Solomon’s eyes snapped open with a violent gasp. He launched his upper body forward and completely ripped the crisp white bedsheets away from his legs.

"Finally," Solomon coughed, gripping the metal railing of the mattress. "I thought I was never going to wake up." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

He rubbed his temples to soothe a pounding headache. His mind had been completely trapped inside his world.

A memory flashed across his vision, prompting him to instantly grab his right shoulder. He ran his fingers frantically down his bicep and squeezed his forearm. He fully expected to find a severed stump or a massive grid of surgical stitches.

He dropped his hands and scanned the brightly lit room. Pristine white walls and glowing magical monitors completely replaced the dark rocky terrain of the dimensional fragment. He easily recognized the layout of an academy medical facility.

He thought the campus extraction team must have dragged him out of the ruins right at the last second. He figured the elite healers on the staff used advanced restoration magic to perfectly reattach his severed arm while he remained comatose.

Solomon turned his head toward the corner of the room. The pristine white steel of Eden’s Penance rested casually against a medical cart. The massive S-Rank holy relic remained entirely intact and perfectly within his reach.

Suddenly, a vicious jolt of agony struck the dead center of his chest. Solomon doubled over and clutched his hospital shirt. His knuckles turned entirely white as the pain spiked through his ribs.

Something felt fundamentally wrong inside his anatomy. His veins burned with a completely foreign, intrusive energy that completely rejected his own internal circulation.

An echoing, mechanical voice rang directly inside his skull. Solomon widened his eyes, instantly recognizing the exact tone. It was the identical voice that had spoken to him three years ago on his fifteenth birthday, right when the world system originally granted him his talent.

He heard the same voice in his world when he finally awakened Convergence.

"The Eden heart has been successfully synchronized with your physical body," the voice announced.

Solomon gripped the fabric of his hospital shirt. "Eden heart?" he whispered to the empty room. He racked his brain for any mention of a synchronized organ. It could easily be a hidden function of Convergence finally snapping awake, or perhaps a direct reward for slaughtering Uriel.

A phantom ache suddenly spiked through his sternum. He remembered the precise sensation of a blade sliding perfectly between his ribs.

Vlad had driven a celestial dagger straight into his chest the very second the angel died.

Solomon ripped the buttons of his shirt open to inspect the fatal damage. He ran his fingers over his sternum, fully expecting to find a massive grid of surgical stitches or a gaping entry wound. His fingertips met absolutely flawless skin.

He quickly dragged his hands across his ribs and collarbone to check the various burns he acquired throughout the adventure.

Every single combat injury was completely gone. "The academy healers are actually amazing," Solomon muttered, dropping his hands to his sides. He pushed himself off the mattress and walked toward the small washroom attached to the corner of the medical bay.

He stopped directly in front of the polished mirror above the sink. He grabbed the hem of his open shirt and pulled it entirely over his head. He twisted his waist to inspect his back, peering over his shoulder into the clear reflection.

Solomon stared at the glass in complete shock. The chaotic map of white scars crossing his spine and shoulders had completely vanished. He had spent three agonizing years breaking his own body in underworld fighting pits to earn those survival marks.

His skin was now entirely clear, wiped completely clean of his violent past.

He pressed two fingers directly against the center of his chest. The phantom sensation of Vlad’s blade twisting into his heart flared in his mind once again. He narrowed his eyes at his own reflection while processing the royal swordsman’s final betrayal.

"Vlad definitely had a specific reason for doing that," Solomon whispered, tracing his unbroken skin.

The calculated stab to the chest clearly served an entirely different purpose.

He dragged a hand down his face and let out a sharp exhale. Countless details regarding the golden-haired royal completely defied logic.

"There are way too many things that make absolutely zero sense," Solomon muttered to the empty room. He turned away from the mirror and paced across the floor tiles. He recalled the exact moment Vlad had shouted at him and spoken his name perfectly.

Solomon stopped pacing and crossed his arms over his bare chest. He wondered if the prince had simply called him ’Solo Man’ due to his registered streamer title. Verifying that specific pronunciation required scrubbing through over hundred hours of recorded broadcast footage.

The mysteries extended far beyond a simple name. Solomon pressed a thumb against his chin, analyzing the chaotic sequence inside the vault. Vlad had intercepted the falling crown and specifically commanded him to eat the divine gemstone.

The ancient Paladin previously stated the exact awakening method remained a strictly guarded secret among the royal bloodlines.

Vlad belonged to a royal dynasty, making his possession of that classified knowledge incredibly convenient. The prince also knew Solomon needed to actively absorb the artifact after swallowing it.

Solomon figured that specific piece of information likely fell under royal education as well.

He dropped his arms and walked over to the medical cart. He traced Eden’s Penance with his fingertips.

Vlad also knew the exact name of the angel sealed in the cathedral. Solomon guessed Uriel might have simply introduced himself to the three high-ranking hunters before the actual fight broke out.

Solomon considered the sheer timing of their initial encounter back in the mountain cave. The three world rankers had stepped through the transit portal at the exact second the masked stream snipers attempted to sever his limbs.

A conveniently timed arrival saved his life.

He then thought about the celestial dagger. Vlad possessed a weapon explicitly forged to permanently nullify divine regeneration. The royal swordsman just happened to carry the exact tool required to permanently ground an immortal archangel.

"That is a massive pile of maybes," Solomon whispered, pulling his hand away from the greatsword. He leaned against the metal cart and stared blindly at the sterile wall.

A single isolated incident easily qualified as a random coincidence. Experiencing two highly convenient events back-to-back fell within the realm of probability.

Surviving an entire sequence of perfectly timed miracles felt entirely orchestrated. The endless chain of convenient arrivals, perfectly suited weapons, and highly classified knowledge completely shattered the boundaries of random chance.

Every single variable aligned flawlessly to ensure the angel’s death, and Solomon’s survival.

Solomon rubbed the center of his chest where the phantom ache lingered. He mentally discarded all the logistical anomalies to focus on the most glaring contradiction of all. If Vlad genuinely wanted him dead, the world ranker could have executed a significantly better job.

"He had the perfect opportunity, and he is infinitely stronger and experienced than me," Solomon muttered. He gripped the fabric of his discarded hospital shirt.

Vlad definitely had a concrete reason for driving that blade into his chest.