Episode 35. The Dream Forest Test (4)
“Even if we keep destroying the golem, we won’t be able to finish this sequence. Only by destroying it will Blane’s fear end.”
It was made of mucus. It was something indescribable, and it was sloshing around on the floor.
“If I get rid of that, it’ll be over? My lord, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Of course. It doesn’t exist in this world. It’s a dream monster created by Blane.”
Kundo Rubin and Hamil, who had been standing far away, approached and looked down at the dream monster. It was so different from the monsters that had appeared before.
“It’s just slimy?”
As Kun stepped on the edge of the slime with his foot, the dream monster screamed in pain.
“Eww!”
A human voice. A wail of pain as the mucus in the middle takes the shape of a human face.
“Ah, now I get it.”
“yes?”
The face of the dream monster was revealed. Looking at that face, I understood. The golem was just a disguise, and the true nature of Blane’s fear was something else.
“Don’t you recognize this face? It’s Ness Krieger.”
“ah!”
Father of Blaine Krieger, and head of the Krieger family. He was the owner of a face in the middle of a sloshing, mucusy substance.
“Tch, you’re just afraid of your own father? How pathetic.”
Kun swung his dagger, applying strength to the leg that had stepped on the monster. If he could stab the dagger into the helpless monster, this turn would be over. Compared to the trouble he had with the golem, the final treatment was too bland.
“I’ll finish it off right away. Do you know how hot it was because of you? I got burns all over my body.”
As they clung to the golem and cut the iron pipe, all three of them had their skin peeled off in various places.
Of course, the pain that comes with it is also a complete situation. If you quickly get through this process, the wounds and pain will disappear.
But it wasn’t as easy as it sounds.
“It’s not our job to end this.”
Rubin said, and turned his head back. Blanet, who had come down the hill, was standing there, trembling.
Kun, who understood Rubin’s words, frowned fiercely.
“What? What are you talking about?”
“What does that mean?”
“Blaane’s fears are something that Blaane must deal with himself.”
“Rubin, are you crazy? Do you think he can stab his father in the face right now?”
“You can finish it. You have to, Blane.”
“Shut up! That bitch did nothing but cry. Do you think it’ll be any different now? She’s going to cry until this place completely disappears.”
In fact, the border of the dream world was already very close. The hill I had just stood on was already eaten by the border. There were only a few minutes left.
“It’d be quicker to just get rid of that bitch!”
“Stop it, Kun.”
“Rubin, you want to stop me? Ha, that’s what you wanted. I’ll just knock you out here.”
Kun turned and faced Rubin. The dagger of Kergit that he was holding was aimed at Rubin. The sharp blade seemed ready to rush in and cut into his flesh at any moment.
“Your Majesty, we are running out of time. We will all be eliminated in this competition.”
Hamilton, who had been watching silently, intervened.
“Why on earth do you want to take Blane? This is a competition, right? A fair competition where only the strong can pass.”
Competition. Yes, competition.
But to Rubin, competition meant something much bigger than that. It was a fight against something much stronger than these little kids. That was the competition Rubin had to do.
And to win that competition, you can’t just throw Blane out here and there like this. And you can’t let someone else take away that fear.
Rubin spoke without taking his eyes off Kun.
“Kun. Back off. This is your final warning.”
“Are you threatening me? I guess you think I’m the same as before.”
“If that’s true then.”
Rubin looked at Blane, who was hesitating. Could Blane handle the dream monster with his father’s face?
Probably not. Even before his return, Blane was unable to overcome his fear of the Lord until his death.
But Rubin didn’t want to be the first to cut the strings of that decision.
At that moment, Kun’s murderous desire to fight Rubin enveloped Rubin. He could no longer avoid the fight.
‘I wanted to see what Kun’s fear was.’
It was when Rubin and Kun were about to take an offensive stance towards each other.
“I… I’ll try.”
Blane took a step closer, dagger in hand.
Okay. Rubin, who had been waiting for those words, relaxed his attack stance.
“Kun. I’ll fight you next. Wouldn’t it be better for you to fight when you’re in peak physical condition?”
“…I’m lucky. Very lucky.”
Kun was more exhausted than anyone else because he had fought the golem alone. He also intuitively knew that he had to be in top condition to fight Rubin.
“What are you doing? Finish it quickly!”
Rubin, Kun, and Hamil retreated, leaving only the dream monster and Blaine behind.
Ughhhhhhh.
The dream monster was suffering from pain.
The source of her fear. Her father, Ness Krieger, shook his head like a helpless old man on the brink of death. As if pleading for his life.
Blane’s hands, holding the dagger, trembled. Rubin approached her, watching her hesitation grow longer.
“That’s your fear.”
Then Rubin put his hand over Blaine’s, so that she could hold the dagger more tightly.
“You kill the fear inside you.”
Finally, Rubin met Blaine’s eyes and stepped back.
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‘Kill the fear… … .’
