Dr. Alvarez sat at his desk, massaging his temples as he recalled the troublesome young man who had arrived at the hospital just the day before.
*Knock. Knock. Knock.*
His eyes darted to the door as a pretty young nurse entered, holding a stack of papers.
"Dr. Alvarez, here are the documents you requested," she said, carefully handing them over.
He frowned as he read through the files, his brows knitting together deeper with every page.
A few moments passed before he finally sighed, leaning back in his chair.
Seeing his troubled expression, the nurse hesitated but couldn't suppress her concern.
"Is something wrong, Doctor?"
Earlier, Dr. Alvarez had asked for a list containing information about all the patients admitted to the hospital.
Initially, the nurse had been puzzled. Why would the doctor suddenly request such records? Unable to ignore her curiosity, she asked for an explanation.
Dr. Alvarez exhaled slowly before gazing up at the ceiling.
The nurse observed him slumping into his chair, exhaustion evident in the deep bags under his eyes.
Due to the recent dungeon outbreak, patients had flooded into the hospital nonstop, keeping both doctors and nurses busier than ever. There was barely a moment to rest, as new arrivals continued to trickle in at all hours. Their injuries varied—some were treatable, but others never even made it to the hospital alive.
"R4-03..." Dr. Alvarez muttered under his breath.
The nurse tilted her head, confused.
"A young man was admitted not long ago. His right lung was pierced by a sharp weapon, his right leg fractured, and his left ribs were broken from the incident. But this morning, he was already doing exercises, and his injuries—" the doctor hesitated, shaking his head. "They've completely disappeared, as if they'd never been there."
The nurse's eyes widened in shock.
In an instant, she understood why the doctor had requested the patient records from yesterday.
"I wanted to confirm whether his injuries were truly as severe as I remembered, or if I had mistaken him for someone else," Dr. Alvarez continued, flipping through the file belonging to Raven Alarcon.
The documents detailed the severity of Raven's wounds, along with witness statements describing the state he had been in when they found him.
Dr. Alvarez furrowed his brows. He simply couldn't understand how such grave injuries had fully healed overnight.
"Sir... do you think he might be a hunter?" the nurse asked hesitantly, still processing the shock.
The doctor's expression darkened with contemplation.
'If he was a hunter, then he'd have to be extremely high-ranked for his injuries to recover this quickly. But if he really was that high-ranked, how did he end up in such a situation to begin with?'
"Ms. Jane," Dr. Alvarez suddenly spoke in a serious tone.
The nurse straightened, startled. "Yes, Doctor?"
"What rank was the dungeon that broke out?"
She blinked a few times before responding, "I believe it was a C-rank dungeon, sir."
Her gaze remained fixed on the doctor as he eyed the stack of patient documents piled on his desk.
'No wonder we've received so many injured people...'
Looking at the thick stack of papers, Dr. Alvarez sighed.
"I suppose having this many patients is actually a good thing, right?" he murmured as he stretched his stiff shoulders.
The nurse's jaw dropped in shock, misinterpreting his words.
Seeing her bewildered expression, Dr. Alvarez quickly understood her misunderstanding.
"I mean, the number of patients means the casualties weren't as high as they could've been," he clarified, feeling the need to explain. A slip-up like that might affect his reputation otherwise.
'Our hospital is the closest to the dungeon break incident, so it's natural that the survivors would be sent here first.'
Dr. Alvarez exhaled in relief at the thought.
The constant flow of rescuers and patients also kept them updated on the battlefield, allowing them to get information without leaving the hospital.
His eyes fell back onto Raven's file, and he couldn't help but let out a bitter smile.
'Maybe the real reason behind his rapid recovery is that he awakened with an ability to heal...'
A tinge of envy crept into his thoughts.
'I can't tell if you're unlucky or lucky. You were caught in the middle of a dungeon break and nearly died from your injuries, but in your lowest moment, you suddenly awakened...'
If he said he wasn't jealous, he'd be lying.
The reason Dr. Alvarez had become a doctor was simple: to save people in need. He had lost someone dear to him—someone who couldn't afford the medical bills to stay alive.
Memories of his grandmother smiling at him, reassuring him that she was fine even as she lay dying, made his heart ache.
'If only I had that kind of power back then...'
The nurse watched as Dr. Alvarez fell silent. Worried that she was disturbing his thoughts, she bid him goodbye and quietly returned to her duties.
...
**8:00 AM**
Raven—formerly Allan—sprinted around the hospital parking lot, pushing his body to its absolute limit.
As he ran, he couldn't help but compare his situation to Sung Jin-Woo, the protagonist of the novel *Solo Leveling.* Just like him, Raven had woken up in a hospital after a harrowing near-death experience, only to find himself gifted with a powerful system.
A tired smile crossed his lips. Lucky or unlucky? He still wasn't sure.
Despite the lingering emotions from his unexpected transmigration, Raven knew that clinging to the past wouldn't solve anything.
The moment his life had ended, it had been abrupt and cruel—cut down by someone whose face he barely even had the chance to register. There was no grand betrayal, no revenge to seek. Just a stranger, an unknown figure, robbing him of his existence without a second thought.
But even if he wanted vengeance, he had no way of achieving it. His killer was in a different world, and he had no way of reaching them.
Right now, he had more pressing concerns.
This new world he found himself in was far from safe.
