Three years?!

"Zak, can you hear me?" A female's voice called out to the soldier.

He groaned in discomfort but had gradually begun to open his eyes. He blinked multiple times to adjust his vision but there was a blinding white light that gleamed directly down on him.

"He's waking up," Another voice that sounded like a male's had spoken.

"Where..." He squinted and attempted to take in his surroundings.

[Level 2 survival skill: Poison Resistance has been acquired]

[Level 2 (passive) Poison Resistance skill has been Activated]

'Now I gain the resistance?"

[Answer: Basic knowledge states that resistance is acquired after exposure]

'Are you insulting me?'

[Invalid question]

'Of course,' Zak mentally sighed and engaged his surroundings.

Judging from the gurney he was laid on and the metal tray beside it which contained small medical tools, the overly white curtains, and a water cooler at the far end of the neat room, was he in a hospital of some kind?

His attention drifted to a woman who wore a white lab coat with a black undershirt and black knee-length skirt. Her strawberry blonde hair was drawn into a neat ponytail and her long-slit, lilac eyes observed him intently. But there was still an aura of charm and beauty that surrounded her.

"We thought you would never have awoken," The woman said apathetically. She was seated on a chair with her right leg crossed over the other.

"I suppose you might have questions," A man that stood beside the right side of the gurney spoke.

Although Zak was curious about his current location, his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Nikita's whereabouts.

" Niki... "His head drooped slightly."Where is she? "

"Who are you referring to?" The man questioned.

"Nikita...my girlfriend Nikita, she should have reached the Western Military base," Zak grimaced slightly and gently motioned his shoulder where the Alpha wolf had bitten him.

He rubbed over it only to find that a scar had been left. And it appeared that the only thing he wore was his cargo pants. He felt a slight tickle on his neck and noticed that his hair had grown longer. How long was he out for?

'System...are you there?' He communicated mentally with the system.

[System is fully functional]

"What is the last thing that you remember, Zak?" The man asked softly and the soldier finally afforded him his attention at the mention of his name.

"How...do you know my name?" He glared at the man with long burgundy hair that was loosely tied at the base of his nape and draped over the front of his shoulder.

The man wore square-framed glasses but the emerald green of his eyes seemed to glow if you observed closely enough. His face was fair and slender that appeared quite youthful. Not a single blemish or facial hair.

'System, can you check my location?'

[Analyzing surroundings...]

"We found you in Galrik City in an alley. You were injured so we thought to take you with us," The man explained. "Your name of course we learned from your soldier ID. You may call me Danté and this is Gabriella," He gestured to the woman.

[Location found: Nazirein City; the Eastern Underground Research Facility]

"Nazirein City?!" Zak jolted up from the gurney. There were no pains or aches felt, rather the sharp movement sent an electric spasm up his spine.

He groaned but the sudden shock did not prevent him from having his questions answered.

"How long have I been asleep?" He scowled at Danté. "My body feels like it hasn't been moved for a long time."

"I need you to stay calm, Zak," Danté placed a hand on the soldier's right shoulder where he had been bitten but the grip had slightly tightened, yet the man smiled politely. "Everything will come into place. If you act too rashly, it won't end well for you."

"Is that a threat?" Zak gripped Dante's hand and his veins became more prominent as his grip strengthened.

"A friendly warning," Danté undid Zak's grip and retracted his hand. "You have been in a coma for three years due to the venom in your blood."

"Three fucking years?! Is this a joke?" Zak remarked angrily.

'System, tell me the date.'

[Day: 4, Month: July, Year; 2030]

'Shit...it really has been three years.'

"How is this possible? What is the state of the world?" Zak swung his legs off to the side of the gurney. And it suddenly occured to him that he might have been wearing the same pants for three years.

"Hygienic measures were taken during your comatose state, no need to be concerned," Danté reassured him with another polite smile that made him uneasy.

"The venom was difficult to extract from your system, nor did we have any sort of antidote. We were able to keep you stable but you had already fallen into a coma, there was little that could be done," Gabriella clarified. " Although, I believe your body automatically gained some immunity and resistance during our treatment attempts."

"Humanity has slowly made progression in adjusting to the changes made by the cosmic wave; however there is still much more we do not know," Danté answered with a sigh.

"Is it that you don't know? Or you don't want to tell?" Zak arched a brow. "The Alpha wolf I killed freaking spoke to me!"

Danté exchanged glances with Gabriella briefly before he returned his attention to Zak.

"Perhaps the wave had a more impactful effect on that Alpha," Danté pushed his glasses back.

"He said he came with the wave and wasn't born from it. He also said that he was once human. How do you explain that?" Zak countered.

"There are questions that simply cannot be answered, Zak. This is for your safety. You may be a soldier but your rank has no substance here."

Zak clicked his tongue in irritation but he understood that he would not make any progress by asking questions. He needed to do some research. For now, he settled for being compliant.

"This is a facility that is dedicated to the research and experimentation of mutated creatures that were born from the wave," Gabriella explained as she uncrossed her leg from the other. "There are some humans who gained supernatural abilities, others that were incompatible with the effects of the wave mutated, animals morphed into monstrous beasts while extinct species were suddenly resurrected."

"Supernatural abilities? They gained some sort of system?" Zak inquired.

Were they perhaps like him?

"System?" Danté asked. "You should not have knowledge about that since you've been in a coma for three years. Our researchers and scientists developed an artificial system that assists those who gained supernatural abilities to control them as well as to follow a ranking order."

"When I mentioned system I was referring to whether they acquired some sort of system that allows them to have control over other creatures. Since the Alpha had lower wolves like betas in its pack, I was wondering about that," Zak stated calmly.

Danté's gaze narrowed which suggested he did not believe Zak but he would not question him either.

'Damn. I don't know if I can trust them. I shouldn't tell them about the system yet,' Zak thought to himself.

"There is much that you need to learn about the world's current state," Gabriella stood up from her seat. "You have a long way to go so I suggest you get started right now."

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what I want to know," Zak said stubbornly. "Where is Nikita? Did you find her when you went into Galrik City?"

"There are survivors other than you that we found. You can meet them later and check if your girlfriend is one of them," Danté turned to take his leave.

"Follow me, Zak Nigil."