EPISODE 15 - Curious - World Dreamer: A New World Unfolds

"Jeonne Gaesin"

"ፈᏂᏗᎷᎮᎥᎧᏁ ᎧᎦ ᏒᏗᎮᏂᏗᏋᏝ"

Lv.14

HP: 150/150

Sigil: Hollowthorn

Skills:

Divine Sense (?)

Jeonne presses the question mark button to his newly gained skill, Divine Sense.

[Divine Sense - Scans the target and provides the user's name and how currently strong they are compared to you. Also, provide the name of the Sigil and its sigil rarity]'

Jeonne: "Sigil Rarity? What is sigil rarity?"

And then, another menu bar pops up in Jeonne 's face.

Sigil Rarity - Provide label about how rare a sigil can be. This label is divided into following parts:

Green Colored Sigil - Low-Tier

Blue Colored Sigil -Mid-Tier

Purple Colored Sigil - High-Tier

Gold Colored Sigil - Epic-Tier

Orange Colored Sigil - Mythical-Tier

Red Colored Sigil- Immortal

Jeonne: "Woah, my sigil is mythical. That's gotta be scam. All it does is give me superhuman strength and its trigger is the will to hurt people. I'm not like that."

"Whatever. I want to test my new skill."

Jeonne descended the high ground.

Jeonne searches for Vria in this camp and sees Vria ordering some people to move some supplies in a container. While Vria was doing his job, Jeonne tested his skill, Divine Sense, in Vria.

A digital window only Jeonne could see appeared.

Vria Goldager (28 years old)

High Difficulty

Sigil: "Conqueror Eyes (Epic) - Predict and display the next movement of the opponent or any incoming threat before it occurs. The user may see several seconds into the future up to 6 seconds.

Jeonne: "Interesting."

As Jeonne stood there, he heard Lord Dunebarren's voice in the distance. The nobleman was mingling with the people, his smile genuine as he bonded with them, his intentions clear and sincere. Vria noticed Jeonne and made her way over.

Vria: "You know, your friend, Lord Dunebarren? He willingly gave up all his remaining jewelry to buy us food, supplies, armor, and a bunch of other things. Who is he anyway? Why is a royalty like him part of all this?"

Jeonne smiled, feeling a surge of pride for Nico.

Jeonne: "I don't even know how he got them. I just know that his best friend was blessed with poverty! Haha."

Vria:"Haha!"

They both chuckled, their laughter easing the tension of the moment.

Vria: "Look at him, though, just enjoying himself with everyone."

He paused, his tone shifting slightly.

Vria: "He doesn't even realize that his sigil was never his charm, but something else entirely."

Jeonne: "Oh really? I didn't know that. What do you mean by something else?"

Vria: "From what I've observed, his charm doesn't come from his sigil—it comes from his genuine kindness. His real power is something different. It allows him to manipulate the will of those he deems harmful, giving them an absolute command. You can obviously tell who is under the effects of his sigil; it's the people who lose their autonomy and become obedient to Lord Dunebarren. The thing is... he doesn't even realize it. This kind of sigil is terrifyingly powerful, but fortunately it fell to the right hands. You're lucky to have a friend like that."

Jeonne 's eyes widened at the revelation.

Vria: "If Nico ever chose to be true to himself, everyone would love him even more. He doesn't need any superpower to do that."

Jeonne [internal monologue]: "How bout I scan Nico with my Divine Sense?"

Jeonne activated his skill, Divine Sense, on Nico.

[Divine Sense: Activated!]

Nico Dunebarren (18 years old)

Calculating difficulty...

Sigil: "Charming Dominion (Epic" - akin to [Dominance], the user manipulates the emotions and the perception of the target/s, making them susceptible to any commands given by the user."

Jeonne: "Oh... Vria wasn't that far off."

"Manipulates their emotions and perception... that's on par with what he has shown us. Though the system's descriptions are descriptive and accurate."

Jeonne takes another look and realizes, "Wait, calculating difficulty?"

[ERROR]

"Huh?"

Suddenly, the system window glitches. Repeatedly going from the usual blue hue, to a dark crimson and black shade.

