Leon then walked to the left side of the room. On the wall, there was another button. Without hesitation, Leon tapped it. And the moment he did, a blue light enveloped a portion of the room, making a blue rectangle on the ground.

Leon walked and stood at one end of the rectangle. He bent his body and took the position sprinters take before they storm forward. Leon lifted his body a little. And then....

Whoosh!

He shot forward with everything he had. He soon reached the opposite end. The length wasn’t much. 20 metres at most. But it was enough to judge a person’s speed based on acceleration, the heartbeat in that short distance, and muscle reaction to the activity. All these were measured by the blue light.

The moment Leon touched the opposite side of the blue rectangle, the metre beside the button lit up.

[11 m/s]

"Damn. I am like those medal winners in the 100 m sprint." Leon said with a smile.

"Should I do the gravity test as well?" He thought for a while before walking up to another side of the room.

He tapped one more button. A grey circle appeared on the ground in the center of the room. Leon then took a remote control from the stand beside the button.

He walked up to the circle and entered it. But the moment his body fully entered the circle, a crushing force pressed on him. His knees almost buckled. His limbs felt heavy. Extremely heavy. Like he would collapse at any moment. He looked at the remote control. On the small square screen, 5 G was written.

"I am glad I didn’t overestimate myself and started with 5 G only. But this is good too."

He straightened his body and endured the pressure for almost one full minute. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore and switched off the system with his remote.

The pressure vanished. But he collapsed on his knees instantly, breathing heavily. Sweat poured from every pore of his body. He dropped to the ground with a thump.

He rested for a while until his breathing returned to normal. After that, he stood up and left the chamber. Though he had paid for one hour, his goal was already achieved.

Seeing Leon come out so quickly, the receptionist was surprised too.

"You are done already?"

"Yep. Thanks for the service." With that, Leon left the gym while humming a tune.

The receptionist stared at Leon’s retreating back. "Rich kids, huh. I wish I had that kind of money, too."

She mistook Leon’s short session for a waste of money. If she knew what Leon’s actual economic condition was, she sure would have given him an earful.

Leon soon returned home and eagerly waited for the 30-hour countdown to end quickly. But sadly, only 16 hours had passed.

Leon looked at his watch. "What the... Are you messing with me intentionally? Why are you moving so slowly?" Leon cursed.

When there was only one hour left before Jenny’s classes ended, Leon left the house to pick her up.

After that, both of them went to the hospital.

A middle-aged woman lay in a hospital bed, unmoving. Her eyes were open but seemed lifeless.

Both the siblings sat beside her. Jenny kissed her on the forehead affectionately. "How are you, Mom? I hope you are doing okay." She started. Leon didn’t say anything, but his heart ached. Seven years ago, his father died in a car accident. His mother was also in that same car. She somehow survived but had been in this condition since then.

Leon now had to take care of the medical bills, Jenny’s school and tuition fees and other monthly expenses..... All on his own. He was working a part-time job, but it was barely helping him get through the days.

’Just wait a little longer, Mom. I promise I will get you fixed.’ Leon promised.

Leon didn’t know if what the mysterious person told was really true, but he was looking forward to it.

Jenny complained about many things to her mother. Like how Leon wasn’t studying properly, and how other students in the school sometimes bullied her. She looked like a child now, crying to her mother.

Leon couldn’t help but smile a bit helplessly. Soon, the visit was over. Before they left, Leon glanced at her mother for one more time. "Wait just a little, Mom. It will be over soon."

Both of them returned home. It was already evening. After dinner, both went to their separate rooms. Jenny kept studying as always.

And Leon. He kept waiting.

Time passed. And finally, it was time.

[00.00.09... 00.00.03... 00.00.01..... 00.00.00]

[Host, the mission has unlocked. Follow the map and reach the target location. You have 24 hours to accept the mission.]

Leon stood up instantly. "Like hell I am going to wait for another 24 hours." He had already changed into a pair of training attire. He was even carrying two knives with him for emergencies.

Without making a sound, he came out and started following the map.

After walking for almost two hours, he finally reached a desolate location inside a forest.

He walked and stopped right where the hexagonal mark on the map was popping in and out.

The moment his legs touched that spot, the space before him distorted. The ground shook, and a colossal gate emerged from the ground. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

It was almost 20 metres high.

[Host, you are now standing before the mission gate. Walk in to accept the mission.

Rewards:

> Monster cores

> Heaven Grade Curse Eradicator Key

Penalty for failing:

> DEATH]

The word ’Death’ was in bold red colour. It was as if the system was warning him to take the mission seriously.

"Death, huh." Leon smiled bitterly. But there was no fear in his eyes. He knew the threat was real. But he wasn’t afraid of dying. He was afraid of seeing his mother suffer for her whole life. He feared his sister being bullied. He feared being useless when some close to him needed his help.

"Nothing comes without a price after all."

He clenched his fist. And then....

He walked inside.