TRPM 183

chapter 183

A dream demon that appears in the shape of a woman, enters a man’s dreams, has intercourse, and drains his vitality.

…Well, in this case, Merlin’s soul—the child of an incubus—is inside Chloe’s body.

Since Chloe is female, she took on the form of a succubus.

But that doesn’t mean horns sprouting on her head, bat wings on her back, and a heart-shaped tail. That’s just the image shaped by modern media depictions of succubi.

The spell I used to summon Merlin’s soul into Chloe’s body did include a few modern elements, but nothing that would make her look like a succubus out of subculture fiction.

And yet Chloe’s body now had horns, wings, and a tail…

That must’ve been her doing.

She must have held the belief that “succubi are a race with horns, wings, and tails.”

And even though this was my dream, dreams are the realm of demons like her. For Chloe to reshape her own body here wouldn’t be difficult.

Though it doesn’t seem like she can control it perfectly just yet.

If she could control the dream fully, she wouldn’t have been threatened by monsters earlier.

“(Do you understand the situation, Chloe?)”

“(Mm… hearing you call me ‘noona’ with that face feels a little weird….)”

…Right, this wasn’t the body of my high school self.

“(Please answer the question first.)”

“(Yeah. I think I get it. This is a dream, right? And you’re just an illusion I created.)”

It was a dream, but not an illusion.

“(You coming all the way from Korea to the Mediterranean to save me yesterday must’ve really moved me. That you showed up in my dream means it got to me. But for you to appear as an adult, not as your usual self… maybe my tastes lean toward men about that age?)”

Chloe said that before I could even respond.

Hmph.

Well… it’s likely her preference influenced my current appearance—me in my 30s, or more accurately, looking like I was in my 50s or 60s back then.

Since it wasn’t particularly important, I decided to tell her the truth: this dream was built on my memories, and she had entered my dream.

“(…I do see signs in Korean here. So if this is a dream built from your memories, then… is this what things looked like before you regressed?)”

“(That’s right.)”

Chloe quickly drew the conclusion that I was a regressor.

The only one I had outright told was Yeon Mirae, but there were plenty who suspected it already: Ji Hyungman, the Ironblood Guild’s leader, or Arthur, Britain’s puppet.

Chloe hadn’t known until now, but once she realized this scenery was from my memories, she must’ve caught on.

I thought about dodging the truth…

But dismissed the thought immediately. Chloe was adapting quickly to this dreamscape, and she would’ve realized soon enough that this was built from my memories.

And Chloe was someone I could trust with this truth. If I didn’t, I never would’ve entrusted her with Merlin’s soul.

As I mulled over these thoughts, Chloe glanced around the scenery and asked:

“(…Gunwoo. How long did you live alone in a Korea like this?)”

“(Hm….)”

Her question made me pause. How long had I lived alone? I had never really tried to keep count.

“(At least thirty years.)”

That much I could say for certain. Maybe forty. Maybe even fifty.

“(You lived long.)”

“(I’m an Awakener with slow aging, after all.)”

And at some point, I even went through a rejuvenation, so by the time of my regression I looked like I was in my early twenties. This form here was me at my “oldest-looking.”

“(…You must have been lonely.)”

“(……)”

She asked if I had been lonely. If it hadn’t been hard, living alone for decades.

No one had ever asked me that before. Even Yeon Mirae, who knew I was a regressor, had never pressed me about my past life.

“(Yes.)”

I admitted it. No matter how much enlightenment I sought, no matter how much I devoted myself to martial arts, I couldn’t shake loneliness.

I wasn’t like those fanatics in martial arts novels who lived only for the sword. That’s why I had roamed, searching for survivors until the end. That’s why I felt hollow when I confirmed the final barrier had fallen.

“(I didn’t just mean before you regressed.)”

She meant this life too, didn’t she?

“(……)”

I couldn’t deny it. A future only I remembered. Memories only I carried. No one else could share those with me.

“(That must’ve been really hard.)”

Chloe understood and simply hugged me, offering comfort.

“(Oh, by the way.)”

As she held me, something else seemed to occur to her, and she asked:

“(How do we get out of this dream?)”

A perfectly reasonable question—and one I had no real answer for.

“(I don’t know.)”

