Chapter 6: Nightmare Debt

A warm light gently woke me up.

Through the window, I could see the sun rising.

Morning already.

My body refused to move, stiff and unresponsive.

‘Did I overdrink last night?’ While my mind had awakened, my body was still immersed in a dream, sinking endlessly. ‘Probably because of that nightmare.’

I had heard stories of people who drank nightmares ending up like this.

Without panicking, I began circulating my mana.

Mana seeped into my stiffened body, loosening it.

Using that mana, I forced my body to move.

My figure, which had been slumped against the wall, shot up abruptly.

With a creak, sharp pain shot through me.

Suppressing the pain, I started some light stretching.

My body, still unawakened, screamed in protest.

But there was no mercy.

I was already running late.

I had to open the shop quickly.

I needed to make money.

Only then could I take the exam next year.

‘Next year’s exam, huh. Damn it. I’m screwed.’ Forcing my body to move, I tried to focus on the pain, hoping it would distract me from the looming dread of the exam. But it was impossible to shake off. The mental wounds hurt more than the physical pain.’

This would be my tenth attempt.

I never imagined I’d still be taking the exam after all these years.

The first entrance exam.

Back then, I thought I was a genius, full of confidence.

Naturally, I believed I’d pass. Instead, I failed spectacularly.

“Hmm, so the university’s doors are that high,” I had said, feigning nonchalance, though I was deeply shocked. ‘How am I supposed to pass this?’ was my first thought.

The second attempt? Another failure. ‘How could a genius like me…?’

“My level must still be immature. Let’s raise it and try again.”

True to my word, I advanced from the Seedling Stage, which could barely sprout a leaf, to the Sapling Stage.

To elevate my magic to the level of a tree in one go—surely, I was a genius.

Confident, I took the exam for the third time.

Failed.

Failed, failed.

By the time five years of attempts had passed, I came to a realization. ‘I’m not a genius.’

Like the other wizards scraping by on this street, I was just an ordinary fool, struggling to even set foot at the university’s gates.

And so, ten years passed.

I was still stuck here, scraping by in this godforsaken alley.

Now, my eleventh year of challenges began.

‘Damn it.’

I dragged my body to the shop and opened the door.

A fresh breeze swept in, mingling with the musty scent inside.

‘I need to make money. Money.’ My body, still groggy from sleep, started to regain strength bit by bit. Stretching with all my might, I surveyed my surroundings. The familiar scenery greeted me.’

Most buildings were half-collapsed, and lifeless figures slumped in the alleys like discarded trash.

A typical morning in this hellhole where people were no better than garbage.

‘Ah, that one’s actually a corpse.’ It seemed someone froze to death overnight.

I sent one of my bug puppets to rummage through it discreetly.

But it had already been looted during the night, not a speck of mana left.

‘Damn it, thought I’d get some easy money this morning.’

I shoved the corpse deeper into the alley.

‘Someone who needs a body will take care of it eventually.’

To start the day with energy, there was something I needed to do.

I had to deal with that bastard.

That damned liquor vendor.

‘You really can’t trust a Nightmare Demon.’

‘How dare he sell me beer mixed with nightmares? No way I’m letting this slide. I’ll beat him up before more innocent victims like me get scammed!’

Locking the shop door, I stepped onto the street.

‘Where would he be at this hour? Probably downstairs, selling his drinks underground.’

I made my way toward the part of the slum where the least-ruined buildings stood.

As I approached, the streets began to fill with moving wizards.

This area, exuding a semblance of life, was the slum’s center.

People still sprawled about like trash, but at least there were no corpses here.

Those who died were promptly thrown out.

I headed toward the largest building.

A man with a sword strapped to his waist leaned against the doorframe, chewing on a leaf cigarette.

He was part of the gang that ruled these streets.

The faint aura of mana emanating from his sword revealed him as the doorman.

‘I hate swordsmen the most.’ Every wizard probably did.

They were lunatics who raised swords instead of trees.

Though short-lived, they were absurdly powerful.

Even during the last exam, a swordsman had destroyed all my puppets.

The memory of that nightmare made me scowl.

I walked past the man into the building.

