#35 The Lifted Nightmare (2)
#35 The Lifted Nightmare (2)
[In Seoul...]
[Starting around 2 a.m. yesterday...]
"Ugh."
Every channel was reporting the same thing. Variety shows and dramas alike had cut over to breaking news. The radio, the internet — all of it. An attack on a scale without precedent. Humanity was finally wide awake — though not in quite the way Wolf had intended. The voices calling for the annihilation of everyone who had turned their backs on mankind were growing louder. It hadn't been long since the Night of the Great Battle in Daejeon, and now casualties were piling up across Seoul — thousands of them, academy students among them. Given the scope of the assault, it was practically a miracle the toll wasn't worse. Even so, the public criticism aimed at the Hunters was fierce.
"......."
Hong Yuri flipped through the channels and eventually hit the power button with a scowl. Chaos on every front. Plenty of people were already savaging Go-won and Changseon for keeping silent and holed up inside their quarters.
"...Every time something like this happens, I just want to quit."
The general public didn't know, but anyone who mattered had heard — Changseon had been gravely wounded. Not hovering at death's door, but close. And the culprit was the same Armored Monstrous Figure that she and Gwanghwi had faced together.
"We can't exactly announce that two of the Seven Heroes are down. They'll just have to deal with it."
Go-won had judged that admitting Changseon's condition would only breed greater panic, so he kept his mouth shut.
"I get that..."
Hong Yuri let out a deep sigh.
Above all, there was Muno's death. Maybe the average person wouldn't understand, but how could you hide the death of an academy instructor and dean? The Seven Heroes were humanity's spiritual pillars. News of Muno's passing, along with the deaths of several academy faculty, sent shockwaves through society. The reality that nowhere was safe anymore was sinking into people's bones.
"Still, the mood isn't all bad."
A blessing in the middle of a disaster. Once public sentiment shifted, rooting out the turncoats would get a whole lot easier.
'...Whether we actually can root them out is a separate problem.'
The team leader's sigh deepened. The Armored Monstrous Figure had only gotten its shell cracked. Changseon, on the other hand, had been torn apart. How in the world were they supposed to handle something like that...
"First things first — Baek So-yul. Where's the girl?"
"Downstairs. Honestly, I still have trouble believing it."
Gu Jin-ha nodded at Hong Yuri's grumbling. Who wouldn't feel the same? The academy student who had been targeted by the Prodigal Sons — and saved by Alpha, the Jirisan Warg. She was clearly at the center of this attack. A talented student, sure, but not talented enough to warrant being a primary target. Something else was at play.
"Let's go."
They had to figure out what that something was if they wanted to move forward.
***
"You came back sooner than I thought."
"...A few things got tangled up."
Most of the academy buildings had collapsed. I'd caught the news late and only then confirmed Muno's death. My head was a mess.
'Who on earth...'
Who had killed Muno? For a second I thought of Broken Finger, but no — Broken Finger killing Muno was impossible, I was certain of it. In this world's setting, the Seven Heroes were humanity's final bastion alongside the Square.
'Even for the Prodigal Sons, that wouldn't have been easy.'
It wasn't that none of them could kill Muno. I could think of at least three who were capable.
'...But.'
One of them shouldn't have been recruited yet. And Chimmuk-haneun Ip couldn't have recovered by now.
'Because I'm holding the imitation Elixir.'
In that case, he wouldn't have regained his original power.
By process of elimination, only one person could have killed Muno. I gritted my teeth. The world had diverged too far from the novel I knew. A future that kept twisting further out of shape — the Night of the Great Battle in Daejeon seemed to be the decisive turning point.
'All I can do now is roll with it.'
Knowing the novel's plot was no longer an absolute advantage. The future had warped, and everyone would act and move accordingly. I couldn't possibly predict and maneuver around all of that.
'...With the academy half-destroyed, tracking down the protagonist won't be easy either.'
The buildings were one thing, but with the instructors dead, there was no way they could keep teaching students. Classes had been suspended indefinitely, which was why I'd come back to the Illusion Realm. Back to the Goseong Dinosaur Museum — the site of the Dragon's Wasteland.
"Are you going in?"
I nodded at Baekrok's question.
The same desolate, barren wasteland greeted us. I swept my Detection across the whole area and felt not a single presence. While I'd been stopping the Witch's Calamity, Baekrok had been clearing the wasteland.
'But it hasn't collapsed yet.'
If every monster had been wiped out, the dungeon should have collapsed by now. Baekrok had definitely exterminated every last one of them.
'...Right. On the surface.'
I recalled the Dragon Turtle I'd seen inside the Earth Serpent's stomach. The remaining monsters weren't in the wasteland — they were beneath it. When I said I'd head underground, Baekrok inclined his head.
"Be careful."
"Kyururuk!"
Under the floor where the Earth Serpent had once crashed through. I leaped down, fell for a long while, plunged into the water, and immediately activated Detection.
'Fewer than I expected...'
