[3...2...1... Welcome back, Dreamer]
I felt a strange sensation in my body—an odd emptiness in my stomach and an unimaginable dizziness.
It felt like I was falling.
I opened my eyes and, indeed, I was falling.
"AAAHHHHH!" I screamed in panic. And honestly, who wouldn't in a situation like this?
Two minutes passed and I was still falling, so the panic gradually started to fade.
I looked down and saw nothing but fluffy pink and white clouds.
I turned to look around—and to my left was Nekos.
Nekos? NEKOS!
I felt uncontrollable rage rise through me. My blood was boiling.
"Nekos! You absolute idiot!" I swung my arm to hit the cat.
He dodged easily and gave me that annoying smile of his.
"Oh, hey Rashed. Why so aggressive?" he said with such calm that I was stunned for a moment.
Then I remembered we were still falling and this idiot next to me hadn't said a word.
I frowned. I was still angry but tried to keep my cool.
"Nekos, why didn't you say anything?"
My voice was calm, but the vein throbbing on my forehead said otherwise.
"Sorry, I didn't think it was important. I mean, it's not like your life is worth that much, right?"
I had forgotten how sarcastic this guy was.
"Tell me something. Are you going to be this friendly every time we meet?"
My usual indifferent tone was on point.
"Pfft. Please… I can be much worse."
The clouds below us cleared completely.
The scenery of this dream—at least from up here—looked like some sort of bizarre forest.
"Nekos, am I going to die today?" I asked, my voice trembling as the ground got closer.
"Don't worry. Even if it would be a relief for the world, you're not dying today."
"At least you can float. When I find a puddle, I swear I'll drown you in it."
SPLAAAASH!
[You lost 15 HP]
My clothes were soaked, and the water crept into the deepest, most sacred parts of me.
My whole body ached—like belly-flopping into a pool from ten stories up.
"Ouch! Everything hurts!"
"Ahahaha, are you okay, Rashed?" Nekos mocked from above, floating comfortably.
I raised my hand.
When I felt his paw touch it, I grabbed tight and hurled him into the puddle too.
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?! Are you crazy?!"
His mockery turned to rage instantly.
But I felt deep satisfaction. I kept my promise. He totally deserved it.
I lifted my face from the mud and tried to stand.
It was tough—the mud was thick and heavy. Looked like we were in a swamp.
I trudged through the muck, reached Nekos, grabbed him by the waist, and pulled him out.
"You deserved it," I said, imitating his annoying smile.
He didn't answer. He just turned his face away with disdain.
[Welcome to the Realm of Amphibians]
Around the swamp were giant trees with massive branches.
I couldn't see much from where we were, so I told Nekos we should find a higher spot to dry off.
I was still mad… but I guess we were even now. Maybe.
We walked for about fifteen minutes until we reached the swamp's edge.
We climbed up some vines and reached a large branch.
We took off our clothes and laid them out to dry.
I opened my grimoire. In the top-left corner of the page, a mail icon caught my attention.
I tapped it. The message read:
[Would you like to learn the recipe: Basic Health Potion?]
Oh, right! That was the reward from completing Hammer's event.
I nodded.
Weird images flooded my mind at insane speed.
[Congratulations! You've learned to craft: Basic Health Potion]
Excited about my new skill, I pulled out all my tools from the bag:
the rune stove, the cauldron, the mortar, and the grinder.
I also pulled out seven vials of water, the leftover seven sigh daisies, and seven panaceas.
Since I had matching amounts, I could only make seven potions—but that was decent for a first try.
I lit the rune stove. The inscriptions on it began to glow.
Then I placed the cauldron on top.
After a few minutes, it started to heat up.
I poured in the water.
Thankfully, it didn't need purification, and I could reuse the vials later.
I placed the panacea and daisies into the mortar and crushed the leaves until I had a green paste.
Then I added it to the boiling water.
A notification appeared.
[Preparation time: 5 minutes.]
[Would you like to use the skill "Accelerate Aging"?]
I wasn't in a hurry, so I let it cook on its own.
I walked back to where Nekos was.
"Still mad?"
He was licking himself, but stopped when he heard me.
He looked at me and smiled.
"It was fun, don't you think?"
We stayed silent for a few seconds… and then burst into laughter.
Maybe traveling with Nekos wouldn't be so bad.
He went back to grooming himself while I checked the cauldron.
"Mmm… it's done," I smiled. Despite everything, my first creation wasn't bad at all.
I took the vials and began pouring the mixture into them.
[You obtained: Basic Health Potion x7]
[Now restores up to 10 HP]
I stored everything back in my bag.
Since it was just me and Nekos, we were planning to wait for our clothes to dry before venturing deeper into the swamp.
I walked toward him.
Then I noticed his ear twitch.
He raised his head toward the vines that formed a wall nearby.
(He was cleaning his ahem private area.)
The vines parted like curtains—and four somewhat familiar figures stepped out.
Nekos and I were completely naked.
The moment they appeared, the visitors' faces mirrored our own: surprise and confusion.
They were other Dreamers.
I saw the guy who gave me the towel back in the Blue Room.
He was carrying a blindfolded girl on his back.
Another was a towering man with a massive suit of armor and two axes strapped to his back.
But the one who stood out the most…
The girl in the fancy pajamas.
Now she wore a crimson dress with black lines, walking toward me with fierce determination.
SLAP!
CRACK!
She slapped me across the face, but the pain was nothing compared to the blow she delivered to my you know where.
Nekos and the two other guys flinched in unison.
My mind went blank.
I collapsed to the ground.
"You pervert! Do you walk around naked everywhere? Don't you have any shame?!"
Her voice was full of righteous fury.
I couldn't help but let a tear fall.
The pain was unbearable.
What sin had I committed to be treated like this by the world?