Chapter 78: ....Sugarbaby
[Dream] shook her head, secretly promising to teach Night some proper manners and returned to her work...
Night asked, "What is [Dream] doing?"
"Umm... mm..." the girl mumbled, scratching her head. "I don’t know."
ヽ( ˘ω˘ )ﾉ ?
Night raised his eyebrows. "But you both are the same person."
Night:
( ಠ_ಠ )?
The girl replied, "We are the same person, but as I said, I am... I am..." She secretly peeked at [Dream], then covered her mouth and whispered in a barely audible voice, "New."
( *´艸｀) 🤫
He swore he saw [Dream]’s ear twitch...
This made him remember an old internet meme where a guy kept yelling ’Emotional Damage!’, making him chuckle to himself.
This time, [Dream] didn’t react, acting as if she had suddenly lost her ability to read his thoughts...
The girl explained, "I only manage the System. I don’t have memories of anything else."
Doesn’t this mean she is a version of [Dream] without all the memories that make her a Goddess? Night thought.
Or, more accurately, this girl only possessed a fragment of [Dream]’s Records, not the whole thing. It was similar to Sara’s Soul Projection, but lacking the original’s memories, making them look and act like different people.
Looking at the girl, Night realized that if [Dream] had ever fully exhausted herself and died, she might have actually been reborn as this completely different person...
Slowly, the crying girl stopped twisting her fingers and finally calmed down. As they stood together in his soul space watching [Dream] work, the girl looked like she had already gotten used to his presence.
The girl smiled slightly. "You can call me System. I am not always crying, you know."
( ๑´•ω•)
Night raised his eyebrows. Even she can read my thoughts?
The girl nodded shyly. "Yes."
Night frowned. "But aren’t you basically [Dream]?"
The Girl sighed. "Yes, but it’s better this way. We are stuck together for life and beyond, you know."
"Even if [Dream] ever manages to form a physical body and leaves, I will still be here with you."
Night looked at her in silence for a while, making her nervous because right now, she couldn’t sense any thoughts from him at all.
It wasn’t that Night was forcefully blocking her; rather, thanks to Levi Rose’s memories, he knew how to completely still his mind whenever he wanted.
Night spoke up, thinking of a proper name. "Then just calling you ’System’ will not be enough..."
The girl frantically waved her hands in a ’no-no’ gesture and protested, "I like the name System! System Girl is perfectly fine, too!"
( ｡>_<｡) ﾉ
Night shrugged with an amused look. "System Girl it is."
"We saw the dream," System Girl added softly, by ’we’, she clearly meant [Dream] and herself.
Night looked a little lost at that reminder.
It was still hard to accept that he was really just a 7-year-old experiment who was lucky enough to stumble upon an Enlightened being’s past memories.
In fact, it was difficult to accept that he was nothing more than a manufactured product. It was painfully obvious that he had not been born naturally; his previous [Homunculus] status was proof of that.
System Girl said gently, "We wanted to console you, but we saw Sara already doing it, so... I just watched, and [Dream] started doing whatever it is she is doing."
Just then, [Dream] appeared right in front of him, causing System Girl to nervously take two steps back.
[Dream] smiled, looking closely at Night. "Felt any changes?"
Night took a moment to check his body. He felt like he was more... complete?
[Dream]’s smile widened. "When you fused with the Dream System, there was a release of energy. I used it, along with a fraction of my own divine source, to finally make you into a complete human."
Night didn’t fully understand the vast implications of this, but he nodded slowly. He was still a little absent-minded from his existential crisis.
[Dream], not minding his lackluster response, asked, "Are you curious about the [Unique Being (Dormant)] status?"
Night looked up at her. "I don’t understand that either. Why is it there when the System clearly shows I am human?"
[Dream] leaned in and said dramatically, "Because your original body is a Nightmare World Seed..."
Night wrinkled his nose in thought. So, the seed I saw in Levi Rose’s memories...
[Dream] confirmed, "Yes. That is your current body."
Night realized he might finally understand the whole truth. He looked at her, patiently waiting for her to finish.
[Dream] explained, "Previously, it was just a Nightmare World Seed, which if carefully nurtured can be turned into a Divine World. Even I don’t know exactly why I know this, as I have never encountered or even read about one in the past."
Struggling slightly to piece the logic together, she continued.
"But from Levi Rose’s memories, together with a little prying into your destiny, I managed to understand."
"Somehow, a Nightmare World Seed mysteriously appeared on this planet."
