- (I Am the Pirate King): The root of all evil is Juddak!!
  - Woahhh!!
  - Right on!!
  - Yay!
  - Woohoo!
  - Hoee!
  - This one’s got the right ideas!
  - I like it! You’re now officially a newbie!

- (I Am the Pirate King): Let’s overthrow Juddak!!
  - Huh?
  - Umm...
  - Yay!
  - Overthrow! Overthrow!
  - Th-that’s a bit...
  - Hoee?!
  - Isn’t that going a bit far?

Some of them hesitated at the word "overthrow."

How could they be so timid! Sure, he had punished a few malicious users who ignored warnings and tampered with dimensional pathways, but...

Hmm. Maybe it’s karma?

At any rate, it seemed to have gone over well. The atmosphere, which had been heavily dampened by that jab from Lich King Raymond, had begun to revive.

Thinking back to that tense mood earlier made Kalstein break into a cold sweat.

- Well... he's not wrong.
- It’s kind of... embarrassing?
- I feel so down...
- Ugh!
- It’s sad!
- Sob sob.
- His words hit so hard, there’s no way to argue back...
- Hoee...
- Mmm...

The members of the secret association had been sunk by the harsh truth bombs from the Lich King.

Wait, why were they suddenly introspecting? No, don’t do that! Come on, guys! Why the reflective mood all of a sudden?

Please, rage more!

In the end, he had to shout louder about overthrowing Juddak and even throw 500P through the donation system, enough to order two chickens, to finally liven things up again.

“Whew.”

Anyway.

- (I Am the Pirate King): All right! Let’s get started.
  - Huh? But who are you?
  - How did you get in here?
  - Someone must have recommended him.
  - Could it be he just wandered in by accident?

Of course, there were those who raised logical questions. Each time, Kalstein would shout about overthrowing Juddak and make another donation as a diversion.

- (I Am the Pirate King): Does that even matter?! Everyone, shout!! Overthrow Juddak!! Long live chicken!
  - Uh, overthrow Juddak!
  - Overthrow!
  - Fight against the tyranny!
  - Long live chicken! Long live cola!
  - Woahhh!
  - Juddak, stop your oppression!

Maybe it was because they were all poor folks, but they collapsed under the chicken offensive.

- Ah...! This flavor!
- Sniff. This is the first time I've tasted something so good.
- I’ve been watching from the sidelines, sucking on my fingers...
- It’s bliss.
- Mmm! Training is important, but so is eating!
- Exactly! Eating is a form of training too!
- This black drink! How can it be so sweet and refreshing?!
- Mmm.

“What, not even 200P? Were they really that low on points?”

It wasn’t that expensive, was it?

He wondered but figured they must have their reasons.

- (I Am the Pirate King): Leader! I don’t know what’s going on, but let’s start already!
  - (Darkness of Darkness): Ahem. Well... I suppose your true identity will be revealed soon enough.
  - Nothing can escape the eyes of Darkness!
  - Now that I’ve had a taste of chicken, soon I’ll be able to eat ten chickens in that place too!
  - Are we finally starting?

Ohhh! Looks like there really is something going on here.

Watching the other users brighten up at Darkness’s words, Kalstein nodded.

- (Darkness of Darkness): We’ll now begin entering the "Dream World," which was previously halted due to Juddak’s tyranny.
  - Oh! Has the problem been resolved?
  - (Darkness of Darkness): Yes. To avoid Juddak’s watchful eye, I’ve enlisted some allies from another world.
  - Oh! As expected of Darkness!

Hmm? I hadn’t banned anything specific, though? Just punished a few malicious users who tampered with the community’s communication channels.

- I’ve been waiting!
  - I’m so excited!
  - Please start quickly. I want to meet her already.
  - I also... want to see my parents soon!

Well, since they’re starting, I’ll wait and see.

And so, the secret gathering began.

- (Darkness of Darkness): As we did before, please remove your mental barriers. You must not resist. To enter the "Dream World," I need your cooperation.
  - Yes! I’ve saved up my points diligently for this!
  - Right! I’ve refrained from spending on treats to save up!
  - So exciting.

“?”

Guys, what’s this? Tell me too! Don’t talk among yourselves!

- (Darkness of Darkness): Our new Pirate King, just follow what I say, and I’ll handle the rest.

O-okay?

- (Darkness of Darkness): I’ll send the invitations. Everyone, focus and keep a calm mind. I’ll lead you to the "Dream World," where you can achieve anything and reunite with those you’ve lost.

Whoa, whoa? This is getting serious.

- (Darkness of Darkness): Then, I’ll see you there, everyone.
  - Yes!
  - Hurry!
  - Let’s go!

- (Darkness of Darkness): Night has fallen.

Huh?

“...”

- (Darkness of Darkness): Close your eyes.

All right, let’s just do as he says.

Kalstein closed his eyes.

“...”

Following the instructions, he lowered his mental barriers.
An open mind, ready to accept anything.

“...”

Hmm. They’re not scamming us, are they?