For a lake of this size, the monster population was sparse. Given that the Earth Serpent had possessed a Swimming skill, it had probably come down here regularly to feed. Among the survivors was the same Dragon Turtle I'd spotted before.
The thing saw me appear out of nowhere and swam over with a dumb expression.
'Nice of it to save me the trouble.'
I extended a tentacle and snagged the creature from behind. I latched onto its tail and hind legs and pulled, and it thrashed as if telling me to let go. Thanks to its anatomy, no matter how much it twisted, it couldn't reach its own hindquarters. I consumed it on the spot with Contact Intake.
[Ancient Dragon Turtle consumed. Experience Points and Satiety increased.]
'...I almost feel sorry for it.'
Watching it squirm and then just give up and accept its fate was a little pitiful, but I didn't want to spill blood. If the scent drew a crowd, things could get dangerous underwater.
[Diving (F) Lv.8 proficiency maxed. Diving (F) Lv.8 → Diving (F) Lv.9]
I dove deeper. Following the Swimming skill, which had reached Level 9 inside the Earth Serpent's stomach, Diving had now climbed to Level 9 as well. Between the two skills, most of the aquatic monsters gave me little trouble.
[Experience Points at maximum. Lv.10 → Lv.11]
By the time I hit Level 11, only one monster remained.
'I thought I'd eaten everything.'
Between the Wyvern, the Earth Serpent, and the Rock Armor Dragon, I'd assumed the last of the truly dangerous monsters were gone. Apparently the underground lake still held one more.
[Lake Lizard (Lake Saurus)]
[Length 8.41m] [Height 2.11m] [Weight 3.61t]
[STR 451] [AGI 462] [VIT 401]
[Skill List]
[Amphibious (D)] [Predation (F)]
Its body shape was reminiscent of a mosasaur, except it had legs instead of flippers. Honestly, the thing looked more like the Swamp Dragon I'd seen back in the Forest Dungeon.
'...Though comparing them would be embarrassing for this guy.'
Its stats were high, yes. Its appearance was dragon-like. But it had no magical power — calling it a dragon species would be a stretch. That was probably why it had been labeled a lizard instead of a dragon.
Realizing belatedly that it was the last one left, the creature looked around, spotted me, and charged. Its bulk sent the water roiling, but the turbulence was manageable with Swimming and Diving.
I drew out as many tentacles as I could. The lizard evaded every single one with languid ease.
'Of course it does.'
That 462 Agility wasn't just a number. Even on land, catching it with tentacles alone would've been tough.
'I wasn't planning to rely on tentacles anyway.'
I used the shadows of all those deployed tentacles, infused with spiritual field, to blanket a wide area. Physical tentacles faced water resistance — incorporeal shadows did not.
The lizard still wasn't easy to pin down, but the wounds accumulating across its body told the story. Before long, it would have to choose: fight or flee.
Then it slammed all four legs against the water. It chose neither. The lizard kept its distance, watching me, stalling for time.
'Clever.'
A dry laugh escaped me. It was waiting for me to run out of breath. Even with a Diving skill, I didn't grow gills. The strain in my lungs was very real. The moment I started to rise toward the surface, it edged closer.
'Drawing this out doesn't help you.'
It had been burned a few times already and wasn't about to charge in recklessly. I had to make the first move. In an instant, I reshaped my body. A streamlined form, fins, slicing through the water.
"......!"
As soon as I started ascending, it shot after me. Change or no, I couldn't outpace the thing outright, and with only a short distance left to the surface, it cut me off and held the space above.
'Nice try.'
I lashed out with tentacles and shadows, and it recoiled, veering aside. The moment my head broke the surface, it seized my tail.
'Knew you would.'
I'd expected it. I whipped up a Gust. Deep underwater, I could only manage some vortices, but near the surface, I could scatter the water itself. The lizard stared dumbly at me, still clamped onto my tail.
'Ghost Flame (C).'
Just like inside the Earth Serpent's stomach, I forced the water apart and ignited Ghost Flame (C) in the gap. The lizard, still biting my tail, recoiled in shock and dove. I filled my lungs with air. When I dipped back below the surface, the thing was already running. Its one winning strategy — letting me suffocate — had failed. Fleeing from an unwinnable opponent was only natural.
'That works for me.'
Agility 462. Catching it underwater was a fool's errand. So I took my time. I kept my distance, herding it, making sure it never slipped outside my Detection range.
[Swimming (F) Lv.9 proficiency...]
[Diving (F) Lv.9 proficiency...]
At last, both skills hit their maximum level and evolved into E-rank variants with the "Superior" modifier. Two skills, each now bearing the word "Superior."
[Superior Swimming (E) Lv.1 and Superior Diving (E) Lv.1 have merged into Amphibious (D) Lv.1.]
—The very same Amphibious skill the lizard possessed.
'I had a hunch this was coming.'
The System's list of acquirable skills had only ever shown Swimming and Diving as possible prerequisites for Amphibious.
Even a whale, a creature that spends its entire life in the ocean, has to surface to breathe. The reason this mere lizard had never once poked its head above water was this skill. It was fundamentally different from Diving, which only helped you hold your breath longer.
