The Dreaming One – I

A vicious storm of work unfolded for Elysium as everyone prepared for the September Halfway Point.

Personnel, supplies, contingencies... and all of that logistic planning happening in the span of less than two weeks.

Any organization would have struggled.

This was a project that most organizations spent months to arrange.

Even the March Halfway Point that Sicilia arranged had taken a half year of careful planning, organizing, and execution.

So it was a Herculean task for Elysium to do it all in less than two weeks. Impossible.

At least, it should have been.

But Elysium wasn't 'any' organization.

The executive office in the recently constructed Elysium headquarters in Eva. A large, fancy, and modern office space on the top of a tall building overlooking the rest of the city from its spot a few stories into the sky.

It was meant to be Jihu's workspace, but that guy had gone off to do a 'divine trial' or whatever he called it and was going to be away for the next week at least.

So, instead of leaving the place to gather dust, the brains of Elysium had gathered to use the place and arrange the project their oh so benevolent leader left as homework.

Seated around a large circular table in the middle of the office, Hannah, Seora, Seohui, Maldong, and Ian sorted through the paperwork and reports required to make everything work.

Hannah flipped through the latest batch of applications to join Elysium. But after a quick glance, she sighed and tossed them to the rejection pile.

Seora glanced at Hannah and said, "No one good in this batch either?"

"Nope. Just a bunch of glory chasers or newbies wanting to leech off Jihu's reputation." Hannah sighed and grabbed the small pile of applicants from the 'maybe' pile. "...It seems like we'll just have to go with these after all."

Tong Chai, Odelette Delphine, Karna, Salvatore Leorda, Shin Sang-Ah, Hyun Sangmin, Audrey Basler, and Oh Rahee.

A group of eight people that would make the entry level members of Elysium.

The first four were more than qualified due to being members of Jihu's party in the Tutorial and going on to have a strong background out of the Tutorial.

The next two were a bit iffy since they weren't really talented, but they had managed to gain a solid footing in Paradise after leveraging what they learned and obtained from Jihu.

As for the last two... Elysium needed more archers, and since Audrey Basler had showed up groveling while declaring her eternal allegiance to 'Master Jihu' with sincerity (and plenty of fear), she was on the list.

For Oh Rahee, she was a veteran, so that experience would be more than welcome as they looked for useful talents in the Tutorial.

Hannah would have preferred if Jihu was actually around to vet the group one more time... but since he wasn't, they'd have to make do.

Seohui looked at the pile and hummed. "There are a few decent pearls in there. And our Hero said he wasn't too picky about who else we recruit, didn't he? Besides." She looked to Maldong and said, "We have Grandpa Maldong here to help train anyone who needs it, do we not?"

Maldong shivered and reached up to rub his neck. "...Is it possible for you not to speak in that manner, Miss Seohui?"

Seohui tilted her head and said, "What manner, Grandpa Maldong?"

Maldong pursed his lips and muttered, "It must be an innate ability. It doesn't make sense unless it is."

"???"

Hannah cleared her throat and said, "Let's get back to business." She looked at Maldong and said, "How have the discussions with the Triad and Sicilia gone, Grandpa Maldong?"

Maldong shrugged and said, "It's gone how you expect. Since Jihu has taken in Miss Agnes, Cinzia has given us a blank check for whatever we need. As for the Triads, they've been helping organize Earth's side of things with the underworld syndicate that Jihu left behind."

Hannah nodded, but paused after hearing that last bit. "Wait. Underworld syndicate?"

Maldong chuckled. "I was surprised as well. It seems that our leader has been quite productive in his spare time."

Seora frowned and said, "So those men weren't just part of the Triads?"

Seohui's eyes sparkled and she said, "As expected of my beloved hero!"

Ian cleared his throat. "Can we stay on topic?"

Hannah nodded and said, "Yes. We don't have time to waste discussing how competent or incompetent my husband is."

Seora smiled and said, "*Our* husband, Hannah."

Hannah's eye twitched.

Ian cleared his throat and said, "Preparations are complete for Eva's defenses. Muto and I finished constructing the runic arrays after collaboration with Miss Mikael from the Federation." He smiled and said, "If the Parasites try anything in the three months we're gone, they're going to be in for a big surprise."

Seora frowned and she looked at Hannah. "Are we still all going to enter the Neutral Zone?"

