Meanwhile, in the real world…
Mikel's body convulsed, his groans muffled as he tossed his head from side to side. He gripped the sheets, his eyes tightly shut, while the lines between his brows deepened. The faint creak of the bed and a soft hum from the person seated beside him accompanied the scene.
"Hm, hm, hmm…" A woman in a tattered nurse outfit hummed a gentle tune, scribbling black ink onto his skin. "Hm, hm, hm…"
The corners of her mouth curled up as her eyes glinted. Strands of her hair slowly began moving on their own, slithering toward his body. One lock shot toward him, but just like in the nightmare, it was deflected by an invisible force.
—
"Doom, engage!"
Clang!
Mikel swung the pole to deflect the lock of hair shooting toward him. The woman's hair felt as solid as metal, quickly leaving a dent on the pole in his hand. Despite his first successful defense, her hair kept coming while she laughed maniacally.
"Hahaha!" she cackled, watching his desperate defense with delight.
[System and Host Engaged.]
[Host: Mikel]
[Status: Active]
[Class: —]
[Level: 1]
[Current Passive Skills: Brute Strength]
[Weapon: Blood Chain]
[Equipping Blood Chain…]
[Activating skills…]
[Activating blessings from Doom…]
Words floated mid-air as Mikel struggled to hold his ground. Swinging the pole like a bat, he twisted it until one lock tangled around it. Taking advantage of this, he slid across the floor as another lock smashed into the tiles where he'd been standing.
The ground cracked, sending shards of tile and concrete flying. If one of those locks hit him directly—it'd be over.
[System: Active.]
Twisting his body, Mikel landed on one knee, still gripping the pole. The tangled lock on it tried to pull it back, but he held tight.
The woman still had her back to him, hair floating like a cloud of black tendrils.
So… now what?
The system had shown all sorts of notifications after he gave the green light, but nothing seemed different—until he noticed something appear on his arm.
A brown-beaded chain materialized, wrapping around his wrist.
[Weapon: Blood Chain Equipped.]
"Blood Chain…?" he muttered, torn between laughing and crying.
Why the hell is it called Blood Chain when it looks like a giant yet short monk's rosary!?
But then, as the blood chain materialized, it gripped his wrist hard, and a slight burning sensation grazed his skin.
"Ah! What the hell was that —"
SMASH!
A lock of hair slammed into the floor, harder than before, carving a deeper crater.
"Hihihi!"
"Shit," he growled. "Hey Doom, how is this a weapon? Should I pray with it or something?!"
[Blood Chain: Binder of the Dead. One of the Thirteen Crimson Relics of the Ancient Cursed Order.]
[Weapon Skill Type: Crowd Control]
[... but you can try. Shall I pull up the Lord's Prayer for you?]
Are you trying to be funny? What is this—a game?!
[Doom is simply using the slang of the host's time to keep the host entertained.]
"Who said I want to be entertained?!"
But Mikel had no time to argue. Another lock whipped toward him. He dodged instinctively—and to his surprise, his body stayed airborne longer than expected. When he landed, he'd cleared the entire floor's lobby.
"What the…" he gasped, staring at the wide distance between him and the woman.
[You're welcome, Master.]
His lips curled into a grin, eyes narrowing slightly.
Now this is more like it.
On the other side of the room, the woman's giggles echoed eerily. Her head twisted—slowly, her spine breaking loudly—until it was facing backward.
His face twitched at the sight.
"This is definitely a freaking nightmare," he muttered, launching himself into an attack.
While mid-air, he swung the pole up. But just before impact, the locks lashed up toward him, forcing him into defense again.
The sound of clashing metal echoed rhythmically. Each strike pushed him higher and farther — until his back slammed into the ceiling.
"Shit…"
[Would you like an epic song to boost morale?]
Mikel clenched his jaw. Couldn't Doom see he was clearly losing here?
[Playing Morale Booster: Happily Ever After.]
