Spring had arrived on Nippon Island; it was an explosion of life and color.

  When I woke up after fainting, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The ground was covered in a lush green blanket, and giant cherry trees were in full bloom, their pink and white blossoms falling slowly through the air like warm snow covering the traces of the storm.

  The mountains on the horizon were draped in a faint purple mist, and the rivers flowed with a gentle sound like the song of a mournful flute.

  The beauty here was pure, vivid, and painful to the eye. Beautiful... unbelievably beautiful, like a masterfully set trap.

  I looked to my side and found my star, (Clara), lying on the golden sand. But... her face was cold, as pale as the dead.

  "No, no... don’t tell me... Please, Clara, don’t die!"

  Then she suddenly gasped, began to cough, and spat salt water from her lungs. Immediately, without thinking, I hugged her so tightly I almost crushed her bones:

  "Don’t scare me like that again!"

  After catching our breath, we decided to move forward immediately—toward the dense forest that seemed to swallow the light. As we walked, a discordant sound pierced nature’s symphony: the sound of screaming, the clashing of metal, and a strange scent of blood... blood that smelled of rotten flowers.

  On a nearby hill, a battle was raging.

  On one side, a group of warriors wore intricate blue armor resembling dragon scales; their curved swords (Katanas) traced cold blue flames in the air with every swing. Are these the Samurai?

  On the other side were creatures resembling Morai but more agile and savage, with sharp claws growing from their hands like bony daggers and long pointed ears, moving like a pack of hungry wolves. The Kina Foxes.

  (Clara) said in a low, cautious voice: "Dio... what do we do now?"

  The only thought that gripped my mind was: They are incredibly strong.

  The lowest level of a Samurai here was equivalent to the beginning of the Mastery Realm in Murim (the level of a clan leader like the Gu Clan). The Kina Foxes were also combat monsters of the same level.

  The Samurai used a strange energy. It seemed their soul gate was truly different from the Murim soul gate. According to information gathered by (Ling Gu), the inhabitants of Nippon use an energy called Ki, which is similar to Rei but can also produce exceptional magic through training.

  However, there was information regarding these... Kina Foxes. I knew they were from Nippon because I had met some of them abroad—as Hong Min. I knew the energy they used was "Kam." It is a specific magical energy with which one can only use "Nature Magic," but it is intensely powerful, as if borrowing the strength of the Earth itself.

  From what I saw, the two sides were perfectly matched. The Kina, with their magic, exploited the nature around them; roots moved to bind enemies, and winds guided their strikes. The Samurai burned this nature with their blue flames and used earth magic to block strikes with instant rock shields.

  The ferocity of these Samurai was unbelievable. The difference between them and the Kina was one thing: no matter how much a Samurai was wounded, they did not fall. I saw one of them whose hand was severed; he remained standing, fighting with the other hand, his face devoid of pain, as if death were merely a professional duty.

  (Clara) whispered: "Master... I think they’ve noticed our presence."

  I replied quickly: "I know. That’s why we must retreat. We’ve gathered some information, and I’ve managed to analyze 10% of the language. That’s enough."

  Suddenly, the ground split beneath us. One of the Kina appeared, his eyes glowing with a savage yellow light. He launched thorny weeds toward our feet and shouted a strange word: Kazi! (Wind). Then, sharp winds like bullets appeared, capable of severing a head with a single touch.

  I carried (Clara) with lightning speed, dodged at the last moment, and retreated deep into the forest, leaving the battlefield behind.

  Clara and I were hiding in a small, damp cave in the forest we found while fleeing. I had been wounded near my waist while escaping. A small gash, but it burned like embers. My gray blood was slowly healing the wound. Most importantly, Clara was unharmed.

  (Hong Min) sat looking at the wound and said sarcastically: "It seems the wound is poisoned. What a terrifying grudge this place has against you, Dream. Even nature here hates you."

  I replied in my mind: I know it’s poisoned.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  404 / The Imaginary World

  He was also looking at the wound and analyzed coldly: < Analysis: The poison is a slow-acting plant type. It will take four hours for complete healing via the blood. >

  It would take... a long time. They might catch us if we stayed in the same place.

  (404) replied: < Analysis: Probability is low. They seem to have more important problems. >

  I said: "Can't you take control of my body and heal the wound with any ability you have?"

  He replied stoically: < I have no method for instant healing. Also, I cannot take control of your body whenever I wish. >

  "What? Why?"

  < When you are conscious, taking control of your body becomes complex and requires a total or partial breakdown. Unlike when you used the 'Soul Echo' ability, I could control the body comfortably, or when you fainted during the storm. >

  "Fine... then why can't I see you and Hong Min?"

  He looked at (Hong Min) and said: < I don’t know why you can see Hong Min. But I can appear as a body before you because I physically exist within your body as part of the system. >

  (Hong Min) replied with a mocking smile: "Perhaps seeing me is a side effect of the Soul Echo ability. I am your personal ghost, my dear."

  I replied out loud: "Then... where is Dio?"

