Chapter 453: Dream
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 453: Dream
Unfortunately, it wasn't a real, face-to-face meeting. I was able to confirm her current location and roughly guess what she was thinking. I could have made a move at any time through Choi Eunju, but there was no reason for me to be the one to drag her down.
The reason was obvious. I believed she would find it far more painful to be brought down by the masses under her command than by me directly.
It’s incredibly difficult to fully grasp a person. I could certainly find out what kind of person she was by looking inside her mind through Alisha, but there was no need to go to such lengths. I already had a good idea of what type of human she was.
‘Power.’
She was the type of person who feared losing things.
The type who had much and wanted to protect it all.
The type who, despite having already achieved and obtained so much, still wished for what she possessed to grow just a little larger.
The type who was endlessly, insatiably greedy for things unseen.
After considering Lee Wanyong’s report, the unique ability to contact others through dreams, and her desire to stand at the top, I came to a small conclusion. Compared to her, Ha Yuri’s desire to become a god almost felt noble.
The thought of systematically shattering everything she possessed, one by one, was a twisted sort of pleasure. It might have been cleaner to just cut off her head, but unfortunately for her, I was a rotten and cruel human—no, a Green Skin.
“This is the place.”
“Hmm…”
After walking a little further, a rather spacious room came into view. It seemed he had personally procured some very comfortable-looking chairs. For a room located near the castle walls holding the front line, it was incredibly luxurious.
Of course, it wasn't his room.
‘That bastard…’
Traces of his best efforts were everywhere, all for a room I would only be staying in for a short while. He wasn't even going to be working here. It was hard to understand why he’d put so much effort into this room, but it didn't feel bad.
“Please, have some tea. I was told it’s a tea that calms the mind.”
“I’ll accept it gratefully.”
It was a fragrance I’d never smelled before. When I looked at him with curiosity, Lee Wanyong spoke with confidence.
“It’s a tea I procured from the Item Shop. It cost a fair number of points, but…”
“…”
It was a silent protest, a way of telling me to recognize that he had spent his precious points for my sake, yet his voice was so light as if not to burden me.
‘This guy…’
As I took a small sip of the tea…
[Your mind feels incredibly at ease. Your Stamina has permanently increased by 1.]
‘…’
…the voice that followed was completely unexpected. An item of this caliber could easily be called an elixir. When I looked at him with a surprised expression, I saw his face, looking for all the world like he was wagging his tail, waiting for praise. The reason I felt a strange affection for this man, even as I wanted to smack him one, was probably because of this attitude of his. It made me wonder why he hadn't made a name for himself in my past life, to the point where a suspicion began to sprout that he, like me, might have also regressed. Just then, the door opened, and a familiar face came into view.
It was his daughter, Lee Wanhee.
“It has been a while, Lord Blood Dagger. I hope you have been well.”
“You look healthy as well.”
“Yes…”
Her expression was demure, her gestures modest. She was a child one could call a prospective daughter-in-law, if one were to label her. It was clear she was trying her best not to show any flaws.
[Target - Lee Wanhee]
[Status - You can do it, Wanhee!]
She was cheering herself on with all her might.
I had never really felt the power or elevated status that came with being the Great Tribe Leader, but the way this man and his daughter acted made me realize just how high I had climbed. It was funny, but I could almost understand how Maria felt. If one were surrounded by people like this day after day, one would never be able to let go of what they possessed.
“I hope you will relax your mind and lie down comfortably.”
“I will.”
“Hehe. Lord Blood Dagger, just in case you might resist…”
“I know.”
He was telling me not to raise my magic, as I might resist. After Lee Wanyong finished speaking, Lee Wanhee slowly approached and placed her small hand on the back of mine.
“Uuuuugh…”
I could see her scrunching up her face with all her might, trying desperately to push her magic into me. I felt like something was about to enter, but my body remained unchanged.
“…”
“…”
“Ahem… ahem. I will try one more time.”
“Alright.”
“I-I’m sorry, Lord Blood Dagger.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault.”
I had expected this to some extent. Even if I lowered my resistance to its absolute minimum, there was no way a child like her could break through it.
“Sob… ugh… I-I’m sorry.”
As a little more time passed, a look of bewilderment began to creep onto Lee Wanhee’s face. The spell she must have practiced hundreds of times was having no effect at all. Tears were beginning to well up in her eyes, and Lee Wanyong was also visibly flustered. I felt like I needed to help.
To accept the magic flowing in through her hand as much as possible, I intentionally lowered my resistance and began to activate Lee Wanhee’s magic myself. She flinched in surprise at the magic that suddenly entered her body, but realizing my intent, she quietly closed her mouth and began to focus.
It was at that very moment that I felt something about Lee Wanhee’s body changing.
‘…’
By accepting the magic I had shared with her, she had suddenly succeeded in evolving.
“Huh…”
“Th-thank you.”
