The Sleepyhead Gem (2)
The jewels filling the surroundings were still breathtaking. They shimmered with their own inner light, undeniably beautiful, yet there were so many of them that the glare was almost blinding.
You've come to the right place, human.
I slipped on the sunglasses I'd prepared in advance and turned toward the direction of the voice. From a jewel far larger than the others, glowing with a beautiful gradient, came the voice of an old man.
“Thank you for opening the door.”
If I hadn't, our entire home would've been blown away.
Other jewels chimed in, agreeing with the old man.
Brute of a human!
I was so scared!
I went to see what all the fuss was about the collapsed house nearby!
And guess what? It was our house?!
The innocent, childlike voices brought a small smile to my lips.
So, why have you come here?
“Isn’t there only one reason to come to a place like this?”
Hmm. So you already knew.
The old man frowned, as if my confident attitude gave him a headache.
I hadn't heard anything in particular. I wonder where the information leaked from.
I had skipped all the prerequisite quests and come straight here. From the old man’s perspective, I was basically an uninvited guest who had shown up without an invitation.
Well, maybe not quite uninvited.
After all, if it hadn’t been for me, who knew when anyone else would have found this place? The secrets of the mining zone weren’t covered in the main scenario—they belonged to the story that came after. That meant these beings would have to wait quietly here for several more years. If no one pushed the story forward, they might have to wait even longer.
That’s why they’re welcoming me, in their own way.
If they truly found me unpleasant, they wouldn’t be chatting so noisily.
Then you already know about this place?
“I know some things, but I’d appreciate a detailed explanation.”
Since I had arrived much earlier than in the original timeline, the information might be slightly different from what I remembered.
This is the Fantasy Nest. It is a home where countless fantasy beasts wait for their masters. Its true name is the Fantasy Nest.
Just as the old man said, this was a place where fantasy beasts awaited their chosen owners. The mines nearby and the magic-infused jewels were all byproducts formed from the residual mana of the fantasy beasts gathered here.
Kyaaaaah!
Where is my master?!
On the other side of the dimension!
I want to go out too!
Silence, you rascals!
The old man quieted the other jewels. He really was the most ancient being here. The way he governed the others felt completely natural.
You must find a fantasy beast here to become your partner. Then you must overcome its trial. Only then will it become your reliable ally.
In short, this was my chance to obtain a pet.
Pick me!
I'll let you pass without a trial!
Hey, there still has to be a trial!
Uhh... then a song!
Good! Sing for us!
If you can't sing, you'll never get married!
Aaaah~ Hateful person!
I hate you! Hate! Hate!!
Even as they appealed to be chosen, the way they played among themselves like children made me burst out laughing.
“Pfft!”
Ahem. My apologies.
The old man’s voice had become lighter and higher, as if even he found the situation quite amusing this time.
“Can I pick anyone?”
Yes. But choose carefully. You have a total of five chances to select a fantasy beast. And each beast only offers one opportunity to face its trial. If you fail, you cannot choose that beast again.
This was information I already knew. The difference from the game was that in the game, even if you failed every chance, you would still be given a pet.
So here, failure really is the end.
Well, I hadn’t come here planning to fail, but I still needed to steel myself.
Choose us!
Me! Me! Me!!
Look! I'm super strong!
I'm fast! I'll take you anywhere you want in the blink of an eye!
As soon as I started seriously considering which fantasy beast to choose, they began advertising their strengths. Some boasted overwhelming power, others incredible speed, and some flashy abilities. I quietly walked past them, observing their powers and the colors of their jewels, and moved deeper inside.
Hey, you can't go there!
That's where the sleepyhead is!
It gets angry if you wake it!
Come back here!
The deeper I went, the more intense their reactions became. Yet, paradoxically, the voices gradually grew quieter. As if they were trying not to make any noise.
Sorry, but my target is that very sleepyhead.
Until just moments ago there had been no chance to be quiet, but now there was complete silence. In fact, not only were there no voices—there weren’t even any jewels left. They must have moved away so they could stay silent.
“Anyone else would definitely turn back if they saw this.”
The space that had been filled with dazzling jewels just moments ago had transformed in an instant. The barren atmosphere, just like when I first entered the mine, made my breathing feel slightly labored. If I hadn’t known the information, even I would have turned around.
Step. Step.
“It’s getting harder to breathe the deeper I go.”
The further inside I went, the thinner the oxygen became. But in contrast, the corners of my mouth slowly began to rise. Because the only jewel emitting light in the distance was gradually getting closer.
Stop.
“Found it.”
I had finally located the jewel I wanted. Unlike the others, it glowed with a seven-colored gradient. And contrary to the rest, even though I had approached, it remained completely silent.
“Why don’t you wake up already?”
······.
No answer. If it weren’t for the brilliant colors and pure light it emitted, I might have mistaken it for an ordinary magic-infused jewel and moved on. But I already knew everything.