  (Hong Min) looked puzzled and said: "Aren’t you Dio?"

  What?

  I looked at (404); he was trying to say something, but I couldn’t understand, as if it were encrypted or something I didn’t want to hear. Then I looked at my stone hand. That’s right... I am Dio. What’s wrong with me? Why was I calling myself as if I weren’t the same person?

  I looked at (Clara). She had said nothing even though I was talking to myself out loud. She was looking at me with a disturbing calmness, her hand near her waist (where she usually hides her dagger).

  I said to her: "Don’t think I’ve gone mad because I’m talking to myself. I’m just talking to the entity inside my body."

  She said in her quiet voice: "Will we wait here until your wound heals?"

  I replied: "Yes."

  I felt she was angry, or tense. Why? I don’t understand. Doesn’t she like this place? Wait... wait... wait... I’m an idiot.

  "Clara... are you hungry?"

  In that moment, her face turned red, and she said quickly: "Not at all... I’m not hungry."

  I looked at her and said with a loving, mocking smile: "Really? Don’t you want meat cooked by my hand? Or forest fruit? Those fruits that look fresh, delicious, and dripping with juice?"

  My own mouth was watering as I described them.

  She said with genuine (or feigned?) embarrassment: "Yes... I am hungry. I don’t understand how you aren’t hungry; we were in the middle of a storm for two days."

  I smiled and said: "You should have said so from the start. But as much as I want to feed my wife the most delicious food, I can’t let you go searching for food alone. Logic wins over my feelings this time."

  She said: "I know." She smiled, came to sit in my lap, and said with sarcasm and fatigue: "I am sick... so you must take care of me..."

  For the first time, I felt Clara smile a real smile—for some reason, a small, shy smile in the middle of this hell.

  After I healed, we moved immediately and with extreme caution. We took strange-looking fruits from a tree; (Clara) ate them happily, and drank some water from a small oasis we found. Afterward, I moved while reading the wind direction to find what I felt was an exit from the forest.

  On our way, the ground shook. I heard a terrifying sound... a grinding sound. As if rocks were crushing bones. It emerged from between the trees. The Yajuro.

  A giant creature, almost bodiless. It was a massive, deformed head resting on a single thick, strong leg growing from its neck, hopping and causing an earthquake with every landing. From the sides of the head, four long muscular arms hung like tree trunks, their claws digging into the earth. Its eyes were completely white, and its mouth, full of fangs, dripped acidic saliva that burned the grass beneath it.

  < Analysis: Power level: Dangerous. Type: Yokai (deformed demon). It is currently stronger than me. >

  In that moment, I didn’t think. I ran while holding (Clara), who was screaming like a madwoman: "What in the name of the gods is that thing?!"

  And I was simultaneously thinking: What in the name of the gods? Curse it! Run and run! Where did you send me, Ling Gu?! The mice here are stronger than me!!

  After running for a long time—and it seems I’ve become an expert at fleeing given how much I’ve done it in my life—the Yajuro did not follow us. It was slow at turning, and that is what saved us.

  We emerged from the forest. We came out upon a breathtaking scene. Beautiful golden wheat fields shimmered under the sun, and there was a clear river in front of a small, peaceful village. Its houses were made of wood and paper, looking like part of nature itself.

  As I walked toward the village side-by-side with (Clara)... I saw (Kairo) beside me saying: "The place is so beautiful, what a place to retire."

  (Isabella) was there and said coldly: "You’re right, it’s the most beautiful thing my eyes have seen."

  And (Alessandro) said, wiping his eyes: "I think my eyes have become cleaner."

  (Eva) and (Leonardo) were next to each other, and (Eva) said excitedly: "Dio! You must build a house here!"

  I smiled, looked at (Clara), and said: "What do you think of Eva’s suggestion, Clara?"

  (Clara) looked at me, then smiled a strange smile I didn’t understand, and said: "I think it’s wonderful."

  We finally reached the village. I approached the river to wash the filth from my face. In that moment, I saw my reflection in the water: My stone face, my long black hair, and my gray eyes. Beside my reflection, I saw the reflection of the beautiful (Clara). We looked like Beauty... and the Beast.

  But when we entered the village, what I didn’t expect happened. The villagers froze. Baskets fell from their hands. Mothers quickly pulled their children inside. Then they began to scream in terror, closing their doors and windows.

  From what I understood of their language, they were shouting one word: Oni! Oni!

  Why are they calling me Oni? What does this word mean?

  Then, some Samurai who were guarding the village saw us. They froze for a moment, then drew their swords, which gleamed with blue light. They began to scream: "Oni!" and attacked us with their shining blades.

  Curse these Samurai! Even they were stronger than me! They were at the "Mastery Realm" level, and there were two of them! Their movements were fast as lightning, and their swords cut the air with terrifying sharpness.

  As usual, I carried (Clara) and began to flee. Running and running back toward the forest I had barely escaped. I remembered how I used to flee from (Jack) in Loticia because of my weakness. It seems I’m back at square one. I am a coward who flees... and a weak husband who cannot protect his wife.