Eric woke up again as if emerging from a deep lake.
The air felt lighter than the day before—
But his body still carried a residual fatigue.
A physical memory of what had happened.
Not the crushing exhaustion from before.
Something different.
Something… rebuilt.
He slowly moved his right arm.
The muscles responded with precision.
No sharp pain.
No uncontrollable tremor.
He frowned.
Something had changed.
Under the hospital sheets, Eric discreetly ran a hand across his abdomen.
The muscle felt firmer.
More defined.
Not imagination.
His arms too—
Stronger.
As if they had gone through weeks of intense training.
Then the memory returned.
The warehouse.
The blows.
The interrogation.
The metallic taste of blood.
The chair collapsing.
The laughter.
And then—
Hero Mode.
The wounds had disappeared.
The bruises had vanished.
At the time, he hadn't stopped to think.
He had been too busy surviving—
Too busy eliminating the men trying to kill him.
Now—
In a quiet white hospital room—
That realization weighed more than any punch.
He swallowed.
Part of him wanted to test it again.
Another part—
Feared the consequences.
But if there was any place relatively safe to test something dangerous—
It was here.
If his body collapsed again, doctors were only meters away.
IV fluids.
Oxygen.
Monitoring.
He exhaled slowly.
If the doctor knew, he'd hit me with the IV stand, he thought with nervous irony.
Eric opened the Midas System.
The blue interface appeared smoothly before his eyes.
He accessed the Dimensional Vault—
And pulled out a single coin.
Gold shimmered softly in his hand.
A simple action.
But not without risk.
He hesitated.
Then fed the coin into the system.
It disappeared.
The effect was immediate—
And different.
No violent pain.
No aggressive surge.
Instead—
Clarity.
Absolute clarity.
His senses expanded.
He could hear the hallway—
As if he were standing outside.
A nurse talking about a new doctor flirting with married colleagues.
Farther away—
Two doctors discussing a serious motorcycle accident.
Eric had to focus—
To shut it out.
He stood up.
With a single fluid motion—
He jumped off the bed.
His feet hit the ground with feline precision.
He checked the timer.
30 seconds remained.
His body felt perfect.
Strong.
Balanced.
Powerful.
He opened the system again, searching for instructions.
Nothing—
Except a small line:
New ability available upon reaching Level 10 of Hero Mode.
He closed the interface.
The timer ticked down.
10 seconds.
By instinct, he moved closer to the bed.
If he collapsed—
Better there.
5…
4…
3…
2…
1…
The weight returned.
Like a tide coming back after a storm.
His legs wavered—
But he didn't fall.
He just felt…
Human again.
He smiled.
No blackout.
No collapse.
"Okay… now it's official. You're crazy."
Lucía's voice echoed from the doorway.
Eric turned.
She stood there, arms crossed, watching him with disbelief—
Standing.
Smiling at nothing.
"I think I'm better," he said, sitting back down.
"That's not your decision," she replied.
"And Elena?"
The question came too fast.
Lucía masked it—
But her eyes tightened slightly.
"She'll be discharged soon. You're still under observation. She checks on you every hour."
Eric nodded.
"And my parents?"
"They're having dinner. Still think I'm paying for everything. And they insist on covering their own meals and the hospital bill."
Eric laughed—
Then winced, holding his ribs.
Lucía stepped closer instinctively and touched the area.
"You okay?"
Their eyes met.
A second too long.
She was the first to step back.
"Hope I'm not interrupting anything."
Elena's voice came from the doorway.
She leaned casually against the frame—
But there was tension behind her small smile.
Lucía cleared her throat.
"He insists on acting like nothing happened."
Elena walked toward the bed.
"How are you?"
"Alive."
A brief silence followed.
Lucía shifted the conversation.
"You need to stop hiding things from your parents. Is all of this illegal?"
Eric took a breath.
"No. I'm just not ready to explain what I do yet. My situation isn't stable."
Elena watched him closely.
"And the shop?" he asked.
"It's fine. A little emptier than before."
He nodded.
"Do you know how to hire a secure transport company?"
She blinked.
"Yes… but I've never needed one. My father never dealt with anything this valuable."
Lucía grew more attentive.
Eric continued:
"I want you to arrange for the coins to be transported safely to my new residence."
Elena hesitated.
"That… doesn't entirely make sense. But I can do it."
"And you handle the legal side," he added, looking at Lucía.
She nodded—
Though clearly uncomfortable sharing strategic responsibility with Elena.
Then Lucía asked:
"How can you trust us so much?"
Eric paused.
"I know you could betray me," he said calmly.
"But so far, you're the only ones who haven't shown any interest in taking my place."
The words lingered.
"You're moving?" Elena asked.
"Yes."
"Because of the mercenaries?"
He looked at her.
"They're no longer a problem."
The way he said it—
Sent a chill through her.
She didn't know exactly what had happened in that warehouse.
But she knew—
Eric had crossed something.
An invisible line.
He exhaled.
"Can I count on you?"
The two women exchanged a glance.
"Yes."
The door opened again.
A man stepped inside.
Dark jeans.
Light jacket.
A posture too controlled—
Too observant—
To be just another visitor.
He studied the three of them for a moment.
Then spoke:
"I'm glad to see you awake. And in such… good company."
Eric narrowed his eyes.
"Who are you?"
The man pulled out an ID.
"Inspector Pedro Lopez."
The name sounded simple.
Too simple.
"I'd like to ask a few questions."
The air in the room changed instantly.
Elena stiffened.
Lucía straightened into full professional mode.
Eric held the inspector's gaze.
And for the first time since waking up—
He felt something more dangerous than armed mercenaries.
An investigation.
And perhaps—
Consequences.