2026-09-14 23:19:32Ethan left the Golden Garden and went straight to City General Hospital. Mrs. Clara was the next person on his list.
He waited near the desk for almost an hour. When she finally came out for her break, he asked her to lunch. She looked tired but smiled and said yes.
“I only have one hour,” she warned.
“There’s a place two blocks away. We won’t be long.”
They ate at a quiet European restaurant with white tablecloths. The food tasted good. When the bill came — two thousand five hundred dollars — Ethan kept a polite smile on his face while the cashier took his card. Inside, his stomach twisted. *That’s more medicine money for Sophie. But I have no choice.*
Outside, Mrs. Clara gave him a short hug. “You’re a kind young man. Not many people remember the nurses.”
Ethan only nodded. His face felt warm.
The system voice spoke a moment later.
[Two of five completed. Three remaining.]
---
By late afternoon he still needed three more names. Mr. Harris came to mind right away.
The Night Owl Bar was already getting busy when Ethan walked in. Mr. Harris looked up from the counter, eyebrows raised.
“You’re in a hurry. You still haven’t paid me back, have you?”
Ethan put his card on the counter. “Take ten thousand. That covers what I owe and a little extra. If it goes through, come to dinner with me.”
Mr. Harris gave a short, doubtful laugh and swiped the card. The approval sound came. His face changed from surprise to mild embarrassment.
They sat down for coffee first, then moved to a real dinner. The meal cost more than a hundred dollars. Three people done.
Ethan still kept thinking about Sophie. The surgery was paid, but the hospital bills would keep coming. Every dollar he spent on these meals felt like money that could have helped her recover.
---
Night came. The quest ended at midnight. Ethan still needed two more people and had run out of friends. He walked through a small park, looking at faces, until he saw a young woman in dark makeup sitting alone on a bench. She was on her phone, eyes red from crying.
Ethan walked closer carefully.
“Go away,” she said without looking up.
“I’m not selling anything. I just won some money and I’m trying to buy people dinner tonight. No strings. You look like you could use a good meal.”
She lowered the phone and looked at him. Then she gave a short, wet laugh. “People still play the lottery? You look like you live in the library.”
Her name was Lily. Her dinner plans with a friend had just been cancelled. She said yes, but made it clear she liked girls, not boys. Ethan only shrugged and smiled.
They chose a fancy Thai restaurant with an artificial pond. Halfway through ordering, a familiar voice cut across the room.
“Is that Ethan? The one who dropped out because he couldn’t pay school fees? Look at him — trying to impress some girl with a free meal he can’t afford.”
Sara sat at a nearby table with her boyfriend Jake. She used to be in the same class. She had always been sharp-tongued, and dating someone with money had made her worse.
The words hit Ethan harder than he expected. His chest felt tight. *They still look at me like I’m nothing. Like I never belonged.* For a second he wanted to stand up and shout back, but he forced himself to stay quiet.
Lily’s eyes narrowed. “Friends of yours?”
“Old classmates.”
Lily leaned in. “Want me to walk over and say I’m pregnant with his kid? Instant drama.”
Ethan touched her wrist. “Leave it.”
They kept eating. The dishes that arrived looked expensive and fancy. Sara watched every plate. A minute later she loudly ordered the same dishes in double portions, ignoring Jake’s quiet protests. She wanted to look richer than the dropout across the room.
Ethan and Lily finished, paid, and left while Sara and Jake were still eating.
Twenty minutes later Ethan was already on the sidewalk when noise started at the restaurant door. Jake stood at the register, face pale. His credit card had been declined. His parents had finally blocked it after too many of Sara’s spending. The bill had reached ten thousand dollars. The cashier was reaching for the phone.
Ethan stepped back inside.
“I’ll cover it,” he said, putting his card on the counter. “Put it on this.”
The number stared back at him. *Ten thousand dollars. That’s a lot of hospital days for Sophie. That’s medicine. That’s care. And I’m giving it to people who just laughed at me.* His stomach turned, but he kept his face calm.
The cashier’s face softened. “Of course.”
Sara and Jake stared at the floor. Neither said thank you. The cashier gave them a cold look as they left.
Outside, under the bright city lights, Ethan touched the eye tattoo on his palm.
The system spoke quietly.
[Daily Quest complete.]
[Reward is waiting in the bag.]
[Open it when you are ready.]
Ethan let out a long breath. The quest was done. Relief came, but it was mixed with worry. *Sophie is still in that hospital bed. The surgery is only the start. She will need more money, more care, more time.* He looked at the tattoo on his hand.
He still had a long way to go.
