Claire pulled back slowly, her lips still parted, unsure whether to speak or wipe my cheek first
She just stared at me, confused.
Eventually, her eyes landed on her rose gold colored wristwatch. She ran her fingers over it absentmindedly.
"Mr. Axel… please keep this a secret," she pleaded "I could lose my job if the hospital finds out."
This wasn't how it was supposed to go. She should still be under my influence. So what broke the effect?
"We're not doing anything wrong. And if it comes to it, we'll just say we're a couple," I added, hoping to sound reassuring.
"I have a boyfriend." She looked down, avoiding my eyes. "
"I'm sorry… I don't know what came over me. I just—" She hesitated, lifting her wrist to show the watch. "He gave me this. It was an anniversary gift. I love him… and we're already engaged."
"I thought it was okay… just a small gesture, because you deserved some comfort after everything you've been through. But… I let it go too far."
I didn't reply right away, too focused on the cause of this unexpected variable.
Finally, I concluded that a strong enough shock or emotional trigger could cause her to snap out of it. I made a mental note of this discovery for future reference.
When I turned my attention back to her, she looked really shaken, afraid I might expose her.
"You can trust me, Claire. I would never do anything to hurt that."
I tried to sway her a little more, but with the way she was right then, it wasn't getting through. So I let it go . No point in pushing today. She was my nurse, after all. I would be seeing her again soon
After wiping my lips, she went straight to my attending physician, Dr. Kim . It was a man in his forties with slick black hair and cold, mean eyes.
He didn't say a word to me as he began checking my body, jotting down notes on his clipboard.
At first, I thought everything was normal.
But then one of the junior physicians spoke up, suggesting they considered adjusting my medication since my vitals were steadily improving.
That's when I saw it—the slight twitch in his jaw. Annoyance. No, more than that… hostility.
He didn't like the idea of me getting better?
There was something else going on here. And whatever it was, it revolved around my health.
After they were gone, I double-checked Axel's memories.
The first step in any good investigation was gathering intel.
First up was the Johnson Family. They used to run a pharmaceutical company. Just a typical drug empire, until monsters started pouring out of gates.
After that, they changed gears and turned the business into one that sold potion-type items and other products made from rare materials.
According to the memory, the entire company was valued at 920 billion, with 250 billion owned by the Johnson family and the remainder held by others
Of course, that was three years ago, so it could be a trillion-dollar company by now.
Then there was the matter of this world.
According to the records, towers began appearing all over the world decades ago.
They varied in size and height, but they all had one thing in common: if not dealt with quickly, they would erupt , unleashing a monster tide.
In rare cases, a monster or two would slip out before the tower even reached its breaking point.
Each of these towers had its own terrain, weather patterns, and sometimes even bizarre, twisted laws of nature.
The ones who entered these places were known as Tower Seekers, or simply Seekers. Humans who developed supernatural abilities.
But there was no mention anywhere of them seeing game-style interfaces or having a system. So yeah, it seemed mine was one of a kind.
A grin tugged at my lips. Reincarnation and a system? That's the classic setup for overpowered protagonists.
In the end, the only thing that could really get me in trouble was knowing the secret. The one about Axel's mother, and the last words she ever spoke to him.
'Beware of the eyes that see everything'
She was diagnosed with schizophrenia, because she kept having episodes, insisting her husband was part of a demonic cult secretly controlling the world in preparation for the rise of a great demon king named BEL.
Because of how extreme her claims and behavior were, she was confined to the mansion, where psychiatrists were brought in to "treat" her — or at least, that's what they said.
But her condition only worsened. And in the end, she took her own life.
Just thinking about it made my blood boil. Axel's resentment still lingered in this body, and it was up to me to settle it , so he could finally rest in peace.
DING!
[New Objective: Uncover the Johnson Family's Secret]
[Time Limit : 3 Months]
[Reward : Secret]
The mission confirmed what I already started to suspect . She wasn't crazy, and her death… it wasn't really suicide.
I had to be more careful now.
Just as I was lost in thought, the door opened .
"Axel, I'm glad you're awake now," she placed the basket of fruit on the table before taking a seat beside my bed.
"Are you okay? How are you feeling?" she asked softly. "You've been asleep for a while since… your last episode."
She was talking about my condition. How I would suddenly fall into a coma.
"I think my condition might be getting worse."
"What?" She got up from her seat. "Are you sure? I'll talk to the doctor right away!"
Her reaction didn't seem fake at all , but then again, she could just be a really good actress.