BREW

Meanwhile, in the Original World…

The sun was already high—almost noon.

Valen leaned against his food cart, sighing. "Hoo… I really spent that long exploring and still found no customers."

Despite the wasted hours, he was oddly energized. He hadn't slept at all—but oddly, he didn't feel tired. His steps were light. His mind clearer than usual. "No sleep... but I'm wide awake?" he muttered, blinking at the sky. "This is awesome. I can save hours if I don't need to sleep."

He grabbed his shopping list and stepped out to buy ingredients.

On the corner, a projection from someone's window caught his eye. A news broadcast.

"—Sauyo Town was attacked by a suspected terrorist group early this morning. Military response confirms no survivors. All 273 residents are confirmed dead. Cleanup and identification are ongoing. The government has—"

Valen froze.

"What?"

He stepped closer to the glass, the words echoing in his mind.

Sauyo Town. His old school was there. He remembered it as a bustling place—crowded, alive. There were thousands of people there, not just 273. There's no way news would made a mistake like that.

"There's no way…" he whispered. "A town that big? Only two hundred living there and now all dead? That's not right." he plan to check it out later

His thoughts flashed back to the girl from earlier—the one who stumbled into his path in the Alter World. The one with the terrified eyes.

"So that's why she crossed over," he murmured. "She must've been caught in that… thought I was one of them."

He leaned against the lamppost, brow furrowed.

"All I knew was that crossover happens when someone desperately wants to escape… maybe the same thing happened to her"

He looked up again at the screen. The news had moved on, already covering weather forecasts.

But Valen wasn't watching anymore.

Something was wrong with this world.

And it was only starting to show.

—In the hallway of MVD head quarters

Tuesday was being toured through the Maharlika Vanguard Diliman base by a Lucid named Alex, her temporary supervisor.

"So that hallway leads to the lab where we test cursed items," Alex said, gesturing casually as they passed a long, reinforced corridor lined with glowing wards. They spend about 20 minutes in this tour.

He glanced at her. "So, what are you going to choose? Fighter or researcher?"

Tuesday looked unsure. "I… still don't understand everything. But I'm not great at studying or anything. I guess I'll join the military instead."

"Ah, got it. Right—I didn't really explain anything yet." He scratched his head. "Okay, where should I start…"

They stopped beside a sealed observation window. Beyond it, something pulsed faintly under containment—twisting and shapeless.

Alex began the lesson.

"This place you crossed into? We call it the Dreamworld. That name's stuck since the earliest records, and no one's managed to rename it. It's… not another planet, not quite a parallel dimension either. Just there—outside, behind, beneath reality."

He continued, "Inside it, things roam. Entities. Manifestations of spiritual entropy. We call them Nightmares. And yeah—they're as dangerous as they sound."

He waved his hand, and a holographic interface appeared mid-air, showing a color-coded tier chart.

"Nightmares are classified by three factors: energy level, danger level, and attack pattern."

He tapped the first tier. "Energy level is how much negative spiritual energy it holds—like raw, unfiltered darkness."

"Danger level?" Tuesday echoed.

"That's how likely it is to hurt you—or kill you. Thing is, high energy doesn't always mean high danger. Some Nightmares are like nuclear reactors: powerful but inert unless provoked. Others? Tiny but deadly."

"To make it simpler," he added, "think of this comparison: Imagine a horse in an open field. It's big, it's strong, it can run for hours—that's high energy. But you can still shoot it down."

"Now imagine a venomous snake, camouflaged in a jungle. It's small, maybe only 40 centimeters. But one bite and you're dead. That's danger. Energy's not everything."

Tuesday frowned thoughtfully. "So… energy is raw power. Danger is how likely it is to use it effectively?"

"Exactly. Environment, intelligence, instinct, aggression—all of that affects danger level."

He then explained the third factor: attack pattern.

"It's the reason it attacks. Some Nightmares strike anyone who gets close. Others? They're ritualistic. Some hunt based on scent. Some target emotions."

Tuesday nodded slowly, absorbing the information.

Then Alex shifted topics. "Now let's talk about how people get into this world. There are two ways: Transcendence and Fissure Entry."