Nest of Dream Demons
By the time Rohan finished his shower and stepped out of Orion Academy for a coffee, a gaze had been stuck to him like gum ever since.
No hostility at all—just eyes overflowing with affection.
The culprits were obvious enough that anyone would spot them at a glance: Sion and Clara, who had just left the mansion with recently purchased high-end surveillance gear.
They'd spent months by Rohan's side but hadn't made any real progress, too focused on rubbing up against him like lovesick puppies.
Still, they hadn't wasted their one-sided crush time.
The two girls had sharpened their woman's intuition to a fine edge.
It started when Rohan suggested going out to eat at a great spot called Ansimjeong.
When they learned it was the place Noah Frozenheart and Ichinose Yui had recommended and shared a meal at.
From the moment he mentioned having dinner with a friend tonight.
Their senses picked up on something, so they grabbed their gear and started tailing him.
And then—
The instant Rohan stepped out of the taxi and met the waiting Ichinose Yui.
Sion and Clara caught sight of the look on Ichinose Yui's face as she talked with him.
It's like looking in a mirror.
It was identical to their own faces when they were with Rohan.
Sion glanced at Clara, and Clara at Sion.
"…."
From the rooftop of a building, Clara pulled away from the telescope and looked at Sion standing beside her.
Judging by her grave expression, Sion had felt the exact same thing.
"Sion unnie…."
"As expected, we're in the same boat. With Rohan at the academy, there's no way he wouldn't attract attention from the opposite sex."
Forget soybeans or whatever— their rival was way stronger than imagined.
Heiress to Cheonoecheon, the largest conglomerate in one of the great powers, Samhwa Nation. Ladylike and beautiful to boot.
"Hm."
Sion pondered gravely amid the night breeze atop the high-rise.
Clara pressed her eye back to the telescope, resuming her watch on the moving pair.
If she's from Samhwa Nation, uniting might be tough.
A country that rejects polygamy outright.
Could Ichinose Yui, raised with such different values, align as smoothly as Clara?
Either way.
They had no intention of yielding Rohan—not with hearts this set.
Whether it meant throwing dirt in her eyes or a knife to the throat, no concessions.
Not even in death.
This makes things urgent….
Sion packed up the gear, and they hopped to the next building to keep tailing Rohan.
With Lete— who had recently started video calls and sending gifts— now joined by a confirmed new rival, they had to do something.
But it was all so stagnant. They'd boasted that confessions were just confirmations, yet here they were, dragging their feet.
How the hell were they supposed to change their relationship with Rohan?
They'd tried methods from the internet and a few from Clara's anime, but the results? Unclear.
It's not like we're too scared of rejection to even try.
As Sion sighed and looked up at the night sky—
"Ah, unnie!!!"
"?!"
Sion's head snapped down at Clara's urgent cry, her stargazing interrupted.
There in the alley stood the pair.
And before them, a black monolith.
Confirmed.
…Monolith!
The two girls dropped their gear and kicked off the rooftop instinctively.
Their goal: leap in before the ominous field fully formed.
They sprinted at full speed.
But the distance they'd secured for safe observation became their downfall.
By the time they'd closed more than half the gap, the Monolith swallowed Rohan and Ichinose whole.
"…"
"…."
Only a crater remained in the alley.
Sion and Clara stared at the mark in a daze.
"…."
Rohan opened his eyes.
He was lying with his back against something. Thankfully, Ichinose was still in his arms.
Where….
His eyes took in the ceiling of this world.
A moon exuding an alien yin energy hung there. The sky wasn't blue or black.
Faint reds and purples swirled, creating a mystical haze.
Rohan lifted his head to survey his surroundings.
A forest where black roses bloomed everywhere.
Thick fog. The air carried a heavy, sickly sweet scent.
He checked the quest again.
◇ Objective: A Monolith—symbol of anomalies in Academy City—has appeared. Escape this twisted space with your ally!
◇ Type: Sudden
◇ Success Reward: 30,000P, Full Party Recovery, Exclusive Main Story Unlocked
◇ Failure Penalty: None
…Dream demons. This is bad.
Incubi existed among monsters, sure.
But in Abyss City, "dream demons" usually meant succubi.
Monsters that inflicted the heinous Charm status.