'I've already died once. Now that I have the chance to grow stronger, I'll make sure nothing like that ever happens again.'
[Ding!]
[**Daily Quest Complete!**]
[**Daily Task: Preparation to Become Stronger!**]
**Perform the following:**
- Push-ups: 100/100
- Sit-ups: 100/100
- Pull-ups: 100/100
- Squats: 100/100
- Running: 10/10km
**Rewards:**
- +3 Allocatable Points
- +1 Mana Crystal [E]
The moment he finished his run, Raven collapsed onto the ground, too exhausted to even lift a finger.
Despite his firm determination, his current body was no stronger than an ordinary human's. Running ten kilometers nonstop had pushed it beyond its limits.
His chest burned, his heart pounded like a war drum, and his limbs felt as if they'd been filled with lead.
[You have received +3 Allocatable Points.]
[You have received +1 Mana Crystal [E].]
[Mana Crystal [E] has been sent directly to Inventory.]
"F-Finally… Huff... Huff..."
Flat on his back, Raven lay sprawled across the pavement, grinning like an idiot. Above him, birds soared freely through the crisp morning sky, and the golden rays of sunrise kissed his exhausted frame.
It was peaceful.
For a moment, he closed his eyes, reveling in the small victory.
*BEEP!*
A loud honk shattered the moment.
"Hey! Are you trying to get yourself killed?! Get off the damn road!"
Raven blinked.
A car had pulled up behind him, its frustrated driver glaring through the open window.
Embarrassed, Raven dragged his aching body off to the side, allowing the vehicle to pass.
'I was so distracted by the system notification that I didn't even notice the car behind me…'
He sighed in relief when he glanced around and saw no one else witnessing his embarrassing moment.
Shaking off his humiliation, he whispered a single command in his mind.
'Status.'
At once, a transparent panel popped up before him.
---
**[STATUS WINDOW]**
Name: Raven Alarcon
Age: 23
Title: N/A
Job: N/A
**--------------------------------------------------------------**
Health: 100/100
Mana: 10/10
Fatigue: 92%
Level: 01
**--------------------------------------------------------------**
Stats:
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Vitality: 10
Intelligence: 10
Sense: 10
Allocatable Points: 8
**--------------------------------------------------------------**
**Skills:**
- [Mana Coating (D)] – The crudest application of mana. By coating a specific part of the body, it temporarily boosts attack power and durability by 20%. Applicable to objects.
(Cost: 10 mana to activate, consumes 2 mana per minute to maintain.)
---
Panting heavily, Raven frowned.
His stats were practically identical to those of a regular human.
His chest heaved as he struggled to breathe, his lungs burning like fire.
He had planned to save his Allocatable Points for later, but after just one quest, he realized how much hardship he'd have to endure daily to grow stronger.
'Leaving my stats untouched isn't ideal. I need to improve my physique first—otherwise, my training will be too much for me to handle.'
Without hesitation, he distributed his points.
He prioritized 'Vitality' to increase his durability, stamina, and recovery speed.
---
**[STATUS UPDATED]**
Name: Raven Alarcon
Age: 23
Title: N/A
Job: N/A
**--------------------------------------------------------------**
Health:100/100 → 150/150
Mana: 10/10
Fatigue: 92% → 84%
Level: 01
**--------------------------------------------------------------**
Stats:
Strength: 10 → 12
Agility: 10 → 12
Vitality: 10 → 14
Intelligence: 10
Sense: 10
Allocatable Points: 8 → 0
**--------------------------------------------------------------**
**Skills:**
- [Mana Coating (D)]
---
Raven let out a long breath.
He could feel the effects of the stat boost immediately—the fatigue that had weighed him down earlier was slightly less oppressive. His aching muscles, while still sore, felt far more tolerable than before.
A satisfied grin spread across his face.
The feeling was intoxicating. Raven couldn't help but crave more of these points—to push his body beyond its current limits, to grow stronger, to evolve.
Now that he had finished his quest and freed himself from distraction, his mind drifted back to his present situation.
"What... should I do next?" he muttered between heavy breaths.
His identity as Allan no longer existed. In this world, he was Raven Alarcon.
This would have been a problem for most people, but thanks to the **Memory Crystal**, Raven had everything he needed to know at his disposal.
'Should I request an early release?'
He weighed the pros and cons carefully. After a few minutes of deliberation, he arrived at a conclusion.
"Well... I guess staying admitted in the hospital is the best choice for now."
His ragged breathing served as a reminder—he was still far too weak.
If he declared himself fully healed, his rapid recovery would undoubtedly attract attention. After all, such miraculous regeneration was unheard of.
People would start asking questions. They might suspect he had awakened with a powerful ability. In some ways, that could be advantageous—he wouldn't have to worry about money or resources.
But that didn't change the fundamental issue.
He was fully aware of his current level.
Despite being strong compared to ordinary humans, he was nowhere near powerful enough in the grand scheme of things. His "meager mana pool" wouldn't even allow him to use his only skill for more than a minute.
Not to mention, even if he did use it, the boost would be minimal—a mere twenty percent increase in attack power and defense.
He was getting close to being the strongest human, but in a world where "Awakened hunters" existed, such a title meant nothing.
Revealing himself too soon would undoubtedly put him at unnecessary risk.
'Yeah... staying in the hospital is the wiser choice.'