Lazy Salvation Lucid Nightmare

While Seraphine was losing her mind over their earlier interaction, Ashen was troubled by an entirely different issue.

"I'm a real scumbag, aren't I?"

Lying in bed, he stared blankly at the ceiling. Now that he had the ti to process things, his stomach churned with guilt.

Seraphine had confessed her feelings. And while he had answered sincerely enough, in the end, he had dodged her emotions using Alice as a shield.

And yet, despite knowing how she felt, he had still asked her to continue embodying her sin.

He clenched his fists.

He knew what that ant for both of them. He knew it would push them to their limits, leaving them barely restraining themselves from crossing a line. And yet, he still asked her to go through with it.

He wasn't blind. He could see how much she ant it when she said she liked him—but accepting her feelings? That was another thing entirely.

Because no matter how much ti passed, no matter how much he tried… he knew he'd never be able to erase Alice from his life. And in the end, it would only end up hurting Seraphine far more.

He exhaled sharply, pressing a hand against his forehead.

'This is going to be unbearable for both of us…'

There was no way around it.

Pushing the uncomfortable feelings aside, he forced himself to sleep.

Activating Lucid Dreamweaving, he let out a quiet breath of gratitude for the skill's ability to knock him out instantly.

Because if he had to lie awake with all the guilt gnawing at his chest, he doubted sleep would ever co.

**

By 5 AM, he jolted awake, gasping for air.

His chest rose and fell erratically as he clutched at his body, running his hands over himself as if searching for invisible wounds.

His right hand wouldn't stop shaking. Every few seconds, he glanced at it, flexing his fingers… checking, confirming, reassuring himself that it was still there.

Gradually, his heartbeat slowed. His breathing evened out. And with a bitter smile, he muttered—

"It seems this skill isn't as pleasant as it sounds…"

A shudder ran through him as he recalled the lucid dream.

That week.

The one where they were thrown, practically naked, into that godforsaken forest as a "test."

Only this ti, he was alone. No Seraphine. No Braun. Just him. His weak, powerless self. And that was what scared him the most.

He had survived for a day. Just one. Before he was surrounded by tarantula spiders and eaten alive.

Not that he had much of a fighting chance… not after a vicious hyena had torn his right hand clean off at the start, turning the entire day into pure agony.

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He exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples.

'Why the hell didn't I wake up, even after all that?'

Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought.

"Whatever…"

He had little control over the skill aside from setting its activation ti. For now, it was what it was. That would change soon enough.

Letting out a dry, sarcastic chuckle, he muttered—

"And to think I actually expected so hot dream after what happened yesterday…" He clicked his tongue. "Well, it was hot, alright. Just not the way I'd hoped…"

**

The next day passed like any other except for the obvious panda eyes on Seraphine.

Now, the trio, Seraphine, Ashen, and Braun, were finally reunited at one of the quieter cafés just outside the academy grounds.

They had chosen this place for its peaceful atmosphere and the lack of a crowd, making it the perfect spot to catch up.

As they settled in, engaging in so light banter, Ashen couldn't help but think about how rare it had beco for the three of them to gather like this.

Ever since he started his Spartan training, he had barely seen Braun outside their weekly missions.

Not that it was entirely his fault.

Braun, from what Ashen had noticed, had been busy forging connections and mingling around in his free ti. Still, the older man always kept in touch, sothing Ashen genuinely appreciated.

"So?"

Taking a sip of his drink, Ashen leaned back and asked,

"What Sin did you choose, Braun? Mine is Sloth, by the way."

He shot Seraphine a glance as he spoke, recalling her comnt about him being a 'greedy goblin' yesterday.

Sure enough, she caught the look. Raising an eyebrow, she smirked.

"Really now? I'm starting to doubt the system's compatibility scans. I could've sworn Greed would have suited you better…"

Ashen forced a smile, unwilling to argue about yesterday's events… especially not with Braun around.

Braun, on the other hand, had question marks all over his face as he tried to connect the dots. Eventually, he just shrugged.

"I picked Pride. It had the most synergy with , so yeah…"

Ashen blinked, a little surprised.

From what he had observed, Braun had never been particularly prideful. Yet the system determined that Pride was his most compatible sin.

His eyes flicked toward Seraphine. Her choice had been just as unexpected.

'Is the system really broken…?'

He absentmindedly twirled his straw in his drink, sinking into thought.

'Or… maybe this compatibility thing takes potential into account more than we thought.'

If that were true, then Braun, given the right circumstances, might actually develop a strong sense of pride.

Maybe if he were placed in a leadership role long enough, those hidden qualities would co to the surface…

Poke.

A finger pressed against his cheek, snapping him out of his thoughts.

He turned to find the culprit—Seraphine, who had already announced her sin to Braun and made him swear multiple tis not to tell a soul.

"C'mon, enough daydreaming, Ash. We're leaving."

"Oh… right, let's go," he muttered distractedly, his earlier thoughts still lingering in the back of his mind.

He still hadn't co up with a plausible reason for Seraphine's compatibility with Lust.

*

As they exited, Ashen stopped by the cashier and handed over his SlimSlate to pay for their drinks.

The sleek, ultra-thin device was standard for transactions here. The cashier scanned it with a practiced motion, deducting the cost from Ashen's balance before handing it back.

Glancing at the screen, he noted the remaining amount:

[385,500]

Not a particularly high number.

3000 points gone.

Most of his points ca from their weekly missions, where payouts ranged from 20,000 to 100,000, depending on difficulty.

But even with that, his current balance was barely enough to buy a decent spear and so second-hand armor.

That was why Ashen had already made up his mind—aside from the occasional expense like this, and the necessary equipnt for missions, he would save every last point he earned.

*

Braun left soon after, bidding them goodbye with a promise to et up again later.

Now, only Ashen and Seraphine remained.

He turned to her, half-expecting an awkward atmosphere to settle between them after everything that had happened yesterday. But instead, she simply blinked at him, her expression serene.

With her hands tucked behind her back, she waited quietly, not unlike an obedient wife awaiting her husband's decision on where to go next.

Ashen smirked to himself.

At tis like these, her easygoing nature really shone through. It was effortless and calming, to the extent that he found himself unconsciously relaxing as well.

"Alright, let's head back. I have sothing to show you... and a request to make." He gestured for her to follow, his tone coming out softer than he expected.

"Sure!" Seraphine bead before hopping to his side and looping her arm around his.

Ashen didn't object, letting her hold onto him as they walked hand in hand toward his apartnt.