Dream, Recovery, and the Jewel Butterfly

There are times like that.

When you briefly fall asleep and suddenly wake up.

But your mind is still crushed under sleep and fatigue, so you cannot clearly tell whether it is a dream or reality.

That was exactly the case now.

“……?”

I opened my eyes absentmindedly, but my eyelids were too heavy.

With no other choice, I opened them only halfway.

My half-open vision felt like secretly peeking through a door that had accidentally been left ajar.

A strange pleasure accompanied by an unexplainable nervousness tickled my nerves.

My dull mind could not even grasp what I had been doing or where I was.

But some scene caught my gaze.

Zzzzt. Zzzzt.

Noise rang beside my ear.

It sounded like the groan of a machine that was broken, or about to break.

Was it just my imagination.

It felt as if the sound was coming from inside my body.

……Trust regarding ……

Authority increase……

……Charging…… returning…… recovery…… system……

Return the charged …… for system recovery……

Recovery in progress.

※ Warning: During recovery, edited data may become unstable.

The lock on hidden files may be temporarily released, so please be careful.

‘What is this?’

Am I dreaming about playing a game or something.

Then suddenly I realized someone was holding me.

It was something very big and solid.

And warm.

Without thinking, I burrowed into it.

A low laugh was heard.

A large hand gathered my body into an embrace and stroked my back.

It felt good.

“Sleepy?”

Someone—probably the one holding me—asked.

But I could not answer.

I was sleepy.

“Sleep well.”

The gentle voice felt familiar.

“……Okay.”

I feel like I have heard that line before.

Ah, then I remembered.

[Then tomorrow again.]

“There is no ‘tomorrow again’ anymore.”

……

“You have to be careful.”

The arm that had been stroking my back suddenly stopped.

Then it hugged me tightly.

[Tomorrow.]

“Tomorrow.”

[You might love me tomorrow.]

“You might…….”

The text that appeared naturally in my head and the voice beside my ear did not overlap again.

The voice stopped.

Maybe my fading consciousness simply failed to hear the rest.

“……time.”

There are times like that.

When you are so drunk with sleep that you cannot clearly distinguish anything.

Sometimes you cannot even tell who you are.

With my eyes closed, I reached out and hugged the head of someone whose presence my fingertips found.

Then I pulled them closer and kissed their forehead.

“It’s okay.”

The murmuring voice did not sound like my own.

“It’s okay…… I’ll handle everything…….”

Why am I saying something like that.

I do not know that either.

Is it a dream.

The conclusion slowly leaned that way.

Yes, dreams are usually like that.

If you think about them clearly afterward, they are nothing but chaotic puzzles that make no sense.

Maybe that is what this is too.

Recovery in progress.

※ Warning: During recovery, edited data may become unstable……

Still pressing my lips to someone’s forehead, I opened my eyes slightly.

‘What an incredible dream.’

Something was flying.

My narrow field of vision was filled with it.

They glittered.

Like the fractured surfaces of broken glass shards.

They floated.

Like dust falling from objects that had already served their purpose.

Butterflies shining in countless colors.

Wings made of jewels.

Like stars scattered across the night sky.

My entire vision was filled with them.

I could even guess that this entire space must be filled with those jewel butterflies.

It should have been a breathtaking sight even if described only with words.

Yet.

‘Why is that.’

Instead of feeling like I was looking into a treasure vault, I felt like I was looking into someone’s columbarium.

The butterflies flying around did not feel like butterflies.

They felt like souls.

Spirits that should have left long ago but somehow remained.

Of course that was nonsense.

Dreams—or even thoughts you have while half asleep—are usually mostly nonsense anyway.

Ah, I am truly exhausted now.

Recovery in progress.

Zzzzt. Zzzzt.

That noise again.

※ The lock on hidden files may be temporarily released, so please be careful.

What kind of sound was that.

It was all incomprehensible noise.

The next day.

“f*ck…….”

I pressed hard between my eyebrows.

But the headache did not get better.

