Episode 37. The Monster of Dreams (2)
“This can’t be happening… … .”
“I feel like something happened, but I just can’t figure it out.”
“We couldn’t see it. That must mean it was that fast.”
Back on the black pond again.
Hamil and Blaine had no idea what had just happened. They only caught a glimpse of Kun charging and Rubin responding.
After the dull echo of the air began to linger, it was impossible to discern any movement between the two.
‘And that darkness. That was definitely Lord Rubin’s darkness.’
A huge cloud of smoke was released in an instant. It was of a depth and density that could only be seen from the heads of the Assassin’s Blade.
How can such a level of dark operation be possible? He’s the same age as you, only eleven years old.
‘It’s only been two years… How high have you reached?’
There was no time to feel inferior to Rubin, because a new order was already beginning.
The final order of ‘second selection’.
Rubin Roinen’s fears are being unleashed.
Up until now we had been able to overcome this together, but from now on we could no longer do so.
There was now no next stage left, and the goal here would be for everyone to survive alone and become the winner.
Whoosh.
“… … .”
Rubin kept his mouth shut.
The fact that he had to deal with Hamil and Blaine was not even on his mind. Far more important was the identity of the fear that was about to appear.
‘The fear that’s hidden inside me. What could it be?’
At that moment, a person appeared before Rubin’s eyes.
A back view shaded in black.
At first, I couldn’t tell what it was.
The man walked away somewhere with his back turned. His footsteps resonated loudly.
‘Your body isn’t moving?’
It was strange. If it was a dream monster, I was planning on rushing in and killing it, but its body wouldn’t move.
The same goes for Blaine and Hamil. Both of them were restricted in their actions and could only watch the scene before their eyes.
Boom boom boom.
There was a faint noise all around. It was a noise that was split like shrapnel, so I couldn’t make out what it was.
‘That back view… … .’
It looks familiar. I think I’ve seen it before, but it’s not clear.
Rubin lived another 11 years after his return.
Normally, his childhood memories would have faded as he grew up, but for the past 11 years, he has maintained the mentality of an adult.
Ever since I woke up as a newborn, my memories have been vivid. But no matter how hard I tried to recall them, there was no one with a back like that in my past memories.
‘Is this an illusion created by my fears? Or… … .’
It might be a memory from a past life.
As soon as that thought occurred to me, I suddenly felt goosebumps appear all over my body. Sweat started to run down my back.
At the same time.
Whoosh.
In an instant, the colorless background disappeared, and a new background began to fit together like puzzle pieces. Backgrounds began to take their place one by one around the person whose back was visible.
A wall is created.
The floor is created.
Doors and windows appear… … .
The familiar scenery of the Assassin’s Mansion was finally revealed. But there was something strange…
‘Corpses?’
Not one, but hundreds of corpses.
The dead of the fierce battle lay sprawled on the ground, each with their own set of wounds torn and torn.
The armor they wear is all heavy armor. Unless it is a special mission, assassins do not wear heavy armor during battle. It is cumbersome for assassins who move stealthily.
‘That’s how it was supposed to be.’
However, in Rubin’s memory, there was a time when members of the Assassin’s Blade also wore heavy armor like that.
After the Emperor’s declaration of war.
The Assassination Swordsman went into full-scale war, risking the existence of all his vassals and heads of households. It was then that he donned heavy combat uniforms for his first war experience.
‘So, the author is… …?’
The wind blew from Rubin’s front.
The wind passed by the person who had turned away and reached Rubin.
The smell of the wind was cold and pungent. The wind was definitely carrying the smell of blood.
None other than the blood of the members of the Assassin’s Blade.
The smell made Rubin’s memory clearer. The dull ringing in his head finally became clearer as the fragmentary noises that had been lingering around him began to fade away.
Someone’s last words.
The sound of a knife cutting through flesh and bone.
Clash of weapons.
Shells and spells rain down on the mansion.
The cries of the Grandbirds, the empire that ruled the sky.
