In the Green Palm Hospital, room number 3, suddenly Mike's eyes opened. He blinked as he looked around.
"Where… am I? Wasn't I at home? Mom—yes, Mom!" He tried to stand up, but a hand pushed him back down. He looked and saw it was a beautiful doctor in a white coat.
"Lie down, kid," the doctor said. "Your body is exhausted. You still need rest."
Mike nodded weakly as the doctor—Dr. Rhea—continued, "Due to overuse of mana, you fell unconscious. Now tell me, what was the reason you overstressed your mana?"
Inspector Tom and Brian stood nearby. Tom asked the doctor, "Is he ready to be questioned? I mean, is he fully awake?"
The doctor nodded. "He's fine. Just keep the questions simple. I'll supervise."
Tom nodded and stepped closer. "So, kid, what were you involved in where you had to use all your mana? Didn't you know it can be fatal? You're lucky you only overused it. A little more and you could have suffered internal injuries."
Mike smiled awkwardly. "I didn't know it would take up this much mana…" he said honestly. He remembered what he did but kept quiet about the exact details.
After finishing his questions, Tom stepped back and exchanged a look with Brian. Both men nodded.
"Madam, his statement matches what the woman said. They are free to go," Tom reported.
Lina, on the other hand, nodded as well. Amelia had now regained control of her strength, and since it had been a day and Mike had woken up normally, Lina relaxed.
Amelia, Aryan, and Misty sit at one side of the room, while Lina sits near them sipping her tea.
"Your son has regained consciousness, and you're free of suspicion," Lina said calmly, standing up. Then she bowed slightly before leaving.
"F-finally, that scary sister left…" Misty whispered as Lina exited the house.
Aryan exhaled heavily—finally letting go of the breath he have been holding unconciously.
Lina, walking down the stairs, clicked her tongue lightly."Brats… how am I scary? I am clearly beautiful…" she mumbled, but didn't turn back and continued on her way, disappearing around the corner.
"Let's go and see Mike," Aryan said, and the others nodded.Soon they were at the hospital and rushed into Mike's room.
"I am so sorry, sweetheart!" Amelia hugged him tightly, heavily sobbing.
Mike hugged her back."Why are you crying? Isn't this a good thing? You regained your Life Seed," he said, smiling.
She sniffled harder and wiped her tears roughly."Why did you do it? What if something happened to you? Do you think I would be happy seeing you hurt while helping me?"
She looked at him, sad and angry at the same time.
Mike just smiled, patting her on back."Okay, okay… I'm fine. Don't cry."
Aryan stepped in and pulled Amelia out of the room gently."Come, give him some air. We'll talk later," he said, sliding her out while she was still sniffling.
Misty then darted forward, clutching her bunny plush."Brother, are you fine?" she asked, eyes trembling.
Mike smiled and patted her head."I'm alright."
She nodded… then suddenly burst into tears."I—I was so scared… waaaahhhh!"
She bawled loudly as Aryan sighed and had to come back and pick her up while the doctor stared at the chaotic family with raised eyebrows.
Poor guy must have it rough, the doctor thought and continued with his work.
After Amelia finally calmed down and Misty fell asleep in Aryan's arms, they came back and sat near Mike's bed.
"Mike, next time before doing such things, tell me about it," Amelia said.
Mike nodded. "I didn't know it would take this much mana," he said with a wary smile.
Amelia shook her head.
"It's because you are not even a proper Rank 1, while I was at Rank 2," she said as Mike nodded again.
"But since you healed your mother's life seed, you gained a powerful healing-related talent with a Knight class. What an unusual combination," Aryan said, pinching his chin as Amelia nodded.
"I think he inherited both of our talents," Amelia mused.
Aryan smirked. "Yes, you're right. A powerful healing talent… I think it's the best combination you can get with a Knight Class. You'll be like a berserker—just without the berserker madness and power-up."
Amelia nodded in agreement.
They talked a bit more and then told him to rest while they waited.
Mike said, "Mom, Dad, I'll be going into the Origin World now. As the doctor said, I still have to be monitored for another day, so I can't leave the hospital. So, I will just log in to Origin World; I've already delayed long enough."
Aryan shrugged. "It's fine as long as the doctor gives the green light."
He looked at the doctor, who gave the green light.
"Yes, you can log into the Origin World," the doctor said. "Just make sure you come back in time."
Mike nodded and leaned back on the bed. He exhaled and said softly,
"Origin Transfer."
[ Does Awakened Mike Vester wish to go to the Origin World? ]
[ Yes / No ]
Mike pressed Yes, and his vision blurred. He felt himself sinking.
As his body fell unconscious, his soul wandered in the Origin world, and then on a black desert, his avatar began to get created, and his soul inhabited it.
When he opened his eyes again, he was in a desert.
"Huh? A desert?" Mike looked around and saw endless black sand stretching in all directions.
"Sigh… what shit luck," he muttered. The Origin World always teleported people randomly, so no one could choose where they spawned. And this time his luck was absolute trash.
He shaded his eyes from the sun, then walked toward the nearest dune, taking out the common Rank 1 steel sword from his inventory.
Climbing over the tallest dune he could find, he looked around.
"Damn… is it just endless desert?" he mumbled, wondering what to do. After a tired sigh, he simply began walking north.
"Thankfully I already stocked supplies in my inventory…" he muttered, adjusting his sword at his side.
But after a few steps, his body suddenly trembled—his foot sinking slightly into the sand.
Arghhhh—!
He gritted his teeth, stumbling back as the sand in front of him shifted.
And then he saw it—a black, snake-like shape writhing beneath the surface, moving in a wide circle around him.
Plop.
A large, obsidian-scaled head broke through the sand, silent and watching him with cold yellow eyes.