This time there was no darkness, there was no interval where he could rest his cracked mind, from one moment to the next he simply… woke up.
"AHHHHHHHHH!"
No, it would be more correct to say that he jumped out of bed in a state of complete panic. He looked down expecting the sight of an emaciated and riddled body, however, his body was in pristine condition.
Not a mark, not a blood stain. The sweat dripping from his forehead was the only liquid emanating from his body, with this sight, he tried to calm his agitated being.
He breathed in and out, trying to relax, but the memory of his death persisted in his mind like a cockroach, reminding him of the insurmountable pain he had felt.
He looked around at his surroundings still asleep and carefully sat down on the bed, still processing what had happened in that reality.
The memory was still vivid in his mind, the endless pain of those fragments penetrating his body endlessly, the feeling of every fiber of his being being destroyed by that sharp material while blood flew everywhere grotesquely, everything seemed so real.
"...And it is."
He had come to that conclusion, it was impossible for a dream to replicate that level of pain in such a horrifying way as he had felt, which in turn left him with an unresolved question.
"... If… If I really died, how am I still alive?"
It was strange, everything related to that realm was shrouded in a dense layer of mystery, first of all, why had he decided to throw himself into an endless abyss? It was impossible for anyone sane to make that decision.
'...Maybe that's the answer.' — He couldn't deny it, he had had a lapse in judgment serious enough to throw his life away, it was clear that something had to have happened to him.
He reviewed all his actions since he entered that dream, each one of them had been done with the utmost care, or at least, that's how Arthur saw it.
"...Shit, if only I could talk to those flowers…"
The whitish color of the beautiful flowers appeared again in his head, their shape, color and aroma were something alien to this world, perhaps that's why he thought of that place as a different reality.
'So that's it, huh?'
Those words were nothing more than a test, having intuited that the reason why his consciousness was suddenly interrupted was by nothing more than the flowers of that place, despite their dull appearance and their color almost symbolizing their poor condition, the flowers were alive.
More than alive.
Having deciphered the cause of everything, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief at his victory. Knowing that he managed to identify the cause of everything that had happened filled him with immeasurable happiness, strangely.
"Well… Now…"
Now that he had figured out how, he had to think about why. And considering the amount of information he had regarding it, it was infinitely more complicated.
"How could it be that I was revived? Perhaps it was a dream… no, maybe a place with similar properties, otherwise it would be impossible for me to have died and returned to life."
But even if he wanted to come to a conclusion at that moment, he lacked any kind of vital information. That place still escaped his limited understanding, he could only continue forward and pray that it would be explained by the spell.
'Speaking of the spell… why haven't I been infected yet?'
He knew the symptoms thanks to having read the main chapter, but he still didn't feel the noticeable fatigue nor did he find himself more sleepy than usual.
'Maybe it's because I'm already overage?'
That thought crossed his mind but he quickly denied it, what being would be so evil to bring him to that world and not give him the chance to grow stronger?
"No one would want to watch a novel about an ordinary guy in a world of super humans."
He let out a small chuckle at her words, it was clear that it wouldn't be a big problem for him, as long as Sunny existed, he just needed to stay by his side and be useful to him to survive. And who knows, maybe the way home would be revealed when the story was completed.
He slowly got up from his bed and changed into something more comfortable, pants along with a t-shirt and slippers. Why does an abandoned house have slippers? Ask the previous owner.
'Again, thank you stranger.'
The sun illuminated the lower area of the house, the completely abandoned but surprisingly clean space welcomed him to what would now be his home.
His gaze wandered around the living room, the desk next to the computer until finally stopping in the kitchen, a place where there was nothing special or interesting.
'...Maybe I can…'
What if that reality wasn't the only place where he could revive?
His hand trembled, but his gaze remained glued to the kitchen knife. The steel shone reflecting the sunlight while a diffuse part of his reflection looked at him, the extended hand hesitated while his eyes... His eyes reflected something inhuman.
He was afraid, would he become that figure the moment he ended his life? Those eyes that shone with a lunar glow similar to death had been accustomed to dying, they reflected a non-existent fear of death.
