久久大陆

[Wildlands of Scalyue | Two Days After The Advent Dawn]

"...Are you sure about having him lead the way? I mean, I love the guy, but…" Korain asked him.

It was a crowded trail; trees hung over the path with leaves continuously raining down onto the dirt path. In front of them, Yeong-Un, leading as the only one who had actually seen the bridge that connected the two regions, which were normally separated by supposedly "insta-death waters", marched forward like a boy scout.

"This is the way! For sure!" Yeong-Un announced with his spiky smile.

The red-haired young man glanced over to Korain, "...See? Totally reliable."

For some reason, Jeong-Hui found himself inexplicably tired; dark bags hung under his eyes as he periodically rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"Totally!" Archie laughed, who was mostly preoccupied with checking on his reserve through a small orb he held.

"Ack–" Yeong-Un stopped, looking side-to-side aggressively.

What stopped them all was the trail splitting into two different pathways, and Yeong-Un not seeming to recall which one led where.

"You were saying?" Korain looked at him.

"Trust is necessary between comrades," he wryly chuckled, watching Yeong-Un.

After a solid minute of mumbling to himself and rubbing his chin, the spiky-haired man jabbed his finger in the direction of the left trail, "There! Onward, minions!"

"...Minions?" Korain repeated with a vein pressing against his cheek.

"Heh…" He laughed it off.

Going down the left path, they found themselves passing by a waterfall, flowing violently into the river that was naturally etched through the land of trees itself.

"Feels to me like this floor is more 'forest' than 'civilization'," Korain stated while looking around at the scenery.

"I don't see a problem with that," Archie tipped his hat with a smile, "...It's a beautiful thing to see, innit? This is a world still unclaimed by humanity. Nature is allowed to breathe."

"Guess so," Korain responded.

It wasn't a small hike; the forest land stretched on and was filled with obstacles, leading to night crawling over soon enough.

"Let's stop here," Jeong-Hui suggested.

What he'd found was an entrance to a cavern, tucked behind a veil of overgrowth and large leaves; it was a bit clammy, but as good as they were going to get for an impromptu home.

"Good find," Yeong-Un said with a smile, settling in as he plopped down against the wall.

The cave didn't stretch very far; it was simply a hole in the size of a cliff, though it seemed man-made by the perfect shape of it.

Realizing they needed firewood, he offered, "I'll grab some–"

"Woah, there," Korain stopped him, "We've got it."

"Huh?" He looked up at the man, confused.

Korain patted his shoulders, using him to sit down, "You've looked half-dead all day. Get some rest, kid."

"--" He was quiet, not knowing how to accept this.

"I've got to pull my weight around here, ya know? Just leave it to me!" Archie reassured him as well.

He slowly nodded with a small smile, "...Alright, then. Thanks."

It felt weird for him to simply sit there against the shadow-filled cave walls while watching his companions set everything up; Korian went out to gather firewood, Archie, utilizing his natural capabilities as an outdoorsman, hunted berries and alike, and Yeong-Un stayed there with him, guarding the temporary abode.

As another yawn escaped his lips, he couldn't deny the temptation of sleep any longer, though for some reason, he feared it.

…Why am I so scared to fall asleep? When I think about it…I don't remember any of my dreams the past few nights, he thought.

Still, despite his unknown qualms with slumber, there was no denying its necessity as his eyelids grew heavy and the world around him turned to darkness; slowly but surely, his consciousness faded away into the realm of dreams.

It felt as if only a single moment had passed before his eyes opened again, but he found the ceiling above him not to be of moist stone but of immaculate architecture; quartz walls engraved with delicate shapes.

"Huh?"

As he jumped up, thrown off by the sudden shift of scenery, he looked around to find himself far away from the cavern he just remembered sleeping in, instead finding himself in a vaguely familiar chamber.

What is this…? Just a second ago, I was in the cave, right? He questioned.

"Come back for more? You're tenacious, I'll give you that–well, that, or you're some sort of masochist!"

–The deep, powerful voice that greeted him was also distantly familiar, but it wasn't that of a friend; hearing it made him freeze in place for a moment before slowly looking up.

It was a dark-skinned man that stood well over two meters in height, towering like a pillar of muscle, wearing a sleeveless, bright-yellow shirt like a blooming sunflower along with heavy gauntlets of steel on his hands.

That illustrious, silver hair swayed, reminding him, and if not completely, then it was the following prompt that jogged his memory:

[IDENTIFIED: Maverick King | Level 26]

"Maverick…?" He slowly said in disbelief.

The goliath of a man kept his arms folded across his chest, "Who else could it be? Did I hit you too hard last time?"

He jumped up to his feet, fully aware now, "--You're supposed to be dead! I killed you! I-I know I did!"

Maverick tilted his head, "Killed me? Oh, right. That did happen."

"Then…?"

"Are you that stupid? I mean, c'mon! Talk to your System," Maverick abrasively told him.

Of course, that was the better solution rather than asking somebody as prickly as Maverick King himself, somebody he was at the very least, not on good terms with.

"...System, what the hell is going on here?" He asked.

[ANSWER: This is your [Dreamer System]. What you're experiencing right now is a recreation of your memories played out in your personal dreamscape.]

"Dreamer System…? That's what this is? Still…You're telling me that Maverick over there is just a figment of my imagination–"

Before he could ask that question, a massive fist suddenly launched against his face, slamming into his nose harshly as he was blown back, having to flip with the momentum to catch himself on his feet.

"What–"

Shocking to him, he found a searing pain accompanying the blood that leaked from his nostrils as he held his throbbing nose.

It…hurts? This is a dream, isn't it? He questioned.

Maverick called out, wearing a large grin after having launched the sucker punch, "Figment of your imagination! If that's what makes you feel any better! But tell me–could your imagination deck you square in the schnoz like that?!"

"--" He was quiet for a second, looking down at the blood on his palm.

There wasn't any denying that he was truly experiencing pain; the heat that ran beneath his face, centering on his nose as the crimson that seeped from it felt as fuming as lava. It stung, and that was alarming to him.

If this is a dream, then why…? He thought.

[ANSWER: The [Dreamer System] fully awakens your ability to enter your dreamscape and shape it to your benefit. In order to maximize your potential output, pain is necessary.]