Chương 53: 52. Dream Clash

"Another." I tossed a coin to the merchant.

"The good stuff." It had been months since one of those had come to the preparation hall. Last time one had, everyone had spent their coins on booster spheres. This time, weapons were the theme of the day. Several of the pact holders had spread rumors that the trials would be combat-intensive, so everyone desperately wanted to gear up. Not me, though. I knew exactly what to expect. The only thing I wanted was to celebrate.

"Greg." Sparta grabbed me by the hand holding the flask.

"Hey," I found myself being dragged away. For some reason everything around seemed slightly shaky. Pan had warned me that there might be similar effects, but there wasn't anything to worry about. As a minor deity, he knew about these things, and he definitely knew about alcohol. It was so much better than the crap I had gotten used to. The price was a bit high, but it did more than dull the pain. According to what he had said, I could actually get drunk on the stuff.

"What's wrong with you?" Sparta pulled me to the sleeping hall.

"Give me that!" she snatched the flask.

"Sure, you can have some." The room was wobblier than usual.

"I'll just sit down for a bit."

"What's gotten into you? The next trial—""I know, I know." I laughed.

"Next trial is all but last."

"What are you talking about?"

"Two more trials and it's all over." I raised my hand even though it was rather heavy.

"I'm getting out."

"Out of your mind," Sparta grumbled. It was funny.

"Hold on, I'll fix this."

"The first to the black minotaur won't be attacked." I looked at my fingers. I was supposed to raise two of them… or was it three?

"Yes, yes." Sparta pushed me onto the bed. The room looked different. The ceiling was in front of me.

"Lots of minotaurs. Just rest a bit."

"I don't want to rest!" I tried to get up, but the bed pulled me down. It was even more wobbly than the room "I need to be the first to leave. I need—" I opened my eyes. I was in the sleeping hall. Everything was still, though I had a massive headache. Two of Chalice! I triggered the card. The pain decreased, letting me see better. Slowly, I sat up. The room was completely empty, without a trace of ever having been occupied. Sparta? I thought. Did she do this?

Mercury had granted her a lot of powers I didn't know about. Still, it didn't feel like her style. Like her patron deity, she was always direct. I checked my cards. All of them seemed to be there. One thing seemed strange. I was supposed to have a lot more Major and Grand Arcana cards in my hand. A loud bark grabbed my attention. Turning to the side, I saw a large Dalmatian a few steps away, wagging its tail.

"Pup?" I wondered.

"What are you doing here?" The dog rushed up to me, expecting to be petted. There was no way he could be in the preparation hall. The only way for this to happen was…

"This is a dream," I said. The moment I did, the beds vanished, transforming into the familiar grey fog.

"Nice to see you haven't lost your touch," a black silhouette appeared a few steps away. Seeing it, the Dalmatian whimpered and quickly hid behind me.

"Congratulations on completing the trial," the silhouette said.

"You definitely didn't disappoint."

"Thank you." Events remained blurry. The last thing I remembered, other than the last night of my previous run, was gouging out the eye of the jungle centipede.

"I take it this is my reward?"

"No, you failed the request. I just took the opportunity to chat a bit before you wake up." That was a pity. It would have been nice to have the eye. Hopefully, I would have other chances. At the same time, I was concerned that the deity had entered my dreams just like that. Normally, a pact was required. Either that or permission from the rule-masters. Given that Harlequin wasn't present, that posed a rather interesting question.

"I thought you couldn't enter participants' dreams," I said.

"The rules forbid me from entering your dreams during a trial," the silhouette began.

"Or when you're in the preparation hall. Yet the instant you move between the two remains a gray area. It's still risky and doesn't last long, so generally we avoid it. But you are worth the risk." The words made my stomach churn. The few times I had dealt with major deities, I had been explicitly told that no participants were worth the trouble they caused. Why was this deity acting differently?

"Do we know each other?" I asked. The silhouette laughed, providing no clear answer.

"Your sword already claimed its reward." The silhouette came up to me.

"Yet, this is for you." A golden card appeared in its hand.

"Your Emperor card." The silhouette handed it.

"You killed the boss, but technically left it behind." I could see Harlequin using that interpretation of the rules. The rules stated that rewards couldn't be left behind. And still, it was up to the rule master to determine whether a reward was actually received. The standard was that anything a participant held had to be claimed. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

"Aren't you risking a lot by doing this?" I asked, taking hold of the card.

"As I said, you are worth it. Or, rather, you will be." There was another laugh.

"Can't you, at least—" I opened my eyes. I was in the main area of the preparation hall. The reward cards were visible on the wall.

"Good morning, Gregory." The white porcelain mask bent over me, hiding everything else from view.

"You've made it a habit of completing trials in an unorthodox fashion." There was a time when such a comment would have jolted me to my feet instantly, regardless of pain and exhaustion. Now, I kept lying on the floor, not saying a word. As long as I didn't argue or provoke him, the rule-master couldn't hurt me.

"You are the fifth to have completed the trial." The porcelain mask moved back, subtly inviting me to stand.

"Some might call that slipping." So, Marcus had beaten me after all? I complied. There were six cards remaining on the wall. As I looked, all of them turned around, revealing their nature. All, without exception, were Major Arcana cards, common at that. Five were Drummers, as one might expect. The sixth card sent a jolt of euphoria through my very soul. THE LISTENER (I, MAJOR, CHALICE) (Rarity – Common) SKILLS (1/2): 1 FAR HEARING: distinguish, identify, and make out sounds from a massive distance 2???

