I was on the ground, panting, and the skeleton approached me with his sword raised.
He swung wildly—slashes left and right.
I dodged them all... out of fear.
Literal fear.
I had no idea how I was still alive.
We kept at it for more than fifteen minutes.
And Nekos? He just kept laughing.
"Stop laughing and do something!" I yelled, barely dodging another strike.
He was kicking in the air, floating, almost rolling with laughter.
"You got this, Rashed! Remember: bad weeds never die!" he shouted between giggles.
His comment hit a nerve.
I drew my [Silent Dagger], which—true to its name—made no sound as it left the sheath.
"Do something useful, you stupid cat!"
Nekos suddenly turned serious. He pointed at the skeleton.
"Alright. The answer isn't in fighting back."
That was all he said.
The skeleton kept attacking me.
"Filthy mortals! Never letting us rest!"
I kept blocking, dodging, moving, until… it clicked.
I sheathed my dagger.
Raised my hands in surrender.
"Wait! I don't want to fight."
I don't know what was dumber—taking advice from a floating blue humanoid cat, or the fact that the skeleton actually stopped… just before decapitating me.
"You could've just said that from the start," he said.
His tone shifted instantly—from executioner to casual pal.
He lowered his weapon and extended a hand to help me up.
"Most who come here just want to fight."
I stood up, still catching my breath. Then, a notification appeared before me:
> [You've met Hammer, the Fallen Warrior. His information has been registered.]
[Hidden Event Activated: Fragments of Lost Memories]
I stared at the system window, confused.
A hidden event? Why me? Why now? What did it even mean?
I looked Hammer over, head to toe. He intrigued me.
"So… what is this place?"
He puffed out his ribcage—well, what was left of it—and made a dry cough (or at least tried to), then raised a hand.
"This is where we, the fallen, rest."
I was still confused.
"Fallen?"
His expression darkened for a moment.
"…An ancient war of emotions and human feelings. A battle to prove which one would prevail… and which could lead humanity to evolve…"
> [You've obtained Lost History Fragment x1]
Hammer shifted topics right away.
"But tell me, my friend, what brings you here? A historian? Cartographer? A necromancer looking for lost warriors?"
He talked nonstop—like he had years of words backed up in his chest bones.
I raised a hand to stop him.
"Actually, I'm just gathering herbs."
"How could someone like him be anything else?" Nekos interrupted with his usual mocking tone.
Hammer locked eyes with me. For a second, I tensed up—until he broke the moment with a chuckle.
"Oh! I see. Then let me help you. I imagine you won't stay long… and not everyone here is as friendly as me."
"You meant pathetic," Nekos muttered, snorting.
"Shut up, Nekos," I snapped. I took a breath and turned back to Hammer.
"Thanks. Could you collect White Panacea and Sigh Daisies while I get the water?"
Hammer nodded and headed toward the fields. Nekos and I walked to the pond.
I opened my macuto and pulled out a few flasks.
I looked at Nekos. He seemed oddly calm.
"Weren't you supposed to help me?"
He turned serious again.
"There are certain restrictions. One of them is that I can't interfere in your battles. If I did… you wouldn't grow as a Dreamer."
I lowered my head.
I understood. Still didn't make me forget how he laughed while I was nearly gutted.
"You know anything about what Hammer said?" I changed the subject.
"I'm a guide, not an encyclopedia," he said, turning around.
"But… yeah, even I'm curious."
He stared at Hammer, who joyfully picked herbs with the glee of a child on a field trip.
I dipped the first flask into the water.
> [You've obtained: Water from the Still Pond x1]
Then I repeated the process twenty-nine more times.
Better to have too much than not enough.
Later, Hammer came back, his arms full of leaves and an almost childish grin on his face.
"Look, my friend! I've brought a great bundle of these leaves!"
He handed them to me proudly.
> [You've received: Sigh Daisies x12
You've received: White Panacea x14]
I looked at him, surprised.
He'd gathered more than double what I'd managed… and in half the time.
"Thanks… you found a lot."
Then came a blinding notification:
> [Congratulations! You've completed the quest: "Gathering for Mediocres"]
Sigh Daisies 10/10
White Panacea 10/10
Water from the Still Pond 10/10
Items removed from Macuto
Rewards:
EXP +10
Neiros +20
Recipe Unlocked: Basic Health Potion
The items disappeared from my inventory.
At first, I thought the quest was just about collecting.
But then it hit me—where do the items go?
Another window popped up:
> [You've reached Level 2]
All stats increased by +1
[You've learned: Basic Health Potion recipe]
Then came another:
> [Would you like to test the recipe now?]
I hit "Cancel."
I had completed the mission. That was enough for today.
Then my body began to feel strange.
Like I was waking up.
I looked at Hammer.
Honestly, I hadn't expected to make a friend.
"Goodbye, take care, my friend."
He smiled.
His once-frightening teeth now looked strangely warm.
"You too. And if you return here… come visit me…"
---
I woke up.
Back in my hammock.
The alarm was still ringing.
I glanced out the window. It was just starting to dawn.
I slipped on my sandals, grabbed soap, toothbrush and toothpaste.
Before opening the door, I mumbled:
"What a strange dream…"
I chuckled softly.
"Yeah… one of the weirdest I've had."
But that small joy vanished quickly.
I was back.
Back in my world.
Back to reality.