Eli tightened the bandage and stepped back.
The three-eyed hound on the table let out a low breath and finally relaxed.
Its cracked scales still looked bad, but the bleeding had stopped.
The mana readings on the scanner beside it slowly stabilized.
"That's it," Eli said quietly.
"No sudden movements."
The hound flicked its tail once.
Outside the clinic, the city moved as usual.
Traffic flowed through clean streets.
Electric vehicles glided past lanes embedded with mana-conductive strips.
Digital screens mounted on buildings cycled through weather updates, market news, and public safety notices.
Hunters passed by in standardized combat jackets, laughing as they walked.Their weapons were sealed in regulation cases, no different from professionals carrying work equipment.
To them, monsters were routine.
To the world, this was normal.
Eli watched through the glass door for a moment before turning away.
Power had become ordinary.
He hadn't.
Five years.
Five years since the System appeared and rewrote society.
Eli never awakened.
No class.
No stats.
No interface.
People rarely asked anymore.
The answer was obvious.
The clinic door slid open with a soft chime.
A hunter stepped in, dragging a scaled fox behind him.
The creature's movements were sluggish, its mana core flickering unevenly beneath its ribs.
"How bad is it?" the hunter asked.
Eli knelt beside the fox, scanning its vitals.
"Mana exhaustion," he said.
"You overused it."
The hunter frowned.
"It didn't complain."
"They don't," Eli replied.
"Until they collapse."
He adjusted the scanner and placed a stabilizer on the fox's chest.
The creature flinched, then slowly calmed.
"It'll recover," Eli said.
"But it needs rest. At least a week."
"A week?" the hunter scoffed.
"That's lost income."
Eli stood.
"Then push it again," he said calmly,
"and replace it when it dies."
Silence stretched between them.
The hunter cursed under his breath and transferred payment to the terminal.
When the door slid shut, the clinic felt lighter.
Eli exhaled.
This was his role.
Not a hunter.
Not awakened.
Just someone dealing with the consequences.
The emergency alert hit without warning.
A sharp tone rang through the clinic as the wall screen lit up.
[EMERGENCY ALERT — MONSTER INCIDENT DETECTED]
[LOCATION: SECTOR D | THREAT LEVEL: HIGH]
Eli's stomach tightened.
Sector D was close.
Too close.
Outside, traffic slowed.
Pedestrians stopped as security drones moved overhead.
On the screen, a massive shape tore through a commercial block.
Concrete cracked beneath its weight.
A corrupted beast.
Hunters were already mobilizing.
Some were retreating.
The threat level climbed again.
Eli looked at the cages lining the clinic.
Creatures too weak to fight.
Too damaged to flee.
He clenched his jaw.
"…Damn it."
He shut the clinic door and locked it.
The street shook as the beast emerged.
Its body was bloated with unstable mana, movements jerky and violent. Concrete cracked beneath its weight as it roared.
Eli barely had time to react.
Something slammed into him, throwing him across the pavement. Pain flared through his side. His vision blurred, mana burning through his lungs like acid.
He tried to stand.
His legs gave out.
The beast turned.
Toward the clinic.
Toward the cages.
Eli dragged himself forward, fingers scraping against the ground.
Just a little more.
Everything stopped.
Sound vanished.
Motion froze.
[PRIMARY AWAKENING FAILED.]
Eli let out a weak breath.
Of course.
Then the message changed.
[SECONDARY AWAKENING CONDITIONS… CONFIRMED.]
His heart stuttered.
[Five years ago, humanity was given power.]
[You were given time.]
The street dissolved.
Warm white space spread beneath his feet, textured like living soil. Thin roots surfaced, curling gently around his boots—not restraining, just present.
For the first time, Eli felt noticed.
[UNIQUE SYSTEM UNLOCKED]
[SYSTEM NAME: MONSTER GARDEN]
Something stirred.
Not commanding.
Not mechanical.
Patient.
[YOU ARE NOT A SUMMONER.]
[YOU ARE A CARETAKER.]
A shape stepped forward from the darkness.
A massive wolf, ash-gray fur matted with old wounds. One eye glowed green. The other was clouded and scarred. Its body was thin—but its presence was heavy.
It looked at Eli.
Waiting.
Eli raised his shaking hand.
"It's okay," he said softly.
The roots tightened around his feet.
The Garden accepted him.