DPGR 95

“You have to live happily until then. Stay healthy for a long, long time.”

That guy kept dragging himself through life, as if trying to honor Jiho’s final words. But he didn’t look happy.

He couldn’t fall asleep without alcohol every night, and even then, he only managed three or four hours at most.

On top of that, he was tormented by severe nightmares, so even those few hours of sleep never looked restful.

Ever since losing Jiho, that guy had been living in hell.

“Tsk… Just look at his face. It’s ashen. Really, dirt-colored.”

“Did losing his guide drive him mad or something?”

People whispered behind his back. Eventually, rumors started spreading that he had gone insane.

Even so, he was an S-rank with multiple abilities.

Half-mad though he might’ve been, that madness actually became his wake-up call.

“Esper Baek Dojin! Eleven o’clock, to the left!”

Bang—!

He threw himself into battle more aggressively than ever. His skills grew day by day, and even his once-bottomed-out reputation began to recover.

Like that, he survived all the way to the final dungeob.

He was drunk every night, had attempted suicide more than once, and sometimes mumbled nonsense into the air, as if hallucinating Jiho.

And still, he kept surviving, step by painful step.

Then, at last, when they entered the final dungeon—

“…Ha.”

That guy—and even Dojin—let out a dry laugh at the all-too-familiar sight.

The final gate was a snowy field.

Just like the one where Jiho had disappeared—or rather, the one he had left.

The battle was more brutal than ever. Even the strongest Espers, who had clawed their way here, were dying like insects.

The snow piled on the ground was stained a deep, dark red with their blood.

There, once again, that guy saw a vision of Jiho. He shook his head and pulled something from his pocket.

It was Jiho’s will—laminated to protect it from damage.

Why is he pulling that out now…?

Dojin watched him in disbelief as he stood there, staring blankly at the letter in the middle of chaos.

Just as Dojin started to move toward him, a sense of dread creeping in—

“…Ha.”

The guy, who had remained expressionless until now, suddenly let out a quiet laugh. Then, he rushed forward to shield a teammate from the monsters.

It was a reckless move.

“Baek Dojin!”

“No, don’t—!”

He stood before the monsters with his arms spread wide. The gun he always carried slipped weakly from his hand.

He closed his eyes and smiled, as if welcoming the death to come.

“Jiho. Jiho…”

His lips moved faintly. A monster swung its razor-sharp claws toward him.

Without thinking, Dojin hurled himself in front of the guy.

A sensation he thought long lost returned to him. Dojin looked down at his own hands.

In his grip was a long, well-worn spear.

Dojin swung it hard at the monster.

Until now, none of his actions had ever affected this world.

But—

Screech—!

The monster dodged his spear with ease, as if it could see him.

Unlike everything else before, this one saw him.

Momentarily startled, Dojin’s eyes sharpened. The monster, too, stared right back at him.

“This little game ends here.”

Dojin finally opened his mouth, as if something had clicked.

The monster widened its eyes, as if surprised by what it had heard, then let out a nasty laugh.

The once-fierce battlefield had fallen eerily silent, like frozen in time.

The only ones still able to move were Dojin and the monster in front of him.

“Ah, what a shame. You tasted pretty good.”

The words came from the monster’s mouth in human language. Its form shifted from that of a giant insect to something more humanlike.

“You’re…”

Dojin’s face hardened. The monster waved casually.

“Hi there.”

It was a dream demon, an S-rank monster found only on the last page of the monster compendium.

But it looked more human than any dream demon Dojin had ever seen—so human it felt wrong.

Dojin’s mind raced. It wasn’t hard to recall the compendium he’d read countless times.

The appearance is different, but judging by its traits, it’s definitely a dream demon. But…

Purple skin, a dark violet gem embedded in its forehead, glowing red eyes, long hair that writhed like a serpent.

Its features matched a dream demon, even if its form was humanoid.

But—

A monster with intelligence? One that looks and acts like a human?

It made detailed facial expressions, understood and responded to Dojin’s words, spoke in human language—things no mindless beast could do.

In all his time as an Esper, Dojin had never seen a monster like this.

…Could monsters evolve too?

The monster smiled as if reading his thoughts.

“Monster evolution theory? That’s a fresh take.”

“What are you?”

“Me? I’m a dream demon. You know that already, don’t you?”

“……”

“Don’t glare at me like that. You’re scaring me.”

She smiled sulkily and waved playfully, like greeting an old friend.

“You don’t like it here, huh?”

“Am I supposed to be content with a monster’s illusion?”

“Human, I think you’re misunderstanding something.”

She raised an eyebrow, then continued in a slightly amused tone, as if offering a special hint.

