In a city in Central Java, Indonesia.
As the sun began to set in the west, the city below remained busy with various activities. Cars, motorcycles, buses, and all kinds of vehicles filled the streets, while pedestrians of all ages walked along the sidewalks. Most of them were high school students just returning from school, chatting in small groups with their friends.
Among them were a few individuals walking alone, and one of them was Klaus. He had dark brown hair, black eyes, and an unremarkable face. His expression was calm and unreadable as he observed the people and scenery around him.
Eventually, his gaze drifted toward the setting sun, its golden light casting long shadows between the towering buildings and houses. He closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the warmth of the evening sun and the gentle breeze that swept through the streets.
"Oii!! Klaus!"
A voice called out from behind him, accompanied by the sound of a motorcycle pulling up to the sidewalk where Klaus was walking. He stopped and turned around, his expression shifting to one of mild confusion as he recognized the person addressing him.
"Isn't your house in the opposite direction? What are you doing here?" Klaus asked, slightly surprised.
"Isn't it obvious? I came to show off my new motorcycle to my friend who always walks everywhere," the rider said with a smug grin, making the corner of Klaus's mouth twitch.
This bastard... Klaus thought to himself, irritated by his so-called friend's foolish smirk.
After catching sight of Klaus's troubled expression, Adrian burst into laughter and strode away, waving dismissively at the still-dumbfounded Klaus.
"Oii! Why are you leaving?! Come here, Adrian!" Klaus shouted, his voice drawing curious glances from passersby. Yet Adrian, without even slowing down, accelerated on his motorcycle, disappearing into the distance.
"How can I be friends with a rich guy who flaunts his wealth like that?" Klaus muttered under his breath as he exhaled in quiet resignation.
Adrian was Klaus's only true friend—if one could call him that at all. Klaus had never had many friends, his reclusive nature always setting him apart from the rest.
Shaking his head at the thought, Klaus quickened his pace, eager to reach home. Once there, he planned to change his clothes, have a meal, and then immerse himself once more in the webnovel recommended online just the day before. The anticipation of his quiet evening comforted him.
It wasn't just Adrian's arrogance that left Klaus friendless; it was also his own deep obsession with reading webnovels and watching anime. Klaus rarely ventured outside his routine—school was his only regular trip beyond the confines of his room.
Lost in his reverie, Klaus's steps suddenly faltered. In his bewilderment at being unable to move, he noticed that everyone around him had come to a complete halt. Leaves suspended mid-fall, cars frozen on the road, and even a cat mid-leap from a nearby ledge were caught in a state of absolute stillness.
What—what's happening? Why has everything stopped moving?... he stammered silently. Time itself seemed to have frozen. Panic surged through him as he attempted to speak, yet no sound emerged. In the silence, he could only murmur reassurances to himself.
Okay, I must remain calm. It's not as if I'm about to die, right? Sure, the oxygen might stop flowing, but shouldn't my metabolism halt too? Yet, here I am—seeing, thinking… How can light, my vision, and brain activity remain unaffected if time has indeed frozen? No, this doesn't add up... One question after another cascaded through Klaus's mind, gradually settling his panic enough for him to assess the situation with wary detachment.
So perhaps this wasn't time stopping after all? Yet that offered no explanation for the surreal stillness that enveloped everything around him... Before he could ponder further, a faint sound—like a distant cracking—started to echo from all directions, yet it seemed to speak directly into Klaus's ear.
Crack… crack…
What is that sound?... he wondered, his eyes straining to make sense of the unfolding enigma. At the very edge of his vision, Klaus noticed a tiny, silvery fissure in the air. His pupils constricted as his mind raced to process the unfolding phenomenon.
Crack… crack…
The fissure expanded, its shape intricately resembling a spider's web, intertwining with other cracks that appeared from nowhere. With every passing moment, the sound of breaking intensified, and a creeping dread began to claw at Klaus's heart.
Crack… crack…
The fractures grew, nearly obliterating his view. Klaus longed to run as far away as possible, yet his body remained immobile—hesitant, for it seemed as though these fissures were sprouting in every corner of the world.
Crack… crack…
Then, with a thunderous crush...
All that Klaus had feared materialized in an instant. The cracks enveloped his entire field of vision, and the world before him crumbled into a cascade of shattering fragments.
BOOOOM!!
The deafening explosion shattered the silence, and as the cacophony reached a piercing crescendo, the world around Klaus disintegrated entirely. In that moment of overwhelming collapse, his consciousness was swallowed by darkness.
W-what... Klaus finally regained control over his body. He turned around, scanning his surroundings, but all he could see was endless darkness.
At least I'm still alive… I think.
With that thought, Klaus slowly lifted his gaze—only for his eyes to widen in astonishment.
Countless silver lights drifted through the air above him.
They look like stars—or could they actually be stars? He mused half-jokingly, trying to steady his racing heartbeat as he took a closer look at the floating lights.
Within each of these 'stars,' he saw moving images, like projections of different worlds. One contained a landscape of searing lava stretching as far as the eye could see. Another held nothing but a vast, endless ocean. Others displayed sprawling forests, towering mountains, and unfamiliar landscapes beyond his comprehension.
What are these images? Am I dead and about to choose a new world for reincarnation?! Why does this feel like one of those 'isekai' novels where the protagonist gets transported to another world and receives some kind of overpowered ability? …Maybe I've been reading too many fantasy novels.
Shaking his head to clear away the absurd thoughts, Klaus suddenly felt his consciousness blur. A strange sensation washed over him, like the ground had vanished beneath his feet.
A moment later, his vision sharpened once more—and he found himself standing in the middle of a dense forest!