The strength left his legs. But Rubin held on. Without losing consciousness, he continued to watch the person in front of him.
To win this exam? No, I can’t stand this pressure for such a trivial reason.
Rubin was looking beyond, into the distance. He had to. Otherwise, this life would be meaningless.
“… … .”
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A gust of wind blew, shaking the man’s cloak. The cloak flapped, revealing the man’s silver armor.
The most powerful armor in the world. A legendary weapon made from the scales of a white dragon. The emperor’s symbol is clearly engraved on it.
The Emperor bowed down. Someone had fallen beneath him. A man whose breath was fading, trampled by the Emperor’s feet.
“Is this… Seren’s… child?”
The Emperor’s words were not heard clearly because of the surrounding noise. So Blane and Hamil did not understand the situation in the battlefield. They had no idea who the armored man was or what he was saying.
But Rubin remembered everything.
‘Are you the son of a siren?’
‘Khuuuuk.’
Blood flowed out of his mouth. He had received too many sword strikes. The direct hit followed by the magic attack was also rapidly stopping his heart.
“I don’t think he’s in a state to have a conversation. It’s a shame that he’s not as good as his mother. But he’s still my nephew.”
The Emperor stretched out his hand to the side. Then one of the guards standing beside the Emperor took the Emperor’s sword.
The Emperor’s Sword. This is also a legendary weapon that is rare on the continent. For a moment, the sword glowed in the sunlight.
The Emperor placed the tip of his sword against the young Rubin. He deliberately and very slowly intended to thrust the sword into him.
So that Rubin can approach death very slowly before returning.
“It’s a good thing I got it out now.”
The sword dug into my flesh and slowly embedded itself.
Very slowly. At the same time, deep enough that the sword’s handle touched Rubin’s chest.
On Rubin’s back, a blade is revealed, poking through his skin. The blade, which was white when he entered, is now soaked in dark red.
At that very moment.
The sunlight disappeared. The surrounding noise stopped, and the background disappeared again. A completely colorless world. In the middle of it all, only the emperor remained.
The Emperor, holding the sword, turns around. He turns around and looks at the last three remaining contestants. Rubin opened his mouth with difficulty to greet him.
“Tell… Mah.”
The Emperor’s gaze turned directly to Rubin. As his actions became free of constraints and his voice came out, Rubin pronounced the Emperor’s name again.
“Telmach.”
The Emperor’s face was completely hidden by a golden mask. Rubin could never forget the eyes that shone through the mask.
Thud thud.
Telmah moved his stopped foot.
I just took a few steps like that… … .
thud.
Blane collapsed limply. His eyes were wide open and had no pupils. He was dead.
“… Blane!”
Thud thud.
And then a few more steps. The life in Hamil’s eyes, which had been screaming in surprise, quickly disappeared.
thud!
Now there’s only one left: Rubin Roinen.
In a pure white, colorless space, Rubin faced the Emperor. This was already the second time they had this private meeting.
The Emperor walked up and stood before him. Behind the golden mask, his hazy eyes were clearly visible. The two hateful eyes of the one who had annihilated Rubin and everyone else!
‘… I’ll kill you!’
In an instant, Rubin released all the darkness he had been holding onto. The darkness of this life, plus the darkness of his past life that he could not control. Everything.
Drumroll.
Rubin’s body shook violently. His chest was shaken by violent vibrations.
Even though a dark and violent storm was raging before his eyes, Telmah’s eyes behind the golden mask were as calm as a calm sea.
In that moment, Rubin realized. This was not a dream monster. If it was a dream monster, it had to be transformed and distorted in some way.
But the person who was mocking him in front of his eyes was the real Emperor Telmah, the one who had driven Rubin to death.
“It’s been a while, son of Siren.”
Rubin suppressed his anger.
The crumbling Assassination Sword House came to mind vividly. My mother’s death and the ruined mansion came to mind.
Fury boiled over, but it didn’t explode.
“Long time no see? That can’t be. We just met today.”