Seohui frowned as well and said, "Parasite Unni wouldn't miss a chance like this. If I was her, I'd definitely try something the moment we leave. Three months is a long time."

Hannah sighed. "That's what I told Jihu. But apparently he wants to use the time to bait out the Parasite Queen or something." She furrowed her brow and said, "He thinks that since she had defied causality to try and save Sung Shihyun that she won't be able to do anything big for a while. I don't know if that's true... but she 'has' been quiet for a bit now."

Ian waved his hand and said, "It's no big deal. We figured out how Jihu communicated with the crystals while in the Banquet last time so we'll still be able to get news from the outside..." He trailed off and said, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Hannah pinched the brow of her nose and said, "...Are there any other major breakthroughs in magical research that you would like to share while we're here, Ian?"

"...Not much?" Ian paused to think and said, "We finished the runic exoskeleton formation to reinforce the Paradisian forces and begun mass-production of mana resonant equipment sets. But other than that, everything is still in testing phases... Ah. We also figured out how to do the 'mana nuke' that Jihu used in the Impossible Mission from the notes he gave us." He frowned and said, "Still haven't determined how to restrict the spread of the radiation or blast area though, so that's more of a mutually assured destruction plan that we've kept under lock and key."

Hannah blinked and then let out a long and suffering sigh.

Seora smiled and said, "Regretting marrying Jihu, Hannah?"

"Regret? No. Resent? Yes." She groaned and said, "Sometimes I wonder if Jihu isn't just the poorly written main character of a story and we're all just side characters in his bullshit."

Ian's eyes lit up and he said, "Oh! I've just recently started reading a webnovel with a setup like that! It turns out that the main character is actually the author and took the place of an extra-"

Maldong reached over to swat Ian with his walking stick and said, "No one's asking about your dumb stories, Ian."

Ian dodged the stick and laughed. "Fine, fine."

Hannah shook her head and said, "So it looks like everything's on course. Then..." She set the applicant sheets aside and leaned forward on the table. "There's just one thing left to do."

Seora sighed. "Right. That thing. ...Have we decided who will do it yet?"

Seohui pursed her lips. "...It's difficult."

Ian coughed and said, "As much as I would like to help... I'm stuck in America on the other side, so..."

Maldong clicked his tongue and said, "Excuses as usual."

Ian gave an awkward laugh.

Hannah rolled her eyes and said, "It's fine. That pervert shouldn't be anywhere near three beautiful young girls anyway."

"Hey!" Ian frowned and said, "I am a cultured individual who appreciates the female form, not a pervert."

Seora scoffed and said, "Says the man who sexually harassed-"

"It was on accident!"

Hannah gave Ian a blank stare.

Ian coughed and looked away.

Hannah rubbed her temple and then looked at Maldong. "I hate to ask you when you're this busy, Grandpa Maldong, but-"

Maldong waved his hand and said, "It's fine. I suppose I'm the most credible of the group when it comes to tasks like these. Although..." He frowned and said, "Are we not having Jihu do it? Inviting his sister and her friends would be best coming from him, would it not?"

Hannah nodded. "It would. But it seems like my beloved husband-"

"OUR beloved husband."

"...Is going to be busy until the Tutorial begins."

Maldong hummed. "Where is Jihu right now anyway?"

"Hm?" Hannah paused and said, "Didn't he tell you?"

Seora frowned and said, "You know where he is, Hannah?"

Hannah blinked and then smiled. "I do. And it seems like there's some things he doesn't tell his overseas wives after all."

Seora narrowed her eyes.

Maldong cleared his throat and said, "So, Jihu?"

"Right." Hannah nodded and said, "From what he told me..."

xxx

Pain. Emptiness. A bone-deep chill gnawing away at my being.

It felt like someone had taken a spoon and dug through my eyes into my brain before gouging everything away.

Nothing. Just cold and pain.

I didn't know what was going on. Even so, I forced myself to my feet and held up my fists.

My sword was gone, but I could still fight. Even if I didn't remember, my body surely-

*SMACK*

A spear shaft swinging around to smack my temple.

I didn't anticipate it, and so everything blacked out again as my body fell to the ground.

...What the hell was going on here?

Someone walked over. Metal clanked and there was a bit of rustling before a voice spoke. Seol's.

