Chapter 7: Episode 2 – Dreamscape (2)

Faint noises echoed in the area before the sound of heavy footsteps being dragged resounded out. An unexpected pain spread through her body like sharp pins and needles poking every limb and organ she had.

This caused Maria to groan and collapse on the ground, gasping for breath. She felt her body slowly settling on the cold ground, her shoulder pressed against the wall, but she couldn't feel any more pain.

Her body had now completely numbed but it was still sore. Maria's eyes remained closed and the area she was in was extremely dark. She couldn't tell if the light source was just dim or if there was none.

Where am I...

Maria inwardly groaned when she felt her neck ache. As her consciousness slowly returned, bits of memories came resurfacing through her mind. She began gathering her thoughts and recalled what had happened.

An unknown woman had just saved her from being eaten by a Cetus monster. She appeared out of nowhere and carried Maria to a hidden space located at the very end of her dreamscape.

The hidden space was called the Safe Zone. Maria wondered how the woman knew where the Safe Zone was, even Maria had no clue about the zone's location.

Maria heaved a deep sigh and moved her head. She seemed to be lying on something, it wasn't like the hard ground she had expected.

Though her lower body did feel cold, she felt her upper body lie on something warm and fluffy. Her head felt as if there was a soft, lavender-scented pillow caressing it. Maria's neck didn't hurt and her position was quite comfortable.

Where was she? Was she in a room? Maria needed to find out where she was now, though she had a guess about where she might be.

Once you enter the Safe Zone, a message would appear, stating that you have cleared the beginning of the tower, the dreamscape. What Maria experienced earlier was just a low-difficulty dreamscape room.

It was mentioned in the novel that every player must clear the first level of their dreamscape before determining what level of the tower they would be placed in. Once they enter the actual rooms, it would be hell for those with terrible nightmares and a weak state of mind.

And since the event hasn't begun, there was only one place Maria could be in.

[The Stomach of the Nightmare Tower.] It was the main lobby where players who have cleared their dreamscapes are sent and gathered.

The name alone was enough to send chills down Maria's spine. It was where various players from different dreamscapes are sent, meaning Maria might not be alone from where she was at. She had to be extra cautious.

First, check and see if I'm alone.

By the time Maria was about to open her eyes to check, she heard voices near her.

"I-Is she dead?" A timid voice asked.

It sounded like a young boy.

"No, she's just sleeping." A gentle female voice answered. "It's better if she rests first. We still don't know what happened."

"Is it alright to wait for her to wake up?" Another voice asked, this time it was a man's. "There's also another one asleep."

"The Main Event... Player Selection." The little boy murmured, his voice low. "What does it mean?"

"It's obvious we were chosen to do something, but what?" The man said.

"All we can do right now is wait," The woman suggested. "Did you all receive the same messages?"

The man's voice became low, "You mean the weird floating messages? Yeah, I did..."

"I also got one," The little boy said. "But why were there floating messages? I've only seen this kind of thing in movies."

"It seems like the selected players are the only ones who can see these floating messages."

Maria didn't understand their conversation. Judging from the tone of their voices, they sounded serious. This might help answer some of her questions. Maria wanted to confirm her suspicions before acting.

Right now, these people were either her enemies or allies.

✧ ✦ ✧ ✦ ✧

"When will the event begin? We've been waiting here for over an hour now." A man said impatiently, tapping his boots restlessly.

"Does that mean more people are coming?" A low voice asked.

There was a moment of silence before the man replied, "That can't be it, the entrance closed after the two of you came in."

"But why isn't the event starting?" The woman's gentle voice sounded out. "If there's no more people coming, then shouldn't the event start already?"

"Do we even want this event to start? We don't even know why we're here, shouldn't we find ways to escape this place?" The man's voice turned firm.

"And how do you suppose we do that?" The woman asked. "I saw you and the little boy tried to escape after I came here."

There was a pause before the woman continued, "There's nothing in this room, just lanterns that can't even be taken down. The walls are made of concrete and there's even no windows. The entrance is closed off, which is our only form of entrance and exit to this place. So tell me, how do you plan to escape here?"

