I WAS The Rank–1 Hero-Chapter 124: My Contractee [2]

Staring at my wrist, I confirmed with Sera.

"So, I just have to pulse my Essence to this particular region?"

She nodded, replying inside my head.

’Precisely.’

The demon contract was tied directly to our Essence core. It connected both the contractor and the contractee through it, creating a state of equilibrium. If either one were to break the contract, that balance would collapse and shift entirely to the one who violated it—sucking out all of the Essence in their body and causing them an agonizing death.

I gulped. After hearing Sera’s explanation on Contracts, I felt a shiver run down my spine.

That’s some crazy shit.

I wonder… would that kind of backlash even work on this immortal body of mine?

Probably. But I didn’t want to test it out now, or ever, if possible.

—Sigh.

Taking a deep breath, I stopped beside one of the tables and brought my focus to my wrist.

Concentrating, I pulsed my Ice Essence through it. A cold sensation engulfed my right hand, the one with the tattoo. Looking carefully, I noticed the thread-like structures embedded in the tattoo beginning to twist and coil together, forming what looked like a tight knot.

And then, after a few seconds, everything just… stopped.

The cold sensation vanished. The rippling feeling in my wrist faded completely.

"Hm?"

I tilted my head, glancing around my room.

"Did I not do it correctly?"

Right after saying that, a strange heaviness took over me.

My eyelids drooped, and a wave of weakness spread through my entire body.

From my wrist, a white light erupted, and strange arcane patterns formed in a ring around it.

Losing my balance, I grabbed the table beside me for support.

"Ugh…!"

What the hell is happening?!

My breathing became ragged. I was panting heavily.

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My body couldn’t take it anymore—and just like that, I collapsed forward and lost consciousness.

—Thud!

…

—Ripple.

Suddenly, a cold, wet sensation spread across my skin.

My eyes snapped open.

"Wh—What?!"

My voice echoed again and again, bouncing around the space.

I reached for my right wrist instinctively—the same place where the pain and light had emerged before. It was still there, and it was freezing, like someone had dipped my hand in glacial water.

Pant! Pant!

Breathing heavily, I tried to gather my bearings.

—Ripple.

What I saw around me wasn’t anything familiar. It was a massive, endless area with no sky. Yet, somehow, it was lit as if the sun existed above me.

I slowly got to my feet, scanning my surroundings.

Where the hell am I?

—Ripple —Ripple.

I looked down.

Beneath my feet was water… but it wasn’t normal. It was silver.

"What is this place?"

I was standing in the center of a shallow pond. Instead of clear or murky water, it shimmered with a silver glow.

Curious, I gently kicked at the surface.

—Ripple.

Strangely, the water didn’t splash at all. No matter how strong or weak the impact, it always sent out ripples of the same size and speed.

"Am I… dreaming again?"

Aside from this peculiar pond, there was nothing else in sight—just flat land and silence.

Cautiously, I stepped out of the pond. It had been built in a shallow pit, which explained why I couldn’t see anything beyond it while I was standing inside.

As I climbed up the edge and brushed off my clothes, the first thing that came into view—

Trees. Lots and lots of trees.

No matter which direction I looked, all I could see were dense forests and thick bushes. There was nothing manmade, nothing familiar.

Hey, Sera. Are you seeing this?

No answer.

I called her name again. And again. But nothing.

I figured it had to do with my real body being unconscious. Maybe she was connected to my mind in a way that required me to be awake.

She might be unconscious too…

Pushing forward, I walked a few meters ahead. Eventually, I entered a small clearing. The trees here weren’t as thick, and the ground was smooth and flat.

Despite there being no sky, the area was brightly lit. That’s when I came to a single conclusion.

This was Nathalia’s dream world.

"Hello!" I called out into the open.

Except for the noise of leaves rustling, I couldn’t hear a single thing.

Heaving a sigh, I muttered,

"Where is she?"

Nathalia had told me that, in order to contact her, I needed to pulse my Essence through the contractee tattoo—and I did exactly that.

And now she was nowhere to be seen.

I continued walking forward, wandering aimlessly through this dream world.

"Did I get scammed?"

No, no.

An Authority holder scamming another… that would be pathetic.

—Rustle. Rustle.

Suddenly, the bushes in front of me shook. My hand instinctively went to my side.

"Kyu~!"

"…?!"

I froze.

What popped out from the bushes was something I had never seen before.

