Chapter 1: Chapter 1: The Man Who Lost Pain, and the Chosen of Agony

“Ugh… so disgusting.”

“My head’s spinning…”

“What’s going on?”

Lu Ce felt like he had been tumbling inside a washing machine for three days straight. His head was dizzy, and he struggled to open his eyes.

But the blinding white light that greeted him made him squint in pain. He had no idea what had happened. His whole body felt uncomfortable, his mind was blank, and his memories seemed to be completely missing.

As he stared in confusion, a shadow blocked out the glaring light. A stunning blonde woman in a white lab coat leaned over him from above.

She was breathtakingly beautiful—her lips as red as freshly spilled blood, and the curves of her body dangerously seductive. The contrast between her alluring figure and her doctor’s attire made her presence even more intoxicating.

“You’re awake? How do you feel, handsome?”

She smiled at Lu Ce, her sultry eyes locking onto his dazed gaze.

Instinctively, he tried to assess his physical condition.

There were various unknown machines attached to his body…

His whole body felt uncomfortable, his head was spinning…

But nothing seemed seriously wrong. His arms and legs were intact—

Wait. No. Something was wrong.

Why couldn’t he feel his right leg?

He tried to move it—nothing. Panicked, he lifted his head and asked:

“Why can’t I feel my right leg? Why am I here?”

The red-lipped doctor narrowed her eyes and smiled. Her voice, dripping with flirtation, rang out again.

“Don’t worry, handsome~ Your right leg just suffered a little scratch. It’s already bandaged up and treated, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“A scratch?” Lu Ce frowned. “How did I get injured? Let me see my leg.”

“See it? Hmm… that might be a bit difficult right now.” Her voice remained as gentle as ever.

“…Why?”

“Because your right leg is in the next room.”

“WHAT?!?”

Lu Ce’s brain short-circuited. His already muddled thoughts took another brutal hit.

Next room?! Are you kidding me?!

How the hell did they just cut off my leg?!

His body jerked like a fish out of water as he struggled on the bed, trying to sit up and check his condition.

“Now, now~ No need to panic. A lot has happened. You should calm down and let me explain,” the curvaceous doctor cooed, pressing a slender finger against Lu Ce’s exposed chest, pushing him back down onto the bed.

The sensation of her touch, combined with the warm breath against his ear, sent chills down his spine.

With his body restrained, Lu Ce had no choice but to stay put—his mind racing as he tried to recall what had happened.

“You just underwent a kidney transplant surgery. Right now, inside your body, you have someone else’s kidney.”

“The rejection reaction might make you feel a little unwell. Just lie still and don’t move too much.”

What the f***?! First, they cut off my leg, and now a kidney transplant?! Did I get in a car accident or something?!

Lu Ce was utterly confused. His memories were slowly returning, and he instinctively asked:

“Who donated the kidney? I… I think I was an orphan. How is he doing?”

“Oh, he’s doing just fine,” the doctor replied.

“…Where is he?”

“The basement morgue. He’ll be cremated tomorrow.”

…?

Dead?!

Lu Ce stared at the doctor in disbelief. “He… he died because he gave me a kidney?!”

“No, he died from late-stage kidney cancer,” she said matter-of-factly.

Lu Ce: …?

What the hell?! My brain hurts. I feel like I need more brain cells to process this.

“Wait… So you transplanted his kidney into me?!” Lu Ce started struggling on the bed again.

“Hold on, don’t panic. He still had one healthy kidney.”

“Oh… okay…”

“But the one we transplanted into you is the cancerous one~”

“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR F***ING MIND?!”

The sheer absurdity of the situation finally snapped Lu Ce back to his senses.

Even an idiot could tell that something was seriously wrong. This woman… there was no way she was a real doctor.

What kind of doctor dressed like a nightclub hostess?!

He struggled a few more times, but the restraints holding him down were incredibly tight. Rather than feeling like he was in a hospital, it felt like he was strapped to some kind of torture device.

Lu Ce forced himself to calm down, to stay sharp.

He was an orphan. He had no parents, no family. At fifteen, he left the orphanage and had to work to support himself while studying.

Sure, his rough childhood meant he often got into fights with thugs, but nothing serious enough to warrant getting kidnapped, having his leg cut off, and his kidney replaced.

The last thing he remembered was coming home from school and going to sleep…

So why the hell am I here?!

“…Who the hell are you? What did I do to piss you people off?”

The doctor chuckled, playfully stroking her lips with her delicate fingers.

“My, my, aren’t you a sharp one? Figured it out already?”

“The game has begun. You’re one of the first lucky players to be chosen. Excited?”

Lu Ce’s brows furrowed. “What game?”

She cut him off. “Oh, you’re quite the popular one. A lot of people are watching your livestream right now~”

With a casual wave of her hand, a translucent blue screen appeared in front of Lu Ce. It was filled with scrolling comments.

【This is sick! Cut off the other leg too!】

【Hell yeah! Love this kind of content! Where did this screen suddenly pop up from? Can I buy it?】

【This kid wasn’t even awake earlier—boring as hell. Now that he’s up, let’s see how he reacts, hahaha!】

【Is there another event? Hurry up!】

【What kind of stream is this?】

The comments weren’t overflowing, but they kept coming in steadily. It was clear that this livestream wasn’t exactly obscure.

