The Novel's Extra - Side Story 23 – Dream in a Dream (23)

“I think I’m going to die…”

“Phew…”

“Aigoo… My joints are killing me!”

Twenty-four guild members sat around an empty lot and sighed. All their smartwatches rang as they received the General Assembly’s message.

[Clear Condition Completed – Defeat the brotherhood singing the Song of Destruction.]

[The Reislaufer and English Royal Court alliance has completed the second test – Hometown of Dream.]

[The contribution points will be distributed according to each member’s contributions during the test.]

Contribution Ranking:

1. Rachel

2. Setien

3. Xtra…

Undead corpses filled the dark forest. Their rotten black blood tainted the ground and gave off a disgusting stench. Various mutilated body parts littered the ground.

The guild members didn’t move a single step in this horrifying scene. They all felt so exhausted that they couldn’t even grumble a complaint.

The second test had been that difficult. They expected the sorcerers to summon a legion of undead, but none of them expected a death knight. A near-infinite number of mobs like ghouls and zombies supported the boss, which further increased the raid’s difficulty.

“As expected of Rachel who graduated second from Cube.”

Tilma from Reislaufer praised the English Royal Court’s vice leader.

Tilma was a world-renowned hero also famous for her beautiful smile and charming looks.

Rachel laughed and shook her head.

“No, not at all.”

She wanted to be humble, but no one could deny that Rachel played a key role in today’s victory. She noticed first that the undead could move without mana because they relied on human blood for fuel. She also found the blood well and evaporated it using her spirits.

No one could deny her top spot in the rankings for this test. They probably would’ve lost the battle of attrition against the unending waves if not for Rachel.

“Also…”

Tilma turned around to look for someone.

However, she couldn’t find that man anywhere. Xtra displayed an impressive prowess far greater than most heroes.

“Where did he go?”

She wondered under her breath as she recalled his arrows that disappeared and suddenly reappeared.

Xtra had saved her whenever an enemy she failed to notice almost ripped her neck off. His arrows only struck the enemies even though her neck had been inches away. She felt even more surprised when he did this numerous times and never missed.

“Where did that mercenary go?”

She didn’t dislike the feeling of being protected and finally understood why guilds favored a skilled sharpshooter over warriors that stood in the front.

“Mercenary? Do you mean our mercenary?”

Fermin treated the wounded and stood.

“Yeah, I was curious what kind of person he is. Rumors say he descended from Baekdu Mountain. Is that true?” Tilma asked with a smirk.

They spoke to each other for the first time since the alliance, but both of them actually had a junior and senior relationship at Cube.

“Hehe, we have no idea about that either,” Fermin replied with a sheepish smile.

“Oh really?”

Tilma turned to Rachel and wanted to ask. However, the rumors regarding Rachel and Xtra had been so scandalous that Tilma decided not to. She faked a cough without saying anything.

“Here, please take this.”

Setien handed something to Rachel.

“What is it?”

“It was on the death knight’s corpse. It says it’s some kind of entry ticket.”

“Entry ticket?”

“Yes, it says whoever uses it will be able to re-enter this stage.”

Who would want to come back here? Rachel wondered to herself.

Shwiiiiik!

A wire flew from somewhere and snatched the entry ticket away. Rachel jumped in surprise and immediately looked at the tree where the wire came from. She spotted Xtra on top.

“I’ll be taking this.”

He inspected the entry ticket.

Everyone stared at him, but he disappeared almost immediately into the dark before anyone could say anything.

“What the hell? Is heBatman or something?” Tilma grumbled in disbelief.

“He’s always like that. I think the chuuni syndrome hit him hard or something.”

Fermin snickered as she tapped Tilma’s shoulder.

Marcus appeared just in time after sweeping up the loot from their surroundings.

“Listen up, everyone! This is what you’ve all been waiting for! Time for loot distribution!”

Their loot included the sorcerers’ robes, wands, the death knight’s skull, bone, armor, sword, and the dullahan’s armor, sword, bone, etc.

They felt a slight aversion towards the undead body parts, but these could be crafted into excellent equipment as long as they properly purified it.

Meanwhile, Rachel scanned the pile of loot for anything that might catch her eye.

***

Rachel woke up the next morning.

“…?”

She looked up and saw a chandelier. Her back felt comfortable. She found herself in her room and on her bed.

I’m sure I fell asleep on the office desk last night, but why am I here? Did Fermin move me? Or maybe… don’t tell me…. Was it him?

She discarded such thoughts and quickly got up. Rachel smacked her face that blushed from her delusions and stepped out of the room.

