“….”
When I opened my eyes, I saw the ceiling.
I was lying on the bed.
‘Am I back?’
For a moment, I wondered if this, too, might be a dream.
But there was no way that was the case.
Because I clearly remembered using Starlight Road in the dream and annihilating the old man.
I had imagined it so vividly that I ended up getting caught in it myself, and my memories had cut off partway through, but I was certain I had defeated him.
This world was not a dream, but reality.
I raised myself from the bed.
“Ah, my body….”
Was it because I hadn’t slept properly?
The back of my neck was stiff, and my shoulders were knotted.
My arms and legs felt numb, too.
I lightly stretched on the bed and looked around.
“I passed the test with this, right? They didn’t explain anything, so I’m not sure.”
Nothing in the room had changed.
Just as I thought that—
Splosh!
“…Hm?”
A sound suddenly came from the bathroom.
It sounded as if someone had slipped and fallen on the floor.
Remembering that I had locked the door before going to sleep, I became wary of the fact that there was another presence here besides me.
‘Is it him?’
My mind snapped awake.
Come to think of it, before I fell asleep, I had put the portrait that had been hanging on the wall opposite the bed into the bathtub.
The old man hiding inside the portrait had to be in the bathroom.
‘I thought I killed him completely, but was he still alive? Now that I think about it, I never saw him drop a mana stone.’
I reached for the Ultramarine Sword.
Drawing the sword from its sheath, I moved as quietly as I could.
Then I quickly opened the bathroom door.
“Krgh…!”
“So it was you after all.”
[A monster has been encountered.]
[Nightmare of the Suite Room (Rank. 03) x 1]
As expected, he was in the bathroom.
His hair, like that of a Baroque-era musician, was soaked with water and hung loose like a wild mane, almost covering his face.
The old man, whose body had no legs and seemed to be connected to the portrait as one, was crawling across the floor.
His arms trembled as he tried to push himself up.
He looked exactly like he was doing a plank.
“You need to support yourself with your feet, too. You won’t last long in that posture. It probably won’t do anything for your workout, either.”
“Grrrgh…!”
“See? You should’ve brought your feet out with you.”
Unlike the form he had shown in the dream, the old man looked as decrepit as he had when I first saw him in the portrait.
His arms were so thin and muscleless that he would lose even in an arm-wrestling match against a child.
There was no way he could push himself up with arms like that.
Moreover—
‘Looks like the damage he took in the dream affected reality, too.’
He was in terrible shape, as if he might die at any moment.
From beneath his belly, pressed against the bathroom floor, blue blood mixed with water and flowed down the drain, and every time he coughed, thick blood spilled from his mouth.
I felt no danger at all from this Rank 3 monster.
He must have ended up like this because of the attacks I had dealt him in the dream.
‘In any case, I’ll have to kill him completely to say I passed the test.’
Since this was reality, not a dream, he could not exert the power he had shown in the dream.
In the first place, in his current state, he did not even reach the level of a Rank 1 monster.
So I decided to kill him without the slightest hesitation.
I raised the Ultramarine Sword.
“W-wait!”
At that moment, sensing the danger to his life, he hurriedly tried to stop me.
His face was filled with desperation.
“S-spare me just this once, please…. I will never do anything like this again. I beg you….”
“….”
“Before I became a nightmare, I was originally a person like you. So could you not take pity on the circumstances of someone who was once human?”
“…You were human?”
“Yes! I was originally human, too! But then, I…. Please, spare this old man just this once….”
“But you’re a monster now.”
A monster begging me for its life. It was too ridiculous to even laugh at.
Humans and monsters could not coexist.
Monsters that coveted the mana of existence were the enemies of mankind.
And hunters were beings who protected mankind by killing mankind’s enemies.
If one truly wished to become a hunter, one must never forget that fundamental principle.
“P-please, have mercy— Pugh!”
“Sure, I’ll show you mercy. Die.”
Kyaaaaaaagh! You bastaaard!
“Now you’re finally making sounds like a monster.”
You, you too will one day die like thi—!
“Losers only know how to say that. I’ll never die, but even if I do, you won’t be there to see it.”
You bastard! You bastaaaaard… Guh!
Even if he had the appearance of an old man, even if he had once been human, a monster was a monster.
I stabbed him with the Ultramarine Sword again and again until he died.
Then, at some point, his body turned into particles of mana and vanished.
“Now he’s really dead.”
A large mana stone had fallen where he had disappeared.
I picked up the mana stone and turned off the faucet I had left running all this time.
Inside the portrait submerged in the bathtub, there was nothing left at all.
He had been completely annihilated.
* * *
What should I do with this mana stone?
