After Zhao Yan and his friends finally sped off, the crowd that had gathered began to scatter, whispering among themselves. Li Wen stayed hunched over, breath ragged, pain echoing through every inch of his body. Blood streaked his shirt; dirt clung to his skin. Every movement sent sharp pain through his ribs.
But beneath all that pain, something else started to burn—a stubborn spark that refused to die.
"If I ever get strong… just wait," he muttered, jaw tight. "I'll make them regret ever touching me."
He staggered toward his fallen motorcycle, trying to lift it upright. The world tilted. A wave of dizziness hit, forcing him to grab the handlebar for balance. That's when he noticed it—the black ring on his finger, faintly glowing blue in the sunlight.
"What… the hell?" He tugged at it, but it didn't move. Panic crawled up his spine. It was just an old keepsake—his grandmother's gift from last year. A simple black band, carved with tiny patterns. She said it had been passed down through generations, a reminder of their roots. Nothing more.
Yet the glow grew brighter. The air around him warped, colors shifting. His vision blurred as gravity seemed to twist out of shape.
Before he could breathe, everything went dark.
When the light returned, the street was gone.
Li Wen stood in a forest—ancient, wild, and silent. The trees towered like giants, their bark dark and gnarled. The air smelled of damp earth and metal. In the distance, a small wooden house crouched between the shadows.
"Where… am I?" he whispered. Every rustle, every chirp, made his nerves twitch.
His stomach growled, sharp and painful. He hadn't eaten since morning. "Ugh… great. Starving to death in a hallucination," he muttered.
Then he saw them—fruits hanging from a nearby tree, dark red like drops of blood. They shimmered faintly in the dim light, the scent sweet and strangely inviting.
"They look like apples… right?" he said to himself. "Shouldn't be poisonous…"
He hesitated only a moment before plucking one and taking a bite.
The taste hit him—sweet, tangy, almost electric. He blinked. "Whoa… that's insane." One bite became two, then three. Before he realized it, he'd devoured five.
Warmth spread through him, melting the pain away. His body felt light, then strong. Energy surged through his veins, pulsing with raw vitality. His muscles tightened, hardened—his arms and legs no longer weak and sore but alive, full of strength.
"What… is this?"
Li Wen looked down at his hands. They trembled—not from fear, but power. He bent a fallen branch; it snapped like dry straw. He ran, jumped, landed cleanly—each motion smooth and precise. His stamina, speed, and balance felt unreal.
"The fruit…" he whispered. "It has to be the fruit."
The memory of Zhao Yan flashed across his mind. The pain. The humiliation. His jaw clenched.
"If I can master this power… no one will ever hurt me again."
He turned toward the wooden house, curiosity stirring. The forest around him seemed to breathe—wind rustling like whispers, the ground pulsing faintly beneath his feet. Every sound, every shadow, felt sharper now.
"This power… it's real."
He took a step, then another, body responding effortlessly to every movement. The strength was intoxicating—controlled yet fierce. For the first time in his life, Li Wen felt… right.
But the world didn't stay still.
Without warning, the air cracked. The forest spun, colors twisting into streaks of green and brown. Wind howled past him as the ground vanished beneath his feet. Then—
Light.
He was back. The street. The motorcycle. The sun. Everything exactly as before.
Li Wen dropped to his knees, breathing hard. The glow faded from his ring, leaving only cold metal. But he could still feel it—the strength in his arms, the fire in his chest.
He stood, brushed off the dirt, and swung a leg over his motorcycle. The engine roared to life.
"Next time…" he murmured, eyes burning. "They'll regret ever messing with me."
As he sped down the street, wind tearing past his face, he could feel it deep inside—the change. The pain and humiliation were still there, but something new had awakened.
Power.
And for the first time ever, Li Wen wasn't afraid. He was ready to rise.