"Arin, thank you for helping me on the subway. But I don't want to be a burden.
I don't know how you had prepared eggs in advance or how you knew how to trigger that sub-scenario, but I won't question you.
I hope you'll tell me when the time is right. For now… please tell me if I can be of any help."
Shia's voice was shaky, but honest. For a moment, I didn't know what to say. I wasn't comfortable sharing the truth with her.
The knowledge I had was my only advantage in this world.
So I simply nodded. I didn't trust her enough to share it.
Then a thought crossed my mind.
"Shia, did you get any sponsor?"
"Ah… no. I wasn't offered by any constellation."
There was a hint of sadness in her voice. For a moment, I thought about saying something to comfort her, but I held back.
Giving someone false hope in this ruined world was no different from handing them a sword and sending them to their death.
Her kindness was her biggest weakness. If she stayed like this, she wouldn't last long.
"Give me a minute."
I shifted my attention away from her and tried to call up my status window. Normally, it was supposed to appear the moment I willed it. But this time, nothing happened.
[You can't see your personal window.]
I stared at it for a second, thinking I had done something wrong. I tried again.
[You can't see your personal window.]
The answer didn't change. The same message appeared.
So I couldn't access my own stats. That didn't make any sense. Hello? This was my basic human rights.
Almost as if something reacted to that thought, one of my skills activated on its own.
[Dream Boundary is resisting interference.]
[Partial status window can be viewed.]
A faint ripple passed through my vision before a translucent screen forced itself into existence, like something pushing past a barrier that wasn't meant to be crossed.
Name: Arin Aisling
Age: ???
Constellation Sponsor: ???
Private Attribute: ???
Exclusive Skills: Dream Boundary, Dreamer's POV, Character List
Stigma: None
Overall Stats: Physique Lv. 5, Strength Lv. 1, Agility Lv. 1, Magic Power Lv. 1
Overall Evaluation: ???
I read through it slowly.
Most of the important parts were hidden. My age, my attributes, even my evaluation… all of it was blocked.
Not exactly comforting. Still, there was no point staring at it. This was what I had.
So I worked with it.
My eyes moved to the exclusive skills. These were abilities that developed from the individual, unlike stigma, which came from constellations. Since I had no sponsor, having no stigma was expected.
I decided to check out my exclusive skills.
Dream Boundary… I had already experienced it once. It seemed to act as a mental defence, something that interfered when my mind was under pressure.
But Dreamer's POV and Character List…
Those were unfamiliar. So I decided to test them. I focused on Shia first and activated Dreamer's POV.
[This target was not part of your dream.]
The skill didn't activate, and I frowned slightly.
Not part of my dream? The wording felt… off. But I didn't have time to dwell on it.
I shifted my gaze to Charles and tried again.
[Dreamer's POV is activated.]
[The target is recognized as a character.]
[Understanding is sufficient.]
[First stage has been activated.]
[You can hear the target's thoughts.]
「 Hehe… the second scenario will start soon. I can kill more people. Their coins will be mine. I can finally become rich. 」
The voice didn't come from outside. It echoed directly inside my head.
I instinctively looked at him. He looked calm and composed from the outside and was even helping the old grandpa. But his thoughts were something else.
「 This damn world called me useless. Every single one of them… actors, directors, coworkers, even those bastards who used to borrow money from me and never return it. They all looked down on me. 」
「 But look at it now… look at them. The ones who had everything died first. Crying, begging, running like idiots. And me… I survived. 」
「 This world finally makes sense. Strength decides everything. Not money and status. Just pure strength. 」
So that was how he saw this world. This wasn't madness, not entirely.
It was justification.
「 If I kill them, I get coins. If I get coins, I get stronger. It's simple. This is how the world works now. I'm just… adapting faster than the rest. 」
He didn't think he was wrong.
That was the problem. He believed he was right.
That everything he was doing… was just survival.
「 I won't be looked down on anymore. I won't be the poor guy everyone ignores. I'll be the one on top this time. 」
I pushed deeper, trying to see how far this went, what he was planning next.
[Your mind is under excessive strain.]
[Dreamer's POV has been deactivated.]
A sharp pain tore through my head as the thoughts stopped.
It felt like something slammed against my skull from the inside. My vision shook, and for a moment, everything blurred.
Then—
[Dream Boundary has been activated.]
[Mental strain has been alleviated.]
The pain faded almost instantly, like it had been forcefully suppressed.
I exhaled slowly, steadying myself.
…So that was the limit.
I glanced at Charles again. He was still acting compassionate and trying to help people.
The people also received his help with open arms. Little did they know what would happen once the second scenario started. I also decided to ignore them.
But these skills were… strange.
One allowed me to read people's thoughts. The other made sure no one could read mine. It was a useful combination.