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Chapter 12
The auction room on the second floor was packed. Bright lights shone on the stage. Rich men and women in expensive clothes filled every seat. The air smelled of perfume and money.Ethan stood near the side wall, heart beating fast. Mr. Jacob Smith had kept his word. The nine remaining pills sat in a clear glass case under a spotlight. A large screen behind the stage showed a close-up of the pale gold pills with their orange rings.Maya stood at the back, arms crossed, face still angry. Ava and Ryan sat in the third row, whispering to each other. Every time they looked at Ethan, their eyes were cold.The auctioneer raised his wooden hammer.“Ladies and gentlemen, we begin with a once-in-a-lifetime item. Nine Tier-One Strength and Healing Pills, created by young alchemist Ethan Rivers. Mr. Jacob Smith himself has already tested one and stands before you fully recovered. Starting bid: one hundred thousand dollars.”A hand went up immediately.“One hundred and fifty thousand.”“Two hundre
Chapter 11
Ethan stood frozen against the wall. Angry voices filled the lobby. Rich people pointed at him like he was a criminal. Maya’s face was red with rage. Ava and Ryan watched with cold smiles, waiting for him to fall.Then Mr. Jacob Smith’s eyes fluttered open.The room went silent.Smith sat up slowly on the sofa. Color returned to his face. He took a deep breath, then another, like a man who had been drowning and finally reached air. He looked around, confused at first, then his gaze locked on Ethan.“You,” he said, voice stronger than anyone expected. “What did you put in my mouth?”Ethan stepped forward, heart pounding so hard it hurt. “A healing pill. Tier-one strength and recovery. I made it myself.”Maya opened her mouth to shout again, but Smith raised one hand. The entire lobby fell quiet.“I felt my heart stop,” Smith said slowly. “Everything went black. Then something warm spread through my chest. The pain is gone. Completely gone.” He flexed his fingers, then stood up without
Chapter 10
The crowd’s mood hardened fast in Maya’s favor.An older man with a walking stick shook his head. “Young people these days will do anything for attention. Stop this nonsense before you ruin yourself.”Someone else laughed. “He looks like a street punk and claims he can make ancient medicine? Whatever’s in that bottle is probably garbage.”Ethan kept silent, jaw tight. The million-dollar reward still sat in the back of his mind, but belief was getting harder to hold. Sophie’s hospital bills would not wait. Every day without that money made her recovery harder.Then a familiar voice cut through the lobby.Ava walked in on Ryan’s arm, expensive bag swinging on purpose, eyes already scanning the noise. The moment she recognized Ethan her face lit with cruel delight.“Ethan? Still alive, I see. I thought you’d be in bed—or worse. Look at you. You smell like you’ve been living in a ditch.” She opened the bag, pulled out a cheap perfume, and sprayed it hard in his direction. “There. Maybe th
Chapter 9
Ethan walked into the big glass building of Oldies and Goldies. The air inside smelled clean and expensive, like new leather and polished wood. Rich people moved around with quiet confidence. Collectors. Brokers. People who never looked at price tags.Ethan felt out of place the second he stepped through the door. His clothes were still stained from the ravine. He had not showered in two days. Dirt and dried blood clung to him. The faint smell of earth and herbs followed him.At the customer service desk stood a young woman named Maya Chen. Twenty-five years old. Tall. Carefully dressed. Heavy eye makeup and long bangs half-hid her face. She had worked here for two years and still had not gotten the promotion she wanted. Most of her “luxury” things were fakes bought from the underground market. Her phone wallpaper was a pale K-pop idol she called “husband” in secret.The moment she saw Ethan, her face closed.“Leave,” she said, voice sharp. “We don’t accept beggars. Security—”“I’m no
Chapter 8
Ethan opened his eyes to a soft, steady beep.Sunlight pushed through the leaves high above. The air felt cool even though it was midday. Trees and thick plants kept the bottom of the ravine shaded. Every muscle ached, but the pain already felt distant, like it was fading fast.Memory crashed back in sharp pieces. Ava’s voice. Ryan’s fists. The long fall wrapped in a thick blanket.“They meant to kill me,” Ethan whispered. His heart raced. This isolated drop had not been an accident. They had thrown him here on purpose.The system screen was already open in front of him.[Mission accomplished.][Primary emotional bond permanently severed.][Profession unlocked: Grand Alchemist & Healer.][Please check Inbox for rewards.]Ethan’s pulse quickened. He opened the mailbox with a shaky thought.[Nine Heavenly Path Technique Manual – AI Integration available.][Accept or Postpone?]For a second he hesitated. Then Sophie’s pale face flashed in his mind. The hospital bills that would keep comi
Chapter 7
Ethan paced under the old streetlamp outside Ava’s building. His phone felt cold in his hand. Every call went unanswered. The system’s three-hour window was almost gone.Messages from Ava over the past months had already been short. I’m busy. Don’t call for a while. Tonight the silence felt final.He kept thinking about Sophie. The surgery deposit was paid, but the hospital bills kept coming. Medicine. Extra care. Days of recovery. He needed the system’s power. He needed the Grand Alchemist path. Without it, how was he supposed to keep helping her?A low, expensive engine growled around the corner. A sleek black sports car slid to a stop under the same yellow light. The passenger window was cracked open just enough for voices to spill out.Ava’s voice, soft and breathless: “Tomorrow we’ll do it all over again, baby. What you just did… it was so good.”A deeper male laugh answered. The words that followed made Ethan’s ears burn. He stepped closer without thinking, face almost touching
