Chapter 67: Power? No, thank you.
ㅤI was having a dream.
ㅤ
ㅤThere’s no shortage of seeds for nightmares.
ㅤBesides being beaten to death by my father, there’s the bullying at school, betrayal by friends, insidious whispers behind my back, even teachers joining in on the bullying, the terrifying experiences with the new religious cult my mother was into, and so on.
ㅤ
ㅤBecause I have nightmares so often, when I have one, I realize, “Ah, this is a dream.”
ㅤIt’s like the feeling of having watched so many movies that you can figure out the ending even if it’s a movie you’re seeing for the first time.
ㅤIt might be what people call a lucid dream.
ㅤ
ㅤIn the midst of the nightmare, I mutter.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Vanish.”
ㅤ
ㅤWith just that, the repeatedly playing nightmare disappears, leaving only darkness behind.
ㅤIt’s one of my few special skills, but I have no one to brag to about it.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Phew. Maybe I can sleep peacefully now.”
ㅤ
ㅤI murmured and was about to surrender to drowsiness, but――
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤ”――Hmm. Quite impressive that you broke through my illusion.”
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤA strange figure appeared before me.
ㅤClad in something like a white robe, it was a suspicious-looking person at first glance.
ㅤFrom under the deeply pulled hood, purple leech-like lips peeked out.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Um, who might you be?”
ㅤ
ㅤThis is a new kind of dream pattern.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Me? I am the Dream Weaver.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Dream Weaver… Hmm, so, is this a prophetic dream then? Judging by the name, you sound like a magician who invades people’s dreams and does bad things.”
ㅤ
ㅤMy words left the so-called Dream Weaver dumbfounded.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Pfft, haha! You’re quite amusing, you are.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Why thank you. So, could you leave now? I have to wake up early tomorrow morning.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Unfortunately, I can’t do that. It would be a shame to let a talented magician like you escape.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I’m a thief, though.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”No, your true essence is that of a magician. A seeker of truth and power, wandering, not fitting in with the mundane world.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Well, I certainly don’t fit in with the mundane world, but I’m not a seeker.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”See! You don’t fit in with society and feel alienated, right? Your guts are churning with feelings of inferiority and discrimination, aren’t they?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Not really…”
ㅤ
ㅤIt’s been like this since I was little, so it’s too late to become close to others. If I don’t have friends, I should just do things I can do by myself. Specifically, like playing games.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Um, can we be done now?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Grrr. Why!? With such potential, and having suffered such misfortune, why don’t you hate people!”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Hating them won’t make them disappear.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”W-well, then, what if you had the power to make the people you hate disappear…”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Hmm… I don’t really need it. I feel like if I killed someone, even if I didn’t get caught, some kind of karmic something would build up. Even in open-world games where I can do whatever I want, I basically play as a good person.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Why are you so enlightened!?”
ㅤ
ㅤThe Dream Weaver screamed, clutching his head.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Um, can we be done now?
ㅤ━━Vanish.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Gah! You have the power to push me back!? That’s ridiculous!?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”You’re persistent. Vanish.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Guuuuuh”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Still holding on? Dream Weaver, was it? What did you want to accomplish in the end?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”That’s it! Power, power!”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Power?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Yes, that power!”
ㅤ
ㅤWhat other power could there be?
ㅤ
ㅤ”『Do you desire power?』”
ㅤ
ㅤThe Dream Weaver suddenly said in a hoarse voice.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ah, is this one of those questions I should answer seriously?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Yes, yes! Now, tell me, what’s the truth!”
ㅤ
ㅤ”So, I’m saying I don’t need it. What I have within my reach is enough for me.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Whyyyyy!?”
ㅤ
ㅤThe Dream Weaver was pushed further and further back, eventually becoming the size of a grain of rice and disappearing into the darkness.
ㅤ
ㅤ”…Sigh. Let’s sleep.”
ㅤ
ㅤWell, that was the conclusion of the strange dream I had last night.