“That’s Hans?”
At Sedina’s words, Ludger studied the creature carefully.
It was a beastly form, a grotesque mixture of many animals.
One arm was swollen to the point of deformity, while its body, covered in black fur, was streaked here and there with patches of white.
Its head resembled that of a wolf, but ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) from one side of its skull sprouted a crimson horn, throwing the image off balance.
From a distance, it hadn’t been clear, but when broken down piece by piece, every feature was familiar.
“...So it really is.”
He immediately understood why Hans had taken such a form.
From the Middle Floors of Dreamland onward, the unconscious within a person begins to manifest.
For an ordinary human, that unconscious would not have such dramatic impact, but Hans was different.
Hans carried the traits of beasts.
Until now, he had suppressed them with reason, but in Dreamland that restraint was meaningless.
The instincts of countless beasts slumbering within him—
And above all, the most dominant was the wild nature of the [Beast of Jévaudan].
The only fortunate part was that he hadn’t yet completely lost control.
Whenever the Beast of Jévaudan’s essence tried to erupt, the white hairs sprouting across Hans’s body acted as if to suppress it.
That was the spirit lineage of the stag from the Kasarr Basin, holding back the beast.
‘But that’s only a matter of time.’
Even the power of a spirit beast could not fully restrain the warped essence of the Beast of Jévaudan.
And now, because of the blow Ludger had landed, Hans’s fury was boiling over, his body swelling ever larger.
“P–Professor, what should we do?”
If this continued, Hans would never return to what he was.
Once devoured by the wildness, Hans would become the Beast of Jévaudan itself.
Sedina sensed this instinctively and begged Ludger for a way.
If anyone knew, it would be Ludger, who had known Hans the longest.
“There is a way.”
“Really?!”
“Yes. And it’s simpler than you’d think.”
Simpler than expected?
As always, Professor Ludger had an answer.
Sedina felt both relief and admiration as she asked,
“What way is that?”
“Beat him.”
“...What?”
The single word, spoken with deadly seriousness, made Sedina’s pupils contract.
“The most effective way to subdue an unruly beast is to show it the gap in strength.”
Ludger stepped slowly toward Hans.
Hans, writhing as the powers of spirit beast and cryptid clashed within him, turned his gaze toward Ludger.
Grrr...
The beast that was Hans bared its teeth, bracing itself.
Normally, it should have lunged and torn him apart instantly—yet, strangely, its body refused to move.
Run! Run away!
The monster was bewildered by the voice echoing from somewhere inside.
Run away? Why? Wasn’t it the fearsome beast dreaded by all?
What little reason it had was steeped in supreme confidence.
There was no such option as flight.
Especially not against the puny human who had dared to kick it moments ago.
What was so terrifying about that frail little man?
The beast’s instinct mocked its reason.
Shut up and just watch, it sneered at its weaker self.
Fixing its glistening red eyes on Ludger, it relished the thought of crushing the small human who barely reached its thigh.
But the delight lasted only a moment.
...Grr?
The beast froze.
Ludger’s figure, advancing toward it, was growing larger.
Soon it found itself looking up at him.
Not because Ludger had actually grown, but because behind him loomed something vast.
It was a colossal form staring down, and the beast had mistaken it for Ludger’s size.
A benevolent face made of light gazed downward.
Behind it stretched countless golden arms.
The towering golden statue slowly raised its hand.
And then, toward the beast, it pressed down with an immense palm.
As its entire vision flooded with gold, Ludger’s voice rang in the monster’s ear.
“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you.”
* * *
The students, carried to safety, disembarked from the paper bird.
The island was a broad plain, open on all sides.
There was little chance of a sudden ambush.
Barely surviving, the students sighed with relief.
Thanks to Julia, not one had been harmed or killed.
But the truth was, it was Ludger’s actions that had saved them most.
“Professor Ludger...”
“He sacrificed himself to protect us.”
The image of Ludger charging the monster would not leave their minds.
Golden flames cloaking him as he faced the colossal beast—the sight had been awe-inspiring.
The magic had looked overwhelming even at a glance, yet even Ludger could not possibly fight such a creature and live... could he?
“He didn’t die... did he?”
“Don’t say something so ominous!”
With their most reliable protector gone, gloom quickly spread through the group.
Selina felt her chest tighten painfully.
She too was deeply shaken by Ludger’s disappearance.
But she refused to show it. She was the only adult here for the students to rely on.
‘If I show weakness now, they’ll suffer even more. I have to be strong.’
She told herself this, but the rising tide of worry in her heart would not subside.
It was then that a puff of black fluff appeared before her eyes.
“Esmeralda?”
The dark spirit Esmeralda rubbed its soft body against Selina’s cheek as if to cheer her on.
Selina gave a small laugh at the gesture.
“Thanks for worrying. You’ve given me strength.”
Esmeralda shivered once, then vanished.
Strangely, her support lifted Selina more than any words another person might have said.
‘It feels like my very soul is being healed.’
And here, in Dreamland, other spirits could not even be summoned—yet Esmeralda had appeared as naturally as if it were nothing.
‘Are all dark spirits like this? I’ll have to ask Professor Ludger later.’
Selina did not believe Ludger was dead.
Yes, the situation was dire.
But she was certain: Ludger would survive, no matter what.
“Everyone, listen! We can’t just sit here doing nothing!”
She rallied the disheartened students.
She might not have managed alone, but to her surprise, Julia Plumehart stepped in to help.
“Julia...”
“I owe him. So I have to do something too.”
Julia spoke lightly, then pulled out the trump card she’d prepared to gather their attention.
