The monster clearly didn't care about my exclamation; all I got in response was an eerie cry before another arm swung straight for my face. This time, I barely dodged it and slashed down with the sword. Surprisingly, it felt easy to wield, even though I'd never used one before. I chalked it up to lucid dream logic.
Unfortunately, the sword barely left a scratch on the thing's arm. Worse, it seemed to enrage it further—its noises became louder and even more unsettling.
Realizing I couldn't take it down like this as I had already assumed would be the case earlier, my mind raced to find an escape. I needed to get to safety, summon something stronger, and come back to fight. My eyes darted between the broken window and the door, both risky options in their own ways.
The door might be locked, or worse, lead to another one of these monsters. If that happened, I'd be trapped between them. The window was no better—I was clearly high up, and the fall would probably kill me. Even if it didn't, who knew what kind of horrors waited outside?
"Fuck it," I spat and dashed toward the window. The monster swung an arm, one that would've crushed me against the wall should it have landed, but I slid under the attack. Pain shot through my legs and hands as I skidded over the glass shards, but I made it to the window.
Peering outside, I caught a glimpse of a stunning cityscape—before the monster closed in behind me. Without another thought, I discarded the sword and jumped.
Parachute. I need a parachute.
I fell fast, the street below rushing closer with terrifying speed. Just when it seemed like I was done for, a parachute materialized. It slammed into me mid-air, and I scrambled to put it on. My hands worked faster than I'd thought possible, and I managed to pull the cord just in time.
Relief washed over me as the chute opened, slowing my descent. I drifted toward a nearby rooftop, but before I could fully relax, I heard it again.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" I shouted in frustration, trying to glance up. The parachute blocked my view, but I didn't need to see it to know the monster was coming after me.
I landed hard on the rooftop, rolling to absorb the impact. As I scrambled to my feet, I will for and materialized something quite useful before me: a damned rocket launcher.
Grabbing it without hesitation, I turned just as the parachute fell away, revealing the monster diving toward me.
"Eat this, you freak of everything that's unnatural!" I yelled, aiming and firing.
The RPG roared to life, kicking back hard against my shoulder as the rocket streaked toward the monster. It struck dead-on, exploding in a blast of heat and force.
Bits of charred flesh and a shower of green liquid rained down on the rooftop. Gasping, I dropped onto my back, staring up at the clear blue sky.
"Man… what the hell," I muttered. "If there's more of whatever that abomination was…"
As if on cue, a deafening roar echoed across the city, shaking the rooftop beneath me.
"Seriously!?" I groaned, exasperated. This lucid dream was nothing like I'd hoped for.
The stinging pain in my hands and legs snapped me back to the present. I inspected my hands—skin torn from the glass shards, blood covering them entirely.
"I thought you couldn't feel pain in dreams," I muttered, trying to will the wounds away. Nothing happened.
"So, I can create weapons and parachutes, but I can't heal myself? Great logic."
An idea hit me. I'd been playing a game recently, one that had healing potions. Maybe...
I focused on materializing a potion, and to my relief, it worked. Grinning, I grabbed the bottle and downed it in one go.
"Ugh! That's disgusting!" I gagged, coughing at the bitter taste. Still, the potion worked almost instantly. My body warmed slightly, especially around the injured areas, and within moments, the pain was gone.
"Figures," I muttered. "I can't heal myself directly, but a game potion does the trick. Makes so~ much sense."
After resting for a bit, I stood up and surveyed my surroundings. I needed to find proper shelter and set up a base—no telling how long this dream would last. It might be obvious by now, but I seriously didn't want to wake up from this dream, as horrid as it had been so far.
Well then, one thing was certain: I wasn't eager to face another monster without being better prepared. So, I needed to get moving.
I walked to the edge of the rooftop and peered down. "Should I use another parachute to reach the ground, or should I take the stairs?"
The city below seemed eerily calm. No monsters in sight, which was a small comfort, but I couldn't ignore the memory of that loud roar. It didn't help that there were no signs of movement from humans. No cars to be seen except those parked. No pedestrians. Ghost town? More like ghost city...
"Well, the point of a lucid dream is to mess around anyway," I said with a shrug, summoning another parachute.
And with that, I jumped.