[ERROR]

The color of Jeonne 's surroundings fade out of saturation. As does the sound. The people stopped as if time faded along with the hue.

Jeonne , confused but alert, looks around for any danger that could be lurking.

[Internal Monologue]:

"Error? This has never happened before" as he takes a step back.

The space occupying the air starts to crack.

He decides to deactivate the skill. "Come on–"

[ERROR]

"Fuck! What the fuck is happening??"

Jeonne 's thoughts rang loud in his ears. The flickering system window casting jagged shadows over his face.

[ERROR]

The error messages pulsing like a heartbeat, each one growing more erratic.

He looked around once more, his eyes darting around the room, and saw an obvious change to the people around him. "Blood?"

Maybe he remembered it wrong. In this timeless moment, the people were locked with their current expressions. Most were laughing, but now, in just that moment when he stepped back, their expressions were gone.

"Why are they bleeding?" Jeonne whispered in his mind. Their eyes cried crimson blood. Their expressions were slack, maybe even featureless. It is as though someone carved their mouths off of their faces. Or something.

[ERROR]

Something was wrong. Something beyond the system malfunction. Then, he saw it.

Pitch black fabric, shot through with threads of crimson or blood, slithered like a living thing across the ground, crawling around the motionless husks of the people around. It flowed like oil, malevolent, converging on a single point.

Jeonne: "Nico...?"

Jeonne 's breath hitched.

The black fabric wrapped around Nico's feet, crawling up his legs, twisting over his body like a second skin. And then he saw it–the thing on Nico's back.

A figure, no, a presence–shadowy, grotesque, even melting–clinging to Nico like a parasite. Its form was barely distinguishable, but Jeonne could make out its elongated limbs, its bony fingers digging into Nico's flesh, and the hollow sockets where eyes should have been.

Then it's head twisted slowly, unnaturally, as though it had sensed Jeonne 's gaze.

Jeonne 's eyes widened. Shaking. He falls down.

Nico Dunebarren W̸̡̛͇͕̭͔͙͈͈̳̻̠̦̪̐h̸͕̰̥̞̰̟̲̋͜ͅy̷̨̢̛̰̳̥̣͎̫̗͙͚̣͈̽̓̀̐͑̕͝ ̶̡̛̙̹̥̟̘̰͎̤̖̤̝͖̦̓͊͒͛̉̈́͋̾̓̋̃͑̈́̉͝͠w̶̨̯͐͆̅́͊͗̇͊̄̈́h̶̨̭̜̞͖͙̟͔͉̥͉̗̟͈́̅̋̌͆̑́̕y̵̻̪͓̯͈̺̗̯̦̟̙̦͂͛͜ ̵̧̛̭͈̮̥̺͓̗̪͓̠̪̜̯̭͑̀̇̈́̒̿͂̒̆͂̍̀ͅẇ̴̩̼͚̔̈́̏̾̒͋͝ḫ̶̛̖͚̅ȳ̴̢͖͚̥̗̲̥̭̊̄͊̈̿̔̓̓́͂̅͘ ̸̧̧̙́̀ẃ̸̧͔̱̼͔̫̈́̔̊̾͐͌̽͆̅̃͗̈́̀̚ȟ̷̨̘̮̣͙̗̦̙̼̦̼̺̟̩̻͖͇̀͒̚y̵̦͎̖̻͉̾͌͘ ̶̤̝̟̏̀̄̊͘w̵̢͕̮̻̣̗̦̻͙̮̫̍͒̑̒̔̚͜͝ḧ̶̢̪̖̳̜̙̬́͂̆̈́̎̅͌̎̎͆̃̾͊̕̕y̷͚̣̔̊͋̈́̉́͆̎̂́̚̚͝