"I told you before, didn't I? You're a hypocrite for saying to not rely on powers you didn't thoroughly understand."

I grit my teeth and clenched my fists. Punching the ground, I forced my body up and tried swinging at Seol.

And then I felt something cold brush against the back of my neck before the world spun on its head.

Wait. It wasn't the world, but-

xxx

Jihu's corpse fell to the ground, staining the grass crimson with the blood spouting from his neck. His head rolled a bit nearby, bouncing a few times before stopping.

And then his entire body glitched and distorted before reforming in the middle of the puddle of blood, perfectly unscathed.

Seol placed his spear over his shoulders and clicked his tongue. "What a cheat-like ability."

Sung Shihyun flicked the blood off his sword before wrinkling his nose. "Yeah. Even I didn't have that god-tier regeneration when I absorbed Undying Diligence's divinity."

Seol looked over at Sung Shihyun and said, "Did you even have regeneration in the first place?"

"Oi!" Sung Shihyun pointed his sword at Seol and said, "That's because your cheap spear or whatever erases divinity!"

"Sure, sure." Seol laughed and said, "Blame the weapon and not the person..."

"Yeah! I will!" Sung Shihyun sheathed his sword and threw his hands up in the air. "Why couldn't the Parasite Queen give *me* a god-slaying weapon?!"

Seol leaned against his spear and waited for Jihu to get back up. As he did, he said, "You got to absorb a god's authority. Don't blame people when you had literal godmode on."

Sung Shihyun clicked his tongue and then crossed his arms to wait as well. As he did, he glanced at the third person in their little intervention group. "Who the hell are you anyway? I thought me and that annoying bastard were the only ones living rent free in that guy's head."

Seeing that Jihu wasn't going to be getting up any time soon, Seol glanced over to the other person there as well.

An ordinary young man that you could see anywhere in Korea. At least, in terms of general appearance. A black hoodie and worn-out jeans, pale skin, eyes with dark circles... he looked just like a random kid from a gaming cafe trying to grind out game ranks.

But he definitely wasn't.

Although he looked normal, when Seol stared at the young man with his eyes...

Blank. Not a single speck of color.

In fact, the moment Seol tried staring at the kid with the Future-Gauging Nine Eyes that he retrieved from Jihu, the kid disappeared.

And considering that those eyes were a higher tier observation ability that should be able to perceive anything in existence...

The fact that the young man was missing meant that he was outside of existence itself.

Seol couldn't confirm it, but that was what his intuition was telling him.

And from how Sung Shihyun was reacting, the kid also seemed to have evaded that guy's own abilities too.

Seol made fun of Sung Shihyun every now and then, but that guy's unique realm wasn't one to scoff at. Especially considering Jihu was able to use it as a foundation to reach his own ridiculous level.

The young man smiled and said, "I'm no one special." Tucking his hands into his pockets, he said, "You could say my appearance here is by chance or a miracle. A bit of selfish wish fulfillment, if you would."

Sung Shihyun spat on the ground and said, "Like hell you're no one special." Staring at the young man, Sung Shihyun reflexively placed his hand on his sword and said, "Everything inside me is saying that you don't belong. And I didn't feel that way even about that bug queen. Plus..." He narrowed his eyes and said, "That's not even your real face."

The young man chuckled and held his hands out. "You've got me." He let out an unlucky smile and said, "I'm just borrowing this image because it's fitting. ...I don't think you two would understand the reference though."

Seol frowned, carefully observing the young man. "...And your name?"

The young man chuckled and said, "Now that would be telling." He placed his index finger over his mouth and smiled. "Causality can be defied and rewritten with outside intervention, but you shouldn't break the wall between the observers and the actors too much, you know? Although..." He sighed and placed his hands behind his head. "When it gets to a mess like this, a little leaning is necessary."

Sung Shihyun frowned, processing the young man's words. And then he clicked his tongue and said, "Whatever." He looked back at Jihu and said, "As long as you aren't going to fuck things up here." He grinned and said, "I've been looking forward to smacking this guy around a bit for copying my skills all this time and passing them off as his."

Seol smirked and said, "Considering how basic they are, is it really a surprise that they were copied?"

"Hey!" Sung Shihyun pointed his sword at Seol and said, "Nobody asked you, Dickhead."

