Chapter 989: Dream

It was an unusual sight. The fact that I managed to find myself here was unusual as well, but the sight before me was even more unusual than that. It was like I was staring at a kaleidoscope of artificial lights.

The scene reflected before my eyes was a desolate space, but one thing I was sure of was that all of this looked extremely holy. It wasn’t the same as the temples outside, but this place felt like a temple.

I saw an altar of unknown purpose and props that looked like they were used for religious ceremonies. That was all I could see in this empty space, but the place felt holy rather than empty.

There weren’t murals or statues depicting legendary figures, and the lights looked like decorations that were used to make this space stand out.

The iron maiden stood tall, and it was the strangest prop among all the props here.

Why was a torture device like that standing in the center of this place?

No matter how much I thought about it, it wasn’t a normal sight.

To make things worse, it was releasing a radiant light, making my jaw drop without realizing it. The artificial light around it was different. The radiant light was strangely warm and cozy. Despite what it looked like on the outside, this space was extremely…

‘Oppressive and frightening.’

It was probably because this was a brand-new sight to me.

I unknowingly stepped back and heard a

splash

.

It was a feeling I felt many times on the battlefield, and it was a nauseating feeling.

When I looked down, I saw a red puddle on the ground. I noticed it just then—the large cavern was covered in blood. The floor was so red that I’d believe it if someone were to say that I was staring at a shallow lake of blood. Interestingly, the air had no rusty smell, but I still couldn't understand why it took me so late to notice all the blood.

In addition, the air smelled sweet.

Splish, splash, splash…

This was all I could hear in this place.

'P-pause and think carefully about all this. Don’t get too worried and just think about all the possibilities, as that was Saint Altanus’ advice. Think again and again. Once you've thought it through, you can then make your move.'

“Where… am I?”

I suddenly found myself here, so I probably got myself caught up in a trap, or I could have discovered an easter egg. If I were right, then it was highly likely that the other expedition members would soon arrive here.

‘A hidden boss.’

The hidden boss was probably inside that iron maiden.

It seemed different from the other bosses we had encountered so far here at the Mole Saint’s Cozy Sanctuary, but it didn’t mean that the expedition group had no way of releasing the seal.

If I were to open that iron maiden, a hidden boss would most likely appear, and the raid would begin. Technically, I had to wait for the other members or find a way to bring them to this room. I was strong, yes, but a raid with no information and comrades was a bit too much for me.

I was sure that was the right thing to do, and Saint Altanus would agree with me. Despite that, I couldn’t help but keep walking toward the place that was definitely dangerous.

I could hear a faint voice from it, and it sounded like the voice I often heard in my dreams. Moreover, the radiant light from the iron maiden spread like smoke and transformed into humanoid figures.

It was an interesting sight. The lights were moving and creating figures on their own. The figures moved and spoke as if they were in a play. They talked with each other, cried, and laughed.

At some point, figures made out of light were all around me.

“Mr… do you recognize me?”

“No.”

“What?”

“I don’t think I remember you because it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other.” “Uh.”

“I’m joking.”

“I’m sorry. I was… really—”

“No, you don’t have to be sorry. I already know how busy you are… and more importantly, I know how important training is. You don’t need to stay here. You don’t even have time to talk… It’s time to go back to your training. Don’t worry about me and go back. I’m fine, Mr. Hyun-Sung.”

The two were talking. One of them was being sarcastic, while the other was struggling. Interestingly, one of the figures resembled me a lot. No, I heard my name, so I was sure it was me. A figure who looked like me was talking to a faceless figure.

“Um, Mr… I got a really rare item from the auction house today. It’s not the Chanelia Hermes you’ve been waiting for, but it was made by a leatherworker named Louisgucci…”

“...”

“I’m sorry. There aren't many decent items on sale these days…”

“Whoo…”

“...”

“...”

“Mr. Hyun-Sung, how long has it been since you took a break from the guild tasks? How were you able to afford this bag?”

“...”

“Don’t you think this is a bit much?!”

“...” “I’m sick and tired of it.”

It looked like I was looking at my ordinary daily life. We'd exchange gifts and…

“It’s the Chanelia Hermes.”

“It’s not bad. My display case will finally be filled.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

We'd eat together.

‘How is it?”

“It’s not bad.”

Or we'd just have ordinary conversations…

“I was kind of surprised when I received a griffon as a gift.”

“Ah, I got it when I was returning from the Capital. I was worried about whether you’d like it or not. I didn’t think you’d like it that much, and I also didn’t think that you enjoyed festivals and festival-related items. I'm honestly kind of relieved. At the time, Miss Hye-Jin—”

“Hahaha. Is that true?”

