Chapter 1: ∞ Replication

In the outskirts of Tønsberg, Norway, lies a quaint and idyllic town, seemingly untouched by the chaos of the outside world.

The night was pitch-black, with clouds heavily veiling the sky and a faint drizzle falling intermittently. The town itself was engulfed in darkness, save for the faint, flickering glow of the old streetlights valiantly illuminating the cobblestone roads.

Suddenly, a figure fell from the sky, landing heavily with a dull thud on the stone pavement. The man lay motionless in a starfish-like position, his eyes fixed on the inky black sky above. He muttered to himself, his voice tinged with confusion and frustration:

"Was this some sort of prank?

One moment, I was heading downstairs to grab my package, and the next thing I know, I've fallen into some bizarre pit?

Ugh, my head hurts so much!

Whoever dug that hole better hope I don't find them... or they owe me at least a hundred grand!"

The figure, a young man named Wang Ye, struggled to his feet, wincing as a sharp pain shot through his lower back. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead as he grimaced in discomfort.

"This seriously hurts!

Does this hole think it can trap someone like me, Wang Ye? Ridiculous!

Wait a minute... where am I?

Wasn't I in some kind of trap?"

He groped at the walls around him, realizing they weren't the realistic murals he had initially suspected. As he leaned against the surface, he massaged his aching head and tried to focus on his surroundings.

Taking a few steps back, he looked up—and his jaw nearly hit the floor.

The wall he'd been leaning against wasn't just any wall—it was part of an ancient, intricately designed church, weathered by time but still standing strong.

"What the—? Did I just fall out of the country?

Or am I dreaming right now?"

Pinching himself hard, Wang Ye yelped as a sharp pain jolted through his arm.

"Ah, crap, this isn't a dream!

Don't tell me I'm dead and this is hell?

Nooo, I just got a girlfriend, and we haven't even held hands yet!"

Wang Ye squatted down and clutched his head, despair washing over him. As if on cue, the drizzle transformed into a torrential downpour, the heavens seemingly mocking his plight.

"Alright, alright, I give up! I won't cry anymore, okay?"

Frustrated and drenched, he limped toward the church's covered entrance to escape the rain, rubbing his sore lower back as he walked. His mind was a jumble of thoughts.

"This doesn't feel like hell... but I'm clearly not dead. Could it be...? Did I fall into some sort of spatial rift and end up in another world? A different era?"

The unfamiliar surroundings only fueled his speculations. Slowly, an unsettling certainty crept in: he might never make it back to his world.

Lost in thought, Wang Ye suddenly felt a heavy sensation in his head. His vision darkened, and he passed out on the spot.

During his unconscious state, Wang Ye had a series of fragmented dreams, chaotic and nonsensical. He couldn't remember the details but sensed he was submerged in an ocean, surrounded by water on all sides. The suffocating pressure made him feel paralyzed, unable to move or breathe.

Oddly, the suffocation eventually subsided, as though he had adapted to breathing underwater. Then, his mind felt as if it were unlocking something—a chain breaking, a dam bursting. With a deafening roar echoing in his consciousness, Wang Ye's eyes snapped open.

He found himself lying in a shallow puddle, his face inches from the water's surface.

At first, he thought it was another dream, but the strange sensation in his mind was undeniably real. It was as if he had been born with this power. Quickly, he grasped the nature of the feeling:

He had awakened an extraordinary ability called Replication, capable of duplicating anything infinitely.

What's more, anything he replicated would not only be a perfect copy but also enhanced tenfold in its effectiveness.

This ability was overpowered, to the point of being a bug in the system.

Within a 1-kilometer radius, anything Wang Ye wished to copy could be replicated instantly.

"What... the heck is this?"

Experimenting, Wang Ye closed his eyes and began sensing his surroundings. Thousands of tiny, multicolored light spots representing replicable objects appeared in his perception. Among them, a bright blue sphere the size of a soybean caught his attention.

Guided by instinct, he focused on the glowing orb. In an instant, the replication was complete.

A torrent of immense energy surged into his body, reshaping and strengthening him from the inside out. He could feel his physical abilities growing exponentially, intoxicatingly powerful.

At the peak of this transformation, the energy condensed into a small, radiant blue gem in his mind—a Space Stone.

"Wait a second... Space Stone?

No wonder this church seemed familiar!"

Feeling invincible, Wang Ye stretched, his body emitting satisfying cracks as tension and pain melted away. He couldn't help but marvel at the overwhelming strength coursing through him.

He wasn't sure exactly how strong he had become, but judging by what Captain Marvel could achieve with extracted energy... Wang Ye suspected he had already surpassed the limits of ordinary powerhouses.

As he reveled in his newfound abilities, a rhythmic tapping of leather shoes on wet cobblestone echoed in the distance.

A hunched elderly man carrying a bulging sack appeared, slowly making his way toward the church.

This chance encounter was about to set Wang Ye on a path filled with mysteries, challenges, and unimaginable power.

(End of Chapter 1)

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