Seol ignored him and turned his attention back to the mysterious young man.

...It was still annoying Seol that he couldn't see through the young man, but the kid- No, 'thing', also didn't seem to have bad intentions. And since it was probably going to be around for a while...

"What should we call you?"

The young man paused for a bit and then smiled. "Since we're in Korea... Call me Neol. Neol Won. Now." He glanced over at Jihu and said, "It looks like that guy's about to get up. Seeing me now would probably break him, so I'll wait for you all at the third peak. Ciao."

A single instant.

One moment, 'Neol Won' was standing there. And then there was no one there.

Sung Shihyun flinched and said, "What the hell?" He turned back to Seol and said, "Hey! Did you manage to stare at that guy with your eyes or whatever?"

Seol frowned. "...I did. And nothing."

Sung Shihyun clicked his tongue. "Damn." He rubbed his arm and said, "That kid gives me the heebie-jeebies."

Seol chuckled.

Sung Shihyun growled and said, "What? You can't tell me he doesn't creep you out either!"

"He does." Seol nodded. "But I didn't think I'd hear the mighty Sung Shihyun <I Am My Own Lord Throughout Heaven and Earth> admit someone gives him the 'heebie-jeebies.'"

"Man, whatever." Sung Shihyun glanced back at Jihu and said, "Looks like he's about to get up again. That Neol guy or whatever throws a wrench in our plans, but we still gonna follow through?"

Seol pulled his spear back and said, "Yeah. At this rate, all of that guy's efforts are going to get stolen by your idiotic past self. And you don't want to get shown up by a guy even dumber than you were, right?"

"Damned straight." Sung Shihyun crossed his arms, staring at Jihu. "I'm going to beat this guy black and blue until he can punk the sex-crazed dumbass calling himself by my name."

"Wow. So it turns out you were just compensating for something the entire time..."

Sung Shihyun paused and then his ears turned a bright red. He glared at Seol and said, "You know damned well what the fuck I mean, Asshole!"

"Sure, sure." Seol laughed and said, "Keep telling yourself that..."

"Go fuck off and check on your past self or whatever already. You can have your turn when that guy gets to the second peak."

Seol walked off and said, "Fine, fine. I might as well see if there's anything useful from that other timeline..." He paused after a few steps and said, "Don't break him though."

Sung Shihyun snorted. "As if that guy would break. He's too delusional to stop... But yeah. I don't wanna get hunted down by all his crazy lovers anyway."

"Wow. To think the day would come when Sung Shihyun declined getting the attention of beautiful women..."

"FUCK OFF ALREADY!"

Seol chuckled and then held up his hand before walking back across the void.

Sung Shihyun sighed and said, "Asshole. As if I couldn't beat his ass if he didn't have that god-slaying spear when we fought... Tch." He turned his gaze back to Jihu and then crossed his arms, waiting. "Come on, Faker. Get up already so you can turn that lie into a truth like you always do. We don't have much time to waste."

As if waiting for those words, Jihu's eyes snapped open. They immediately spun around, taking in the surroundings before he moved. And then they stopped when they saw Sung Shihyun.

Sung Shihyun grinned and said, "Come on, Faker. You going to give up just like that? What happened to all the skills you stole from me? And what was all that talk about knowing the skills you used?"

Jihu punched the ground and forced himself to his feet. Spitting out some dirt that got in his mouth, he said, "I don't know what the hell is going on right now, but you can go fuck right off."

A kick off from the ground to charge at Sung Shihyun. A punch aimed at Sung Shihyun's face.

Sung Shihyun sighed and easily dodged it. "You really think- Hm?"

A fakeout turning that punch into an elbow strike aimed at Sung Shihyun's ribs.

Sung Shihyun reflexively swung his sword at the surprise attack, splitting Jihu in two.

Blood splattered against the grass and his corpse collapsed on the ground.

But then it glitched out and he was getting up from the ground again, glaring at Sung Shihyun.

"...Hah." Sung Shihyun shook his head and muttered, "I thought it was because of that guy, but it looks like you're a crazy bastard too, huh?"

Jihu just spat on the ground and raised his fists.

Sung Shihyun clicked his tongue and said, "Whatever." He held his sword loose at his left side and said, "Let's see how much your body can learn just from being that stubborn."

xxx