Currently, Alucard was enjoying the meat Nephis had cooked, smiling from ear to ear. The entire cohort joined him in savoring the food—
Apart from Effie, of course, who didn't enjoy her meal at all because it tasted horrible.
After breakfast, which transpired in a somewhat awkward fashion due to Effie's constant gagging and complaining, Sunny decided to start a conversation.
"You know, guys, these past few weeks made me realize something. Actually, it was all thanks to Kai, who introduced me… introduced me… uh… to Stev."
Alucard was standing nearby, practicing his aim with Piercing, but he still overheard what Sunny said.
"Really? And what is that?"
Sunny hesitated for a few moments before answering.
"When I was a little kid, I loved reading webtoons about the Awakened. You know, the ones where they explore ancient ruins, battle Nightmare Creatures, and grow more powerful with each victory."
He chuckled.
"The hero and his cohort go on an adventure, vanquish evil, gain mighty Memories, then return to the real world and sell their spoils at the adventurer's shop. They spend their money upgrading their equipment and immediately set out on a more epic and dangerous adventure."
Cassie smiled.
"I loved to read those too."
Meanwhile, Alucard chuckled and nodded in agreement. He used to be into those kinds of self-insert novels himself.
"Yeah, I used to binge-read like twenty webtoons and web novels a day back in my prime."
Sunny glanced at him and raised an eyebrow.
"You used to read webtoons? Seriously?"
Alucard turned toward him and tilted his head.
"Yeah. Why are you so shocked?"
Sunny sighed.
"Because you don't seem like the kind of guy to read that kind of stuff, that's all."
Alucard rolled his eyes and sat down, now fully focused on the conversation.
"Ah, but you see, Sunny, I wasn't always this handsome young piece of vampire flesh you see before you. Back then, I was just as pathetically human as you."
He grabbed his chin and posed dramatically.
That caused the entire cohort to erupt into laughter.
While Alucard's ego was a little bruised, it wasn't anything too damaging. Still, he was curious where Sunny was going with this whole webtoon thing.
"So what were you going to say, anyway?"
"What I was trying to say is that as I got older, I couldn't help but think—what are they thinking? Exploring ancient ruins is not a wise thing to do. In fact, only crazy people would do it. No matter how good you are, sooner or later you'll meet something more terrifying than any human can handle and die. If this were real life, why would all those adventurers go into the ruins over and over again?"
'Probably because they wanted money'
was Alucard's first thought, but he decided to let Sunny continue uninterrupted.
Sunny smiled and continued.
"But then it hit me! They weren't doing it to vanquish evil. They were doing it to collect a wide variety of powerful Memories. You see, the real dream isn't to be the hero, one of their companions, or even the love interest. The real dream is to be the owner of the shop where the hero sells his trophies and buys new equipment! That way, you can live a pretty good life without risking your neck. That's the real goal."
He crossed his arms.
"After a few short years of adventuring around the Dream Realm and collecting Memories, you can retire, open a shop, and live comfortably for the rest of your life. All you need to do is sell a Memory once every couple of years. Maybe make some money off the younger, less fortunate adventurers, too."
Kai laughed and looked at Sunny curiously.
"So… say that we somehow manage to return to the real world and become true Awakened. Is this what you're going to do?"
Sunny thought for a few moments and shrugged.
"I don't know. I don't really have a lot to do in the real world, apart from compiling everything I've learned about the Forgotten Shore into a report and giving it to a teacher who was kind to me back at the Academy. So… maybe? I don't have enough Memories yet to open a real store, though."
He glanced at the charming archer and smiled.
"What about you? What's the thing you really want to do if you return to the real world?"
Kai suddenly turned away, a look of embarrassment crossing his face.
"Oh… I don't know. I haven't really thought about it."
But after several seconds, he added shyly:
"…Avatar Singer."
Sunny blinked.
"A what?"
Kai hesitated before explaining.
"Avatar Singer is a music competition show. Popular singers compete against each other, but the twist is that they all use stock VR avatars to perform. So the judges can only evaluate their voices and skill. They only learn the singer's identity afterward."
Effie giggled.
"Why would you want to hide your pretty face, Night? It's your best feature!"
Meanwhile, Alucard listened closely and decided to say why he thought Kai wanted to do this.
"Maybe Kai wants to start a new solo career away from Nightingale?"
Kai quickly shook his head.
"It's not that at all!"
He fell silent for a moment before smiling gently.
"I just… think it would be nice to be judged based on my skill and talent alone, with nothing else getting in the way. Also, that would be such a great way to announce my return to the fans! Just imagine… they'd be so excited. It would be the perfect media storm."
Alucard shook his head. It seemed Kai really was a celebrity. Talking about fan reactions and media storms with a straight face… did he even hear himself?
Sunny then turned his attention to Effie.
"What about you? What would you do in the real world?"
Effie grinned.
"I don't even have to think about it. I'd go eat chicken wings—the real ones. And then start preparing for the Second Nightmare. Pretty simple."
Everyone grew silent.
After a while, Cassie asked quietly,
"Are you sure you want to challenge another Nightmare?"
Effie shrugged.
"I have my reasons. So yes. For me, that's the only choice."
Despite everyone's apprehension about Effie's goal, Alucard was fully supportive, giving her two thumbs up.
The blind girl was quiet for a bit before speaking.
"I would go and spend time with my mom and dad. That's what I want to do most in the real world."
Caster glanced at her and nodded courteously.
"I agree with Cassie. Family is the most important. When I return, I will greet my father and look him in the eyes with pride, knowing I did not let our clan down. Then I will do everything in my power to grow as fast as possible, relieve him of his worries, and propel our bloodline to new heights."
Alucard elbowed Caster.
"Ah, and by 'raise your bloodline to new heights,' would that involve a certain black-haired woman who, let's just say, lacks height?"
Caster chuckled awkwardly and quickly tried to change the subject.
"I'm not sure what you're talking about. But I guess it's your turn to answer the question, Al. What will you do when you get back?"
Everyone turned their attention to Alucard, ready to hear his answer.