The first thing Damian noticed when he opened his eyes was the sharp scent of a hospital room. He groaned softly, his body aching with a dull throb that reminded him of the copper-skinned goblin, the searing pain of his injuries, and the desperate crawl in order to find the mana stone. His eyes fluttered open, and he scanned the unfamiliar room. The pale white walls, the faint beeping of a heart monitor, and the hard bed he lay on told him everything he needed to know.

He was in the hospital.

His breathing quickened as panic set in. Where was his sword? Where was his gear? What happened to him after he collapsed?

“Where the hell am I?” he muttered, his voice hoarse and weak.

Before he could fully grasp his situation, the door creaked open, and a nurse walked in carrying a tray of medical supplies. Upon seeing him awake, she gasped, her hands trembling as she dropped the tray, the clattering echoing in the small room.

“Doctor! He’s awake!” she shouted before darting out of the room.

Damian stared after her, baffled and increasingly uneasy. Moments later, a man in a white coat rushed in, his expression a mix of relief and urgency.

“Mr. Park, you’re awake,” the doctor said, pulling out a small flashlight to check Damian’s pupils. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore… confused,” Damian replied, wincing as he shifted slightly. “What happened? How did I get here?”

The doctor didn’t answer, instead focusing on his examination. He checked Damian’s vitals, examined the burns and wounds on his body, and jotted notes on a clipboard. Every time Damian tried to ask a question, the doctor deflected, leaving him in a frustrated silence.

When the doctor finally left, Damian slumped back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling. His mind was racing with questions. Where was his sword? What had happened to the goblin’s corpses? —had someone taken them while he was unconscious?

The sound of a knock at the door snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Excuse me,” a deep voice called from the hallway. “I hate to bother you, Mr. Park.”

Damian turned his head to see three men entering the room. The one in the lead was tall and imposing, a muscular black man with a sharp gaze that seemed to pierce through him. He wore a crisp black suit, and the two men behind him—who looked more like bodyguards than colleagues—were similarly dressed.

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Damian’s stomach sank. He had a feeling he knew why they were here.

“Who are you?” he asked, feigning ignorance even as his mind raced.

The man in front stepped forward, extending a hand. “Agent White. We’re with the NSA. These are my associates,” he said, gesturing to the men behind him. “We have a few questions about your recent… incident.”

Damian hesitated, then nodded. “I don’t know how much I can help, but go ahead.”

Agent White pulled out a chair and sat down next to Damian, his expression calm but serious. “Let’s start from the beginning. What exactly happened during your incident?”

Damian took a deep breath, piecing together a story that sounded believable but left out any mention of the system. “It all started with my uncle. He got bit by some kind of mutated rabbit a while back. That’s what set everything off. After that, I started noticing these creatures showing up—animals that weren’t… normal. And after what happened in Dallas, I figured I’d need something stronger than a gun to defend myself. So, I got a sword.”

Agent White raised an eyebrow. “A sword?”

Damian nodded, leaning into his explanation. “Guns don’t seem to work well on these things. Bullets wouldn’t inflict much damage, but a blade or an arrow? Those seem to work just fine.”

He continued, recounting the events leading up to his battle with the copper goblin but carefully omitting any mention of the system or his abilities. He painted himself as an ordinary man caught in extraordinary circumstances, doing his best to survive.

By the time he finished, Agent White’s expression had shifted to one of quiet disbelief. Even the men behind him looked shocked.

“You’re telling me,” White said slowly, “that in this rural area, you’ve been dealing with creatures like this for the past week?”

Damian shrugged. “I wouldn’t say a week, but yeah. It’s been happening. I thought I was alone in this, but judging by what’s happening in the cities, I guess I’m not.”

Agent White exchanged a glance with his associates before leaning forward. “Have you encountered any… unusual humans? People with abilities similar to these creatures?”

“Abilities? You mean like that goblin using fireballs?” Damian asked, feigning ignorance.

White nodded.

Damian shook his head. “No, I haven’t seen anything like that. But at this point, I wouldn’t rule it out. Nothing seems impossible anymore.”

Agent White studied him for a moment, his sharp eyes searching for any sign of deceit. Damian held his gaze, keeping his expression neutral, it wasn’t like he was lying anyway he hadn’t met anyone else regardless.

Finally, White sighed and stood up from his chair. “Thank you, Mr. Park. We appreciate your cooperation.”

As the agents turned to leave, Damian called out, “Wait. No one has answered anything since I woke up. Where am I? What happened to me after I fell unconscious ?”

White hesitated before answering. “You’re at a private Military hospital in Austin, Texas. You’ve been in a coma for two days. And yes, things have gotten worse. But your family is safe, if that’s your concern.”

Damian nodded slowly, the weight of White’s words settling over him. As the agents left, he stared out the window, his mind racing.

The system, the mana stones, the creatures… It was all spiraling out of control, and he had a feeling the worst was yet to come as he heard Agent Whites words seep in