At Night.
A young man with red eyes was running on the sidewalk, a gunshot wound on his right shoulder Blood can be seen falling from the wound. Enduring the pain, he turned into a deserted alley.
A hundred meters behind him, two men were in pursuit of him. Seeing him turn into the alley, one of them fired a pistol—but missed.
The young man kept running down the lonely path until he spotted a dumpster. Without hesitation, he climbed inside, forcing himself to endure the smell that stung his eyes with tears.
Through a gap in the dumpster, he could see the two men searching for him. Instinctively, he held his breath as tension filled the air. One of the men answered a phone call, then signaled to his partner that they should leave.
The young man exhaled in relief. *Looks like I've survived one more time,* he thought. Climbing out of the dumpster, he scowled at the foul odor now clinging to his body. Checking his wound, he saw that his shoulder injury had grown severe.
He tore off part of his sleeve, pressing the cloth against the wound to slow the bleeding. Taking a deep breath and exhaling to steady himself, he muttered in his heart, *Today is the last day I live like this.*
As he stepped out of the alley, he looked up to see a blood-red moon hanging in the night sky. Tomorrow, he would undergo **Creation**—a strange phenomenon that had appeared two decades ago, transporting those chosen into a new world known as *Helzon*.
Those who experienced Creation would first endure a trial by inhabiting the body of someone who once lived in Helzon. Only after surviving would they gain access to Helzon freely with their own body.
The young man immediately made his way to the place where he usually took missions. He had planned to use a healing potion, but unfortunately, the vial had been shattered earlier when his pursuers fired at him.
He arrived at a bar and knocked on the iron door. A small viewing slit opened, revealing a pair of green eyes. The man inside saw the battered, foul-smelling youth.
"What do you want, kid?" the rough voice asked.
"The Golden Emperor's Treasure of the Eastern Sea," the young man replied firmly.
The door unlocked and swung wide, granting him entry.
He walked down a corridor lined with doors. Beside him appeared the owner of the green eyes from before. "Congratulations on surviving once again, Dion," the man said.
"Thanks," Dion replied with a faint smile before heading to the door at End of the hallway.
Opening the door he can see A staircase that led down to a crimson door. Descending, Dion opened it to find a sprawling underground black market.
He searched for a potion shop and spotted one of his regular shops still open. Inside, a young woman sat at a counter.
"Do you have one low-rank healing potion?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied, taking a potion from her drawer.
Seeing the potion, Dion gave her a pleading look. "Could I get a discount?"
The woman sighed in irritation. "Every time you come here, you always ask for a discount. Do you want me to go bankrupt?"
"If you go bankrupt, then where else would I find cheap potions?" Dion countered.
Slamming her hand on the table, she stood and glared at him.
"All right, no discount," Dion quickly surrendered. Without even asking the price, he pulled out ten *Power Stones*. Each stone was tiny, almost like a grain of rice. Ever since Helzon appeared, humanity had abandoned paper money in favor of these stones infused with Helzon's power.
The woman handed over the potion. Dion thanked her, then stripped off his black shirt, revealing a body with faintly defined abs. He poured the potion directly into his wound, gritting his teeth against the searing pain. The torn flesh began to regenerate, pushing the bullet out until only a scar remained. Compared to the many scars already covering his body, this new one was insignificant.
He put his shirt back on and turned to leave.
"Is today really the last time you'll be here?" the woman asked.
"Of course," Dion said playfully. "Why? Don't tell me you've fallen in love with me?"
"Who would ever fall for someone like you?" she snapped.
"Good, then," Dion smirked as he walked away.
But before he got too far, her voice followed him: "Good luck, Dion."
For those who Will undergo creation, saying farewell to their ordinary life was inevitable. If they survived the trial, they would gain superhuman power. If they failed, they would die. In that sense, their farewell was no different from a final walk to the execution grounds.
*You too, Hana,* Dion thought silently.
He then headed toward a place called *Black Wine*. The building was enormous—its width alone was equal to twenty times Dion's height. (He stood around 180 cm tall. As for its length… he never got the chance to measure, because people scolded him and called him crazy whenever he tried.)
Inside, the bustling hall resembled an adventurers' guild straight out of fantasy. Dion approached the reception desk and handed over the mission poster he had just completed.
The poster read:
```
Name: Arlen Mcstone
Mission Difficulty: 4 Star
Reward: 10,000 Power Stone
Further details will be provided upon acceptance.
```
The receptionist processed the poster, and after a few moments confirmed the mission completion. She handed Dion a pouch filled with Power Stones.
With his reward in hand, Dion left the guild, walked out of the market, and returned to the bar. There, he approached the same man who had guarded the door earlier.
"Has the item I requested arrived?" Dion asked.
The man pointed him toward another door. Dion followed and stopped before a brown door. He knocked, and a voice from inside called out, "Enter."
Dion stepped in without hesitation.
The room's walls were lined with weapons. A fat man sat behind a desk, upon which rested a briefcase. Dion took a seat across from him.
"Ten thousand Power Stones, right?" Dion asked.
"That's correct. The total comes to ten thousand," the man confirmed.
Without delay, Dion handed over the pouch full of Power Stones he had just earned. He then picked up the briefcase and opened it. Inside lay a potion with white color.