The Dreamer's POV

75

[00 Months: 04 Days: 05 Hours]

"<Shop>"

As the adrenaline of the battle still pulsed through my veins, I gazed down at the defeated trio.

Nathan, and his other lackeys who so nicely asked me about Lucy Fer, now lay at my feet, their arrogance replaced with humbled expressions.

It was time to uncover the truth, to unravel the motives behind their actions.

I swiftly used some Currency to purchase a Skill that would allow me to extract the information I wanted with ease.

'This will make it more difficult to purchase what I am planning to obtain, but...'

When I thought of the long run, this Skill could end up being very useful.

'It's a good investment.' My thoughts finally arrived at a conclusion.

The name of the Skill was <Truthful Glare>, and it allowed me to extract information from my target as long as I maintained eye contact with them.

'It takes up 1 Energy per Minute, so it's quite a cheap Skill to use.'

Of course, the target had to be currently weaker than I was, and they had to maintain eye contact with me for at least three seconds for the Skill to activate.

Since Nathan and co were currently immobile, and were at my mercy, the conditions were perfect for me.

'Alright, then... let's begin.'

Activating the <Truthful Glare> Skill, I focused my energy on their weakened minds, seeking to extract the information I needed.

Their eyes glazed over, and a serene calm settled upon their faces as they fell under my control.

A strange sensation washed over me, as if I was delving into their memories, seeking the truth buried within their minds.

Unintelligible images and fragments of conversations flooded my consciousness, though I couldn't make out anything from them.

"Well, it looks like the the Skill has been activated." I murmured as I watched all three of them state at me like broken dolls.

"Now then, time to ask a few questions."

********

[A Short While Later]

"I see..."

After questioning the three—specifically Nathan—for a while, I found out a few things about them.

They were indeed the ones who had sent the monsters to terrorize the town, and their actions driven by the mission of smoking me out in order to locate Lucy Fer.

It seemed they believed, or at least suspected that I held the key to reaching her.

Everything started from their observations at the Dungeon Of Stone. They found my trail, and everything led to me.

'The Skills that others possess are really dangerous.' I found myself thinking.

They had been on my trail for some time now, and I had been blissfully unaware.

'More importantly, they didn't seem to care about the casualties they would have caused when they sent the monsters to the village.'

When I asked them why they would do something so reckless despite the consequences, their responses shocked me.

"Why do we need to care about mere NPCs?"

Disgust coiled within me the moment I heard their justification.

Of course, even I knew the meaning of NPCs. Non playable characters. They were basically calling the natives of these worlds nothing more than background characters in a game.

'Have they even interacted with them? Have they spoken to them? Eaten with them? Shared a night with them?'

The people of this world were as real as the people in the real world.

And so far, it seemed to me that they were even more moral

'These idiots...' My thoughts echoed with sheer annoyance at their actions, but I pushed the rising anger aside, focusing on the task at hand.

'Who is in charge here?'

I had to uncover the identity of their organization, the names of their leaders. This knowledge was crucial to understanding the extent of their influence and preventing further harm.

'I'm clearly not going to get along with these people. I should get as much information from them as I can before—"

But before I could glean this critical Intel, however, a portal suddenly materialized before me.

~VWUUMM~

'Huh? What's that?' My eyes narrowed as I carefully gazed at the warping space that coiled a few meters from my position.

It was as if reality itself rippled, and a man in his thirties emerged from within the gleaming purple rift, his dangerous eyes and clean-cut beard exuding a sense of authority and power.

"I think that's enough." The man said, his voice laced with an air of command. "I'll be taking my subordinates now."

His arrival sent a surge of caution through me.

Who was this man, and what was his connection to the defeated trio?

'Subordinates, huh? So he's their leader? But is he the main leader of their group, or just the superior of these three?'

My grip on their minds weakened as his presence seemed to disrupt my control.

Find your next adventure on m_v l|e-NovelFire

The <Truthful Glare> Skill deactivated, and Nathan and co snapped back to reality.

"H-huh, what's happeni—"

With swift, precise hits on their necks, I sent them to the realm of unconsciousness before they could even think of gaining their composure.

"Oh?" The man's glare intensified as he curled his lips downward in a frown.

It seemed he wasn't too pleased by my actions.

