Chapter 154: Dream Demon
Dream Demon.
A staple race in fantasy genres—one that lures targets into sweet dreams before draining their vitality, or even their lives in severe cases.
In other words, the scene Carpe had just witnessed was a dream and illusion manifested from his own subconscious.
...Who would've thought I was subconsciously craving something like that.
Wishing for a massive gacha jackpot even in his dreams!
He'd always brushed off Cheonma's teasing about his gacha addiction with a laugh, insisting it wasn't that bad. But now? Cheonma was spot on.
Carpe resolved to show a bit more restraint from now on.
...It had felt pretty damn good, though. Damn it.
-Hey! Hey! Snap out of it! Damn it. Unlock doesn't block all mental magic?!
The first thing to greet Carpe as he awoke from his reverie was none other than Cheonma.
"...Ugh. Dizzy."
-Oh? You're finally coming to? Thank god...
"Hold on, hyung. Stay right there for a sec."
-Uh, yeah?
Carpe held back the approaching Cheonma.
A notification had appeared saying he'd overcome the dream demon's illusion, but he couldn't trust every notification blindly.
When he'd first touched the squishy thing in his bag, notifications had popped up: You've acquired the Dwarf Chief's Secret Key! and Moving to the hidden treasure vault!
But what was the reality?
Those notifications were fake, and instead of a treasure vault, he'd fallen into the dream demon's trap.
The dream demon's power could even fool the notification windows.
That's why I have to consider even the slightest possibility.
There was a notification saying the dream demon's illusion had broken, but what if that was fake too?
What if he was still dreaming, and the worried Cheonma over there was just another layer of the demon's deception?
A dream within a dream.
The classic double-layered structure where you think you've woken up, but you're still dreaming! A worn-out trope from genre novels. And Carpe, having devoured countless such stories, wasn't about to miss it.
He needed to verify if that Cheonma was the real deal. And of course, the method was simple.
"Hey, isn't an epic treasure chest gonna drop from somewhere?"
-What the hell kinda nonsense is that out of nowhere? Where's your conscience gone?
"Okay. You're the real one this time."
-???
A logical, cultured, and utterly perfect verification method.
Carpe let out a sigh of relief in front of the baffled Cheonma.
"Hyung... There was an item... but there isn't anymore."
-What the hell have you been yapping about?!
"I'll explain later. For now..."
Carpe glanced around. Not far from him, Mukhyang and the other retainers were sprawled out on the ground.
"...No way?"
-Yeah. Same as you—they're all asleep. The moment that flash hit from the old bag, everyone got caught by the dream demon.
"Ah."
The instant the light had flashed from the tattered bag, everyone had fallen into dreams.
Everyone except the incorporeal Cheonma, that is.
But not falling for the illusion didn't mean he could do much about it.
-No body means I can't wake them... Frustrating as hell. But you broke out on your own, so maybe the dream wasn't that intense?
"No. It was... way too sweet."
Sweet enough to numb his tongue—that's what let him notice the incongruity and escape.
If he could, he wouldn't have woken up at all.
-Huh. Anyway, let's wake the retainers first. Leave 'em like that too long, and it'll suck 'em dry.
"Got it."
The retainers had fallen together, so they were clustered in a heap.
"Kyuuu... Kyuuu... Kyiik!"
Mukhyang was twitching her legs in the air, chasing something invisible.
"Kuhuhu... Yes... I am the ruler of the night..."
Mirage was giggling through her chuuni lines full of bravado.
Heh heh... Finally, the world... appreciates my jokes...
Gillian was bursting into laughter every five seconds, clearly lost in a blissful dream.
And finally, Tina.
She wasn't mumbling in her sleep at all.
Just wearing a soft smile—one that suited a girl her age, utterly unlike her usual stern demeanor.
"Hyang-ah. Wake up."
"Kyuuu..."
Carpe nudged Mukhyang, but she didn't stir.
Not just her—the others were the same. No matter how much he shook them, they showed no sign of waking.
-Tch. Knew it might not work. Must be a pretty high-grade dream demon.
Low-grade ones could sometimes be woken by shaking, but mid-grade or higher? No dice.
"Then what do we do?"
-The textbook method is a priest-class exorcism skill.
"Exorcism skill? I don't have anything like that. Wait, could Holy Sacrifice work?"
-Nah, that's classified as magic, so no go. No choice—have to go in and wake 'em ourselves. Dive into their dreams directly.
"...Huh? Into their dreams?"
Was that even possible?
Carpe eyed Cheonma skeptically, but he just nodded.
-Tamers have a similar skill.
Among the 8-star skills for tamers and summoners was Dream Communion.
As the name implied, it let you enter your retainers' dreams to bond with them—great for boosting affinity.
"Whoa, dream travel? Sounds straight out of a game."
-You don't have the skill, but... in a dream demon-possessed state, something similar should work. Happened to me once, and it did.
"Hmm. If you've tried it yourself..."
Who was he to argue with personal experience?
Carpe followed Cheonma's instructions.
-Touch the retainer you wanna enter first, then think I want to go into the dream. Something should pop up.
"One sec."
Carpe carefully grabbed the airborne-pawing Mukhyang.
He focused in his mind: Enter the dream. And right away—a notification appeared.
Would you like to visit the dream of retainer 'Mukhyang'?
"...It works. Alright. I'm visiting!"
Whoosh!
The moment Carpe confirmed, he felt himself getting sucked somewhere.
