User Manual for a Dream Demon (1)

In the stark white space, in a world where nothing existed, we quietly faced each other.

The beautiful woman with blonde hair and golden eyes might have looked like a woman in her twenties, but the feeling she gave off was much closer to that of a girl.

‘I just can’t believe she’s supposedly over seventy.’

That was probably because Grancesia, despite her age, gave a direct and innocent impression.

“So how did you end up here, anyway?”

Grancesia plopped down onto the white floor and asked.

“I don’t know either? Didn’t you bring me here?”

“What? Why would I?”

The conversation felt like it kept going in circles.

I wondered if Grancesia had used the Eye of Shimosha to summon me.

But it seemed Grancesia thought I had come to find her.

An awkward silence grew between us as we quietly sat facing each other, unable to say anything else.

“… Don’t tell me I’m trapped here too?”

“I don’t know.”

Grancesia’s curt reply made her seem more and more like a cat each time I looked at her.

Maybe it was the way her eyes slanted so coolly.

I hadn’t realized when I was lying in the coffin.

Perhaps noticing I was staring, Grancesia’s lips curved in annoyance.

“What, why are you looking at my face like that? Are you that stunned by my beauty in person?”

“Yes.”

“R-really? Hmm, hmm…”

When I replied simply, Grancesia blushed and let out a series of fake coughs, clearly embarrassed.

Then, perhaps irritated by my calm expression, she jabbed at me.

“Aren’t you embarrassed to say things like that so bluntly?”

“There’s nothing embarrassing about telling the truth, is there?”

“U-uhh…”

I didn’t feel like denying it or joking around for no reason.

Instead, Grancesia buried her face in her knees, avoiding my gaze completely. It seemed she was pretty weak to direct compliments.

“Well, can’t be helped.”

After trying various things from my seat and seeing no change, I slowly got up.

At this, Grancesia looked up at me curiously.

“What? Did you figure something out?”

“No. But since we met, can’t you properly teach me Heaven’s Holy Ultimate Art while we’re at it?”

“… Huh?”

I was still wearing the light pajamas I’d had on before bed, but it wasn’t a problem for training.

“We don’t know when or how we’ll get out. But it’d be a waste to just let time slip by, so I want to use this opportunity to really learn from you.”

“You’re really optimistic.”

“I just don’t want to waste time, that’s all.”

There didn’t seem to be a way out by myself anyway, so there wasn’t any need to waste time aimlessly.

I could worry if this situation dragged on for too long.

‘Who knows when I’ll get to learn directly from Grancesia again.’

As I took my stance, Grancesia, who had been staring at me incredulously, sighed and stood up.

“Well, fine. I’m sick of just spacing out here too.”

Standing opposite me, Grancesia straightened her stance and raised both hands overhead.

“Heaven’s Holy Ultimate Art is a form I perfected after throwing countless punches—hundreds of millions. The important thing isn’t what the result is, but how that result is brought about.”

Grancesia relied solely on her own physical body as a weapon.

But that was simply because it was sufficient—not because she couldn’t use other weapons.

Heaven’s Holy Ultimate Art wasn’t limited to martial arts using just fists.

It could be applied to any kind of martial art to draw out the optimal movements.

In other words, the essence of Heaven’s Holy Ultimate Art was to ‘complete’ a martial art.

“First… yeah, it’s best to experience it for yourself with your body.”

Grancesia slowly raised her hand to show me the back of it, then beckoned lightly.

“Come on.”

Heaven’s Holy Ultimate Art.

So far, I’d only barely glimpsed a fragment of it along with some magical power control, but I could at least feel how astonishing a technique it was.

I only had a vague sense of its greatness; my level just wasn’t high enough to truly grasp it.

‘… I still have a long way to go.’

And today—

The first time I faced the ‘real’ Heaven’s Holy Ultimate Art, I realized it was completely on another level compared to what I’d been using.

Grancesia, without moving a single step from her spot, parried every one of my attacks with just one hand.

“There—try moving your hips a beat faster than that. Yes, just like that.”

“As I told you before, when you use Heavenly Lord, your center of gravity shifts too quickly. You need to slow it down a bit if you want its power to be real.”

What’s more, Grancesia’s instruction was precise.

Whenever I used a technique, she instantly figured out what was lacking and thoroughly explained how to improve it.

‘I suddenly understand what Damian was talking about.’

Damian had said he wanted nothing more than to catch even Grancesia’s shadow.

At first, I’d thought Damian was deifying Grancesia a bit too much, but after experiencing her firsthand, I understood why he’d say that.

‘But—’

It didn’t seem impossible.

Maybe it was laughable, but I, too, wanted to reach that height.

“Good, not bad at all.”

With a bright, white smile, Grancesia beamed at me.

“… You call this ‘not bad’?”

“Yup.”

I couldn’t smile back at Grancesia’s words.

My whole body was a battered mess—I was covered in bruises and my lips were swollen and cracked.

At first, Grancesia had only taken my attacks, but soon she launched savage counterattacks herself.

She claimed it was because your skills improve faster when your life is on the line.

As I rubbed my aching body with my palm, I muttered to myself.

“So… this probably isn’t a dream. It hurts way too much.”

“I was going easy on you.”

“If you go easy on me twice, I’ll die.”

It wasn’t a joke; I really thought I might die at this rate.

‘Still, it definitely helped.’

I replayed my sparring with Grancesia in my mind, deep in thought.

