"C-Contract?"
Wait. Why does the strongest person in this Endless Dream want to sign a contract with me?!
Contracts. In this Endless Dream, the higher beings can sign a contract with the lower beings—i.e., the dreamers. There are four types of contracts:
Divine Contract, Demonic Contract, Dreamer's Contract, and lastly, Void's Contract.
Divine Contract is the most common, signed between the Seven Deadly Sins and a dreamer.
Demonic Contract is signed between a Demon King and a dreamer.
Dreamer's Contract is signed between dreamers.
And lastly, the Void's Contract—as the name suggests—is signed between the Void and any being: god, Demon Kings, Sins, or dreamers. Literally anyone.
Void's Contract is the most difficult to get your hands on.
"You mean Void's Contract?"
[ Yes ]
In the original Endless Dream, there were only two beings who were able to get the Void's Contract:
God and the Main Protagonist.
[ You seem to know a lot. You already know about Void's Contract, which means you probably know about the other three too ]
"Yes, that's right."
[ See? That's what made me interested in you. ]
"What do you mean?"
[ You're just a beginner in this dream, yet you know a lot. It makes me question you... Just what in the world are you, Kang Hong? ]
I took a deep breath.
"A dreamer who's trying to survive."
[ Is that all? ]
"Yes."
What are his real motives?
"I really can't understand why you're interested in me. I only read a novel regarding an Endless Dream with the same concept and characters... In simple words, I read a book which has the whole fate of this dream written."
The Void didn't seem surprised by my words. Well, it made sense—he never trusted anyone's words. He has a lot of trust issues because of the betrayals he experienced in the past.
[ And can you prove that book is real and not your imagination? ]
Here we go. Maybe I'll have to say something about him.
"Yeah, I can prove that."
[ Prove it. ]
"The Void... how does it feel to be betrayed by your most trusted com—"
"Guhk—!"
There was nothing between me and the Void, yet I was lifted into the air by an invisible force that seemed to have grabbed my throat.
The Void hadn't lifted a finger or his hand. He didn't do anything to activate any skill, yet I was lifted.
The system didn't even warn me about any skill activating.
"Hrk!"
He was looking at me... with sharp eyes, full of killing intent.
[ Know your place. You're just a lower being. I didn't give you any permission to talk about my past. ]
The force lifting me up vanished and I fell onto my seat.
"Ngh!.. Khh...khhak...!"
I felt alive again.
I looked at the Void again. He was looking at me like he was disappointed in me.
Why did he even ask me to prove the book if he was going to get angry?
"Haaah... so do you believe me now?"
[ You're... a prophet..? ]
"Kind of."
[ What type of answer is that? ]
"I don't know. Stop asking me these things and just tell me... do you believe the book now?"
[ How'd you get the book? ]
He's totally ignoring my question!
"It's a book available for everyone. You can find it in marketplaces or on the internet."
[ Can I access it? ]
"...Probably not."
The Void and other beings are just a part of the novel, so maybe they can't access the story. As for other dreamers—maybe they also can't, because now they are a part of the story. Well, it's not even the same world anymore. It's the world written in my novel, which means everyone, including me, is now a part of it.
My fate might also be written in the novel. I killed Han Seeyoung, which gave me a good part of the story. All I need to do now is meet the Main Protagonist and join her team. After that, I'll be recognized as a side character.
A message popped up on my screen.
[ STATUS - NPC ]
[ IN ORDER TO GET A HIGHER ROLE YOU NEED TO DO YOUR ACTIONS PROPERLY ]
Woah. It has unlocked?...Wait, does that mean...
Day 4 has already started?!
I quickly stood up.
[ What happened? I'm not done yet ]
"How much time has it been since I'm here?!"
[ Huh... why are you as— ]
"Just shut your mouth and tell me..!"
The Void's expression didn't change.
[ It has only been 30 minutes. ]
"And how much time has passed on the planet I came from?!"
[ I don't know about your time system. I know one thing—that this is their final day before Dreamer's Delusion begins. ]
My blood froze. I stood still, my eyes widened completely in shock.
How could I forget that in this place... time works differently? How could I make such a simple mistake?
Time moves slowly in this place, which resulted in me skipping both days. Now it was Day 4—the last day. I was absent for the quests too...!
Will I even be allowed to participate in Dreamer's Delusion?
I looked down and put my left hand on my face.
Shit! Everything is ruined... What about Chaeyoung and Seonyeon?! I completely left them...!
...I need to go back. I need to do it fast.
I looked at the Void.
",Sorry for that."
[ I don't mind. Sit and answer my questions now. ]
I sat back.
I can still go back there at the beginning of Dreamer's Delusion. I need to do it fast—I don't know when this day will pass too.
[ Why can't I access the book? ]
"Let's assume that you're a character in a book. Then tell me—how can you get to know about the whole future of the world?"
[ I don't know, is it even possible? ]
"It is, but you need a cheat."
[ What do you mean? ]
"Let's say that the book is being sold in the real world and a person picks it up and reads it. Multiple people read it. Some drop the story, and some continue. And then, what if the real world gets transported into that book's world?"
[ Those who read the book would know the future ]
"Exactly. Now the readers of that book will tell the characters about the knowledge they have. With that knowledge, they'll try to survive the book."
The Void's expression changed.
[ Wait... is it the same case here? ]
"Yeah."
[ So... are you the reader or the writer? ]
I took a moment to answer.
"I'm a reader."
〆 I called myself a reader… but the truth is, even I don't know if I'm reading the story or rewriting it.
— Kang Hong