"Later, it must have been discovered by those humans and brought to that facility."
"In the memories, it seemed a little different from what it is now. This Seed possessed some form of primal instinct, which made it actively seek out Levi Rose’s detached records. Somehow, later on, it must have used your newly formed body..."
"...to escape."
Night gasped. "It did all that with just pure instinct?"
[Dream] nodded wisely. "You should know exactly how instincts work. When everything is peaceful, it is as if they are not even there. But when there is mortal danger, they become as real as your own heartbeat."
Night nodded; he was intimately familiar with [Beast Instinct].
"The Seed must have felt an existential threat in that facility, hence it did all that. But something miraculous happened when it came into contact with this physical shell," [Dream] said.
She pointed at his avatar, referring to his physical body in the real world as if it were just a temporary shell.
"You were born."
Night’s eyes opened wide in stunning realization...
"You mean the Seed was the trigger for my birth as a Unique Being and the homunculus body, seed and memories were just the catalysts?!" Night exclaimed.
"Yes. See? You are smart when needed," [Dream] said, nodding approvingly. "It is also why the status says ’Dormant’. In fact, it isn’t even right to call it a Seed anymore. In a fundamental way... it is you."
"The Seed didn’t blossom into a Divine World; instead, it grew inward and became a Domain. This is the true origin of the [Nightmare Domain] skill you have. It’s not a System skill. It is you."
Night’s eyes brightened with awe. "So I am the Nightmare Domain?"
[Dream] nodded.
Night frowned in confusion. "Then what about the human part?"
Her purple eyes sparkled as she explained. "It is a vessel. It is currently severely limiting your true power, but it is also keeping you safe from running amok and mindlessly destroying everything around you."
Night felt a sudden spike of dread. "Like a... a Natural Calamity."
[Dream] smiled, the sparkle in her eyes intensifying. "You don’t realize how valuable this human body is for you at this stage. Unlike that girl Blade, who is a biological entity, you are the type of Unique Being that is less of a ’being’ and more of a natural force."
Night still didn’t entirely understand how a weak, fragile human body was useful.
She continued, "If you didn’t have this mortal anchor, you might have been able to evolve and grow stronger much faster. But usually, mindless, destructive entities are the first things to be mercilessly hunted and put down by the Gods, as they are an existential threat to everyone."
Night finally realized. "So this body acts as a form of protection, and it also allows me to consciously choose exactly how I want to grow."
"Yes," [Dream] affirmed. "Without it, you never would have been able to walk the path of a Summoner. And you certainly wouldn’t have been able to do what I want you to do next."
Throughout this heavy conversation, System Girl listened silently, not daring to disturb them. She was genuinely surprised by how effectively [Dream], the older model, had managed to talk him right out of his depression.
Night titled his head. "What do you want me to do next?"
....
Back in the Real World
Blade gathered everyone stealthily and safely teleported them to the coordinates Sara had shared.
The small room suddenly felt crowded. Eve, Lilith, Sage, Death and Lucy all gathered anxiously around the bed and waited for Night to finally open his eyes.
Sara looked up from her interface and announced, "I just picked a house. It’s located right near the Human Vanguard Academy branch here in the Dream City."
Lucy looked over at her and immediately asked, "What’s the price?"
Sara chuckled nervously, trying to soften the blow. "It’s a newly built, very big house. It has a beautiful garden and a top-tier magical defense array as well."
Lucy narrowed her eyes. "It must be costly, then. the price?"
Sara nodded heavily. "Yes, its cost is absurd. I don’t know who robs people like that in this real estate market. But the good thing is we will legally own it the very moment we make the purchase in the System Shop."
Lucy looked back at the sleeping Night, unsure if the amount of money he had transferred to her account would actually be enough. Seeing him completely unresponsive in deep meditation, she turned back to Sara and asked for the third time, "How much is it?"
Sara took a deep breath. "100 Million SC."
Blade looked shocked hearing the astronomical price, but Lucy’s nervous expression instantly morphed into one of disdain.
She immediately demanded Sara share the listing details and then purchased the estate full without a second of hesitation.
Sara and Blade stared at Lucy in shock at her casual display of immense wealth.
Sara then looked back down at the sleeping Night and smiled coyly. "I see... It seems destiny has finally decided to smile upon poor little me."
She stood up and hugged herself gleefully. "After taking care of brats and babies for so long, I finally have my very own personal...
....sugarbaby."
( ˘▽˘ )♡