Unclassified Entity

Sigil: "i̶̧͓͉͙͋̓͑̊̌͘ ̷̼̖̞̼̈̏́̀͌̅̔̾̎̃̅̓͋̀͑̂͝r̷̤̰̼̯̻̲̭̗̦̝͑̈́͛̏̌̍̅͌̇͘ͅ ̵̨̻̩̣̞̖̟̗̫͍̬̘̱̅̔͒̊̎̇̓̏̊͘͜͝ͅä̵̩̦̰̳́̈'̶̛̯͚̹͎̝̣̻͈̩̯͙͈͎͎͉̱̑̽̆̓̔͗̾̊̃͘͠͝͝ŝ̷̡̛̖̺̙̹̫̳͇͉̈̂̓̈́̊͝ Crown, Incarnation of E̷̡͇͍̟̠͕̝͖͓̳̺͋̏̒̔̉͒͐̆͊̆̍͋͛ ̷̰͖̮̥̔̈́̔́͂͆̑́̄̏̓̃̏͘ņ̵͍̻͓̯̗͔͚͎͔͗̓̐͛̅̓́̔̈́͐̿̓̒̂̈́́͝v̵͖̂̈͋́̈́̍i̴͇͙̺̙̜͈̱͌͗̈́͝"

Ȩ̸̢͖͔͖̈̓͠Ŗ̶̹͕̘̟̳̣̪̞̦̒͗͗̇͒Ṛ̶͕̙͈́̏̇O̸̡̠̙͕͚̼̩̱̲͕̲̙̓͋͜R̵̙̤̮̼̣̺̥̓̓́̇̈́̌̔̕ͅ ̸̡̨̤̹͈̰̯̪̱͗̏ͅͅẺ̸̞̩͐̓̃̅̒͐̒̃̃̅̕͝͠R̴̠͊̍̍̆̿R̶̗̻̳̤̪̘͙̲̻̤̞̅͐͐͋́̈̏͑̔͋̓Ó̸̞͎̇͑̿̑̕R̴̨̘̭̠͈̭͎͐̉̎̓̌̓̑͐͆̉̅ ̸̧̛̹̙̯͇͖̤̏̎̊͌̿͊̕̕͜Ȩ̶̧̨̜͉̗̦͚͚̝̰̭͖̠̱̈͘͜R̵̢̙͉̭̗̻̜̟̝̮̪̒̎́̔̉̎̈̉̃͘͜Ṟ̶̢͔̼̭͖͕̪̱̺̙̝̃̀̑̽̍̋̇̿̊͐̎O̵̧̧̡̻̩̲͇̗͕̻̻͖̭͂̎̒̆͒Ŗ̷̧̞̬̲̖̠̗͍͈̣͇͈͌̾̉̋͐͗̋̀̾̊̆̓̀̋͘͜ͅ ̷̼͓̳̩̱̟̖̀Ě̷̦͙̪̺̿Ŕ̸͎̞͍̰͉̣̘̗̂͐̈́̈̋͂̊̈́̚R̸̨̖̺̹͓͖̮͉͉̜̿̈́̍ͅͅǪ̸̮̼́̅̒̀R̷̜͍̖͙͉͉̫̳͇̪̫̊́̔́ ̸̡̢̡̝̙̻͚̦͖͇͉̬̙̭̙̞͐̀̃̓̓͊̿̉͊͐̕͘͝͝͝E̸̡̼̫̩͈̠̙̬̦̯͎̗̱̽̓̒̊̎̾̈́́̍̕͝͝͝R̴̢̗͔͇̯͕̞̬̝̘̦͍͓̥̓̍̃͂̊̋̿̈́͊̊̅̆̊̇̈͆̚͜Ȓ̶̢̛̹̙̖̞̙̼͖̺͙̰̻̝͈̈̆͐̓͛̾͆̓͋̋̅́̍̕ͅŌ̶̢̱͖̗̬̖̮̳̭̙̫͙͕͐̓̊̀R̵̡̠̝̦̮̬̰̳̝͍̲͙̘̙̖͑̎̊͆̀͜ ̷̨̩̝͉̱͍̲̲̱̣̮͙̺͊͂̄͛̉̃͌̌Ë̷̛͕͙̺͚̠͚͉̲̼͚̯́̊͛̎͂̇̆̒̌̐̌͌͊͝R̴̢̧̨̞͚̺̤̟͕̫͙͖̪͠R̷̨̧̡̠̞̰̰̖̤̝̜̎͂̒̈̂͋̍̊̔͝O̴̡̞̯̖͍̟̲̽ͅR̶̮̤̎̐̂̒̈́̓͘ ̴̧̗͍̝́̀̊̓̓̈́

And then, it smiled.

