The pain… was unbearably intense.
A sharp pain gripped his stomach violently, as if something inside him was tearing slowly. The dream world, which just moments ago had been full of joy and tranquility, suddenly shattered without warning.
Morgan, who had been dreaming of simple, warm happiness, felt an unnatural pain flare up in his abdomen, a strange, overwhelming pain, as if he had gone an entire week without going to the bathroom.
"Ouch…"
He groaned softly, and in shock, he tried to turn and look at his stomach, but his body did not respond. He could not move his limbs, nor even lift his head, as if control over his body had been completely taken from him.
It was as if… he were paralyzed.
"Considering the situation, I must still be dreaming."
He tried to convince himself of that.
"Maybe I'll wake up soon… I'm completely sure this is just a dream. I've experienced something similar before."
Morgan was used to strange dreams, so he tried—as he always did—to focus, to force himself to wake up. But this time was different.
Even though he was sure he was still dreaming, he felt something unusual. Random thoughts kept slipping into his mind, breaking his focus relentlessly.
"Why am I suddenly feeling this pain in my stomach… in the middle of the night?"
His face contorted from the intensity of the pain.
"It… really hurts."
Then a humiliating thought occurred to him.
"Could… could I need to go to the bathroom?"
His eyes widened—or rather, if he could have opened them.
"Damn… don't tell me I'm going to poop my pants! No, I don't want that! I'd die of embarrassment if it happens!"
Panic swept over him.
"I want to wake up now! Right now!"
He tried to focus even harder this time, forcing his mind to hold onto a single thought:
Wake up.
No matter what, he had to wake up immediately.
And suddenly—
His vision was engulfed in blackness, as if a curtain had been drawn over his consciousness. Before he could make sense of what was happening, he heard strange, indistinct words whispering in his mind in a tone he could not identify.
Then—
He regained control of his body.
He took a deep breath and finally opened his eyes.
A foul smell hit him as soon as he opened his eyes.
"Don't tell me… I really did it!"
He said it aloud, terrified. His heart pounded violently in his chest as he lifted his head quickly, but the next moment he collided with something solid and heavy, a blow that forced him to recoil sharply.
He fell on his back and groaned, holding his head.
"Ah… this hurts…"
He lay there for a few seconds, catching his breath before calming slightly. Only then did he fix his gaze on the space he was in.
It was a narrow area, like a small square box, barely big enough for an adult. The walls around him were rough and worn, and the ceiling was so low he hit it immediately when he tried to stand.
He looked around anxiously… and froze in place.
Trash.
Trash surrounded his body from every direction—torn bags, rotting food scraps, and things he didn't even want to think about. The smell that had hit his nose earlier had become unbearable.
"This… is not my room."
Fear seeped into his voice without him realizing it.
He tried to stand quickly, but had to pause as the stench intensified, hitting his nose relentlessly. After a brief struggle, he noticed a cover above him.
He lifted the cover cautiously.
Immediately, he shut his eyes tightly.
The sunlight was painfully bright. He raised his hand in front of his face to block it before slowly opening his eyes.
Suddenly, his eyes fell upon a scene he had never seen before.
A dilapidated street stretched before him, its ground cracked and covered in layers of mud and dust. Surrounding him were decaying buildings, their walls crumbling and windows either shattered or boarded up with old wooden planks. The place looked like a neighborhood long forgotten, with no trace of the comfortable life he had known.
Before he could fully take in the scene, he saw a strange creature passing by.
It was dragging a large cart made of rusty wood and warped iron, squeaking unpleasantly with each step. Its body was not entirely human—its posture was twisted, and its features hidden beneath a tattered cloth covering its face.
Morgan froze in place.
And in that moment, one thought crept into his mind…
"Could it be that I… have been transported?"
His eyes widened slightly, and he felt his heart pounding. He had grown up reading web novels, and many times he had imagined scenes exactly like what he was seeing now. Yet, despite all those imaginings, accepting this situation was incredibly difficult when he found himself actually inside one.
It was fun… when it was just fiction.
"Calm… calm… calm…"
Morgan spoke to himself quietly, trying to steady his breath after moments of shock. He took several deep breaths, and with each one, he felt his body and soul gradually relaxing. With the calming of mind and body, memories began to seep into his mind gently, as if emerging from a deep long-forgotten place, slowly forming a complete picture in his imagination.
Ryan Klemen, an orphaned child, had belonged to the Harbin Empire. His parents had died when he was young due to one of the Carmens losing control.
As for the world he now found himself in… it resembled Earth but was entirely different, almost like a future version of it. A massive phenomenon had occurred on Earth, altering the laws of nature and making it possible for anyone to gain superhuman powers. But the path to acquiring them was not easy. Anyone who sought power had to undergo harsh trials, some of which could even be deadly.
Ryan himself, having grown up poor, had almost nothing. He was forced to steal at times just to find something to eat, and every time someone caught him, he would be beaten.
Morgan's mind raced as his eyes darted around in every direction. Suddenly, the pain pierced his stomach again, sharp and intense, making him quickly look down at himself. When he did, he saw something he never expected… a strange shard of glass inside his stomach.
He felt a powerful shock run through him, his entire body trembling.
"Damn… what is this thing in my stomach?" he muttered quietly, his hands shaking as he reached toward the glass.
He moved slowly, hesitantly, but finally managed to grasp the strange piece. He closed his eyes tightly before pulling it out quickly, unable to face what he might see. He turned his head swiftly, his heart pounding violently as he feared he would see blood gushing from his stomach.
He waited for long seconds, looking at his hands and then at the spot where the glass had been… but nothing happened. He felt no additional pain and noticed no bleeding.
He slowly gathered his courage and opened his eyes, cautiously looking at his stomach again. The surprise was even greater… his stomach looked completely normal, as if nothing had happened, and as if the shard of glass had never been inside him at all.