Seojun woke up with a start as cold water was splashed on his face. He blinked, finding himself tied to a chair in a dark, concrete room. The air was thick and musty, and several rough-looking men stood around him, glaring with cruel eyes.
One of the men, holding a metal bucket, sneered at Seojun. "Look who's finally awake. Ready for some fun?"
Seojun's mind raced as he remembered the van, his mother's cries, and his capture. "Why are you doing this?" he asked weakly.
A man with a scar on his face stepped closer. "You know why. Your family owes us money, and you're going to pay for it."
Seojun's heart sank. He knew why they were in debt. He had borrowed money to pay for his mother's medical bills when she was sick. "I'm the one who got us into debt," he said. "It's my fault, not my mother's."
The scarred man's eyes narrowed. "Exactly. You thought you could just get away from your debts? Now you're going to pay."
Seojun's stomach churned. "Please, I'll find a way to pay it back. Just let me go."
One of the men picked up a rusty tool, his face hard. "We don't want your promises. You need to learn your lesson. You made the deal, so you suffer."
The men began to torture him, using the tools they had. Despite his struggles, Seojun couldn't escape. His vision blurred, and the pain made him lose consciousness.
When he woke up again, he felt a cold breeze on his face. He opened his eyes and found himself on a bridge, lying on the ground. The cool air and the sound of rushing water below filled him with panic. He struggled to get up, looking around in fear.
His hands were still bound, and he had no idea how he had ended up here. The realization of his vulnerable situation hit him hard. He had to find a way to escape and get back to his mother before it was too late.
Seojun's fear intensified as he heard footsteps approaching. Two of the men who had tortured him earlier came back, looking more determined than before.
They grabbed him by the hair, pulling his head back roughly. "Listen carefully," the scarred man said, his voice cold. "Your life and your mother's are enough to settle the debt."
Seojun struggled against his restraints, his eyes wide with desperation. "Please, don't hurt my mother! Just do whatever you want with me-just don't touch her!"
The men ignored his pleas, their faces showing no sign of mercy. One of them pulled out a knife, its blade glinting in the dim light. Seojun's heart raced as the man approached, a cruel smile on his lips.
"Your suffering is just beginning," the man said, raising the knife. Seojun's mind raced as he tried to preparefor the pain.
He shut his eyes tightly, trying to focus on thoughts of his mother. But the pain was immediate and excruciating. The knife sliced through his arm, and a scream tore from his throat.
"Ahhhhh!" Seojun shouted in agony. The blade cut deeper, and blood flowed freely from the wound. Seojun writhed in the chair, tears streaming down his face as the pain overwhelmed him. He could barely see through the tears, his vision clouded by the intensity of his suffering.
The men continued their work with methodical cruelty, each cut a reminder of his helplessness. Seojun's cries echoed in the empty space, filled with desperation and anguish.
"Stop! Please!" Seojun begged between screams. " Just let me go! I'll find a way to pay you back!"
'I can't die here not that they'll hurt Mom Next' his thoughy,
The leader, a grim-faced man with cold eyes, finished slicing through Seojun's arm. Seojun's screams had dwindled to weak, hoarse gasps as the pain and blood loss took their toll. The leader wiped the bloody knife on Seojun's cheek, a cruel smirk playing on his lips.
"You've had enough," the leader said with chilling calmness. "We're done with you. Throw him in the river. We won't gain anything from this skeleton."
The men, with no trace of sympathy, dragged Seojun from the chair. His weakened body barely resisted as they hauled him towards the bridge's edge. The cold wind stung his skin, and the sound of rushing water below seemed to grow louder, echoing in his ears. Seojun's vision swam, his body trembling uncontrollably from shock and pain. His arms, now barely usable and bleeding, were barely functional.
As they prepared to throw him over the edge, he tried to muster his remaining strength to plead with them.
"Please..." Seojun croaked, his voice barely audible. "D-Don't hurt her"
The men ignored his pleas, their faces set in grim determination. They dragged him closer to the edge, the drop to the river below looking increasingly menacing.
The leader stood by, watching with a detached interest. "Hurry up. We've got better things to do than deal with a dying man." The men held Seojun over the edge, his feet barely touching the ground.
The cold air from the river below felt like a final, harsh embrace. Seojun's heart pounded in his chest, his mind racing with thoughts of his mother and the promise he had made to protect her suddenly, he fall to the ground before they could threw him and his vision cleared just enough to see shadows of people moving around him.
He was laid on the ground, the pain from his wounds making it hard to focus. Through his haze, he saw figures rushing to help him attacking the kidnappers. Weakly, he tried to crawl towards an open car nearby, his blood leaving a trail behind him.
As he reached the car, he noticed a familiar sight: the book he had found in the basement was lying on the seat. With his remaining strength, he pushed himself into the car, his body trembling uncontrollably. He reached for the book, but his energy was spent. He fell to the car floor, his blood staining the book's cover.
Just as he was about to lose consciousness, a series of notifications echoed in his mind:
[System Notification]
Initializing...
Blood absorption complete.
Analyzing host compatibility...
Error: Expected female host detected as male.
Confirming genetic lineage...
Genetic verification complete: Seojun is confirmed as only child of [Han]
Exception detected: Lack of female heir.
[System Notification]
Scanning for alternate qualifications...
Han Seojun possesses required ancestral bloodline markers.
Confirming maternal genetic traits present.
Exception override: Initiating system adaptation for male host.
[System Notification]
Binding process commencing...
Transformation into Infinite Ring: Complete.
System Initialization: 80%... 90%... 100%.
[INFINITE SYSTEM ACTIVATED!]
Host: Seojun, first male host in [Han Family]
Note: System adaptation may cause unforeseen effects.
[Welcome, Han Seojun. Please proceed with the system tutorial or explore functionalities at your discretion.]
As the system's voice faded, Seojun lay on the car floor, barely conscious but with a strange sense of newfound purpose.
The book, now stained with his blood, seemed to pulse with a faint, mystical light as it began to draw in the blood with an almost hungry energy.
Suddenly, with a brilliant flash, the book transformed into a ring and slipped onto his finger. A system notification dinged loudly, and a holographic screen materialized in front of him:
DING!
[System Alert: Healing the Host]
Restoring Vitality and Regenerating Wounds...
As the message faded, Seojun felt a soothing warmth spread through his body. His cut arms began to mend, the flesh knitting together with remarkable speed, and the pain subsided as the wounds healed.