The figure's mouth stretched impossibly wide, a grin that seemed to split its face in half, revealing rows of jagged, uneven teeth. Its gaze, though eyeless, was fixed directly on Jeonne .

Jeonne 's breath froze in his chest.

"You weren't supposed to see this... Champion..."

Jeonne: (internal monologue) "Champion?– argh! My head..!"

It's voice. It wasn't a sound–it was a feeling, crawling up from the base of Jeonne 's skull, a voice that pressed into his mind like icy fingers. Jeonne tried to crawl further away, his heart hammering in his ribcage as the terrifying figure straightened, its towering form looming behind Nico like a living nightmare.

Jeonne tried to activate his [Divine Sense] again to see what it was. but his body felt sluggish, as though the very air around him had thickened. His vision failed to recognize the world around him twisting and warping as if reality itself had been infected by the monster's presence. The walls cracked even more, what looked like eyeballs of some species started looking through the cracks.

Jeonne: "What... are you?" His voice was barely a whisper, his throat dry, terror seeping through at the edges of his mind.

It chuckled, a low, rasping sound that made Jeonne 's skin crawl.

Its smile widened even further, the edges of its mouth tearing open as black ichor dripped from the corners

Its smile widened even further, the edges of its mouth tearing open as black ichor dripped from the corners.

"Curiosity, Jeonne ... it's a dangerous thing."

It's head tilted, a sickening crack echoing through the air as it regarded him with amusement.

Its voice was a venomous whisper.

Ņ̸̬͙̖̱̬̦̝̥̙͚̩͖͈̱̑̈́̂̉̌̔̀̈Į̸͙̦̣̰̲͍͍̥̘͉̥͕̺̝̳̥͒͑̑͋̐C̵̡̙̬̥̲̫̘̟̥̳̖̹̯̻̪̥̉̿͌ͅỎ̸̧͓̤̦͎̹̃̂̋̊̚ ̴̢̨̰͔̮̬̜̱̽͛̄̈́̾͂̊̓͋̕͜͝Ę̵̦͎̯̘̥͒͑͌͗̑͐̏̇͛̀͐͜Ŗ̷̝͙̤̝͎̹̣̱̮͇͖͋́̕R̶̺̺͓̝͍̉͌͋͆̉̓́̌̀͑Ȍ̷͓̰̗̣͛̄̅͋̽͆̽͂͋̍͋̑͝͝͝͝R̴̨̨̹̦̦̲̦͇̰̳̜̺̣̳̫͋̅̑̀̈́͂̍̌̏͘͜͝ ̷̖̹͙̙͕́̓̀̓̀̈̆́́̀̈́̔̚̕͝Ẹ̷̡́̽́͑̽̔̈́̄̋̔͋̿͘̚͝R̸̢̢̥̜͚͚̤̩͉͍͈͋̿̍̕͜R̷̼̱̬͉̻̲̝̽̒̈́̈́̏Ơ̷̡͈̯͉̟͉̘͕͖̞̑̎̇́̎̿̋̾͋̕ͅR̴̯͒ ̷̨̧̼̤͕͕̮̩̫̱͓̲̻͖͐̂̔̀̅̕ͅḘ̵̡̨͍̱̯͈̬͇̼̦̠̭͍̼̀́̒͋̊N̵̢̧̧̗͇͓̈́̎̊͗̒̈́͗̃̂͗͒̈́͘̚͘͠ͅṼ̷̨̜̟̮̩͉̱̺̫̫̘̣͓̺́̆̃͐̉̒̋̉̑͒̓̔͘͝Ý̸̢̠̠͇̾̅͐͂̌̍͋͊̓̍̎̚͝͠ ̶̛͎̱̥̲͓̲̓̂̐͛͂̔̀̓̃̒͘͘E̴̡̛͚̅Ŗ̶̡̛̰̤͕͙͓̯̠͇̜̪̰̯͎̓̏̂́̾̂̓͛͗͊͘͝͠͝͠ͅͅR̷̯͓̤͈̖̜̦̓̋̍̂O̷̢̞̩̣͎̺͔̩̞̙̙̾̿͛̓̽̀̈́͐͂̿̐͛̚̕͝ͅR̵̹͔̦̊̒̈́͌̚̚

The same glitch the system was having earlier, happened again on this monster's face. For a brief second, its eyes glowed alongside a person. An impossible thing.

