos Star Sea; no one from Tian Nan could find him here.

Su Lin: “Just as you know Monkey D. Luffy the pirate, I know all of you.”

Su Lin: “Hmm, maybe someday someone will know me too.”

Ye Fan: “I see...”

Xiao Yan: “This is insane.”