Stepping out of the elevator, Winston was immediately taken aback by the rooftop football pitch.
Perched atop the Celestial Bridge Hotel, the private pitch was renowned for its breathtaking scenery. The hotel overlooked the Hartford coastline, with a golden beach stretching along the left side and the city's bustling downtown skyline rising to the right. The panoramic view alone made the rooftop one of the hotel's biggest attractions.
Many professional footballers chose to stay at the Celestial Bridge during their vacations, booking the elite suites specifically so they could train privately on this exclusive rooftop pitch.
The pitch itself measured forty-two meters long and twenty-two meters wide, enclosed by towering safety fences that allowed an unobstructed view of the ocean and the city below.
Near the entrance was a luxurious lounge area furnished with plush sofas, elegant dining tables, and several beverage vending machines, offering guests a place to relax between training sessions. For a moment, Winston simply stood there, taking in the spectacular view. It was hard to believe that a football pitch overlooking the sea could exist atop a hotel.
Winston stepped onto the polished black marble floor and leaned against the balcony railing, watching the two businessmen play a one-on-one match on the rooftop pitch. Nothing about their game impressed him. They were clearly amateurs, clumsily dribbling the ball and misplacing simple touches.
Folding his arms, Winston absentmindedly tapped his fingers against his sleeve as he gazed up at the half moon. Minutes stretched into what felt like hours while he patiently waited for them to finish. Eventually, the two men took a break and called Winston over. "Could you hand us those bottles of water?"
Winston passed them each a bottle. As they drank, they resumed chatting while admiring the glittering Hartford skyline. A few moments later, one of them received a phone call. "I've got to go."
He quickly gathered his belongings and headed for the elevator, leaving his friend behind. The remaining man glanced at Winston and motioned him over.
"Hey, do you know the girl working at the reception desk?"
Winston shook his head. "No."
"Oh... never mind."
The man casually tried to flick his empty water bottle between his feet as though dribbling a football. He mistimed the touch, and the bottle rolled off the pitch toward the lounge area.
Without even looking back, he said, "Pick that up for me," before walking into the elevator. While bending down to retrieve the bottle, Winston heard the elevator doors begin to close. He looked up just in time to see the man already talking on his phone.
Winston simply shook his head. He tossed the empty bottle into the nearest trash bin and looked toward the empty pitch.
Finally... I have the rooftop all to myself. The first thing I'll do is run until that feeling returns.
Without wasting another second, Winston began jogging around the perimeter of the field. Each time he reached the entrance side of the pitch, he increased his pace. Lap after lap, he waited for the familiar sensation to return—nothing.
After several minutes, he summoned the Core System. No notifications—no progress—no change. Refusing to give up, Winston accelerated again, sprinting around the rooftop like a man possessed. Sweat drenched his clothes as one hour became two.
Panting heavily, he opened the Core System once more. Still nothing—his brows knitted together. Why isn't the Core System counting any of the running I've been doing for the past two hours?
As Winston stared out at the moonlit sea from the rooftop, an unsettling sensation spread through his body. It began as a faint tingling deep within his abdomen.
Then it multiplied—it felt as though thousands of ants were crawling beneath his skin, burrowing through his muscles and organs.
"What...?"
Panic seized him—he stumbled toward the outdoor refrigerator, yanked it open, grabbed a bottle of water, and drained it in one breath. The water did nothing. The sensation only intensified.
It spread rapidly through his chest, arms, and legs until every inch of his body felt alive with countless tiny creatures tearing through him. Winston clenched his jaw, he wanted to scream. He wanted to slam himself into the nearest wall just to make the sensation stop.
Instead, he staggered backward, gripping the edge of a table for support. Inside his body, the Nethen Essence had awakened once more. Thin streams of Nethen Essence surged through his body like countless glowing veins, weaving between his muscles and organs before converging toward his abdomen. There, the Nethen Essence siphoned energy from every muscle fiber before refining it into condensed essence.
Moments later, the stored essence exploded outward. Ripple after ripple raced through his body, flooding every limb with violent force. Dark veins surfaced beneath his skin, spreading across his arms, neck, and face like black roots.
"Ugh..."
Winston collapsed onto one knee—his vision blurred. His throat became unbearably dry, each breath harsher than the last. It felt as though his lungs had forgotten how to draw in air. He reached for his chest, gasping desperately, while another wave surged through him, stronger than the one before.
[Nethen Essence: 30%]
Another ripple tore through his body.
Thump!
His heart hammered violently against his ribs, each beat stronger than the last. Winston collapsed onto his back, his chest rising and falling in ragged breaths. Above him, the half moon hung silently in the night sky, indifferent to his suffering.
I have to hang on...I can't die here.
