Year: 2025
The fluorescent lights above hummed softly.
Kang Woo lay still in the hospital bed, eyes open, soul still half-split between two worlds.
Ten years had passed.
He was struck by lightning in 2015.
Declared comatose.
And now, he was awake—
But the world he woke into was not the one he left.
---
His Wife Sat Beside Him
Feeding him warm rice porridge, one spoon at a time.
Her hands trembled, but her smile never broke.
> "Everything's changed, Kang Woo."
He listened quietly, slowly chewing, not speaking unless asked to.
His body felt weak, but his mind…
It was already observing the entire world around him.
---
She continued.
> "Around five years after you fell into a coma… something started happening."
> "Gates."
She explained:
Massive dimensional rifts began appearing all over Earth.
Inside them: Dungeons. Beasts. Monsters. Relics.
The world panicked… until some humans awakened powers.
Hunters.
---
> "At first it was chaos," she said, placing another bite near his lips.
> "Governments collapsed. Cities fell. But humanity adapted."
> "Now, the awakened are ranked. Licensed. Paid. Respected."
> "It's not normal anymore… but it's become our new normal."
Kang Woo stared at the soup bowl.
He didn't ask questions.
But she could see the confusion in his eyes.
She smiled gently.
> "I know. You've missed so much."
---
Then she laughed—genuinely, for the first time in years.
> "And you wouldn't believe this…"
> "Our kids."
Kang Woo slowly turned to look at her, eyes narrowing slightly.
> "They awakened. Both of them."
> "They're pro hunters now. High rankers."
> "I worked double shifts for five years while you were in the coma… then they awakened. Everything changed. We didn't need anything after that."
She wiped her eyes and smiled proudly.
> "They take care of everything now. Bills, house, even your hospital care."
---
Discharge Day
The nurse came with a file.
Papers signed. IVs removed.
A wheelchair brought to the bedside.
Kang Woo didn't want it — but his body still hadn't caught up to his soul.
As the nurse stepped out, his wife leaned close, brushing his hair with her fingers.
> "You're going home today."
> "The kids are away on a dungeon raid in Japan… but they'll be back in a week."
> "They want to meet you more than anything."
---
He didn't respond immediately.
He just looked out the window.
The world outside buzzed with neon lights, holographic signs, flying drones, and people carrying swords or staffs like it was normal.
> "This isn't Earth…" he muttered.
She held his hand tighter.
> "No, Kang Woo. It is. It's just grown up while you slept."
---
And with that…
Kang Woo — the Demon who shattered the heavens — was reborn once again…
As a father in a world full of magic, gates, and chaos.
But this time…
He didn't plan to burn it all.
Unless it gave him a reason.