Seeing the chat messages, Lu Ce felt a chill run down his spine.

—The dark web?!

Could it be… that he had been kidnapped for some underground livestream?!

“Don’t overthink it, handsome. Your world is about to experience an unprecedented transformation—something beyond your imagination.”

“All you need to do… is enjoy the game~”

“Here, why don’t you watch this?”

The doctor’s hand greedily caressed Lu Ce’s chest as she pulled up another video.

The screen showed footage of herself sawing off Lu Ce’s right leg.

Blood splattered everywhere.

Lu Ce could see his own limp body lying on the table, unmoving.

His stomach churned. His mind screamed.

This was just the beginning.

Watching the previously recorded video, the female doctor’s blood-red lips curled into a strange, twisted smile. Her face flushed red, and her eyes, like shimmering autumn waters, gleamed with excitement.

Lu Ce could even feel her hands trembling slightly, as if she was barely restraining a wild, murderous impulse.

—This woman is a total psychopath!

“How is it? Exciting, right?”

“Aren’t you also wondering why you don’t seem to feel any pain?”

As she spoke, she casually pointed at the machine connected to Lu Ce’s entire body.

She kept talking, but it didn’t feel like she was answering Lu Ce’s questions—more like she was indulging in some perverse satisfaction of her own.

“Recognize this? Hmm, of course, you don’t. This thing is at least three hundred years ahead of your planet’s technology.”

“It can manipulate your nervous system. Right now, it’s in ‘pain mode,’ controlling all your pain sensations.”

“For convenience during the surgery, I disabled it earlier. But now…”

She finally moved her wandering hands away from Lu Ce’s body and placed them on the machine beside her. Then, with a wicked grin, she said:

“Since you’re awake now… why don’t you make me a little happier?”

With that, she closed her eyes in pleasure and pressed a button.

The pain suppression was lifted!

!!!

Silence.

Lu Ce: ……

Neither the doctor nor the viewers of the livestream made a sound. It was as if someone had pressed the pause button on time itself.

The expected screams never came.

The doctor: ?

Her face betrayed her confusion as she stared at Lu Ce’s calm, crystal-clear eyes.

“…Is something wrong?” Lu Ce asked hesitantly.

What ‘nervous system manipulation’ nonsense…

Should he tell her? That he was born without the ability to feel pain?

“…Your leg doesn’t hurt?” The doctor’s eyes were filled with disbelief as she looked at Lu Ce, who was supposed to be “experiencing pain” again.

“Nope.”

“…Why?!”

“Well, my leg’s in the next room. Can’t exactly feel it now, can I?”

Doctor: ……

After a brief moment of stunned silence, she suddenly scowled, her forehead twitching with rage as a clear “#” vein popped up.

“…Alright, alright. You’ve got guts. I hope you can keep this up!”

With those words, she cruelly adjusted a few settings, and in an instant, the machine connected to Lu Ce lit up with a glaring red glow.

In that moment—the most excruciating pain imaginable was unleashed upon him.

The sheer intensity of it caused his muscles to spasm involuntarily. This was pain beyond human limits, a level ten agony that could shatter even the strongest of minds in mere seconds.

And next would come the screams, the convulsions, the begging for mercy…

—At least, that’s what the doctor imagined.

In reality, the moment the machine’s red light flashed, Lu Ce only shuddered slightly—then went right back to his usual, unaffected state.

The two of them continued to stare at each other in silence.

Lu Ce, still calmly observing his surroundings, was deep in thought, trying to figure out his situation and how to escape.

“…Uh, theoretically speaking, shouldn’t I be reacting to this?”

His casual tone was like a match thrown into a pool of gasoline, instantly igniting the doctor’s fury. Her anger reached its breaking point, and instead of exploding—she laughed.

“…Alright, alright. You brought this on yourself!”

As she spoke, she leapt onto the bed in a swift motion, pinning Lu Ce beneath her.

Her white lab coat slipped off in the process, revealing an outfit with very little fabric left underneath.

Lu Ce saw a flash of white in front of his eyes—then suddenly, she was on top of him, straddling him in a position that was as suggestive as it was suffocating.

Lu Ce: ?!

“H-Hey! Miss, what the hell are you doing?! Don’t—this—!”

Lu Ce instantly turned red, struggling violently.

He instinctively wanted to say “Don’t stop,” but at a life-or-death moment like this, joking around seemed a little too reckless.

Plus, they had just met—it really wasn’t appropriate to encourage her any further…

The doctor, her twisted mind filled with dark pleasure, gritted her teeth and snarled:

“I hope you’re ready!”

“Make me feel good!”

The machine beside them was cranked to its highest setting, its red glow intensifying as it emitted a deep, eerie hum.

A strange tingling sensation spread across Lu Ce’s entire body.

And at that moment—

A voice rang out in his mind.

【Threshold surpassed!】

【Unlocking… Binding… Initializing…】

【Chosen of Agony activated! Pain Points +9!】

【Primary Gene Lock detected. Unlock requirements: 11/100 Pain Points!】

“Uh… huh?”

This time, it was Lu Ce’s turn to be confused.