For a brief moment, there was silence. Maria could sense the awkward atmosphere radiating within the room. Listening to such a tense conversation made Maria gulp a little. Even so, Maria was able to gather important information regarding her current situation.

One was that they were also dragged into this 'event' unwillingly, given by their tone of voice that showed obvious fear. The second was that there was an entrance leading into this room which meant she didn't come here alone, someone brought her here. And third, the event the people were discussing.

Floating Messages, Selected Players, the Main Event, Player Selection...

It really is like the novel...

Black Tower of Nightmares. It was none other than the strange phenomenon building that was introduced in the early chapters of the novel, Game of Survival.

Maria cursed through her mind while recalling that certain novel. Memories from earlier came pouring like a tidal wave as Maria inwardly gritted her teeth.

Game of Survival, Black Tower, Selection Event, Space and Void, and Monsters. Excluding the latter two, the first three were obviously a part of the novel's plot.

The title, the place that started the protagonist's adventures, and the event that began the story. All three were the main components of the novel only Maria knew.

But there was something else Maria thought about. There was a possibility she passed out due to exhaustion and was currently dreaming about the novel's plot. It was a possibility Maria didn't want to exclude.

Even if what the people near her were discussing bears resemblance to the beginning of the novel, Maria had a hard time believing it. It was impossible. It didn't make sense.

After the dream she had about that girl, Maria even began to doubt the events that were happening before were real. She might still be dreaming, or perhaps she was hallucinating the entire morning and passed out on the sidewalk. People sometimes pass out after hallucinating.

But it still doesn't make sense...

The conversation between the three people resumed and the atmosphere around them soon calmed down. Maria contemplated on what to do while listening to the conversation.

For now, I should do what it takes to clear this event. It doesn't matter if this is a dream or not, I don't wanna experience death even if it isn't real.

She listened attentively for a few minutes before deciding to stop eavesdropping.

There was already enough confirmation that these voices were likely people who were unfortunate enough to be dragged into this 'event.' She forced herself to temporarily accept this reality.

Maria finally opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was a woman's face.

"Hm? You're finally awake?" The woman asked.

It turns out the soft pillow she thought was laying on was actually the woman's lap. Maria caressed her aching forehead before sitting up. She twisted her neck reflexively and finally made out where she was.

As she guessed...

"...A black room?"

"It's where the event will soon proceed," The woman explained.

"Event...?"

Pretend to be confused in order to not draw suspicion.

"It's hard to explain," The man let out a sigh. "We're supposedly selected to do something, but we don't know what."

The appearance of the two people made Maria a bit anxious. She took a moment to relax and kept calm. Now was the time to look around her surroundings. She had to act on what to do when one suddenly wakes up in an unfamiliar place.

Maria tried to stand up, but her legs trembled greatly and she fell to her knees. The woman held her shoulder to prevent her from getting up and a worried look appeared on her face.

"You're body still hasn't recovered, you shouldn't move around too much." The woman advised her.

When Maria looked down, she was surprised to see find her left forearm and right leg covered in bandages. Though the bandage was badly done, it was able to stop the bleeding Maria had gotten when the Cetus attacked her.

"I was the one who treated you if you're wondering about it, " The woman informed her. "I happen to be carrying bandages and saw your injuries."

"Ah, thanks..." Maria looked down with furrowed brows.

Her body had been like this since she had woken up from that infinite void. After nearly drowning and being saved from a sea monster, it would make sense for her body to be physically exhausted. Even a simple sleep wouldn't be enough. She needed to rest in bed for a week to even recover from all that...

...Physically and mentally.

Because of this, Maria had to look around without getting up from her spot. The man and the little boy quickly got out of her way as she slowly scanned her surroundings. Her eyes landed on an unconscious school girl just a few feet away from them. She seemed to be the same age as Maria's second brother and slept in a curled-up position.

So there's four people inside this room...

Once she removed her eyes from the young girl, she turned to look at the three people that were near her. The young woman seemed to notice her fixated gaze and suggested, "Right, I guess we should introduce ourselves to you before explaining some things, huh?"

The two people behind her nodded in agreement.

"My name is Kiana," The woman calmly introduced herself.

