Chapter 28: Absolute Proposition (9)

“It’s over.”

[You worked so, so hard, Lude! It was such a serious situation that I honestly worried, but it’s such a relief…]

Lude walked down the school’s central staircase while calling Ihyun on his phone. Hearing Ihyun’s cheerful voice celebrating their success eased some of the frustration that had been coiled inside Lude, and he gave a small laugh.

“Yeah, it’s a relief. Just like the Guildmaster said, we managed to finish without a single casualty, so technically I should be heading home right about now… except I probably can’t.”

[Most likely not…]

At Ihyun’s disappointed tone, Lude let out a dry chuckle into the receiver.

‘I thought it wouldn’t be much different from shift work at the convenience store.’

But the more he worked, the stronger his desire for early dismissal became. Even more than when he used to do his part-time job five days a week. This time it was a four-team, three-shift system, yet for some reason the craving for early leave only grew. Lude couldn’t figure out why himself, but that’s how it was.

[And you should probably write the incident log right now, so things will be easier tomorrow. I’m sure there will be a separate version we have to prepare for submission to the state agency. Oh, this must be your first time, right? I’ll send you the form by email.]

“Ah. This really is just one mountain after another.”

[For corroded-type gates, honestly, the aftermath is always the most troublesome part. Still, this time it was unavoidable that you had to destroy the building, so at least you don’t have to write out a whole long petition begging them not to charge us reconstruction costs. That’ll save a lot of time!]

“They really send a bill?! Even though this is a public institution, they still send a bill?!”

[The manual specifically says you don’t destroy buildings unless there is absolutely no other option…]

“Then who is supposed to handle corroded-type gates?! There are no item drops from them anyway!”

[Uh… usually that falls to the Wargod Guild. They’re a public corporation after all. Or it gets passed to a mid-size or larger guild that has a legal team strong enough to insist it wasn’t their fault.]

“This is driving me crazy.”

Lude already didn’t have any good feelings toward schools, but out of his sense of duty as an adult, he had gone through with the job anyway. Now, to top it off, there was more trouble waiting for him. He pressed his fingers hard against the frown on his forehead.

[Still, you did something good, right? Don’t you think so?]

“…I’m not so sure.”

[Other people couldn’t have gone as far as you did, Lude. Really!]

Ihyun quickly tried to smooth things over when he noticed Lude was irritated, but Lude’s response remained flat and unimpressed.

“What does it matter? I can’t be there for a hundred or a thousand people at once.”

By now Lude had reached the first-floor landing from the second floor. He glanced around. Though it was midday, the school was dark, with not a single light turned on.

“Anyway, I’m leaving the school right now. Where are you?”

[What?! Ah, wait a second, please! Wait there, Lude! I’ll come to you!]

Ihyun’s calm tone suddenly became panicked. Wondering why he was acting like this, Lude stopped in his tracks at the bottom of the central staircase.

‘Ah, is he thinking I’m still with that kid…?’

It hit Lude then that he hadn’t mentioned Min Jaeyoon. He started walking again. Being inside the school brought back nothing but bad memories, so all he wanted was to get out as quickly as possible.

“It’s fine. I told Min Jaeyoon to just go home on his own. There’s no chance of him getting found out, so don’t worry. I’m heading out now, meet me at the front gate.”

[No, that’s not it, it’s just that right now there are reporters in front of the gate…!]

“I’m already out!”

Lude strode straight into the main entrance just as Ihyun’s voice shouted frantically through the phone, then came to a halt.

[Trait :: Is This a YouTube Moment? has been activated!]

[Someone is filming you. The chance that your image will be uploaded to the internet has increased.]

Right in front of the main entrance, the clicking of cameras filled the air. Bursts of flash exploded simultaneously from every direction.

A crowd had gathered. In truth, maybe it wasn’t even that big a crowd, but to Lude it seemed enormous.

Because every camera lens was trained directly on him. However many people were actually there didn’t matter anymore.

Once those terrifying machines were pointed at him, it was the same as countless eyes already watching.

Lude’s heart pounded violently. It felt like his heart might break from how furiously it was beating, as if flaming blood were being pumped through every vein in his body.

It was like tens of thousands of bombs were detonating inside him all at once. His whole body froze on the spot.

“Mr. Lude! About this corroded-type gate…”

“Mr. Lude!…”

Reporters carrying bulky cameras or holding microphones all shouted at him at once. There were too many voices speaking over each other, and he couldn’t understand a single word.

Or was that really the reason? Lude suddenly realized he was barely breathing at all.

“Ah…”

He slowly turned his head and looked around. His vision blurred as if in a dream. The shouts calling his name from every direction grew muffled.

From far away, he thought he heard a familiar high-pitched voice, but he couldn’t remember whose it was.

In that instant, Lude, no, Nari lost her sense of where she was. It felt like she was floating, separated from reality, trapped inside a box cut off from the world. It was a feeling she knew all too well.

“Right… that’s what this is.”

Her brain distorted perception to protect itself. She gazed blankly ahead and gave a faint, dazed smile.

[Trait :: Natural Lucid Dream has been activated!]

[You are about to enter the transition stage. Please relax your body.]

“This is a dream…”

* * *

[Trait :: Natural Lucid Dream is now active!]

[Entering Subconscious World, Basement Level 5.]

“My dear Nari, you’re awake?”