After leaving the bathroom, I pondered.
“Do I submit it to an evaluator?”
To prove that I had passed the fourth practical test, I would likely have to show them his mana stone.
The problem was when I should show the mana stone to an evaluator.
The current time was roughly 3 a.m.
The Hotel of Illusion’s curfew was from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
‘Do I have to stay in this room for at least three more hours?’
Just as that thought crossed my mind—
Someone knocked on the door from outside.
“This is an assistant. Please open the door.”
Did they know I had defeated him?
The timing was too perfect.
Hearing the person knocking, I opened the door.
An assistant wearing a green armband stood in front of it.
“First, I apologize for conducting the test without giving a proper explanation. And congratulations on passing the fourth practical test.”
“….”
The assistant apologized in a polite tone.
Since it was the evaluators, not the assistants, who were in charge of the test, and since I had figured out the contents of the test beforehand, I did not bother voicing any complaints.
Instead, I asked the question that came to mind.
“How did you know I defeated the monster?”
“We could tell because the plaque with the room number on the door turned black and then returned to normal. Turning black means the monster is active.”
No wonder the timing was so exact.
Having resolved my question with the assistant’s answer, I nodded.
“The results of the fourth practical test are being recorded in the banquet hall. Examinee 1532, please take the mana stone obtained from killing the monster and the painting as proof that you definitively killed the nightmare, then go to the banquet hall and report your test results. In the banquet hall, supporters are also operating a mental clinic in case any examinees’ minds have been contaminated. If you feel mentally unwell, please visit the mental clinic as well.”
“It’s curfew. Is it all right for me to go?”
“Curfew does not apply to those who have passed. If you have no further questions, I’ll be going now.”
The assistant bowed lightly and left.
I decided to head down to the banquet hall to report my test results.
“Before that, I should wipe this off.”
Water was dripping from the portrait I had left submerged in the bathtub.
I roughly wiped the portrait with a towel, and as soon as I finished getting ready, I headed down to the banquet hall.
The banquet hall was a mess.
“If it was a test, you should have said it was a test!”
“There were cockroaches, there were cockroaches, there were cockroaches, there were cockroaches!”
“It really… isn’t a dream, right? This is really reality, isn’t it? Sob….”
“….”
Examinees who had not received an explanation of the test and had been forced to take it without warning were raging furiously.
Examinees who could not forget what they had experienced in their dreams were complaining of mental trauma.
Examinees who had awakened to reality but still could not shake the suspicion that they might still be inside a dream.
They were all running wild in the banquet hall.
‘Well, I suppose anyone would be agitated after something like this happened out of nowhere.’
There were also examinees who were not joining them and were barely clinging to reason.
But their condition was not all that good, either.
“….”
Every one of their complexions was dark or pale, and their gazes were cast downward as if they were afraid of making eye contact.
Here and there, I could see examinees biting their lips hard enough to draw blood or trembling violently.
It was at that moment.
“Kieeeeeeeeeek!”
“I thought something seemed off about him. So his body was taken over.”
“He’s possessed by a nightmare! Subdue him, quickly!”
An examinee who had just entered the banquet hall suddenly swung his sword.
His body had been taken over by a monster.
Fortunately, the disturbance ended with only minor damage once the assistants stepped in.
The examinee who had been stabbed was treated by the supporters present.
‘If I hadn’t noticed the test, or if I’d been done in by him inside the dream, I might have ended up like that, too.’
I decided to wish the examinees a speedy recovery.
I walked over to the evaluator who was recording the test results.
Then I held out the mana stone and the portrait.
After checking my examinee number, the evaluator informed me of the results.
“Examinee 1532, fourth practical test, passed with the Suite Room grade. But… why is the painting wet?”
“Because I put it in the bathtub.”
“…Excuse me? What did you say?”
“I put it in the bathtub and submerged it in water. I thought that might make it easier to find the monster inside the dream.”
“Does that mean… you knew? The contents of the test….”
“Vaguely.”
I shrugged.
That stood in for the rest of my answer.
The evaluator looked up at me with a somewhat surprised expression.
I ignored his reaction.
“I’m tired because I couldn’t sleep properly thanks to the test. May I go back now?”
“Ah, yes, you may go back now. Starting from 11 a.m., a gate leading outside will be set up here. The explanation for the fifth test will be held in Room 305 of the Dimension Hall, so please gather there by 2 p.m.”
“I see. Yes, understood.”
It felt like I hadn’t slept at all because I had been fighting him in the dream, so this worked out perfectly.
If the next schedule was at 11 a.m., I had enough time to sleep.
Having finished my business, I decided to return to my room and rest comfortably.