Through regression, Rubin Roinen was reborn.
“… … .”
Rubin put the dagger he was holding back into its scabbard. There was a click.
“Save the ‘long time no see’ for later, Telmah. Next time I will come to see you.”
And then, my sword will pierce your heart.
Suddenly, Telmah’s cloak fluttered. The wind had changed direction, and it blew from behind Rubin and hit Telmah.
The Emperor laughed briefly, in a very low voice. And… that was the end. His body was torn to pieces by the wind and eventually turned to ash.
Phew. Phew.
Even as it disappeared, Telmah’s yellow eyes remained and maintained their substance until the very end. They glared at Rubin until they were about to break into pieces and turn to ash.
“ha…….”
With Telmach gone, Rubin, finally free from the pressure, slumped down on his seat.
“Is it over now?”
The background changed back to a black pond. Rubin dipped both his hands into the black pond and shook them slowly.
Two hands shaking slightly.
The feel of rippling water.
It was no longer a dream world created by spiders. The cold and eerie feeling of the pond was transmitted to my whole body. I was back to reality.
Then, a huge body appeared in the black pond, and a dream spider appeared. This time, it was not hanging in the air. For the first time, the dream spider broke free of the web and descended to the ground.
He floated in the pond, his strange eyes gleaming, and came towards Rubin.
“As expected. I thought something was strange.”
“You must have watched the whole thing, right?”
Rubin knew that he could not hide the fact that he had been given a second life from the dream spider.
“What should I say? Dying and then getting a second chance at life!”
“Tell them you’ve returned.”
“Yes, regression! A regressor… … .”
“I think you’re being quite polite now?”
The dream spider’s eyes flashed again.
“There are about ten people on this continent that I find unpleasant. Your mother is one of them, but compared to that… that guy just now, she’s nothing.”
“Emperor Telmach, you are the one who killed me.”
“Yes, that guy! Anyway, you only live twice, kid. I know he killed you… but I have a question. Would you mind telling me?”
“What is it?”
“You know what’s going to happen in the future, right?”
“Yeah. To some extent.”
“Then, by any chance, will I also… be killed by that guy?”
Rubin chuckled.
Of course, you must be curious. Even if the dream spider is close to a god, it cannot know the future.
Now that you’ve seen the ruins of the Roinen Mansion, the home of the Assassin’s Blade, you must be worried about your own fate.
Instead of answering, Rubin sat up. The test was over. It was time to leave the pond and go into the forest.
“W-Wait a minute! Am I going to die to that guy too?”
The dream spider was serious. It urged Rubin on, its hairs sharply bristling. But Rubin just shrugged.
“Thelmach wanted to erase everything about the Assassin Roinen. All the other Assassins, and even Roinen’s habitat, from here to the Black Forest.”
“What, what did you say…? This won’t do! I have to kill Telmah right now!”
Rubin shook his head. That was already impossible.
“The Emperor has already surpassed your abilities. Neither negotiation nor threats will work.”
“Then what are you! What are you doing now!”
“Revenge. I will avenge my death and destroy the empire he built.”
Rubin added.
“So I’m building up my strength right now. I don’t think there’ll be a second regression.”
“Is it even possible? Your plan.”
The dream spider’s eyes were filled with confusion and fear. Rubin walked over to them and looked at himself reflected in the large eyes.
“Of course. There are opportunities that have never existed before, stages that have never been reached before, and even colleagues that did not survive before.”
Because this time you can have it all.
“Dream Spider, if I ever need your help, I’ll stop by for a bit. But until then, don’t tell anyone that I’m a regressor. Not even my mother. If you disobey… … .”
“then?”
Rubin stepped out of the black pond. He left the pond and walked slowly along the path leading out of the forest.
“You will die by the hands of the Emperor. You will tremble in fear, not knowing when that will be.”
“… … !”
Thud thud.
Behind Rubin, a dream spider dipped deep into the pond, splashing water droplets as if trying to cool down its anxiety.