“No, that wasn’t my intention. Rather, it’s you who is impressive for accepting my magic.”
I had always thought it, but this father-daughter pair never missed an opportunity.
From my perspective, it was an unremarkable rank-up, but for her, who was still lacking in many ways, it must have been a huge step forward. Lee Wanyong was nodding vigorously as if to say, ‘My daughter did it!’, while Lee Wanhee slowly closed her eyes and chanted the spell. Slowly, my vision began to shift.
The completely black background slowly began to take shape. Soon, a woman wearing nothing at all began to walk slowly toward me.
“Kim Taesung… how do I look? Fucking sexy, right? Huh?”
“…”
It was Choi Seulgi. Of course, I knew that this Choi Seulgi wasn't real. Since Lee Wanhee, a succubus, had put me into a dream, it was only natural that she would show me what I was dreaming of. Soon, Lee Wanhee and Lee Wanyong would burst in here.
“Hah… shit… Kim Taesung, hurry… hurry up.”
I didn't know what she wanted me to hurry up and do, but the image of Choi Seulgi before me was undeniably sexy. When I briefly pictured Jang Ye Ri in my mind, a dark form began to slowly materialize next to Choi Seulgi.
“Look at me, my mate.”
It was a situation that made me want to tear my hair out. Showing such a sight was not right, especially for the children’s education. The goal was to think of nothing. But to do that, the scene Jang Ye Ri and Choi Seulgi were currently presenting was far too stimulating.
“Taesung?”
Jung Hayeon was looking at me.
“Darling.”
“My Savior.”
After Choi Eunju and Baek Ahyeon also appeared, I couldn't control the thoughts popping into my head. Just when I thought I was in a serious crisis, my savior was, unexpectedly, Mev. From somewhere, Mev, dressed in a nurse’s uniform, could be felt stroking me with incredibly awkward movements and gestures.
“Ch-Chieftain, I’m, I’m free today… Yoohoo.”
I felt sorry for Mev, but my head began to cool down rapidly. Mev was putting her all into it, trying not to be outdone, but it seemed the image of a ‘sexy Mev’ simply couldn't form in my mind. The moment I realized this was a dream, the things surrounding me immediately began to scatter.
“Hoo…”
As I let out a short sigh and collected myself, I immediately felt Lee Wanyong and Lee Wanhee looking at me.
“A-amazing.”
“Hehe… As expected of Lord Blood Dagger. This is the first time I’ve ever seen a dream so clean.”
Somehow, I had managed to preserve my dignity. I feigned nonchalance and opened my mouth.
“This is a most curious space. Am I correct in assuming you have entered my mind?”
“Yes, that’s right. This place is currently inside your dream, Lord Blood Dagger.”
It was a little different from the mental world. If the mental world I entered through Alisha was an artificial construct, this dream world I was in now felt like a natural one. There were more things I couldn't control than things I could.
Lee Wanyong began to speak, slowly changing his form. It was the ability of his race, the Doppelganger. The form he changed into was one I had seen before: Eliane, the first princess of the Eveluse Kingdom, the very person Maria had thought of as an ally until now. Funnily enough, even I had a hard time distinguishing his real form.
It felt like Lee Wanhee’s ability had combined with his to make his transformation even more perfect. I wondered if I could change my own form in a dream and thought of various appearances, but it didn't work as well as I’d hoped. It seemed trying to change one’s own essence was difficult.
“It will be a little easier if you try to picture the things you want to see in your head.”
“I see.”
When I reached out my hand into the empty air, a table began to appear. It felt like a lucid dream. Believe it or not, I think I’d heard some nonsense back on Earth about being able to control this kind of dream through training, but I never imagined I’d find myself in such a situation.
Lee Wanhee, who seemed to have grown a little more than before, watched me play around with various things and spoke quietly.
“It seems Maria is trying to summon her father into her dream. She’s a little puzzled by the resistance she’s meeting…”
“Hmm… I’ll explore this space more later. For now, we should probably go.”
“Hehe. Yes, understood.”
“Is Wanhee not coming with us?”
“No. My daughter will likely wait somewhere out of that woman’s sight.”
I nodded, and once again, I felt my body begin to move. This must be the process of moving into Maria’s dream. They had no idea that we also had someone who could control dreams on our side.
Even if she had a unique ability that allowed her to invade dreams, the card we held was a succubus—a race born to play with the dreams of others. Of course, there was an insurmountable gap in specs between her and Lee Wanhee, but the inherent traits of a race could bridge an otherwise overwhelming difference. To use a slightly inappropriate example, she was a very well-trained cat, while Wanhee was a beast of prey that had not yet matured.
It meant that while there was a difference in ability, if we tried to contend with her, we could somehow hold our own.
After a short while, the place I stepped into was an incredibly extravagant and luxurious-looking room. And looking at me from within it was Maria Trump.