The only thing I saw was complete darkness and nothing else. I tried to move, but I couldn’t feel my arms or legs. It was as if they weren’t even attached to my body.

I had no idea what was happening. Why was I here? Where even was "here"? The last thing I remembered was being in my bed at home, scrolling through my phone until I fell asleep.

But now, I could feel that I was in a completely different place.

It was strange. My consciousness had always been clear, but for the first time, I was genuinely panicking.

Was I asleep? Unconscious? Dead? Or was I simply dreaming?

Just like any other day, I went to my school. I had a decent reputation, a bright future ahead of me in tech, and I had a girlfriend too. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

She was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen, with long silky hair and bright brown eyes. We’d been dating for three years. We even talked about getting married after graduation.

But...

That’s just what I wanted to believe. The truth is, I wasn’t popular at all. In fact, I was a total loner.

I didn’t have any friends, and nobody liked me. People avoided me whenever they saw me. Even my own parents didn’t care enough to call. And then there was "her," the girlfriend.

I couldn’t even hold hands with her. She was a fantasy I made up to keep myself from losing my mind.

’What did I do to deserve this?’

’Why did everyone hate me?’

Those were the questions I asked myself from time to time. And no matter how hard I thought about it, I couldn’t find answers that justified the world’s behavior toward me.

’Maybe this is my fate. But what fate? I haven’t even done anything bad to anyone or talked behind their back... then why?’

Maybe I was just asleep. Maybe I was still dreaming. But that still didn’t explain why all of this felt so real.

"You can do it. Open your eyes. It’s all right now."

As I was having trouble making sense of the situation I was in, I heard a woman’s voice. And for some reason, it drew all my attention toward itself.

"It’s a beautiful day in the city today. You will like it. I am sure of it."

That voice... it sounded so kind, and yet strangely sad. I don’t know what took over me as I actually did what the voice was telling me to do. I tried to open my eyes, but it was like my eyelids were being held shut by something.

"Just try. Don’t be scared. Everything is fine."

’She’s right. There’s nothing to be afraid of. Everything will be fine.’

Finally, after trying as hard as I could, I managed to open them just enough for the light to hit my eyes.

’It’s so bright!’

I squinted as I tried to adjust to the blinding light. Slowly, the ceiling came into focus. As I stared at it, I realized it wasn’t the ceiling of my bedroom.

’Where am I?’

I tried to lift my head, but for some reason, it felt heavier than usual, and I was unable to move it.

"Don’t try to move. You have just woken up, so it might be difficult for now."

The one this voice belonged to was standing beside me, and her hands were placed on my chest. She had blonde hair tied in a bun and yellow eyes. Her whole face was covered in sweat, which dripped onto me one by one.

’She... looks familiar.’

This woman looked exactly like Director Elena, the legendary S-Rank Healer from the world-famous novel ’Solo Dungeon Monarch’. But that was impossible. She was a fictional character. She can’t exist in real life.

I see. I am still dreaming. Let’s just close my eyes and wake up in the real world so everything can go back to being boring.

But even though I closed my eyes and stayed still for a moment, I was still in that same place after opening them again. I did it a second time. And again, I couldn’t wake up in reality.

It was then that the realization hit me.

’No, this is not a dream. This is reality.’

I was a huge fan of the ’Monarch’ series. I knew every character. And it was the same woman the fandom practically worshipped.

"Director Elena," another feminine voice spoke.

I glanced at her and immediately recognized the second person too. It belonged to Sophie, the Director’s cold but beautiful assistant. She had a sharp face and long, flowing brown hair.

’Damn, even the extras look this good? Is this heaven? Or... is this hell?’

I thought. However, before I could descend further into my own thoughts, Sophie spoke up.

"Director, we should go. The Association Board meeting is in just a few minutes."

"You’re right. Let’s get going," Elena said and looked at me one last time before walking toward Sophie. "Tell the nurses to keep him under 24-hour observation."

"Yeah, I will tell them to do so." That was the last sentence I heard before both Elena and Sophie walked out of the room.

As the automatic doors slid shut behind them, silence fell over the room. And I kept staring at the ceiling since that was the only thing I could do for now, because I couldn’t even move a finger, let alone my arm.

My brain was trying to process the fact that the woman I’d just met was really the legendary S-Rank healer.

I thought about all the possibilities of being transmigrated into a novel. Even better, it was my favorite novel. If this was really true and not a dream, then there was nothing more I could ask for.

"Urg..."

Suddenly, the silence of the room was broken by a small groan coming from my left.

I blinked. There was someone else in the room besides me? Slowly, I forced my stiff neck to turn. There, only a few feet away on another bed, I saw a girl lying down.

She had short, messy purple hair that looked like it hadn’t been combed in weeks, and her skin was pale, maybe because she had lost too much blood. Still, she was beautiful, scarily so, but something was very strange.

She was staring straight at the ceiling, just like me. However, unlike me, her eyes were half-open. She didn’t blink. Nor did she move. She just lay there with her mouth slightly open, letting in and out small but continuous breaths.

’Who is she? I don’t recognize her from the original novel. Is she a new character? Or someone who only appeared once?’

I stared at her for a long time, wondering about her identity and role. But nothing came to mind.

K-chak!

Soon, the door slid open again, and a nurse walked in.

"Oh, you’re awake!" she said, giving me a bright and professional smile.

Even though the purple-haired girl was closer to the door, the nurse didn’t even glance at her. It was like she was a piece of furniture, or something the nurse was pretending not to see.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Woo Jin?" the nurse asked as she walked toward me.

"I am... fine," I forced the words out of my mouth.

Wait.

She called me Woo Jin. Is that my name in this world?

"That is good. You had severe injuries," the nurse said as she checked the monitor placed beside my bed. "Lady Elena spent hours personally healing you. It’s a miracle you’re alive."

"The Director... saved me?" I asked.

"Yes. She used her ’S-Rank Restoration’ skill on you. You might feel some tingling, but that’s just the mana settling back into your veins."

S-Rank Restoration, huh? I’ve got the legendary healer as my personal doctor. Not bad at all.

"Where are we?"

"You’re in the Association Central Hospital. You were carried out of an A-Rank Gate by a fellow hunter who went inside to clear it with you."

"And... who is she?" I asked, gesturing with my eyes toward the girl in the next bed.

The nurse’s expression instantly changed. The warm smile she had for me vanished and was replaced by a look of pure disgust.

"Oh, her?" the nurse whispered, her tone filled with disdain. "She is... not important. Just a ’Burnout.’ A waste of a good bed and expensive equipment, if you ask me."

A Burnout? What does that even mean? And why is she looking at her like she’s trash?

"Anyway, I will bring your dinner soon. You need to rebuild your strength. And try not to let the neighbor disturb you."

The nurse turned around and marched out of the room. She hadn’t even checked the girl’s monitor or looked at her chart.

I glanced at the girl. She was still staring at the ceiling, and her chest was still rising and falling in shallow, ragged movements. She didn’t look alive, but she certainly wasn’t dead either.

’What’s wrong with her? Did her mana core break? Is that why she’s a burnout in a world that only values power?’

Man, I really wish I had a system right now. Something to tell me what’s going on. Like those ’All-Seeing Eye’ skills from games.

Ding!

’Huh?’

As I was wishing for some overpowered skill, I heard a sound resonate through my mind. It was the exact sound I’d read about in a thousand web novels.

’Did that just come from my head?’

That’s it. The moment of awakening had finally arrived.

’Please, be a broken cheat system. Please.’

Ding!

[You have awakened a Unique Skill: ’Monster Evolutionary Wife’.]