John Knight felt like a total failure. His wife, after seven years together, had become the mistress of his boss, and the child she was carrying wasn't even his. Now, on top of that, he had lost his job.
Hitting rock bottom like this, he realized something: just being a good-looking man didn't mean he was successful. Good looks couldn't put food on the table, and in the end, a handsome man would always lose to a rich one.
"Lost my wife, lost my job, got no money, and the kid I raised for seven years isn't even mine... Is death the only way out?" John Knight thought to himself.
Just then, he felt something sharp pressing into his back, followed by a cold voice saying, "Don't move, give me the money!"
Could things get any worse? At this point, he had lost everything, and now he was getting robbed?
John Knight gave a bitter laugh. "Buddy, do I look like a guy with money? Look at me."
Indeed, John didn't look like someone who had any money. His suit was wrinkled, probably hadn't been washed in a month, and the shoes he was wearing had a noticeable hole. If a wealthy person dressed like this, then there would be no such thing as poverty.
"Quit talking, give me the money, or I'll stab you right here!" The man pressed the knife harder into his back, his voice cold.
"Alright, alright... But I'd recommend you stab me here." John Knight pointed to his chest and spoke calmly, "That way, I'll die quicker. My life's been a failure, and I don't want to be a ghost suffering for eternity."
The man hesitated, unsure whether to take John's advice. Suddenly, John seemed to remember something and started fumbling around in his pockets.
The robber tensed. "Don't move! What are you doing?"
John Knight smiled. "You want money, right? I'm giving it to you."
With that, he pulled out a wad of bills from his pocket. "This is my wife's 'parting gift' to me. Two thousand bucks. Take it, I don't need it anymore."
The man froze, staring at the two thousand dollars, unsure whether to take it or not.
John Knight continued, "After you take the money, do me a favor and stab me. A quick one. If you're too squeamish to kill, just leave the knife with me. I'll use it to end things myself."
"You're crazy!" The man gave John a final glance, snatched the money from his hand, and ran off without a second thought.
"Hey! Wait up!" John shouted after him.
The man, perhaps fearing John would change his mind, bolted even faster, disappearing into the night.
John muttered to himself, "You didn't have to run so fast. I just wanted to tell you there's a hundred bucks in my underwear pocket. I don't need it. What's the point of leaving it there when I'm about to die?"
But of course, the man couldn't hear that.
After bidding farewell to the robber, John Knight made his way to the rooftop of the Grand Tower Building. During his walk, he had nearly stepped into traffic at least three times, hoping some careless driver might run him over. But no, all the drivers seemed too cautious, even at night, speeding only sparingly.
If this were Los Angeles, he would have been run over at the crosswalk. Damn it, John thought bitterly.
With no other choice, he decided to jump.
"Here it is. The eighteenth floor. If I jump from here, I'll definitely be done for."
He closed his eyes, mentally preparing himself, and took a step forward…
A second later, something felt wrong. His body didn't feel like it was falling toward the ground as he had expected.
"Kid, what's going on? Planning to die so quickly?" Suddenly, a voice rang in John's mind.
"Who?" John instinctively shouted, looking around.
That was when he realized he was no longer in the building. Instead, he was in a place he didn't recognize, surrounded by pitch-black darkness, not a single soul in sight.
"Don't bother looking. You can't see me. I'm just curious. Most people who come up here to kill themselves think about it for hours. They relive every moment of their life, from kindergarten to their final moments. I even start to worry for them. But you? You didn't hesitate for a minute. You just decided to die and went for it, so I was curious and wanted to ask you why," the voice said, sounding genuinely intrigued.
John Knight, irritated and feeling more miserable than ever, snapped back, "You're curious? Really? I'm about to die, and you're using my misery as your entertainment? What kind of sick joke is this?"
"You don't have to report to me before you die, but after you do, you'd better check in with me," the voice replied. "I was just curious, that's all."
"Hades?" John Knight's mind raced as he recognized the name.
"Hades? Ugh, what a terrible name. But if you want to call me that, feel free," the voice responded indifferently.
"You... why do you want to know?" Despite having already given up on life, John Knight still felt a twinge of fear when he heard the voice claim to be Hades.
"It's nothing, just pure curiosity. So, tell me, why do you want to die?" Hades replied.
The mention of it made John Knight's heart sink. This was the first person, or... whatever he was, to ask about his troubles since being abandoned. Well, he wasn't exactly human, but it didn't matter. At least someone was listening. John Knight suddenly found himself sharing his entire story, from beginning to end.
Once he finished, John Knight inexplicably felt a bit lighter. It seemed that sometimes, all a person needed was someone to talk to.
"Such a thing happened to you?" Hades said, sounding both shocked and angered after hearing John Knight's tale. "What a bastard that boss of yours is! And your ex-wife—what a piece of work! Five years of love, and she values it at just two thousand bucks? Damn, she's even colder than I am!"
John Knight, feeling utterly defeated, muttered, "What else can I do at this point? My life's already a mess, I've got nothing left. If you want my worthless life, take it!"