“What, are you all just going to sit there sniveling? How about you use that time to adapt to this world instead?”
Adapt to this world?
The students looked at her, doubtful that such a thing was possible.
“Listen carefully. This is Dreamland. The physical laws of reality don’t apply here, and magic works differently too. The giant paper bird I created to carry you was the same.”
Here, what mattered most was imagination.
If they could master that, they could use magic they could never wield in the real world.
Even a three-year-old child could become an archmage here, if they had the mind for it.
That was Dreamland.
At those words, a spark lit in the students’ once-empty eyes.
Even in despair, they were still mages.
The prospect of exploring new magic in a new environment was a temptation too great for Seorn students to resist.
“S–So, even I could try?”
“Is that really possible?”
The students leaned forward, caught by Julia’s words.
There is nothing more alluring than the promise of doing what cannot be done in reality.
Since words alone would not be enough, Julia gave a simple demonstration.
“For example, to fly in the sky, you’d normally need flight magic. Or you’d have to propel yourself with mana or lift your body with telekinesis. But here, there’s no need for that.”
Shaaak.
From Julia’s back, pure white wings spread wide.
“Waaah...”
The students gasped at the beautiful sight.
Julia already carried a mysterious aura, and with wings upon her back, her beauty doubled.
“See?”
She stroked her wings as she spoke.
And she didn’t stop there. She flapped them, rising lightly into the air.
“Like this. In Dreamland, you can create wings and fly without buoyancy magic.”
“I want to try too!”
One curious student blurted out boldly.
“It won’t be easy.”
“I’ll still try!”
The boy squeezed his eyes shut as though imagining hard.
I’m a bird. I have wings.
And then, a change really happened.
“Wh–What is this?!”
His mouth had turned into a yellow beak.
Instead of wings, his efforts had twisted him in a strange direction.
Some students burst into laughter at the ridiculous sight.
The heavy mood lifted a little.
Julia shook her head.
“Just imagining isn’t enough. You subconsciously pictured a bird, didn’t you? That’s why its traits stuck to your body.”
“H–How do I go back?”
“If you’ve spent a lot of time looking in the mirror, you should remember your original appearance clearly.”
Her words were sharp but useful advice.
The boy, now returned to normal lips, touched them with relief.
“Too bad. I thought it would work.”
“If it were that easy, anyone could be free in Dreamland. It’s Professor Ludger who’s abnormal.”
That golden statue alone—
it was far beyond anything mere imagination should be able to produce.
The more she thought about it, the less sense it made, but Julia chose instead to accept it.
And at the same time, because Ludger had shown such power, she found herself believing he could not be dead.
Even though he had fallen with the Island-Swallower, somehow she was sure Ludger would still be alive.
‘Still, this situation won’t last long.’
Julia looked upward.
They had descended quite far already. At this rate, they would soon reach the middle region of the Middle Floor.
It might seem safe to stay still, but reality was not so kind.
‘That old man’s voice had barely ended before the Island-Swallower came straight for us. That was strange.’
The Island-Swallower fed on islands.
It was known not to show itself in the upper part of the Middle Floor.
Yet one had not only appeared, but deliberately targeted them.
It reeked of artificial intent.
Julia could faintly sense what their enemy wanted.
‘They’re trying to push us down.’
No—rather than sending them down, it was more like an invitation to come.
The others hadn’t noticed, but Julia could.
The islands in the highest part of the Middle Floor were collapsing one by one.
That meant only one thing.
Anyone else entering from the Upper Floors would fall straight down into the middle regions.
They might not die, but to bypass the upper levels and plunge directly into the center—
was that any different from death?
‘To overcome this...’
As Ludger had said, they would have to be prepared.
Prepared to face the immense malice lurking below.
* * *
“Feels like we’re screwed, huh?”
Aidan sat on a rocky peak, looking out.
From high up, the sight was overwhelming.
Countless islands floating in the sky—what could this possibly mean?
“You only realized that now?”
“Well, I thought maybe...”
“What, you thought falling from an earthquake would land us somewhere better?”
Leo’s sharp jab made Aidan scratch his head sheepishly.
He wasn’t alone here.
Taishy, Iona, and several other students, all wearing hollow expressions, were with him.
Among them, one figure drew all attention—
Flora Lumos, the senior who had taken Ludger’s class.
“F–Flora, what do we do now?!”
“Calm down, Sheryl. Panicking won’t help.”
She silenced her close friend with a single sharp remark, her keen eyes scanning the islands.
“Senior Flora.”
“You...”
Flora narrowed her eyes at Aidan as he approached.
Of course, she knew of him.
They shared classes, but more than that, he had made quite an impression with his unusual display.
“What is it?”
“I think we should talk.”
“With me? There are plenty of others here, so why me?”
“They don’t look like they can manage right now.”
Flora glanced at the other students, their faces drained, and sighed.
“...You’re right.”
“Besides, you seem like the most dependable one here.”
“So what is it you want to say?”
“Well... it looks like we’re stranded somewhere strange, right? So I think we need to stick together and move as a group.”
At the word “move,” Sheryl asked,
“Why? Wouldn’t it be better to just stay put? The professors will come rescue us.”
“Well, the thing is...”
Aidan pointed.
“Something keeps watching us from over there.”
“What?”
Flora and Sheryl turned their eyes where he pointed.
But along the rocky ridge, only small stones could be seen.
Sheryl frowned suspiciously.
“What are you even talking about? You want to pull a prank in a situation like this?”
“No, Sheryl. He’s right.”
Flora’s gaze sharpened as she stared hard at the rocks.
“There’s something there.”