NOVEL WEB Chapter 173
<173 - The Reason for Nightmares>
On the bed lay Oknodie, who had not woken up for hours despite the situation.
With cold sweat dripping and in obvious pain, they kept mumbling, “I can’t be killed…”
Each time, Isabel would change the handkerchief and wipe the cold sweat from their forehead, while Son Ohchun’s face grew increasingly grim as he chased away the curious onlookers who gathered out of sheer curiosity.
“Isabel, how is Oknodie?”
“It’s gotten worse. It seems the nightmare state has deteriorated.”
“Stupid little guy… Did he suffer from those nightmares every night?”
Why couldn’t they have realized it sooner? Oknodie’s agonized state was alarming.
“There are no physical anomalies with the body. Instead, strong psychological stress is adversely affecting the physical form.”
“So that means treatment is impossible?”
“At least, it’s not something that can be resolved with healing spells. I suspect it’s a strong curse related to the nightmares, so we cannot take hasty action.”
“Just break the curse!”
“Attempting to lift a high-level curse carelessly may inflict irreversible damage on the mind. The ongoing curse has already infiltrated the brain and is holding its functions hostage.”
Goo.
“Is there no other way?”
“If we could record the intact state of the brain in the Mana Board, it could provide reference for treatment, but since this child has an unknown identity, we lack comparative information.”
That’s right. Even though Oknodie had been certified as a top scholarship student by the Foundation, that didn’t mean there was any record of his identity. Only the Foundation’s promissory note existed; the world had no information on the child known as Oknodie.
“Hey, skinny! Aren’t you the healer? If you’re getting a salary from the Academy, shouldn’t you be more helpful?”
“All I can say is that this student is under a very strong curse. Unless someone did it to him, the likelihood of getting cursed directly is extremely low.”
Oknodie had been cursed. By someone’s malice. Although he usually dealt with lower-grade curses, he wouldn’t have willingly accepted a deadly curse like this with his own hands. There had to be a culprit. Within this academy.
“Son Ohchun. Pressuring someone who has no solution won’t yield any results. Keep watch at the entrance. We don’t know if the culprit might try to meddle again.”
“…Got it.”
“Jezel, go fetch the professor. Anyone who could possibly help Oknodie.”
“I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
Goo.
Isabel decided that swift action was more important than unnecessary arguments. Since both Son Ohchun and Jezel agreed with her judgment, they quietly either set out to find the professor or stood guard at the door.
“Hey, I heard Oknodie collapsed?”
“Is Oknodie okay?”
“I came to visit!”
With a serious expression, Son Ohchun turned to the healer. The healer, feeling guilty for being of no help, let out a sigh.
“Due to the critical condition of student Oknodie, I cannot allow visitors. If you are concerned, please pray for that child.”
The students who had come late to hear the news realized the seriousness of the situation upon seeing the healer’s solemn demeanor.
“Oknodie has fallen under a curse.”
“That kid used to go looking for curses in the bushes and got cursed on purpose, right?”
“Someone must have exploited that. He must’ve let his guard down to that lower-grade curse and inadvertently got tangled with a high-level one.”
In the gloomy atmosphere, Arcadia glared at the Imperial students.
“If anything happens to Oknodie, I will never forgive you.”
“Why are you blaming us?”
“Do I really need to remind you that the students who dislike Oknodie are mostly from your side?”
“You guys in the Border Region are the ones with the most scoundrels!”
Goo.
“Who just said that?! Are you saying we’re childish? The intelligence of those from the Border Region is no different from that of children!”
The relationships among the students deteriorated rapidly. Just one fallen Oknodie and the peace collapsed in an instant. Son Ohchun began to realize how much a mere mouse had contributed to the academy’s peace.
“Enough! Do we really need to start blaming culprits right here, in front of the healer who’s said that Oknodie needs stabilizing?”
The students, awkwardly sulking, fell silent. In the tense quiet, urgent footsteps could be heard.
“I’ve brought the professor. Everyone, clear the way!”
To their surprise, the first professor to arrive had an aura that could have just stepped out of a horror movie—Professor Sadako.
“Dark magic and curses are as inseparable as water and fish. You made a good judgment in coming to find me…”
Professor Sadako laid her hand on Oknodie’s forehead after assessing the state of the child.