Hades seemed to think for a moment before suddenly saying, "Kid, seeing how miserable you are, I'll offer you a chance to start over. How about it?"
"Start over? What do you mean?"
"I mean, I'll let you live again."
"No way!" John Knight said decisively.
"Why not?" Hades asked, puzzled. "This is something many people dream of—after they die, they regret it and beg me for a second chance, but they never get it."
John Knight replied, "That's because they didn't really want to die. Me? I'm broke, I've got no power, no connections, no future, no hope. My wife left me for someone else, and I can't do anything about it. I've never had a happy moment in my life, and even if I were to live again, what difference would it make? You want me to suffer a second time? No thanks, just let me die."
"Hmm... I see," Hades seemed to realize the issue, then added, "What if I gave you a little special ability?"
"A special ability?" John Knight asked, intrigued.
"Like the ability to read other people's thoughts. How about that?"
Reading minds? That sounded interesting! John Knight's eyes lit up. But after giving it some thought, he shook his head.
"Why not?" Hades asked, more confused.
"Because some people's thoughts are easy to see through already. Like my old boss and my ex-wife. Even if I could understand their thoughts more clearly, what would it change? It would just make me feel more disgusted, and I still wouldn't be able to do anything about it."
"Interesting point of view," Hades replied. "What if I taught you some really powerful martial arts? That way, you'd have the strength to do something about it."
John Knight's eyes widened. Now that was tempting! He had always wanted to beat his old boss into a pulp. With this ability, that dream could actually come true, right?
"Looks like you're in," Hades chuckled.
Suddenly, John Knight felt a pressure in his head, as if something was being forcibly shoved into his mind. His body felt like it was going to explode from the strain, a feeling so intense it almost made him scream. But just as suddenly, it vanished, leaving behind a strange sense of rebirth.
Hades spoke again, "I've just unlocked your potential. You now have the ability to read people's minds, and your strength is ten times greater than before. The martial arts skills I've given you are already embedded in your mind. Just think about it, and you'll know how to use them. With these powers, as long as you don't encounter some crazy strong opponents, you'll be able to walk through the world with ease. It'll also make it easier for you to do things for me."
"Wait... you want me to do things for you?" John Knight asked, taken aback.
"Of course," Hades replied with a smirk. "There's no such thing as a free lunch. I've given you all these abilities, and in return, you're going to do a few things for me."
"Fine, fine! I'll do anything you want!" John Knight said quickly, the thought of turning his life around filling him with hope. He was eager to take any chance he could to turn things around and finally gain control.
But as the words left his mouth, a flicker of doubt crossed his mind. If the things Hades wanted him to do were beyond his abilities, what would happen? After all, this was Hades—the very figure of power. Displeasing him could mean... something far worse than death.
"Heh, second thoughts?" Hades teased.
"No! Huh? How did you know?" John Knight stammered.
"I know everything," Hades said casually. "I can make you read others' thoughts—so of course I can read yours."
John Knight felt a cold sweat on his back. He suddenly realized something, "Wait... if I can read people's thoughts, why can't I read yours?"
Hades laughed, "Because I'm far stronger than you! You can only read the thoughts of people weaker than you. As for me, well, you're not strong enough to read my mind."
"Lord Hades," John Knight said, a bit bolder now, "since you've already made my power ten times greater, why not just make it a hundred, or a thousand? That way, I wouldn't need to train, and it'd be easier for me to do things for you, right?"
Hades growled, "You little brat, do you think I don't want that? Unfortunately, your human body is too complex and fragile. I've already modified your bones and muscles, unlocking the first layer of your potential. Ten times more power is the limit. If I pushed it further, your body wouldn't be able to handle it and would explode. And without a body, even I can't stop you from dying!"
"So... this is just the first layer of my potential?" John Knight asked, disappointed.
Hades replied, "Let me put it this way. Human potential is divided into nine layers. Ordinary people can only unlock the first layer, elite individuals may reach the second, and there are very few who can reach the third. Those who exceed that are practically unheard of. The martial arts I gave you will help you unlock more layers over time. If you keep working at it, you might even reach the ninth layer. With each layer you unlock, your strength will grow exponentially. But for now, I can only unlock your first layer. If I tried to go further, your body would collapse. The path to becoming stronger is gradual. You'll have to work hard on your own to get stronger!"
John Knight felt a small sense of disappointment, but nodded, "Alright, so what exactly do you want me to do for you?"
Hades grinned ambiguously. "It's not too hard, really. Since I'm not human, there are a lot of things I can't do. For example, I can spy on beautiful girls when they bathe, but I can't do anything about it. I know how to make money, but I can't spend it. Watching pretty girls get taken by pigs... it's infuriating!"
"They don't die, so I can't do anything about it... which is why I want you to be my agent in the human world. You'll seduce all the beautiful women, amass all the wealth, and fulfill all the great desires I can't. How about it? Not too hard, right?"
John Knight didn't even hesitate. This was the chance of a lifetime. "Deal!"