“This isn’t an illusion I created. And it’s not just a simple nightmare. Don’t tell me… you forgot I’m a dream demon?”

“……”

Dojin finally recalled the monster’s abilities.

They trap humans in nightmares, feeding on the negative energy that comes from their torment.

Even so, those nightmares usually just replay a person’s most painful memories.

“…Wait, are you saying that was actually my own past?”

“Yeah. You didn’t know?”

“……”

“You didn’t know?”

The dream demon curved her red lips again. Like a child who had found an amusing toy, her eyes sparkled brightly.

“Hmm, I’ve got a little time to spare, so why don’t I play with you a bit?”

“……”

“Three.”

The dream demon spread her slender fingers.

“Ask me three things you’re curious about. The pain of loss you gave me was delicious, so I’ll tell you something special.”

Dojin wanted nothing more than to finish the dream demon off and escape this space. His grip tightened around his spear.

But the dream demon spoke faster.

“Trying to stab me? That’s impossible.”

“What?”

“We’re still in a dream, aren’t we? You didn’t actually think I had a physical body, did you?”

She explained that she too was a part of the dream with no real form, and that she could only be killed in the real world.

“So give it up. While I still like you, behave the way I enjoy.”

In the end, there was only one thing Dojin could do: take advantage of the demon’s whims and extract something useful.

“…Then, explain how you’re talking to me.”

“Hmm?”

“You’re a monster. How can you have intelligence on par with a human?”

“Ha. ‘You’re a monster,’ you say? How arrogant.”

“Just answer.”

Dojin tilted his head as if to hurry her. Though slightly offended, the dream demon soon crossed her arms with a smug look.

“First of all, it’s not that monsters evolved.”

“……”

“Judging by your reaction, you’ve never met a monster like me before, huh?”

Dojin’s eyes widened. That meant there were other monsters like her—ones with intelligence.

The dream demon giggled, seemingly pleased by his expression.

“We’re creations of the gods. Among higher-tier monsters, some like me are directly touched by divine hands. We call ourselves ‘Servants of the Gods.’”

“…Ridiculous. A monster, calling itself a servant of the gods?”

“Yes, a servant of the gods. I—no, we—are different from you humans. We’re children chosen by the gods themselves.”

She raised her chin proudly, as if genuinely honored to be chosen.

“The borders between dimensions should be starting to crumble around now, right? Monsters like me will begin to appear one by one, so don’t be too scared.”

She added that perhaps others like her had already descended elsewhere.

Then, without giving Dojin time to reflect, she pressed him again.

“Now, two questions left. What’s the next one?”

“……”

“You’d better hurry. Your friends aren’t as mentally strong as you.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Is that your second question?”

“……”

“Alright. The answer’s simple. Your friends who came up to the second floor are also trapped in individual nightmares, just like you.”

“……”

“Let’s see… Hmm. Right. That small human from your nightmare.”

“…Jiho.”

“I don’t care about the name. Anyway, that human will be the first to be devoured by the nightmare.”

Dojin’s heart pounded violently. A surge of emotion—anger or something else—overtook his entire body.

The dream demon fed on that intense emotion, absorbing it like energy. It was a satisfying dessert.

“Too bad. That one’s energy tastes the best. I’d rather not end it, but his mind is too fragile—it’ll collapse soon.”

“……”

“Well, can’t be helped. His shell is quite to my taste, so if he dies, I might just stuff and preserve him to decorate my castle. Don’t you think that’s a good idea?”

The dream demon smirked as she spoke, then opened her mouth again.

“Now, the third—”

But she never finished that sentence.

Dojin couldn’t hold back any longer and drove his spear straight through the demon’s heart.

Whether her claim of having no real form was true or not, the spear passed through without resistance, slicing only air.

But the attack wasn’t in vain.

“I told you, you can’t kill me like this.”

The demon’s voice turned cold as her body shimmered like smoke and slowly faded.

At the same time, everything around them began to blur and vanish, just like her.

Dojin thrust his spear at her once more and spoke.

“I can still wake from the nightmare.”

As he exchanged words—if they could be called that—with the dream demon, he’d been searching for a way out.

There was only one suspicious element: the dream recreated his past, but the dream demon was the only thing not from it.

And, as expected, his guess had been correct.

The dream demon looked at him and spoke as if pleased.

“Well, fine. I’ll let you go now.”

“Get lost.”

“Be sure to come find me in the real world.”

The dream demon waved her hand—and vanished.

Then, as everything around him turned to black ash, his consciousness was sucked into the dark abyss.

“…Hah!”

And finally, Dojin awoke in the middle of a cold hallway.