The English Royal Court servants were busy at work.

“Oh, Vice Leader! Do you want to play a game with us?”

Marcus waved from a table through the wide-opened door that led to the lounge.

Rachel tilted her head and looked inside. The English Royal Court members, including Fermin and Marcus, were playing poker with Reislaufer members like Tilma and Maurice.

“I’ll pass.”

Rachel told them.

“Come on. Join us.”

Marcus tried to convince her, but she refused and walked to the entrance. Rachel opened the door to leave.

Creak…

She didn’t think about anything in particular as she left with a yawn.

“Haaa…”

Rachel immediately noticed that something felt off beyond the luxurious door.

Strange stones had been embedded in the ground like stepping stones. She observed them for a while before looking up.

“…?”

The scenery outside looked like a completely different world from the general assembly she recalled. Yes, a completely different world perfectly described the drastic change.

Small huts and brick houses lined up below the hill. People and carriages went about their business. This couldn’t be considered modern in any way.

Rachel stood dumbfounded and wondered if she was still dreaming when a voice suddenly spoke from above.

“This is the third test.”

Rachel flinched and looked up. There, she saw Kim Hajin sitting on top of a Zelkova tree[1] in the middle of the garden.

“You didn’t check your watch again?”

He smirked while tapping his smartwatch and Rachel quickly checked hers.

[The third test will now begin for those who have cleared the second stage.]

[Third Test – Mixed Up Stories]

[First Objective – Accumulate your fame and renown to earn an invitation to the king’s castle!]

[Tip – The king loves the arts and martial arts.]

[Current Renown – 1%]

“Interesting, right? This is basically the medieval period. Or is it the renaissance period? Anyways, it looks like something out of the Lord of the Rings.”

The city beneath the hill had artists, magicians, sorcerers, swordsmen, and merchants. Not everything about the city looked like fantasy.

“It also has a modern twist.”

Kim Hajin pointed something out to Rachel.

“Modern twist?”

She asked and he lightly nodded.

“Yeah, there’s a bridge over there that connects to another continent. That continent is similar to the modern world. No, it looks like a complete replica.”

Rachel continued listening when a thought suddenly struck her and she desperately asked.

“Are there buildings resembling England there too?!”

She looked quite serious, so Kim Hajin furrowed his brows and stared into the distance before nodding.

“It’s a bit far, but I think I see something. Big Ben… Yeah, it looks like the Big Ben.”

Rachel felt her heart drop. She finally understood Lancaster’s words and what he wanted from this place. It all began to make sense now.

“I can see the Hampton Palace too. It’s definitely England,” Kim Hajin added.

Rachel bit her lips. Kim Hajin observed her for a while before speaking in a low voice.

“I don’t think you should mind the Hampton that much…”

“No.”

Rachel fiercely cut him off.

“Huh?”

“Please stop… Don’t bring that up. I don’t want to hear it.”

Everyone knew the events that transpired that day, but Rachel didn’t want to hear about it from someone else. She hoped that no one would ever talk to her or ask about it. No, she loathed the idea of those who didn’t have the right babbling and gossiping about that day.

However, Kim Hajin only grimaced.

“I don’t want to.”

“Pardon?”

“Why should I?”

“W-What did you just say?”

She never expected such a reaction and became dumbfounded rather than angry.

“How frustrating…”

Kim Hajin found her frustrating. The trauma from that day continued to tie her down. Of course, he had written that as her setting, which made him all the more frustrated. He made that setting so she could overcome her trauma, but she never thought about overcoming it at all.

“Why do you keep thinking everything was your fault and that only you have to carry that burden?”

“…”

“Is it because you want to be the main character of a tragic movie? Do you want to be the only one holding that title? What? Are you an actress? Is the entire world just a movie to you?”

Rachel couldn’t retort a single word. She remained silent and didn’t want to argue.

Kim Hajin could read her thoughts and descended from the tree. He stared at Rachel, who didn’t even look at him, and spoke in a low voice.

“The Rachel I’ve been observing until now is too… pathetic. No, you’re worse than pathetic. You’re hopeless. You’re so hopeless that I’m considering quitting your fan club.”

Grit—

Rachel gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.

Kim Hajin left her standing there and leisurely walked away.

“…”

Her entire body trembled as she kept looking at the ground. A drop of blood dripped to the ground. She bit her lips so hard that they bled.

***

I walked the streets alone. The shops on this medieval street sold all sorts of magic items, monster parts, butchered meat, etc. Also, one could earn fame and renown at various places like the underground arena or academy.

