Chapter Text
. 9 . Fragments of a Forgotten Dream
There is silence—absolute, crushing silence.
Not a single sound stirs the air, as though the world itself has been muted.
Darkness stretches endlessly in every direction, thick and suffocating, with no ground beneath your feet, no sky above your head.
It feels as if you’re suspended in a void, weightless and alone, yet somehow being watched.
Then -
A flash
A man lying on the ground with a hole in his chest where his heart should have been. Blood pooling under his body. A man crouching beside him.
Another flash
It's raining. A person sitting with their back against the wall, giving a tired yet bittersweet smile to the man standing in front of him.
Bang!
Thunder strikes the sky behind them.
Then the scene shifts -
Several dungeon gates tore open across the sky, massive dragons pouring out as screams erupted below.
Another jolt—
A blurred figure standing with their back to you. Their voice is muffled, as if heard underwater.
“Don’t forget…”
The words fade, leaving only silence.
The images speed up now—snapshots stuttering like broken film.
A pair of glowing eyes watching you from the dark.
A dungeon gate opening, swallowing everything.
A shadow stretching toward you, reaching—
A voice, “Never forget this.”
Your chest tightens with panic, and you try to breathe, but it feels like there is no air around you. You tried to move, thrust your hands, but it was like your body wasn’t listening to you.
.
.
.
.
.
Ring!!!
.
.
.
.
.
A shrill ringing shattered the darkness. Your eyes snapped open.
The ceiling above you came into focus, pale and unfamiliar in the dim morning light.
You lay flat on your back, chest heaving as though you had just sprinted miles. Each breath came rough, uneven, catching in your throat.
Sweat clung to your skin. Droplets trickled down your temple, dampening the pillow, while your shirt stuck uncomfortably to your back, plastered there by the heat of a nightmare that refused to let go.
The alarm clock kept screaming at your bedside, the sharp sound drilling into your skull, but your hand didn’t move to silence it.
For a moment, you just stared upward, eyes tracing the faint cracks along the ceiling.
Your heartbeat thundered in your ears, drowning out everything else. The images from the dream—blood, the dead body, shadows—still flickered behind your eyelids whenever you blinked.
Slowly, you dragged a trembling hand over your face to swipe the sweat away, but were surprised to find tears on your cheeks.
'Wait a minute, why are there tears on my face? Am I crying?'
Still a bit disoriented from the nightmare, you couldn’t understand why you were crying.
By the time you finally reached out and shut off the alarm, the dream was dissolving into nothingness, leaving behind only sweat on your skin and an ache in your chest that you couldn't explain.
.
.
The sun is shining brightly in the clear blue sky, with a few patches of clouds visible.
The pink petals floating in the air signify the ongoing spring.
Soft morning breezes hit you in the face as you jog on the track in the park. There were only a few people present in the park at that time, as it was quite early in the morning.
You considered going back to sleep after waking up from that nightmare. But the possibility of having another one made you decide otherwise.
Slowing down from the run, you finally came to a stop. Your breaths were uneven, chest rising and falling as the world around you seemed to blur for a moment.
You bent forward slightly, hands braced on your knees, trying to steady yourself. A faint ache throbbed behind your temple.
You straightened and, with a quiet exhale, opened the system.
The familiar translucent screen flickered into existence before your eyes, its soft glow cutting the haze in your mind. Lines of text scrolled past - daily quest updates, status updates, cooldown timers - each one grounding you back in reality.
For some reason, your fingers hovered in the air, hesitation curling in your chest. There was a strange emptiness there since you woke up today, like you were forgetting something important but couldn't quite remember what.
Ping!
The sound of the mobile notification pulled you out of your thoughts. You shook the feeling away and focused on the phone screen instead.
Whatever it was... it was gone now.
You checked it and saw that it was Jinwoo's message.
Jinwoo
hi, morning
I am about to go and clear some C-rank dungeons. You want to tag along?
*Location
'C-rank dungeons? Why is he suddenly going to C-rank raids?' But should I go? You thought, feeling totally confused, whether you should join him in the raid or not.
In the last raid, you used your healing powers, and an assassin type doesn't know how to use a healing spell. But would you let that man die just because of that? It wouldn't be a big surprise if Jinwoo starts to grow suspicious about you.
But speaking of Jinwoo, no matter how strong an E-rank hunter is, the powers he used in the last raid were not the ones that an E-rank hunter can pull off. Maybe you should go and check on him.
You
Sure
I will meet you at the location
.
.
The sky is a pale, clear blue, washed with thin, drifting clouds that glow faintly under the sun. The sunlight is warm but not harsh, one of those quiet hours when the world feels unhurried.
A light mist lingers around the mountains and the forest nearby, curling lazily along the slopes and the trees, as if the land itself is still waking up.
The mountains rise in layered greens, their surfaces textured with dense foliage.
Patches of pink blossoms—likely cherry trees—dot the lower slopes and valleys, adding soft bursts of colour against the deep green. The air feels cool and clean, carrying the faint scent of leaves and distant flowers.