It was a small, rabbit-like creature with snow-white fur, two large, round yellow eyes, four tiny paws, a fluffy little tail—and most oddly, two short horns beside its ears.

"What is that…?"

I cautiously approached it.

"Kyu~ Kyu~"

The creature hopped around on its four legs, occasionally licking its small body. Its yellow eyes remained fixated on me.

In our world, there were many species related to Elementals, and during my time at the Hero Association, I had read up on most of them. But the creature in front of me didn’t resemble any I had come across before.

"Hey there, little bunny…"

Yeah, I know—bunnies don’t usually have horns. But aside from that, this thing looked just like one.

I slowly reached out my hand toward it.

Its long ears twitched as I gently touched its head.

"Kyu~!"

The bunny didn’t flinch. Instead, it leaned into my palm, letting me ruffle its fur.

"W–Wow," I murmured. "This is so soft."

The moment I touched its fur, it felt like I was holding cotton candy—light and silky.

Lifting the bunny into my arms, I looked into its eyes.

"Do you know anything about this place?"

"Kyu~"

"…Yeah. Figures."

—Sigh…

"What am I even doing?"

It’s not like it could actually understand me.

"Kyu~ Kyu~"

"…Hm?"

—Smack!

"H–Hey!"

Shaking its tiny body, the bunny wriggled free from my hands and hopped back to the ground.

"It’s alright, bunny," I tried to coax it again. "Come here. I won’t hurt you."

I slowly stepped toward it and reached out my hand once more.

"Almost!"

But the moment my fingers brushed its fur, the bunny darted behind a thick tree in front of me.

"What—"

I was so close!

That bunny was the first living creature I’d seen in this dream world, and I wasn’t about to let it slip away.

Who knows how long I’ll be stuck here?

And honestly… I haven’t eaten anything since I woke up.

That bunny looked soft.

"…Haa."

Sera would definitely kill me if she could read my thoughts right now.

Chasing after the bunny with continued determination, I eventually arrived at an open area.

"Now where did that bunny go?"

The landscape ahead was unlike what I had seen so far. Behind me was the dense forest—but in front of me stood what looked like the remnants of a destroyed city.

Large blocks of stone and long, round pillars were scattered everywhere.

I scanned the area, squinting in search of the creature.

It had been right in front of me just moments ago.

Walking a little farther, I arrived at what could only be called the city’s center. I glanced around.

Massive statues of women holding scales in one hand and swords in the other lay cracked and broken on the ground.

Just a few meters beside one, a bearded man reaching toward the sky was half-buried in rubble.

"I’ve seen him somewhere before…"

The bunny slipped from my mind as I walked in silence, the soft crunch of my boots on loose stones the only sound accompanying me.

The road was lined on both sides by symmetrical buildings, though their domed roofs had long since collapsed inward.

After a few minutes, my feet stopped in front of what seemed like a temple. Its white pillars leaned to the sides—some were split in half, and the roof had collapsed inward, with chunks of stone lying across the entrance.

"Kyu~"

The sound came from inside the temple.

The deeper I went, the stranger everything became.

Cursing my luck, I stepped in.

As I entered, the interior was dimly lit by sunlight filtering through the broken ceiling. Vines dangled from shattered archways.

Walking further, I reached the far end of the temple where a statue stood.

It was a majestic figure of a woman, carved from flawless white stone. Each muscle was intricately detailed, her eyes cast downward, and in her hands, she held a balancing scale.

Everything else around it had crumbled—except this.

No moss. No cracks. Not a single blemish marred its surface.

I lowered my gaze to the base of the statue.

A woman knelt.

Her white wings curved gracefully behind her, the feathers catching the light. Her head was bowed, and a strip of blue cloth was neatly wrapped around her eyes, covering them.

Her hands were pressed together in silent prayer.

Lifting my gaze toward her, I called her name.

"Nathalia."

There was no doubt about it. Those angelic feathers, that blindfold—it was her.

The Dream Authority Holder.

My contractee.

"Kyu~ Kyu~"

That’s when I noticed the bunny hopping beside her, rubbing its fluffy body against her leg.

So it had been leading me to her this entire time?!

"..."

I got played… by a damn bunny.

Noticing my presence, Nathalia slowly rose from her praying posture. She gave one final bow to the statue, then turned around.

A split-second smile formed on her face before she welcomed me.

"Welcome to my dreamland," she said softly. "What can I do for you, Sir Paradox?"