“What a ‘good dream’, my ass.”

If I had felt something was wrong, I should have gotten up instead of sleeping more.

Of course that was meaningless complaining.

Even if I went back to that moment, I would have fallen asleep again.

If I were the type who became diligent just because I woke up early, I would succeed at anything.

But I am not that kind of person.

“……Was it my temple instead.”

After pressing between my brows for a while, I slowly moved my fingers.

Yeah, maybe this feels a little better.

—You should have rested more, honey.

I casually swatted the jewel butterfly that followed me around like a persistent early-autumn mosquito.

—Hahaha, today again our honey’s play is quite rough……

I clearly swatted it away, so why is it buzzing around my ear again not even a second later.

“Is this bastard actually a mosquito.”

—Hahaha, that is too harsh, honey.

“Yeah, maybe that is a little harsh to mosquitoes.”

—Our honey really is mischievous.

f*ck.

I should not have said anything.

“It had not appeared for a while though.”

I poked the jewel butterfly following me with my fingertip.

It had not been visible until yesterday, but suddenly it had revived.

When I touched it, glittering dust scattered from the spot.

“But nothing was wrong during that time, right.”

—Hahaha, are you worried about me.

“Bullshit.

Like I have the spare time to worry about you.”

I only asked because it came to mind.

Just because it came to mind.

—Ah, our honey really likes me so much……

I immediately smacked the jewel butterfly with my palm.

Unlike earlier, this time with all my strength.

Smack.

—But really, you look like you should rest more.

Sadly, it seemed to have taken almost no damage.

“f*ck.”

Just because the owner uses strength magic, does the butterfly have to be a strength butterfly too.

The way it flies around so energetically… is it working out or something.

—From behind, your steps looked unstable, honey.

“That is because I had a bad dream.”

As I answered, I honestly expected him to grab onto my words.

Something like, “See, I told you your dream would be bad.”

“……?”

But the jewel butterfly became quiet.

It even lagged behind slightly.

Earlier it had clung to me no matter how much I swatted it away.

“Caliburn?”

Only after a short pause did the jewel butterfly answer.

—Did you call me, honey.

“Are you doing something else right now.”

—Hmm.

Oh.

Hahaha.

Do not worry.

I am not shameless enough to bring another supernatural being into our sweet home already.

“Just bring them.”

—Cold, honey.

The warmth of the bed we shared last night has not even faded yet.

Normally I would just think there he goes again talking nonsense and ignore it.

But today it strangely bothered me.

‘Why is everything he says flirting.’

A supernatural being who is not even attracted to humans, yet keeps making humans uncomfortable.

‘No, that is not it.’

Confusing people.

“…….”

Wait.

That also feels wrong.

While I hesitated, the jewel butterfly spoke again.

—But honey, you said you had a bad dream.

“Yeah.”

Thanks to that, I returned to the original topic.

—You looked like you were sleeping soundly though.

“Exactly.”

It was closer to passing out than sleeping.

So what kind of dream was that.

No sense of decency at all.

—What kind of dream was it.

“A complete shit dream.”

I emphasized the word shit.

After a moment of silence, Caliburn laughed.

—How bad could it have been.

“It was seriously a shit dream, so do not ask.”

I waved my hand dismissively.

There was not even the slightest exaggeration in that statement.

I shuddered.

“Even if a ghost appeared, it would have been less exhausting.”

—Hahaha.

“I thought maybe I had not moved enough, so I came out.

If I move around today maybe I will feel better.”

—Hahaha, not moving.

Honey, did you not move much more than usual.

“Shut up.”

While scolding him out of habit, I recalled the dream I mentioned.

What I said was true.

It really was a terrible dream.

Every time it began in the same place.

A place the dream called the Punishment Room.

I did not know what crime “I” had committed, but I was imprisoned there.

And there were always visitors who came to harm me.

Sometimes they beat me.

Sometimes I beat them back.

But the story never progressed.

The dreams kept repeating with different outcomes but the same place.