She tilted her head back and forth, making crack noises, inspecting as if she were observing a target for assassination rather than treating someone.
“I need to go in.”
“Go in? Where?”
“Into Oknodie’s nightmares.”
The students outside, who had been raising their voices and arguing, suddenly shut up as if someone had thrown cold water on them.
“I remember being taught by my family… that if you recklessly enter someone’s mind who is suffering from a mental curse, you could have your soul devoured by the curse and become a vegetable.”
“It’s too dangerous. Even the Grand Sorceress of the forest said not to disturb anyone who has been dragged into the dream world. If you poke around carelessly, it could become more dangerous.”
Roto from the noble family, who had received a formal education, and Dorothy, the apprentice forest keeper, both shared the acknowledgement of the taboo despite their differing background and main classes. Do not; meddle in another’s mind.
It’s a dangerous action where both the afflicted and the helper could lose their lives.
“Professor, it’s too dangerous!”
“Worry about yourselves before worrying about me…”
“Are you encouraging us, lest we collapse worrying for our friend’s health?”
With long hair flowing in a white robe, she had a scary impression with cracking joints, but she was indeed a kind-hearted professor!
“Because I need to go inside the nightmare with you.”
“… Us?”
“A friend with a deep bond is less likely to be targeted by the unconscious attack. For a safe mind dive, going together is essential…”
In short, the professor intended to drag Oknodie’s close friends into the nightmare!
“We’re not that close, are we?”
“Right. No matter what we think, Oknodie probably doesn’t see us as friends.”
The students, who had rushed in after hearing the news, hesitated and stepped back. Arcadia, who had led the most students, felt betrayed yet understood their feelings.
She knew well that most of those kids pretended to be close with Oknodie to gain protection and favor, relying on the mental support of the Border Region students. It was utterly pointless to force genuine bonds upon those kids in front of the life-and-death crisis.
As they said, there was no way Oknodie would cherish such superficial relationships or struggle subconsciously to protect them.
“Princess Arcadia, I understand your feelings fully. You are the one who cares for Oknodie the most.”
“Isabel…”
“I will go in. If it’s Princess Arcadia, I can trust you to take care of Oknodie.”
Isabel presented a wet towel, which Arcadia accepted with a face full of shame.
“…I’ll leave it to you. Please save him.”
Standing next to Professor Sadako, Isabel was determined. At that, Son Ohchun pointed to someone.
“You two. You play the gatekeeper.”
“Me…? You think I can be trusted?”
“Me? I’m a pirate!”
“What’s that got to do with a berserker and a pirate? Oknodie used to talk about you guys sometimes.”
“Oknodie talked about me…?”
“Hmm, really? Well, I owe you one, so let’s consider it settled.”
Hestia and Jigoku willingly took over Son Ohchun’s spot.
“I also want to…”
“Jezel. You stay outside just in case.”
“Are you planning to leave me out of saving a little lady? How rude!”
“The most intelligent among us is you. If anything goes wrong, you are the only one I can trust to handle it from outside.”
Goo.
“Understood. I’ll remain here. And…”
Jezel was about to point at the plant that had been bothering her for a long time but was met with Hestia’s intense gaze.
“…I hope it can end safely without me having to step in.”
“What? It feels bland.”
“That broadcaster must have a gentle heart. I really wonder how he obtained the class of a dark merchant.”
As Isabel and Son Ohchun finished their preparations, they looked back at the professor, who nodded.
Chanting an ominous spell, the three cloaked in inky fog leaned against the wall next to the bed and disappeared into Oknodie’s mental world.
“What in the world…?”
“This is Oknodie’s mental world.”
“Why the heck is the little guy being attacked by Academy students?”
The three floated in the nightmare like translucent ghosts. Professor Sadako interpreted the substance of the dream.
“The nightmare of death experiences manifests as the nightmare realizing the target’s greatest fears. For this child, being hated by everyone represents the most terrifying moment…”
I can’t be killed.
Now they understood the meaning behind Oknodie’s repeated murmurs. Even while being driven to be killed by the students, Oknodie was desperately trying not to kill anyone.
As if he couldn’t possibly recover if it happened just once.
“He never wanted to become a killing weapon for the Foundation. He was embroiled in such a struggle within his nightmares!”
Tears welled up in Isabel’s eyes.