"I'm in a hospital…", Noah realized though he had no memory of how he'd gotten there. He looked at the pristine white bed again. This wasn't like his room; it was far too comfortable.
Panic crept in as he remembered the last thing: collapsing after the Kaiju's attack. Why was he alive? How had he been healed?
His mind raced with dread; he had not enough money for hospital bills and he knew from all of his heart that it would be too high.
With just one look at his big brother's hospital bills, he could imagine a huge debt notice coming to his door very soon.
Had he been treated? He felt no pain, as if the attack had been merely a dream.
"Who brought me to this hospital? I thought I was dead," he kept muttering to himself. 'Or was I kidnapped?...no way..' He brushed that thought off immediately. Why would someone kidnap him?!
Squeak-!
A soft creaking sound pulled him from his spiraling thoughts. He turned to see a man in his early thirties enter the room.
The man had dark hair, black eyes, and an authoritative stance. He sighed as he looked at Noah, then spoke in a calm, measured tone. "Are you okay? How are you feeling?"
Noah barely registered the man's words; his gaze was fixated on the badge hanging from the man's chest, emblazoned with the insignia of the Adventurers Association.
"I'm Watson, a representative from the Adventurers Association," the man added, holding up his badge for emphasis.
Noah's heart raced as he stared at it, dread beginning to settle in. He felt he had disrespected the man with his earlier actions. But most importantly, a question popped up in his mind. What did the Adventurers Association want with him?
Noah's mind raced as he stared at the badge, his heart pounding in his chest. The Adventurers Association? Why were they involved?
He wasn't an adventurer. He was just an ordinary guy who had somehow gotten wrapped up in a nightmare with a Kaiju.
"Why... why are you here?" Noah finally asked, his voice barely steady. His throat felt dry, and the room seemed to spin as questions tumbled through his mind. Had they saved him? Or was this something else entirely?
'I guess it makes sense now,' he rationalized, 'the Adventurers Association arrived late and took care of the beast. They must have brought me to the hospital.'
Watson, the man standing before him, gave a faint smile as if he could sense Noah's confusion. "You've been through quite an ordeal," Watson said, pulling a chair from the corner of the room and sitting down.
"The Kaiju you encountered wasn't ordinary. It was a high-priority threat, and yet you survived."
"Survived?" Noah echoed, still processing the words. He could feel his hands trembling slightly under the sheets, as the weight of the situation slowly began to sink in.
That white streak from the sky—it wasn't a dream. But what was it? And why had he, of all people, been spared?
Watson nodded solemnly."You were lucky," Watson continued, his tone growing more serious. "Someone, or something, took down that Kaiju. We've been tracking it for a while. Though it appeared at a glance, it would've taken a squad of seasoned dormant adventurers to handle it. Yet, when we arrived on the scene, the creature was dead. And you—well, you were the only one left alive."
"We're still investigating. We found no traces of anyone else except you and the Kaiju. Whatever took it down wasn't human."
Noah's heart sank further. The implications of this were terrifying. "What does this mean?" he thought, a whirlwind of confusion enveloping him. He didn't feel like an adventurer; he was just an ordinary guy who had stumbled into a nightmare.
But even as he pieced it together, a deep unease gnawed at him. Watson's demeanor and the authoritative way he spoke felt off. "What kind of trouble have I gotten myself into?"
He opened his mouth to apologize, feeling he might have offended someone of such stature, but before he could speak, Watson waved his hand dismissively. "You don't need to apologize. The Association owes you one for endangering your life and that of others."
Watson turned toward the door. "Someone wants to speak with you, Noah," he said before exiting the room. Noah's brow furrowed in surprise; Watson knew his name. That familiarity unsettled him.
Just then, the door creaked open again, and another man entered. This newcomer had striking straight white hair and a short beard. He radiated calm but carried an air of mystery. The man smiled gently at Noah, a presence that felt both comforting and unsettling.
"So, how are you feeling?" the white-haired man asked, his voice calm and composed.
"I… I feel fine," Noah replied, though the words felt hollow. His injuries had healed remarkably fast—modern technology, perhaps?
The man nodded as if reading Noah's thoughts. "I healed your injuries with my light element, so don't be surprised."
Light element? Of course, Noah had heard of it before. It was rare, but those who possessed it were known for their healing abilities.
'So, he's a light-type elementalist,' he thought, trying to remain calm. Yet something about this man felt off.
The white-haired man leaned back in his chair, squinting slightly as he studied Noah with a thoughtful expression.
The silence stretched uncomfortably, increasing Noah's tension. 'Why do I feel like this man isn't just here for a routine check?'
Meanwhile, the white-haired man's mind raced. 'How did that beast die? This boy isn't even awakened. Yet the creature was killed with a single, clean shot. It doesn't make sense.'
He had come to the city for official business, never expecting to confront a Kaiju attack. The creature was a rank-beta beast on the verge of breaking through to rank-delta, a foe that would typically require a squad of high-level hunters. And yet, it lay dead without a trace of struggle.
He had examined Noah when he was unconscious, searching for any trace of power, any clue that might explain the situation. But Noah was a complete blank slate.
No awakened energy, no hidden talents—just a regular, unawakened human. And yet, the timing of the beast's death and Noah's presence at the scene couldn't be ignored.
Noah's heart pounded in his chest as the man continued to stare, the silence in the room becoming unbearable.
Finally, the white-haired man spoke again, his voice soft but laced with curiosity.
"The beast from yesterday… the one that attacked you. It was dead when the Hunter Association arrived. Did you kill it yourself, or did someone else get there before the hunters?"
The question hit Noah hard. Him? Kill a Kaiju? He wasn't even awakened!
"No… I didn't kill it. It hit me, and I blacked out. When I woke up, I was here. That's all I know."
The man scrutinized him, searching for signs of deception. Then he nodded, seemingly satisfied. 'He can't be the one,' he thought. 'But if not him, then who killed that beast?'
The question hung in the air, unanswered, as Noah felt a shiver run down his spine, his mind racing with uncertainties.