"That's him."
Before Ethan could even run or scream, a blow struck the back of his head.
Everything went dark after that.
He collapsed, unconscious.
Two of them quickly lifted him up while the third popped open the car's trunk.
They stuffed Ethan inside without wasting a second.
All three then jumped in, and the car vanished down the road like a ghost.
The whole process barely took two or three minutes.
When he opened his eyes again, Ethan was tied to a wooden chair—arms behind his back, ropes digging into his skin.
The air was damp.
The dim light above buzzed faintly, flickering like it might go out any second.
A warehouse.
A filthy, run-down, empty place. Cold concrete floor. Rusty steel walls. Stale smell of blood and oil.
And standing in front of him—
The same three men.
One of them cracked his knuckles and walked forward with a steel pipe.
"Piece of trash. Know why you're here?"
Ethan didn't reply.
The man didn't wait.
BAM!
The pipe struck his ribs.
Ethan coughed out blood instantly.
"Why are you doing this? What did I ever do wrong to you?"
But none of them replied.
Another blow.
Then another.
He lost count of how many times they hit him. His vision blurred, his ears rang, and his body screamed in pain.
He could barely breathe.
Then—click.
The man with the pipe pulled out a silenced pistol.
"You should feel lucky, really. If the boss had come here himself, then your torture would've been far worse.
He would've turned you into a dead dog.
The Wakes family was once a notorious assassin clan—killing for money long before dungeons ever appeared.
And now?
They wear the mask of decent people over their criminal faces."
Ethan's head slumped forward. His breath was ragged. Weak. But his mind buzzed.
"So that scum bag didn't just steal my woman, he wants to kill me as well."
His heart felt cold. Not from fear—but from regret.
"So this is how it's going to end? I could do nothing for my family. For mom. For Anna and Jamie."
His mind began to flash with memories—
Alice smiling. Though he hated her now, her memories still wouldn't leave him.
Then there was his family.
His mother coughing in bed.
Jamie asking for new school shoes.
Anna holding a broken doll.
He gave everything he had. But in the end…
He still failed.
Tears streamed down his face—not from the pain, but from the realization:
He never got to protect them.
He never got to enjoy anything for himself.
He was just… useless.
"If only…" he thought.
"If only I had strength…"
His lips moved silently, forming one final wish:
"Then I would've freed this world from devils like them. Cleansed it completely—like wiping out poisonous weeds."
BANG!
The bullet pierced his heart.
Ethan's eyes widened.
Everything started turning black.
⸻
…
[DING!]
[System Initialization Complete.]
[Congratulations, Ethan Wolfe.]
[You have been chosen as the Host of the Titan Wallet Protocol.]
[Welcome, Host.]
A glowing blue screen appeared in front of Ethan.
Ethan was still floating in void, his body barely visible and his mind was somehow holding on.
"What… is this…?"
[You have been chosen as the host for this protocol.]
"What? But why me?"
[Consider yourself lucky and myself unlucky that I got struck with a loser like you. There were two preconditions for being selected. 1. A man at his death's door. 2. A desperation to right the wrong. Somehow you fulfilled both of them.]
"You are also looking down on me? Then you can leave and choose another host." Ethan's heart was already filled with remorse. And the system's statement just angered him even more."
[I can't. I will be transferred to the next candidate only when you die. But if I let you die without my best effort to save you, then I will cease to exist as well.]
"Oh! Is that so. Then you better show some respect to me. So what is this system you are blabbering about? And how should I address you?"
[This is Titan Wallet Protocol. You have been granted $1 Trillion in System Credit. And whenever you want to have a conversation with me, you can address me calling Halo]
"$ 1 Trillion? Are you for real? I just got that much money?" Ethan was totally dumbfounded. Even a rich tycoon in the whole city won't have that much money.
[Yes. It's absolutely true. And for spending money you will earn evaluation point-EP]
[Use EP to increase your personal Stats.]
"Evaluation points." Ethan murmured.
[When all Stats reach 10, you will ascend to the next level.]
[Stats will then reset to 0 and begin a new tier.]
[Would you like to view your current Status?]
"Yes…" he whispered, almost unconsciously.
The panel changed and words started to form.
[Host : Ethan Wolfe
Current Level: Newbie (0)
Strength: 2
Stamina: 1
Speed: 1
Perception: 1
IQ: 2
Magic: 1
Total Evolution Points (EP): 0
Available Credit: $1,000,000,000,000
Next Evolution Requirement: All Stats = 10
Total Points Required: 52 EP
1 EP = $100]
Ethan stared at the panel, stunned.
He hesitated.
Was this even real? A glowing screen in the void, voices in his head, a trillion dollars? It sounded like something straight out of a fantasy game.
"Am I… dreaming?" he whispered. "Is this what dying feels like?"
But the pain still lingered. The regret still burned. And deep down, something told him… this was real.
This was his second chance.
He thought was dead.
But here he was.
With a System… that was offering him everything he ever wanted.
Power. Choice. Wealth. Freedom.
For his family. For revenge. For himself.
His fists clenched.
And for the first time in his life… Ethan smiled.
"Mom… Anna… Jamie… just wait a little longer," he thought. "I'll make sure none of you ever have to suffer again."
And to those who hurt him?
A dark and bloodied smile crept his face.
"You'll regret not ensuring I stayed dead."
"Let's begin."
To Be Continued…