As I passed, the sharp metallic scent characteristic of swordsmen assaulted my nose.

‘Ugh, the smell.’ Covering my nose, I surrounded myself with mana.

‘Another reason to hate them. Flaunting mana like that. No class, no refinement.’

Inside, the place bustled with people—all wizards.

Everyone in the area came here.

It was the gang-run commission center.

I frequented it myself, as it was an excellent place to procure materials for making puppets.

Speaking of which, most of my puppets were nearly broken.

I needed to make new ones.

Scribbling down a list of familiar materials, I posted it on a board.

I included my shop’s location, knowing people would find their way to me.

Nodding to a few acquaintances, I headed to a corner staircase leading underground.

The stairs spiraled down, deep into the earth.

After descending for what felt like forever, I emerged into a vast open space.

More people crowded the underground market than the floors above.

It was a market designed to keep out monsters, who were drawn to the magical goods traded here.

Inside the city walls, such precautions wouldn’t have been necessary, but out here, secrecy was survival.

‘There he is.’

I spotted him immediately.

A bald man stood rubbing his shiny head while attending to customers.

Surrounding him was a spread of the liquor he brewed.

‘That smell of alcohol must be overwhelming up close.’

I, too, had fallen for his scam, spending a fortune on a few bottles.

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a few bug puppets.

Infusing them with mana, I sent them silently to hover near the man.

Then, I approached.

“Hey, we need to talk.”

I nudged one of his liquor bottles with my foot.

It tipped over, triggering a domino effect that toppled the entire row.

The man scowled deeply, his shiny head glinting under the light.

“Still scamming people, huh, Baldy?”

“Why are you trying to ruin my business, Puppet Master?”

“‘Puppet Master?’ This coming from the guy who stuffs junk into his brews?”

The man’s face turned pale.

“W-What are you talking about? I’ve never done such a thing!”

He stammered, but the onlookers grew visibly uncomfortable.

They stared at the bottles in their hands, then began putting them back on the shelves.

“It’s a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding! I would never do such a thing!”

The man desperately tried to convince them, but they were already disgusted and began leaving one by one.

Furious, he scowled, his already unattractive face becoming even more grotesque.

Lowering his voice, he stepped closer.

“You promised not to talk about that! I even paid you off with mana stones!”

‘Right. Two years ago, wasn’t it? I caught him in the act back then. It was horrifying.’

The memory surfaced again, making me almost retch.

Steadying my churning stomach, I buried the memory deep once more. ‘Never again.’

“If you’d kept your end of the bargain, I wouldn’t have said anything. What’s this about ‘only happy dreams’ in your brews? You almost killed me last night, you bastard.”

I smacked the back of his head.

The bald man rubbed the spot where I hit him, standing there blankly before flinching in realization.

“Looks like you remembered. About three years ago, I think. I gave you ten mana stones to buy that drink. I warned you then, didn’t I? If there’s anything strange in it, I’ll kill you.”

He took a half-step back.

‘Trying to escape? Not a chance.’ The area was already surrounded by my bugs.

Hidden flies began flapping their wings.

Explosive magic layered onto their backs started to shimmer.

If he made any attempt to flee, he’d end up reduced to ashes with the puppets.

Seeing the bugs around him, he sank slowly to the ground.

The flies, sensing no resistance, settled back down.

I shot him a warning glare, silently promising that next time, I wouldn’t hold back.

“Still keeping those filthy puppets around….”

“What?”

‘Filthy?’ From the moment I escaped the island, these precious puppets had been my lifeline.

Without these self-destructive bugs, I wouldn’t have survived until now.

‘Calling my adorable creations something so vile… How dare he?’

I attached five or six bugs to his back.

If they exploded, his upper body would disappear entirely.

The faint buzzing of their wings made the bald man break out in a cold sweat.

“My little darlings are upset now.”

“I-I’m sorry! I must have misspoken. They’re amazing, incredible! Truly!”

He stammered loudly, forcing an awkward laugh.

Satisfied, I signaled the bugs to stop moving.

As he relaxed slightly, I stomped hard on his leg to keep him from trying anything stupid.

“Now, how much did you mix into it?”