“I was really surprised when you suddenly said you were going to appoint her as the secretary.”

“I-I’m sorry about that.”

They were stories about us riding our griffons together or going shopping. We’d drink tea, open festivals, and laugh. However, I wasn’t the only figure made by the light. It’d be nice if it was just all in my head, but it felt like all the Holy Knights were here.

“

I-I-It’s been a while since we went on a date.”

“That’s because we haven’t had the chance to go on one. Let’s do whatever you want to do today.”

“R-Really?’

“Yeah.”

Jung Ha-Yan…

“O-O-Oppa, I love you.”

“I love you too, Ha-Yan.”

Park Deok-Gu…

“Hey, you should exercise. You should worry about yourself before worrying about me. Did you stay up last night as well? You should get some sleep.”

“...”

“Come on, let’s go eat. Don’t tell me you’re going to eat alone today. I know you’re busy, but you should at least fulfill your basic needs.”

Jo Hye-Jin…

“You have no right to say something like that, Miss Hye-Jin.”

“Excuse me?”

“You must not remember our last chess game. I recall you losing without having the chance to do anything.”

“248 wins and 246 losses. Based on the score, I obviously-”

“Why do you even remember that? You just need to remember the most recent score. Who lost three games and was annihilated again?”

“I asked you to play after that, but you ran away.”

“I'd be playing with an inferior player, so I couldn't get in the mood to play. I declined as a way of telling you to improve a little more. I didn’t run away. Obviously, I don’t want to play with a rookie. P-Pfft!”

Sun Hee-Young…

“The tea time is nice.”

“I’m grateful… you think that way…”

“It’s normally really loud, so I need quiet times like these. As you already know…”

“Yes, I understand what you’re saying, Miss… It doesn’t happen every time… but sometimes it’s just…”

“I’m glad we think the same thing. Haha. Is this apple tea?”

“Yes, I have other teas as well. Would you like to try them?”

I heard voices everywhere.

They gathered at a large table and talked, drank, and sang.

They were rowdy, and it was probably because of the dancing Ye-Ri.

They seemed to be really enjoying themselves.

They laughed while clapping, clinked glasses, and started talking about the things they normally talked about. Miss Elena, who was sipping on her cup, looked like she was talking about the Elf Kingdom with Yoo Ah-Young.

I took a step forward, and the scenery changed.

The faceless figure was on the terrace with me and was drinking coffee while watching people train. I was sure that was part of their daily life. They'd raise their hand slightly to greet people and call out their names. They'd go out to eat with other people and have conversations that I couldn’t quite understand.

When I stepped forward once more, the scenery changed again.

I could see the sunset. I wasn’t sure where I was, but I was looking at two people who were staring at the sunset. I didn’t know what they were talking about, but the faceless figure seemed like they were smiling.

I stepped forward, and the scenery changed again.

“Y-You’ll… become a hero.”

“...”

“You’ll save everyone, the continent, and me.”

“...”

I stepped forward, and the scenery changed again.

“You’ll grow strong enough to sacrifice yourself for others, and in the end, you’ll be saved.”

I stepped forward, and I saw the iron maiden.

The iron maiden was crying tears of blood.

Blood spilled out of it as I stared at the figure that the light had created.

I knew I wasn't supposed to open it, and I knew that this was a risky adventure.

However… my hand reached out toward it, even though I knew that I couldn't do this.

I was reacting to it without realizing it.

I put some strength into my arms, and I opened it without any hiccups.

A creaking noise echoed, and the door seemed to open automatically.

“Who is it…”

There was a figure whose figure was covered in a red hue. The figure's body was riddled with holes in a variety of sizes, and there was blood flowing out of the holes.

It was such a horrible sight that I couldn’t describe it with words. I thought I had witnessed all sorts of disasters and grisly scenes after years of living in this ruthless continent, but the sight before me was such a cruel sight that it couldn’t be compared to those things.

I couldn’t see clearly, and my head felt like it was spinning.

“Who… the hell… are you…”

Squelch, squelch, squelch…

I could hear the thorns falling off their figure.

It felt like the grotesque noises were telling me about how long it had been since the thorns had pierced their figure. The figure fell forward weakly. I tried to catch them, but I took a step backward. There was a

thud

, and they fell to the ground.

The figure rolled on the ground as if it were a puppet that had lost its strings.

‘Y-Y-You’ll… become a regressor.’

And…

‘A good ending awaits you.’

“

Ahhh…

”

‘I’m going to give you that kind of future.’

“

AAAAAH…!

”

‘...’

“

AAAAAH!!!

”

‘You’ll be happy, my regressor.’

“...”

‘Kim Hyun-Sung.’

“...”