The weekend Owen had been waiting for finally arrived. Today, he intended to relax completely. He wanted nothing more than to chill out playing games or maybe lie down with a comic or a novel. Unfortunately, it seemed his wish wasn't going to come true this time.
Clara knocked gently on Owen's door before opening it and stepping into his room, her face showing clear hesitation. "Uh... Owen, sorry to bother you on your day off, but I need your help with something..." she said, her voice filled with worry.
"My grandmother Alice is sick with a specific illness. Her relatives said she needs a certain herb found in Blackwood Forest, which is just past the suburbs. Grandma Alice has been very good to me, and I don't want anything to happen to her. So, could you please go find the herb with me? I've already prepared a picture book and details about it. I have no one else I can rely on but you, and you know Damian and Julian are useless when it comes to this kind of hiking."
Hearing Clara's request, Owen could only sigh and lightly slap his forehead. "Sigh~ Alright, Clara. I'm always ready to help you, no matter how much I wanted to rest today…" he said with a tone of slight surrender. "Well then, we'll have to prepare our hiking gear together. It's a good thing no dimensional gates have appeared in Blackwood Forest, otherwise, we wouldn't have a hope of getting in."
Half an hour later…
Owen was driving Clara toward Blackwood Forest. This trip wasn't just about finding the herb; it was also a mission to create OnlyStar content for Clara. Since they were going to a remote place full of natural beauty anyway, they decided to make the most of their time and location.
Owen had prepared a camera and content ideas for an OnlyStar shoot amidst the forest scenery. Clara had also packed a few nice outfits, and of course, they were hiking outfits that were quite revealing, designed to accentuate her sexiness to the fullest.
After nearly two hours in the car, they finally arrived at the parking area for tourists and hikers. Owen paid for parking and quickly unloaded their gear, getting ready for the trek.
Clara did the same, each of them shouldering a hiking backpack. Once they were ready, Owen led Clara slowly and steadily into Blackwood Forest. Rushing would only cause more problems, as the forest was fraught with various natural dangers, from sharp branches to venomous animals.
An hour later, they found a good spot to camp, with a small stream flowing nearby. Owen and Clara began to set up their tent, with Owen leading and Clara assisting.
Once the tent was up, the two sat down to rest from their long journey on a log in front of their tent. Clara started setting up a portable picnic stove to make a simple meal.
"Ugh~ I didn't think hiking would be this tiring. It seems I'm getting too old for this kind of thing," Clara couldn't help but complain as she started to feel her muscles ache. Seeing this, Owen just smiled.
"Don't say you're old, Clara. You're still young and beautiful. It's just because you stay home all the time and don't exercise much. You're already sweating after a light jog in the park," Owen teased, thinking of her in her form-fitting workout clothes.
"Look at your followers' comments. They practically want to devour you whole. Don't you see how much they're begging for sexual content from you?"
Of course, his words made Clara blush uncontrollably. "Hmph~ Only dateless virgins would be into an older woman like me. I really don't get how they're willing to pay just to see a few pictures of me."
Owen laughed lightly at that. "Haha, that's because you're more charming and attractive than you think, Clara. Please don't devalue yourself. I know that deep down, you're quite confident in your appearance. Otherwise, you wouldn't have invited me to do OnlyStar with you, right?"
Faced with that, Clara was speechless. She pretended to ignore him and turned back to finish cooking. Afterward, they began to eat their simple but flavorful meal, accompanied by the cheerful chirping of birds from all around. Once they were full, it was time to begin their main mission: finding the herb, the primary goal of this trip.
Time passed quickly. Several hours later…
Owen and Clara were exhausted from searching for the herb. They had ventured deep into the forest, which was filled with all sorts of flora. Although they encountered some obstacles along the way, like rough paths or tangled branches, nothing was too serious for them to handle.
Clara had been clumsy several times, nearly tripping and falling on multiple occasions, forcing Owen to steady her constantly, creating scenes that could easily be misinterpreted. On top of that, she complained about her back hurting the entire time. When he glanced at the cause—her "two mountains"—Owen wasn't surprised at all, as they looked like quite a heavy burden to carry.
When they returned to camp as the sky turned completely dark, they had managed to collect just enough of the required herb. It was a blessing from God, as it meant they wouldn't have to tire themselves out again tomorrow. All that was left was to finish the OnlyStar photoshoot, and then they could finally return to the comfort of their home. Being in the forest was no different from being in hell for city folk like them.
Clara started preparing dinner with Owen's help. Soon, they were eating a hot meal, soaking in the atmosphere of the quiet forest at night, with only the sounds of crickets and the gentle rustling of leaves in the wind. Afterward, they both went into the tent to sleep, exhausted from the long day.
Clara, in particular, was especially tired. The moment her head hit the pillow, she fell asleep quickly, despite the unfamiliar surroundings. Her steady breathing indicated she was sound asleep.
Owen, however, was still awake. His eyes stared blankly into the darkness. The gravitational pull of Clara's alluring body, just a few inches away, was messing with his mind. Was he wrong to bring only one tent for the sake of convenience? Owen wondered. His mind was now filled with nothing but dirty, lecherous thoughts. Images of Clara in the bathroom, her physique in workout clothes, and their closeness throughout the day replayed endlessly in his brain.
Fortunately, he was a rational and patient person, which stopped him from trying anything funny with her. She had trusted him enough to let him sleep in the same tent, and he absolutely could not betray that trust. And so, Owen finally managed to force his eyes shut, drifting off to sleep amidst the profound silence of the forest at night.