“Er… I don’t know what you’re talking about….”

“If you don’t know, then you’ll die.”

I commanded the bugs to prepare for self-destruction.

The sound of their wings grew louder and louder.

“I mixed it! Just a little!”

He shouted in a panic.

‘This idiot… Does he have no capacity to learn? Even knowing why I’m here, he’s still trying to play dumb. This isn’t just arrogance—it’s sheer stupidity.’

“Right, so what I drank was definitely a nightmare. How much of it did you put in?”

“Just a little bit of nightmare! The rest really were happy dreams, I swear! I only mixed in a tiny amount. How did you even notice…?”

“Notice? Are you joking? The moment I drank it, I was pulled straight into a nightmare.”

I slapped him hard across the head.

The sharp smack left a bright red mark on his bald scalp.

‘Honestly, he might be the first Nightmare Demon I’ve met who’s completely bald. Most of his kind look fine—why does this one look like this? He’s only twenty? Really?’

I kept smacking his head, again and again.

Even as his scalp turned red as if dyed, I didn’t stop.

My frustration refused to subside.

Finally, staring at his tear-streaked face, I relented.

***

“Alright, I’ll give you two choices.”

I held up two fingers.

“One: I cut off one of your limbs. Just one hand is enough for me. I’ve been meaning to harvest some dreams anyway, and if I make gloves out of your hand, I can collect them myself.”

His face turned pale.

With his head swollen red and his face ghostly white, he looked pitiful.

When he opened his mouth to say something, I flicked my fingers.

The nearby bugs flew over and sealed his mouth shut.

“You still need to hear the second option.”

I folded one finger and wagged the remaining one.

“Two: You cut off part of your tree and donate it to me. Not enough to do lasting damage, just enough for me to work with. I can use that to grow a Nightmare Demon puppet.”

His face turned completely white.

I signaled the bugs to release his mouth, and the moment they did, he glanced around as if considering escape.

“If you run, I’ll take both.”

He slumped in defeat.

‘Anyone who scams me gets paid back tenfold.’ That’s been my rule since I arrived in this city.

If the drink he sold me had been harmless, I might’ve come back for more.

But this bastard tricked me, dragging me into a nightmare.

Wizards pulled into nightmares only return about once in a thousand cases.

‘How could he gamble with something so dangerous?’

“I’ll give you ten seconds. If you don’t choose, I’ll take both.”

“The tree! I’ll give you the tree!”

He cried out.

I gestured for him to begin.

He let out a hollow laugh before closing his eyes and channeling his mana.

The gray mana, distinct to Nightmare Demons, began swirling before a pale gray branch emerged from his mouth.

I quickly uncorked a mana bottle and captured it.

The liquid mana inside the bottle settled, the branch fragment stabilizing as it floated.

It was just a fragment of a sprout, not yet a sapling.

‘Definitely different from human mana.’

“Most would’ve chosen to give up their body instead. Interesting.”

I spoke as I tucked the bottle into my robe.

If I asked any other wizard the same question, they’d have sacrificed a limb without hesitation.

A wizard’s tree is everything.

‘But I guess his body matters more to him. Must be a Nightmare Demon thing.’

“You can regrow a tree, but you can’t replace a hand. This body is how I make my living.”

He muttered bitterly.

Having taken what I wanted, I released him.

With a wave, my bugs scurried back into the folds of my robe.

The bald man collapsed with a sigh.

“No wonder my head felt itchy all morning.”

He grabbed a bottle of his own liquor and cracked it open.

A pleasant aroma wafted through the air, but I ignored it as I stood up.

‘Like hell I’m drinking that again.’

Stretching with satisfaction, I felt the tension drain from my body.

‘Ah, much better. Taking care of things as they come really is the best. With this morning workout done, I’ll have a productive day ahead!’

I briefly considered browsing the market, but a quick glance revealed only junk.

‘I’ll come back when there’s an auction.’

Leaving the underground market, I climbed the stairs back to the surface.

Time to return to my shop and get to work.

There was so much to do.

Two weeks of neglect for the exam had left me with a pile of requests, not to mention the repairs needed for all my broken puppets.

‘Busy, busy.’