----------------------------------------
Jun-Hoo Character Design [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1002054148616900630/1191413662607487117/Untitled65.jpg?ex=65a55970&is=6592e470&hm=74d63707e81a30a3e5b6a1cd0303ac8c2e21659febe8fa38353aa98df76edd28&]The next day, Ryu woke up feeling refreshed. For the first time in his life, he had slept without a dream. It felt strange to him, so he tried to use the app to create a custom dream. But he got an error message saying that the surfer needed to cool down.
He wondered if it was a penalty for staying in the dream too long. He shrugged it off and decided to enjoy the day without any nightmares. He also noticed that the app had no name on it. It only had a logo of a coin with a white star in the middle.
A lot had happened to Ryu in one night. He was starting to question if the app was a blessing or a curse. But he didn't care much and said, "Well, as long as it's in the dream, I'll take on any challenge for the sake of a good night's sleep!" He was lost in his own thoughts when he remembered the woman he met in the dream. Her face flashed in his mind.
Ryu muttered, "She was nice to me, even though I was rude to her. She handled me well." He exclaimed, "Damn! How did she get all the good traits? That's not fair!" He acted like he was jealous, but he was actually a handsome man himself. He had black hair that covered most of his forehead and dazzling hazel eyes that stood out. Many women would have fallen for him if he wasn't so weird and socially awkward.
He was still recovering from his injuries, so he had to spend his day playing with his phone. Suddenly, he heard a loud cry of a child from the corridor. It was a cry that he recognized. It reminded him of his own childhood, when he used to cry in the middle of the night because of his nightmares. He used to have his mother to comfort him whenever he had a bad dream, but she disappeared when he was ten. He didn't understand what happened to her. He hoped that his father would at least console him, but his father left him too, leaving only huge amount of cash and a note that said, "I'm going to look for your mother. Take care of yourself. I love you."
He tried to contact his father many times, but he never got a reply. The only thing that connected him to his parents was the money that was sent to him every month.
He felt sorry for the child who was still crying, so he tried to get up and go to him. He noticed that his foot, which was in a cast, didn't hurt at all.
"Huh?" he said, looking at his foot with a puzzled expression. A nurse came into the room and was shocked to see Ryu trying to stand up. She rushed to him with a worried look.
"Sir! You shouldn't be moving right now! You're still recovering. Plus, you had that headache yesterday." She helped him sit back on the bed. Ryu didn't resist. He knew that he would only cause trouble for the nurse if he didn't listen.
While the nurse was checking his vitals, Ryu asked her about the child, "Miss, do you know anything about the child who was crying earlier?" The nurse replied, "That child? I think he had a nightmare. He said that he came back from another world and that he was eaten by a monster."
After the nurse left, Ryu fell into deep thoughts. He thought, "Maybe I could use the app and enter that child's dream." He quickly grabbed his phone and opened the app's link option. His face turned sad when he saw the list of dreams.
He realized that none of those dreams were his. They all belonged to other Lucid Surfers. They all had a label that showed who the creator of the dream was. He felt disappointed, but there was nothing he could do.
"Wow, there are so many people with the app?" he said, surprised that he hadn't heard of them before despite having this much people.
The time flew by and it was already 10pm. He's getting ready to sleep and rest for the day. Ryu mumbled a silent prayer for the well-being of the kid, even though he didn't bother to pray for himself. He closed his eyes and let the sleepiness wash over him.
He woke up in a pitch-black room, but he could still see his own body as if it was illuminated by an invisible light. He looked around, confused and disoriented. He wondered why he was here. "I'm supposed to be in a nightmare, aren't I? Darkness isn't even scaring me." he asked himself. A white door suddenly materialized in front of him, and soon after, more doors appeared in different places.
He just stood there, unsure of what he was supposed to do. "Well, there's a door. That means that I should enter it, right?" Ryu said, still having a puzzled look on his face. He opened the door nearest to him, his heart pounding like crazy, but his curiosity winning over him.
He stepped into a vast grassland, where the bright orange sun was sinking below the horizon. The strong wind brushed his hair and caressed his face. The sound of grass swaying and rustling was all he could hear. He was greeted by a breathtaking scenery, a stark contrast to the darkness he had left behind. He scanned the area, looking for a weapon, but he couldn't find one. It had become a habit for him to look for a weapon whenever he was dreaming, since he never knew what dangers he would face.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Ryu sighed and said, "This feels like a good dream rather than a nightmare, doesn't it? Did the app finally break my nightmare?" He walked for a while, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere, until he heard a child crying from a distance. He quickened his pace and approached the source of the sound. He asked, "Hey, are you okay?"
Ryu saw a boy curled up on the ground, clutching a teddy bear to his chest. The boy quickly stood up and ran towards Ryu. "Mister! Mister! You need to run now before the sun sets!" the boy said, sobbing and panting. The boy looked terrified, his eyes wide and his face pale. Ryu could feel the sincerity in the boy's voice. He knelt down and asked him what was wrong.
Ryu was surprised when he recognized the boy's face. Ryu thought to himself, "It was the kid I saved before!" He wanted to ask him how he got here, but he set that aside for now and asked the boy why he was scared.
"Why are you crying? What do you mean by run before the sun sets?" Ryu asked.
The boy replied, "M-monster! The monster will eat us! Let's run, Mister!"
Ryu put his hand on the boy's shoulder and said, 'Hey, it's okay. I'm here to help you. Breathe, okay? ". Ryu added, "Don't worry, I'm here. No one will be able to hurt you. Besides, this is just a dream."