I returned his glare, my expression defiant.

"And who might you be?" I demanded, my voice resonating with an edge of hostility.

A chilling smile curved his lips, his gaze unwavering as he met my defiant stare.

"I am Lucas," he replied, his voice tinged with a hint of amusement. "And these are my subordinates. I merely told them to observe you, but it seems they went a bit too far."

He began to walk closer to me.

My instincts warned me of danger, urging caution as I assessed the situation.

Lucas emanated an aura of power and authority, an aura that demanded respect and commanded obedience.

'I don't plan on stepping back so easily, though...'

"So? Are you here to apologize on their behalf?"

"What?" His eyes twitched as he raised one of his brows.

"You didn't hear me clearly? Your subordinates clearly inconvenienced me. Plus, they were stalking me on your orders. Surely you didn't think you'd just ask for them back and I would comply."

"Haha... you're quite a brave young man." He smiled, shaking his head a little. "Or maybe you're just stupid."

"Maybe. Maybe not. It doesn't excuse your behavior. If you want your subordinates back, you'll have to start with an apology at the very least."

I knew I was sounding conceited, but I was simply buying time for myself.

'My Energy Level is at rock bottom. I need to charge it up, at the very least.'

"Keke... kekekeke... kuahahahaahahaha!" The man called Lucas laughed like a.maniac for some reason.

The echoes of his laughter even sounded more deranged than Nathan.

I could now see where the subordinate learned to sound like that.

"It seems you're misunderstanding something, kid." He grinned widely.

"Oh? And what's that?"

"I'm not merely here to take my subordinates. I'm here to take you in as well."

'Oh? Then he's most likely not the ultimate head, after all. But what kind of person is he?'

I would have used <All Seeing Eyes>, but I desperately needed to charge my Energy Level at the moment.

"You've gone too far, after all. The Alliance isn't something you mess with."

"Even if you guys messed with me first?"

"Precisely." He added, his eyes narrowing with dark determination.

"Haaa... I see."

I was wondering what was going on, but I had a rough idea about everything now.

Especially after hearing that word: "The Alliance."

"You're being led by a Ranker, aren't you? You probably have more than one Ranker in your ranks. Maybe two more apart from the leader..."

"It seems you know a lot about us. All the more reason why I can't let you go now..." Lucas' eyes gleamed brightly.

The Alliance was something I couldn't forget. Not even in my dreams.

'As the name implies, it's an organization that consists of the Earthlings that arrived in Mage'Earth.'

I must have remembered it after all this time despite forgetting most details because it was an easy name to remember.

'But there's something wrong. Is The Alliance meant to exist now? No... I don't think so...'

After all, in my dreams, it was formed by none other than me.

'I created The Alliance so we could all band together.'

My most recent memory of everything was that dream I had of the 98th Floor of Eternal Frost.

Everyone in The Alliance had perished then, leaving only me who fought the Floor Boss.

'I remember I promised them. I promised everyone I would win...'

And then after losing, everything was blank. That was the last dream I had.

'So how can the Alliance exist now?'

It didn't make any sense to me.

"I should warn you before we begin fighting..." Lucas' voice interrupted my thoughts, causing me to look up at him.

His body was currently covered in purple energy, and he seemed to be shrouded in malevolence.

A shiver ran down my spine, a warning of the dangers that lay ahead.

As Lucas and I locked gazes, the air crackled with tension.

"... I am a Ranker."

'What?!' My thoughts echoed as I watched him with widened eyes.

How was this possible? The Leaderboards clearly showed the name of all the Rankers, and Lucas wasn't in the list.

'U-unless...!'

The Rankings had changed somehow!

I could only think of two ways. One was the possibility that a Ranker fell off and was replaced by Lucas due to his achievements.

But the second possibility reared its ugly head in my mind.

'A Ranker was killed, and Lucas took their place.'

An organization that didn't care for the natives of this world, that currently sought Lucy Fer, and now hunted me... such a group wouldn't mind killing a Ranker that didn't side with them.

Rather, that would prefer having more Rankers under their control.

"And now that we've got the pleasantries out of the way... die!"

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[A/N]

Well, well, well, things just got complicated, didn't they?

Thanks for reading.

Cheers!