He gritted his teeth and tried to push himself to his feet. His arms trembled. His legs refused to obey. Beneath his skin, multicolored vein-like channels pulsed with every wave of the Nethen Essence, glowing faintly as they carried rippling currents throughout his body. Each pulse sent a wave of numbness through his limbs, stealing the strength from his muscles.
"Come on..."
Winston planted both palms against the cold rooftop floor and forced himself upward. His knees buckled almost immediately. He crashed back onto the ground, breathing harder than before.
The strange currents continued to surge through him, each wave stronger than the last, making it feel as though his entire body was being dismantled and rebuilt from the inside out.
[Nethen Essence: 60%]
Winston lost all feeling in his arms. Lying flat on the rooftop pitch, he let out a hollow chuckle.
So this is how I die... killed by the very system I thought I could rely on. I should've told someone I was coming up here.
His breathing grew shallower with every passing second. White, glowing tubes spread from his abdomen, branching through his body like roots beneath his skin. Multicolored veins pulsed alongside them, flashing in rhythmic waves that resembled chasing LED lights.
Winston never saw the spectacle. His vision had already begun to fade. Darkness crept in from the edges of his sight until the lights beneath his skin gradually dimmed... one by one... leaving him motionless on the rooftop.
[Nethen Essence: 70%]
The multicolored veins protruding beneath his skin began to writhe slowly before accelerating with frightening speed.
"Ghh...!"
The pain was unbearable. Agony tore through every inch of his body as the glowing veins surged violently beneath his flesh. Each pulse brought an even greater wave of torment, forcing broken groans from Winston's throat as he clutched his abdomen.
Unable to endure it, he rolled onto his stomach and repeatedly slammed his forehead against the lush, perfectly trimmed grass, hoping the impact would distract him from the pain.
It nothing changed. His body continued to convulse as another wave ripped through him.
"...Ahhh!"
Defeated, Winston slowly rolled onto his back. His chest rose and fell in shallow, uneven breaths as he stared blankly at the half-moon overhead. For the first time since receiving the Core System... He began to accept that this might be the end.
[Nethen Essence: 80%]
"What was the point of all this... Am I really just going to die on the rooftop of the famous Celestial Bridge Hotel?" A bitter laugh escaped him before another groan forced its way out. "I nearly ruined someone else's career... and now I've destroyed my own."
"Maybe the Core System finally got tired of watching me push my body past its limits." His eyes drifted toward the moon. "I should've been with my family right now. I was supposed to surprise them tomorrow..."
His throat tightened. "Instead... they'll probably be bringing my body home."
[Nethen Essence: 90%]
Nethen Essence streamed through Winston in tube-like currents beneath his skin. The protruding veins gradually receded, their multicolored glow fading until they turned ghostly white. A bitter chill spread from those channels, freezing his muscles from the inside out.
Deep within his abdomen, the Nethen Essence began to rotate. Slowly at first—then faster. The spinning core disturbed the surrounding air, creating faint ripples that spread across the rooftop. The breeze circled him, growing stronger with each passing second until it became a howling vortex.
Winston closed his eyes. So... this is it. The roaring wind surged toward him.
But...
Ding!
[Awakenings Complete]
[Nethen Essence: Wakening]
[Nethen Essence: Level 1]
[Voltage Core: wakening]
[Voltage core: Level 1]
[Congratulation to the user]
Winston jolted awake and immediately looked at the Core System notifications. His entire body was drenched in sweat. Still breathing heavily, he rubbed his abdomen, wondering if every awakening was this brutal. After scanning the rooftop one last time, he hurried toward the exit.
He burst into a sprint. Before he realized it—
Bang!
His face slammed into the elevator doors.
"Ow!"
He stumbled backward, clutching his nose as warm blood trickled between his fingers. Confused, he glanced back toward the spot where he had been lying moments ago.
What just happened...?
As he stared at his reflection in the mirrored elevator doors, a strange numbness crept across the back of his head.
Was that... the Voltage Core? Did I just use it without even trying?
The elevator doors slid open. Winston stepped inside, but his eyes drifted to the nearby stairwell. Instead of entering, he took a slow breath.
Then—he exploded forward. His feet barely seemed to touch the stairs as he shot downward, weaving past the railings in a blur. The walls rushed by so quickly they became streaks of color.
Within seconds, he had descended floor after floor. Then the cost arrived. A stabbing pain erupted from his abdomen. His lungs burned as though every breath scraped against dry sandpaper. His legs suddenly felt heavy, forcing him to stagger into the hotel corridor. Each unsteady step echoed through the silent hallway.
"...Damn..."
Supporting himself against the wall, Winston slowly made his way to his room. After fumbling his keycard from his pocket, he unlocked the door and sighed in relief when he saw Oswin wasn't inside.
He collapsed onto the edge of the bed. The numbness returned, spreading through every muscle in his body. Before he could even think about what had happened...
Darkness claimed him.
End of Book/Volume One