There was no mana in the air here.
Naturally, that meant magic was useless.
To most people, that would sound like a crisis.
To me? Not so much. I already knew this wasn't nearly as dangerous as it looked.
"S-Stay away!!"
A scream rang out across the hall.
The Specter—a black, shapeless blur—darted through the air like a streak of smoke and shot toward a girl who hadn't managed to run.
Before anyone could react, it wrapped around her like a shadow and vanished into her body.
The girl gasped once, then went limp, collapsing onto the polished floor as if all the strings holding her up had been cut.
"...!"
"Wh-what's happening?!"
Panic rippled through the crowd. Students froze where they stood, too terrified to move, their eyes wide and darting.
I exhaled slowly.
'Alright… guess it's my cue.'
Breaking the tense silence, I stood and walked toward the fallen girl. Each step echoed in the hushed hall as dozens of eyes followed me.
I crouched beside her and gently checked for signs of life.
Her chest rose and fell in a slow, steady rhythm.
Her eyelids fluttered slightly, but stayed shut.
She looked less like a victim and more like… someone taking a nap.
"She's asleep," I said calmly.
"R-Really…?" a nearby student stammered.
"Yes. Would you like to check yourself?" I stepped aside slightly.
After a moment of hesitation, a few brave students crept closer.
"She really is asleep…"
"I don't see any injuries."
"But… but didn't that thing just attack her?"
Their confusion spread like wildfire. Whispers filled the room as more people gathered around, peering down at the peacefully sleeping girl.
The so-called "Specter."
Despite the ominous name, it was barely a monster at all—just a weak, low-level creature. Its only ability was to dive into someone's body and put them into a deep, harmless sleep.
A nuisance, not a threat.
"A Specter…?" someone murmured behind me.
My eyes flicked toward the voice.
Interesting. Someone actually recognized it.
Most freshmen wouldn't even know such a creature existed, let alone identify it on sight.
I knew about it only because of the webtoon. Without that knowledge, I might've been as clueless as the rest.
But for now, there was no need to explain everything.
Amidst the low murmurs of the crowd gathered around the sleeping girl, a faint voice caught my attention.
I turned my head toward the sound.
Standing a little apart from the others was a short girl, her oversized glasses nearly swallowing half her face.
"What was that you said?" I asked.
"Ah, um… th-that…!"
She flinched as if startled, her words stuttering to a halt.
It seemed I wasn't the only one who'd heard her. Ed stepped forward, his calm voice carrying easily over the uneasy whispers.
"What is it?" he asked her.
The girl shrank back slightly, clearly flustered at being addressed. After a moment of hesitation, she finally managed to speak in a timid tone.
"Um… it's… a monster that only appears in Arcana."
"Arcana?" Ed tilted his head. "You mean the Dream Space?"
"Huh? Oh, yes…!" She nodded quickly, as if relieved that he understood.
"Then… could this place actually be the Dream Space?"
Dream Space—also known as Arcana.
A realm of dreams, separate from reality, where strange powers and rules existed. A place where the impossible could become real.
A chill crawled down my spine as the realization settled in. We weren't just trapped in some strange room. We were inside someone's dream.
Ed's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. He went silent for a moment, his expression sharpening as if pieces of a puzzle were falling into place.
Then he raised his head, voice firm and clear.
"Everyone, listen to me for a moment."
The restless murmuring quieted.
"I think I've figured out how to escape this place."
"…What?"
"Really?"
The tension in the air shifted instantly. People turned toward him, eyes wide with a mix of hope and disbelief.
Ed didn't flinch under the sudden attention.
"This world," he began, "is what's known as the Dream Space—Arcana. Simply put, it's someone's dream."
A ripple of unease ran through the group.
"A dream…? Then how do we get out?" someone asked.
Ed's gaze swept over the faces around him before he continued, steady and confident.
"Dreams are made of memories. That means fragments of the dreamer's memories must be scattered somewhere in this space. If we can find those fragments and gather them together…"
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in.
"…we can wake up and escape."
A hush fell over the crowd.
For a heartbeat, no one moved. Then the whispers started again—questions, doubts, and the faint spark of hope.
As expected of the protagonist.
Ed had already found the answer while the rest of us were still struggling to understand the question.
Now all we had to do was search for those scattered fragments… and pray we could collect them before the dream turned into a nightmare.
---
After that, we continued deeper into the maze together.
Specters drifted out of the walls now and then, their ghostly wails making a few people flinch—or even doze off when the sleep-inducing mist brushed past them.
But so far, no one had been injured.
"Careful."
"Ah! Thank you."
I grabbed Ed's sleeve and pulled him back just as a wall shifted out of nowhere, nearly blocking his path.
He stopped a breath before colliding with it, blinking in surprise before offering a grateful nod.
One affection point acquired.
Since stepping into Arcana, I'd been sticking close to him, quietly watching over him.
Ed was busy keeping the group together, his attention split between too many things at once. Because of that, he occasionally made small mistakes—like this one—and I was always there to catch them.
Every little assist, every quiet warning, it all added up.
Enough to plant a seed of familiarity between us.
Exactly what I wanted.
After the entrance ceremony, we'd all be split into different classes. I already knew I wouldn't be in his.
Which meant fewer chances to interfere with his harem.
If I wanted to steer him toward a single love interest later, I needed to build some goodwill now—before the real story began.
That was the plan.
But…
'It should be about time for one to appear…'
Despite walking for what felt like forever, we still hadn't found a single memory fragment.
In the webtoon, the characters stumbled upon them with ridiculous ease. Here, the endless corridors twisted and shifted until even my sense of direction started to blur.
I wanted to find one quickly and move on to the next step of my plan, but the maze wasn't giving me anything to work with.
"What's that…?"
Someone's voice broke through my thoughts.
My head snapped up, scanning the dim blue glow around us.
And then I saw it.
Far ahead, tucked into a shadowed corner of the maze, a faint light shimmered like a tiny star.
There was only one thing in this place that could shine like that.
A memory fragment.
Finally.
Relief surged through me, quick and sharp.
Without a second thought, I broke into a run, my heart pounding as I dashed toward the soft glow.
With that fragment, we could finally escape this cursed labyrinth.