Just as he started to think, "I’m not feeling anything," a faint sensation began to brush against his connection to the community network. Something was carefully approaching him.

It was skirting around the network, coming close but avoiding a direct approach.

Oh! I don’t know what it is, but come on over!

An invisible thread seemed to draw near, hesitating, then finally reaching him.

Is it finally starting?

---

**Meanwhile...**

The Dream Demon.

Or, as they’re sometimes called, the Dream Weaver race.

Generally known as Incubi for males and Succubi for females, Dream Weavers are a powerful demonic race that manipulates dreams to cast various illusions.

Among them was the Succubus Queen, Selena, a being who could rightfully be called the queen of the Dream Weavers.

A pair of dark blue horns curled from her jet-black hair that shimmered faintly, and two pairs of delicate, leathery wings folded gracefully behind her shoulders, exuding elegance.

The Succubus Queen.

She carried the title of “queen,” a mark of a rank far above ordinary dream demons. Unlike lesser demons who barely survive by draining life force, she wielded the power to create and control her own “Dream World.”

Selena’s blue eyes, which had been half-closed, opened with a serene smile.

Ahh...

The moment karma began to flow in from the users connected to her Dream World was always exhilarating.

The sensation of her world, her own creation, becoming stronger and more vibrant.

Truly addictive.

Was it thanks to users from various worlds within the community? The energy she extracted from them was exceptionally effective in maintaining and enhancing her Dream World. Beyond comparison.

Of course, the compensation was something she had discussed with the clients beforehand. Since she was influencing their dreams, their consent and cooperation were essential.

“Give them the dream they desire, receive karma as compensation.”

A win-win for everyone, right?

In the past, she hadn’t known what this energy was, but now she understood it was called "karma."

After the community administrator introduced the karma points system, the efficiency of extracting energy from users had improved dramatically.

What exactly had he done?

She couldn’t begin to understand.

However, due to the recent community update, new places to spend karma points had sprung up, making it harder to attract clients.

“Some of my regulars even started drifting away!”

Moreover, the Dream World had rather complex conditions, so not just anyone could become a client. The Dream World was like a delicate masterpiece of craftsmanship.

“But adding one more person shouldn’t hurt…”

Even with her eyes closed, she could perform this task with ease.

Selena began to unfold her Dream World, inviting users one by one through the pathways connected to the community.

Once they entered the Dream World, they’d meet whoever they wished to see, experience whatever they desired, and spend a blissful time.

“Good, good.”

Having diligently studied the community, she proceeded without a hitch. Everyone but the new member had connected before, so it wasn’t much of a burden.

“Now… where’s the newbie?”

She traced along the pathways linked to the community, using her powers to search for him slowly.

As she did so, a recent memory surfaced.

Brrrr—

The memory was enough to make her shiver in fear.

Once, she’d misstepped while tampering with the pathways, drawing the wrath of the administrator and almost facing eternal slumber.

“I only realized it was a dimensional path after reading the announcement.”

The administrator was both knowledgeable and dangerous in many ways.

That’s why she had to gather eight other dream demons from the community and rack her brains to find a way to use the pathways without alerting him.

“Hehe. Unlike last time

, there doesn’t seem to be any reaction.”

Good. It seemed she had avoided detection.

Last time, she had accidentally tampered with a pathway and, in return, received a terrifying explosive “gift” that wiped out her entire domain.

“Aha! Is this it?”

She found the pathway connected to the newbie, “Pirate King.” Just reaching here had consumed a considerable amount of mental energy.

The pathway was sturdier and wider than the others.

“Well, once I make this connection, it’ll be easier from next time.”

Just as she thought that—

When she finally reached out and made contact along the pathway to the newbie—

Flash—

“Kyaaaa!”

Her consciousness, as if her very soul was being pulled out, was being sucked somewhere.

Flash—

In a pitch-black void where nothing could be seen.

Regaining her senses, she groped around with her hands.

“W-where is this?”

In front of her was an enormous, overwhelming eye.

An eye so huge, it covered the entire sky.

Ah!

“K-kgh!”

Her mind started to break down.

Her soul was being torn apart.

No, I can’t!

I can’t stay here!

I mustn’t look at it!

Just gazing at it made her feel like her very existence would scatter.

“Kyaaa!!”

Just as she managed to move her body and struggle—

The gigantic eye that filled the sky began to shift.

Oh, god!

Just the mere presence of that eye crushed her soul.

If that gaze turned towards her, she’d be pulverized, soul and all.

Clack, clack—

Her teeth chattered uncontrollably.

“K-kgh!”

As her eyes rolled back, and blackened blood began to dribble from her mouth—

Flash—
Wham—

The impossible connection was severed.

“Cough…”

Back in reality, she coughed up a mouthful of dark, lifeless blood.

“W-what... just happened?”

Her entire body shook like a leaf in the wind.

That newbie... 

There was no way he was just an ordinary being.

This is insane.

Blood started to trickle from her eyes as blood vessels burst.

Just that brief contact had nearly killed her.

W-what on earth did I just touch?

She had no idea.