"All this money and not a single d*mn thing to make me feel alive."
Chayil tossed his keys onto the sleek marble counter. His aching body flopped onto his couch and he closed his eyes.
His phone buzzed with notifications. But he didn't flinch. He knew exactly what they were.
Business deals and promotion offers from his manager, party invites, exclusive clubs—all the things that should excite him, but none that could give him the thrill he was searching for.
Turning to his side, he saw his reflection in the wall-sized glass window. Even across the expansive suite, he could still see the purplish mark on his face.
By the time Chayil was 29, he had lived it all—wealth, fame, women, alcohol, and every indulgence he thought would bring him happiness.
He'd chased after these things, sure they would fulfill him, just like everyone said they would. But in the end, he was exhausted. None of it satisfied him.
No matter how much he had, he couldn't bring himself to do what he truly wanted.
"Hmm… what should I do next?" he mused, half-heartedly.
Standing up, he lazily poured himself a glass of wine over ice and strolled toward the window.
From his suite, he could see the lights of the city flickering in the distance, illuminating the dark sky like scattered jewels.
His eyes brightened as something caught his attention. "What's that?"
He spotted a light breaking through the dark clouds. It wasn't like any light he had seen before; it was sharp and clear, cutting through the darkness with an unusual glow.
"Is there an event tonight?" he muttered, squinting to get a clearer view. But as he focused, he quickly realized the light was heading straight toward him, growing larger and larger with every passing second.
"F*ck!" Chayil shouted, stumbling backward in a panic.
Heart racing, he scrambled to his feet, only to freeze in place as the ground began to hum.
His entire suite flickered with strange, glowing symbols. A massive circle of light, pulsing with arcane energy, spread across the floor and surrounded him.
The chanting of ancient voices filled the air as if the universe was calling his name.
Chayil blinked. "What the heck is this?"
He spun around, trying to find some kind of escape as the pull of the summoning circle grew stronger, dragging him toward its glowing center.
Chayil bolted to his exit door, confused about what was happening, fingers outstretched for the handle—when suddenly,
BANG!
The door shook violently. Something was on the other side, banging through.
"What the f*ck!" he shouted, backing away as the door splintered.
One more crash, and it burst off its hinges, smashing into the wall.
And there it was.
Truck-kun.
A full-sized truck revved its engine, as if it had just appeared out of thin air in the hotel hallway. Its headlights blazed like twin suns, and the grill gleamed menacingly.
Chayil stood frozen, dumbfounded, watching in disbelief as the truck's tires screeched against the carpet, roaring toward him at full speed.
"How the hell is a truck in here?!" he shouted, his mind struggling to catch up with the madness before him.
The arcane circle was still glowing, its pull growing stronger. A meteor was hurtling toward his window, and now, this maniacal truck was about to flatten him.
What the hell was happening?!
Chayil's eyes darted around the room, desperately searching for a way out.
And then, there it was—a door. A strange, shimmering door that hadn't been there a moment ago. It stood in the center of the room, glowing softly, like the universe's weirdest escape hatch.
"That'll do." Chayil didn't hesitate.
With everything closing in on him—the glowing door was his only shot at survival.
His heart pounded as he sprinted toward it. Without looking back, he threw himself through, eyes squeezed shut.
The last things he heard were the screech of the truck's brakes, the hum of the arcane circle, and the deafening roar of the meteor crashing down—before everything went black.
…
…
A few seconds passed, and nothing seemed to happen.
"Yes! I won!"
Chayil's eyes remained shut, but he heard the voice of an old man.
'Huh? A man?' he thought, confused. He opened his eyes, quickly assessing the situation.
As his vision cleared, he noticed clouds beneath him. Confused, he fully opened his eyes and realized he was standing on a cloud, surrounded by a vast expanse of white.
"What is going on here?" he blurted out. "Where am I?"
"I can give you an explanation if you want," a man's voice suddenly replied from behind him.
Chayil turned around and saw an old man standing there, smiling at him. But something about him felt... off, like he didn't quite belong in this world.
