Chapter 43

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Episode 9 - World of Dreams [4]

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〖It has been detected that the user has fulfilled one of the three conditions of ■■■■ and has obtained the ■■■■ of the Lady of Beasts〗

I stared at the system screen in complete bewilderment and couldn’t help but think.

’Where it says that I have obtained ■■■■, it must be this ring in my hands, but for some reason its name isn’t revealed, and about the three unknown conditions...’

I had no idea what those three conditions were, nor did I know what they would unlock.

But that wasn’t everything the system had notified.

〖Once the three conditions are completed, the "value" of the Ring of ■■■■ will be revealed automatically〗

〖One of the two conditions for Adel’s Second Fable has been fulfilled〗

〖Congratulations! You have unlocked a new rune〗

〖Rune: Fable〗

〖The Fable Rune has been detected〗

〖When you complete a Main Chapter, a clue will be revealed to fulfill the conditions for obtaining Adel’s Fables〗

’What is all of this? A new rune.’

In Holy Land, the runes were Inventory, Quests, and Shop.

I didn’t know why the Shop wasn’t there, but those were the three Runes in the Status Window.

When I saw the new Rune, my expression changed several times, but I didn’t know what to think about it.

’But I guess this is good, right?’

I didn’t know how to fulfill the conditions to obtain Fables, but now with this Rune it might be a little easier.

And right at that moment, I thought the notifications had ended, but the last one was completely unexpected.

〖It has been detected that the user is close to obtaining Adel’s Second Fable〗

〖The pen fills with ink and ■■■■ begins to write〗

〖You will be able to see what ■■■■ writes in your Fable〗

"..."

〖Adel wasn’t sure what to think at that moment; the Queen of the Spectres of Dream watched him in silence〗

〖However, upon seeing the system screen, several thoughts ran through Adel’s mind, and in particular, he looked at the system’s last message〗

〖It seemed that someone was writing about him, without Adel knowing who it was〗

"..."

My body froze, staring at the three paragraphs that appeared on the system screen as if it were a novel.

’W-what is this?’

At first, I thought that the person who would write about me didn’t literally mean writing about me.

I thought it was a way to understand what Adel’s First Fable was at that time.

But now, he didn’t even know what to say about it.

At that moment, the queen opened her mouth and finally spoke, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Suddenly, I feel something strange, as if something is doing... something I can’t quite understand, and judging by your expression, it seems you’re thinking something I cannot comprehend."

He raised his gaze and looked at the queen.

She is a goddess; her status in the World of Dreams should be quite high.

He knew that in the World of Dreams, the entities that live there have different statuses.

If even she didn’t know what was happening...

’Then this writer has a much higher status.’

Assuming that whoever was writing about him was some kind of god or something along those lines.

He reread in detail what the different system notifications were saying.

Then, he clenched his fists tightly.

’I don’t know if this is right or wrong, if this person knows something about me and intends to use me for something or simply guide me.’

But whatever the reason, he swore that one day he would uncover all the secrets surrounding him.

Until then, he first needed to focus on the Chapters of Holy Land.

My goal of reaching the True ending to gain access to the Stellar Project had not changed.

"If I manage to access the Stellar Project, perhaps it will answer all my questions."

Even if that wasn’t the case, I wouldn’t give up searching for the answers.

Then I looked at the queen and asked what I had originally come for.

"So, can we proceed to the trial?"

The queen nodded and said:

"Of course, although the trial may unsettle you."

I shook my head.

"It doesn’t matter. I need the Lock of Ascension."

The queen smiled, and her next words made my confusion clear.

***

Lumina covered her face as she moved away from the Specters of Dream.

"T-those bastards..."

It was common sense for those who knew the Specters of Dream that their personalities were like those of a child.

And after experiencing it, Lumina completely agreed.

She could no longer stand being surrounded by the Specters of Dream.

So she moved away from them and stayed in a secluded area.

She looked around and finally sighed.

’This is the last time I interact with the Specters of Dream.’

She swore to herself never to approach a Specter of Dream again.

Anyway, Lumina looked toward the palace in the distance.

