The figure standing at the doorway was the one I respected the most, cared about the most, and longed to see the most.

"M-Maa…" I murmured and instantly tried to get off the bed.

Having been stagnant for so long, my legs didn't have the strength to support my body, and I immediately fell to the floor.

"Raj!" Maa rushed forward, but before she could reach me, I touched my forehead to the floor, bowing completely before her.

"I'm sorry for making you suffer for so long, Maa… I have committed an unforgivable sin that shouldn't be forgi—"

Before I could finish my sentence, Maa fell to her knees and tightly embraced me.

"M-my Raj… my Raj… my Raj…"

Her hands quickly ran through my hair as she alternated between hugging me and showering my cheeks and forehead with kisses.

"Call me Maa again… I prayed to hear that from your mouth every day."

"Maa… I'm back… forgive me for taking so long…"

Unknowingly, tears rolled down my cheeks, and the two of us cried for several minutes while holding each other.

---

"Vedika, how long will it take for my son to be discharged from the hospital?" Maa asked Vedika, who was performing another body check-up.

"We need to observe Mr. Raj's condition for a week to make sure he is completely healthy," Vedika replied.

"It's fine. You may even keep him for a month, but make sure he leaves the hospital completely healthy."

While Maa and Vedika were conversing, Aryan entered the room with a beautiful lady.

The lady had a chin-length bob haircut with reddish-brown hair.

"Good evening, Guild Master. Good evening, Vice Guild Master," Vedika greeted the two. "You may converse with the patient, but please don't take too long as he needs rest."

After giving me my medication, Vedika packed up her medical tools and left the room.

At the same time, with a proud smug look on his face, Aryan introduced the lady, his arm wrapped around her shoulder.

"Raj, her name is Aisha. She is the mother of my daughter and your sister-in-law."

"Hello… umm… may I call you sister?"

Aisha nodded, so I greeted her again.

"Hello, Sister Aisha. My brother is a boring person and often acts like an old geezer, but he has a good heart, so please keep loving him in the future."

"Hehe~ you don't need to worry about that, Brother Raj," Aisha chuckled. "I'm into old men, so your brother is the perfect match for me."

"Oh really? Then this geezer is a lucky one."

"He sure is."

"Hahaha."

"Hehehe~"

"Oy, you two do realize I can hear you, right?" Aryan muttered, giving us a sidelong glance. "It seems you've already teamed up to bully me."

My eyes drifted toward the door behind them, searching for someone.

"Are you expecting someone?" Aryan asked.

"Where is my lovely niece?"

"It was time for her evening nap, so I put her to bed," Aisha replied.

"Here? In the hospital?"

"Why not? There are many private rooms in this hospital."

"But aren't private hospital rooms very expensive?"

Both Aisha and Aryan chuckled at my question, as if I had said something ridiculous.

"This old man here is the owner of this hospital," Aisha revealed.

"Whaaat!?!?" I exclaimed in shock.

"Is-is it true?" I asked, turning toward Maa.

She nodded her head, making me gasp uncontrollably.

"How did you become so rich? Did you loot a bank or something? And what's with that Guild Master thing Doctor Vedika called you?" I demanded, flabbergasted.

Aryan let out a brief sigh and said, "There's a lot you need to know about this new world, Raj. But first, you should rest, or Vedika is going to scold me again."

Without answering any of my questions, everyone left the room, leaving poor me alone.

"I can't believe I really came back. It still feels like a sweet dream."

Due to my weakened and malnourished body, I fell asleep within seconds of closing my eyes.

---

Tap… tap…

Tap… tap…

"What the hell are you doing, creep!?" I demanded as I opened my eyes, finding Aryan poking my cheeks with his finger.

"I was just making sure you hadn't fallen into a coma again," Aryan said, shrugging.

"Sigh… where is Maa and the others?"

"It's already midnight, so they all went home."

"What!? How long was I sleeping?"

"I've been waiting for you to wake up for the past ten hours. But forget that—I should update you about the new world first."

Aryan repeated exactly what Vedika had told me about the world suddenly changing five years ago. It was only then that I finally believed this ridiculous story.

"So is India still under government rule, or—"

"Hm… it's surprising. You accepted it rather easily. So much so that it creeps me out."

"Doctor Vedika already told me most of it. Besides, I also saw her using her Soulfo—mana to check on me."

"Sigh… you could've told me that. I would've gotten straight to the point."

Inhaling lazily, Aryan continued.

"When the catastrophe struck, chaos engulfed the world for months. Strange portals began appearing all over the world, and from within them emerged otherworldly monsters. Powerful nations like the U.S. were quick to respond, using their overwhelming firepower. However, it took hundreds of machine-gun bullets just to take down a single regular monster.

"It was then that Awakeners stepped up and fought against these monsters. For months, a brutal war between humans and monsters raged, and after six months, humanity emerged victorious.

"However, those battle-crazed Awakeners became the government's next headache.

"To ensure that Awakeners wouldn't become the next dictators of the world, powerful nations came together and formed the Awakener's Association—an organization of awakened government officers to keep Awakeners in check. Even then, it took more than a year for the world to completely settle down."

Each of Aryan's words sent chills down my spine. My family survived such a dangerous apocalypse while I was thrown into another world.

I clenched my fists in frustration at the fact that I wasn't there when my family needed me the most.

"Don't blame yourself for not being there," Aryan said, tapping my shoulder, reading me like an open book.

"And about how we became so rich…" Aryan murmured, scratching his temple.

"I'm also one of the Awakeners."

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