Eric ran through the darkness of his own unconscious mind.
In the dream—
Or rather, the nightmare—
He was back inside the warehouse.
The air smelled of rust and gunpowder.
Shelves cast long shadows like claws stretching across the floor.
Emir's men were screaming—
Not with bravery.
But with fear.
Eric saw their faces twisted in pain.
He saw the impacts.
He heard bones giving way.
With every step he took, the ground beneath him grew darker.
Then—
Emir appeared in front of him.
Not furious.
Not arrogant.
Smiling.
Calm.
Too calm.
He wore a spotless white shirt.
He walked closer.
Slowly.
Then raised his hand—
And touched Eric's chest.
The white shirt began to stain.
A small dot.
Then another.
Then red spread across the fabric like spilled ink.
Eric looked down—
And realized something was wrong.
It wasn't Emir's shirt.
It was his.
The more he tried to wipe it away—
The more blood appeared.
His hands turned red.
Then his arms.
Then his face.
He scrubbed desperately—
But the red wouldn't disappear.
The blood climbed his neck.
Reached his chin.
He started choking.
And then—
He woke up screaming.
The sound echoed through the hospital room—
As if he were still inside the warehouse.
Elena Lin and Lucía Herrera were already there.
Both jumped to their feet.
But Eric barely saw them.
His breathing was erratic.
His eyes wide.
His heart pounding violently against his ribs.
Then—
A hand rested gently on his head.
A hand he had known since childhood.
"Calm down, my son… it's over."
Eric blinked.
Confused.
His mother.
Isabel.
Her hair had more gray than he remembered.
Her eyes were wet—
But steady.
Beside the bed, his father, José, stood in silence.
Arms crossed.
Rigid.
Controlled.
Eric froze.
For a few seconds—
He couldn't speak.
"What… are you doing here?" he murmured. "Am I still dreaming?"
Isabel gave a sad smile.
"Lucía contacted us."
Eric turned his head toward the lawyer.
"How did you know where to find them?"
"You listed your parents in the purchase contracts you signed," Lucía replied, maintaining her professional tone—though her eyes revealed exhaustion.
It took Eric a few seconds to process.
His parents lived abroad.
They had arrived only hours earlier.
They didn't know the details.
Only that their son had been found unconscious—
Beside a young Chinese woman—
On a road.
Isabel held Elena's hand.
"Thank you for paying for our tickets, dear."
Elena blinked, surprised.
"I… it was nothing."
She glanced briefly at Lucía.
She knew the money came from Eric—
But said nothing.
José looked at Lucía.
Elegant.
Composed.
"Are you his boss?"
Lucía opened her mouth—
But Eric interrupted.
"Lucía has helped me a lot."
The answer was vague enough.
And it worked.
The doctors entered shortly after.
They examined Eric.
Pupils.
Blood pressure.
Reflexes.
"What exactly happened?" one of them asked.
Eric hesitated—
For half a second.
"I… overexerted myself."
The silence that followed—
Was heavy.
Isabel turned to him in disbelief.
"You almost died because you exercised too much?!"
Her voice carried real frustration.
"Mom, I—"
"You've always been reckless, but this?" she crossed her arms. "Exercise doesn't do this to someone!"
The doctor watched silently.
"We'll keep him under observation," he said.
A few minutes later, he called Lucía into the hallway.
"Ms. Herrera," he began quietly. "I'm not an idiot."
Lucía remained composed.
"I never suggested you were."
"His shirt was covered in blood when he arrived. That wasn't sweat. We didn't call the police because you intervened and said it was a roadside accident."
His gaze hardened.
"If there's something I need to know, I suggest you tell me now."
Lucía held his gaze.
"He was involved in a dangerous situation. It's being handled."
"I hope so," the doctor replied. "Because if the police find out on their own, the conversation will be very different."
When Lucía returned to the room—
Isabel was holding Eric's hand tightly.
"You're not going to lie to me," she said softly.
Eric looked away.
"I'm not lying."
"You're hiding something."
José finally spoke:
"We don't know what's going on. We just know our son was found unconscious next to a girl on the road."
He looked at Elena.
"And there was blood."
The air grew heavy.
Eric realized something in that moment—
Even trying to protect them—
He had already pulled them too close.
After the doctors asked everyone to leave so Eric could rest—
The room finally fell silent.
Eric was alone.
He looked out the hospital window.
In just a few days—
His life had been torn away from normality.
From convenience store clerk—
To gold negotiator.
From a small apartment—
To luxury hotels.
From an ordinary man—
To someone facing armed mercenaries.
He closed his eyes.
The Midas System.
It had nearly killed him.
But it had also saved him.
With a thought—
The interface appeared.
For the first time—
He felt fear looking at it.
The soft blue glow felt colder now.
A notification blinked.
Congratulations. Your efforts have been rewarded.
You have pushed Hero Mode to its limits.
Level 2 unlocked.
Eric let out a quiet curse.
So the system had a sense of humor.
Or cruelty.
He didn't know what Level 2 meant.
But he knew one thing.
The next time he activated that power—
There might not be a hospital waiting.
And there might not be a mother—
To hold his hand.