Confusion? Fear? Overwhelming? Jeonne 's blood turned into an amalgam of unexplainable feelings. His sweat is cold as ice, his eyes start to bleed. The world around him collapsed even further as the image of Nico's back got further and further away.

The world around him collapsed even further as the image of Nico's back got further and further away

"Take care of my toy... Champion.."

It grinned even wider. And snap.

The colors returned. The sounds of chatter filled his ears again. The people resumed their movements, unaware of the horror that just passed.

Vria: (concerned) "What happened? You suddenly fell and– oh damn, you're even sweating."

Jeonne: (panting) "Oh... It's.."

Jeonne could still feel it–the pressure, the void, like a shadow lingering in the corner of his mind.

And then there was Nico. Standing in front of him. Nico turned to see what was happening and noticed Jeonne down on the floor, looking at him all weird. Nico smiles but worries.

Lord Dunebarren: "What's wrong, Jeo– Jeonne ? You look like you've seen a ghost."

[Divine Sense: Activated!]

Nico Dunebarren (18 years old)

Neutral

Sigil: "Charming Dominion (Epic" - akin to [Dominance], the user manipulates the emotions and the perception of the target/s, making them susceptible to any commands given by the user."

Jeonne checked again with his skill, but nothing changed iniRinally except for the fact that he saw another system window earlier in that horrorscape.

Jeonne: [Internal Monologue]: "It was unclassified earlier..."

Nico: (Waving his hands in front of Jeonne ) "Jeonne ? Can you hear me?"

Jeonne: "It's... nothing," he lied, forcing a tight smile as his mind raced.

Vria and Nico looked at each other. Vria shrugged, and proceeded to help Jeonne up. Nico handed a handkerchief over to Jeonne , "Here, you're sweating like a lot. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Thank you," Jeonne replied, "And yeah... don't worry about it."

"Okay." as he smiles even though he's worried.

Vria: "Let's go! Come, both of you..."

Vria called Jeonne and Nico inside the tent, where all the officers of the Black Orb, except Erik Weiss, were gathered. As they entered, the murmur of voices quieted down, and Vria stood at the front, calling for attention.

Vria: "Everyone, meet Jeonne and Nico. They're our newest members."

A few of the officers glanced at the newcomers, their faces filled with curiosity.

Noe: "Wait... aren't you that noble who sold his jewelry to help us out? Quite the gesture, sir. Sure there wasn't a catch?"

Nico: "No catch. I'm happy to help."

Before he could say more, a playful voice cut through the room.

Rosetta: "Well, aren't you a handsome fella."

Jeonne was silent. He was still worried about what had happened earlier, but he thought to himself that it was just his imagination.

Vria: "Alright, enough. This isn't time for jokes."

Instantly, the mood shifted. The room grew silent, and the members of the Black Orb straightened, their attention fully on Vria.

Lord Dunebarren [internal monologue]: "Amazing. Just one sentence, and they're all composed. Vria really is a respected leader."

In front of Vria was a large map, its surface covered in markings and notes. He stepped closer, his gaze intense as he addressed the group.

Vria: "It's been 9 years since the war between the Imperial Federation and the Empire of Majestus ended. We still don't know why they pushed for peace negoRinations, but we do know one thing: it won't last. The Empire, after rampaging across countless countries, now wants peace? There's something bigger at play—something more important than the war itself, driving the King to call back his troops."

He paused, letting the weight of his words settle.

Vria: "And with what happened to Kana... I've uncovered something disturbing. Someone high up in the Imperial Federation is conspiring with the Empire. This isn't just about war anymore. It's about betrayal."

