[Main Side Quest #1]
[Kill all the dreamers in the forest, then the monster species outside of the forest]
[Difficulty - S]
[Time remaining - ???]
[Reward - Qualification to enter an S-rank dungeon and 20,000cc]
[Failure - ???]
[Another reward has been added!]
Another..? Wait, is it...
[New great title "The one who slays everyone" is added to the Reward list]
..Great Title?? Seriously..? When did this endless dream start handing out things like this?
A great title was no joke. Achieving a great title can leave a big mark on my name in this endless dream.
And with that, this led to the beginning of my delusion.
...
A great title... wow, it really is a great title.
I was staring at the screen with sparkling eyes. My excitement couldn't be hidden anymore.
In fact, my excitement was pretty valid because the first great title was generated during the Third Dreamer's Delusion, not during the First one.
After seeing the new rewards, the dreamers across the forest were greatly disappointed and their voices could be heard.
"What is this?"
"Ah, I want a sword!! Not a fucking title!"
"..I can't even sell the title!"
"What can I do with it?"
Their disappointment was valid because they were new in this story, so of course, they didn't know much. For them, only weapons and armors mattered the most. Titles were likely garbage to them.
I clenched my fists in excitement.
If I get this title, then my name will spread among the higher beings and I'll become popular!
Kang Hong's Delusion continued...
They will approach me! Praise my accomplishment! And then finally, they will offer me multiple items! They will even help me during my hardest time.
...
And this will change my fate forever. What a great plan it truly is!
I love this endless dream! They are so kind!
My daydreaming ended with a message which showed up at the exact moment I praised this dream.
..hm?
[All the participants of the first Dreamer's Delusion are being summoned in the forest]
[Main Side Quest will start after the summoning is done!]
The dreams which I had built. The daydreaming I did. The higher beings who were approaching me, bringing several items for me, helping me. Everything which I saw in this short span of time was falling apart with just a single notification. My dream of becoming the most favorite dreamer of all time crumbled and I was laying on the ground with all my hopes down.
I hate this endless dream. They are not kind at all.
***
[You've failed to acquire an A rank Dungeon]
[1,500cc have been deducted from your account]
Anna sighed in disappointment while looking at the floating screen. She was laying on the stairs of an A rank dungeon with deep wounds and scars all over her body. Her sword was broken in two halves and her beautiful cloak was now tattered.
She thought... Are my sins finally coming back to me? I acquired five Dungeons in a row and obtained a mid-grade title but now? I failed to achieve two dungeons in a row.
She gritted her teeth in frustration.
Her thoughts continued... We lost Hyunwoo in that A rank dungeon. It was a great loss.
Her gaze went to her dusty hands.
When will this damn dream end?
Anna slowly stood up while wishing for this dream's end and then she was startled by some loud explosions coming from outside.
..what's going on?!
She ran upstairs and left the dungeon only to see several monsters roaming on the ground.
"..are you for real?"
Anna, one of the strongest dreamers of this endless dream, was now trembling in fear at the sight she just saw. The amount of aura made her feet tremble. The amount of pressure she felt on her shoulders could bring her down to her knees. And it actually happened.
Anna fell on her knees with a thud, and her jaw left shaking with constant gasping.
..what the fuck is this?! How is something like this even possible?!
Torn bodies of dreamers who were being eaten by the monster species were visible in Anna's sight. Their organs, their skin, their clothes. Everyone was being devoured by the monsters of this endless dream.
Their screams of pain were heard by the main protagonist of this endless dream. Some of them were alive and were brutally getting killed. One of the dreamer's gaze shifted to Anna, and he extended his bloody, wounded arm with only three fingers to Anna, to ask for help. But, before Anna could react to it—the body was eaten at once by a giant fat monster whose mouth could become large enough to swallow a human at once. The crunching of bones could be heard.
Krrrk! Krrrrkk!!
Later in the story, Anna had become heartless and emotionless so scenes like this couldn't affect her but is this the case here? It isn't.
Anna is just a beginner of the dream just like others. So it's obvious that she will lose her composure at a sight like this.
She slowly started standing up while getting her thoughts together.
..Anna, it's okay. This dream is always like this. Blood is everywhere so there's no need to feel so scared.
She looked anxiously at the dome-type barrier behind the monsters.
That barrier is over the whole forest. Just what is going on in there?
Some monsters took notice of Anna's presence and turned their gaze to her. But, there was no one standing there.
They couldn't feel any presence anymore. Just what happened? They mumbled.
***
[Main Side Quest will begin in 5 minutes]
[Until then, m—]
An electrical shock occurred and the floating screen started appearing and disappearing with some small blue electric charges.
..is something wrong?
The screen then appeared again normally and continued with it yapping.
[You can form a temporary party of two dreamers.]
[Dreamer Summoning is almost done!]
...a party of two? Wow. Wait, that's not what matters right now!
The Main Side Quest was supposed to start with the dreamers present in the Quest Area, not with everyone present in the hunting ground. It's a big trouble for me. Before, I would have easily killed others and achieved the title but that dream has started to fade with the introduction of every dreamer.
Like whyyyy?? Now Anna, Seonyeon, Minjae, Hyunwoo will invade the forest and will ruin this dream of mine... Just whyyyy??
Suddenly! My hand became stiff over a certain thought which was—
Are there only these three side characters in this hunting ground? Of course not
There were more.
More than three.
Which can only mean one thing.
I grabbed my head while crying in pain.
..I can't get the title no matter how much I try!!
My dream finally fell apart.
I was laying again on the ground in disappointment when the floating screen made a noise which attracted my attention to it.
..Hm?
[Dreamers are falling from the sky!]
[Stay alert!]
What the f... Can't they just spawn the dreamers on the ground?
And my final piece of delusion which I still had broke in pieces when a body fell on my head.