…
As Owen slept beside Clara, he suddenly felt as if he were being pulled from his body by some force. That force took him to a strange place filled with a soft, multi-colored fog. When he looked down at his own body, he found it was transparent, like the spirits he'd seen in movies or played in games.
Even so, he didn't feel shocked or worried. It was probably just one of his weird dreams. So, he shrugged and drifted aimlessly through the space, allowing himself to sink into the depths of his imagination.
Just then, he heard a voice, rather deep and full of surprise. "Oh... A human who can enter this place? That is quite incredible! No human has possessed the qualifications to visit this place for thousands of years. Could you briefly introduce yourself to this old man, hmm?"
As the voice faded, the form of an old man with a long, flowing white beard and mustache appeared, holding a mystical-looking staff. He was dressed just like Gandalf, no doubt about it! Seeing this, Owen couldn't help but exclaim, driven by the instinct of a meme-fluent human who couldn't resist making a comparison.
"Huh? Is that you, Gandalf?"
The old man chuckled softly upon hearing this. "Haha, you must see me in the form of someone named Gandalf. But no, I am not your Gandalf. I don't even have a true form. The form you see is simply the one you would be most comfortable speaking with. So please, be at ease, and introduce yourself quickly. Tell me, how did you get here?"
Hearing this, Owen nodded in understanding. This was just like one of his dreams, but this time it was a dream he could interact with. So, he would play along with this dream before he woke up and eventually forgot it.
"Alright. My name is Owen. Nice to meet you, Mr. Whoever-You-Are-in-Gandalf's-Body," Owen said with a touch of humor and sarcasm. "And for your second question, I just fell asleep, and I could come here easily. Didn't you know?"
The old man seemed to ignore the joke. He merely nodded slightly, stroking his long beard thoughtfully. "Mmm... mmm... I see... I understand now. Oh~ so that's how it is. Traveling through the dimension of dreams. I am more or less familiar with this type of power…"
"Even so… it is still strange that you could come to this place. Everything must have a trade-off, a cost. Where did you get such a vast amount of energy? Entering this place through the dream dimension requires an immense amount of energy that would leave even a Demon Lord drained.." the old man said, looking Owen up and down, unable to find an answer.
"And you, who appear to be just an ordinary human… there's no way you possess that much energy. That is what I cannot figure out. Could you solve this puzzle for this old man?"
Owen, watching the man in front of him muttering to himself, couldn't help but twitch an eyebrow. He didn't understand what kind of answer the old man wanted from him. So, he shrugged and shook his head to indicate he didn't know anything at all.
"Never mind that energy stuff. I want to know what this place can do. And you haven't even told me your name yet."
The old man laughed again, his voice echoing through the multi-colored fog. "Haha, you do not have the authority to know my name. Just call me 'old man' or 'geezer.' Suit yourself," his voice was full of humor.
"Your arrival here is surely not a coincidence. As my master used to say, 'There is no such thing as a coincidence.' Everything has a cause, no matter how much it may seem like an accident…" The old man paused before continuing in a deep voice.
"This place is an existence that lies beyond the rules of the universe. You might call it the Nexus, the In-Between, the Quantum Realm, a Parallel Dimension, or anything with a similar meaning. Because it exists everywhere, in every dimension, on every timeline, and yet does not exist in any place, any dimension, or any timeline, all at the same time…" the old man explained.
But when he saw Owen's dazed expression, he couldn't help but laugh knowingly. "Haha, from the look on your face, you don't understand, do you? It's not strange for a human to be unable to comprehend it."
The old man stopped laughing and his expression grew slightly more serious. "Let's just say it's an independent place. No one owns it, no one can do anything to it, no one can use their power in this place. One can only enter and leave. It chooses one caretaker every million years, and that caretaker is me. This place is often used as a point of exchange for high-level beings like gods, goddesses, titans, divine beasts, or demon lords, things of that nature."
The old man's eyes studied Owen once more. "And since you were able to enter this place, you also have the right to exchange things with me. Of course, I know you have nothing of value to trade. Therefore, as I've taken quite a liking to you, I am offering you a loan agreement. Here, take a look," the old man said as he handed Owen a faintly glowing contract paper amidst the colorful fog.
As the multi-colored fog continued to drift around him, Owen warily took the scroll from the old man. As he unrolled it and read the contents carefully, he found it was difficult to accept, but also difficult to refuse.
The contract stated that he could choose one power from a list the old man possessed. In return, he had to bring the old man the soul of a Hero or a Demon Lord as payment within 10 years. If he failed, the power would be taken back, and he would have to serve the old man for 1,000 years.
Isn't that a bit too much? The average human lifespan is only 80 years. This really is my dream world, Owen thought to himself. But then it occurred to him, if it was just a dream, why should he care about such a ridiculous penalty? He might as well just have fun with it. He would use that power to play around in this dream world to his heart's content before he woke up and probably forgot all about it. With that thought, Owen didn't hesitate to sign the contract, feeling half-playful and half-serious.
Seeing this, the old man nodded with a satisfied smile. "Excellent, young man. I knew you wouldn't refuse it. Even if you can't bring me a Demon Lord's soul, a mere thousand years is a very short time for beings like us. I am always kind to promising newcomers. Now, it's time to choose your power."
With that, the old man immediately handed another scroll to Owen. Owen's eyes stared with anticipation at the paper in his hand, which was filled with a list of various supernatural powers…
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