For reference, Soohyeok had encountered monsters before. In fact, some of the items used in the ritual to return Soohyeok to Earth originally belonged to yokai or demonic beings.
Of course, like most of those entities, he had sent them straight to the afterlife express bus bound for King Yeomra.
"A divine beast? A demon?"
Of course not. The translucent window in front of him couldn't be classified as a "living being" no matter how you looked at it. His mind was just confused, and so all kinds of thoughts were swirling around.
"An array? Illusion? Spell?"
That thought was at least somewhat plausible.
"Am I being toyed with by that bastard Heuksanja? Did I get caught in some illusion and come back thinking I escaped, only to find myself deluded and happy while that bastard laughs at my misery?"
If he could just get out, he'd twist the wrists that cast the illusion, tie him up with rope, and not untie him for three days and nights.
Even with those thoughts, Soohyeok shook his head.
As mentioned before, he was once the strongest person on the Fantasy Continent, someone who could overwhelm anything considered bizarre or fantastical with martial arts alone. There's no way Heuksanja could use an illusion that would fool Soohyeok this thoroughly. Even if it was an array or a spell, the result would be the same. Such abilities target the mind rather than the body, which made him all the more confident.
"Haa…"
Soohyeok lay back down for now.
He needed to gather his thoughts.
First, he checked the name tag beside his bed.
Yang Suhyeok.
"That's my name."
No doubt about it.
And outside the window was a scene that clearly wasn't the Fantasy Continent, but Earth — with Korean writing confirming it.
There were still many things he wanted to check, but he wasn't in a state to get up fully just yet.
At best, he could raise his upper body as if doing a sit-up on the hospital bed.
"Maybe I'll know more in the morning."
It was still night.
No people walking around, and the hospital room was quiet.
He considered calling a nurse to ask questions, but in his current confused state, talking might only backfire. After all the hardships on the Fantasy Continent, Soohyeok had developed a sense of caution he never had back on Earth.
"First, I need to organize my thoughts."
And recover his wrecked body as much as possible through the night.
Technique of sacred earth was perfect for this sort of thing.
Once he performed the first small circulation, he could continue without much focus.
The translucent window floating before his eyes was still distracting, but with enough conscious effort, he could ignore it.
Or rather, he could just close his eyes.
"Damn, I can still see it?"
Even with his corneas completely blocking his vision, the translucent window remained clearly visible. Soohyeok let out a hollow laugh.
"Honestly, I wish it would just go away."
At that moment—
The translucent window that had been floating before his eyes vanished without a trace.
"…Huh?"
Surprised, Soohyeok widened his eyes.
Only the darkness of night remained.
The strange floating translucent window was gone.
"Force Status?"
As soon as the thought crossed his mind—
The translucent window appeared once more in front of him.
"…I see."
He had discovered a new principle.
Grinning at the unexpected realization, Soohyeok waved his hand.
"Disappear." The words "Force Status" vanished from his vision.
He had been struggling over something trivial.
Still, this didn't change his initial plan.
"Let's just wait until morning."
He closed his eyes and began to circulate Technique of sacred earth.
In the meantime, he needed to think about why this strange phenomenon was occurring.
Time passed quickly.
***
Soohyeok continued practicing Technique of sacred earth into the early morning while pondering the baffling situation.
Then he realized something:
"This IV… What the heck? It's almost like a top-grade elixir."
Noticing that his technique was unusually effective, he focused and found that the energy from the IV dripping into his arm was amplifying his power. When he concentrated his technique on the IV's flow, the results were even more astonishing.
Even though Technique of sacred earth was stable and helpful for physical growth, it wasn't known for rapid energy cultivation. Yet, he had just built up an internal energy core the size of half a pinky nail.
Don't underestimate it.
Even if it was only half a pinky nail, it was still genuine internal energy.
By the Fantasy Continent's standards, that would take about half a year.
To gain that much in one night of cultivation — that was astounding.
And the fact that it came from a mere IV drip made it all the more remarkable.
"If I can use this properly, I might recover my energy faster than I thought."
It was still just a theory, but if modern medicine could aid martial cultivation, Soohyeok could quickly regain the achievements he made on the Fantasy Continent.
"Just the thought makes me feel good."
While he was basking in this pleasant discovery—
The hospital room door opened.
He didn't sense much presence.
"Three people?"
He had assumed a bunch of doctors and nurses would swarm in for morning rounds, so Soohyeok was surprised.
"Still, this is Seon Hospital… It's one of the top five university hospitals in Seoul."
They wouldn't neglect patient care.
The more he thought about it, the more inconsistencies he noticed.
"Why isn't anyone else awake?"
It was already morning, the sun was up.
Even patients who weren't early risers or light sleepers should be up and moving. At least one should have gone to the bathroom by now.
Rather than ponder further, Soohyeok decided to confirm it himself.
His spiritual senses weren't fully open yet, so relying solely on his perception was limited.
He looked around.
Nurses were busily checking patients and changing bed pads.
