[7:30 AM; Saturday, 29th of April, 2024]
I woke up that morning with a mild headache.
As my dark brown hair fluttered with the gentle movent I made, my slightly open amber eyes captured the brightness of the morning.
"Ah…" I muttered, rubbing my forehead with a bit of concern. It was a brand new day, yet I could already feel the kind of strain today would have on .
"I guess I'll check in with the drugstore later…"
I rose up from my small bed, greeted by a very plain and sparsely furnished room. Other than my bed and wardrobe, nothing worthy of note was in sight.
I took a few steps away from my bed and looked at myself in the mirror on the wall, performing the sa ritual I did every morning.
I blinked.
I yawned.
I moved my arms and legs. Jumped too.
Finally, I placed my hands on the mirror.
And, much to my relief… nothing happened. It appeared I wasn't in a dream.
"Alright, Mikey. Let's start the day!"
*****
For over ten years, I had been having dreams.
Most of them were nonsense that I could hardly understand, and I easily forgot them. However, there were certain dreams that remained etched in my mory due to the grim impression they made on .
Those were true nightmares.
While I had lucid dreams sotis, where I would be conscious that I was dreaming, most of my dreams had completely imrsed in the narrative.
I nearly went crazy living a life in a dream, only to wake up and find out none of it was real. So, in order to confirm if I was in a dream or not, I made it my ritual to always check my reflection in the mirror.
There were several thods to check if one was in a dream, and using mirrors happened to be one of them.
In a dream, the person's reflection in the mirror would often be distorted, incomplete, or downright different. Mirrors oftentis served as portals in dreams, since a lot of things in a dreamscape defied the laws of physics.
I heard that other solutions such as 'pain' or a 'spinning top' existed, but they were never as reliable as this one. Besides, only a certain threshold of pain caused to wake up, and I was certainly not going to intentionally harm myself to such a degree as to confirm if I was dreaming or awake.
By performing various actions in front of my reflection, and confirming that the mirror was as solid as one would expect, I could confirm whether I was in a dream, or in reality.
It helped keep my sanity.
*****
I jogged down the cold street in my tracksuit, feeling the cool wind brush past my face as I huffed and puffed.
Beads of sweat were already forming on my face, but I ignored them and focused on the path ahead of . My muscles stung, and my body ached, but I endured the uncomfortable sensations and acclimated in no ti.
It had been a few months since I started working out, and so far it helped a lot in terms of clearing my head and keeping a healthy lifestyle.
With the gym being a bit far from my studio apartnt, I had to jog there. It was a bit thrilling, to be honest.
As my heart raced, and my muscles ached, I kept up pace and made my way to the gym.
*****
"Mikey, you're here!"
"Oh, it's Mikey!"
"Looking good, Mikey!"
I was a little popular in the gym, but not for any reason I particularly liked. In fact, it was due to a very weird series of events.
It was a bit embarrassing, but apparently, I used to sleepwalk and arrive three hours earlier than usual to get so crunches and sets in. And then, I would return later in the evening to do exercise even more.
Even I had no idea how that was possible, but apparently, it was.
At first, I thought my gym buddies were pulling my legs when they said they saw often in the gym. Many even comnded . It was only until I saw the footage that one of them took that I realized what was going on.
'Thankfully, none of them know it was sleepwalking…' I made sure to smile and greet everyone, while having this thought to myself.
They told they hadn't seen do anything of the sort throughout the week, so I had to assu the sleepwalking stopped.
'Sa as my nightmares. Thank goodness. Is it finally ti for my life to take a turn for the normal?'
I would hope so, considering I was going to be twenty-one in September, and I still didn't have a girlfriend. But, who knows, perhaps things were already changing for the better.
'I hope it continues being this way.'
*****
After my rounds at the gym, I took my shower, changed, and then left. My headache persisted, so I decided to take a detour and branch by the drugstore to get sothing to alleviate the pain.
'This isn't my first ti, so…' A tired smile ford on my face.
The Drugstore was opposite the very back of my apartnt complex, just a few blocks away. However, considering the building structure, I had to walk a whole street across, and then turn around, just to reach it.