At that moment, she noticed that Adel was finally coming out.

Adel had been inside the palace for several hours, and since time in the World of Dreams and reality flows differently,

’Outside, at least twice as much time has probably passed.’

It might already be close to Monday.

Even so, Lumina shrugged, then hid and followed Adel.

Her goal was to observe Adel without being discovered.

And as she approached him, at that exact moment, she noticed something.

It was almost imperceptible, but she had definitely noticed it.

’What... there’s something about him, but...’

It wasn’t the strange change she remembered.

In fact, this was completely different.

She didn’t know how to put it, the current Adel looked a bit more... determined, perhaps.

But it was hard to tell, since his expression was one of disbelief.

’In my previous regression, his strange change was the complete opposite, as if he had given up on something... could Adel’s future have changed?’

Lumina thought about it and couldn’t help but nod, and at that very moment.

A voice came from behind her.

A soft and calming voice; for a moment, she thought it was those Specters of Dream from earlier.

When she turned around, her expression froze.

’Its appearance is different.’

The Specters of Dream she had seen looked like balls of fur with small limbs.

But the Specters of Dream in front of her had longer limbs, and its body was like that of a child.

Of course, it was still as furry as the others.

"You won’t gain anything just by staying away, and you know that well, don’t you?"

The queen looked at Lumina and spoke.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Her expression was neutral, but before the queen of the Specters of Dream, it was easily seen through.

The queen let out a brief laugh and said,

"That’s how it is, child of time."

At her words, Lumina’s eyes widened, and Lumina said awkwardly,

"H-how do you know..."

The queen interrupted Lumina and said,

"You are a special case, and I cannot say anything more about your regressions. You must seek the answers on your own, and you will be able to free yourself."

Lumina remained silent as she looked at the queen.

Lumina said nothing and asked nothing.

She had never approached a being like the queen of the Specters of Dream before.

’It’s the first time someone has noticed my regressions.’

The queen looked at her expression calmly, then said something that left Lumina thoughtful.

"Don’t worry, this might even be your last time returning to the past, and who knows, you might gain a great freedom that you will cherish forever."

Lumina looked at her and asked,

"How can you be sure?"

To which the queen replied as if she had already known Lumina would ask,

"It’s not that I’m sure, it’s just a distant feeling, but you can believe whatever you prefer."

After saying those words, the queen looked at Adel, who was being guided by the Specters of Dream who had brought him at the beginning.

Lumina followed her gaze and also saw Adel.

’A freedom that I will be able to cherish forever.’

A thought struck her mind, and the queen let out a soft laugh.

"Well, on the outside you seem calm, but inside you’re thinking about many things."

Lumina realized that her thoughts had been read.

Her face tightened, and it slowly turned a deep red.

At that moment, the queen disappeared from Lumina’s sight, while Lumina cursed.

’Damn Specters of Dream... I swear that one day I will take my revenge.’

As Lumina breathed to calm her emotions, she took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.

Then Lumina focused again on Adel and... couldn’t help but think about the slime from before.

"Ahhhh!!!"

It was a silent scream that no one heard.

Fortunately, Lumina had dreamed that Adel could neither hear her nor notice her presence.

***

The Specters of Dream guided me to the place where I would take the test.

But I wasn’t happy at all at that moment.

’You’ve got to be kidding me, is that really the damn test?’

I thought it would be something dangerous or difficult to complete.

Although I felt more determined than ever, I couldn’t help but think about the queen’s words from a few minutes ago.

"The test is... cleaning the bathrooms."

"..."

"Huh, did I hear that wrong?"

My expression of disbelief back then was so strong that I had forgotten our entire previous conversation.

She nodded.

"Yes, it’s just as you heard. I actually wasn’t going to give you any test and would have given you what you asked for, but it seems you wanted to take the test."

To make matters worse, she said it in a voice as if she were innocent.

As I walked, I finally reached the damned bathrooms.

’Ah, damn it, at least I’m not risking my life.’

Maybe this was better than going out into the Specters of Dream zone.

And I fervently swore never to interact with the Specters of Dream again.