Beep. Beep. Beep.
The rhythmic sound pulled me from darkness, a mechanical anchor dragging me back to consciousness. My eyelids felt like they were weighted down with lead, but I managed to force them open a crack.
White ceiling. Fluorescent lights. The antiseptic smell that could only mean one thing.
Hospital.
Relief flooded through me so intensely it was almost painful. A dream. It had all been some kind of insane, elaborate dream. The void gate, the monster forest, Loki turning into a mythical beast, the glass entity... all just a nightmare brought on by hitting my head during the earthquake.
I was back in Ontario, Canada. I was safe. Everything was normal.
"—unusual readings, but physically stable," a voice was saying somewhere to my left. "Brain activity is off the charts, though. Never seen patterns like these."
"And you say he was found near the D-rank gate?" A second voice, this one deeper, more authoritative.
Wait. Gate?
My relief evaporated like morning dew under a blowtorch.
That didn't sound like something doctors in an Ontario hospital would discuss.
I forced my eyes open fully this time, turning my head toward the voices.
Two men stood at the foot of my bed, their backs to me as they examined what looked like a tablet. One wore a white lab coat, the other a crisp gray suit.
"Yes, unconscious but otherwise unharmed," the lab coat was saying. "The gate had already closed by the time the team arrived. Standard containment protocol."
"And the cat?" Gray Suit asked.
"Unusual case. Initial readings suggest awakened status, but we've never seen an animal respond to mana exposure like this before. It's being held in isolation for further testing."
Loki. They had Loki.
I must have made some sound, because both men turned to look at me.
The one in the lab coat—a middle-aged man with thinning hair and glasses—looked surprised, then quickly adopted a professional smile.
"Ah, you're awake. Excellent." He approached the side of my bed, picking up a chart. "How are you feeling, Mr. Parker?"
I stared at him, momentary confusion replacing my concern for Loki. "You know my name?"
"Of course." He glanced down at the chart. "Ethan Parker, age 20. We found your ID."
My mouth felt dry, my tongue thick and unwieldy. "Where am I?"
"Toronto General Hospital, Hunter Wing," he replied, checking something on one of the machines beside my bed. "I'm Dr. Reynold. This is Mr. Collins from the Hunter Association."
Hunter Wing? Hunter Association? The terms struck a chord of familiarity that I couldn't immediately place.
Gray Suit—Mr. Collins—stepped forward. He was a tall man with close-cropped salt-and-pepper hair and the build of someone who kept in shape despite a desk job.
"Mr. Parker, we have some questions about how you came to be at the gate site," he said, his tone polite but leaving no room for refusal. "Particularly since you're not a registered hunter."
Gate site. Hunter. The pieces were trying to connect in my foggy brain, but I couldn't quite make the leap.
"My cat," I said instead. "You said you have my cat. I need to see him."
Collins and Dr. Reynold exchanged a glance.
"The animal is being held securely," Collins said carefully. "It exhibited... unusual characteristics."
Memory flooded back—Loki transforming into a horned panther, fighting monsters, protecting me. The System. The quest completion notification. Sung Jinwoo.
Solo Leveling. I was in the world of Solo Leveling, the Korean web novel and manhwa I'd read during quarantine boredom.
The realization must have shown on my face, because Collins leaned forward slightly, his expression sharpening.
"You remember something," he stated rather than asked.
I needed to be careful here. If this really was the Solo Leveling world, then these people wouldn't react well to me claiming I was from another dimension where their world was fictional. They'd think I was crazy at best, a threat at worst.
"I remember..." I hesitated, deciding how much to reveal. "I was looking for my cat. There was an earthquake. Then... I think I saw a gate? Everything after that is fuzzy."
It wasn't entirely a lie. The details were fuzzy—just not in the way I was implying.
Dr. Reynold made a note on his tablet. "Some memory loss is not uncommon after exposure to gate energies, especially for non-awakened individuals."
"Which raises the question," Collins added, "of how you survived at all. The gate was rated D-rank, but unawakened humans typically don't fare well inside gates of any rank."
I shrugged, wincing as the movement pulled at an IV in my arm I hadn't noticed before. "Lucky, I guess?"
Collins didn't look convinced. "And your cat's transformation? Any explanation for that?"
"Transformation?" I tried to look confused. "What do you mean?"
"Mr. Parker," Collins said, his patience visibly thinning, "when the containment team found you, the 'cat' with you was the size of a small tiger, with horns. It's currently being held in a reinforced containment unit designed for B-rank monsters. So I'll ask again: what happened in that gate?"
I swallowed hard. Oh fucking hell. This was bad. I needed to see Loki, to make sure he was okay, but I also needed to avoid raising too many suspicions.
"I don't know," I said, putting as much genuine confusion into my voice as I could. "The last thing I clearly remember is an earthquake, then seeing something like a tear in the air. After that... just flashes. Monsters, maybe? Fear. Running." I paused, meeting Collins' gaze directly. "Is Loki—my cat—okay? He's not dangerous, I swear. He's my pet."
