The Dreamer's POV

Chapter 53: Trap

Frankly speaking, I was a little hesitant to do this.

Knowing that people would die, and not doing anything, especially if it was within my power to do so... my past self would never have done such a thing.

'But things are different now.'

I just had to turn a blind eye to the murder. I wasn't even the one who would be killing them.

'Besides, what's to say these Adventurers won't eventually have bad motives and affect me some other time?'

If was better to eliminate them now, while I had the advantage.

'Plus, it's possible that Lu knows of my Status Information...'

Wasn't it perfect that she would die here, all without any liability from me?

'Yeah... for my sake, everyone here will have to perish.'

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[00 Months: 01 Days: 13 Hours]

Everything progressed the same as last time. I made sure I did almost exactly the same thing I did in my first try with these Adventurers.

We used our teamwork to defeat the Stone Golems. We worked hard to get to the Boss Room, and we defeated it the exact same way we did before.

I even intentionally stole the final strike, while getting the same comment from Byron.

'He really is good natured...' I had thought to myself when I saw his reaction to my impulsive selfishness the second time.

It wasn't just him. Everyone in the team really seemed nice.

Jesus was just an old fellow who sought stimulation in his old age.

Daniel, while I initially found him suspicious and sly, was actually a very nice individual.

Lu was... Lu.

And then Jeff, despite my knowledge of his true personality, displayed acts of kindness and gentleness towards all of us.

He did display a couple of signs that showed how guilty he knew he was, but he always quickly masked it with his timid smile.

'Fucking bastard!' I would always think to myself anytime I stared at him.

Thanks to my constant glance in his direction, I was able to maintain my resolve to let everyone in this place die by his hands and then kill him.

It wasn't really personal, but if Jeff could deceive everyone with his good natured facade—including me—there was no telling what the others could be hiding.

'It could simply be that Jeff made his move before the rest could. What if I save them and another backstabs me as we leave the Dungeon?'

Each of these individuals could have their own hidden agendas.

'To prevent any loss on my end, letting them die is for the best!'

I was even going to get benefits from their demise.

Perhaps I was just trying to rationalize their deaths and absolve myself of the guilt that would come with not saving them, but at this point I didn't care.

'All that matters is my survival.'

And so, the time finally arrived. Everyone rose to leave, and it was the exact moment when the paralysis would take effect.

I knew I would be exempted from the equation, but it was better to pretend as if I was also paralyzed. At least... until the time was right.

Yeah! That would be the best. Seeing him revel in his victory, only for him to die in a surprising turn of events.

'Haha! I can't wait to see how it g-go... wha—?!'

I suddenly felt my body grow numb, and a stiff coldness permeated me that very instant.

'N-no way...!'

My body slumped to the ground, completely helpless to do otherwise. My face, warped in shock, kissed the dirt, and my mind nearly exploded in sheer disbelief.

Only one question popped in my head at this point.

'H-how...?!'

How was I being paralyzed?!

I... I need to apologize." I heard Jeff's wavering voice voice, and I spotted his eyes darting from one frozen face to another.

"I've been lying to all of you. Keeping this secret... it was tearing me apart."

His voice sounded like grating metal to my ears, and listening to the words he spouted was pure torture.

"I've done things... things I'm not proud of," The bastard's voice trembled with a mixture of regret and conviction. "But I did it all for her. My daughter. She's the only family I have left."

I had gotten enough of this hypocrite's delusional speech.

Despite my current dumbfounded state, I still had enough reasoning intact to despise Jeff and wish death upon him.

Confusion swirled around me, but my desire to kill this bastard still surfaced above every other emotion.

"I... I don't enjoy this. I don't like this. But..."

I wanted it to end. I wanted the pathetic voice of the pathetic man to cease.

"I need your 'Currency,' your equipment, your Rewards... for her. I need to ensure her safety, her future. I need to find a way for her not to be consumed by this violence, this new world we're trapped in."

If only I could move my facial muscles at the very least, this bastard would be able to see the kind of expression I had on my face.

The look of sheer hatred and disdain! If looks could kill, I would be able to utterly eviscerate him with my glare.

