Chapter 2A man with a slightly bulging belly, hidden beneath his black short-sleeved top and a waistcoat, emerged from behind the shelf at the back.Adjusting his round spectacles, he flashed a small smile, Levi was obviously a regular customer.“Ah, the painkillers are almost finished, you're lucky that you came right now the miners would have surely bought all the stock.”Levi sneered inwardly, despite knowing each other for years, Gao Lei was still trying to dupe him at any opportunity he got, yet it didn’t change the fact that he needed painkillers and antibiotics to treat his wounds; they weren’t going to heal on their own but first … painkillers.Levi glanced down at the bluish patches on his skin the places Xu Kai had landed his hits and clicked his tongue.“Another cut on your face,” Gao Lei observed and shook his head pitifully. “Sigh, at this rate, your entire face will be covered in plasters.”He dropped a small bottle onto the counter, causing a mini tremor.“You know the

One Step. Another Step. More steps.The possessed villager began taking steps toward him and those steps transformedfrom sluggish to terrifyingly fast in an instant as the possessed village woman dashed toward him.Her hands, dry like the bark of a tree, reached out, ready to tear his flesh open, a sharp current of fear ran through Levi’s body, almost paralyzing him, almost but instead of succumbing to his fear and surrendering, Levi raised both hands,clenching his fingers into a hard fist before bringing his slightly pink knuckles right below his eye level.‘I can’t die.’He whispered the words like a vow, inwardly, his mind was waging a war against the gigantic wave of fear, thoughts screaming that this was it…he was surely going to die. After all, he had never seen something so grotesque in his life.In every nightmare he had ever had since childhood, the monster never got to him but seeing this creature close the gap with every passing millisecond, Levi knew he wasn’t going to w

Chapter 6“You’re not from around here, are you?” Bai Jing Ling asked, handing Levi a worn blanket, he didn’t wait for a reply before moving on to distribute the rest to the other survivors huddled in the dim safehold.“Thank you,” Levi muttered, scanning the room. According to the stories from those who had survived the dreams, a full day here only equaled an hour back in the real world. “How long until dawn?”“Get some rest,” Bai Jing Ling said, lowering himself onto the creaking floorboards. “We’re safe here until morning. You’ll need your strength.”“Can he really be trusted?”“I don’t know, if Captain Bai trusts him, we probably should.” “Whatever. Let’s just stay careful.”Levi listened to the conversations before rising slowly, rubbing his eyes as if he had just woken up, he wandered toward the entrance.“Where’s Bai Jing Ling?” he asked no one in particular.“Right here, kid, missing me already?” Bai Jing Ling stepped through the doorway with a large chunk of meat slung over h

Chapter 8Levi rubbed his eyes and stretched lazily on his bed until he suddenly recalled what had happened. In an instant, he sprung up like a cat dodging an attack.His eyes sharply darted around, scanning his environment. Recognizing his surroundings, a lump formed in his throat, and his vision blurred as tears welled in his eyes,"…I'm alive."The relief was short-lived, and his emotions receded like a tide when Levi remembered that he hadn't awakened, surely, he would be tossed into another trial. He had barely survived this one, and without a talent, the next one would definitely take his life!That realization sent a chill through him. His jaw tightened. "Status," he commanded solemnly.*****Name: Levi Li Gate: NullTalent: Pandora Chest Exclusive Echo: — Attributes:Strength: 9Speed: 7Agility: 9Endurance: 10Willpower: 25 +(25)Mana: 2 +(25)Review: [It's a surprise you're alive.]***** 'Alive?'Levi blinked, stunned by the sudden stat boost but it was the remark that unse

Chapter 10 The polished boots stopped just outside the ruined gate. Levi counted six of them, clad in dark grey armor stamped with the citadel's crest, a walled circle wrapped around a single flame. Unlike the scavenged scraps that passed for protection in the slums, their gear looked untouched by rust, untouched by desperation. At the front of the group stood a woman with a short, no nonsense haircut and a clipboard tucked under one arm, the kind of person who had clearly done this exact walk through the exact same kind of street more times than she cared to count. "Residence of Li Ling," she read aloud, glancing at the shattered gate hanging off its hinges, then at the unconscious man sprawled across the ruined laundry counter inside. Her brow lifted, just slightly. "I take it we're not the first visitors today." Li Ling stepped in front of Levi before he could speak, her voice steady despite the tremor Levi could feel through the floor beneath her bare feet. "Who are you? What