"..That's impossible!"
Anna furiously looked at the situation unfolding right before us. She panicked and added, "A lot will die just for his entertainment!"
I nodded my head and started walking forward with a calm and composed expression.
The Head Butler, Kim Jeong, turned his gaze down at the surprised dreamers and murmured, "This dream has lost its shine."
One of the three butlers standing beside him opened his mouth, "It indeed has lost its shine."
Another butler joined the conversation, "It's been 700 years since a dreamer has reached that delusion."
The last butler, who had been quiet this whole time, spoke up at the mention of that delusion, "From that day, this endless dream started losing its value and shine. Now, it's on the verge of perishing."
Kim Jeong looked at the night sky of the hunting ground and responded, "I wonder how the Great Writers think of this situation."
"Aren't they interested in watching the dreamers from the 10th Dreamer's delusion?"
Kim Jeong side-eyed the butler and asked, "How many dreamers are currently on that delusion?"
"One."
Kim Jeong's expression darkened at the mention of only one dreamer present in the 10th Dreamer's delusion. He responded, "Only one?"
"That's right."
"And the Great Writers are interested in watching only one dreamer?" said another butler.
The butler responded, "Yeah, seems like the Great Writers are enjoying the suffering of just one person."
Kim Jeong gasped in surprise and asked, "Is it that dreamer?!"
The butler tilted his head and responded, "That's right."
Another butler barged into the conversation, "Just how much time has he been trying now?!"
The butler replied, "Over 2000 times."
Kim Jeong looked at the bright moon and replied in a calm voice, "That's why the Great Writers are interested in him."
"By the way, which dreamer are you interested in, Jeong-nim?"
"...Interest, hmm."
Kim Jeong's gaze went down at the dreamers fighting against each other, shredding their bodies and crying in pain. Among all that mess, his gaze was locked on a dreamer walking in a tattered cloak with a girl dressed the same.
"...Jeong-nim?"
Kim Jeong replied while lifting his gaze back to the moon, "I'm not interested in anyone."
"..I see," said the butler in a calm manner. A silence fell between the four butlers, and none of them spoke a word. All of them observed the dreamers.
...
"Dreamers really have no brain."
The silence was broken as a butler stepped out of a portal, attracting the attention of Kim Jeong and the other three butlers.
"..Head Butler-nim!"
One of the butlers exclaimed at the sudden appearance of another head butler. Kim Jeong looked at him suspiciously while he opened his mouth, "I suppose you already know that this is my territory now."
The butler walked past Jeong, ignoring his words. The other butlers held their breath at the scene. Two head butlers of the Demon Mansion stood unfazed, showing their backs to each other. They hadn't released their full aura, but even then, their presence could make anyone cough blood.
The butler lifted his hand and a cylindrical cap spawned in his hand. He put it on his head as he spoke, "The Korean Peninsula is beautiful."
Completely ignoring Kim Jeong's words, the butler started a whole new topic. Kim Jeong clenched his fist and replied, "What do you want?"
The butler gave a small laugh, as if he wasn't taking Jeong's words seriously, and continued, "You've got such a beautiful land, Jeong."
Kim Jeong turned and looked at the butler who still had his back to him. The butler took out a cigarette, pulled fire from his finger, and lit it.
Kim Jeong calmly watched the whole scene unfold and then looked at the forest as he replied, "Don't you have the Shandong Peninsula to manage?"
The butler turned and looked at him a little, smoked again, and then replied to Jeong's question for the first time, "Shandong can be managed later..."
He narrowed his eyes and smirked slightly before continuing, "...but I'm more interested in the Korean Peninsula."
Kim Jeong clenched his fist in frustration and bit his lip. He was trying not to show his frustration at the butler's declaration. He sighed and opened his mouth.
"The Demon Mansion has handed over the authority of the Korean Peninsula to me, and you saw the whole ceremony. So I don't think there's anything to gain from showing interest in a peninsula that isn't within your reach."
The butler threw away his cigarette and started walking toward Kim Jeong. He loosened his necktie as he spoke, "We'll see about that."
The other butlers gasped in fear and opened their mouths in trembling voices.
"Butler-nim! I don't think this is a good place to fight!" "Think about the Demon Mansion!" "The higher-ups won't stay quiet about this!"
The butler's gaze shifted to them for a moment, and he raised his finger vertically to the center of his lips—a stance signaling that outsiders weren't allowed in this quarrel.
This stance seemed effective, as no butler dared to open their mouth again. Fear was written all over their faces. They didn't have the courage to defy the head butler.
Kim Jeong watched the scene unfold and barged into it by unleashing his aura. The aura he had been restraining was now slowly but surely being released.
[Tell me your true intentions, Hyruk.]
Kim Jeong's terrifying yet calm voice filled the air. The butlers trembled at the aura of the head butler, who had just become the head administrator of the Korean Peninsula.
Head Butler Hyruk, the administrator of the Shandong Peninsula, finally stopped walking at the mention of his name. He slightly laughed, removed the cylindrical hat from his head, and put it inside the coat pocket.
With a dark expression, he looked at Kim Jeong and opened his mouth, "I can't believe you can say my name so easily."
