What was that?
He was back again?
"In 1997, I learned to drive. Uphill, downhill, I ran over more than a thousand people."
"Huh? Fuck!"
Lin Nai looked over in confusion and saw a van shoot out from nowhere.
It came barreling straight at him, sending him flying several meters away.
After rolling twice across the ground, Lin Nai slapped the floor, flipped back up, and skidded another few dozen centimeters on one knee.
When he looked up again, the van had already vanished.
"System? Are you there?"
I am. Someone was trying to enter your dream.
"Wait... so this dream has something to do with that person?"
A little.
"Do you know who it was?" Lin Nai got to his feet and asked the system.
I don't know. They ran away.
"They ran away..."
Since they had run away, there was nothing he could do.
Still, he hadn't expected to have that kind of dream again.
Come to think of it, had he gone somewhere today that triggered this?
Rubbing his chin, Lin Nai began to think.
He had had a similar dream before, on the day he threw the Alien Water Sprite back into the Curio Containment Room.
And today...
He had also gone to the Curio Containment Room and stared at the Mask of the Fool for a long time.
The Curio Containment Room and the Mask of the Fool—those were the overlapping points Lin Nai found strange.
Hmm...
Lin Nai: I have a plan.
You have another scheme?
"It's a little risky, but it's worth trying. If it hadn't been for you, System, I wouldn't have been able to get out of that dream at all..."
Did that mean Asta and the others were in the exact same situation?
There was no other way for now. Even if there was only a sliver of hope, he had to try.
"By the way, how am I supposed to wake up now?"
Mm! Bear with it! This next one will be huge!
"Huge? Huge wha... mmph! Mmph, aaahhhhh!!!"
"AAAAAH!"
Lin Nai violently kicked the coffin lid—no, the Sleep Pod's cover—away.
He sat up, panting heavily and clutching his chest.
Then he looked around and was immediately startled.
At some point, all the lab staff had gathered around him, watching him anxiously.
"Lin Nai, are you all right?" the lead researcher asked with concern.
If something happened to Lin Nai...
Then he might be finished too.
In every sense of the word.
"N-No, I'm fine... Why are you all gathered here?"
"We just noticed that the wavelength of your brain waves seemed a little abnormal."
Cha Dao explained as he handed Lin Nai a tablet. "The one on top is the wavelength of an ordinary person after falling asleep, while the one below is the wavelength recorded during your test, Lin Nai."
"It was normal at first, but then it got weirder and weirder. The wavelength was practically drawing pictures—things like a baby-faced sun, a van, and so on."
"..." Lin Nai rubbed his temples. Everything on there had appeared in his dream just now.
"So, did something happen?"
"No, it's fine. This is my own problem." Lin Nai waved a hand. "Your experiment was very successful."
"It really doesn't look successful at all..."
"Really, you did a great job. Keep it up."
Lin Nai stretched his body a little and climbed out of the Sleep Pod.
That huge blast from the system had been utterly ridiculous.
For a moment, he had thought he had been hit by a truck again.
Lin Nai looked at the person in charge. "By the way, that potion you gave me earlier... was it really only meant to calm the mind?"
"Yes, it was."
"Who made that potion?"
"A researcher named Joey. He also offered quite a few suggestions for this machine."
"That guy's pretty impressive, huh?"
Lin Nai wore an enlightened expression.
The last time he had seen the guy was a few days ago, when he had given Lin Nai a bottle of kidney tonic.
That one was meant to boost one's energy.
At the very least, Abraham and the others had been full of vigor after drinking it and no longer felt drowsy.
"Oh, and just asking, how do you usually get out?"
"Huh? There's a time limit. Normally, you automatically exit after eight hours."
"..."
Lin Nai touched his body.
Forget it.
He needed to wake up early and get things done. Who knew how long things would drag on if he slept for eight hours?
After that, Lin Nai took his leave.
Next, he needed to verify his idea.
Hopefully, this plan would not be as useless as one proposed by some wild-west idea king.
When They Came, He'd Pluck That Mask Clean Off the Ground!
Herta Space Station · Support Zone
After leaving the laboratory, Lin Nai hurried straight to the Curio Containment Room.
Using Dragon Fang's card deck, Lin Nai traveled through mirrors, making the trip faster than usual.
There were no researchers in the Mirror World, so he could move at full speed.
Fortunately, both the card deck and contract beast had been modified by the system.
He could emerge from any mirror at will, and the Dark Dragon did not need to eat.
Otherwise, it would have been a little troublesome.
It wasn't like he could somehow find people for the Dark Dragon to eat, right?
He wasn't some kind of demon.
Lin Nai felt that he was still a caring person.
Very soon.
Lin Nai emerged from the glass containing the Mask of the Fool.
The moment he appeared, Lin Nai sensed that familiar feeling of being watched. He turned and met the mask's gaze.
Three seconds later.
Lin Nai decisively gave it the middle finger.
The thought of this thing causing so much trouble for the Space Station in such a short time, and even causing Asta to fall into a coma...
Made Lin Nai's anger flare up.
Fuck you!
Aha, you bastard!
He could not help shouting, "Aha, you're just a singing clown, aren't you?!"
"You want to enter my dream? Fine! I'll be waiting for you in my dream tonight! If you've got the guts, come on over! You definitely won't have a good time!"
"When you get here, I'll yank that mask right onto the ground! Keep acting tough, and I'll send you flying!"
Lin Nai wildly spat threats, deciding that tonight he would battle Aha for three hundred rounds in his dream!
Uh.
Of course.
It was also possible that he would be battled for three hundred rounds instead, and by then he might not even know which way was north.
Lin Nai: System, you can protect me, right?
Hard to say.
"Eek... then can we make peace?"
Lin Nai immediately changed his tune.
Mostly because the system had previously stopped Aha from entering his dreams, so he had assumed it would be fine.
Who would have thought it would be hard to say?!
Although his original plan had been to lure Aha into his dream.
After venting for a moment of satisfaction, though, Aha might actually send him flying.
...Wait here. I'll go find some backup. Just wait until I return before going to sleep.
The system had not expected her host to be so bold when angry.
He was always saying he had no power, so why did he dare to provoke Aha to his face at a time like this?
Was he joking about making peace now?
Forget it. Better to get some backup to cover him.
Fortunately, she had someone.
Otherwise, her poor host might get beaten to the ground by Aha and dragged back to become Stellar Rage!
Lin Nai: Fucking System! Why is your imagination so good?!
But...
The outcome could no longer be changed. Her host was definitely going to become entertainment.
Miss System deeply worried for her host, but there was nothing she could do now.
Hopefully, he would be all right.
Before you continue