Eventually just seeing the ceiling of that punishment room made me annoyed.

“I usually do not dream at all.”

That was true.

Even when my sleep was rough, dreams rarely came to me.

It was almost as if something blocked them.

“Is that also because of the unstable system or whatever.”

—That could be it.

“Where do I file a complaint.”

—Hahaha, it is a monopoly so complaints will not work.

That is why monopolies are bad.

Free market economy gets +1 point of psychological support.

—But if that was the case, it should be fine now, honey.

“Hmm?”

—How do you feel.

How do I feel.

“I told you.

I had a terrible dream so I feel bad.”

—Not that.

I stayed quiet for a moment and checked my condition.

Headache, a little.

Mood, slightly bad.

And then.

“Ah?”

I suddenly realized something.

—It is better now, right.

“Wait.”

I deliberately recalled certain names in my mind and checked the status window.

Seolya Route Opened: (2)/?

Imok Route Opened: (3/?

Jeog-O Route Opened: (2/?

Benzel Route Opened: (1/?

“Hey, there is still something you did not fix properly.”

Even though I scolded him, my voice was not sharp.

“Still, good.”

The overly sensitive nerves I had recently felt seemed to have been covered by a layer of filter.

Even looking at the bugged status window did not make me anxious or angry.

‘It is not even real anyway.’

Now I understood what the prophet meant by you feel better now, right.

“How did you fix it.”

Then I remembered something.

“Ah, the system said recovery earlier.

Did it pull energy from somewhere to recharge.”

—Hahaha.

Even his evasive laughter did not annoy me.

“Over-immersion is dangerous after all.

I should keep some distance from games in the future.”

—Yes.

Distance.

Very important.

“Won’t it relapse again.”

—Unless it is like last time, it should not.

‘Last time’ probably referred to when I fell into the Gap.

Since I was partly responsible for that, I pretended not to care.

Then Caliburn asked quietly.

—But honey, among the things you heard while half asleep, did you hear anything else.

I tilted my head.

“Not sure.

Was there something special.”

I could not remember anything clearly.

That is how half-sleep memories are.

“Was there something I was not supposed to hear.

If it is confidential information then you should secure it properly.”

After complaining first, I answered again.

“I did not hear anything.

So—”

—Honey?

But I did not finish my sentence.

“Quiet.”

I lowered my voice and whispered.

While speaking to Caliburn, I stared ahead.

The place I had arrived at looked like ruins.

A half-collapsed castle wall could be seen through the blowing snowstorm.

Stones rolled across the ground.

“Why is that visible.”

I murmured.

Inside Bran the snowstorm usually weakens within the walls.

That is the difference between territory and neutral zone.

—So our honey was a diligent lord after all.

Caliburn seemed to understand the situation immediately.

—What happened here.

“Do not steal my lines.”

—Honey, did you not destroy this wall yourself on Day 3.

Caliburn paused for a moment before speaking again.

—But this is still registered as Central Baekryeong.

I had already guessed that.

But then he added something else.

—And the number of subordinates increased.

The snowstorm was clearly weaker than before.

—Hahaha.

Did you secretly recruit talent while I was not looking.

“Of course not!”

Just as I shouted, something suddenly ran away from the pile of stones ahead.

“…Wait!”

I called out instinctively.

But I did not expect it to stop.

Yet it did.

‘Master’ authority is forcibly applied to a subordinate.

“Eh?”

“Ack!”

The fleeing figure suddenly froze as if struck by lightning.

Then it screamed sharply and collapsed forward.

“Ma… Master.”

It was a very skinny child.

The child crawled toward me while trembling violently.

As I stared down at the scene in shock, the jewel butterfly flew beside my ear again and buzzed like a mosquito.

—My goodness.

I never expected our honey to be such a cruel person.

“…….”

—That was thrilling.

Next time try it on me too.

Learning from my earlier failure, I smashed the jewel butterfly into the ground with all my strength.

And at the same time I decided something.

When I go to the shop later, I should look for an electric mosquito racket.