The wind blew.
Blane felt the pain coming back every time the wind touched his burnt area.
She knew that she had to kill her fear here and now to become stronger.
Ugh… Ugh…
Blane leaned towards Ness Krieger, who began to howl even more desperately. The trembling of his dagger-holding arm gradually subsided as he approached Ness Krieger’s face.
Sigh.
Kkeuuuuuuuu!
As tears began to fall down Blaine’s face, the viscous Ness Krieger also stopped moving.
Rubin, looking at the sight, let out a sigh of relief and smiled.
Whoosh.
The background changed again. The four people had already returned to the black pond. A thick silence. The first one to break the silence was Kun.
“Damn, it’s so disgusting here.”
Kun had a really fed up look on his face.
“How long have you been running around since you came into this pond?”
“It must have only been a few hours since the exam started.”
Blane, who had begun to calm down, answered. After overcoming his fear, Blane’s mood changed completely. His voice was filled with strength, and he had a new atmosphere.
“What? It’s been a few days.”
“Because this is a dream world where everything is an illusion.”
Blane’s words had another meaning. He could answer like this because he had overcome his fear. He was getting closer to the confidence that was hard to see even before the return.
“The wounds are all healed.”
Hamil looked around at his body and said. The traces of heat he had gained from hanging on the golem’s heated iron body were completely erased. His exhausted stamina was replenished, and his body felt much lighter.
“Now all that’s left are Lord Rubin and Kun’s fears.”
Hamilton was expecting the remaining two to take their turns.
I knew how powerful it was because I had fought it directly in the order it appeared. On the other hand, what about Rubin? How high is he?
‘Maybe even if I join forces with Kun, it might not be possible to deal with Master Rubin.’
Judging by the way he dealt with the dream monsters, he had no choice but to admit that he was far ahead of them.
‘What on earth is the fear of Master Rubin?’
at that time.
A huge object was reflected in the black pond. Soon, a dream spider descended from the air on a spider web.
The dream spider had continued the test without revealing itself since the first time, but this time it seemed like it wanted to come forward and say something.
“There are only two left, but four people survived. Isn’t that surprising?”
The word unexpected also meant something unpleasant. For the test organizer, it was a disgrace to have so many participants survive this long.
Besides, the dream spider wanted to see the selfish and ruthless assassins, not this kind of cooperation.
“The little boy of the Roinen family.”
Since he was a dream spider who had watched everything, he knew who was responsible for the test going differently than he had hoped.
“Rubin Roinen, you say? Kid. Do you think you’ll survive the next time?”
The dream spider moved like a pendulum, repeatedly coming closer and closer to Rubin in a threatening manner, then moving away.
“Will there be a dropout next time?”
Rubin was unmoved. He simply replied curtly.
“If necessary.”
At that short answer, the dream spider stopped moving and the hairs on its body stood up.
“If you need to? It sounds like you can do whatever you want. You’re such a confident kid. It’s annoying.”
That was the end of the small talk.
The dream spider climbed up the web again. The moment it disappeared, a new test began.
Whoosh.
* * *
The Assassin’s Blade masters were standing around, waiting for the next person to drop out.
After the elimination of the Bondog and Stone families, there was quite a bit of time without anyone being eliminated.
Of course, it was only a few minutes. But considering that time in the Black Pond passes ten times slower than in reality, it was an unexpectedly slow pace.
That means we’ve dealt with the dream monsters without any dropouts and are moving on to the next step.
‘Rubin, are you overcoming the test in the most difficult way?’
Coming together to solve a problem is something that has rarely been done in the history of testing.
Sacrificing other participants or dealing with them directly. That was an easier way to escape the dream monster.
But in order for the participants to grow at the same time, it was right to move forward together until the very last moment.
Siren thought that maybe that was what Rubin meant.
“Are you finally eliminated?”
Siren, who had been staring at the thick gray fog, strained her eyes. A new object appeared in her field of vision.
“… … .”
The leader of the Reincroquis family, who was about to stab the dagger into the thread that had arrived, stopped moving.
He gave way to the approaching siren.
“The body is a bit big.”
This time, Siren herself stepped forward. She drew her dagger.
“Well, it looks like two people were eliminated together this time too, just like before. Didn’t you say there were two female contestants left… … .”
The Croquis family spoke lightly, as if they were no longer worried about Kun’s elimination.
Jiiiiiik.
The moment the Siren’s dagger cuts through the thread.
Since it was her dagger, one of the most powerful weapons on the continent, the heads of the families all approached her with their eyes shining.
Those heads of households all exclaimed in unison.
“Ugh.”
“Wow, that’s unexpected.”
“I thought I would survive until the very end.”
The heads of the household looked at the face of the Croquis family leader as they spoke one by one.
At this moment, the Croquis family did not hide their displeasure. Their faces were distorted with a fierce expression as they looked down at the thread.
There was Kun Crokison, passed out, with his mouth still open.