"No! This is real! Yesterday the monster ate me! I have to get out of here!" the boy yelled and frantically looked around.
This is when Ryu realized that the nurse had told him the same thing. That a child in the next room had cried because he was eaten by a monster.
"Okay, relax. I have to confirm something from you. Are you in a hospital right now?" Ryu curiously asked.
"How did you know?" the boy answered, his tears still streaming down his cheeks.
"I don't know what's happening, I didn't even use the app. One thing for sure, I'll protect this kid no matter what!" he said to himself with confidence.
"Ahh!!!! We're late! The sun already set! We have to hide, mister!" the boy panicked and started to run away. Ryu chased after him and grabbed a rock from the ground, hoping it would serve as a weapon.
The ground suddenly started to shake lightly. "What? Is it an earthquake?" Ryu said and looked around. He saw a huge, ugly ogre holding a massive club running towards them. It looked so scary that it made Ryu run as fast as he could. He grabbed the child and carried him on his shoulder.
"Shit! It's my first time seeing a monster that big!" Ryu yelled. He had experienced countless nightmares, but it was the first time he felt fear. The fear of not being able to protect the kid.
RYUvsOGRE [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1002054148616900630/1191426400897474643/2522325a-9b11-441f-a6a2-d9828ad07c29.jpg?ex=65a5654d&is=6592f04d&hm=9eedc8bd155b0ef416994c2bcfe74aad9e0193ff4f04c2f0840c93a56b09ee32&]
The ogre sprinted like a bullet, despite its bulky frame. It caught up with the two quickly. Seeing that it was about to hit them, Ryu threw the boy to the nearest tree, hoping he would land safely. The club smashed into Ryu's side, sending him flying into the air. He tumbled on the hard ground, feeling every bruise and cut. He clutched his stomach, feeling a sharp stab of pain that made him gasp. He had to take on this monster himself if he wanted to make the boy safe. He clenched his teeth and mustered his courage, then yelled at the hideous ogre, "Come and get me, you ugly brute!"
He ran away as fast as he could, while enduring the pain that the ogre dealt to him. He ducked under the Ogre's club, then sprinted to the side. The ogre was fast, but it swung slowly, giving Ryu a chance to dodge its attacks. Ryu looked for an opening, a weak spot, anything that could help him defeat the beast.
Ryu had always been a lone fighter, relying only on himself. But this time, he felt something different. He felt a surge of protectiveness for the child who was with him. He knew that if he failed to kill the Ogre, the child would suffer the same fate as he did. He remembered the agonizing pain of dying in a dream, and how it lingered even after waking up. He wondered if that was why the child had been crying non-stop at the hospital.
He gritted his teeth and shouted, "You're not getting past me!" His voice was full of rage and determination. He tightened his fist and charged at the Ogre, aiming for its torso. He hoped to knock it down or at least make it flinch. But his attack was futile. The Ogre barely felt his punch and laughed mockingly.
"Damn it! That didn't work!" Ryu cursed under his breath. "I have to find a way to beat this thing fast! I don't think i would be able to last for long! ". He ran and picked up a stone from the ground, dodging the Ogre's swings. He waited for an opening, a chance to strike a vital spot.
The Ogre stumbled on a patch of mud, losing its balance for a moment. It quickly regained its footing, but it was too late. Ryu saw his opportunity and seized it. He used the Ogre's belly as a springboard and leaped towards its face. He stabbed the stone into the Ogre's eye with all his strength.
The Ogre roared in pain. It swung its club at Ryu, hitting him in the chest. Ryu felt a sharp pain and a cracking sound. He gasped for air and clutched his chest. He could tell that some of his ribs were broken. He lost his focus and didn't notice the Ogre coming at him again. The Ogre held its injured eye with one hand and raised the other to strike Ryu. Ryu was too stunned to move.
He was about to be crushed when the boy pushed him out of the way. The boy took the hit instead, and was sent flying across the field. He landed with a thud and lay still. Ryu saw something fall out of the boy's pocket. It was a Dream Coin. Ryu wondered how the boy had one. He realized then that he was in Dreamer's Paradise, a place where dreams could be bought and sold.
He ran towards the Dream Coin and grabbed it, while still avoiding the Ogre's attacks. He was badly injured and bleeding. He was amazed that he could still stand after taking two hits from the Ogre. He searched for his phone in his pocket, hoping to use it to escape the dream. But he remembered that he had left it on his bedside table.
He had no choice but to use the Dream Coin as a weapon. He remembered how he had used a rock earlier to blind it. He prayed that it would work again. He rushed toward the monster's leg and smash it.
Ryu felt his body weakening from the exhaustion. He knew that he could only last for another minute. The kid was still unconscious. He couldn't risk going near him and look for his phone, knowing that the beast would follow him.
He yelled at the top of his lungs, "Fuck you, you ugly bastard! If I can't kill you, I'll at least make you blind!" He ran towards the Ogre as fast as he could. He lured the monster into attacking him first, then counterattacked. He dodged the Ogre's club and jumped over it, aiming for the Ogre's face. He plunged the Dream Coin into the Ogre's other eye with all his force.
"Die, you motherfucking son of a bitch!" Ryu screamed at the monster. Suddenly, the Dream Coin glowed brightly, just like the first time he saw it. The Ogre began to deform. Its skin bubbled and its body swelled. The huge Ogre exploded in front of him, its guts and flesh flying all over the field. The blast knocked Ryu to the ground.
The grassfield has filled with silence. Finally, he had done it. He had killed the Ogre. He felt a wave of relief wash over him. Atleast for now, he could finally rest.