I walked for a while and spotted Aileen. She seemed busy running around sightseeing. On the other hand, Rachel walked a distance away with a sullen look.

“Haaa…”

I couldn’t help but sigh. I felt pissed off today and ended up striking a nerve in Rachel too. I probably snapped at her to vent, but her actions had frustrated me this entire time. Still, I shouldn’t have blatantly attacked her like that.

[Entry Ticket – Hometown of Dreams]

This entry ticket had caused it. It would allow me to stay at the second stage. I didn’t think much of it, but it began bothering me since last night.

What if… my mother and father lived somewhere in that stage? What if my friends lived there? What if my identity still remained there? That place might be a fake world recreated for the test, but what if I treated it like the real world?

“Alright! Alright! Come and sign up! Hey, you there! You look strong!”

A shout from somewhere cut off my train of thoughts and my gaze naturally went to the source.

A large wooden placard stood on top of a stage at the bustling marketplace.

[Commencement of the 13th National Competition]

[Anyone interested may sign up!]

Competition List:

1. Martial Arts Competition

2. Archery Competition

3. Hunting Competition…

“I wish to sign up.”

I heard a familiar voice, which turned out to be Rachel. She purposely ignored me even though I stood a few feet away. Mentioning Hampton had been a bad move on my end.

I might’ve been the one who created her setting, but I had no relation to Hampton. I’m sure Rachel found it ridiculous that I mentioned it in the first place.

I decided to step back for now.

“Sigh…”

Which competition should I join? Do I even have to join one? I pondered for a while when I saw a nameless artist drawing on the riverbanks. The colors he drew on the canvas looked beautiful.

“Hmm…”

I looked at my hands that possessed the valuable gift known as Young Dwarf’s Dexterity. Wait a minute. The message said the king had an interest in the arts.

[Art Supply Store]

It didn’t take long to find the art supply store. I wanted to go inside when someone suddenly called out.

“Excuse me.”

“Huh? What the…?”

Yoo Yeonha appeared out of nowhere.

What? Did they already clear the second test?

“Can you come here for a second?”

Yoo Yeonha pointed to an alley with her chin.

I followed her without hesitation. I noticed a sharp gaze on my back, but it soon disappeared.

I decided to ignore it and stood in front of Yoo Yeonha.

“What?”

“Please show me your watch.”

I extended my wrist and Yoo Yeonha bumped our smartwatches together to transmit information between them.

“What’s this?”

“Information I obtained from outside. It’s a picture taken by satellite.”

I looked through the eighteen pictures taken of the general assembly from outside, but wondered why she showed me. Huh?

“There are traces of humans and mana.”

“Yes, it looks like someone entered this place before we did. Don’t you find it strange? Where do you think they disappeared to?”

“…”

Yoo Yeonha pointed to the ground as I remained silent.

“I think there’s a high chance they’re here. I investigated this stage and found four continents. They might be called continents, but they’re only the size of Gyeonggi-do at most. Anyways, every continent has its own king. I suspect these kings are those people.”

It sounded like a plausible theory. I crossed my arms and looked at her.

“If what you’re saying is true… I think I know one of the kings.”

“Huh? Who is it?”

“Lancaster.”

Yoo Yeonha rubbed her chin in thought.

“It sounds possible if it’s Lancaster, but what’s your basis?”

“England has been recreated, including the Hampton Palace.”

“That sounds quite concrete. Alright, you can head over before us. Have you found a way to increase your fame?”

“Somewhat.”

“What is it?” Yoo Yeonha stared at me full of curiosity and I awkwardly scratched my neck.

“Painting?”

I had no idea why I felt so embarrassed.

“Painting? You mean… like drawings and portraits?”

I made an okay sign with my fingers and Yoo Yeonha grimaced.

***

“Hehehe… It’s that bastard.”

Someone in a dark alley compared a man’s face to a bounty poster and sheepishly laughed.

He had no doubt about it. The man’s mask, silhouette, and description… Everything matched the bounty poster.

[Bounty – 500,000,000 won]

The reward would be a whopping five hundred million won, dead or alive.

The bounty hunter excitedly trembled and swallowed his saliva. The edge of his dagger shone as he followed his prey from a distance.

He patiently waited for the right moment to cut off his prey’s head. His prey wouldn’t even notice its death.

Sseeup…

The bounty hunter licked his lips as he slithered in the shadows like a snake waiting to strike.

1. For those wondering, this is an ornamental tree native to Eastern Asia. More info here: ☜