"Education never ends, Watson. It is a series of lessons, with the greatest for the last."— Sherlock Holmes( His Last Bow )
***
"Can't you transfer me?" Jack asked with a smile on his face. His head was full of white hair, and his expression remained calm. This was the second time he had made this request, but the answer he received was the same as before.
"Sorry, sir, but there aren't enough beds available in other wards."
Old Jack sighed in frustration and began walking back to his ward. Taking the lift from the ground floor, he pressed the button for the 4th floor. From there, Jack walked to the door at the end of the hallway—Room 444. Just looking at the number made his blood pressure rise.
"I don't know if my diabetes will ever stabilize, but I'll definitely start having blood pressure issues!" Jack mumbled, clearly frustrated. Because of that brat, he couldn't even enjoy his morning tea in peace. From inside the room, strange sounds echoed out.
Jack opened the door, the creak of Rex's bed echoing like a taunt. His bed was on the right, and on the left—after skipping two empty ones—was Rex's bed.
He saw Rex doing sit-ups at a surprisingly fast pace. The stress he was putting on his body looked painful. Jack noticed that Rex didn't even glance at him—he was completely focused. So Jack walked slowly to his bed with his old legs, sat down, and turned toward Rex.
"Can you please stop?" Jack asked in a calm tone, steadying his mind with slow breaths.
"No," Rex replied, still not looking at him.
"Why?" Jack asked again, his patience thinning.
"This is for myself! How can I be bald without being OP!?" Rex said with a blank expression, staring straight ahead as he increased the speed of his reps.
"You! Just listen to me!" Jack shouted, now fuming with anger. Sensing the irritation in Jack's voice, Rex paused for a moment.
'Is he worried about me' Rex thought.
His eyes softened. He thought Grandpa Jack was worried about him, watching a skinny teenager like him pushing himself so hard.
"Grandpa Jack, you don't have to worry. I have to—" Rex was about to say when Jack cut his sentence.
"Who's worrying about you!? For God's sake, stop making weird sounds while exercising!!" Jack shouted back, finally voicing his true feelings.
"…" Rex froze. He couldn't speak for a minute. His zombie-like face turned red with embarrassment.
'but I was just mumbling in mind for motivation... 'Rex thought.
"…I... okay," Rex mumbled, scratching his head awkwardly. That was all he could say. He hadn't even realized he was making weird noises. Avoiding Grandpa Jack's eyes, he resumed his sit-ups. His mouth stayed shut, but his body didn't stop moving.
Jack's eye twitched. Now, the only thing he could hear was the annoying creaking of the bed.
"There's no end to this… but at least he's not making strange noises anymore," Jack muttered. Turning away, he opened the side drawer and took out his earbuds. After putting them in, he played a calming song on his smartwatch. Jack closed his eyes on his bed, no longer paying attention to Rex.
***
Today again, Rex wasn't able to complete his quest. And the frustrating part? It was a daily quest—meaning he'd suffer endlessly if he couldn't finish it.
'Today, I made significant progress with sit-ups. I managed to do 50. I just need to continue this routine. I'll definitely complete it...' Rex thought, silently enduring, until the day he could finish all four exercises in a single day.
Before the system could announce the failed quest notification, Rex got out of bed at 11:40 PM. Slowly walking out of the room, he entered the hallway. The toilet was at the other end—he just had to walk straight.
From the windows, one could see the colorful lights of the city—the drones flying by, skyscrapers flashing ads, and the never-sleeping skyline. The war had changed many things. Each district was now protected by a special energy shield, faintly visible from afar. It would flash with a sky-blue glow every hour.
'How fascinating,' Rex thought, momentarily forgetting he was on his way to the toilet. The history of this new world began flashing through his mind.
***
This sci-fi level of technology was only possible because of some great minds coming together to save humanity from the Skarath. Soul Forgers weren't just powerful people—they possessed advanced technology hidden from the public for a long time.
Every human had possessed a soul and soul fragments, the key to forging tools. But what separates a genius from the average in Soul Forger ranks is the number of fragments they possess and the rate at which they can assemble others. The more soul fragments you have, the more talented and powerful you are.
The first soul weapon or tool can only be forged with your own soul fragments. The more powerful the ability you embed in the weapon, the greater the sacrifice. Soul fragments are the energy that keeps the soul alive. One wrong judgment during forging... and you risk death.
The Assemble Rate determines how fast a person can fuse beast soul fragments. These fragments are only obtained by killing beasts using your soul weapon. The strength of the beast determines how much fragment energy you get.
That energy must then be refined before it becomes yours. If it takes you a four months to assemble a single fragment, you're already considered a genius—able to forge tools and weapons faster than your peers.
***
'Beasts are creatures inhabiting planets outside the solar system, discovered by ancient Soul Forgers. Since old times, they've hunted these beings—which means they had the means to travel light-years in seconds even back then!' Rex though.
Killing a beast with just one tool is never easy. That's why hunting them in groups is considered safer.
Transmigrating to this world had awakened something in Rex that had long been buried beneath years of monotony and failure. His endless struggles had made him emotionally detached from life. But now, the curious, adventurous child in him—the one who once longed for excitement—had awakened. Those stories and novels he once devoured, the ones that kept him imagining for hours... were now his reality.
He often wondered: What would I do if I ever got the chance?And now that fantasy had become real. But despite everything, he still didn't know what to do. He had no direction, no reason, no goal.
Then, a quote from one of his favorite novels echoed in his mind:
"I woke up in a world I didn't choose, with memories of a life that no longer matters. I have no destiny, no guide, no reason to be here… but maybe that's the point. Maybe I'm not meant to follow a path — maybe I'm meant to make one." Rex recalled the words.
A smile had hung on his face, he turned around, walked into the men's restroom, refusing to leave until six hours had passed, but he was feeling refreshed.
Suddenly, the lights flickered off. That shouldn't happen inside a hospital.
'How odd' Rex thought. His vision was swallowed by darkness, but he pushed the thought to the back of his mind. Swinging his hands around, he tried to figure out where the toilet door was.
'Ah ,what the hell!'
His head slammed into a wall. But Rex's expression remained grim. He had to reach the toilet before the crazy system activated a quest penalty. If he soiled himself on the spot, he'd have no face left to show!
Suddenly the temperature dropped. The air grew thick.
From behind him, footsteps echoed softly.
Rex turned, heart pounding.
A shadow stood in the darkness. Cold, suffocating power radiated from it.
Then—
Whoosh!!
A sharp pain tore through his chest—and before he could even register what was happening, his head was severed clean from his neck.
***
"I've completed the task," Max said. A long scar ran across his face, stretching from one end to the other, as he addressed the man sitting on the opposite sofa.
"Did you retrieve it?" the man asked. He wore a sharp blue blazer, and his short hair was dyed a soft pink.
Max silently reached into his black bag and pulled out a severed head, wrapped tightly in transparent tape.
[AN : I have made some modification in previous chapters and also fixed grammar issues]