Vria: "My Informant also told me that the candidate for the New Prime Minister, Johannes Rivcold, will pass through Azalea Canyon this afternoon. The Bounty Hunter Association has posted a quest to protect the Prime Minister's transportation, and ofcourse, Extravagant will be the first one to accept the quest. Its reward is tons of gold and if we manage to be successful, we may be able to form ties with the Prime Minister and place our organization on a political level. "

Jeonne to Mira: "Who is Johaness?"

Mira: "Oh, him? The election for the Imperius Leader has begun and he's one of the candidates who we will elect. He's the only one humble enough and worthy to be the Prime Minister, so we need him to win."

Jeonne: "Ohh."

Vria:"That's all. Suit up in 40 minutes. Dismissed."

Vria:"Jeonne , Lord Dunebarren—both of you stay."

Jeonne:"Wait, what?"

Jeonne:"Wait... why did you invite us to the mission briefing?"

Vria: "You aren't ready for this stage yet. I wanted you both to understand what the Black Orb is fighting for. And I thought it was time you saw firsthand how we handle things...."

[Black Orb Garden]

Hector brought Jeonne and Nico to the outskirts of the estate, where a vast garden full of herbs and rare flora bloomed in structured rows and open fields.

Jeonne: "I don't understand why I'm here. I should be out there fighting with the others."

Hector: "I know how you feel. But this is your first deployment. Vria asked me to help you both get familiar with the area. And besides... you're still not in full control of your sigil, right?"

Jeonne (lowering his eyes): "Yeah... Sorry."

Hector (smiling calmly): "Nothing to apologize for. Mastering your sigil takes time. But you'll get there."

They walked through the garden paths as Hector introduced them to the varieties of plants.

Hector: "This one here—Selyn Moss—aids with stabilizing the heartbeat and breathing. And over there, Moonspine Root. It's rare, but incredible for drawing out toxins."

He knelt near a cluster of purple-leaved flowers.

Hector: "And this one is Virinelle. Only blooms at sunrise. Crush the petals, and you've got one of the strongest fever suppressants we know."

Nico observed closely, curious. But Jeonne's eyes were elsewhere—he kept glancing toward the distance, uneasy.

Jeonne (leaning toward Nico): "We shouldn't be here. We're not gardeners."

Nico (calmly): "Chill, Jeonne. It's not like we're ready to fight in a battlefield yet. Besides... learning helps."

Suddenly, a voice called from the tents behind them.

Young Woman (hurried): "Sir Hector! It's Lisa. She needs you!"

Hector's smile dropped instantly. He stood up, serious.

[At the Medical Tent – Moments Later]

The three rushed into the tent. Inside, Lisa lay on a cot, pale and sweating, her skin clammy. Her chest rose with shallow, weak breaths. She barely opened her eyes, slipping in and out of consciousness.

Hector (panting as he entered): "I'm sorry. The tour's over."

Nico: "Wait—what happened?"

Hector (gritting his teeth): "Lisa... she's worse. The herbs we've been using—our stock for Ephimore have been used up."

He paused, trying to steady his voice.

Hector: "She won't make it through the day."

Jeonne (stepping forward): "What do you need us to do?"

Hector (focused, jaw clenched): "There's a forest near here. That's where I can gather what we need. But it's not safe. The place is crawling with monsters. Usually, I go alone. But now... I can't take that risk."

Nico: "You're saying you want us to come?"

Hector (nodding): "Yes. I know the terrain. If you follow me and keep quiet, we can avoid the creatures. But we need to go now. Lisa doesn't have time."

Jeonne (resolute): "Then we're going. We're not letting her die."

Nico (firm): "Let's move."

Hector (relieved, determined): "Thank you. Stay close. Don't make a sound unless I say. And whatever happens—don't get separated."

[Forest Entrance – Shortly After]

The air shifted as they stepped beneath the forest canopy. A haunting silence replaced the usual sound of birds. The shadows stretched longer than they should have.

Jeonne, trailing behind, looked around—recognizing the trees, the broken path, and the strange energy in the air.

It hit him.

This was the same forest where he first leapt in this world.

The leaves rustled with memory, not wind.

Jeonne (eyes wide): "...Oh shit."

-EPISODE END-

Chapter 15 - EPISODE 15 - Curious