The Nightmare Returns

First, Garam swung her hoe over an empty field.

But nothing happened.

“Does it only work during harvesting?”

“You probably need a harrow for empty ground.”

“I don’t have one right now.”

This time, she moved to a plot with actual crops and swung again.

It felt silly swinging at empty air, but the effect was immediate.

Thud-thud-thud.

The ground overturned, pulling all root vegetables to the surface.

Ripe crops popped off their stems and dropped neatly to the ground.

The range wasn’t wide yet—but it would grow as her level increased.

“But wait, could this… be used as an attack skill?”

“Probably difficult. You need crops in the ground, and that’s rare outside.”

“There are a lot of inedible plants though. Monster feed plants. Maybe it works on those?”

Park Deokpal’s suggestion sounded surprisingly reasonable.

“Should we test it?”

“You’re going outside?”

“Let me get permission.”

Garam tucked her hoe at her waist and left the farm.

‘Let’s see…’

By now, Jae-heon should be in his office.

After returning from the tower, he basically lived there working nonstop.

Knock knock.

As soon as she knocked, his voice called for her to enter.

“What is it?”

He set aside the document he was reading.

“Can I go outside today?”

“Where.”

“Outside the city.”

“And why?”

The casual atmosphere instantly sharpened.

“I’m not trying to run away.”

“Obviously not.”

“I just got a new skill, and I want to see if it works on monsters.”

“What level are you.”

“Level 15.”

“At that level, horned rabbits are perfect.”

Horned rabbits were grass-eating monsters, about the size of a medium dog, with sharp horns on their heads.

Usually hunted by level 10 awakeners—but even non-awakened adults could kill one if they worked together.

They weren’t too dangerous if you avoided the horn, and they tasted surprisingly good for monster meat.

Most domesticated monster meat sold in the city came from crossbred horned rabbits.

“Prepare yourself and meet me in the lobby in one hour.”

“…Yes?”

She only needed permission, but it seemed he was planning to go with her.

‘Well… that’s fine.’

Stronger backup meant safer testing.

Exactly one hour later, Garam headed to the lobby with Deokpal and Joong-bae.

Jae-heon was already waiting.

“Let’s go.”

They drove to the city entrance.

“The rabbit grounds are close. We walk from here.”

Leading the way with long strides, Jae-heon took them through the forest for almost an hour until they reached the habitat.

A few people were already hunting using long spears—clearly residents who lived outside the city walls.

“Kraaa!”

The horned rabbit, despite its cute appearance, let out a deep, harsh scream as it resisted desperately.

It looked surprisingly vicious.

“We’ll take a spot over there.”

Deeper inside, one rabbit was calmly grazing.

‘Will it work?’

Garam swallowed hard.

“Test whatever you want.”

“Yeah, go ahead. We’re here.”

Jae-heon and Deokpal spoke one after another, boosting her confidence.

Even if she failed, nothing would happen—three awakeners were behind her.

She took a deep breath and stepped forward.

The rabbit raised its head.

“Kii?”

It looked cute only because it wasn’t hostile yet.

But Garam didn’t hesitate.

She had lived outside long enough to know exactly how dangerous monsters were.

Even innocent-looking ones could gore a hole straight through you.

And in the wild, untreated wounds meant death.

‘It’s a monster.’

Garam gripped her hoe and watched closely.

The rabbit sensed the hostility and stopped grazing, staring back with red eyes.

Tension crackled between them.

The rabbit moved first—digging the ground with its hind legs before charging horn-first.

Garam swung her hoe.

The ground erupted.

The horned rabbit tripped and crashed violently.

“KIIII!”

It screeched, struggling to rise.

Garam swung again.

The ground flipped once more, and the rabbit rolled helplessly.

So—the hoe worked on monsters.

But there was one problem.

‘No killing blow.’

Her attack power was too low.

If it had been too strong, she might’ve ruined every crop she owned—so this was expected.

Park Deokpal finished the rabbit instead.

“Huff…”

And the new skill consumed mana.

Even the hoe swings required mana now, and Garam soon found herself panting.

Jae-heon handed her a blue potion.

She squeezed her eyes shut and chugged it, grimacing as the indescribably awful taste hit her tongue.

No matter how many times she drank it, the taste was unbearable.

“At least we confirmed the skill works. Good for emergencies.”

“Plus, these weeds grow everywhere even if they’re poisonous. You’ll always have something to trigger it with.”

Deokpal patted her back.

“But I need a finishing blow…”

“You’re a production-type. Doing even this much is impressive.”

True enough.

Garam decided to be satisfied.

They carried the rabbit back to the city—one rabbit, at the cost of a potion and half her mana.

It was a bit depressing.

“Ugh, my whole body aches.”

Farming in the morning and hunting rabbits in the afternoon had completely worn her out.

After tending to Jae-heon’s flowerpot, she lay down on her bed earlier than usual.

“Ahhh, beds are the best!”

She rolled around a few times, buried her face in the pillow—and soon fell asleep.

“Garam.”

A gentle voice called her name.

Garam knew exactly whose voice it was.

“Taegu-hyung.”

Smiling, she nuzzled into his firm chest.

The only person she trusted in that harsh world.

She adored him so much.

‘No—I used to adore him.’

Suddenly, Garam opened her eyes wide.

She had heard Seo Tae-ju’s voice—she was sure of it.

But no one was there.

She reached down—

Cold stone floor met her fingers.

Only her own ragged breathing filled the silence.

‘No. No…’

As she moved forward in the darkness, something blocked her path.

Cold, hard metal.

Bars.

The nightmare she’d buried deep resurfaced.

‘Right. This—this is a nightmare.’

It had to be.

If everything until now had been a dream, and this was reality—she would lose her mind.

Just as she tried to stand—

Something yanked at her ankle.

Her legs felt unbearably heavy.

She looked down.

A thick, rusted shackle clamped around her ankle.

As soon as she saw it, screams erupted from the distance.

Horrifying screams she couldn’t believe she hadn’t heard until now.

“AAH! HELP ME! HELP ME!!”

“It hurts, it hurts—IT HURTS!”

“You monsters—every one of you devils!”

The words of people on the brink of death were filled with venom.

Hearing it over and over slowly broke one’s mind.

Garam had been the same.

She had bitten her nails until they bled and harmed herself.

Eventually, the guards bound her hands tightly to stop her from damaging the merchandise.

She was merchandise.

A damaged product fetches less money.

‘What is happening.’

She tried desperately to think rationally.

It felt too real, but it couldn’t be real.

She had to believe that.

If everything before this had been a dream—and this was reality—she would go insane.

She tried forcing the shackle open, but her strength wasn’t enough.

So she targeted the chain.

Compared to the shackle, the chain was thin—and heavily rusted.

With steady effort and trembling hands, Garam managed to pry it apart.

The shackle was heavy, but she could walk.

Now she just needed to open the bars.

Garam gripped them with both hands.

Late at night, Jae-heon awoke to faint footsteps in the hallway.

Someone was walking—very quietly.

Anyone else would’ve missed it entirely.

He rose from bed and glanced at the flowerpot.

Then he picked it up and opened his door.

A lone figure wandered the corridor.

Only one other person lived on this floor.

Recognizing them wasn’t difficult.