Ch. 100 Through Countless Dreams
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 100: Through Countless Dreams
Having fallen asleep easily without suspicion, the entry was effortless.
Though the saintess looked different from what Experiment 76 had imagined, it was still her job. She quietly entered into Sugar’s dream as Experiment 76.
‘Is this man the one the saintess trusts the most?.’
In the mirror, there was a man with blonde hair and a tall stature. He was the owner of the Grimoire, now sitting in the waiting room. There was nothing particularly surprising.
When she opened the door and entered, a woman was standing absentmindedly in a white space filled with a faint light.
“Hm… what was I doing?”
“Sugar.”
She called out to the saintess, who was muttering to herself.
Though she was startled earlier by the mind manipulation, it was still a dream; the fear she would normally have in a real battle was greatly reduced.
“Riley!”
The saintess quickly turned around, giving a bright smile.
Easy. Experiment 76 smiled.
“Come here, Sugar.”
That part was smooth.
There were no issues. No entanglements or mistakes. It was easy because she had just entered, and what problem could arise?
If there was a real issue, it might have been with herself. Or perhaps the crazy saintess played a role. As always, people were the problem.
“…What?”
Suddenly, the saintess frowned, asking a question. It wasn’t so much a question as an exclamation or a type of dissatisfaction.
“Sugar? Come here.”
“…What is it?”
Even though she called out repeatedly, Sugar only raised her eyes. She could see her increasing wariness.
“It’s me, Sugar. It’s Riley. Come here.”
To manipulate someone’s mind as a nightmare, consciousness is required first.
When the two experiments command, the patients follow. As they issue commands one by one, the subjugation deepens, and soon they can treat them like a slave.
Who wouldn’t follow the words of someone they trust the most, saying “Come here”? When they smile and reach out, who would ignore those words? It was always easy.
But strangely, the saintess in front of her didn’t act that way.
Given the way she acted earlier, she must be fiercely loyal to this man. But as the conversation continued, it felt more like irritation rather than meaningful communication.
Getting a little anxious, Experiment 76 took a few steps closer.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to be scared. Trust me.”
“…No.”
“What do you mean no?”
“It’s not Riley.”
“…?”
The saintess said this as if she were spitting out the words. Experiment 76 looked confused.
Then, Sugar’s eyes widened. In that moment, 76 felt a chill run through their body.
It was the feeling of seeing something they shouldn’t have seen.
The moment they faced the abyss.
“Riley doesn’t call me that. The tone is a little lower, and the rhythm is off. He says ‘Su’ part quickly like he’s taking a breath, and then the ‘gar’ part lingers with an aftertaste that stimulates my hearing. Riley doesn’t make that dumb expression. He always frowns, about 11 to 13 degrees. It changes depending on his mood, but that’s how it is normally. Even when he smiles, it’s a clean smile, not like some sleazy smile a host club guy would make. His walk is weird too. He always steps with his right foot first, and his stride doesn’t match. When he walks with me and when he’s alone, his stride is different, but right now, this stride isn’t even his. In other words, it’s not Riley. Who the hell are you trying to imitate? Who are you to take on the form of my Riley?”
Each sentence she finished started to change the world. It warped, shattered, and molded itself. The path of the dream began to break, as though responding to her emotions.
And what started to reveal itself was the scene of a forest.
A quiet, eerie forest path. A peaceful, secluded forest where something seemed to be hidden.
This was Sugar’s domain. It was her space, beyond the neutral space where individual consciousnesses collide.
“Who the hell are you? Answer me.”
Experiment 76 almost spoke out without realizing it but forced myself to hold back.
‘I need to get out of here!’
Experiment 76 quickly disconnected. Thankfully, there was no attempt to stop them or reconnect.
Immediately returning to reality, 76 panted and walked out of the workshop.
Then, going back to earlier.
“Senior, why are you breathing so heavily?”
“I’m not feeling well today…”
‘For now… it’s best to send them back. This feels weird. Something’s off. Let’s do it tonight…’
Experiment 76 responded with her voice, but her true thoughts were expressed telepathically.
Since she had already connected her consciousness, reconnection was possible anytime. The power of a nightmare is stronger in the deep of night. She’ll have to work at night.
‘What happened…? Then what about the two people behind them?’
‘Once we succeed in breaking the two in front, we can bring them back later…’
‘…Okay. Let’s do that.’
When Sugar and Leon woke up, they were standing in the waiting room with disgruntled expressions.
“I think I had a strange dream… Is this the path to enlightenment?”
“I think I had a terrible nightmare too.”
“I’m sorry. I’m not feeling well today… Sorry for making you uncomfortable.”
“It’s fine, it was free anyway… No problem.”
Sugar responded with a slight frown. And since they agreed to do it for free next time, that was fine.
“Then we’ll come again next time. Take care of yourself.”
“I wish I could try it too… it’s a shame,” said Ian, while Leon whispered, “What if they’re actually quacks…?”