“(Huh?!)”

“(You’re the dream demon here, not me.)”

This was my first lucid dream, after all.

“(Uhh… I don’t know how to leave though?)”

“(Once you get used to manipulating dreams, you’ll instinctively figure it out.)”

And if not, I was analyzing the dream in real time. Given enough time, I’d find a way out. But I didn’t tell her that.

Because Chloe needs to grow too.

If she didn’t learn to control her power properly, she could end up trapped in someone else’s dream again. At the very least, she needed to master leaving on her own.

“(Hmm… maybe like this.)”

Chloe immediately tested her ability. The scenery began to shift rapidly. Like time rewinding, ruined buildings restored themselves.

Not just the buildings…

Even my body felt younger. To confirm, I checked my reflection in a car’s side mirror nearby.

Early twenties… about when I was an Academy cadet.

And sure enough, my clothes transformed into the Seoul Awakener Academy cadet uniform.

“Hey! Han Gunwoo! What are you staring at the mirror for?”

“Did you forget our plans today?”

Hm?

I turned and heard familiar voices.

“Oh, it’s you two.”

White-haired twins. Friends of mine, before and after regression. Ryu Amin and Ryu Ayeong.

If this was about a promise from back then, it must’ve been…

“You guys go ahead to the bar without me. I’ve got something to do.”

A drinking plan.

“What, do you have a makeup lecture or something?”

“Was it that Yeon Mirae woman? Did she call you?”

“Nothing like that. My stomach’s just not feeling well, so I can’t drink tonight.”

They both stared like I’d grown a second head.

“Gunwoo, you saying you can’t drink because your stomach hurts?”

“…Wow, he must really be sick. Go see a doctor.”

“……”

Right, I had been quite the heavy drinker back then. Mostly to blow off steam, since developing my martial arts was so frustrating.

“(Gunwoo, who are they…?)”

“(Ryu Amin and Ryu Ayeong. This is them about five years later.)”

I explained, and Ayeong tilted her head.

“Gunwoo. Who’s this? And when did you get so good at English?”

Ah, so they could see Chloe too. As I scrambled for a way to brush it off—

“Wait a sec… isn’t she…!”

Before I could think further, Amin recognized her.

“The elf who went missing years ago?! Why is she here…?”

Right. At this point in time, Chloe was considered missing. In reality, she had been abducted by “important people.”

“(So that’s it. At this point in time, I’d already been kidnapped.)”

Chloe nodded, understanding.

“(I don’t remember exactly, but I think it was around when I was in middle school.)”

“(Was it on Jeju Island?)”

“(Not sure. I changed too many things to be certain now.)”

I turned back to the twins.

“Please keep this secret if you can. If people know the elf is alive, a lot of dangerous folks will come after her.”

“…Got it.”

“Well… in exchange, could we maybe get an autograph…?”

Ayeong nodded solemnly, while Amin had already pulled out a notebook. Chloe signed it naturally, and the twins left for the bar.

“(This period looks peaceful.)”

“(…Only on the surface.)”

The scenery shifted again, quickly. Whether forward or backward in time, I couldn’t tell.

“(Uh… what’s happening?)”

Chloe’s reaction told me it wasn’t her doing this time. Must’ve been me.

Shhhhhh.

Rain poured down.

Lines of people in black funeral clothes moved slowly. Some crying, some gritting their teeth, some walking in silence.

“(This is…?)”

“(A funeral. There were many who carried out terrorist attacks on the Academy, saying they were cutting down the ‘buds of the future.’)”

Because of the Taeguk Guild’s dictatorship, talented Awakeners were unable to fulfill their roles. Dungeons went uncleared, and monsters spilled into the world.

The Academy’s chairman and other strong Awakeners were constantly forced to leave for dungeon raids, leaving the Academy vulnerable.

Despite precautions, security was breached again and again. Each attack claimed the lives of countless cadets.

“(And this scene is from one of the joint funerals for those cadets.)”

I looked down. At some point, I was wearing mourning clothes myself, holding lilies in my hands.

“(It wasn’t just Korea. Other countries suffered the same, only at different scales.)”

Awakeners dwindled. Dungeons multiplied. Criminals kept fueling the chaos with terrorism.

Naturally… humanity had no hope.