Long story short, Zero was moved from the morgue to a patient ward room.

  As he was being transferred, he was instructed to lie down on a bed, but there was no conversation between him and the female doctor who had found him naked before.

  The awkward atmosphere lingered until Zero was given the patient pajamas, and he initiated a conversation to ease the tension.

  "So, can you tell me your name?" He asked the doctor in front of him. Zero was already wearing patient-specific attire.

  "O-Oh. M-My name is Dr. Olivia Thompson. I was the doctor in charge of you at this hospital," she replied while preparing a syringe to infuse Zero, formally introducing herself.

  Olivia had a striking posture. Her body was tall for a woman, with a slim yet curvaceous figure. Perhaps due to her height, she had to bend to inject Zero's hand. As she leaned forward, Zero could catch a glimpse of her cleavage peeking from behind her shirt.

  Despite her timid and childlike manner of speaking, she was diligent and focused when setting up the infusion.

  "If I may know, how did you find me in the morgue?"

  "W-what do you mean? I-I only ran after hearing the screams from inside there."

  In his heart, Zero hoped that what she heard was the voice of the person who brought him to the morgue, not the strange noises he made while trying out various skills.

  "Mmm… It truly is a miracle. Do you know that you've just risen from the dead? I'm the one who confirmed that you were dead, and I'm sure I wasn't wrong in confirming it."

  "Haha~" Zero chuckled hollowly.

  "As additional information, before I confirmed you were dead, you were in a mysterious vegetative state for two years."

  After finishing the infusion, she spoke while raising her glasses. Behind Olivia's glasses, a pair of eyes brimming with curiosity could be seen. There was no more stuttering when Olivia talked about medical matters.

  "Is that so?"

  As Ernest pondered whether his time in the Netherworld and Earth ran in parallel, he glanced at a digital calendar on a small table beside the bed where he lying down.

  Monday, February 23, 2026.

  11:30 AM.

  "By the way, do you know how I ended up being treated in this hospital?"

  "Wait a moment!"

  Olivia received several sheets of paper from the nurse who came with her. She flipped through the papers in front of her ample bosom for a moment. Besides medical records, there was also some other information about the patients.

  "Patient's name: Ernest Ralstone—"

  Zero widened his eyes slightly as the name Ernest Ralstone was mentioned. It had been a long time since he heard that name. Indeed, Zero's real name was Ernest Ralstone.

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  'It seems I have to discard the name Zero for now.'

  Before Ernest could inquire further, Olivia quickly continued.

  "—You were brought to this hospital by someone after you were hit by a truck near Lake Beauty Park. Since then, you've been in a vegetative state."

  "Then, where is this?"

  "You may have suffered some brain damage due to being in a vegetative state for two years. So, I'll try to tell you some things so you can better understand your current situation."

  According to Olivia's explanation, the hospital named Circle of Hope, where he was currently being treated, was a special hospital for people suffering from mysterious illnesses. Especially new diseases that emerged after the world experienced The Great Catastrophe related to mana or Magic.

  Although Olivia did not explain what The Great Catastrophe was, Ernest still remembered what that term meant.

  The Great Catastrophe was a term used to describe an event where the Earth was heavily attacked by monsters about 24 years ago.

  The monsters came from Gates, Dungeons, Fractures, and various other magical phenomena.

  Humanity on Earth experienced a massive depopulation due to the attacks of the monsters because various human weapons were ineffective against them.

  The number of deaths due to The Great Catastrophe was estimated to be almost equal to the number of deaths due to World Wars 1 and 2 combined.

  Fortunately, people with superhuman powers suddenly appeared and exterminated the monsters.

  The damages caused by the monsters were slowly being repaired.

  In the end, the Earth became peaceful again. However, a magical energy known as mana remained on Earth.

  In a positive context, mana could awaken people and give them superpowers. However, in a negative context, mana could cause people to suffer from various diseases. One common disease found was mana Poisoning.

  Mana Poisoning was an event where the patient's body could not quickly adapt to mana.

  The severity of the effects would depend on the person's affinity to mana and the environment where the patient lived.

  "We've been observing your body for two years. As far as we know, your case might be similar to cases of mana Poisoning, but a very severe version?!"

  "... Are you asking?"

  "I-I mean…" Olivia stuttered again and started playing with her glasses frame.

  "So, can I conclude that you've been using me as a guinea pig for these two years? Before I finally died."

  As Ernest pressed Olivia for answers, she seemed increasingly nervous and scared. Nevertheless, Olivia still dared to answer, "Yes." Firmly.

  Whether he liked it or not, Ernest's hair stood on end as he imagined what they might have done to his body. Reflexively, he lifted his shirt to check if there was anything abnormal.

  However, as soon as Ernest lifted his shirt and exposed his stomach, Olivia immediately waved her hand and spoke as if she wanted to change the subject.

  "L-Let's do some examinations. You don't mind, do you? Besides, you don't need to pay for the treatment we've provided for the past two years."

  "Is that true?"

  "Yes. I don't know who the owner of this hospital is, but he has never demanded a penny from patients who meet certain criteria."

  "Then, am I one of those qualifying patients?"

  "Yes. That's why you don't need to worry about us asking for your kidney or other body parts. Of course, that's if you agree to follow our further medical procedures."

  Although Ernest was slightly uncomfortable with Olivia's words, he no longer objected to Olivia's words. Upon reflection, it seemed fair. In exchange for researching his body for two years, they had treated him without charging anything.

  Considering the cost of treating patients who had mysterious illnesses and fell into a vegetative state for two years was not cheap, he should even feel very grateful.

  However, when Ernest heard Olivia say that they wouldn't even ask for his kidney or other body parts, he became concerned about the person who brought him to the morgue. That person also wore a white robe, so he must also be a doctor.

  For now, he could only suspect everyone in this hospital, including Olivia. However, it didn't mean he suddenly revolted and forcibly broke out of the hospital. He decided to cooperate.

  After agreeing to Olivia's request, Ernest was immediately surrounded by many nurses after signing some kind of cooperation agreement.