"You woke up. Finally!"
As Min-Jae opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the unfamiliar ceiling above him. When he looked around a bit, he saw a person.
A young woman, and by her appearance, he could tell she was a nurse. He realized he was in a hospital.
Min-Jae, a good-looking 19-year-old college-going boy, had been struck by a car accident days ago.
Even in a world where healers were very common, and even the weakest of them could heal a small accident like that, fate might have had a different plan for this guy altogether, leading him to die in such a pitiful accident.
But that was all just happening behind the scenes. To the people around this boy, it was an awakening. The boy was awakening as a hunter, with magical energy, as was usual for many people in this world.
However, unbeknownst to them, this was not the same awakening they had witnessed or known for many years. This was a new soul that had awakened inside this human body, replacing the departing soul of the body.
Ethan it was... or perhaps, he was Min-Jae now.
Whatever it was, for him, it was a lot of information. Due to the fact that he received all this information during the process of his soul being transported into this body, to him, it all felt like a long dream.
Because of that, as soon as his eyes opened, and he quickly sat up, which was a mistake , cause , as soon as soon as he did, a sharp wave of dizziness hit him. His vision blurred, and his head throbbed violently. A strangled groan escaped his lips—something between a pained gasp and a disoriented whimper—before he collapsed back onto the bed with a soft
*thud*
The nurse, who had been watching him with a mix of relief and professional concern, immediately rushed to his side. Her eyes widened slightly, and she pressed a gentle but firm hand against his shoulder to keep him from trying to sit up again.
"Easy there!" she scolded lightly, though her voice was warm. "You've been unconscious for days. You can't just jump up like that!"
Min-Jae blinked up at her, still dazed, his breath uneven. The nurse sighed, shaking her head, but there was a small, amused smile on her lips.
'So, was it all a dream? Am I not dead? Am I back in my own world? Or perhaps I'm already in the Solo Leveling universe, just like I was promised... No... I have all the memories of how to use my powers... memories of mastering them already... I don't know how, but...'
His mind swirled with confusion, flooded with questions—but they were all about to end as a soft knock echoed at the door. It creaked open, and from his lying position, he strained to see the person entering.
A familiar face...
A striking woman with sharp gray eyes and a sleek platinum blonde bob stepped into the room. Dressed in a sharp business suit, her very presence demanded attention—at least, that was what he was feeling at the moment.
"I know her... she is... That means I'm actually in the Solo Leveling universe?! Wow... She looks even more stunning in person than she did in the anime..."
The nurse immediately recognized the woman, and it seemed even she was starstruck by her presence.
"Welcome... Welcome, Hunter Cha," she said, her voice tinged with awe.
The nurse quickly composed herself, reining in her excitement as she straightened her posture. After all, she was just an intern, assigned to monitor the patient and gain experience. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined she would encounter someone of such stature in a place like this.
She nodded respectfully and walked over to the bedside, turning her attention to Min-Jae.
"How are you feeling now, Min-Jae?" she asked, her voice soft and soothing.
Her words pulled him out of the haze of his thoughts, and the flood of memories he had received during his transportation into this body resurfaced.
'I remember now... She... she is my sister...' he realized. Trying to calm himself, he noticed he had been staring at her almost unconsciously. He quickly looked away, focusing on the ceiling instead. 'Just act normal. You are Cha Min-Jae, and she is your sister. That's all... Just act normal.'
"I'm alright, just a little head rush from sitting up too quickly..."
"Is that so? Then I'm very happy you've finally recovered," she replied.
Over the next two hours, a series of checkups were conducted to determine if he was well enough to be discharged from the hospital and return home.
During this time, Min-Jae gradually grew accustomed to his new life and found himself engaging in natural conversations with Cha Hae-In without any issues.
Through their discussions, he managed to gather bits of information about the timeline of the Solo Leveling universe he was now in. Based on what she said, it became clear that he had started his life from the point where the anime had left off.
This meant the last major event was Sung Jin-Woo becoming the 10th S-Rank hunter in the country, the ongoing talks about the 4th Jeju Island raid, and Sung Jin-Woo entering the Demon Castle for the third time to continue the Demon Castle quest.
Then, a sudden realization struck him.
'All the knowledge and plotline details I had... are of no use?!'
He sat in stunned silence as the checkups concluded, and soon he was discharged. Now, he found himself sitting in the car with Cha Hae-In.
"Do you feel anything different about yourself than before?" she asked, breaking the silence.
"Well, if you're asking about the awakening and all, yes, I do feel different. A lot stronger than before, and there's this new, unusual sensation added to that."
He tried his best to sound as reasonable and realistic as possible, answering only what he needed to.
"I see," she replied, looking out through the window. 'He has such a powerful aura around him, yet it doesn't overwhelm me. I can sit in the car with him without the need to cover my nose.'
As she was thinking, a certain face popped up in her mind, and she blushed slightly before shaking her head. 'No, that's different. With Min-Jae, I can't even sense the magical energy at all without trying very hard, even while sitting in such close proximity to him.'
In reality, it was one of his abilities—to completely conceal his presence. Additionally, the fact that his power originated from a completely different universe made it nearly impossible for most to sense unless he actively allowed it. This was why she had been able to sense his magical energy when he first woke up—he hadn't been in control of it at the time.
"By the way, don't you have raids today?" he asked, breaking the silence.
"No," she replied, her tone shifting slightly. "About that... have you made the decision yet?"
"About becoming a hunter?"
"Yes," she said, glancing at him briefly before focusing back on the road. "Will you join as a hunter? By the way, it's completely up to you, but..."
"I will," he answered firmly. "I've thought about it, and I think I want to become a hunter too."
Cha Hae-In's lips curved into a small, approving smile. "Good."