Chapter ss13: Side Story 13 - Dream in a Dream (13)

A rugged mountain range surrounded the lake that Xtra mentioned. The scenery perfectly suited Central Asia where the environment constantly changed.

The English Royal Court set up camp near the lake. They used the towering trees above as a canopy and the soft grass underneath as a cushion. Their camp turned out quite comfortable.

"Isn't this something like being in bed with your enemy? We have to catch Xtra after the general assembly, right?"

"It's still murder no matter how bad the person is. A mercenary doesn't have the right to enforce the law."

Marcus and the other guild members whispered. Their conversation caught Rachel's attention, but she pretended not to hear.

She didn't have the luxury to think about anything else when every second counted. Currently, she practiced communicating with her spirits while sitting in a lotus position behind the trees. However, she decided to abandon her attempts after their conversation from a distance away broke her concentration.

"Haaa..."

It would be difficult unless she recovered from her mana exhaustion. She felt frustrated since she couldn't even perform the most basic step of circulating her mana. The flow had been blocked for some reason.

Rachel sulked while sitting on the ground. She opened and closed her fist a few times.

"Vice Leader?"

Fermin called out while looking at the license details on her smartwatch.

"What do you think this license is for?"

She asked Rachel.

[General Assembly License] [▶ Name: Fermin Kirby] [▶ Contribution Rank: D+] [▶ Affiliation: English Royal Court] [▶ Type: Healer] [▶ Relationship: N/A]

[*This license is required to enter the general assembly. The holder of this license may use the facilities under their affiliation. *You are affiliated with the English Royal Court.]

She knew they required it to enter the general assembly, but couldn't make heads or tails of the other details.

Seems like it has some other uses since it allows us to access some sort of facilities.

"Who knows... For now—"

"Ack!"

"Kyak!"

Fermin screamed and Rachel jumped in surprise.

"Look... Look at this, Vice Leader!" Fermin exclaimed while holding a card.

Rachel tilted her head at the card that suddenly appeared.

"It came out of my smartwatch!" Fermin exclaimed while getting all worked up.

"What? How did you do that?"

"Here, it says [Convert to real object]. Try pressing it."

"Oh..."

A stick flew out of nowhere and struck Rachel's waist.

"What! Is it an ambush?"

Fermin instantly jumped and prepared her mana.

However, Rachel stopped her since she knew who shot this stick.

Xtra's voice came through the communication crystal.

— I made it from various herbs. It's stronger than a potion since I haven't filtered it, but there's nothing better than that to help you recover.

A vial had been tied to the end of the stick.

The guild members gathered around after hearing the commotion. They all looked at the vial with a green liquid.

"Thank you."

Rachel replied before cutting off their communication.

The guild members stared at her with faces that seemed to say: Is this what they call pouring out one's heart? Where the hell did he find these medicinal herbs? Our Vice Leader sure has the moves.

Rachel had no idea what they would say, so she decided to remain silent.

"I'll head back first. I hope all of you rest well."

She ran away to her tent with the vial.

Rachel immediately zipped up her tent after entering and inspected the vial. It only contained a few drops that gave off a sinister glow.

"Hoo..."

She couldn't be picky about whether it tasted bitter or sweet. Rachel took a few deep breaths before drinking the entire bottle all at once.

"...!"

It tasted unimaginably horrible and felt like a rotten insect slithered down her throat.

"Ah... Bleu... Bleurgh!"

Rachel squirmed at the horrid taste. She suppressed the desire to throw up and withstood it for five whole minutes until her mind began working again.

— I already told you it would taste bad.

Xtra transmitted another message while Rachel coughed in disgust and downed a glass of water.

— Do you feel better now?

She coughed a few more times before checking her body's condition. The liquid had cleared up her clogged vessels and her mana began circulating like normal again.

Rachel nodded in satisfaction.

"Yes, I feel better now thanks to you."

— Then take out your license.

"My license?"

— Yeah, I'll tell you how to use it.

Rachel took out her license and pressed [Convert to real life object] on her smartwatch like Fermin.

"You mean the [Convert to real life object] part?"

— I see you figured it out already.

"Yes, I just found out."

— Aside from that, the rank and form of your license will change depending on how much contribution you rack up. You can get whatever you want with that card. It doesn't matter as long as you've made enough contributions. On top of that, you'll be able to use the guild's vault to...