"Your pet is currently classified as an unknown magical beast," Collins replied flatly. "It nearly took the arm off one of my agents when they tried to separate you."
Despite everything, I felt a surge of affection for Loki. Still protecting me, even when I was unconscious.
"He was just trying to protect me," I insisted. "He's never hurt anyone before. Please, let me see him. He'll calm down if I'm there."
Collins studied me for a long moment, then glanced at Dr. Reynold. "What's his medical status?"
"Stable. Physically, there's nothing wrong with him apart from mild dehydration and exhaustion. The neural activity is unusual, but not concerning from a medical standpoint." The doctor hesitated. "Though we should run a few more tests before—"
"I need to use your restroom," I interrupted, suddenly aware of a very human need that wouldn't wait for their discussion to conclude.
Dr. Reynold looked startled, then gestured to a door on the other side of the room. "Of course. Do you need assistance?"
"I think I can manage," I said, carefully disconnecting myself from the heart rate monitor but leaving the IV in place. I swung my legs over the side of the bed, relieved to find myself dressed in hospital scrubs rather than one of those open-backed gowns.
My legs were wobbly but held my weight as I made my way to the bathroom. Once inside, I closed the door and leaned heavily against the sink, staring at my reflection in the mirror.
I looked... different. Not drastically, but noticeably. My hazel eyes seemed brighter somehow, with flecks of gold that I didn't remember being there before. My dark brown hair had a strange quality to it, almost like it was catching light that wasn't there. My face was the same, if a bit paler than usual, but something about my overall appearance had changed in a way I couldn't quite define.
"What's happening to me?" I whispered to my reflection.
As if in response, a blue rectangle suddenly appeared in my field of vision:
[System Status: Active]
[Player: Ethan Parker]
[Level: 1]
[Class: Unassigned]
[Health: 95/100]
[Mana: 120/120]
[Skills: None]
[Titles: None]
[Quests: None Currently Active]
I nearly fell over in shock. It hadn't been a dream or a hallucination. The System was real, and it was here with me in this hospital room.
Clutching the sink for support, I took several deep breaths. Okay. Okay. I was in the Solo Leveling world. I had some kind of player system like Sung Jinwoo. I needed to think this through logically.
In the novels, Jinwoo had been the only player, chosen by the Shadow Monarch to be his vessel. But now there was a second player—me. Chosen by... Sol? The Light of a Lost Being? The glass entity had mentioned both.
And the System interface looked like a game HUD. Which meant...
"Stats," I whispered experimentally.
A new window appeared:
[Player Statistics]
[Strength: 10]
[Endurance: 10]
[Agility: 10]
[Intelligence: 15]
[Sense: 12]
[Available Points: 0]
Basic starting stats, but with slight variations. My Intelligence and Sense were higher than the others. Did that reflect my natural abilities, or was it related to this "Light" power the entity had mentioned?
"Inventory," I tried next.
[Inventory Empty]
"Skills."
[No Skills Acquired]
I was about to try more commands when a knock at the bathroom door made me jump.
"Mr. Parker? Are you alright in there?" Dr. Reynold called.
"Fine!" I replied, quickly splashing water on my face to buy a few more seconds. "Just feeling a little dizzy. I'll be right out."
I needed to get to Loki and figure out what to do next. But first, I had to deal with Collins and his questions without revealing what I really knew. Which meant I needed information about who they thought I was in this world.
I opened the bathroom door to find Dr. Reynold waiting with a concerned expression.
"Sorry about that," I said with what I hoped was a reassuring smile. "Just needed a moment."
"Perfectly understandable," he replied, helping me back to the bed despite my protests that I could walk on my own. "Your body has been through significant stress."
Collins was still there, now seated in a chair near the window, tablet in hand. He looked up as I settled back onto the bed.
"Mr. Parker, I've been reviewing your file," he said without preamble. "There are some inconsistencies I'd like to clear up."
My stomach tightened. "My file?"
"Yes. According to our records, Ethan Parker disappeared ten years ago, shortly after the first gates began appearing worldwide."
I blinked in surprise. "That's... not possible. I've been living with my grandparents in Ontario."
"Your grandparents, Thomas and Eleanor Parker, died in a dungeon break eight years ago," Collins said, watching my reaction carefully. "The Mississauga Incident. You were listed among the missing, presumed dead."
The words hit me like a physical blow. My grandparents, dead? But they couldn't be. I'd just seen them yesterday, before chasing Loki into the woods.
Then understanding dawned.
This wasn't just another world—it was a parallel version. There had been another Ethan Parker here, one who'd gone missing when the gates first appeared. His grandparents—my grandparents' doubles—had died in a monster attack.
I was replacing someone who was already gone.
"I..." I struggled to find words that wouldn't sound insane. "I don't remember any of that."
