“Aarrrgghhh!”

Zero screamed as loud as possible. The unbearable pain still echoed strongly in his mind, causing his body to automatically tense up.

Initially, he wondered why he could still scream so loudly. He was sure that his head had been severed by Crowley’s spear. But after a while, he stopped his scream and widened his eyes like a fool.

His hands reached for his neck, which turned out to still be intact and connected to his head. “Am I not dead yet? My smell is still active. Vision is still active. Hearing, still active....”

As he finished analyzing, he became sure that he was not in heaven or hell. In other words, he was still alive.

His stiff and surprised expression relaxed as he began to accept what was happening to him.

He then started to observe the surroundings with a confused expression. Thick walls with white paint. Shiny ceramic floors. Various electronic devices like fans, televisions, and air conditioners were installed in the room.

Through the transparent window, sunlight streamed into the room where he was currently located.

This warm sunlight was not present in the Netherworld, let alone a sky with a blue hue. Outside the window, a modern cityscape was visible because he seemed to be on the top floor of a building.

“Have I returned to Earth? But where is this?”

Zero frowned.

He tried to get up from the bed where he was lying. But he found some kind of tube in his nose, commonly used when being treated in a hospital. His hand was also pierced by a needle connected to an IV.

Nevertheless, he still tried to rise. He removed the IV needle and detached several medical devices connected to his body, such as the electrocardiograph, except for the nasogastric tube in his nose that couldn’t be forcibly removed.

He stood up and stood in front of the window. Although vague, his reflected image could still be seen. Besides, he was already accustomed to the blurry glass in the Netherworld.

“It seems my soul has truly returned to my original body.”

What made him happy was that there were no longer horns on his head or a tail at the back of his body. Although his face in the window glass was not exactly the same as the one in his memory, it was unmistakable that the half-Asian and half-European face in the window was the appearance of his original body.

But, the short hair he used to have had become very long and messy. The mustache he never had before had also grown faintly.

“Have I really aged like this?”

He wanted to cry when he saw his disgusting appearance, just like children who didn’t want to grow up.

But it didn’t last long. His mature mind managed to calm him down.

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[Your soul has successfully returned.]

[Updating information on your status window is in progress.]

[Trying to transfer your previous powers into your current body.]

[Process failed...]

[Detecting obstacles in your body and several other reasons.]

[... Some powers failed to transfer.]

[... Some skills have been restored.]

[For the time being, your powers will be stored in your soul.]

Suddenly, a notification window appeared in front of his eyes.

He had never seen such a lengthy notification before. So, he needed some time to digest the information he received.

Then he remembered that he received a notification that he had received a reward before being beheaded by Crowley. Was his reward the return of his soul to Earth? He wondered.

But the main point was that his power, which he had gathered for two years in the Netherworld, was now gone.

“Status window!”

[You cannot open the status window yet.]

What a pain in the ass.

As he was about to complain further, suddenly, the sound of footsteps from outside the room was heard.

Several people entered the room without knocking, making him alert for a split second. However, he became relieved when he saw them.

Wearing white robes and holding medical records, they were obviously doctors.

Initially, they entered the room in a panic after hearing Zero’s scream, but they soon calmed down when they saw that Zero was not experiencing any problems.

Although almost all of them calmed down, there was one female doctor who still panicked.

She panicked when she saw Zero standing without wearing any medical equipment. She forced Zero to lie down again and reattached various medical devices to Zero’s body.

“Who are you?”

Hearing Zero’s words, the female doctor seemed confused. She appeared not to understand what Zero was saying.

Seeing the female doctor slightly tilt her head, Zero realized that he had just used the language he commonly used in the Netherworld, not one of the languages from Earth.

After realizing this, he asked again in English, which was then answered by the female doctor.

“Oh. My name is Dr. Olivia Thompson. I am responsible for you in this hospital.”

While preparing a syringe to infuse Zero, Olivia introduced herself formally.

Olivia’s posture was excellent. Her height was quite tall for a woman, with a very slim yet curvy body.

Perhaps because she was tall, she had to bend over to inject Zero. When she injected Zero, part of her cleavage could be seen by Zero through her shirt.

“Do you know this is a miracle? Do you know that you have just risen from a mysterious vegetative state for two years?”

After finishing the infusion, she spoke while lifting her glasses. Behind Olivia’s glasses, a pair of eyes full of curiosity could be seen.

“Is that so?”

If his body had been in a vegetative state for two years, did time in the Netherworld and time on Earth run parallel? As he wondered, he then looked at a digital calendar standing on a small table next to the bed.

Monday, February 23, 2026.

11:30 AM.

“By the way, do you know how I ended up in this hospital?”

“Just a moment!”

Olivia received some sheets of paper from a nurse who came with her. She flipped through the papers in front of her chest for a while. In addition to medical records, there was other information about patients on those papers.

“Patient’s name: Ernest Ralstone—”

Zero widened his eyes a bit when the name Ernest Ralstone was mentioned. It had been a long time since he heard that name. Indeed, Zero’s real name was Ernest Ralstone.

‘It seems I have to discard the name Zero for now.’

Before Ernest could inquire further, Olivia immediately continued.

“—You were brought to this hospital by someone after being hit by a truck near Lake Beauty Park. Since then, you have been in a vegetative state.”

“Then, where is this?”

“You may have experienced a slight disturbance in your brain because you have been in a vegetative state for two years. So, I will try to tell you some things so that you can better understand your current situation.”

According to Olivia’s explanation, the hospital called the Circle of Hope, where he was currently being treated, was a particular hospital for people suffering from mysterious diseases. Especially new diseases that emerged after the world experienced The Great Catastrophe related to Mana or Magic.

Although Olivia did not explain what The Great Catastrophe was, Ernest still remembered what that term meant.