Kiana had long black hair that reached down her back, with fair skin and gentle features, she wore a black bolero jacket and jeans. There was a holster strapped on her right thigh that made Maria frown.

"I was going for a hike when I suddenly passed out at a bus station..." She said and her face darkened. "Then I woke up in this strange place."

After finishing, a man stepped forward and introduced himself with a hand on his chest. "Luke. Luke Collins."

He looked to be foreign, American probably. He had brown hair with a muscular body, he wore a simple shirt with a jacket underneath that had rolled-up sleeves. There was dirt covering his clothes from the pants to the shirt.

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"I'm a construction worker that was working on a new building, I was about to go home after transporting concrete bags when my vision suddenly went dark." He said with a hint of fear. "I woke up in a strange place before going unconscious. Then I found an entrance that led here and saw these two children."

Maria looked at the little boy who nodded in confirmation. He said, "It's true, when I came here I saw him entering from the entrance I came through. I wasn't the only one in the room, the big sister asleep here was the first one inside, but she passed out before I could speak to her."

"Ah, my name is Wang Feng," The little boy avoided Maria's gaze. "I remember being chased by someone scary that I hid to a place I found, then a message appeared that told me there was an entrance nearby. I followed it and came here."

Chased by someone scary and hid... then a message appeared. Maria repeated these words in her mind silently.

From his name, it was clear to them that he was Chinese. He seems fluent in English though. Wang Feng looked to be around 10 years old and wore casual clothes.

The only one left to introduce themselves was Maria. The three people looked at her and waited. Maria felt a little nervous introducing herself to these people, but it was best if she familiarizes herself with them first.

"Maya," She said, looking at them. "I was walking to a cafe when I suddenly passed out. I then woke up to the sound of whispering."

But that didn't mean she wanted to use her real name.

Kiana seemed surprised once Maria said her words. Maria's eyes which were previously looking at Luke soon turned to her. She remained calm despite Maria catching her gaze, but there was a strange emotion in her eyes as she stared at her.

"Anything you want to ask?"

"Nothing. You reminded me of someone, that's all." A quick response escaped from her mouth.

Maria, "..."

Yeah... I don't believe her.

But Maria didn't have time to ponder on the woman as she began looking around her surroundings.

It was just as the prompt said. This was the black tower.

Measuring the length and width of the room using the dim lanterns that were used to illuminate the area was very difficult.

Using the information she had from the novel, she began reciting them through her mind quietly. Every black tower level was around 9 feet in length while the width was unknown. The black room was incredibly big that it was an insult to even be called a room.

Maria pressed her hand against the ground. It was smooth and dense.

Its history was unknown in the novel since it only appeared in the early chapters, but it was briefly explained that it was built using a hard and dense mineral, obsidian maybe.

Because of its extremely black pigment, the area appears infinite when in reality, each black tower level was only 200 meters in width.

The other people were also observing the area, trying to identify where they were. It seems they had already looked around the area, seeing as how they remained in their places rather than freely exploring the area. Or they were just afraid of leaving the only area that had a light source, which was near the entrance.

Other than that, there was something Maria was curious about.

Ah, wait...

Maria suddenly unwrapped the bandage on her left wrist and saw the small slit on it. It was the cut Maria purposely got in order to determine whether or not she was dreaming.

Since the cut was still on her wrist meant what happened earlier really did happen. It wasn't a dream or hallucination.

"By the way, where'd you get that injury?" Luke asked curiously.

"I did it to myself."

Luke, "..."

"Why? Doesn't it hurt?" Kiana asked.

Maria covered her wrist and replied, "I was curious to know if I was just dreaming."

Her eyes landed on Kiana who looked at her with stoic eyes.

"Can I ask... were you the woman who saved me earlier?" Maria asked carefully.

The two people looked a bit surprised and turned to look at Kiana. The latter glanced back and a small smile crept to her lips.

"I thought you wouldn't remember me after going unconscious," Kiana retorted. "But yes, I am the one who saved you from that monster earlier."

Upon hearing the word 'monster', the two looked at the two women with surprise.

"Monster? What monster?" Luke asked.