Rachel paid special attention and made a mental note of every word Xtra said.

***

[A miraculous field that will grant you any wish and desire!]

[Welcome to the General Assembly!]

[The general assembly meeting will soon begin! Please look forward to entering the field!]

The General Assembly sent a message that sounded like spam mail to their smartwatches. Their smartwatches became the General Assembly's plaything where no electronic devices were supposed to work.

"It must be referring to..." Chae Nayun muttered while looking at her smartwatch.

The words, miraculous field, seemed a bit strange. She felt certain the Miracle Stone's fragment had to be around here.

"Nayun, snap out of it and come over here? Take a look at this."

Yoo Yeonha called her.

Essence of the Strait entered the general assembly and unpacked their luggage in their assigned rooms. The two of them became roommates again after a long time.

"What is it?"

"Look at this."

Yoo Yeonha said while touching the [General Assembly License]. Then a pack of ramen suddenly fell out from the card.

Chae Nayun's eyes widened in surprise. "What was that? How did you do that?"

"It said a reward I wanted would be given based on my contribution. I thought of this and it appeared out of nowhere."

"Okay, but why did you suddenly think of ramen?"

"Huh?"

Yoo Yeonha flinched and began stuttering with a fake laugh.

"I know right? I wonder why. Haha... Ha... I don't know. Anyways, I'm looking forward to what will happen during this general assembly."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and this ramen is... It's really nothing, you know? Maybe I should just throw it away."

"No, just give it to me. I feel like having one after a long time."

"Huh? Ah... Come on. Why would you eat ramen? Do you want to get indigestion? It's alright. I'll throw it away."

"No, I already told you. Don't throw it away. Besides, I'm not as sensitive as I used to be when it comes to food."

"I said it's fine."

Yoo Yeonha hid the ramen in her backpack and wiped her drool before smiling again.

"I should go and prepare for the meeting."

Yoo Yeonha sounded quite awkward.

Chae Nayun couldn't help but respect her.

Yoo Yeonha became a successful businesswoman and also reached greater heights as a hero. She seemed to be around high-intermediate rank now.

"Do you want to come with me, Nayun?"

"Huh? No, you know I'm not good with those things."

"I guess..."

Yoo Yeonha took out a communication crystal and relayed her orders to Seoul in the middle of the night while everyone slept. She racked her brains and made all sorts of calculations to guide them during the day, but never once showed any exhaustion. Of course, this wasn't the real Yoo Yeonha. However, she could be considered the same person since it formed from her consciousness.

"Hey, aren't you tired? You haven't slept the entire week," Nayun asked out of concern.

"I'm fine since I brought my bed with me," Yoo Yeonha replied with a satisfied smile.

"Bed? Ah, that bed you went crazy for and spent a fortune on?"

"Hey, what do you mean I went crazy and spent a fortune?"

Rumors had it that Yoo Yeonha spent billions of won on a bed, but she always furrowed her brows and dismissed that rumor.

"Don't you know what Jinzel is? It's the most premium furniture on Earth. They released a new bed and I barely managed to buy it through an auction. I didn't want my lack of sleep to get in the way, so I decided to bring it with me. It'll be a disaster if something happens to it."

Yoo Yeonha proudly displayed the bed she kept in her spatial backpack.

Kim Hajin crafted this small bed with [Young Dwarf's Dexterity] and sold it after using it for four days.

"Ah, I shouldn't have taken it out. Now I feel like lying down on it."

Yoo Yeonha grumbled and proceeded to sniff the bed sheets. Then she lay on it with a blissful look.

Chae Nayun tilted her head.

"Why did you sniff it just now?"

"What do you mean?"

"You sniffed it just now."

"What are you talking about?"

It seemed Yoo Yeonha subconsciously did it out of habit without realizing it.

Chae Nayun bitterly smiled, but Yoo Yeonha ignored her and went under a blanket.

"I'm going to take a nap since I'm already here."

"Sure, goodnight."

"Yeah, then..."

Snore...

Yoo Yeonha fell fast asleep after lying down and displayed a truly enviable sleeping ability.

Chae Nayun observed her for a moment and took out the Miracle Stone.

"Phew~"

She recalled bits of the past when she looked at this small crystal glowing golden. These memories made up who she was right now. However, she would have to say goodbye to this world after completing the crystal. She would leave for another world that she didn't know yet.

