Time: April 15, 2032. 2:30 PM.
Location: Tokyo Central Military Hospital, Ward 404.
Kenji drained the glass to the very last drop.
The water itself was ordinary, but the single drop of "Elf Spring Water" he had added was working a miracle. A warmth radiated from his stomach, spreading through his entire body like a river flooding a parched, cracked riverbed. His consciousness, honed by eighty years of experience, could perceive the changes at a cellular level: withered muscle fibers were slowly revitalizing, circulation was improving, and even the cloudy haze in his retinas was beginning to clear.
From the outside, however, he looked the same as ever—a gaunt, pale patient nailed to a hospital bed.
Laylo took the glass and set it on the table. Her hands were trembling. She was still baffled by what had just occurred—why that arrogant Guild representative had fled in such terror. But that didn't matter now. What mattered was that her brother was alive, and he was speaking.
"So," Kenji said, raising his voice slightly. He tried to adjust himself against the pillow, but his lower back refused to obey. "Tell me a bedtime story, Laylo. What happened to the world while I was sleeping? Who are these 'Guilds'? And why... do we have no home?"
Laylo let out a deep, shuddering sigh. She pulled a chair close to her brother and sat down. The traces of the last two years of suffering were etched onto her face—dark circles under her eyes and premature lines of worry.
"It all started that day... the day you went into the game and didn't come back, brother," Laylo began her story in a hushed voice.
Kenji listened intently. Though his gaze was fixed on Laylo, his mind was rapidly analyzing every piece of information, filing it away into his "Strategic Base."
"That night, violet cracks appeared in the sky all over the world. At first, we thought it was an aurora or some kind of hologram. But then... they came down."
"Monsters," Kenji confirmed.
"Yes. The monsters from the game. Goblins, Orcs, giant wolves... They landed in city centers and began destroying everything. The police, the army—they couldn't do anything. Bullets wouldn't pierce their skin, and tanks couldn't withstand their blows. The first month... it was literal hell. Half of humanity was wiped out."
Kenji scoffed internally. A standard goblin's skin can stop a 9mm round. Tanks are only effective against low-level orcs. Humanity was too overconfident in its technology.
"And then?" Kenji asked.
"Then, the 'Awakened' started to appear among the people," Laylo continued, her eyes brightening slightly. "Some people suddenly developed high fevers, and when they recovered, they had supernatural abilities. They could throw fire, create ice, or simply became incredibly strong. They became the only force capable of killing those monsters."
" The System," Kenji whispered. "They connected to the System."
"After that, the government systems collapsed. Now, the world isn't ruled by Presidents, but by the strongest 'Awakened' and the Guilds they formed. They hunt monsters, sell the 'Mana Stones' and resources harvested from their bodies, and have become filthy rich. Power is the law now, brother. If you don't have money or strength... you are nobody."
Laylo lowered her head.
"I sold the house Mom and Dad left us... to pay for your hospital bills. One day in intensive care costs the same as a normal person's annual salary. I... I tried my best. I worked in cafes, on construction sites, but it still wasn't enough. We are in debt. Huge debt. If we don't pay today, they're going to throw you out on the street."
Kenji looked at his sister's calloused, rough hands. Rage flowed through his veins like molten lava.
So, while he was out saving the universe for eighty years, his sister had been working like a slave for a crust of bread and his "dead" body.
"How much?" Kenji asked coldly. "How much do we owe?"
Laylo hesitated, then answered quietly:
"5 million credits. (Approx. $50,000). This is a private hospital owned by the 'Red Dragon' Guild. They don't tolerate late payments."
Kenji calculated. 5 million.
If he counted the treasury he had amassed over his eighty-year journey, he could buy not just this hospital, but the entirety of Japan. But the problem was, he couldn't just pull a "Dragon's Gold Mountain" out of thin air. It would raise too many questions, and with his current weak body, he couldn't defend his wealth.
He needed something small, liquid, and discreet.
"Laylo," Kenji said. "Do you have a phone? Give it to me."
Laylo pulled an old smartphone with a cracked screen from her pocket.
"The internet is a bit slow," she said apologetically.
Kenji took the phone. His fingers moved awkwardly, but he quickly began searching for the necessary data.
[Search: Mana Stone Prices]
[Search: Hunter's Market]
[Search: Auction House]
The numbers that appeared on the screen left Kenji stunned.
"Are you kidding me?" he muttered involuntarily.