A small grin formed on Kim Jeong's lips, meant to provoke Hyruk. He put his hand in his coat and calmly replied:
[Do you want me to teach you a lesson?]
Hyruk clenched his teeth to hide his frustration, but a frustrated grin still formed on his lips.
...
He sighed in disappointment, and silence filled the sky. It truly looked like the moment before a storm. Hyruk slowly opened his mouth, and a breeze started flowing from his body. The breeze intensified as he spoke...
[It seems like you're the one who needs a lesson.]
A tremendous amount of aura burst out from Hyruk's body, and the butlers in the air stepped back in fear. They didn't want to become victims of a clash between the main administrators of two peninsulas.
Surprisingly, Kim Jeong didn't react to Hyruk's aura at all. He stood unfazed. To him, this aura was nothing more than a light breeze.
Hyruk started taking small steps while Kim Jeong transformed into a young boy. As the distance between the two butlers closed, the sparks generated from their clashing auras intensified.
If just the clash of two servants of the Demon Mansion was this strong, how powerful would the head of the mansion be?
With complicated thoughts like that, I stood frozen, watching the whole scene unfold before my eyes.
I sighed and opened my mouth in a disappointed tone, "He forgot to start the Side Quest."
Anna furiously shouted while swinging her hand, "How can they be this stupid?!"
Rivalry was common in this endless dream, and this incident was bound to happen after Kim Jeong's declaration over the Korean Peninsula.
But...
A stressful grin formed on my lips.
...I want to get my hands on the title. But this delay seems to be working in my favor.
I looked back at the dead bodies of dreamers scattered around the forest. Their weapons were stolen, teeth broken from their jaws. Well, teeth sell well in the store, after all.
The number of dreamers in the forest is decreasing. That would help in my mission of getting the title.
***
[The Demon Mansion has noticed a shift in the air at the hunting ground!]
[The Demon Mansion has noticed a delay in the start of the Main Side Quest!]
[The Demon Mansion has noticed the presence of the Head Administrator of the Shandong Peninsula!]
[The issue is being conveyed to the Demon King!]
Hyruk grinned in frustration.
[..Fuck. They never let me do my work!]
[It's better for you to leave as quickly as possible.]
Hyruk's gaze went to the butler standing unfazed before him, even after facing such a tremendous aura. Hyruk's aura began to fade, and the winds came to a halt.
His body started turning into dust, and a playful smirk crossed his face. He already knew the Demon Mansion would interfere, yet he still tried to cause a disturbance in someone else's hunting ground.
He put another cigarette in his mouth and spoke:
"This isn't over yet, Jeong."
Hyruk looked with pitiful yet taunting eyes at Kim Jeong, who had already withdrawn his aura.
And with that, the last fragments of Hyruk's face turned to dust and disappeared into the vast night sky. The battle was called off for a day, but it couldn't be stopped again and again in the future.
Kim Jeong scratched the back of his head in stress and spoke in a sleepy voice, "That Hyruk bastard... he's gotten stronger."
The butlers who had stepped back now moved forward, gasping in relief. One of them opened his mouth in an anxious voice.
"Jeong-nim, if this continues, I doubt the Demon Mansion will interfere again."
Another one added,
"The day will eventually come when Hyruk-nim is out of the Demon Mansion's reach."
The last one spoke,
"When that time comes, what will we do?"
At the piling questions, Kim Jeong lifted his head slightly and looked at the bright stars in the night sky. He calmly responded,
"I hate to say this but... Hyruk has become something that can't be stopped by me alone."
The butlers' anxious expressions darkened further at Jeong's words.
Kim Jeong sighed in stress and continued,
"For now, we should focus on managing the Korean Peninsula. We don't have time for personal quarrels."
The butlers stood straight and responded in unison:
"Yes! Jeong-nim!"
***
The whole quarrel had ended, and I had seen the entire scene unfold with my own eyes. I sighed as I saw Kim Jeong giving orders to the other butlers.
Finally, the Main Side Quest will start now.
Anna unsheathed her new sword, which she had just bought from the store. She started looking at the newish look of the sword and exclaimed, "I-It's really well maintained, and the grip feels better than the last sword!"
"That's why I told you to buy that sword."
Anna looked at me with sparkling eyes and replied happily, "Yeaaahh, you really know a lot about swords."
I gave a small laugh and side-eyed her. "Yeah, learning about swords was my hobby."
My calm expression changed to dark and serious in a span of time. The time had finally come. The moment when a lot of Dreamers in Seoul would be annihilated by fellow dreamers.
My hands would again be drenched in human blood. The soul counter would rise again. Human screams, their cursing, their pain—everything would once again be experienced by me through my senses. I wished I couldn't see, so I wouldn't have to witness their pain and suffering. Children would be treated equally and would be annihilated the same way as other dreamers. This thought made my hand tremble with fear. But then again, I wasn't in a world where survival was guaranteed. You'll eventually meet death, whether you're strong or weak.
After all, there isn't any way to survive in this endless dream.
And with that, my gaze shifted to the man floating in the sky. The man who would decide the beginning of this massacre. I looked at him, waiting for his order like a loyal soldier.
The man lifted his hand upward, then shook it down as he screamed, "Let the Main Side Quest begin!"
The quest that would get more blood on my hands had finally begun.