When he came to, he was standing in the middle of a forest. The fresh scent of green leaves tickled his nose.
-It's a dream, so totally absurd stuff might happen. A meteor crashing from a clear sky? Totally possible here.
And dying in the dream would log you out just the same.
In that sense, dreams were way more dangerous than the outside world.
-First, find Kyuukyu. Proceed with max caution...
"...What the hell is that?"
Finding Mukhyang was easy. Hell, it wasn't even a search—she was right in front of him.
"Kyuu~! Kyuukyu!"
There's that expression: when a treasure room is piled high with gold coins, it's called a "mountain of gold."
That was exactly the sight before Carpe's eyes.
Except it wasn't gold coins.
A mountain of acorns.
The kind of ridiculous pile that would take dozens of dump trucks to haul.
Mukhyang was swimming around near the peak.
"Kyit kyit kyit!"
"...So that's why she was paddling the air. She was actually swimming."
-Looks happy as hell.
Mukhyang darted through the acorns, stuffing her mouth full.
But apparently that wasn't enough. Suddenly, she activated Gigantification and started vacuuming hundreds at once.
"..."
-...
That wasn't why he'd given her Gigantification!
Maybe it was her growth spurt, but her appetite was in overdrive.
Carpe vowed to double her acorn rations when they got back, then called out.
"Hyang-ah!"
"Kyuu? Kyuukyu!"
Spotting Carpe, Mukhyang scampered over.
She rubbed against him happily, her fur glossier than usual—she was clearly thrilled.
"...Hyang-ah. You happy?"
"Kyu!"
Carpe smiled wryly as she nodded without a 0.1-second hesitation.
Truth could be so cruel...
"Hyang-ah. Listen up."
"Kyu?"
"This is a dream."
"...Kyu?"
"That acorn mountain? All fake. An illusion. The taste you're feeling? Fake too. We gotta wake up."
"Kyuuung?!"
Clatter clatter.
His words hit hard—Mukhyang dropped the mouthful of acorns she'd stored.
"Kyu...? Kyuuu...?"
"Yeah. Hard to believe, right? But it's the truth..."
As Carpe comforted her with a heavy heart—
"That's far enough, magic squirrel. Surely a wise one like you won't fall for such lies?"
A woman emerged from behind a massive tree.
A face all too familiar to Carpe, Cheonma, and Mukhyang alike.
Alteer Woodgard, the Elf Queen.
"Whoa. 'It's a dream, let's bail'—and boom, Elf Queen? What kinda plot logic is that?"
-It's a dream. Meteors from clear skies are fair game—Elf Queen popping up is peak logic.
Carpe and Cheonma were dumbfounded, but Alteer calmly continued.
"Mukhyang. Ignore that man pretending to be your master. You've achieved great deeds in life and reached paradise. These acorns are your reward."
-Hmm. Acorn heaven. Yeah, kid-level imagination for a Kyuukyu.
"..."
Carpe swore to keep his own similar dream a permanent secret.
"Kyuuu...?"
"Yes, come here. Aren't there so many acorns for you right here?"
"Hyang-ah, don't fall for it! It's all fake!"
"That man is the fake! Come here, magic squirrel!"
"Kyuuung? Kyeong?!"
Mukhyang's eyes spun in confusion.
As she froze in indecision, Alteer played her trump card.
"Behold!"
Snap!
She flicked her fingers, and acorns poured from the air, rebuilding the mountain.
"10 tons of Elf Forest specialty acorns! Come here, and they're all yours!"
"Kyeong?!"
Roll roll.
One acorn rolled from the pile, stopping before Mukhyang.
She picked it up with trembling paws, glancing between Carpe and Alteer.
"Hyang-ah. Hyung believes in you!"
"Mukhyang. Come here!"
"Kyuuu..."
Mukhyang bowed her head, hesitating.
Then, after about 30 seconds—
She lifted her head with resolve, big eyes brimming with tears.
"Kyit!"
She flung the specialty acorn away! Then scampered up Carpe's leg to his shoulder.
She'd chosen Carpe.
"Kyu! Kyu! Kyu!"
"That's my girl, Hyang-ah. Hyung knew you could do it."
"Kyuuu! Kyu!"
"Yeah. That was tough. You've taken a big step toward adulthood today."
-...Holy shit. For real.
Alteer fell silent, shocked by Mukhyang's choice.
And moments later—
"Y-You little—!"
Her beautiful face twisted into demonic rage.
Crash!
Dream Demon's Illusion Shatters!
With the notification, Carpe and Mukhyang returned to the mine dungeon.
-Nice. Success.
"On to the next without delay!"
Carpe dove next into Mirage's dream, then Gillian's.
"Hehe. Yes. I am the ruler of the night. The creeping darkness. Grandes... Hieeek! Master?!"
Mirage was role-playing a vampire lord in front of her minions!
She jolted at the sight of Carpe, and the illusion shattered instantly.
Back outside, her face beet red, Mirage stammered to Carpe.
"M-Master. This is, uh..."
"Yeah. Your secret's safe."
"Thanks..."
Gillian was holding court, boasting his wit—until he spotted the sole stone-faced Carpe in the crowd, snapping him awake.
Ahem. M-My lord...
"Yep. Secret's safe."
Th-Thanks.
The last retainer left: Tina.
-...Tina should be normal, right?
"Or it could be the most broken one yet..."
-Scary. Truly terrifying.
"Still gotta do it."
Carpe squeezed his eyes shut and dove into Tina's dream.