On the screen was a picture of a dull, matchbox-sized, F-rank Mana Stone.
Price: 100,000 credits.
"This is trash!" Kenji exclaimed. "I wouldn't even bother bending over to pick this up after killing a goblin. Low quality, dirty energy."
Then he saw an E-rank stone: 500,000 credits.
D-rank (Average quality): 2 million credits.
S-rank (Rare): Price Negotiable (Billions).
Kenji turned off the phone and closed his eyes. He understood the situation.
Resources in this world were still incredibly scarce. The "Awakened" were only just developing. To them, things Kenji considered "trash" were the world's most precious treasures.
"Laylo," Kenji said in a serious tone. "Is there a camera in this room?"
"No, it's a standard ward. Only in the corridor. Why?"
"Close the curtains. And go lock the door."
Laylo looked at her brother in confusion, but obeying the authority in his voice, she did as he asked. The room plunged into semi-darkness.
Kenji took a deep breath. He needed to open his Inventory. Not with a physical gesture, but with a mental command.
Mind: [Inventory: "Junk" Section]
System: List accessed.
Kenji mentally sifted through thousands of items, looking for the safest one.
Dragon Coin? No, solid gold, suspicious.
Phoenix Feather? No, it would set the room on fire.
Goblin Scimitar? Too heavy.
Finally, he found it.
[Item: Blue Slime Core]
[Rank: E (By Kenji's standards)]
[Description: The heart of a Slime monster living in ice caves. Contains high-quality, cooling mana. Players typically use this to freeze ordinary water.]
In the real world, however, this was a source of pure, refined energy.
Kenji slid his idle left hand under the blanket.
He expended a tiny fraction of spiritual power.
Something cold and smooth materialized in his palm.
"Laylo, come here," Kenji said.
Laylo approached.
Kenji pulled his hand out from under the blanket and opened his palm.
Sitting in his hand, glistening even in the dim light of the ward, was a crystal the size of a walnut, swirling with luminescent blue liquid inside.
It was so beautiful that the temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees.
Laylo covered her mouth in shock.
"This... what is this? Is this a Mana Stone? But I've never seen one so pure! Even the A-rank stones they show on TV don't shine like this!"
"It's just... an old souvenir," Kenji lied smoothly. "I found it before I went into the game. Must have left it in my pocket." (A blatant lie, but Laylo was in no state to look for logic).
"Brother, this is worth a fortune! Where did you get it? If we sell this..."
"If we sell this," Kenji interrupted, "we won't just clear the debt, we can buy ourselves a small apartment. But we have to be careful."
Kenji pressed the stone into Laylo's hand.
"Do not take this to the 'Hunter's Market.' They will cheat you or rob you. We need to put it on an online 'Anonymous Auction.' Given the current prices... this stone should be worth at least 20 million credits."
"20 million?!" Laylo's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. The stone in her hand suddenly felt heavy and hot.
"Yes. But before we sell it, we need time. We need to distract the doctors. Go tell them now: 'Give me 24 hours to find the money, I have a Mana Stone as collateral.' But do not show them the stone. Show them only a photo."
Laylo clutched the stone to her chest. Tears welled up in her eyes again, but this time, they were tears of hope.
"Thank you, brother... I knew it. I knew everything would be okay once you woke up."
Laylo hurriedly snapped a photo of the stone with her phone and rushed out of the ward.
Kenji was alone again.
He took a deep breath.
"First problem solved," he said to himself. "Now for the second..."
He closed his eyes and focused on the internal structure of his body. The Elf water was finishing its work. Now he had to take the next step: Restoring Mana Flow.
His body had mana channels—"meridians"—but they were like pipes that hadn't been used in eighty years: rusted and clogged. If he tried to use powerful magic now, these channels would burst.
He ignited a tiny spark in his "Dantian" (the energy center in the lower abdomen).
This spark was the distillation of eighty years of experience.
Slowly, agonizingly slowly, he began to circulate this spark through his body. The process was excruciating. It felt like needles were traveling inside his veins.
Cold sweat beaded on Kenji's forehead, but he gritted his teeth and endured.
"I won't break this body," he whispered. "I will reforge it."
Suddenly, shouting erupted from the corridor.
"What?! What kind of stone?! Show me immediately!"
Kenji opened his eyes. It was the voice of that arrogant Guild representative. He was back. And apparently, Laylo had shown him the photo.
"Foolish girl," Kenji shook his head, but there was a smile on his face. "Alright then. The show goes on."