Chapter 21: Dream
Chapter 21: Dream
That night, I finally let myself sleep. I was tired after spending so much time reviewing my skills, searching for something I could integrate.
Since arriving in this world, it was the first time I felt a glimpse of happiness and excitement.
For once, I felt safe. That comfort allowed me to drift into a deep, undisturbed sleep.
But then something strange happened.
I found myself standing in a place I thought I had forgotten decades ago.
Everything around me was so vivid, so clear, it made me question whether I was dreaming or somehow awake.
The road stretched before me, and familiar houses lined the highway.
The scene was a stunning version of the neighborhood I remembered from childhood.
No people were around, only the surroundings I had once taken for granted.
Yet here I stood, staring at the lake beside the road, my chest aching as something long buried stirred inside me.
"This should be a dream... but why is it so beautiful? The lake, the houses, all of it... it's beautiful. What is happening to me?"
I was confused by everything I was seeing.
But if I had to be honest, then yes, it was beautiful.
It felt like a version of my hometown from childhood, reshaped into something dazzling and almost unreal.
My heart raced with nostalgia, a deep longing rising inside me.
But how did I remember this so clearly?
I didn’t know.
I barely paid attention to this place when I was young, yet now every detail looked breathtaking.
Why did it appear more beautiful than I ever remembered?
I kept walking along the highway, eventually reaching a familiar crossing.
As I stepped forward, the entire scene shifted.
The surroundings melted into a cityscape bathed in a red afternoon sky. The lights in every home flickered on in perfect harmony, creating a soft, glowing atmosphere that caught me off guard.
"This scene... I’m sure this was when I was a teenager, heading to a computer shop for fun. It was Christmas. But what is happening?"
With growing excitement, I hurried through the streets.
My feet carried me faster toward that shop, the place where old computers once buzzed and glowed.
The city was bustling with people, just like I remembered during the holidays.
But something was wrong. Every person I saw had a faceless head. I noticed it, yet somehow, I didn't care.
My body moved on its own, drawn to the computer shop.
My heart burned with excitement, my vision swam in color. Everything around me looked impossibly vivid.
I didn’t know why it was all so beautiful. This place had never looked like this before.
Not even close.
There was no sound, but I could see people playing, laughing, and teasing each other.
I couldn’t hear their words, but I felt the warmth in the air. The mood was unmistakably joyful.
Without hesitation, I joined in.
I laughed, I moved, and I played alongside those faceless strangers.
I felt truly happy.
The joy was overflowing.
But why was this happening?
Even now, I can’t explain it.
Was I a lonely person? Yes.
But I was never broken.
I had faced challenges again and again.
There were times I thought of giving up. Times when I considered ending everything, convinced I couldn’t go on.
I feared the consequences of failure. I believed I had no future if I didn’t succeed.
Those thoughts haunted me, but deep down, I knew I didn’t want to die.
I knew who I was.
Even during the worst years of poverty in my childhood, I never gave in.
Not once.
So what was I experiencing now?
Was this dream born from loneliness? From being alone too long? From growing up in a toxic environment in the orphanage?
I didn’t know.
But I felt like I understood.
This was exhilarating.
This endless happiness was like stepping into a long-lost piece of myself. It felt as if my soul had opened up and revealed something I buried long ago.
It was like my heart was calling me back to a forgotten reflection.
"Ahh... so good."
I kept walking through these old places, these scenes from the past.
But they were more than memories.
They were beautiful.
I walked and walked, watching fireworks light the sky, feeling a kind of freedom I had never known.
I was completely lost in it.
The hours passed without me noticing.
The scenery kept changing, place after place.
All of it was familiar.
These were real locations I had once lived through, now restored with perfect clarity.
And in embracing them, I remembered who I was.
One hour.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
And then six hours passed in the dream.
I woke up around three in the morning. My vision was blurry as I stared through the window.
It was still night, but the sun had begun to rise. A soft glow touched the horizon, turning the sky pale with light.
The view was beautiful.
Without thinking, I reached out toward it. I wanted to return to that dream, to that beauty.
But now that I was awake, it was gone. My heart wouldn’t stop aching. It throbbed like something was missing.
Suddenly, without meaning to, tears started falling down my cheeks.
They flowed quietly, uncontrollably.
I didn’t sob. I didn’t even cry. The tears just came.
I didn’t know why.
Maybe I wanted to hold on to that version of life my dream gave me. Maybe I wasn’t trying to escape reality.
Maybe I just touched something I had lost a long time ago.
It was complicated. But I knew this feeling had built up inside me for years. Years of being alone, with no one to lean on.
Years of pretending I was fine.
Maybe I missed the only happiness I ever had.
