Pain stabbed through Dan's head as his eyes opened. Bright light pierced his vision. The ceiling above him was white and unfamiliar. He tried to move, but something held his arms down.
Tubes and wires connected to his body. A steady beep came from a machine beside him.
The air smelled of chemicals and something else he could not identify.
He pulled at the tubes. They resisted, then tore free from his skin. The beeping turned into a loud alarm. He ripped off the last sensor from his chest and tried to sit up.
His body did not respond correctly. His limbs felt wrong. Too light. Too small.
When he tried to stand, his legs gave out. ]
He crashed to the cold floor and the impact hurt more than it should have.
"He is awake!" Someone shouted.
People in white coats rushed into the room. Five of them surrounded him, their faces showing concern and excitement.
"Please do not move yet," a woman said. She reached for his arm. "You need time to adjust."
"Where am I?" Dan asked. His voice sounded strange in his ears. Higher. Younger.
"Take it easy, kid," a man with glasses said as he helped Dan back onto the bed. "Your body is still stabilizing."
Kid? Dan stared at the man. No one had called him that in decades.
Fear shot through him. He pushed away the helping hands and scrambled across the room. His legs trembled but held this time.
A mirror hung on the far wall.
He reached it and froze.
The face that stared back was not his own. Not the hollow-eyed man with gray streaks in his hair and lines of grief etched into his skin.
A teenager looked back at him. Sixteen, maybe seventeen years old. Dark hair without a trace of gray. Smooth skin without wrinkles. Eyes that had not yet seen his family die.
"What the hell," he whispered.
He touched his face. The reflection did the same. "What did you do to me?"
He stared at the teenage face in the mirror. His hands shook as he touched his smooth cheeks.
"Please return to the bed. Your body needs time to adjust," the woman in the white coat said.
"Where am I?" He asked. His voice sounded strange to his ears.
"You are in the Recovery Wing of Engela Hospital," a tall man with a clipboard answered. "Do you remember your name?"
He turned from the mirror. Five people in white lab coats watched him with curious eyes.
"Dan. Daniel Henza," he said.
The people looked at each other with confused expressions.
"We did not find any records with that name in our database," the tall man said. He pushed his glasses up his nose. "You were discovered unconscious in a Dungeon three days ago."
"Dungeon?" He asked. The word sounded familiar yet strange. "What dungeon?"
A shorter woman stepped forward. "A Dungeon that appeared in downtown Omafo last month. A team of Hunter Association members found you. No one knows how you got there."
Dan shook his head. "No. That is wrong. I was..." The memory of Castillo's mansion flashed in his mind. The gunshot. The blood spreading across his shirt. The faces of his family waiting for him.
"I died," he whispered.
The doctors exchanged worried glances.
"Your vital signs are strong," the first woman said. She checked a tablet displaying his medical data. "Though your mana readings are unusual compared to other awakened individuals."
"Mana?" He asked.
Before anyone could answer, a yellow box appeared in the air in front of him.
He jumped back, hitting the wall behind him.
The people did not react to the floating yellow text. They could not see it.
[justice system activated]
[welcome, executioner]
"What the—" He reached out to touch the yellow box. His finger passed through it.
[you have been chosen to serve as the executioner of the gods] , [this world suffers from rampant injustice] , [millions cry out for vengeance that never comes] , [you have been transported to a new Earth] , [a world of modern technology, awakened hunters, dungeons, and the abyss] , [your mission: bring balance through justice]
He stared at the words. His mind struggled to understand.
"Are you feeling well?" the man with glasses asked. "Your eyes look unfocused."
"You do not see this?" Dan pointed at the yellow text.
"See what?" the short woman asked. She looked at the empty air where he pointed.
[only you can see the justice system] , [your abilities will develop as you deliver justice] , [first target: chairman Favery of starlight corporation] , [crime: murder of 26 innocent test subjects] , [status: unpunished due to wealth and influence]
"This is not real," he muttered. "I am hallucinating."
The tall doctor approached slowly. "We found no information about you in any database. No identification. No fingerprint matches. No social security number. It is as if you appeared from nowhere."
Dan remained silent. Years as a prosecutor had taught him to assess before revealing anything. He needed to understand this situation first.
"Memory loss is common with trauma cases," the woman with the tablet said. "It will likely return in time."
He nodded slightly
It was better to let them think what they wanted.
He walked to the window. Outside, a view of Engela spread before him. Tall skyscrapers reached toward the sky. Cars moved along busy streets. Everything looked almost like the world he knew, except for one major difference—a massive blue crystal structure rose from the center of the city, glowing with ethereal light.
In the distance, a dark purple dome covered what appeared to be a cordoned-off section of the city.
This was not his world, but it was close.
The yellow text changed.
[accept your mission?]
[yes/no]
He studied the floating text without responding. A mission from unknown entities was not something to accept blindly. He needed information first. Strategy. Resources.
"You should rest," the man with glasses said. "Your body shows signs of extreme stress."
Dan turned from the window. "I need to understand what happened to me. Tell me about the dungeon where I was found."
The doctors exchanged glances.
"The Dungeon appeared three weeks ago," the shorter woman explained. "It is classified as an A-rank dungeon. The Hunter Association sent a team to clear it yesterday. They found you just lying in a forest without any clothes on."
"Hunter Association?" He asked, feigning ignorance while gathering information.
The tall doctor looked surprised. "You do not know about hunters? The awakened ones who fight monsters from the dungeons?"
He touched his head as if in pain. "My memory is... unclear."
"Rest," the woman insisted. "We can discuss this tomorrow."
Dan nodded. "I need time to process."
The doctors left, and he was alone with the floating yellow text.
He thought of his family.
He thought of the revenge that had left him empty.
No, he would not rush into another mission of vengeance without understanding the consequences.
"Not yet," he whispered to the floating text.
[mission pending]
[awaiting confirmation]
[temporary abilities granted: judgment eye – limited use]
The text faded, but he knew it would return. Whatever brought him here wanted something from him.