I had only planned to enjoy some leisurely shopping.
But somehow, I ended up getting roped into an unexpected request.
For a while, I just stood there, a little bewildered. Then I thought about my situation.
Could helping this old man really have some massive impact on this world?
…Nah. No way.
It didn't seem likely that fulfilling the request of an elderly man living quietly in some remote corner of the capital would change the fate of the world.
And even if it did somehow have consequences—so what?
I was already planning to interfere with Ed's harem, the so-called protagonist of this world. I've long accepted that the future can twist and turn however it wants, as long as it doesn't collapse into chaos.
As if a mere extra like me could throw an entire webtoon world into disorder. That would be pure narcissism.
So, without overthinking it, I nodded and agreed to help.
The general store owner's request was simple enough.
His granddaughter was sick.
The illness had a name: Infinite Dream.
A dreadful, incurable disease that traps the victim in an endless sleep—forever dreaming, never waking.
He told me he'd handle everything himself. All he needed was to borrow my Dream Orb for a short while.
I wasn't sure what exactly an old man who could barely walk planned to do with it, but in theory, the power of the Dream Orb could allow interference with another person's dreams.
After thinking it over for a moment, I handed it to him. Lending it for a little while didn't seem like a big deal.
We left the general store and walked to the house behind it.
The air grew quieter the further we went, and the sound of the bustling market faded into a distant hum.
As we walked, the old man began to speak, his voice carrying the weight of old regrets.
"My name is Vermut," he said softly.
According to him, he had once been a fairly successful magician—a tower mage, even. Someone who had expected to spend the rest of his life comfortably, buried in research and scrolls.
But everything changed in an instant.
His words trailed off into silence, and the sorrow in his eyes said more than any explanation could.
His daughter-in-law had died suddenly in an accident, and his granddaughter had fallen ill with an incurable disease.
"My son ran away somewhere, and now Rain is all I have left."
In the midst of all that tragedy, his only son had abandoned him.
Even for a fantasy world, that was far too much suffering for one person to endure.
To think such a heartbreaking backstory existed for a character who'd only appeared briefly in the webtoon…
As a fellow extra, I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
"Rain…"
I turned my gaze toward the girl lying peacefully in bed. Her face looked calm—almost serene—so much so that if I didn't know better, I would've thought she was simply asleep.
That was the cruelest part of this disease.
'Not all dreams are happy ones.'
It was said that those afflicted with this illness would endlessly drift through their dreams—reliving painful memories, fears, and things they desperately wished to forget.
Even if her expression looked peaceful, the world she was trapped in might be nothing but a nightmare.
"What will you do now?" I asked quietly.
"Would you hand me the orb for a moment?" Vermut said.
Without hesitation, I passed him the Dream Orb. He accepted it with both hands, his movements slow and reverent, as though he were handling something sacred.
'What's he planning to do with it?'
I knew the Dream Orb could interfere with dreams, but I'd never actually seen it used before. Curiosity and unease twisted together in my chest as I watched him closely.
Vermut studied the glowing orb resting in his palms, his wrinkled fingers trembling slightly. Then, closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and began to focus.
And then—
Wooooong…
A deep, resonant hum filled the room as waves of energy rippled outward.
"W-what's happening?"
Startled by the sudden surge of mana, I stumbled back a few steps.
What was this overwhelming pressure?
'He was hiding all this mana inside his body…?'
I could feel the air itself vibrating as the old man's dormant power erupted to life.
After my initial shock faded, I narrowed my eyes and focused on observing his mana more carefully.
It was vast—dense and refined, yet strangely gentle. Like a storm contained within glass.
The dense mana that had spread through the air began to swirl, slowly being drawn toward the orb resting in Vermut's hand.
One strand after another flowed into it, like mist being pulled into a whirlpool.
After a while, when every trace of mana that had erupted from his body was absorbed, the orb started to glow—soft at first, then bright enough to light up the entire room.
A thin, silvery thread of mana emerged from the Dream Orb. It floated gently through the air before connecting to the forehead of the girl lying unconscious on the bed.
Watching the scene, I finally understood.
So this is how it works.
This was how the Dream Orb was used—to interfere with dreams.
Of course, unlike Vermut, there was no way I could pull off something like this. My mana reserves were far too low. But still… I couldn't help but wonder. Maybe one day, if I grew strong enough, I could.
Meanwhile, Vermut's expression remained calm and focused. The connection was complete.
He began channeling his magic again, threads of light weaving around his fingers as he carefully flipped through the girl's dreams like turning pages in a book.
Then—
"Ugh…!"
A sudden pulse shot through my head.
Pain stabbed behind my eyes, sharp and disorienting.
Something… was entering my mind.
I staggered, clutching my temple. The headache wasn't unbearable, but it was strange—too real, too vivid to ignore.
And then, like a picture being drawn on a blank canvas, I saw it.
—Mom…
A small voice echoed softly in my mind.
A child with shining eyes running toward a woman.
The woman bent down, her arms wide, and the little girl leapt into her embrace. The two of them laughed together, faces full of warmth.
The memory wasn't mine.
It was hers.
Rain's memory.
Somehow, through the Dream Orb's connection, her emotions—her memories—were bleeding into me.
For a moment, I stood frozen, caught between confusion and awe as the vision faded, leaving only a faint echo of the girl's laughter lingering in my chest.
It was soft. Tender. Painfully human.
And for the first time, I realized… just how fragile her heart truly was.
The memories passed by like a dream.
Rain's laughter echoed through the house—bright, innocent, full of life.
Mom and Dad smiling across the dinner table, the aroma of warm food filling the air.
"Grandpa! I want to be a magician like you! How do I become one?"
"To learn magic, you'll need to go to the academy," her grandfather replied with a gentle chuckle.
"The academy? You mean those people in uniforms?"
"Haha, yes. Those students walking proudly in their impressive uniforms."
"Then I'll enter the academy too! Just wait and see!"
The house had always been filled with that kind of warmth.
A family so harmonious, so ordinary, that anyone would envy them.
But happiness has a cruel habit of shattering without warning.
One day—
A single accident changed everything.
The carriage overturned.
Her mother, caught in the wreckage, never made it back.
The once bright home turned cold overnight.
The soft laughter and warmth that used to linger in every corner vanished completely, leaving only silence behind.
Rain lay on her bed, her pillow soaked with tears.
Through the haze of grief, voices drifted to her ears—angry, trembling ones.
"I'm sorry, honey… I'm so inadequate…"
"What are you going to do?"
"This can't go on. This empire is rotten. I can't leave such a world to Rain."
"Then…?"
"I'll change the world, Fran. I'm joining the revolutionary army."
My entire body stiffened.
Wait. What did he just say?