…Wake up, Master."
The voice sounded faint, as if coming from beneath the water.
Rayne jolted awake.
His eyes snapped open—
Bukkk!
His head struck the wooden board above him. The loud crack froze him in place.
His breath hitched.
He was inside a wooden box. Narrow, dark, and strangely unfamiliar… yet at the same time, unnervingly real.
"W-what is this…?"
Buakkk!
With a reflexive kick—strong like an instinct honed through years—the boards shattered open. Rayne crawled out, his body tense as if he had just escaped a battlefield.
His foot touched the floor.
His eyes darted for danger.
And the first thing he saw—
His room.
A moderately luxurious room, with an open window, neatly arranged decorations, and soft morning light slipping in.
A place he once considered ordinary… yet now felt like a luxury.
Rayne stepped back.
His legs trembled.
"…Impossible."
Just seconds ago, he had been in a world filled with fire and darkness.
Fighting a monster capable of erasing a city with a breath.
Feeling the heat that melted the earth, the blood soaking his body.
And now…
He stood inside his old room.
"…A-am I… dreaming?"
{DING! More precisely, you have just awakened from a dream, Master.}
Rayne frowned.
"Awakened…?
A dream…?"
He swallowed hard.
"You mean… everything I went through… was just a dream?"
{DING! Correct, Master.}
Silence stretched.
As reality seeped into his mind, his breathing grew heavy—not out of relief, but a sharp confusion.
If it was a dream…
Why did it feel so real?
The scent of blood, the heat of fire, the sensation of wounds, the gravity of every leap—they were too vivid.
"If that's true… then why are you still here?" he asked quietly.
The system answered without hesitation.
{DING! When you fell asleep inside the box, the system fully recovered and began the synchronization process. That process triggered a synchronization dream—a dream you could experience as though it were reality.}
Rayne froze.
A synchronization dream…
A dream that felt real because the system linked his consciousness directly to a simulation space.
So that world…
That battle…
That pain and power…
Weren't ordinary dreams.
They were reality in another form.
Rayne lowered his gaze, covering his face.
Everything made sense now.
Brakkk!
Suddenly the door was kicked from outside. An elderly man staggered in.
"Grandfather…?" Rayne stared in confusion.
The old servant rushed over, panic written all over his expression.
"Child, do not come out. No matter what you hear, stay in your room. Everything will be fine!"
Without giving Rayne a chance to ask anything, the man hurried out again, closing the door in a rush.
Rayne frowned.
"What now…?"
Only when the walls vibrated faintly did he realize something massive was happening outside.
He approached the window, pulled the curtain aside—
And his entire body stiffened.
In the Veltaron courtyard, a seven-foot-tall bear monster was rampaging. Its muscles bulged, its fur bristled, and its roar shook the entire area.
There stood the King, his father Ardyn, his mother, his siblings, and a small girl hiding behind the King.
The guards shielded them while trying to contain the monster, but every time the beast slammed the ground—
GUBRAAKK!
The tremor reached Rayne's window.
The marble courtyard trembled—though didn't crack due to its exceptional quality.
But Rayne wasn't focusing on his family.
Not on the King.
Not on the guards.
He focused only on the monster.
His eyes narrowed.
"…That bear monster…"
Something about it was familiar.
The way it moved.
The sound of its breathing.
"If I'm right, then soon it will… grow bigger," he muttered softly.
And just like the world was eager to prove him right—
The monster's bones shifted, muscles thickened—
GROAARRR!!
Its body doubled in size.
Everyone recoiled in shock.
Ardyn Voltare, Rayne's father, stepped forward with a grim expression.
"Your Majesty, please retreat with your daughter. This monster… might be level twenty."
"What?!" The King paled.
The guards quickly pulled the King and his daughter back, forming a protective barrier so Ardyn and the others could move freely.
"Formation—Artzaber!" Ardyn commanded.
The shield-bearing guards surged forward, assuming their stances, forming a thin yet sturdy barrier around the monster.
Behind them, magi and knights began chanting spells.
Ardyn, Zinux, Iliya, and Zuban… each gathered mana of different colors and intensities.
Sparks of power gathered, creating a large magic circle above the monster.
Ardyn bowed his head slightly, his voice deep and commanding:
"O great God of War…
The god who destroys evil and protects peace…
Lend us your strength."
For a moment, all other sounds vanished.
Then—
"Artzaber Formation!"
They shouted together.
Swwsshhh!
Sraakkk! Sraakkk!
The magic circle poured down blades of light like a rain of knives.
Every blade that hit the shield formation bounced around repeatedly.
The monster's thick hide was sliced open everywhere—red streaks, long gashes—and its massive body hunched over, releasing a low growl as if suppressing something.
Rayne exhaled sharply.
"Oh no… that only makes it worse. That monster… is going to grow again," he whispered.
And as if the world obeyed him—
The monster swelled again.
Muscles doubling, bones stretching.
Now twice as large as before.
Yet strangely…
It still hunched over. As if protecting something beneath its body.
Ardyn narrowed his eyes, sensing something terribly wrong.
"Something's been off from the start…" he muttered before shouting,
"Reinforce the formation!"
The blades of light intensified.
The shield formation trembled.
The air filled with the sharp screech of glass being sliced.
The monster's body was almost entirely torn—its hide ripped, fur shredded.
Rayne sighed quietly.
"…This is going to get much worse."
His gaze dropped to his own hands.
His heartbeat steady.
If the synchronization dream wasn't just a dream,
if all the abilities and items truly came from the system-connected world…
Then—
"System…" Rayne called softly.
{DING! The system understands, Master.}
Immediately, three objects floated before him like tiny suns.
A black orb.
An ancient thick book.
A hooded black robe.
Blue panels appeared one after another.
---
{Weapon Core}
An object capable of transforming into any weapon the owner desires.
No level limit.
Once bound, cannot be removed.
{Book of a Thousand Blades}
An ancient tome containing complete knowledge of all weapons—
even those that do not exist in any world.
Note: may influence the wielder's personality.
{Night Cloak}
A robe that conceals presence, neutralizes elements to a certain degree, and alters the wearer's appearance.
---
Slightly different from what he encountered in the dream.
But 90%—almost the same.
Without hesitation, Rayne sat cross-legged beside the window.
He focused on the weapon core, and as if understanding, it shot straight into his chest.
The agonizing pain was identical to the one from the dream.
Rayne clenched his jaw, but his expression remained calm.
Then he looked at the Book of a Thousand Blades.
"System… learn it."
Knowledge of hundreds of sword arts, thousands of weapon forms, metal structures from other worlds—flooded his mind like a merciless tsunami.
His vision flickered.
It felt like his head would burst.
But he stayed still and endured.
Once everything settled, he rose slowly.
"System… does Mora energy also exist in this world?"
{DING! Yes, Master.}
Rayne nodded.
"Good."
He examined the black robe briefly, then stored it in the system space.
He inhaled…
And when his awareness fully returned to the chaos outside—
At some point—
His right hand was already holding a black pistol.
The barrel aligned perfectly with… the monster bear's crotch.
Rayne raised one eyebrow, a faint, unfriendly smile forming.
A very unfriendly smile.
Dorrr!