‘Is this really the right thing…?’ thought Sugar.
And beside her, Riley remained silent.
The two fusion experiments quietly bowed their heads as they saw the four leave.
When night falls…
‘Once our true power is unlocked, you will be in our hands…’
“Please do visit again next time…”
***************
A moonless, dark night. It was one of those nights where people commonly say, “The moonlight dragon rests.”
Therefore, under the starry sky that shone brighter than usual, the shopping district of Steele was quiet. The students’ curfew had long passed.
During such a time, Riley concealed his magic and moved silently toward his destination.
Opening the window of the Healing Center was surprisingly simple. He had prepared to decode several layers of barriers, but to his surprise, it opened with just a single tap of his staff. Whether it was simply for minimal security to avoid suspicion or a trap, he wasn’t sure. Regardless, he steeled himself and entered.
Inside, it was calmer than expected. The magic fluctuated in unpredictable ways. Riley exhaled lightly and headed straight toward the source. He recited the incantation for the “Curse of the Mute” and its auxiliary spell to spread it. After completing the chant, he spoke two activation words simultaneously.
He was the man who had interpreted the telepathic magic used by 76 and 80 at the beginning and decoded the conversation they had on the second attempt.
“Let’s do it tonight.”
“After we break them, we can bring them back.”
These sentences had troubled him, so he decided to visit again personally.
With his intent to interrogate in mind, he entered, but what he saw was an eerie scene.
First, the magic had been successfully cast. But should it be considered a success in the surprise attack? He wasn’t sure how to describe it.
A woman, trembling and gasping.
Another woman, her eyes vacant, completely still. Her lips twitched as if she was trying to speak, but were her words even meaningful?
‘What is this…?’
He had come prepared for a fight, but before he could even begin, his opponents were already incapacitated. Something wasn’t right.
Riley waved his staff and bound both of them.
He even questioned whether this might be a trap, but whatever it was, he proceeded.
“Hey, you. I’m going to break the curse now. Answer only when I ask. If you try to speak an incantation or activation word, I’ll kill you.”
“…”
He addressed the woman whose eyes still held some life. She was the gentle-faced woman who had been in charge of Leon during the day.
“What’s your plan?”
“Please… please, save me…”
“Where did you send them?”
“The connection… the connection isn’t cut off… The senior… The senior has become strange… I also connected to the Saintess, but… the connection, her voice, her beautiful voice, keeps… keeps…”
“Answer the question.”
The Saintess. He could roughly imagine it. Night. Control. The Saintess. Connection. It had to be Sugar.
They were persistent. They wouldn’t give up.
With malicious intent, Riley broke her fingers, but the woman kept rambling incoherently, unable to focus her eyes.
Sighing, Riley then lifted the curse from the woman with the vacant eyes. She had the sharp demeanor of the woman who had been in charge of Sugar.
“Color… achromatic… the color… I have none…”
Her condition was even worse. She repeatedly muttered incoherent phrases that were unpleasant to hear. She was probably skilled in the mental arts. Yet, seeing her in such a collapsed state felt unsettling.
What had happened to them? What was going on inside their minds?
While pondering, the last woman who had seemed somewhat sane began to twitch uncontrollably. Ah, ahhh— she let out a final scream and collapsed with a thud. She rubbed her head. She enjoyed watching herself deteriorate, mocking and taunting with arrogant words.
Riley frowned, wondering how to handle them.
***************
When she opened her eyes, she was back in the same dream.
The familiar forest path. Walking along it, she found herself in a forest with white stone walls. The sky above was filled with stars, and the beauty of a moonless night was breathtaking.
Sugar, enjoying the view, soon resumed walking. Standing still felt strange, so she decided to head toward the area with the wall. The smell of grass mixed with her breath. The sound of her footsteps crunching on the earth. As before, the sensations felt almost too real for a dream.
As she walked, she began to see a moss-covered wall in the distance, and next to it—huh? A chair?
A wooden chair appeared. There had been no man-made objects here except for the large wall.
“When did this appear? Did someone put it here?”
She looked around, but there was no one in sight.
It was just Sugar.
Tilting her head, she looked at the chair again. Just then, something suddenly appeared in front of her, making her jump slightly.
“That startled me…”
In the silent forest where no wind blew, ‘something’ was sitting in the chair that hadn’t been there before.
At first glance, it appeared white.
At another glance, it seemed black.
There was no color.
It was hard to recognize the shape, but she could understand the essence of it.
It was an eerie sight, but it seemed like it was trying to speak to her. When she listened closely, a single sentence reached her ears.
“Raise your rank.”
It was a very short sentence, but the voice that whispered it was surprisingly beautiful.
With that, Sugar woke up from her dream. After drinking a glass of water, she laid back down.
In the dream she had next, Riley appeared, and she felt good enough to fall back asleep.
“Hehehe… That tickles…”
Her face, so carefree, was truly pleasant to look at.
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