Infinite rawen

Chapter 2: The Interface

The blazing sun illuminated the city, casting golden rays over its vibrant streets and buildings. From within the opulent mayor’s mansion, Han Yu sat quietly, his gaze fixed on the celestial sphere in the sky.

That wasn’t just a sun—it was the physical embodiment of Wish Power. Constantly radiating energy, it sustained the existence of the city. The day this “sun” ceased to rise would be the day the city crumbled, taking Han Yu’s life with it.

“This... isn’t a great feeling. Nope, not at all,” Han Yu muttered under his breath.

He was utterly helpless in the face of his situation. Just a short time ago, he’d been an ordinary office worker, living a carefree and uneventful life. Now, not only had he been forcefully ejected from his original world, but he was also tied to a city whose survival depended on a rapidly depleting energy source.

"Why did this have to happen to me?" he sighed, slumping back into his luxurious leather armchair.

Even as he complained, Han Yu couldn’t help but admire the room around him.

The plush carpet beneath his feet, the polished wooden table, the intricately patterned tea set, and the elegant artwork adorning the walls—all of it exuded refinement.

Han Yu had to admit that this was exactly the kind of mansion he’d always dreamed of living in. Yet, knowing that everything here was just an illusion dampened his excitement. These beautiful surroundings were hollow, lacking any true substance.

“If only I could make all of this real—this mansion, this city... to truly be the mayor of such a place wouldn’t be bad at all,” he thought, his eyes glinting with determination.

“Alright, Wish Power, listen up! Stop wasting energy on maintaining the entire city and just focus on keeping this mansion intact,” he said, clasping his hands together in a half-serious prayer.

...

Unsurprisingly, there was no response.

“Figures,” Han Yu said, shaking his head with a wry smile.

He thought back to the moment when the golden seed had said, “Good thing I didn’t give up.” That phrase, along with the sudden creation of the city, convinced him that all of this had been meticulously arranged by someone—or something.

But why? And who was behind it?

The voice from the seed had sounded strangely familiar, almost like someone close to him. Yet, no matter how hard Han Yu tried to recall, he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“I’m just a regular guy. No special talents, no big achievements—what could anyone want from me? Maybe... this really is just dumb luck,” he murmured, though doubt lingered in his voice.

Even so, conspiracy theories he’d read in novels over the years continued to nag at him. Was this truly a coincidence? Or was he just a pawn in a larger scheme?

Han Yu let out a long sigh, leaning back as a sense of helplessness washed over him.

He closed his eyes, focusing inward. As the master of the Inner Heaven and Earth, he shared an intrinsic connection with every part of the realm. With a single thought, he could perceive its layout, monitor its inhabitants, and control certain elements.

After a moment of silence, Han Yu spoke.

“I need to figure out how to increase my Wish Power and stabilize this city. Otherwise, I’m doomed.”

As soon as he voiced this thought, the “sun” in the sky flickered, releasing a faint glow.

Before him, a translucent screen materialized—an interface that only he could see.

The interface was sleek and minimalistic, dominated by a large yin-yang symbol at its center. The golden half represented Wish Power, while the black half was labeled Reality Value.

Curious, Han Yu focused on the golden section. Instantly, a number appeared:

315,359,983

“Three hundred fifteen million... That’s a lot, right?” Han Yu muttered, only to notice a small annotation beside the number:

-1 per second.

His eyes widened. The interface confirmed that his Wish Power was depleting at a steady rate of one point per second.

“What the... Wait, let me calculate this.”

Han Yu quickly did the math. At this rate, the city consumed 86,400 points of Wish Power per day—over thirty-one million points a year. Based on his current reserves, the city could last approximately ten years.

“That’s... manageable, I guess,” he said, breathing a small sigh of relief.

Ten years was a reasonable timeframe. It gave him a fighting chance to figure out a solution.

However, his attention shifted to the black half of the yin-yang symbol, labeled Reality Value.

Intrigued, Han Yu touched it with his thoughts. A new interface unfolded, revealing detailed information.

The explanation was simple yet profound. The city and its surroundings were mere illusions sustained entirely by Wish Power. To make them real, Han Yu needed to increase the Reality Value.

A list of resources appeared beneath the Reality Value indicator: wood, stone, iron, and other common materials.

“So, the key to making this city real is to replace these illusions with actual materials,” Han Yu muttered, scrolling through the list.

As he reached the bottom, his eyes narrowed. The last entry read: Demand.

Demand accounted for a staggering 40% of the Reality Value. When Han Yu focused on it, the interface provided additional details:

Demand was tied to the city’s population—specifically, the satisfaction of its citizens.

Han Yu frowned.

“Wait... You’re telling me that even my simulated citizens feel like everything around them is fake? And their dissatisfaction is dragging down the Reality Value?”

It seemed that even these imagined residents were aware of the illusory nature of their environment.

“Damn it! Fine, then. Wish Power, create a management panel for the city! At least give me a way to fix this mess,” Han Yu demanded, frustrated.

The “sun” flickered in response. Moments later, a detailed control panel appeared before him.

However, the creation of the panel came at a hefty cost—50,000 points of Wish Power. The interface also noted that using certain advanced features would incur additional expenses.

Han Yu sighed, rubbing his temples.

“This is going to be a long ten years,” he muttered.