Thud!
I hate my life.
***
"Ugh!"
"Ah..!"
This was a sound I had heard before. The sound of someone who abandoned me. The person I wanted to change the most...
Fell on me.
"..Anna?"
"Ugh! It hurts.."
"Oii Anna!"
"What do you— Ah Kang Hong."
She was a bit surprised by looking at me but then she looked at the sky then at the ground. She added,
"Where'd I fall?"
"On my head."
She punched straight on my head and started pinching my cheeks.
"Cheeky boy, can't you stay a bit alert about your surroundings?"
"Ah, I'm sorry."
She shook her head then started looking at the surroundings. There was a sheer silence and the butlers in the sky were muttering something by themselves.
While she was taking a look everywhere, I was having an intense thought.
It's ruined!! My dream which I had built over these past 2 years—ah I mean 2 minutes—will be ruined!! By this Anna!!
I took a running stance and—
The only option to get my hands on that Title is to...
Tried to run.
Anna grabbed my collar before I could do anything and then dragged me on the ground.
"Where do you think you were going?!"
In a dull voice, I replied.
"Meoww"
Anna looked back at me with a darkened expression and punched me on the head again. She continued dragging me and I looked at the night sky where the butlers could be seen muttering something. The expressions on their faces could tell that they were talking about something serious.
..when will it start?
I looked back at Anna whose tattered cloak was flying with the breeze and her green hair looked majestic. That's what others would see. But I saw something else.
"..why are your hands trembling?"
Her hands were trembling so lightly that no one would notice but I did notice it because I was the one who wrote Anna to tremble lightly whenever she saw something scary.
Anna stopped dragging me and let go of my collar. I slowly started standing up when Anna spoke up.
"...I just happened to see some disgusting monsters out there."
"And it made you scared?"
"..kinda"
I lightly smiled at her. She's really the Anna I wrote in the original novel. At first, she was too expressive but over time she stopped all that and only focused on ending this endless dream. Her only goal was to see the end of this endless dream...
..Which she never got to see
"..Anyways, what about Seonyeon? And the others?"
Anna started walking forward and opened her mouth. "They got severely injured, so they're being checked up right now."
..I see.
I followed after her. I needed to ask her about her appearance. "What's with your outfit? Were you in a dungeon?"
"Yeah, in an A-rank dungeon."
"Hoh.. you're already at A-rank. That's impressive."
"..Not really. I failed terribly."
Of course, you'll fail. You can't challenge a dungeon alone. "A dungeon break will occur then."
"..I know right! It's all way too messed up!"
She stopped walking and looked at me. "What about you? Where were you this whole time?"
..Uhh. I side-eyed her while looking for excuses to make. She was now looking at me suspiciously, then started poking my cheek. "Oii Hong, open up."
"..I was doing some business."
"What type of?"
Uhh, stop asking me for details!
***
I didn't give a reply, but Anna didn't give up. She started staring at me, expecting to get an answer out of me. I sighed and then looked back at her.
"Hoh.. a staring contest, I see."
It isn't.
"..It isn't a staring contest."
I blinked, and Anna looked at me in a dull manner. "Boring."
Anna then looked sharply at the butlers in the sky. She unsheathed her sword and pointed it at them. She furiously shouted, "Oii, stupid butlers!! Just start this damn quest already!!"
"Anna, your sword is broken."
"Huh?!"
..
"Ahmmm Ahmm."
A voice of a certain someone could be heard. It wasn't the voice of the butlers, nor of dreamers or monsters. It was the voice of a being I had met before. The one responsible for the deaths of many. The one who began the first quest in Yeouido Hangang Park. He was the butler responsible for the losses I bear, Chaeyoung bears, and Seonyeon bears till now.
Dozens of small lightning sparks were generating from his body. His appearance made everyone stiff. Not a single one moved, including me. Maybe all of them knew what this guy did.
I gritted my teeth in frustration while Anna was anxiously looking at him. Her sword, which she was holding so proudly, fell to the ground. The butler raised his arm—
And all the sparks generating from his body suddenly vanished. The butler had his eyes closed this whole time. The other butlers stood stiff, without showing any reaction to this guy.
"..What is he doing here?"
"I don't know."
Why would the Demon Mansion give this man the responsibility to handle this side quest? There are already three butlers, so why him?
The butler then sharply opened his eyes while every dreamer in the forest gasped. He extended his hand horizontally and then shouted, "I, Kim Jeong, the head butler of Demon Mansion..."
Chills went down my spine. His appearance looked majestic. For some reason, his butler clothes had changed into a beautifully well-made Murim dress with a dragon-type design on it. Moreover, a small dragon hologram could be seen floating over his shoulder. His voice continued, "..have taken the responsibility for managing and organizing the Dreamer's Delusion, Main Quests, Main Side Quests, and the store of the Korean Peninsula.."
Every single dreamer in the forest gasped with surprise and fear, but none of them made a sound because they knew what type of psychopath he was.
..Huh? He's taking what?
His eyes sharpened, and he continued with the determined voice of a soldier. "..I'll lead the Korean Peninsula to its peak through my managing skills! And will eliminate those who become a pebble in my path of perfection."
I sighed in relief as I looked down. Ah, it was supposed to happen around this time. I totally forgot about this happening in the original novel.
To add to his speech, he said, "Dreamers are supposed to fall from the beginning. You need not become a dreamer. If you are a dreamer, then your fate is already decided."
I could feel the hairs on my arm standing up at his speech. A powerful wind blew, and his clothes started flowing faster. At that moment, he added the final words,
"Become more than a dreamer, and if you fail, then.."
He showed his open hand, and a small fire started burning over it. Then he started closing it as he spoke, "you'll be crushed just like this fire."
The real adminstration of this dream had finally made its move.