“Wake up, you sleepyhead.”
······.
Tap. Tap. When I poked the jewel with my finger, its faint light dimmed for a moment before slowly brightening again. The rhythmic change was like breathing. Only then did I smile at the sleepyhead who had finally woken up.
“Hello.”
Grrrr······.
What I heard was the growl of a beast. Unlike the others I had encountered so far, the sleepyhead before me had not yet learned to speak properly.
“Let’s go together.”
Grrrrr!
Even so, it possessed a strength on a completely different level from the others. It had to be incredibly powerful for the rest to have prepared a separate space just so they wouldn’t disturb its sleep.
Graaah!
The growl was clearly filled with hostility. It was probably angry that I had woken it from its slumber.
“Sorry, but I’m not leaving. If you want to send me away, give me your trial.”
Grrrrr!
“It won’t work no matter how much you threaten me.”
No matter how much it tried to intimidate me, I wasn’t going to give up. The only way to send me away from here was for me to fail the trial and leave.
Grrrr······.
It seemed to have finally realized. The resigned-sounding growl made me speak up immediately, not missing the chance.
“Give me the trial.”
···Hmph!!
Fine, give it your best shot. That was the feeling I got from the growl. Suddenly, I was no longer in the oxygen-deprived depths of the Fantasy Nest. Instead, I stood beneath warm sunlight, surrounded by the fresh scent of a forest. And I had become a child who looked about ten years old.
“This place is······.”
“Hey Zeon! It’s coming your way!”
“Huh?”
With the shout of a child, something burst out of the bushes. It flew straight toward me, so without thinking I swung the tree branch in my hand.
Slash.
The sharpness was unimaginable for a mere tree branch. I stared at the clump of fur I had sliced cleanly in half.
“Whoa! Zeon, what the heck!”
A familiar child emerged from the bushes and ran toward me.
“When did you get so good?! You look just like a knight!”
“Really?”
“Yeah! It’s amazing! Teach me too! Like this? Is this how you do it?”
The child picked up a nearby branch and swung it, trying to imitate what I had done. I watched for a moment, then patted the child’s head.
“Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s move on to the next one already.”
“···That was fast?”
The child answered with a mysterious smile. Yes, this was all an illusion. The true nature of the trial given by the sleepyhead. It was to escape from an illusion created based on my own memories. It consisted of three stages: first, the innocent past of my childhood. Then, the cold reality of the present. And finally, a dark and sticky future filled with hardship and exhaustion, yet one I could never give up on.
“Too easy.”
Right now, I was in the first stage. I had already broken through the trial of the past.
In the game, it showed the character’s past perspective, then the present perspective that the player hadn’t fully understood while playing, and finally a bleak future if you had taken the wrong skill tree. Because it was a game, there was no real emotional impact, so it was easy to pass. But thinking back on the mental status effects like Confusion and Charm that had been applied at the time, the real thing probably wouldn’t have ended so simply.
“Of course, if I didn’t have these eyes.”
Whoosh.
But such illusions were nothing before the Fiery Golden Eyes. Besides, the past hadn’t changed from what I had experienced before, so I cleared it even more easily. Time to finish this quickly.
Crackle.
The background changed. The forest with its fresh grassy scent vanished, replaced by a vibrant campus filled with energetic young adults in their twenties.
“Ugh, is Professor’s assignment even real?!”
“Why isn’t anyone replying in the team chat?!”
“Tomorrow’s no-class day, jackpot.”
Students heading to buildings matching their majors. Walking across campus beneath the fresh spring weather felt like watching a drama.
“Why isn’t that bastard coming?!”
“Hey, hurry up!”
“What are you doing?”
Thump.
A young man I had never seen before slapped my shoulder like we were friends. I looked at his face for a moment, then sharpened my hand and sliced forward.
Slash.
At my precise touch, light began to shine from the student’s head right before my eyes.
“Aaaaaagh!!”
“W-what the?! Why is he like that?!”
“C-crazy!”
“H-he’s bald!”
Looking at the head gleaming under the light, I recalled the nature of this trial once again. This trial read the subject’s memories to construct the illusion. In the game, it had used the character’s memories. But now?
My body belonged to Zeon, but the one using it was not Zeon. That was why the trial had changed so late. It had become an illusion about me, not Zeon.
“But if you’re going to manifest it, at least do it properly.”
From the feel of it, it seemed to be starting from the past again. I wasn’t sure if it was restarting the entire trial or counting the previous one and beginning the second stage. Either way, if it was going to create an illusion, it should have read my memories accurately.
“I didn’t even properly attend high school, let alone college, you idiot.”
Who did it think it was mocking?
“Bald… you vicious bastard······.”
The illusion that had granted the wish I had fantasized about during my hospital days—school life—had been shattered without achieving even the slightest part of that goal.