'—As easy as breathing on land.'
True to its name, Amphibious let me breathe underwater as comfortably as on the surface. The water pressure also noticeably eased.
'Now we're getting somewhere.'
I drew out every tentacle I could and churned the water. Increased body surface area normally meant increased resistance, but the new skill had cut that resistance down. My reshaped fins and tentacles rowed in tandem. On top of that, I triggered Gust at the tentacle tips, spinning up vortices like propellers and hurling myself forward.
'This is fun.'
The burst of propulsion closed the gap in an instant. Caught, the lizard opened its mouth in alarm.
As I swerved past it, the shadows threaded between my tentacles shot out and stabbed into the lizard from every angle. Its blood stained the clear lake. Soon enough, its breathing stopped.
[Lake Lizard consumed. Experience Points and Satiety increased.]
The last monster of the Dragon's Wasteland. I checked my experience immediately.
[EXP 102467 / 178923]
'The experience is seriously...'
Eating the thing had netted me close to a hundred thousand EXP. The lake hadn't held many monsters to begin with, but I'd still expected to reach Level 12.
'...Damn.'
I scanned with Detection one more time, just in case. Nothing. The surface and the underground — both clean. There was nothing left for me here. As if to confirm it, the dungeon began to collapse. The crumbling world slowly reverted to what it was always meant to be.
The seemingly endless wasteland transformed back into the shape of the museum, and the System sent a message.
[Destruction Probability 96.19% → 96.08%]
[Karma acquired: 0.11%]
[Karma 2.82%]
Having cleared a dungeon that had sheltered me for so long — including my evolution into a Shadow Wolf — left me with a bittersweet mix of feelings. When I climbed up from the underground lake — no, the underground level — Baekrok greeted me with a nod.
"Glad to see you're unharmed."
The fairy dragon fluttered overhead and yawned, radiating exhaustion.
"Baekrok. What about the other dungeons?"
"Do you ever actually get tired?"
If anything, the opposite was true.
If I sat still, I felt like I'd collapse. We walked back toward Daejeon together. The moment we arrived, a fairy practically swooped in, making such a fuss that the sleeping fairy dragon woke up again.
"Kyu~!"
"Perry!"
The fairy dragon rubbed its sleepy eyes, and suddenly I remembered what I'd forgotten.
'I was supposed to give it a name.'
Completely slipped my mind. I tried to think of a good name, but nothing came to me, so I just called it what the fairy kept calling it — Perry. The creature's eyes went wide, and a faint corona of light shimmered around it.
"Kyuuuuu...!"
Baekrok stared in astonishment while the fairy gawked in wonder. The glow faded quickly. The dragon churned its wings with obvious delight and swatted me with its tail.
'Something definitely changed.'
[Perry (Fairy Dragon)]
[Length 28.2cm] [Height 3.1cm] [Weight 271g]
[STR 19] [AGI 17] [VIT 28] [MP 91]
[Skill List]
[Blink (D)] [Mana Regeneration (D)]
When I checked with Insight, the name now sat where the species name used to be — almost like a title of my own. I glanced back. Baekrok simply dipped his head in a quiet nod.
"Wah! Perry! Perry!"
Unlike the fairy, who was utterly thrilled that the name she'd come up with had been made official, I felt a little troubled. If this was how it worked, shouldn't I have picked a better name?
"Kyuuuuu!"
Looking at how happy the little thing was, I figured I'd worried for nothing. The fairy dragon — no, Perry — had doubled in size since the first time we met. It brushed the tip of its tail across my nose. At the feather-light touch, I quietly closed my eyes.
'At least it doesn't seem to mind.'
Energetic just moments ago, the creature promptly fell back asleep, exhausted. Giving someone a name for the first time in my life... left me feeling oddly restless.
***
Baek So-yul sat lost in thought.
The people from Dawn had asked her a great many things.
About the people targeting her. About Yoo Chang-baek. About the academy. And about the Wolf who had saved her. She did her best to answer every question earnestly. Yet all of her answers had felt vague and insufficient. Because she genuinely didn't know much. If anything, she'd ended up learning more about things she hadn't known at all.
That the organization hunting her was called the Prodigal Sons.
That the Wolf who had saved her was called Alpha — the Jirisan Warg.
—She couldn't bring herself to talk about the dreams. But with Dawn's intelligence network, wouldn't they already know she'd spoken to others about them?
'.......'
Her chest tightened.
Setting aside all the other questions, there was only one thing Baek So-yul truly wanted to know.
'Why would he...'
Why had the Wolf — why had Alpha, the Jirisan Warg — saved her? And how had he known about her in the first place?
[—The Witch's Calamity will not happen.]
His promise to save her, delivered again and again, was seared into her mind and wouldn't fade. She replayed those branded words over and over, then reached into her inner pocket.
The fur that had remained in her hand when she'd embraced the Wolf.
Baek So-yul stared at it for a long while. Then, with careful hands, she tucked the small, precious tuft of fur back into her clothes.