The Witch in the Sleeping Forest (2)
I had no idea what the hell Cheori had done.
But after inhaling its smoke, a massive purple bat appeared before my eyes.
"Cheori. What did you do?"
"Kkung, kkuwoong...."
Cheori replied with something.
It definitely said something, but I couldn't understand a word.
Up until now, I'd inferred its intentions from context, its gestures, and the perfect timing of its lines. Moments like this, when communication broke down, were always a real pain.
"Kkuwoong...."
After exhaling the smoke, Cheori went limp, utterly spent.
Its once plump belly had deflated completely.
"...No way. Did you use up all the power you'd been stockpiling?"
"Kkuuuwoong...."
The little guy was so drained it couldn't even respond properly.
It must've burned through every bit of energy it'd stored from chowing down on those magic stones.
True loyalty. The real deal.
Doing all that for me.
It always came through exactly when I needed it.
I pressed my forehead to Cheori's and spoke from the heart.
"Thanks, Cheori. You're the only one I can count on."
"Kkung kkung...."
Cheori tapped my cheek with its tail, like glad you get it, then promptly passed out.
I chuckled and gently laid it on the bed.
"Sleep tight."
Its breathing evened out into a steady rhythm.
Once we got out of this tower, I'd feed it all the top-quality magic stones it could want.
I gave Cheori a couple pats, then finally turned around.
Omen was frozen there, staring at me motionlessly.
[Floor 5]
[Earn Omen's Recognition]
[Unachieved]
Once I locked eyes with Omen, the hidden system conditions unlocked.
To clear this floor, it wasn't Gini I needed approval from—it was Omen.
"Omen. Nice to meet you. First time seeing you like this."
I greeted the spirit before me.
A colossal purple bat, easily over 2 meters tall. Its eyes glowed amethyst, and around its neck was a golden emblem gleaming like the moon in a night sky. Everything else was drenched in purple.
"...!"
As I stared straight at Omen and spoke, it shuddered in surprise.
But no sound came out. Maybe it couldn't make any.
No mouth visible, after all. Made sense.
"Hey, Omen. What do you want to say to me?"
"...."
Omen gazed at me intently.
After staring into my eyes with those amethyst orbs for a long moment, it slowly closed them.
What the hell was that about?
The moment that question crossed my mind—
-Human.
A deep, resonant voice echoed in my head for the first time.
I'd figured it'd communicate through gestures since it had no mouth.
Telepathy, huh? Simple enough.
I nodded to show I understood.
What could it possibly want to say that it'd been tailing me since last night...?
-I hate you.
Well.
Guess it just hated my guts and followed me because of that.
Omen's intent was so far off my expectations that I let out a hollow laugh.
-That's why I wanted to kick you out of here.
As an upper darkness spirit, Omen had only ever permitted one person by its side: Gini.
She had the purest soul, the greatest talent as a spiritist anyone could possess.
Yet she carried the darkest past, blinding her to any light.
A girl lost and asleep in the depths of a dark forest. When Omen tasted her dreams, it vowed to protect her from then on.
To that end, it even convinced all the spirits contracted to Gini to build her that cabin.
All to keep her from ever leaving this cradle-like forest.
-So I monitored your every move.
What training you were doing.
Where you went, what you did.
Not a single detail escaped my watch.
And after observing it all, Omen reached a conclusion.
-Human. You weren't bad humans.
Too pure to be evil.
Too strong to be weak.
Gini had sensed it instinctively too, slowly opening up to you.
And so had Omen, drawing closer alongside her.
"...So what do you want to say?"
-Save Gini.
With that, Omen bowed its head to me.
-I am a spirit. Without my contractor supplying mana, my power has limits.
Spirits have no form.
They must borrow human mana to take shape and wield their true strength.
Omen's contractor was Gini.
With her in a coma, it couldn't access its full power no matter what.
-But good human. You can do it.
"Do what?"
-Enter Gini's dream and wake her.
Enter her dream?
I raised an eyebrow at Omen.
It repeated itself, confirming I hadn't misheard.
-I am a darkness spirit. I command darkness, illusions, phantoms.
"What's that got to do with entering dreams?"
-As an upper darkness spirit, I can read dreams—those illusions.
Dreams don't exist.
They're mere phantoms: random, automatic replays of memories and information while part of the brain stays awake.
An upper darkness spirit like Omen could read those phantoms.
And thus—
-I can enter them too.
It could read dreams.
But as a spirit, it was limited—it couldn't save those suffering inside.
But if the one entering wasn't a spirit, but a human...
A human with a spirit stronger than its own...
-You could pull Gini out of the dream trapping her.
I smirked at Omen's words.
Enter the dream and save Gini, huh...
"Fine. I'll do it."
No reason to refuse.
As I answered without hesitation, Omen hurriedly added—
-Entering the dream links your minds. A severe shock there could shatter your spirit, good human.
"Then I'll just wake Gini before that happens."
-....
And.
"My mind doesn't break that easily."
If it did, I'd have cracked when I burned alive in the Tutorial Tower.