The man wore a white robe that seemed to glow softly, as if it were made of light itself rather than fabric. A silver belt shimmered around his waist, catching the light in a way that made it almost seem alive.
"Who are you?"
"You can call me 'Mr. Goodness,'" the old man replied with a serene smile.
Chayil nodded slowly, trying to wrap his head around the bizarre situation. "Okay, then. Am I dead already, 'Mr. Goodness'?"
He glanced quickly down his body and was relieved to see that everything seemed to be in order. "So what's my verdict — hell or heaven?"
A sneer lifted his lips as he recalled all the reckless things he had done in his life. "I know. I shouldn't have asked."
"Nope, you're not dead," Mr. Goodness replied, a knowing smile spreading across his face. "I'm sending you to another world—one where magic exists—and you'll help me fix my problem."
"A magical world?" Chayil's eyes lit up with curiosity. "A problem? Why me, old man—I mean, Mr. Goodness?"
Mr. Goodness didn't answer directly. Instead, he raised an eyebrow and said, "I know you're looking for freedom and something interesting to you, am I right?"
"Well, yes," Chayil nodded.
"It doesn't matter what my problem is as long as you're satisfied, don't you think?" Mr. Goodness challenged him.
Chayil's eyes sparkled and gleamed as he listened. "You have a point there."
"Don't worry, I'll make you a Hero class," Mr. Goodness added, his smile widening. "I'll max out all your skills and levels for you. I'll even give you a rare Rank S skill."
"Status!" Mr. Goodness commanded, and a black screen flickered to life in front of him, glowing with white text. But when Chayil tried to read it, the words were completely foreign, the language not making any sense at all.
"Let me see," Mr. Goodness leaned close to the screen, squinting to read the text. "Cha...yil... Stone...bri...ar."
After typing in the name, he quickly pressed a button to start the process.
"There you go, now I can create your Clas... cla…"
Mr. Goodness suddenly sounded like a broken record, his words stuttering and repeating.
"Is something wrong?" Chayil asked, glancing at the screen and noticing it was completely blank.
The old man quickly closed the status screen, trying to keep his composure despite the sweat glistening on his forehead, as if something had gone awry.
"Anyway! I'll get back to you with more details. Good luck, Chayil," the old man said with a forced smile.
Chayil felt a foreboding wash over him, sensing that something wasn't quite right.
"Wai—"
But before he could finish speaking, the entire area was flooded with a blinding light.
"Shit!"
Chayil instinctively shut his eyes against the overwhelming brightness, which felt like light bursting from a steel beam being welded.
Slowly, he tried to open his eyes, but the blinding light left his vision blurry.
He leaned forward, blinking to regain his sight, and noticed trees towering before him.
"Is this the magical world Mr. Goodness was talking about?" a wide grin spread across his face as he glanced around.
Around him were trees reaching high into the sky. The sunlight filtered through the leaves and cast shadows on the grass that covered the forest floor.
Still dazed by everything, Chayil suddenly heard the pounding of galloping horses. He spun around and saw a group of riders racing toward him.
"Wait, what era am I?"
Before he could react, someone grabbed him from behind and yanked him into the tall grass.
As they crouched down, the woman who had pulled Chayil into the grass shot him a sharp look and pressed a finger to her lips, signaling him to stay silent.
Chayil's eyes flicked between her and the riders speeding past. They seemed to be in pursuit of something—or someone.
***
The riders had already gone, but Chayil couldn't stop staring at the woman. His heart raced as he leaned closer, taking in her features.
He had met many beautiful women before—actresses, models, even some from other countries—but she was different.
Her beauty seemed almost unreal. Her delicate face gave her a calm and kind look, but her crimson eyes hinted at something stronger.
Her long, white hair flowed down her back, and the subtle fragrance that drifted from it was intoxicating.
It stirred something deep within him, awakening a desire he hadn't felt in a long time.
She wasn't just beautiful—she was captivating.
"Can we have sex?" he blurted out.