Then, a peaceful classical tune played in his head.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
He ignored the music. Dust rained from the ceiling with every blow, but somehow, he wasn't feeling much pain. Just a little sting on the back.
The barrage of attacks intensified. Hair locks struck in chaotic waves—some smashing the walls, most aimed at him. Mikel deflected, then spotted an opening. He grabbed a lock near his head, wound it around his hand, and yanked it downward.
At the same time, another lock rushed at him.
"Oh, shit!" His eyes widened as the lock in his hand somehow gripped back, stilling him for another to strike him in the open. "I'm doomed."
[...]
Just as Mikel thought the short yet intense struggle was about to end with his death, the hand wrapped in this beaded chain moved on its own. The beads glowed in faint red, as if it was controlling his hand.
Pulling the other lock that had tangled with his other hand, he shielded himself against the incoming one.
The collision let out a metallic scream, and then came a sharp, earsplitting shriek from the woman.
"Hah," he grunted, letting go as he dropped to the floor. He glanced at his hand where the bead was wrapped, watching as the locks of hair turned to ash by the glow of the blood chain.
"Woah."
"Ahhh!!!" the woman screamed, clutching her hair. Her head hung back, body trembling, while her floating locks spasmed around her.
Slowly, the shrieking faded into eerie, low chuckles. The sound shifted his attention.
Mikel watched her closely. "Doom, does she have a weakness?"
[Scanning…]
[Yes.]
[A shard of the Mourning Eye is hidden within the entity's hair. Remove it to weaken the Nightbound.]
"Hidden in the hair?" he muttered, eyeing the endless tangle of black threads. Looking for that was like searching for a pin in a haystack. "Got anything easier?"
[Yes. Death. Yours or hers.]
"I'm starting to really dislike you," he growled.
He lunged forward, staying low this time. Skidding beneath the airborne locks, he dodged and deflected until he found another chance — then stabbed a large strand into the floor and clutched it, burning it with his newly acquired weapon.
Shriek!
He didn't stop, stabbing another, and then another bout of screaming echoed. He pinned another lock with his pole, continuing with this. He stomped, stabbed, burned, and even bit through her hair like a madman. Every time, the beads grew brighter than before, as if it was absorbing its force.
Her cries grew louder as more locks unraveled.
And finally, he reached her.
The woman trembled. Her head still twisted backward, her arms reaching out—but she couldn't move properly unless she turned around.
But not on his watch.
Mikel grabbed her head, holding it still. The beads around his wrist and fingers pulsated with scalding energy.
"You… sick fuck!" he snarled and slammed his forehead into hers. "I'll be damned to let you fix this head!"
Thud!
Pain spiked in his skull, but the woman screamed louder, crashing to the ground.
"Hah… hah…" he panted, towering over her. After another breath, he picked up the pole and stepped toward her.
I have a bad feeling about this finishing move.
He gritted his teeth, raised the pole, and brought it down hard on her temple.
Dark, sticky fluid burst from her skull, splattering his face and chest. He kept pressing down until she stopped moving.
"Hah…" he exhaled, falling onto his butt, wiping the sludge from his face with the back of his hand.
"That was close," he muttered, a shaky grin forming on his face. "I did it. I fucking did it!"
But just as his first taste of victory hit—
[...No, you don't.]
[Threat Level: High]
[Nightbound entering: Ultimate Form]
[Master, be careful.]
Mikel froze, eyes on the woman's back as it suddenly bulged with something massive. The back of her dirty dress tore open, revealing a second set of limbs — too long, too thin — each finger tipped with something like bone. Like the nightmare had decided to grow arms to hug him to death.
Uh oh.
"What the hell is that thing?" he whispered, watching as the limbs crawled out, producing these bone-breaking noises. "Nope! Nope, nope, nope!"
Without thinking twice, Mikel jumped and fled.
[Playing Morale Booster: Phantom of the Opera.]
"Are you serious?!"