He hesitated, perhaps it was better. In this world where death lurks around every corner, not fearing it could be an advantage he never thought he could have, he would be able to do more dangerous things and achieve perfect results by trying again and again.
It was true, it would be impossible to live in such a world while being a coward, that wasn't an option, he had to aspire to something greater.
'But this is not the way.'
He took the handle of the knife and put it away, but not before observing his reflection completely. In that cold reflective steel his eyes did not seem alien, they were the shy almond-shaped eyes he had always had, unstained by the lunar touch of death.
"I will survive… No, I will live this life as a human, I will see it through to the end and I will do it all my way."
A little embarrassed by his foolish words, he let out a sigh of relief as he began to walk towards the computer, trying to find even the smallest detail of this infamous "First Nightmare."
Not knowing that the infection was already ending.
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The day was almost over, and Arthur had absorbed as much information as he could find, tips, general information, how to survive, everything that someone could learn in just 24 hours.
"…I feel like my head is going to explode…"
He groaned in pain, even though it was nowhere near the same as the one he had suffered not long ago, it still managed to bother him enough to stop him from reading any further.
Perhaps it is a message from fate to stop sitting in front of the computer. But since his life depended on every bit of information he could find, he forced his mind to focus on the words in front of him.
❝…Some believe that nightmares draw from deep within the person's psyche and the realm of dreams, searching for a scene where the individual can fit in…❞
"Huh?"
He wanted to read more, but his mind gave up the next moment, his vision began to fail showing him how those stationary letters began to move across the screen, forming words never seen before.
No, he had seen them, his eyes were not failing, what was appearing in front of him were the characteristic runes of the spell, but despite his efforts to understand them, those runes continued to be unintelligible.
Something had happened never seen before, no one had mentioned a sudden appearance before even showing signs of being infected, much less to someone who did not even belong to that world.
"What…? The spell…? How…" — Again, he could not finish his sentence, this time he was not deprived of his senses one by one, however sleep came to take him away.
And with it, his direct ticket to his first nightmare had been acquired, all that was left was to pray.
Pray that he would not die.
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He slowly tried to open his eyes, his tired eyelids did not respond at first, but after a while, they managed to get up, giving their owner a glimpse of the new world.
The view was nothing out of the ordinary, he was in a tent worthy of the old military stereotype, without any camouflage stripes in sight, there was only a grayish tapestry that rose a few meters upwards, ending in a small wooden pillar that held the cone-shaped structure together.
He blinked once, moistening his eyes that were sore from the lack of humidity in the environment, inside the tent the humidity remained trapped, but it was still not enough to prevent dryness.
He looked around and noticed various makeshift beds, some had soldiers in chainmail armor on them, while others were empty, but stained with a reddish liquid that would make anyone hesitate to sleep on them.
And at that moment, that was when the smell reached his nose.
Ironclad, only then was he able to describe it before his mind managed to recognize the origin of that smell, it was blood, the crimson liquid that he had already spilled once was now impregnating the room with its sickly smell.
He was about to vomit, but as much as his mind could not help but be disgusted, his body remained still, as if unable to have his stomach turn at such a smell.
He breathed in and out, trying to slowly get used to the smell of blood that soaked the entire area, a task that was more difficult than one would think, but after a few minutes, he managed to regain his calm.
'Well... well, let's review. I am Arthur, I arrived in the world of Shadow slave, I was transported to a strange realm where I died and now I was transported to another where there is a pungent smell of blood. 'I guess that's all?'
However, before he even had the slightest chance to start cursing, a message that brought him back to reality rang out inside him, as if it came from his own mind.
[ 『Intruder』! Welcome to the nightmare spell, prepare for your first challenge… ]
[ First challenge: Survive. ]
'So… that was why this time, huh? But I didn't have the symptoms…' — No, that's secondary, the first thing he must do now is survive the nightmare, if he succeeds, then he will be able to think of the reason.
And to survive, one must first know oneself.
'Status! Or something like that…'
Trying several times to call the runes in very embarrassing ways, he managed to summon those incomprehensible characters, except that this time, the spell's immediate translator came to save his life.