There’s no sign of wind strong enough to disturb the mist; everything feels still, peaceful, and untouched.
There, in the middle of a small clearing between the trees, stands a gate to the C-rank dungeon.
"Look, Yoo Jin-ho," said the man with an awkwardly confused face. "What is all this?"
"What do you mean by 'all this'?" Jin-ho said to Jinwoo. "They are all our teammates for today!" He exclaimed, pointing towards a group of people that were somewhat questionable.
The group consisted of licensed hunters who, for various reasons, could no longer attend raids. Jin-ho keeps going on about how these people are struggling in life and can use some help.
Meanwhile, Jinwoo was doing his own review of their 'teammates' for the day. Some are injured, some are alcoholics, and some are … ??
"Is a kid even allowed to do raids?" Jinwoo asked Jin-ho, the last thing he wants is to go to the officials for taking a kid to a raid.
"If an underage kid is awakened, then there's no law banning them from raids," Jin-ho said.
"Kid? That's rude," the girl said in an annoyed tone, like she was offended at being called a kid. "I'm a full-fledged hunter."
"You are a high schooler, right? Do you have any raid experience?" Jinwoo asked her while staring down at her. "N-none," the girl said with hesitation.
"E-rank, I assume?" Jinwoo guessed. The girl didn't say anything but just stood there in silence.
"Well, it's okay. You don't have to follow me into the dungeon-just wait outside," Jinwoo said while walking away from her. "Only Jin-ho and I will go in."
Jin-ho turned to Jinwoo after explaining to others the reasoning and rules for the raid.
"For whom did you bring this coffee, Hyung-nim?" Jin-ho asked him, feeling curious. "Wait, did you buy this for me, Hyung-nim?" He asked Jinwoo with teary eyes.
"No, this is for someone else," Jinwoo said with a deadpan face.
"If it's not for me, then for whom-," but before Jin-ho could inquire about that 'someone' for whom he bought the coffee, a voice cut him off.
"Hey, hope I am not late," A woman came walking towards Jinwoo with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, got stuck in the traffic."
Jinwoo turned to her, and his expression immediately became softer.
"No, it's fine, you are on time," Jinwoo said to her warmly with a quiet smile. "Here, I was getting coffee on the way, so I brought one for you, too." He handed her the coffee. She thanked him for the coffee.
Jin-ho is just standing there, feeling totally confused about who this woman is and how Hyung-nim's behaviour changed while talking to her.
"So, (Y/N) this is Yoo Jin-ho, and Jin-ho this (L/N) (Y/N)," Jinwoo introduced you two.
"Yoo Jin-ho? Wait, you mean the one who called you that day with a proposal?" You asked Jinwoo in surprise. "Yeah, it was him," Jinwoo said.
'I thought it would be someone older, but he is so young!' You thought as you looked at him.
"It's nice to meet you," You said politely.
"O-Oh, it's nice to meet you too," He said.
"She will be going into the dungeon with us," Jinwoo told Jin-ho. "Huh? Ok?" Jin-ho said in confusion.
'Wait a minute, he bought coffee for her and even let her go into the dungeon with us! And the way he is acting,' he stood there looking like he was having an existential crisis. 'Do (L/N)-san and Hyung-nim have a deep relationship...'
"But you know I have been wondering..." Jinwoo started with a sigh. "What the hell are you wearing?"
"It's a full set of hardened armour made in an Italian artist guild. If we are going to raid with just us, shouldn't I prepare at least this much?" Jin-ho said while standing proudly in his armour.
For a few seconds, Jinwoo just stood there watching him and then poked him with a finger. Jin-ho instantly fell due to the weight of the armour.
"Just take off the armour while I'm asking nicely," Jinwoo told him, looking utterly unimpressed. "Yes, Hyung-nim," Jin-ho said in tears.
"Hey! Don't be rude," You scolded Jinwoo while slapping his arm.
Jinwoo stood there giving you a look of betrayal, which you ignored as you walked up to Jin-ho, who was struggling to get up from the ground because of the armour.
"Here, let me help you," You said, helping Jin-ho up.
You all were standing in front of the gate, ready to head inside.
"Alright! Let's get going!" Jin-ho said with determination, "I'm nervous". He stood clenching the bag strap, while still wearing a helm of that armour.
"What... is that?" Jinwoo asked, looking bewildered.
"I brought the helm just in case," Jin-ho explained. "Well, that's totally fine," You said to him, giving him a small smile.
"Ha... Fine, fine, let's hurry," Jinwoo said as he started making his way towards the gate.
Meanwhile, the rest of the team just stood flabbergasted, thinking just what is going on with these three?
.
.
Hi, I am back! A very belated New Year to you all. Sorry for the late update guys. I've been super busy in the last few months (recently I shifted to a new city). From now on, I will try to make the updates regular.
Thank you for reading, and constructive criticism is always welcome. Hope you liked it<33