Maybe I wanted it back, but this time in a way that was beautiful beyond words.
Just thinking about it made my chest tighten again.
“I need to stop this feeling,” I told myself, trying to calm the storm inside my heart.
Ever since I came to this world, the desire to return to my old life had only grown stronger.
I wanted to go home.
I wanted to reclaim the wealth I once had. I wanted to visit my hometown and see it again with my own eyes.
I gripped the curtain and wiped my face. My eyes were red from the tears, but I kept staring out the window, deep in thought.
I sat there dazed, letting time pass, waiting for my maid Lynn to come and care for me.
As I waited, I kept thinking about that dream. It had burned itself into my memory, clear and unforgettable.
I didn’t know how to return to it, but more than anything, I wanted to.
Two hours passed.
By the time the sun began to rise, it was five in the morning.
I called Mia to prepare food and asked Lynn to help me dress.
After breakfast, I returned to my room and sat beside my bed, holding one of the mana stones.
Its faint blue glow shimmered quietly in my hands.
Once again, I noticed my mana reserve had been reduced by half. I was sure the child inside me was absorbing it.
To prevent my body from being drained too deeply, I replenished it and continued absorbing mana to expand my reserve.
I was never careless.
Even in my past life, I would rush to the nearest clinic the moment I felt unwell.
That habit had not changed.
I still made sure to care for my health, both physically and mentally. If I noticed anything strange, I acted quickly.
So I focused on absorbing mana, making sure to do it slowly and safely. It took time, but I wanted it done right.
By eight in the morning, I stopped.
I had other plans for the day.
My goal hadn’t changed since yesterday.
I was going to steal that old man’s sword skills.
I set the mana stone aside. It still held a strong concentration of energy.
If I had to guess, it would take about three full days to drain it completely.
After placing it on the table, I stepped into the enormous backyard. The knights greeted me politely as I passed.
I made my way to the training ground, where the old man was already waiting.
But today, I didn’t come alone.
I brought several maids with me. They were there to prepare food in case I got hungry and to assist the old man if anything went wrong.
His hands had been shaking lately, and I was afraid he might collapse at any moment.
Lynn and Mia were busy elsewhere, so I relied on the other maids instead.
Once everything was in place, I quietly observed his swordsmanship.
DING
⚔️【You have successfully learned a low-tier sword skill: Split Crescent】
DING
⚔️【You have successfully learned a low-tier sword skill: Lancing Vein】
DING
⚔️【You have successfully learned a low-tier sword skill: Steelwrap Defense】
DING
⚔️【You have successfully learned a low-tier sword skill: Flickerstep Cut】
DING
⚔️【You have successfully learned a low-tier sword skill: Ascent Fang】
The system notifications rang over and over until they blended into white noise.
I stopped paying attention.
Hours passed, and I had already copied more than a hundred low-tier sword skills.
I finally told him to rest.
Then I asked the maids to check on him, just in case.
“Thank you, Princess,” he said, his voice soft and tired.
“No problem. You may go home now.”
“Yes. I understand, Princess.”
I nodded at his worn expression and left without another word. I returned to my room in silence.
This time, I felt something different.
For once, I was truly content with the slow, peaceful rhythm of my days.
I wished this peace could last, even though I knew it was impossible.
Still, I was satisfied with my strength. Even if it increased only little by little, the feeling of progress was enough to keep me going.
“I think I’m close to a breakthrough,” I whispered. “If I keep this up, I’ll enter the True Primaris Realm soon.”
It wasn’t just a feeling.
My mana had definitely grown. My body had not improved much yet, but I wasn’t worried. Strength could wait. I was not desperate for it. Not anymore.
For now, I was focused on the long game.
Each day, I absorbed more mana and copied more skills.
I didn’t need to rush.
A week passed like that.
Eventually, the system rewarded me with two new choices for making correct decisions.
But I didn’t claim them yet. Gaining sudden power would look too suspicious.
I decided to save them for later, stacking my options until the right moment came.
That wasn’t the only reason.
I wanted to test the system.
Was there a limit to how many rewards I could store? Could I keep stacking them endlessly?
A part of me hoped something unexpected would happen if I waited long enough.
Still, I had to put that curiosity aside when I received an unexpected summons from Gramps Zach.
I didn’t know the reason, but I followed the request without hesitation.
Szélanya was there too.
That alone gave me a good idea of what this was about.
They were both staring at my belly.
It made sense. My stomach already looked four months along, far larger than it should have been.
The speed of the growth was impossible to ignore.
Even I was starting to worry.
Even I wanted answers.
What exactly was this child doing to my body?
With Lynn and Mia walking quietly beside me, I stepped forward to find out.
•
•
•
•••