Collins' expression softened slightly. "Amnesia? That would explain why you suddenly reappeared after a decade, with no record of where you've been."
It was an out, and I grabbed it like a lifeline. "I guess so. Everything before yesterday is... patchy."
"And your parents?" Collins asked.
"Dead," I replied automatically. "Plane crash when I was five." At least that part of my history seemed consistent across worlds.
Collins nodded, making a note. "That matches our records." He hesitated, then continued in a slightly gentler tone. "Mr. Parker, I understand this must be disorienting for you. But I need to know what happened at that gate, and why your cat transformed into a magical beast."
I decided to go with a partial truth. "I honestly don't know the full story. I remember running from monsters inside the gate. Loki—my cat—somehow changed to protect me. He's been with me for years, but I've never seen him do anything like that before."
"So the transformation was new? Not something you were aware of previously?"
"Completely new," I confirmed. "It shocked me as much as it must have shocked your team."
Collins studied me for a moment, then seemed to come to a decision. "Alright. I'm willing to accept your amnesia explanation for now. But the Association will want a full debriefing once you've recovered."
"The Association?" I asked, playing dumb.
"The Canadian Hunter Association," he clarified. "We monitor all gate activity in the country and regulate hunter operations. Given your unusual circumstances, you'll be under our jurisdiction for the time being."
Great. Hunter Association bureaucracy. Just what I needed. But it might also be an opportunity to gather information.
"About Loki..." I began.
Collins sighed. "Yes, your 'pet.' I'll arrange for you to see it—"
"Him," I corrected automatically.
"—him," Collins amended with a slight eye roll, "once you've been medically cleared. Dr. Reynold?"
The doctor nodded. "A few more tests, but he should be ready for discharge tomorrow morning, barring any complications."
"Good. I'll have an escort take you to the containment facility then." Collins stood, straightening his suit jacket. "In the meantime, I suggest you rest and try to recover more of your memories. The more you can tell us, the better we can help you adjust."
With that, he nodded to Dr. Reynold and left the room, the door closing firmly behind him.
Once he was gone, I turned to the doctor. "So... what happens now?"
"Now you rest," he said, checking my IV. "Your body needs time to recover from the mana exposure."
"Mana exposure?" I asked, genuinely curious.
Dr. Reynold looked at me with pity and professional interest. "The amnesia is quite thorough, isn't it? Yes, gates emit high levels of mana—magical energy, essentially. For unawakened individuals like yourself, prolonged exposure can be harmful or even fatal. You're lucky to have survived."
I nodded slowly, processing this information. In the Solo Leveling story, only "awakened" individuals could become hunters and enter gates safely. Normal humans who wandered in typically died quickly.
"So I'm not... awakened?" I asked carefully.
"No indications of it," Dr. Reynold confirmed. "Though your readings are unusual enough that we'll be monitoring you for any delayed manifestation. About one in a thousand exposed individuals develops abilities later."
That aligned with what I remembered from the novels. Most hunters awakened immediately upon exposure, but a tiny percentage experienced delayed awakening. Sung Jinwoo had been one such case, though his situation was unique due to the Shadow Monarch's influence.
And now mine was unique due to... whatever Sol was.
"I see," I said, settling back against the pillows. "And the Hunter Association... they'll help me figure out what to do next? Since apparently I've been missing and my family is..." I couldn't bring myself to say it.
Dr. Reynold's expression softened. "Yes. They have programs for situations like yours. Temporary housing, financial support, reintegration assistance. Canada takes care of its citizens, especially those affected by gate incidents."
That was a relief, at least. I wouldn't be immediately homeless in this new world.
"Thank you, Doctor," I said sincerely. "I appreciate the explanation."
"Of course. Now, I need to run those additional tests, then you should try to sleep. Your body needs the rest." He prepared a syringe, injecting something into my IV. "This will help with any discomfort."
As the doctor busied himself with the machinery around my bed, my mind raced. I was stuck in a parallel world—the world of Solo Leveling—with some kind of player system similar to Sung Jinwoo's. Loki had transformed into a magical beast. My counterpart in this world had disappeared years ago, and his—my—grandparents were dead.
It was overwhelming. But dwelling on what I'd lost wouldn't help me navigate this new reality. I needed to focus on immediate priorities: getting Loki back, understanding my system, and figuring out how to survive in this world.
The medication began to take effect, a pleasant warmth spreading through my veins. As my eyelids grew heavy, a new notification appeared in my vision:
[Quest Alert: Reunite with Your Familiar]
[Difficulty: E]
[Reward: Enhanced Bond with Familiar, Basic Skill Unlock]
[Failure: Decreased Trust, Potential Permanent Separation]
[Accept?] [Y/N]
With my last conscious thought before sleep claimed me, I mentally selected [Y].
The notification glowed briefly, then changed to:
[Quest Accepted]
Then darkness, and dreams of golden light and shadow warriors battling across a starlit void.