I had taken only a few steps when—
Tap tap!
Suddenly, someone pushed through the examinees and rushed toward me.
Rabbit ears, white yet blue hair.
‘…Yeon Haneul?’
She spread both arms with a face that looked as if she was about to cry.
Startled by her sudden appearance, I reflexively caught her.
“…Haneul?”
“You really are Gyeonu, right?”
Yeon Haneul hugged me tightly and burrowed into my arms.
As she rubbed her face against my chest, her rabbit ears swayed this way and that.
‘What’s gotten into her? Did she have a bad dream?’
Yeon Haneul, her face buried in my chest, was even trembling faintly.
Realizing that her condition was not normal, I stroked her head and back to calm her down.
“It’s okay. It’s really me. Did I appear in your dream or something?”
“…Yeah.”
“What did I say? What kind of dream was it?”
“That… I don’t want to say.”
“Really? I don’t know what kind of dream it was, but a dream is only a dream. Forget all of it.”
“….”
“I’m right here.”
Yeon Haneul gripped the hem of my clothes tightly.
Not wanting to provoke her for no reason, I decided not to ask any further.
‘If she doesn’t want to tell even me, then it must have been a dream she really doesn’t want to talk about.’
Deciding to respect Yeon Haneul’s wishes, I continued soothing her.
“You can hear my heartbeat, right? Listen to it and focus your mind on the sound. Don’t pay attention to some pointless dream.”
“…I can hear your voice better. So I’ll focus on your voice.”
“Okay, Haneul, do whatever is comfortable for you. Is there anything you want to hear me say?”
“Haneul only has you.”
“Haneul, you only have me.”
“Not Haneul. Haneul only.”
“Haneul only has you.”
“Keep saying it.”
“As much as you want. Haneul only has you.”
Somehow—
I felt like I knew what kind of dream she had.
I repeated the words again and again.
Whether my efforts worked, Yeon Haneul gradually began to calm down.
She lifted her head from my arms.
“Are you okay now?”
“Yeah, I think I feel a little better.”
“Want me to do more?”
“…Yeah. Keep going, keep going, keep going.”
Yeon Haneul had tear tracks on her face.
She forced herself to smile.
I smiled back at her.
“Before that, let’s go report the results. At this rate, the exam time will run out and we’ll fail.”
“Okay. And, um… Gyeonu.”
“What?”
“Just for tonight… can we sleep together?”
“…”
“After I woke up, I had to fight the monster, so my room got wrecked… and if I sleep in that room, I think I’ll have bad dreams again…. So, just for today, can you sleep with me?”
Yeon Haneul, her face flushed and her head lowered, gently tugged at the hem of my clothes.
As if embarrassed, she swayed lightly on her feet.
‘…I guess it can’t be helped.’
Momentarily flustered by what she said, I decided to grant her request.
“Fine, let’s sleep together tonight. Let’s go get permission for that too.”
“Thank you, really.”
Yeon Haneul looked relieved.
I took her, her expression softened, and headed to the examiner.
Perhaps he had been watching us, because the examiner spoke with concern.
“Candidate 5784. You don’t seem to be in very good condition. How about receiving counseling at the mental clinic?”
“Ah, that’s….”
“The supporters helping with this exam are skilled in mental health care. Going there and talking about what’s in your heart might be—”
“No, it’s okay.”
“…”
“I’m… really okay now. So I don’t think I need counseling.”
In truth, the examiner had a point.
But Yeon Haneul didn’t seem to want counseling at the mental clinic.
She abruptly cut him off and answered with a stiff expression.
As for me, I had no choice but to take her side.
“Haneul is just tired because she couldn’t sleep properly. Once she gets a good rest, she’ll be fine.”
“If that is what you candidates think… then I won’t recommend it any further. Candidate 5784, fourth practical exam, suite room rank, passed.”
“But I think Haneul will only be able to sleep at ease if I’m with her…. To help her recover from her fatigue, would it be all right if we slept in the same room?”
“You want to use the same room?”
“She said the room she was in got wrecked from fighting the monster. She also said she thinks she’ll have bad dreams if she sleeps there….”
“…It could stimulate her memories. Understood. I’ll allow it.”
“Thank you.”
The examiner wasn’t inflexible.
He took Yeon Haneul’s condition into consideration.
Yeon Haneul and I thanked him and decided to return to the room.
“Go pack the things in your room too, so you can leave as soon as you wake up. Or should I go for you? If you just tell me where your things are….”
“No, I’ll go pack my things myself. I can’t have you help me that much. The pillow… you have one, right?”
“There are plenty of pillows in my room. Or you can just use my arm as a pillow.”