Plus, with the World Tree's blessing? What could possibly break me now?
Grinning, I asked Omen:
"So, tell me what I need to do once I'm in the dream."
-...You're truly a good human.
"Not that good."
If I was good, the world would be full of saints.
Whatever. Misunderstandings are free.
I shrugged at Omen.
-Once inside, you'll enter the world of Gini's dream. Your body will fall asleep too.
"And?"
-You'll face the nightmare keeping her trapped.
A nightmare.
Sounded simple enough.
-Save Gini from it, good human.
"That's it?"
I raised my fist.
Omen shook its head—no.
-It's not about brute force. Turn Gini's nightmare into something that's not a nightmare.
"Make it not a nightmare..."
-Dreams are fragile; you can't change much. Just make her as happy as possible within it.
"Got it. Any caveats?"
-Sorry. Linking human dreams is new to me too. No other warnings.
Guess I'd learn the hard way.
No big deal.
This was plenty.
-One last time, human. This could be grave danger. Still agree?
"Obviously."
No take-backs.
Said I'd do it? Done.
-Then let's go. Must be near Gini to link.
Without another word, Omen phased through the door.
Spirit perks.
I opened it normally and stepped out, locking eyes with Elpinire hauling water from the well.
Perfect timing.
I signaled Omen to hold, then gave her the quick rundown.
"...So you're going into Gini's dream to save her, Master?"
"Spot on."
"What the...?"
Elpinire stared at me like I'd lost it.
To her, unable to see spirits, this sounded like pure nonsense.
I cleared my throat softly and glanced at Omen.
"Omen. Can you, like, show her or something?"
-Wait.
Omen charged at Elpinire.
She flinched, dropping her basket, and whipped around frantically.
"What was that?!"
"Oho."
Neat trick.
I nodded at Omen—good enough.
"That was Omen."
"...You can really see spirits."
"Think I'd bullshit you?"
I chuckled at her stunned face, then got serious.
"So, I'm counting on you, Elpinire."
"...Leave it to me."
Once I entered Gini's dream, I'd be out cold too.
Then it'd be just Elpinire guarding the cabin, Gini, me, and Cheori.
She thumped her chest, meeting my eyes firmly.
I smirked, turned away.
"Omen. Let's go."
-...Please, human.
By Gini's bed.
I lay on the cool bare floor and closed my eyes.
[Earn Omen's Recognition]
[Achieved]
[Success]
[Moving to the next floor]
[Floor 6]
[Rescue Gini Safely from the Nightmare]
[Unachieved]
And so.
I sank into the depths.
I'd always been able to sleep in towers just by deciding to. This felt similar, but not quite.
How to describe it?
Not like flipping a remote switch—more like yanking the plug.
Never had general anesthesia, but probably like that.
I opened my eyes amid the underbrush and slowly sat up.
So, where was this?
Gini's dreamworld. Needed to find her quick...
"Hey, you there?"
"...?"
First thing I saw: some stranger pointing at me.
What the hell was this?
I blinked dumbly at the middle-aged man with golden hair and a mustache.
He looked exasperated and said:
"Quit slacking and get that fire going, Hans!"
"...Me?"
"Yeah, you! Who else? If you don't cook, what're we supposed to eat?"
What the actual fuck.
Panicking, I scanned around.
"No monsters nearby!"
"Stream's close."
"Tents almost set!"
Dozens of people bustled about, prepping camp.
Then I spotted a petite redhead—and froze.
"Hey, Hans. You sick? Hurt? Speak up. I'll get someone else."
"No, sir. On it."
I nodded and headed to the cauldron over the fire.
My reflection in it wasn't me—it was someone else.
Elpinire draped a blanket over the sleeping Han Mir.
She knew he'd grumble about sleeping on the floor, but she couldn't just leave him like that.
"...Can't move him to the bed, huh?"
There must be a reason he stayed here. She'd leave him be.
Still, watching her master on the cold floor felt weird.
Smacking her lips, Elpinire stepped out and eyed the dim forest.
"Dark forest, huh. Was fine at first."
She tilted her head back, gazing at the sky drowned in gentle darkness.
A week.
A whole week without seeing the sky.
Forest was a forest—tolerable at first.
Or so she'd thought.
But.
"Living here'd drive anyone mad, even without prior issues."
For the first time, she truly appreciated light's importance.
Alone in this pitch-black world? She'd have cracked fast.
From that angle, Gini living here solo was impressive.
Or maybe Gini had always been steeped in darkness...
"...."
She shook off the thought, smacked her lips again, and glanced behind.
"A spirit. Wish I could see it too."
Only the chosen see spirits. Can't force it.
Shrugging off the regret, she grabbed the spilled bowl and headed back to the well.
Gini was still sweating; she'd need water to wipe her down.
Elpinire filled the bowl at the well and casually reentered the cabin.
Creak, thud.
The door shut.
The moment it did—
"...."
Ripples surged through the once-still darkness.
Like a heartbeat—rough, violent waves.