Especially brutal and unforgiving mechanics for male characters.
His head already throbbed.
"Rohan…?"
"Ichinose. You okay?"
She stirred in his arms and lifted her head.
As Rohan released her hand, she cleared her throat and sat up.
"Ahem, I'm fine. But this sticky smell…."
She wrinkled her nose seriously, then opened her eyes.
Looking around, her face filled with confusion.
"You've heard Monoliths send people somewhere, right?"
"…A dungeon?"
"Yeah."
Rohan nodded and scanned the area.
First things first, get our bearings.
No need to spell out that this was the Nest of Dream Demons right away.
Ichinose would figure it out quick from the monsters they'd face.
This much fog makes it hard to judge.
If there were buildings, he could guess roughly, but the fog made it tricky even for him.
At least they had their weapons secure—small mercy.
It gave them room to calmly assess.
Let's move while marking our trail.
Decision made.
He tore his eyes from the blooming black roses and looked at Ichinose.
Frozen stiff from the unfamiliar ordeal, no time to even look around.
It was only natural, really.
Rohan approached and poked her soft cheek with his finger. Poke!
Her head turned his way, her pretty face full of anxiety.
"Don't worry. I'll get us through this somehow."
"Rohan…."
"I'm the first Monolith survivor, remember? Trust me."
He'd never broadcast it himself, but Ichinose surely knew.
Word would have reached the top brass in her great power.
"Hoo…."
Ichinose let out a long breath.
Some tension eased from her posture.
"Get ready to buy me steak when we get back, Baby Yui."
"…When we do, I'll rent out the place so you can eat your fill."
"That'd be torture. Just buy it normally."
Rohan pulled out his phone, set a timer, then snapped a twig and plucked a black rose from the ground.
He weighed it down with a rock to keep it from blowing away, marking their path, then started walking.
Ichinose followed cautiously in his wake.
About five minutes of silent trekking later—
She couldn't hold back anymore.
"Rohan. Where is this place?"
"From experience? A whole other world. Sky's color is off, for starters."
"…Dungeons are like that, right? Silly question."
"Nah, totally valid."
As he spoke, Rohan drew Radiance from his back with a shing!.
Ichinose had sensed the unknown lifeforms approaching slowly too, so she readied Yoru.
Unlike the tense Ichinose—
Rohan could predict the incoming monsters.
Dream demon minions fall into two main types.
What became of humans drained by succubi or incubi.
Orion Academy theory classes covered it.
Husks—lifeless shells discarded after dream demons sucked out every drop of essence.
Pleasure Dolls—humans kept as toys for their looks or talents.
Husks were like discarded snack wrappers, so high chance of encountering them in forests or outskirts like this.
Pleasure Dolls hung around dream demon lairs.
Husks were zombie-level easy, but Pleasure Dolls and the demons themselves varied wildly.
—Aaaah… Uuh….
—Uuuuh….
Mindless groans echoed as they appeared.
As Rohan predicted: three Husks.
Semitransparent gray skin, sunken eyes, withered faces.
They shambled like zombies.
No anomalies in this dungeon?
All male Husks.
Succubi over incubi by a landslide.
"Ichinose. Husks."
"Husks…."
One piece of info was enough.
She'd have pieced together the dungeon's monsters by now.
"Hup!"
Rohan stepped forward, sweeping Radiance in a semicircle.
The Husks' waists split, collapsing in heaps.
Rohan didn't hesitate slashing what were once humans.
Death was their only release and peace.
"Rohan…."
"Yeah."
"What if you fall to a succubus's charm…?"
She'd reached the conclusion, as expected.
Rohan felt a swell of pride, but Ichinose's heart ached as she said it.
Her mouth went dry, hands trembling.
"Just stab my thigh or something. Or slam my solar plexus with your sheath. Pain'll snap me out."
"H-how could you say that!"
Ways to counter succubus seduction varied.
The most famous, most effective? Shock-your-mind-awake agony.
"Other methods?"
"…."
With earnest conviction, Rohan resumed walking.
"Hesitate, and if I turn Husk, you'll have to kill me."
"Rohan. Any other ways…."
"Sage or lavender might help a bit? Strong mind's best, though."
What he mentioned was textbook basics.
But they both knew.
There were a few other ways to break Charm too.