“Geez, don’t tease me. I’ll use a pillow.”
We took the elevator up.
By then, much of the shadow that had hung over Yeon Haneul’s face was gone.
Then, out of nowhere, she changed the subject.
“Hey, you know.”
“What now?”
“Gyeonu, what do you… think about public confessions?”
“Public confessions?”
“You know, confessing in front of other people. Putting candles on the floor, laying down rose petals, making balloons….”
“…”
“What do you think of that kind of confession?”
What was she suddenly talking about?
I looked down at Yeon Haneul, who was cautiously watching my reaction, and fell into thought.
Her gaze did not leave me.
‘A public confession….’
If it had been me in my previous life, I would have said I liked it.
Because I had thought it could show just how sincere I was toward the other person.
It also had a certain event-like quality to it, so I’d thought it would remain vividly in one’s memory.
‘Though as an orphan, the moment I left the children’s home, I spent my life just earning money, so I never even dared to like anyone. Playing games in my spare time was my only pleasure.’
But the me of now was different.
After recalling my previous life and living as Do Gyeonu, my way of thinking had broadened a lot.
I opened my mouth.
“I’m sure it depends on the person, but I think a confession is a procedure for officially confirming your feelings when both people already have some degree of affection for each other. You should only confess when you’re certain that person likes you.”
“I think so too.”
“So if someone suddenly confessed to me when I didn’t even like them, I think it would feel burdensome and uncomfortable. Even more so if they confessed in front of other people.”
“Yeah, yeah, I think so too.”
Yeon Haneul agreed emphatically.
Buoyed by her reaction, I continued confidently.
“So if you’re certain the other person likes you, I don’t think a public confession would be bad.”
“…Whaat?”
“It’s not like you’re using the confession to punish them, and you’re going to date anyway. Then if you’re going to receive a confession, a public confession that can remain vividly in your memory and be acknowledged by others isn’t bad either. It’s romantic too.”
“…”
But why had Yeon Haneul brought up this topic?
I tilted my head inwardly.
‘Does she prefer public confessions?’
That was the first question that came to mind.
‘…Don’t tell me she received a public confession in her dream? From what bastard?’
That was the second question that came to mind.
This wouldn’t do.
Even if Haneul didn’t want to talk about it, I had to ask at least this much.
I was about to speak to her.
Just then, she cut me off.
“Haneul, in your dream—”
“Gyeonu.”
“Huh? What?”
Yeon Haneul was….
“Don’t even think about doing something like a public confession, not even in your dreams. Never, never, never.”
She was glaring at me with stern eyes, putting strength into her gaze.
And she emphasized it again and again.
“…You hate it?”
“I haaaaaate it!”
“…”
“I don’t want to receive one.”
“Even under the assumption that you both like each other?”
“I think my affection would drop the moment I received it.”
“That much? No, why?”
“No, well… Ahem! It’s just a figure of speech. It doesn’t mean my affection would really drop, just that I hate public confessions that much.”
“Anyway, you hate it.”
“Anything with mood and romance is enough as long as it’s kept as a secret between us two… no, just between two people. Got it?”
“Yeah, yeah, I got it. I’ll remember.”
“Yeah, make sure you remember.”
Yeon Haneul stated her opinion as if lecturing me.
I accepted what she said and nodded.
Before long, the elevator stopped, and the doors opened.
We stepped out onto the floor with the suite rooms.
‘So what bastard was it from?’
Yeon Haneul never told me until the end.
* * *
The assistant examiner patrolling the corridor with the suite rooms stopped in front of one guest room.
Checking the room’s owner on the layout chart, he saw it was Candidate 5784’s room.
The door was half-open.
“What in the world is this….”
Through the gap, part of the interior was visible.
Sensing something strange, the assistant examiner peered inside and could not hide his agitation.
The items in the room were scattered chaotically, as if a robbery had taken place.
‘Was she perhaps possessed by a Nightmare?’
The assistant examiner had a duty to check the candidate’s condition.
He quietly went inside.
“…”
The state of the room was far worse than it had looked from the entrance.
The window leading to the balcony was shattered miserably, and every object in the room was smashed to pieces.
As if they had been struck with a blunt weapon.
Meanwhile, in the bathroom where water trickled, blood was splattered everywhere.
Judging by the fact that the blood was blue, it was not human blood, but monster blood.
“The Nightmare appears to have been subjugated, so I don’t think she was possessed by it….”
The assistant examiner guessed from the traces.
Soon, he muttered with a rigid expression.
“Then she made the room like this while fighting the Nightmare?”
Even so, this seemed far too excessive.
The assistant examiner felt a certain fear.
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss