Since this is my dream, shouldn't leaving just be a matter of will?
Is that person's magic preventing me from waking up? To leave, do I have to break her magic?
Cyan walked through the empty dream world, trying to find a way out.
After walking for who knows how long, her surroundings remained completely empty with no changes at all, as if there was no end.
Is this not going to work?
Cyan realized this method wasn't going to work and stopped.
What if I destroy this place? If I destroy it, maybe I can leave.
Cyan punched the ground. It felt like punching air — there was no sensation at all.
Maybe I need to try a different method…
Some time passed.
Still not giving up?
Vivian watched Cyan, who was still trying to find a way out of the dream world.
"It's useless. Unless I let you leave, you won't be able to escape this place." Vivian's figure appeared in front of Cyan. She smiled elegantly and asked, "Have you decided? Will you hand over the Grail or not?"
"Trapping me here won't do you any good."
Cyan glanced at Vivian with her silver-white eyes, then closed them. Out of sight, out of mind. Since she couldn't hurt Vivian here anyway, she might as well ignore her.
This person is really infuriating…
Seeing Cyan close her eyes and refuse to even look at her, Vivian grew quite annoyed. A mischievous smile appeared on her face as she said, "There is one way to leave this place — death. If you die, you'll naturally be able to leave. How about it? Want to give it a try?"
Vivian was certain that the person in front of her wouldn't dare to commit suicide, especially without knowing whether dying here would mean real death. No one would joke about their own life like that.
However, the next second, she was proven wrong.
Death, huh… Maybe I should try it.
Even if I die, the Life Mushroom in my inventory will revive me. Using one life to complete Survival Mission One is a bit of a loss, though.
Cyan raised her hand and grabbed her own neck, twisting it with force. With a crisp crack, the empty space around her began to distort rapidly.
"T-This is impossible! How could you… How could you do that?! Aren't you afraid of dying?!"
Vivian let out a shocked cry. She stared in disbelief at Cyan, who had just snapped her own neck. She couldn't believe that someone would actually choose to kill themselves just because of something she said offhandedly. This was way too ridiculous!
There wasn't even a trace of fear. Just what kind of person was this? Was this person even human?
Waking up from the dream, Cyan looked around with a slightly dazed expression, tilting her head.
Did I fall asleep? What just happened?
Cyan tried to recall what had happened after she fell asleep, but she couldn't remember anything. It felt like she had simply dozed off for a short while.
Still, she had a feeling that something important had happened in the dream.
Am I overthinking it?
Cyan thought about it for a long time but couldn't recall anything from the dream. She decided she was probably overthinking things.
[Survival Mission One: Eliminate the evil Archduke Garibaldi and obtain the Golden Grail.]
[Mission Completed.]
[Golden Grail]
[Type: Special Item]
[Effect: A Grail blessed by the Lady of the Lake. It can create any food or drink you desire, with a 15% chance of producing items with buff effects. Cooldown: 6 hours.]
[Remark: A Grail created by the Lady of the Lake at Merlin's request.]
Cyan looked at the Golden Grail's attributes. She had thought it would be something like a staff that could raise stats when used. She hadn't expected its function to be related to food — it could create whatever she wanted to eat. That was actually pretty convenient. There was also a 15% chance of getting a buff effect, though she didn't know what kind of buffs it would give.
(In the original King Arthur legend, the Grail's prototype was the wine cup Jesus used during the Last Supper with his eleven disciples, drinking wine that symbolized blood to complete the ritual of suffering. In the legend, the Grail could create delicious food and wine out of thin air but didn't grant power to people. Therefore, the Grail in this story has been modified — it's a "Food Grail" that creates food and occasionally gives buffed items. Just imagine King Arthur using this Grail to entertain envoys from other countries. He raises the Grail, light flashes, and suddenly the empty table is filled with delicious food and wine! The envoys would be completely shocked… Yeah… That image is too beautiful. I can't even imagine it anymore.
Whenever I think of Artoria from Fate, I feel like if she had this Grail, she would keep creating enough food for six hours, eat until she's full, and the moment the cooldown ends, immediately create more food again. She'd keep eating until she's satisfied.)
Let's give it a try!
Before testing, Cyan woke up the three sleeping girls. Then she raised the Grail. In a flash of light, a stack of pizzas and several bottles of juice appeared.
"Eh?!"
Asama Ai stared in shock at the suddenly appearing pizza that was still steaming and giving off an appetizing aroma, as if it had just come out of the oven.
"This is the Grail's function. I don't know what the buff effects will be like."
Cyan showed the three of them the Grail's attributes and guessed that the food buffs might be similar to buff cards, but probably not as powerful.
"What? There are buff effects too?!"
When Nishi saw the 15% chance of getting a buff effect, she excitedly went through the cheese pizzas and juice. She found two food and drink items that had buff effects.
[Cheese Pizza]
[Type: Buff Item]
[Effect: Increases Spirit recovery speed by 20%. Lasts 2 hours.]
[Remark: Delicious cheese and ham. Enjoy the stretching cheese~!]
[Note: Must be fully consumed to obtain the buff effect. This item was created by the Golden Grail. Please consume within 1 hour.]
[Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice]
[Type: Buff Item]
[Effect: Increases Intelligence and Spirit by 1. Lasts 1 hour.]
[Remark: After drinking this, you'll feel smarter~!]
[Note: Must be fully consumed to obtain the buff effect. This item was created by the Golden Grail. Please consume within 1 hour.]
After testing, she found that eating one slice of pizza would grant the buff effect, while the juice required drinking the entire bottle. And it wasn't like recovery items where you could use it with a thought — it had to be physically eaten and drunk.
"This item is really convenient! I don't need to waste inventory space storing food anymore."
After eating delicious pizza and drinking juice until they were full, Asuka looked enviously at the Grail in Cyan's hands. While she was envious, she had no intention of trying to take it.
"This isn't just my spoils of war. It's ours."
Cyan had no intention of monopolizing the Golden Grail. Killing Garibaldi, repelling Merlin, and forcing Arthur and the others' knights to retreat — everyone here had contributed. She wasn't arrogant enough to think the Grail should belong only to her.
"I didn't really do much either. It was all thanks to Big Sister Kayako…"
Asama Ai said softly, gripping the hem of her clothes.
This survival mission wouldn't have been completed so easily if they hadn't met Cyan. She hadn't done much herself — Kayako had done all the heavy lifting at the critical moments.
On the other hand, because of Kayako's activity, she had gained quite a lot of benefits.
Asama Ai believed the Golden Grail should belong to Cyan. With that thought, she looked up at Asuka.
Asuka had contributed quite a bit as well. The Golden Grail should rightfully include her share. As for how to divide it, Asama Ai had no say in the matter and didn't think she had the right to speak.
"Although I contributed quite a bit too, I think the Golden Grail should belong to you."
Asuka smiled and patted Cyan's shoulder. "I just don't know if Arthur and the others will come after us again. They took a pretty big loss yesterday, so they probably won't come looking for trouble anytime soon, right? In a few more days, Survival Mission Two will be complete, and we'll be leaving this world."
"If they come again, I won't hold back."
Cyan stored the Golden Grail in her inventory and looked at Asuka and Asama Ai. "When we return to the survival space, let's meet at Chrysanthemum Tower. I won't take advantage of you."
"Don't say it like you're taking some huge advantage from us."
Asuka heard Cyan's words and pressed down a little harder on her shoulder.
"This Survival Mission One couldn't have been completed without you."
Asuka thought back to the scene of Cyan snatching the Golden Grail right in front of Arthur and the others. She had been completely stunned. She never expected someone to be this bold — directly robbing them in front of their eyes. It was something she had never even considered.
"Without Cyan, completing Survival Mission One would have been questionable at best."
Hearing Asuka's words, Asama Ai nodded in agreement.
Nishi listened to Asuka and Asama Ai praising Cyan. She hugged Cyan's arm with a silly smile on her face, as if she herself had been praised.
The next day, they arrived at the shore of Avalon Lake. Merlin, who had been waiting to retrieve the Grail, saw Vivian, whose expression looked off.
What happened? Did something unexpected occur?
"The Grail…" Merlin was about to ask, but Vivian cut him off.
"I don't care about the Grail anymore. If you can't get it back, just make another one yourself. This matter ends here. Don't come looking for me again in the future."
Vivian thought about what Cyan had done in the dream world last night. Not only had there been no fear, there hadn't even been any panic.
She's like a monster… A monster wearing human skin…
Would a normal person do something like that?
Would a normal person kill themselves without hesitation?
What if dying in the dream meant really dying?
How could she kill herself so decisively?
The more Vivian thought about it, the more agitated she became. She needed time to properly calm her traumatized mind — maybe a hundred or eighty years. She didn't want to see Merlin's wrinkled old face ever again.
Merlin looked completely dumbfounded. He stared longingly as Vivian returned to the lake, unable to imagine what had happened last night.
Just… what exactly happened last night?
Vivian, did you get traumatized or something?