Will I be able to do good then? Will I not end up regretting things and finally become happy?

Chae Nayun sat by the window and looked at the sky. Stars littered the night sky here where civilization ceased to exist.

"I wonder how many of them there are?"

She began counting the stars and remembered a precious person whenever she counted one. Someone she wanted to see again, someone she would never see again, someone she loved, someone she hated, someone she felt grateful to, someone she despised...

Surprisingly, she could only think of one person while counting the stars.

***

The English Royal Court stood in front of the maze two days later. It looked as if numerous skyscrapers towered above and they felt overwhelmed just looking up. However, they didn't feel anxious or scared because they simply had to find the right path.

"Let's enter."

Rachel led her guild members inside. She almost fully recovered from her mana exhaustion after resting for two days. Her body felt fine again thanks to the ricorit they ate.

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Let's go."

The English Royal Court marched through the maze.

"Well, it looks big, but I guess there's nothing special."

Fermin inspected the walls up and down.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary after they entered. Just walls on both sides and dirt beneath their feet.

— Turn right from there.

"We're turning right at the fork ahead."

Rachel led them according to Xtra's instructions.

— Turn left for now.

"We're turning left. No, we're taking the right path."

She said before pausing.

"It's the left and not the right?"

— Relax, I won't tease you anymore.

"..."

They proceeded through the maze without much difficulty.

Some guild members who seemed slightly nervous at first already loosened up and chatted among themselves. They mostly talked about the delicious ricorit they ate and the attribute combination their vice leader awakened.

Rachel feigned disinterest while eavesdropping. She picked out her achievements from their conversation.

Then the environment suddenly changed. The dirt ground with debris became red bricks. It didn't concern them at first, but they also came across familiar objects like a fallen statue, a rotten pond, marble tiles, etc.

"What is all of this?" Marcus asked.

"Ah, it must be that. A civilization used to be here, right? Maybe these are its remnants?" Fermin replied.

The two of them agreed, but Rachel could feel the hostility in the air. She took out the communication crystal and sent Xtra a message.

"Where are we supposed...?"

The crystal had turned black, which indicated they had lost contact. Xtra had gone silent for a while now, but she thought that meant they simply had to head straight.

"Vice Leader, is something wrong?"

Fermin asked when she saw Rachel's face turning pale.

Rachel knew everyone would only grow nervous if they found out.

"Nothing."

She replied and hid the communication crystal. Then she summoned her spirit and sent Windy to scout ahead for any dangers. They would march on if it was safe.

"This place is giving me the creeps."

"We should stay alert. Right, Karen and Dale?"

"Okay, I'm ready to buff anytime."

Rachel heightened her senses with every step.

The surroundings felt familiar the more she walked, which should be impossible in Central Asia. This strange sense of familiarity made her even more on edge.

"..."

She suddenly stopped in front of a crushed signpost and made out some English words on it.

[Henry VIII...]

Henry the Eighth.

Rachel froze and felt as if the ground underneath her would collapse. Her eyes lost focus and her heart turned cold.

This place remained a trauma in her heart. A nightmare where thousands of innocent civilians died, but she alone survived. Hampton Palace.

"This place feels somewhat familiar?"

The guild members caught on as well. Any England citizen would remember that incident.

The situation suddenly turned for the worst. A lump of red mana gathered in the distance and everyone immediately pulled out their weapons without a word.

Rachel absent-mindedly stared at the ground and slowly raised her head.

Dozens of assailants in black robes appeared on top of the ruined old palace. All of them emitted a strong killing intent and looked like the ones who ambushed them before.

One of the assailants glanced over before making a sleazy smile.

"That annoying bastard seems to be gone. Good job."

They must be referring to Xtra.

Rachel thought as she forced herself to keep standing.

"Vice Leader, are you alright?" Fermin worriedly asked.

Rachel reassured her, but grew nauseous at this traumatic scenery from hell.

"Vice Leader?"

"I'm fine."

Rachel steeled her resolve. Nothing would change if she ran away. She had to protect her guild members as their vice leader.

"Princess, do you remember me?" a voice suddenly asked.

Rachel didn't respond. No, she couldn't.

The voice didn't belong to Lancaster, but someone else Rachel knew. She had memorized the names of all the mothers, fathers, and children massacred in that incident. She had resolved to carry that burden for the rest of her life.

Correct, the assailants in front of her were none other than them.