Dunn

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Dunn Smith
Alias(es)	Captain
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Nighthawks; Blackthorn Security Company
Occupation/Role	Nighthawk captain; leader of the transferred Backlund squad
Pathway	Sleepless pathway — Nightmare, later Soul Assurer
Status	Active in Backlund 142 157
First Appearance	5

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Nightmare — potion fully digested	135	Dunn confirms that he has fully digested his Nightmare potion and applies to advance alongside Lynch. 135
Soul Assurer	137	Promoted during the squad's transfer to Backlund. He later considers using Soul Assurer abilities to comfort and interrogate living suspects. 137 154

Appearance

Dunn is a gray-eyed man who is first seen in a trench coat. He is frequently associated with a pipe, though he makes an effort not to smoke around Lynch after learning that Lynch quit. 5 8 30

• Gray eyes. 5
• Wears a trench coat during investigations. 8
• Habitual pipe smoker. 30 76

Personality

Dunn is gentle, professional, and deeply protective of his teammates. He treats Lynch with particular patience, initially recruiting him out of concern that he remained in danger and later mentoring him as though he were a younger brother. 9 37 126

He prioritizes evidence and team trust over suspicion. When Leonard suspects Klein of controlling Lynch, Dunn explicitly warns against distrusting teammates without proof. 48

Dunn is also notably forgetful. His memory lapses affect routine assignments and equipment distribution, and Lynch repeatedly worries that the problem may be serious. 13 14 152 Despite this, Dunn remains conscientious about safety, repeatedly cautioning Lynch against reckless fieldwork and hasty advancement. 35 76 138

He is insecure about his age and advancement, particularly when comparing himself to Daly and Lynch. This insecurity initially contributes to his hesitation in pursuing Daly and in understanding the Acting Method. 76 104

Abilities & Skills

Dreamwalking and Dream Manipulation

As a Nightmare, Dunn can pull people into dreams, construct dream scenarios, and use the dream environment for investigation and combat.

• Draws targets into dreams, while their actions within the dream remain their own. 8
• Uses dreams to examine memories and question suspects. 9 154
• Puts multiple cultists to sleep during operations, allowing the Nighthawks to infiltrate undetected. 35
• Can create layered dreams to trap or deceive opponents. 36
• Uses dreams as a safer environment for combat training and confronting supernatural threats. 105
• Powerful or pathway-familiar opponents can escape even nested dream layers. 36

Soul Assurance

After advancing, Dunn begins exploring the role of a Soul Assurer beyond the dead.

• Initially assumes Soul Assurer abilities apply only to the deceased. 154
• Is prompted to use the ability to comfort living suspects during a dream interrogation. 154
• His developing understanding of the potion remains incomplete after advancement. 147

Investigation and Tactical Command

Dunn leads investigations with a measured, evidence-based approach and organizes his squad's personnel, equipment, and mission roles.

• Identifies inconsistencies in the Antigonus Notebook case and investigates the possibility that Lynch was controlled. 45 47
• Assigns personnel according to risk, experience, and operational needs. 12 35 132
• Insists that noncombatant Lynch remain behind him during his first field mission. 35
• Encourages firearms practice, mysticism study, and combat training for developing members. 30 91 152

Equipment

• Pipe — Dunn smokes regularly but extinguishes it when he realizes it bothers Lynch. 30 37
• Sealed Artifacts — He authorizes and coordinates the use of artifacts such as the Water of Concealment and Sun Holy Emblem during missions. 35 105

Relationships

• Lynch Trans — Initially investigates Lynch as a possible victim of Beyond influence, then recruits and mentors him. Dunn repeatedly protects Lynch from excessive danger and treats him as a younger brother. 9 35 37 126
• Daly — Fellow Nighthawk and romantic partner. Dunn struggles with insecurity about courting her, but eventually confesses through a letter and transfers to Backlund with her. 104 114 142
• Klein — Investigates Klein in connection with Welch, Naia, and the Antigonus Notebook, then recruits him into the Nighthawks. Dunn later forbids unsupported suspicion of Klein within the team. 8 12 48
• Leonard — Nighthawk subordinate and teammate. Dunn relies on Leonard during missions but frequently blames Lynch's cheekiness on Leonard's influence. 35 127 138
• Frye — Trusted Tingen teammate whom Dunn considers his successor. Dunn feels guilty when Frye remains behind to become Tingen's captain. 115
• Old Neil — Long-serving colleague. Dunn assigns Lynch to study mysticism under Old Neil and later works with him in Tingen and Backlund. 30 125 153

Story Role / Major Arcs

Welch Investigation and Recruitment

Dunn first investigates Lynch and Klein over their connection to Welch McGowan. After Lynch loses his job because of the investigation, Dunn offers compensation and later recruits both men into the Nighthawks, believing Lynch may still be endangered by the incident. 5 9 10

Tingen Nighthawk Captain

As captain, Dunn introduces Lynch and Klein to the dangers of Beyonders, enforces confidentiality, assigns their early clerical work, and provides them with standard equipment. 12 13 He authorizes Lynch's infiltration of the Big Meat Church but makes clear that the plan is dangerous. 20

Lynch's Advancement

Dunn warns Lynch that he is not a combatant during the raid on the abandoned factory. After Lynch risks himself to protect him in a dream, Dunn rewards him with a Sleepless potion and later accepts him as an official team member. 35 36 37 38

Dunn initially doubts Lynch's claim to have digested his potion, but accepts the reasoning behind the Acting Method and reports the matter to the Church. 76 He also credits Lynch for proposing a Beyonder training center, helping Lynch gain merits for advancement. 92

Tingen Crisis and Transfer

As Tingen's dangers escalate, Dunn reassures Lynch that Lord Cesimir considers him favored by the Goddess, while still refusing to let him exhaust himself on every mission. 126 Following Klein's apparent death, Dunn accelerates his own advancement and arranges for Lynch, Leonard, and himself to leave Tingen. 135 137

Backlund Squad

In Backlund, Dunn recreates the Blackthorn Security Company structure and continues leading investigations with Daly and the transferred members. He monitors Lynch's increasingly unstable imitation habits, directly reminding him to remain himself rather than become a copy of Dunn. 142 143

Notable Quotes

“There is no such thing as one person being more useful than another!” 36

“Imitation is imitation—I don't want you to live as me!” 143