“…Ah.”

Nari opened her eyes. Her arms were terribly numb. The voice she heard was Lude’s, carrying a soft laugh. Since she and Lude couldn’t directly converse here, the one speaking must actually be the Lord of Chaos.

Nari, who had been slumped over asleep, lifted herself up from the desk. She blinked sluggishly, then frowned in confusion.

“What is this, a school…?”

She was in a classroom. The desk she had been lying on was covered in curse words carved with box cutters. Seeing the all-too-familiar marks made her catch her breath.

“Ah. This is the subconscious world. I put you under quickly because you were about to lose control.”

Wearing a school uniform, Lude sat backward on the chair in front of her, resting his arms over the backrest and watching her.

“…I didn’t know there was a place like this.”

“You’ve never been this deep underground, have you? The subconscious world reflects your unconscious, and the deeper levels show much darker things. You must have come here because it’s tied to bad memories.”

“What bad memories… oh.”

Nari remembered what had been happening before she was put under by the Lord of Chaos. She sighed deeply and pressed her forehead with her hand. The Lord of Chaos chuckled and patted her on the back.

“So our Nari still can’t handle cameras?”

“I’ve only just barely gotten used to phone cameras.”

Even if it wore Lude’s face, she couldn’t handle the flashbulbs of reporters. When entering a lucid dream, if you failed to pass through the transition stage properly, you would lose control and be pinned down like in sleep paralysis.

Other people saw ghosts or monsters in that stage. Nari’s transition was filled with countless cameras. That alone revealed her trauma.

“Anyway, thanks. If I’d gone out of control, I would’ve used skills in front of all those people and ended up in handcuffs for sure.”

“Don’t mention it. I should have warned you earlier, but I got caught trying to smooth things over with the Queen after she noticed I was borrowing her baby goats without permission.”

“…You got caught?”

“Yeah. She yelled at me for dragging her children into it.”

“This is bad. I won’t be able to use the petite version for a while, then.”

Nari sighed, leaned back against the chair, and glanced at the window. Since this was the subconscious world, outside was nothing but darkness, as if the world itself didn’t exist.

“Just let me out now. Ihyun must be worried. And I still have work to do.”

Time didn’t flow normally here, so it was best to leave as quickly as possible.

“Wait. Before that, there’s something I need to check.”

“What…?”

The Lord of Chaos rose from his seat. His elongated shadow fell over Nari as she sat.

Though it wore Lude’s form, it was only an avatar. Its shadow rippled like bubbling foam, shifting unnaturally.

“I’ve been wondering, why did you do that?”

“Do what? It was just part of the job.”

He slowly bent at the waist to lock eyes with her. Nari saw his pupils ripple with shadows.

It looked grotesque, like the maw of hell itself, yet also like the reality she had lived all her life.

“Why didn’t you use mind control on that kid? He wasn’t some elementary student. You never used to hesitate... Why didn’t our Nari do it this time? Care to explain?”

His eyes glowed with menace. Nari looked away.

“He’s still a student. I don’t use it on minors…”

“Nonsense. You weren’t acting out of a sense of duty. When you saved the students, you didn’t even feel relieved, did you?”

“No, but I’m an adult, so I have to take responsibility…!”

“Nari, that’s a whole different issue, isn’t it?”

“What exactly are you trying to ask me?”

At his chilling voice, Nari scowled hard. The Lord of Chaos studied her, rubbing his chin.

“You didn’t put that kid under mind control.”

His shadowy black pupils gazed right at Nari’s. Pretending to be not tense, Nari put her hands in her student uniform pocket.

She didn’t know in detail, but it seemed like this angered the Lord of Chaos greatly. After looking down at Nari for a moment, he spoke with an emotionless tone.

“It’s because he knows the guy named Ihyun, right? You didn’t want him to hate you.”

“What?! That’s ridiculous!”

“I see. That’s it.”

At her denial, he straightened up. His blank face melted into a broad, unsettling smile.

“Nari, you’re in danger. This is your subconscious. Because you carry the Fragment of the First Dream, you’re able to descend this far, isn’t that right?”

“…Yes.”

“But you still can’t get out by yourself, can you? That’s why I come for you every day.”

He looked around. The subconscious world existed within everyone, connecting all minds, but not just anyone could enter.

Only Nari, who bore the “Fragment of the First Dream,” could walk in freely. The problem was that the exit was maddeningly complex, impossible to navigate alone.

“Do you know how shocked I was when you suddenly sank this deep, after always staying near the lobby? If you go deeper, even I can’t pull you back.”

“…And what does any of this have to do with Ihyun?”

“He’s the one moving you, Nari. And I don’t think it’s in the direction we want.”

The Lord of Chaos’s eyes turned cold again. Nari clenched and unclenched her fists, then turned her head away and muttered weakly.

“Then what do you want me to do. What am I supposed to do?”

“You’re feeling unstable. All your nerves are focused on him. I don’t care how you do it, but settle it quickly.”

Crack. Crackle. The school in the subconscious world began to fracture. The Lord of Chaos had found the exit.

“I can still manage it for now. But if he ever interferes with our work…”

As the school shattered apart, Nari’s vision also broke into pieces. The Lord of Chaos’s final words rang in her ears as her consciousness faded completely.

“Remember, we’ll have to handle him ourselves.”

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