Though it seemed Yun wanted to contest his words, the look in those weathered, emerald eyes belonging to the young man were enough to convince him that those words were the undeniable truth from his lips.
As he went to move on, aiming for a good night's rest after such an ordeal, he was surprisingly met with words shouted at his back from the meek boy–
"You can say all of that, but at the end of the day…you still saved me tonight, didn't you? Don't give me all of that! I saw it–you only moved once we made eye contact! So, don't lie straight through your teeth–you still believe there's good left in humanity! There's still hope!"
"--" He didn't respond, instead continuing on his way.
It wasn't something he was completely sure of either as he looked down at his hands amidst his stroll, unknowing of why he did what he did.
…Is that part of me really still alive, somewhere deep in there, still flailing around and fighting? Even at this stage, after everything I've been through…some part of me still wants to help. Kamou, why do I feel like this is because of you…? He questioned.
Stopping to think about it for a moment as he looked up at the stars, standing right outside of the inn, he did feel as though something was amiss with his heart.
When trying to look deeper, it felt as though his own perception of himself was obscured; though it was only a subtle feeling.
Feels like there's a fog inside of me. Whenever I try to think about "right" or "wrong", I can't figure out how it makes me feel. Maybe I'm just tired…yeah, probably, he thought.
Heading into the inn, he returned to the room, finding his two companions still passed out, though somehow managing to cuddle one another in their dream-sunk slumber. Though he was grateful for this development as it freed up the other bed for him as he laid down in it, closing his eyes with his consciousness quickly fading into the land of dreams.
Fading so delicately into slumber, he found himself weightlessly floating in an abyss; though it felt like a vast sea surrounded him, there was no touch of liquid against his skin nor an absence of oxygen.
"--" He slowly parted his eyelids.
I'm dreaming…? He thought.
It was rare for him to actually experience dreams amidst a night of sleep, as most nights he woke up so frequently, paranoid and stressed, that dreams weren't allowed to be cultivated.
[Jeong-Hui.]
The voice that spoke to him was unmistakably that of his Sage System, which didn't possess the same robotic voice of the Angel System.
Huh…? He thought.
[The Sage System you've cultivated has reached the next stage. Through the peril you've faced and obstacles you've overcome, the next stage of evolution has arrived. This need has been birthed from your desire to summit the Tower and reach Heaven.]
[Do you accept?]
"--"
He didn't know how to answer what was being spoken to directly to him; sinking into the endless abyss with his body surrounded in an unknown warmth, all he could do was look up towards the light that sat far above the abyss.
I don't know what this means, he thought.
[This evolution will alter your Angel System. This was the goal of the Sage System thus far: cultivate it until the point its authority surpasses the Angel System to that it too can be changed.]
[Once you accept this evolution, your Angel System will be reconfigured into a new System: the [Dreamer System]--it will take effect immediately.]
Huh…He thought.
It was a lot for his exhausted, asleep mind to understand, but the confidence in which the trustworthy Sage System spoke to him guided him to agree to whatever conditions that failed to be understood for the slumbersome young man.
[EXP from current level will be used to activate the Dreamer System.]
[Accept?]
"...Sure…"
[Do you accept?]
"I said…sure…I accept it," he answered sleepily.
The moment he agreed to this change, his entire body jolted in agony, contorting as he screamed out; the light above him shined bright enough to completely blind him. Across his body, it was as if code was being rewritten into each pore of his being; etched into his flesh, something fundamental was being altered.
[EXP: -10000]
[You will retain your class and skill tree from the Angel System, however, the nature of the Dreamer System will give you an ability that is invaluable to growth. You–]
Though the words that filled his mind directly were still hardly heard as he continued screaming out as it felt as though pens were continuously jabbing into the marrow of his bones as his skin felt as if it was searing.
[--Through it, you will be able to–]
[--Dreams to face against opponents without a risk of death–]
[--It will allow for further cultivation of the Sage System–]
The voice of the Sage System kept cutting out in his mind as he yelled out, feeling a heat centering in his chest as the light felt as dense as a star now. It didn't make much sense to him why he was in so much pain, especially to his fatigued mind.
"System, remove…disable my ability to experience pain!...Hurry!" He yelled out.
There was no response, only the continuous effort of the essence within him being unwound, raked out of his body as if his entrails were being dug out. That seraphic light that was plucked from him was unmistakably the Angel System, being rewoven and integrated with a new essence.
It felt like once again, something about him was being changed; not just the System, but bits and pieces of what forged "Jeong-Hui" were altered.
In the realm of dreams, the concept of time was unique; what felt like an entire day passed of his very essence being rewritten before it finally came to a stop.
[Dream System Initiated.]
[The world of dreams is now to be used at your leisure.]
[Dreamer | Level 1]
[Dreamer EXP + 1 | 1/100]
Though the new System appeared to him, he only stared upward blankly while floating within the abyss of his dreamscape.
After experiencing such nonstop agony for countless hours within the abyss of his own mind, there was no part of him that wanted to be there for even a moment longer.
"...Just…wake me up…" He said weakly.
Just like that–he woke up, jumping upright as he clutched his chest, drenched in sweat and gasping out the moment he returned to reality.
"--" He exhaled with wide eyes.
"Ya alright, mate?"
As he regained his breath, still unsure of what he had just experienced, he looked to the side to find Archie staring at him in concern. His eyes squinted at the morning sunlight that fell past the curtains, though it was surprising it was only a single night that had passed.
All of that happened…just during the night? It felt so long. It was horrible…what the hell was all of that? He questioned.
"Jeong-Hui?" Archie called to him again.
He nodded slowly, "Yeah. I'm fine. Just…a weird dream, is all."
After getting up from bed, he brushed his teeth and took a quick bath, dressing up as he prepared for a new day. Archie informed him that Korain had already fetched breakfast for them, which was proven true as the man returned within an hour of him waking up.
With a hearty breakfast consumed, it was time to head out of both the inn and the city itself as he led the way with the map in hand.
"...This 'Advent Dawn' thing is still confusing me. Why're we going out there to this place, anyway?" Korain asked.
He answered, "I don't know the specifics yet, but apparently a lot of our questions will be answered if we go there. Since this is something that's probably being told to a lot of players…It's also a pretty good bet for finding our friends."
"True enough," Korain agreed, "It's like a tutorial section in one of those video games, then?"
"Yeah…Didn't expect you to make a reference like that," he said, looking at the tall man.
Korai laughed, "I dabbled in some games during my time, you know! I'm not a completely old bastard."
As they shared a bit of a laugh, he turned his attention over to Archie, as he just considered the question for the eccentric, outdoors man,
"What about you, Archie?" He asked, "Ever play video games?"
"Ah, me? Can't say I was much of an electronics-type, no!" Archie replied with a smile.
Though so, he thought.
Leaving the bounds of Minjing, it was back into the vast lands of Scalyue, guided only by a map and a destination.
"Shouldn't we have fetched a carriage, or something?" Korain asked.
It was around half an hour into their hike, with the one-armed warrior glancing around to find them now in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by grassy mountains and some small shacks, here and there.
"A walk in the outdoors can't be beat, mate! Ya know what they say? 'Preciate the journey, not the destination'!" Archie replied.
"Yeah, well, maybe if we weren't in "everything wants to kill us land", I'd agree with you," Korain exhaled, looking up towards the sky, "Can't say I'd disagree about the beauty of this place, though. It's a helluva improvement over what Earth turned to."
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