Kiana moved her hair back to her ear and questioned, "Before that, can I ask you if you've woken to a strange place before coming here?"

Coming here?

Luke looked at Kiana for a moment before answering in a low voice, "Yeah... I woke up to a futuristic city..."

Maria's ears perked up and she looked at the man. Luke coughed and explained, "I remember waking up in a futuristic city and thought about surveying it. Then everything got destroyed the moment I tried to step forward."

"I tried running then robots started to appear from the buildings," Luke frowned and continued. "Then I saw something from the further end of the city. It was a square opening and when I entered it, the robots stopped chasing me."

It was also like that for Maria, but Kiana saved her. Maria wondered how she knew she was there, why she was in her dream, and how she knew about that opening.

"Those openings are called safe zones," Kiana explained. "Once you enter it, you'll be brought into this space. It's called the lobby where the event would begin."

"Event..." Maria muttered. "The Player Selection Event?"

Maria wanted to confirm if she had misread the prompt or not. The two people nodded in confirmation.

Player Selection Event.

It was the main event that was held by the Hosts of Game of Survival. Humans were forced to enter and clear a certain level of the black tower. There was no time limit given to the players.

Players would normally take a few hours to finish, some a few days, some a few weeks, and some even a month. It was said that a few players were capable of going insane because of this event.

The novel was a bit detailed when it comes to gruesome scenes that Maria shuddered when remembering them. Apart from that, there was no other information regarding the black tower. The novel only described the Black Tower as ominous and large.

Since they were inside, they couldn't view the actual tower outside. Even though she had some information about this tower, it was better to inspect the area herself to make sure it was the same as the one described in the novel.

When Kiana saw Maria attempting to stand up, she quickly grabbed her shoulder.

"I just said that you can't move in your condition," Kiana told her. "What are you even planning to do?"

Maria explained, "I just wanted to look around."

There was a moment of silence before Kiana said, "There's nothing inside other than lanterns. Our only form of exit is closed, the area is too big to explore without a light source, no furniture, no windows, and the atmosphere here is gloomy and despairing."

Maria, "..."

How is Maria supposed to respond? She didn't even know what to say.

Kiana seemed to be thinking of something and asked, "Are you okay? Do you feel nauseous or dizzy?"

It felt like this woman was pitying her too much because of her injuries. It reminded Maria of her time back in the hospital. She felt conflicted remembering it.

"I'm a bit light-headed..." Maria admitted while holding her forehead.

Kiana opened the bag next to her and began rummaging through its contents. Then she pulled out what seemed to be a bottle of water.

"Here, it'll refresh you a bit."

Maria looked at her hesitantly before accepting the water. She uncapped the bottle and began drinking it.

She felt liquid run through her throat as her body began to loosen up. Then she felt the soreness from her body disappear and was replaced by coolness.

"Feel better?"

Maria looked at the empty bottle she had and saw the woman smiling at her. A bitter taste was left in Maria's mouth and she nodded slightly.

"Glad to help," Kiana said with a smile.

A strange feeling occupied Maria's chest as she clenched her fist. Even though the water seemed to have helped her, Maria wondered if it had poison. Maria felt... ominous around the woman.

[The Selection Event will Begin in 30 minutes!]

A message appeared, surprising Maria.

"Damn these messages kept appearing for over an hour now," Luke complained.

An hour?

"Wait how long were you guys in here?" Maria asked.

"An hour," Luke answered. "Apparently we found the safe zone way too early while the tower wasn't even ready yet."

Was the Host behind this event unprepared? Or perhaps there was an error in the system? Cases like this rarely happened in the novel...

"But it's good though," Kiana said. "We still don't know what this event is and what we're supposed to do. We can at least prepare ourselves for what we're going to do."

Luke nodded in agreement. "Even though we can't leave, we can at least sort things out."

Maria was impressed by how calm these people were. She had expected one to panic, like Wang Feng, but he was relatively calm for his age. But the more she thought about it, the more her expression turned sour. In such a situation, people that were quite calm were the ones that should be looked out for.

For now, Maria didn't trust these people. Who knows what kind of motivations they have. And knowing what kind of people are in the novel in this event, trusting strangers was the last thing Maria wanted. 

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