I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 125: Return to Reality

"Look, look! The gate is slowly appearing!"

"Does that mean it’s been cleared?"

"Just by five of them?"

"We don’t know how many people were inside."

Sam stands there, only half listening to the chatter of police officers and rangers. After he got out, he called the Montroses, then his contact, a Captain at the Arvion Central Police District.

Captain Steven contacted the Arvion Dungeon Emergency Unit and the ambulance services, following protocol.

Sam refused to leave the area. No one could force him to go, so they let him stay and wait with them.

They’ve been waiting close to three hours before the gate slowly appears out of thin air, its symbols beginning to pulse.

Everyone stands up, but no one dares to get closer. They’ve all heard about the disappearances around this area.

"Someone is coming out!"

"Yeah, I can see people coming out!"

The crowd tenses, eyes fixed on the gate, waiting to see who survived.

Arthur comes out first. Liam is flanking him on the right, Julian on his left. Maeve and Theo walk behind them.

The waiting crowd is slightly stunned.

They expected the survivors to be in terrible shape. Injured. Broken. Maybe half-dead.

Instead, all five look... fine. As if they’ve just returned from a long walk, not a dungeon crawl.

Sam immediately approaches Arthur, but his eyes are darting around, searching.

Then he sees her.

Aldriana.

She’s there, walking among them.

Sam’s heart pounds a little harder.

He knows how powerful she is.

After the first step out of the dungeon, Arthur stops. The other four stop with him.

Captain Steven, the highest-ranking officer on site, approaches Arthur. Among the five, Arthur looks like the leader. After all, he’s the strongest one.

"Mr. Arthur. I’m glad you’re safe," Captain Steven greets him immediately.

Arthur doesn’t answer. Instead, he turns to his left, then right, then looks behind him. He’s checking on his teammates. All four are looking back at him as well. He looks slightly troubled.

Captain Steven also glances around, trying to figure out what Arthur is looking for.

Is he searching for the media? Is he annoyed that there aren’t any? But Mr. Mora clearly said no press.

While Captain Steven is overthinking, the four magic students aren’t being arrogant or confused.

They’re in shock.

The mana.

They’ve been inside the dungeon for almost two days, surrounded by overflowing mana, breathing it in like air.

Now there’s nothing.

Arthur never thought he’d experience a kind of shortness of breath that isn’t actually about breathing.

Even Maeve, who studied magic before, has never felt this. It’s very similar to heatstroke. Tightness in the chest. Shallow breathing. Blurry vision. Ringing ears. And worst of all, a choking sensation that isn’t really choking.

It’s not severe enough to make them collapse or turn pale, but it’s enough to make acting normal... difficult.

Sam notices his boss’s discomfort and steps forward, about to stop Captain Steven from questioning Arthur further.

Arthur lifts his hand, stopping Sam.

He takes a few deep breaths, forcing himself to adjust.

"I’m sorry, Captain Steven," Arthur says, breathless and clearly exhausted.

"We’re very tired. We haven’t slept properly for two days. We really need to rest. I believe you can handle the rest, can’t you, Captain?"

He speaks slower than usual.

Captain Steven finally takes a proper look at them. Only then does it really sink in. These people just came out of a dungeon after nearly forty-eight hours.

"I apologize, Mr. Arthur," he says quickly. "I’ll have the medical team examine all of you, then take you to the hospital, as procedure."

He waves the medical personnel over.

"Check them, doc."

"Yes, Captain. This way, please."

All five follow the doctor, while Captain Steven turns and orders his men to prepare to enter the dungeon.

"Sam, the dungeon’s mining rights..." Arthur stops to take a breath. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"It’s done, sir," Sam replies immediately. "Sarah has taken care of it. This dungeon now belongs to Montrose Corporation. We’ve also contacted Ms. Noritsu, Mr. Liam’s assistant, regarding cooperation. She said she’s waiting for Mr. Liam’s orders."

Liam hears this and only nods in response.

The five of them are checked thoroughly by the field medical team before being transferred to the hospital for further examinations.

Between leaving Captain Steven and being examined, Theo slips away.

He doesn’t want to be checked. He can’t fool medical machines with illusion.

Before exiting, they all silently agree that Aldriana will remain mysterious and be the public face of this superpowered individual.

It will give Teacher Theo space and protect his true identity.

Theo is exhausted. No matter how powerful he is, this body is still Thea’s. Her stamina is the stamina of a young woman.

Sam notices that there’s suddenly one less person in the group. When he realizes who’s missing, he says nothing.

"I’m sorry to disturb you, but for the record, I need each of you to state your name," the doctor says.

"I’m Arthur Montrose."

"Julian Montrose."

"Liam Monfort."

"Maeve Collins."

The doctor frowns. "Isn’t there supposed to be another one of you?"

All four answer in unison, "No."

Sam is taken aback by their coordinated response. He instantly knows they’re acting deliberately. And since Sam also believes it’s a good idea for Aldriana not to be exposed, he keeps quiet.

"Alright. The preliminary checks are done," the doctor says. "You’re all showing signs of extreme fatigue, but nothing alarming. Still, we’ll take you to the hospital for further examinations. You’ll likely need to stay overnight for observation."

"You’ll have to walk down to where the ambulance is. We can’t get a helicopter in here. The trees are too thick, and vehicles can’t reach this area."

The four exchange bleak looks at the thought of having to climb down, but there’s no choice.

They start their slow descent down Mount Helene.

Once they reach the road, the ambulance takes them to Arvion General Hospital, the best hospital in Arvion.

Sam follows behind in his own vehicle.

On the way to the hospital, Arthur calls his parents. They’re overjoyed, and they agree to meet him there.