Van could not help but clasp his head as a sharp pain started rippling from inside of it, traveling all the way to every inch of his body; not leaving a single one free from pain.

It would seem that no matter how many points he puts in VIT, the pain that his own System brings him will always remain the same. Or rather, it grew even stronger now that he was of a much higher level than he was before.

​​

The last time he accidentally activated the [Penalty of Hades], it was the most excruciating pain he had felt. And now that he activated it again… it overpowered that memory, almost as if every part of his flesh was being torn asunder.

"Van, what is happening to you!?" Nisha, who was suddenly thrust into this situation, did not know what to do as she rushed towards Van, "Should… should I call for Latanya!?"

She was about to leave, but when he saw Van, almost looking like a blur as he seemed to be trembling on the ground, she chose not to do so. If Van wanted Latanya here, then he would have probably carried her here, and not her.

She also doesn't know what will happen if he leaves him here,

"D… damn it! Why'd you have to pick me for this!" Were the last words that Van heard before everything was replaced by darkness; as if a cloud filling up his eyes, the scenery in front of him changed like it was swept by a wind.

"Daddy!"

"Oh, were you waiting for me?"

Van instantly furrowed his eyebrows as he was presented by the scenery of Mike, hugging who seemed to be his daughter.

"Look, look what I made!" Mike's daughter then raised a drawing, a wide smile plastered on her face as she proudly gave it to his father.

"You made this!?" Mike said as he looked at the paper while still hugging his daughter, "This is really--"

"Aimee!"

The scenery in front of Van suddenly changed as if a dust cloud was being swept by the wind once again.

"W… what happened!? Did anyone see what happened!?"

Mike was still hugging her daughter, but this time, the light that brightly shone on her eyes was completely gone; blood, profusely trailing from her nose as her stomach seemed to have caved in.

"W… wake up, Aimee… Please wake up, daddy is here," Mike stuttered as he started moving his daughter, but no matter how much he shook her, the only thing that was moving was her lifeless arms, swaying in the air.

"No… no... Oh god no."

Van slightly took in a deep breath as he looked at Mike, whose eyes trembled uncontrollably as if looking for help, but none were able to give it to him.

"..."

"Why can't we do anything about it!?"

Van then turned around as he heard a loud voice, and as soon as he did so, the scenery in front of him once again changed.

Mike was now inside what seemed to be a City Guard's office, complaining and screaming his lungs out.

"There were a lot of people who saw what happened!" Mike waved his hands in front of a City Guard, "They saw him do it! He was running and he rammed through my daughter!"

The guard in front of him could only shake his head as Mike repeated his words over and over again, "I am afraid I can't do anything about it," the guard said, "No one other than you is testifying. And based on your story, you weren't even there in the first place."

"But the others told me!"

"Sorry, we can't help you."

"Is it because he's an Explorer!?" Mike then slammed his palms on the guard's desk, "Is that it!?"

With what Mike said, the look on the City Guards' faces started to change.

"Is that it!?" Mike once again repeated, "Are you just trying to protect him because he is a System Holder and we're just normal people!? Do our lives not matter!?"

"Look here, mister!"

"Kuh!"

Mike could not help but holler in pain as he was grubbed on the scruff by one of the city guards.

"We have a lot more things to worry about," the guard that grabbed his neck said as he dragged him to the door, "Your daughter is dead and that's that. What happened was an accident because your daughter strayed too far away from where she shouldn't be."

"You--"

"You should have been watching her in the first place!" The guard once again shouted, not letting Mike speak, "Weren't you drunk when that happened to your daughter!? It is your fault for not watching her! A lot more people are dying out there because of the monsters, stop bothering us or we will lock you up!"

The scenery once again changed as Mike was thrown out of the station. Mike was now surrounded by only the torches that surrounded the streets. The fire dancing on them reflected on his eyes, as well as the back of a man he has been following for a while now.

"You… you will pay," Mike whispered as he grabbed a knife from his bag.

Van squinted his eyes as he looked at the knife, the memory of Mike buying it from what seemed like a black market resurfaced in his mind. It would seem that Mike has used up all of his money to buy it-- a portal artifact, made from materials that came from a Rank B Portal.

"You… will pay," Mike's words once again whispered in the air as he tightened his grip on the knife. And as the man turned left to a corner, Mike finally rushed towards him.

"Die!" He screamed. But right as Mike turned to follow the System Holder that supposedly killed her daughter, someone else appeared from the corner-- a girl.

And due to how fast Mike was moving, he was not able to stop his arms as the knife flailed right in the center of the girl's chest.

"!!!"

"...Wha?" The girl stared straight towards Mike's eyes. And slowly, like with her daughter, the light on the girl's eyes faded.

"K… kyaa!"

Mike heard a scream coming from his left, and due to his panic, for whatever reason, he rushed towards the scream and once again flailed his arms. But before the knife could reach the other woman, the scenery in front of Van changed.

Van could only let out a long and deep breath as he stared at Mike again, who was now sitting inside a jail cell. The desperation that surrounded the air around the man… was something that Van was awfully familiar with.

"Hello there."

A harmonious voice then echoed through the dark hall as a man with orange hair revealed himself, approaching Mike's cell.

"My name is Ronald," the man slightly bowed, flailing his white robes elegantly as he did so. Afterward, he nonchalantly opened the bars on Mike's cell. "I am from the Circle and we would like to propose something to you… only if you want to."

"Leave me alone," Mike said, ignoring the fact that his cell was open.

"Now, now. You haven't even heard me out," Ronald said as he slowly approached Mike inside the cell, "I am sure Aimee would like for you to listen to me."

"Don't involve my daughter in this!" Hearing the name of his daughter suddenly being uttered, Mike could not help but stand up. "What do you even--"

"Would you like to get stronger?"

"!!!"

A bright light suddenly surrounded Van, causing him to cover his eyes for a few seconds. And as he opened it, he found himself in an area with nothing but walls, with the ceiling emitting a light which was almost as strong as the rays of the afternoon sun.

There were now other people with Mike, all adorned in white clothing. Some of the people Van could recognize.

Cynthia, her husband, as well as Solomon, were here.

"Just… what did they inject us with?"

"!!!"

Van could not help but blink numerous times as he heard Solomon suddenly talking-- and quite eloquently at that. And that wasn't the only thing different with him. He was still huge, but not as gigantic as the first time he saw him.

So… these are the enhanced humans? Van thought as he scanned the place. Although Van's vision was limited, he could still discern more than a hundred people either standing or sitting in this vast white room.

Their white clothing was not the only thing they had in common, there was also a number plastered in front of their clothes. Cynthia had number 69, while Mike had number 142.

"Who are you?"

Van then turned his head as a young blue-haired woman approached Mike, the number 373 on her clothes.

"What are you talking about?" Mike awkwardly chuckled as he looked at the woman, "It's me, Mike. We already met a week ago, Skylar."

"No… not you," the blue-haired woman called Skylar quickly shook his head, "That kid beside you."

"!!!" Van quickly widened his eyes as Skylar's words reached his ears.

"Huh? What kid?" Mike furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he looked around.

"Oh, sorry," Skylar quickly shook her head as she gestured for Mike to stop looking, "I think the thing that they injected in us is making me see things."

"Are you alright, Skylar!?" A woman quickly rushed towards the two of them, "Did you do anything to her, Mike!?"

"What!? Why are you blaming me again!?"

The group near Mike started laughing as they approached him, some even nudging him in the stomach as they teased him.

Van, however, could not help but gulp. He was sure of it. The blue-haired woman called Skylar, she…

...She was looking at him.