The Dreamer's POV

Chapter 15: Unexpected Rewards

I was too naive back then.

To think I lost everything, and would have died, just because of a single act of kindness.

'Never again!' My thoughts echoed. 'I'm never trusting anyone again. Not in this messed-up world.'

Everyone who desired to survive had to be out for themselves. If I ever encountered another survivor, I had to be certain of the existence of some form of conflict of interest.

'As long as the possibility of betrayal exists... I won't go out of my way for anyone!'

Survival was paramount. Now that I had been given a second chance, thanks to <Nightmare>, I wasn't going to squander it.

'This Drugstore has the supplements and food substances that should last me a week. There should be stocks of stuff in the store too.'

As far as I knew from the Pharmacist who worked here, this place also served as his home; the area at the back, to be exact.

There was no way he wouldn't have all the basics I needed to survive there.

'If I work things out well, surviving the rest of the time allocated to us shouldn't be too hard.'

As I settled back on the ground, I heaved a sigh of both relief and dissatisfaction. The cause for the latter was due to a certain thought that kept eating me up.

'Why didn't I just end it back then? I could have killed them? Yet...'

It seemed I was still unable to take a life, even when I thought I was dreaming. I didn't know what to think of this handicap of mine.

Did I really do the right thing by letting those monsters get away with their acts? What if I saw them again, after the Tutorial?

'What should I do if we meet again?'

And what of any human enemies that would appear in the future? Would I also spare them?

These thoughts appeared like a maelstrom in my head and I felt unsettling sensations rise from the pit of my stomach.

'Why am I so weak? What should I do now to—'

~DING!~

A ping echoed within my head, and I noticed the appearance of a System Window.

'Huh?'

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

<You Have Recieved 500 Currency>

{Sufficient time has elapsed since the death of five Participants. Since User was the last to come in contact with them, you have been allotted their Currency}

<Total Currency in User's possession: 600 C >

"What? This is... unexpected." My eyes widened as I read and reread the content of the Panel in front of me.

"Five Participants? Don't tell me..." My thoughts went to the five friends who screwed me over in the hotel.

'They're dead? How?'

Despite how badly I wanted to kill Lisa and Jake in particular, I was certain I didn't kill any of the five while using <Nightmare>.

Plus, they didn't seem like the type to leave the hotel until the allotted time for the Tutorial had run out.

'Besides, it hasn't been long since I left there. It's only a couple minutes before Eight. How did they die?'

Suddenly, memories of my time in <Nightmare> became clearer, and I remembered a particular detail that must have led to the current situation.

'The door! I didn't close the door.'

That Demons that wet prowling the hallway must have gotten access to the suite and found the group.

"Ahh..." A smile formed on my face as I thought of what could have been. "... I totally didn't do that intentionally."

Wasn't it strange how I couldn't kill them myself, but instead experienced such thrill now that I knew they were most likely killed very gruesomely by hungry Demons.

Was I a hypocrite? Was I secretly a bad person? Was I simply confused.

I had no idea. However...

"It feels good!" My grin grew wider and I was sure my eyes narrowed to form a pleasant face while my brows curled upward.

"It feels so good!"

I slowly began to laugh in the drugstore, echoes of my satisfied chuckles and ecstatic laughter filling my ears over and over again.

"You bastards! Serves you right! Serves you all right!"

They deserved it. This was heaven's punishment for what they did to me. This was karma!

In the end, I managed to live and they all died! I was more than justified to laugh at their misfortune—their gory fates.

And laugh I did.

"Hahahahaha... hahahaha... HAHAHAHAHA!!!"

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{A Couple Of Hours Earlier}

<Day 5 of the Tutorial>

[12:00 AM, Thursday 4th of May, 2024]

~CREAK~

"Hmm...?"

Lisa slurred, feeling something cold and firm grab her by the hand.

She slowly opened her eyes, though all that greeted her sight was a blurry vision of the blackened room.

It was dark, thanks to the lights being turned off so she and her friends could sleep more comfortably.

She felt some cold, liquid-like substance fall on her face. It smelled weird, and Lisa had a terrible guess about what it could be, though her thoughts were still disoriented thanks to her slumber.

'Jake... are you really doing that on me right now?' Her dirty thoughts trailed.

The thing that grabbed her grew firmer, and she could feel it grow stronger, coiling around her delicate skin.

It felt heavy, crushing her a little.

"Jake... is that you? Stop it already... ow!" The sharp sensation of pain caused by her bones being rattled finally sent her eyes flying wide open.

What she saw, however, wasn't Jake.

"Grrrr..."

It wasn't any of her friends.

"A-ah...?!"

The glowing red eyes of a creature glowed in the darkness, and it's drool fell upon her light skin.

"H-h-how...?"

Low growls from the Demon interrupted her thoughts, and the echoes of multiple others made her mind go blank.

She could see them through her peripheral vision; the multitude of Demons in the room.

They all stared at her, and her friends, showing nothing but primal delight.

"W-wait a minu..." The mouth of the monster drew nearer, closing in on her paralyzed skin.

She couldn't break free from the creature's grip if she wanted to, and fear made her lose all the ounce of strength her body could ever dream of mustering.

In the end...

"J-Jake! Jake!! Jake!!! Wake up! Wake u—!"

~SQUELCH!~

The unoccupied hand of the monster reached her mouth and instantly tore out her tongue with its sharp claws.

"Guuuuaaarrrghhhh!!!" Her voice escaped in a massive scream, her eyes widening as she watched the Demon devour her tongue with a grin of satisfaction on its face.

'N-no! Not like this. I can't die like this...' Lisa watched the monster lick it's lips.

'Somebody... anybody... S-save me! Please! Save m-m-mee... p-plea—!"

~CRUNCH!~

This time, the creature decapitated her, severing her head from the rest of her shaking body.

At that moment, Lisa's sensations ran wild, but it only briefly lasted. In no time at all, her body expired, spurting out blood from her unoccupied neck.

'A-aahh...'

Perhaps it was due to her <Authority>, but Lisa's mind seemed to drag on despite her well-concluded death.

The image of a certain young man flashed in her mind.

'M-Mikey...'

She couldn't hear anything or anyone. Not even the 'Guiding Thought' that had always helped her.

It was just perpetual darkness, and yet the only person that appeared in her mind at that moment was the innocent person she had doomed to die.

'S-sorry...' Her thoughts echoed in the void as her mind faded into oblivion.

'I'm so sorry...'

At that moment, Lisa officially died.

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[A/N]

What do you all think? A fitting end? Not satisfactory?

Over the top?

Let me hear your thoughts in the comments.