That was why I simply decided to get it on my way back.
I entered the store, and it looked the sa as usual.
The cool air-conditioned atmosphere of the drugstore greeted as I entered, bright fluorescent lights illuminated the store, casting a clinical glow over the shelves stocked with an array of products.
I walked past a display of skincare products, each bottle adorned with bold claims of rejuvenation and renewal. The aroma of perfus and colognes wafted through the air as I made my way toward the pharmacy counter at the back of the store.
As I passed the aisles of over-the-counter dications, I saw what I was looking for and grabbed it, still walking in the direction of the counter. I noticed how quiet the store was, but I was too tired to think much of it.
Sohow, I felt a little heavy within, and the pain in my head intensified, but that only made quicken my pace so I could pay for the dications and go ho.
Upon finally reaching the pharmacy counter, though, I found it empty.
'H-huh?' I thought to myself.
There was no one behind the counter. Why? What was going on? I looked around to find out, only to realize sothing even more confusing.
I… I was the only person in this store.
"Why am I…?"
~DING~
I suddenly heard a sound, and a ga-like System Window suddenly opened in front of .
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
{The realm of the gods, Paradise, will be revealed to the chosen humans. Overco the 99 Floors and reach the Final Realm.}
{Your mission is to survive the Tutorial so you can be qualified to enter Paradise. Ti Left until the end of the Tutorial: 168 hrs: 00 mins: 00 secs}
'This again?!' I angrily thought.
I was dreaming again, wasn't I? But I did the 'Mirror Trick' already, didn't I? Why was this happening?
"GRRRRRRRRRR…." I suddenly heard a low growl, almost like that of a dangerous animal.
The hair on my skin slowly stood erect, and I felt a chill run down my spine. The growling noise was coming from behind the counter.
'W-what is… this is a dream… right?' I took a step back, and then two more steps. My gaze was fixed on the counter, or rather, what was behind it, but I kept walking back.
Before I knew it, I had arrived at the costics and beauty section, and I was greeted by mirrors.
'N-no…'
The reflections were perfect.
I touched one, and it was solid.
As much as I would like to assu I was dreaming, the evidence told otherwise.
"I-I am… awake—?"
~BOOM!~
Sothing erupted from behind the counter, leaping from its hidden place out into the open. It defied explanation, and all I could see was a very thin and malford grey blur.
'N-not… a dream…?' The pain in my head intensified as my heart raced.
But I had seen this monster countless tis in my nightmares. They were called Demons, weren't they?
[SYSTEM WARNING]
The emaciated creature, with long arms and razor-sharp jaws for teeth, moved too rapidly for my eyes to completely grasp, but before I could move another muscle, it appeared right in front of .
'N-no… no, I—!'
~SQUELCH~
I didn't realize it when its hand was buried deep in my chest. Blood dripped, slowly making a red puddle beneath , yet I remained paralyzed.
[SYSTEM WARNING]
{You will soon die…}
"Ack.. koff… haaa… haa…" I looked at the grinning creature, realizing it still had a piece of labcoat on. It even resembled the pharmacist of this drugstore, if I could ignore its bald head, slimy grey skin, and deford face.
Now it was nothing more than a monster.
"S-so… will I die here?"
Why? Even though I knew this wasn't a dream, why wasn't I panicking more? We only have one life, you know?
I didn't believe in God or anything, so this was it!
Was I really okay with letting my life end just like that? Why wasn't I more terrified by the creature that killed ?!
Perhaps… perhaps I already had the answers to that question.
After all, this wasn't the first ti. It wasn't the tenth ti. It wasn't the millionth ti; that I had been killed in my dream.
In all my dreams, every single nightmare I had… I was always killed. That was the threshold of pain that was required to wake .
'But this isn't a dream…' I thought to myself, feeling my consciousness fade away.
'... Or is it?'
[You Have Died]
{Based On Exclusive Skill: The Drear, your recent experiences have been dissolved into a dream}
[You Will Now Wake Up]
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[A/N]
I hope you enjoyed this second chapter.
In case you don't understand what's happening yet, just keep reading, it'll beco clearer to you.
Please continue to support . Thanks
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