The blank space where Uijae's role should have been filled him with an uneasy feeling.

*What’s the point of someone with no assigned role? Can I even stay here?* Uijae unconsciously tightened his grip on Sayoung's arm. Sayoung let out a small groan, and only then did Uijae snap back to reality, quickly releasing him. As if on cue, the electric sparks that had been flickering around Sayoung's body disappeared.

“Ah, sorry. Are you okay?”

Sayoung straightened up, brushing off his shoulders with a grimace. He grumbled, “Is this really a dream?”

“What do you mean?”

“The system enforces penalties, doesn’t it? Like just now—breaking the rules got me punished. It all feels too real.”

Now that he mentioned it, Uijae realized the same. Could a dream even be controlled by a system like this? Sure, Yun Gaeul had seen fragments of a ruined world in her dreams, but that was just passive observation. There was no system forcing physical consequences on her.