They moved in a coordinated, practiced manner.
"…This feels ominous."
The words slipped from Soohyeok's lips without thinking.
A middle-aged nurse checking a patient directly across from him turned in surprise and stared at him.
Their eyes met.
Thinking this was a good opportunity, Soohyeok raised a hand slightly.
"Uh, excuse me…"
He didn't even finish his sentence.
"Patient Yang Soohyeok is awake!"
"What?!"
The other two nurses tending to patients immediately turned toward him, eyes wide with shock.
"I'll go get the doctor!"
"Oh my god!"
The nurses, who had been moving in perfect order, panicked briefly before starting to move busily again.
The nurse who had first made eye contact with Soohyeok left the room, and one of the remaining nurses approached him and widened his pupil with a tool. His eyes stung a little.
Having the nurse's face so close in front of him was also uncomfortable. So Soohyeok cautiously leaned his head back to create some distance.
"Um… Mr. Yang ?"Soohyeok
The nurse asked with a slightly flustered expression.
"Yes."
"Are you alright?"
"Yes. I feel fine."
He had been startled by the nurses' reactions and started seeing strange things in front of his eyes, but compared to how he felt when he first woke up, he was in pretty decent shape now.
"Oh my god. His consciousness is fully restored."
Was that really something to be so shocked about?
If it was, just how long had he been unconscious?
A sudden wave of worry crashed down on him.
"Excuse me, nurse. I'm sorry, but may I ask just one question?"
"Yes, go ahead."
The nurse nodded, as if fully understanding Soohyeok's concern, and answered.
"Oh, right—it's 2028. It's been five years since you lost consciousness, Mr. Yang Soohyeok."
"Ah… That damn bastard, Heuksanja."
The moment he heard the year, Soohyeok's head was already spinning. Things had strayed far from the original plan.
"What?"
"Nothing. Don't mind me."
Soohyeok waved his hand and let out a deep sigh.
***
After the sigh, Soohyeok suddenly became silent.
More precisely, his emotions were so tangled that he couldn't speak easily.
"Mr. Yang Soohyeok?"
The nurse kept talking to him out of concern, but he still didn't respond.
She worried that he may have lost consciousness again, but the slightly dazed and trembling pupils clearly indicated he was still awake.
"Mr. Yang Soohyeok?"
The doctor who rushed in asked the same thing as the nurse.
When Soohyeok didn't answer, the doctor's brows furrowed deeply.
"Are you sure he's regained consciousness?"
The nurse, who had been observing Soohyeok closely, nodded firmly.
"Yes. He was speaking with me just a moment ago. And his eyes are clearly open…"
As the flustered nurse explained, the doctor stepped closer to Soohyeok and asked again.
"Mr. Yang Soohyeok, can you hear me?"
"We've contacted your family.
They said they're on their way to the hospital now."
Family.
That word snapped Soohyeok back to his senses.
Five unexpected years had passed.
Surely, there must have been changes in his family during that time.
'That damn Heuksanja. He swore he'd return the time I lost.'
It was a complete lie.
A five-year gap is by no means short.
It also meant Heuksanja's grand promise had failed.
If he'd been unlucky, the spell might have completely failed. He could've even died.
'It was my mistake for trusting that con artist.'
One of the nicknames of Heuksanja, who was known as the greatest spellcaster on the Hwan continent, was "Beolgu"—short for "Beol-limyeon Gura," meaning "All lies once he opens his mouth." It came from his playful nature and tendency to exaggerate. Still, he was genuinely skilled, which is why Soohyeok had trusted him—but now, looking back, it had been a dangerous gamble.
'If I could ever return to the Hwan continent, I'd wring that bastard's neck.'
But what would be the point?
He was already back on Earth.
He no longer wanted to return to the Hwan continent. Getting angry at someone in another world was a waste of energy.
"Whew…"
The doctor noticed something peculiar in Soohyeok's expression as he let out another deep sigh.
"Mr. Yang Soohyeok."
"When are they expected to arrive?"
"They said they're heading over immediately."
The doctor responded with a bright smile.
Though the exchange was short, it was clear Soohyeok had regained his awareness.
He didn't seem to be in poor physical condition, either.
"Let's start with a light examination. Most victims who lost consciousness after the Portal Impact report pain when they wake up."
"Portal Impact?"
The doctor nodded, as if expecting the confusion.
"It was the event where a gateway to another dimension opened on Earth.
The world is probably very different from how you remember it, Mr. Soohyeok. But let's discuss that in more detail later."
After seeing that strange translucent window last night, he had expected as much. The world had changed.
But he still had no idea what form that change had taken.
'A door that allows travel to another dimension? And there are others who lost consciousness and woke up like me? Did they all return from another continent like I did?'
And now, the world was apparently used to dimensional travel?
Then what did that make Soohyeok, who had returned from the Hwan continent?
Questions kept piling up, but Soohyeok didn't feel the need to speak first.
"Yes."
He simply nodded with a short answer.