Chapter 1

This world was governed by the rule of "equivalent exchange."

Anyone could ask the altar for a wish, but the price was losing a part of their body at random.

Some people wished for unimaginable riches, only to pay with their eyesight.

Others craved unmatched power in battle, but ended up losing their hearts.

The altar asked me, "What do you want?"

I said, "I want you to double every price you're about to demand from me."

The deity on the altar was stunned, and every screen in the world glitched for a moment.

Since the price was random, what if I asked to give up my death?

With the whole world watching in terror, I became the only eternal being in this world governed by rules.

*****

In the central plaza, a massive black altar hovered in midair.

A man stood beneath it.

He had just made his wish.

"I want to be the richest man in the world," he said.

A cold, merciless voice rang out from above the altar. "The price: your eyes."

The man screamed in agony.

His eyes vanished in an instant, leaving hollow sockets as blood poured down his face.

The crowd murmured in shock for a moment, but quickly fell silent again.

Scenes like this happened every day.

This was our world, a world ruled by the rule of equivalent exchange.

All people had to do was make a wish at the altar, and any wish would be granted.

But the price? Completely random.

It could cost their hands, their feet, their heart, or even their life.

I squeezed through the crowd, clutching the few coins left in my pocket.

My name was William Brown, just an ordinary guy.

I didn't want to be the richest man in the world, and I didn't crave unmatched power.

All I wanted was to save my sister, Charlotte.

Charlotte had a terminal illness, and the doctors said she wouldn't make it past this month.

The treatment would cost a fortune, and there was no way our family could afford it.

My parents even wanted to take Charlotte straight to the altar, to use her remaining days to make a wish that would let them live a better life.

My father said, "She's going to die anyway, so we might as well make the most of it."

I yelled at him, and all I got in return was a beating.

"You good-for-nothing! If you've got guts, why don't you go make a wish yourself?" my father snapped.

My mother just stood there, watching with indifference.

Looking at Charlotte's pale face lying in the hospital bed, I made up my mind.

I was going to make a wish.

When I got home, my parents were sitting in the living room, watching TV.

The TV was broadcasting the entire process of a wealthy man making his wish live.

The rich man wished for youth, and the price was his son dying instantly right there.

The rich man was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"Great! This is amazing!" he shouted.

My mother said with envy, "Getting rid of a useless son for youth? That's a bargain."

My father nodded. "Yeah, unlike our two. One is practically dead; the other's useless."

I ignored them and headed straight into Charlotte's room.

Charlotte was already asleep, her breathing so faint it was barely there.

On her bedside table was a fairy tale book, its cover worn and faded. I'd read it to her more times than I could count, but its actual title was "Advanced Logic and System Vulnerability Analysis."

I gently brushed her hair.

"Don't worry, Charlotte. I will definitely save you," I whispered.

I turned and left the house.

I heard my parents' voices behind me. "Where are you going?"

"To the altar."

The living room went quiet for a moment.

Then, they burst into ecstatic laughter.

"Good boy, you finally came to your senses," my father said. "Make sure you wish for a big house and tons of money."

I didn't look back.

I made my way toward the city center, one step at a time.

Toward that black altar, the place where countless lives were changed forever.

I stood before the altar.

All eyes were on me.

Cameras worldwide were trained on me.

Every wish was broadcast live across the globe.

People enjoyed watching as someone's fate changed in an instant.

Some people soared to the top, while others crashed and burned.

Above the altar, that cold, merciless voice rang out. "Make your wish."

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself and push down the fear inside.

I said, "I want my sister Charlotte to be completely healed and healthy again."

The altar fell silent.

It seemed to be calculating the price of my wish.

A few seconds passed before the voice spoke again.

"Wish confirmed. Assessing the price..."

My heart was pounding in my throat.

What would I lose?

My arms? My legs? Or... my life?

If it was my life, then even if Charlotte was cured, she'd be left alone to deal with those monsters.

I had to survive.

Suddenly, I remembered a detail in the rules that everyone else had overlooked.

The price was "random."

Random meant uncertainty.

But it also meant there was room to exploit the loopholes.