The card itself was pretty worthless. Even boosted, the skills didn't amount to much. However, I needed it for my Chalice set. The Listener, I thought. The cards turned around again, then one of them vanished. This was rather a nice bonus. If things continued along the path I remembered, there would be another chalice card at the end of the next trial. To get it, I had to end in the top two.

"What made you head for the temple?" Harlequin asked, his outfit releasing red and yellow vapors.

"It was a group decision," I said without hesitation. Seeing how none of the other participants were bothered, that was the safe bet.

"Maybe, but you're the one that entered it first."

"Just pure luck. I might just as well have died like Sebastian." The vapor turned into steam. Even his clothes themselves started bubbling.

"That was unfortunate," Harlequin said after a while.

"He was a pact holder. His sponsor deity was absolutely heartbroken at his demise and even blames you for it." The monster's large yellow finger pointed at my forehead, stopping short of coming into contact.

"I've been keeping my eye on you, Gregory. You have done a good job of providing some entertainment, but your shenanigans have come to an end. So, enjoy it while it lasts!" The boiling intensified, abruptly transforming Harlequin into a cloud of steam that seeped into the ceiling and quickly disappeared.

"What was that about?" Marcus asked.

"I have no idea." For once, that was the truth. I had never seen him react that way before. Sure, he had had his to-and-fros with some of the stronger participants, but they tended to vanish before things escalated. It was only after the fifth year that he had become sadistically nasty, removing the metaphorical mask of niceness he had been wearing until then. Still, he had never threatened; either he would punish someone or remain silent.

"You managed to get five hawks, I see." Surprisingly, he hadn't gotten any new card types, suggesting that one of the cards available must have been a repetition of something in the past. Knowing his nature, he had probably gone for the rarest of what was available.

"I'm surprised you didn't."

"You know me," I laughed.

"Always going for the wild stuff." Every muscle in my body was screaming in pain. Strictly speaking, Harlequin had kept his word and healed me, but he had also made sure to leave the pain. Other than his personal sadistic nature, I suspected his decision to be tactical. In my current state, it would be a lot more difficult to take advantage of the arena. Of course, jokes were on him. I didn't plan on using that until after the fifth trial. As time went on, the rest of the participants started coming back.

I could see the thrill in their eyes: relief that they had survived and joy that they got to claim a prize. In a few hours, after the adrenaline had worn off, they'd be hit by a crushing wave of depression. For whatever reason, Cathy had avoided me the entire time. The only time I got to exchange a few words with her, she brushed me away with the excuse that she was tired. That was concerning, although I didn't notice any new wounds on her, which was good but didn't explain her behavior.

Thanks to Harlequin's Sight, I was able to see that she had acquired a Footman card. It was of exceptional rarity, but not a bad card, considered. Eleonor had also vanished somewhere. At first, I thought that she was fighting at the arena, though that wasn't the case. Whatever secrets she had, she was keeping them to herself. As for Carl… I was the one actively avoiding him. A full day passed. Three more participants had returned, boosting the total to eleven.

This was the first time a person hadn't received a reward. At that point, the realization finally struck. Participants were starting to realize this wasn't a game they could escape from. After a few more trials, they'd understand it wasn't a game at all. When the twelfth participant arrived, all the walls suddenly turned red and yellow.

"Congratulations, participants," Harlequin appeared in the middle of the reward hall.

"If you are here, you have survived your fourth trial. Your performance was still beneath standard, but in their benevolence, the deities have decided to reward you, nonetheless." A reward? I wondered. That was a special touch of sadism—presenting curse cards as rewards.

"In order to boost your strength, an arena chamber will be added to the hall," the jester continued.

"There, and only there, you will be able to challenge each other to an actual fight." Once again reality splintered away from my memories. It was a lot later that Harlequin had announced the arena.

"Do not concern yourselves with wounds or death," he continued.

"All will be healed once you step out of the arena." Of course, there was no mention of the pain inflicted.

"Additionally, for a small price, you will be able to fight any monsters you have come across." Harlequin rubbed his hands in an unsuccessful attempt to mimic the behavior of a used-car salesman.

"Pay more and you will face waves of them. Each fight will grant you experience, develop your reflexes, and strengthen your muscles. Go through a hundred waves and you shall win a prize." I felt a dull pain in my stomach. Something was not right. This was far too much information. He wasn't just describing details that he didn't have to, but also mentioned secrets that had been kept hidden during my last run.

"I know, I know…" Harlequin twisted his body in melodramatic fashion.

"Many of you do not have any coins to use on this magnificent gift. Fortunately for you, the deities have also decreed that for just one day you will be able to use it without payment." He inflated like a balloon, doubling in size.

"Consider this! You pay nothing and get to keep any prize you win!" Now I knew something bad was about to happen. I looked around. Other than the wall colors, nothing seemed to have changed. That was also something that I didn't remember from my previous run. For the entirety of the ten years I had fought, they had remained the same sterile white.

"One last thing. Due to the poor performance of the other participants, it has become necessary to increase your numbers. Starting tomorrow, three more groups will be joining you through the arena." Everyone froze still. I didn't expect the change either. Additional rooms in the arena? Was that where the goth had been vanishing to? Nothing in the rules forbade it. The doorways might have been masked just like the entrance to the gym. Most concerning of all, it was never a good sign when more than two groups merged.