I was lacking in many ways, but there were several things I felt I could fix right away.

‘I guess my level needs to rise some more…’

For example: No-Self, Five Aggregates, and Only Mind.

Of these three things necessary for fulfilling the plausibility of Heaven’s Holy Ultimate Art, just obtaining one might immensely widen its potential.

“Interesting.”

As I was deliberating, Grancesia cocked her head in curiosity.

“What is?”

“You really don’t look at anything but your objective, do you?”

“What else would I think about?”

I knew I was lacking in talent.

So I had no mental room for idle thoughts.

If I wanted to create even the barest possibility, I could only focus on my goal and move forward.

“… Yes, you’re right. That’s true.”

She said that with a rather bitter smile.

I couldn’t guess why she reacted that way or said those words.

“Well then. After a short break, I’d like to show you something else.”

After a brief silence, Grancesia spoke again.

“Something else?”

“Yes. For example, applying Heaven’s Holy Ultimate Art to the Moon Severing Divine Sword like Damian mentioned. I think I could explain it in simpler terms.”

Wait—she’d already thought that far ahead?

Just as I was about to ask with growing excitement, Grancesia’s eyes widened in surprise.

What was going on?

“Y-your body is turning transparent!”

“What?”

Startled, I looked down—and sure enough, my body was slowly becoming transparent, just as Grancesia had said.

Even I couldn’t remain calm in a situation like this.

“Hey, hey! I-is this all right…?”

In my panic, just as I tried to speak to Grancesia, my vision was suddenly engulfed in white.

* * *

“…”

When I opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar inn ceiling.

As I blinked in a daze, I hurriedly sat up.

“What happened?”

My head still felt foggy.

Just then, memories of talking with Grancesia surfaced.

“Was it all a dream…?”

I raised my right hand with the Eye of Shimosha embedded in it, intending to speak to Grancesia, but strangely, my hand felt heavy.

Slowly turning my gaze, I saw a girl half-reclined on my bed.

“… Maria?”

For some reason Maria had come into my room and was dozing, leaning half her body on my bed.

Only then did I realize why my right hand was heavy. It was because Maria’s head was lying on top of it.

Startled, I quickly pulled my hand away.

“Maria!”

“Ah… Hello.”

Maria, just awakened, blinked sleepily at me and replied.

First, I checked Maria’s face.

She’d had her cheek pressed to my hand as she slept, so the soft skin of her face bore a red imprint from my ring.

‘… Is she all right?’

The reason I’d been so startled was because Maria is a half-demonkin.

Given that other demonkin’s skin melted in agony just from contact with the Eye of Shimosha, there was a real possibility Maria, being half-demonkin, could be seriously harmed as well.

[Why is she in your room?]

As I slowly examined the yawning Maria, I suddenly heard Grancesia’s voice, strangely sharp.

‘How should I know? When I woke up, she was right next to me.’

[You didn’t know that?]

‘Then why didn’t you know? I mean, I was asleep, but weren’t you awake?’

[Even when I’m inside the ring, unless I use the Eye of Insight, I can’t see what’s happening outside.]

Come to think of it, the inside of the ring was an endless white world, but it wasn’t connected to the outside visually.

In summary, Grancesia would only see outside when she was using the Eye of Insight.

‘Wow. You use that all day?’

I felt like I’d die if I used it for just thirty minutes.

[Besides, I was sleeping too.]

‘You were asleep?’

[Yeah. I just opened my eyes and there you were.]

That struck a chord with me.

It was almost as though—

‘Wait a second.’

I quickly turned to Maria.

Now fully awake, Maria’s face looked quite flustered.

“Maria.”

“Ah, yes… I-I was going to leave early in the morning… I think I overslept a little…”

Now that she was up, Maria broke her habitual expressionlessness and began making excuses.

“There were men lurking around my room or knocking on the door, so I felt a little threatened. That’s why…”

“It’s fine, I’m not upset.”

It seemed there must have been some reason Maria had come to my room at dawn.

Besides, there had definitely been men eyeing Maria weirdly ever since we arrived at the inn, so this reaction made sense.

‘Well, whatever. That’s not a big deal.’

[Wow. I can’t believe you think that’s ‘not a big deal.’ You’re something else.]

‘… What do you mean?’

[You’re amazing, you know that? A girl wakes up next to you and you’re completely unruffled.]

‘You’re more than fine talking about it, though.’

Anyway, even if I ignored Grancesia, I couldn’t ignore the matter with Maria.

“Maria, did you do anything in your sleep?”

“Wh-what?! Absolutely not! I just fell asleep leaning on the bed, that’s all!”

“I see…”

When I went silent, deep in thought, Maria looked at me anxiously.

“Did you… want me to do something?”

“Hm? Oh, no. I was just going over a few possibilities.”

“P-possibilities?”

“Yeah. Your ability might actually be the key, if I’m right.”

“My…?”

Maria tilted her head, clearly confused.

[What do you mean, ‘the key’?]

‘Do you remember who our enemies will be this time?’

[The calamity of dreams and… demonkin.]

‘Correct. And so far, we haven’t found a way to defeat those demonkin.’

[Right.]

Given the situation I’d just experienced, there was a good chance that meeting Grancesia in the dream was somehow linked to Maria.

Otherwise, I had no explanation except for the power of the ‘dream demon’ said to be dormant in Maria’s blood.

‘I’ll need to check some things to be sure…’

But if I was right, we might finally have a way to handle the demonkin.

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