But as much as he wanted to be happy that he had discovered what the command to summon his state was, what was written on it was anything but amusing.
Name: Arthur.
True Name: —
Rank: Aspirant.
Soul Core: Dormant.
Memories: —
Echoes: —
Attributes: [Soul Conduit] [Beyond death] [Stranger] [Adaptive] [Powerful Strike]
Aspect: [ —『Intr—ud—er. 』— ]
Aspect Description: [An intruder, someone who should not have set foot on earth. Your existence is a mistake, a failure that must be exterminated. But you have been given a chance.]
'That doesn't explain anything! And how am I an intruder?! 'I never wanted to come here in the first place.'
He tried to hit the floating runes without any success, but still his attempts to damage the panel in front of him did not stop, the anger he felt for being called a mistake that deserved to be killed was not something easy to alleviate.
After a few long and embarrassing moments of fighting with the air, Arthur let out a sigh and refocused all his attention on the characters translated by the spell, despite having insulted him in his mind for his harsh words, he still needed him to survive.
And, considering that his appearance was not going to be of much help, he tried to redirect his hopes towards his attributes in search of something that could save him from any danger, an ace up his sleeve.
[Soul Conduit] Attribute description: "The soul, a powerful relic of the world you come from, has been used to anchor a distant plane with the current one, thus allowing your soul to return to the 『Dream』 when you die.]
'I see, so that was the reason why that strange reality existed, it is anchored to my soul…'
He shook his head, that information would only distract him, it was better to concentrate on the rest of the attributes in search of a reliable escape.
[Beyond death] Attribute description: "You have died, however, it has not been permanent, your soul and body have suffered a scar that will accompany you forever reminding you that, for you, there is something beyond death."
[Stranger] Attribute Description: "Your presence is an anomaly that alters reality, alien to any laws, however, you choose to obey them, slowly assimilating yourself. The more you learn about the world, the closer you will be to it."
[Adaptative] Attribute Description: "Humanity has always been able to survive thanks to its intelligence and cunning, you raise that characteristic to another level."
[Powerful Strike] Attribute Description: "Your technique has surpassed the human, your cut slash through steel and flesh like paper, but be careful, the recoil would be able to leave you exposed as soon as you finish."
'Well…'
It's not so bad, he could use the last one as a desperate resource or try to take advantage and adapt as much as he can in combat. His attributes are not as bad as Arthur expected.
'But what's with all that obsession with the intruder?'
His doubt was acceptable, after all, not only was his Aspect rooted in his condition of "transmigrated", but 3 of his attributes were linked to this concept. It seemed as if the spell was reminding him that no matter how much he wanted to run away, the fact was that he would never belong there.
"...What a bastard."
He shook his head and quickly stood up, admiring his body and clothing that resembled that of a mercenary in the Middle Ages, armed with a bastard sword and a small dagger hanging from his waist.
It took him a while to understand why he was dressed that way, but when he heard a shouting voice approaching the store in a hurry, he understood the nature of his clothing.
"Everyone get up! Here they come!"
The man who had stormed into the armed soldiers without any fear seemed strangely elated, as if his opponents were not humans, but some beasts beyond any kind of understanding.
He sighted at the young man's terrified face, stretching slowly as he watched the beads of sweat fall down his forehead.
"What are you doing?! Hurry up!"
Finishing stretching, Arthur stared at the man's armor, despite looking literally shiny as if it were covered in gold, the glow was hidden under a thin layer of what seemed to be sand, however, it was clear that it would be able to withstand a good beating without twisting his hand.
He took a step forward and left the tent, aiming to observe the enemy from the direction where the young man had run up to.
And when he saw what stood before him, he finally understood the urgency of the call.
His enemy was not human, it could not have been further from the truth.
They were monsters.
Monsters with a colossal body, with a mouth that extended to the lowest part of their torso. With their ribs transformed into sharp fangs, forming a cavernous jaw that could swallow prey whole. Their skin was an amalgam of scales and rotting flesh, covered in scars and suppurating sores. Their eyes, small and sunken, shone with a maddened lust for human blood.
And those horrible, endless monsters were approaching him, aiming to devour the entire camp where he was.