"I never wanted any of this. I don't enjoy causing harm or taking lives. But it's necessary, for my only family, for my daughter."

He began to behead the Party members, taking their lives one after the other.

It was the same way he did so in the fist round, and since I maintained my previous position, I was going to be the last to go.

I no longer had the luxury of even worrying about the deaths of my companions.

My thoughts were more occupied with something else.

... Up until he finally arrived in front of me.

"I'm really sorry, Mikey. You really seem like a good guy."

'I don't need to hear those words, you fucker!' My thoughts echoed as he slowly began to raise his sword.

There was only one thing I wanted at this point.

'Your death!'

~SPLOOOOSHHH!!!~

At that moment, two wooden spikes pierced Jeff's arms, and a glowing rock swiftly rushed towards his head, crushing his skull.

"U-urgh...?!" I watched as his face warped in confusion as blood protruded from his eyes, nose, and mouth.

~CLANG~

The blade he held descended to the ground just an inch or two beside me.

A little more and that would have meant instant death.

~SPLOOSHH~

More wooden spikes pierced his chest, and the glowing rock twisted his head's position on his neck by moving with high speed at just the right angle.

I heard a snapping sound, and the next thing I saw was Jeff's lifeless body falling to ground in a heavy thud.

'Perfect!' I grinned internally, feeling a wave of satisfaction course through me as he died right opposite me.

'Well done, fellas!' Raising my vision slightly upward, I watched my two greatest allies approach me.

'Energy Rock and Root.' If only I could smile at them right now.

The reason I arrived earlier than everyone else was to summon Root and have it disguise as a tree close to the Dungeon Of Stone. I also rolled Energy Rock into the Dungeon, allowing it to stay hidden and dormant within.

Since this was a Dungeon Of Stone, and it the exterior was filled with plants and shrubberies, no one would notice a tree and a random rock.

'The plan was to control them mentally to slowly advance and close in on our Party as we proceeded into the Dungeon.'

Of course, I had to allow them maintain an appropriate distance so as not to be sensed by anyone in our group.

'Even I wouldn't have been able to sense them without my link to them.'

I constantly stared at Lu to ensure she hadn't caught on, and thankfully she never suspected a thing.

'They were only meant as a contingency plan, though. I really thought I wasn't going to get paralyzed...'

But, like I said in the beginning, I wasn't going to take any chances.

'It seems like the paralysis will take some time to wear off, so I'm thankful I thought to involve these two.'

Since I was currently powerless right now, Root was going to carry me out of the Dungeon while I would still be able to use Energy Rock for offense if I encountered any harm on my way back.

'Haa... this really is—'

"How very intriguing." An oddly familiar feminine voice rang out, causing my thoughts to experience instant pause.

I called the voice odd because the owner was meant to be dead.

'N-no way...!' My eyes widened as I trailed the voice to the dismembered head that spoke as if it wasn't meant to be dead.

'H-how is that even—?!'

As if that wasn't surprising enough, the dead body suddenly rose to its feet and approached the speaking head.

The blood that was spilled slowly rose and connected both the head and body, completely merging both of them and restoring the moving corpse of the girl to normal.

'Y-you are...?!'

"What a fine sight you've shown me, Sleepyhead."

The girl called Lu, who was supposed to have been dead and decapitated, was standing a short distance from me—completely fine.

She looked slightly different from before, though.

Her eyes were now glowing bright pink, and hot misty breath escaped from her glistening lips.

"Haha..." Laughing with a wide smile on her face, her teeth had now taken the form of sharp spikes, all dangerously gleaming with danger.

'Is this really... Lu...?'

"My name is Lucy Fer. I suppose you could call me a Ranker, like yourself." She moved closer to me, the pressure of her presence intensifying with every step she took.

I felt so intimidated that I would have passed out many times over without the aid of my Title <Visionary>.

"Why don't we have a little talk, my cute little Dreamer?"

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[A/N]

Alright, now you know... Lucy Fer is the girl on the book cover.

Pfft!

Thanks for reading.

Cheers!