“……”
From the corpse’s left hand, which was missing its pinky finger, I retrieved the custom equipment coin I’d paid with.
Then, I carefully picked up the card key hanging around its neck.
■■■
Scrawled in ruined ballpoint ink above the smudged-out name was a phrase: ‘Can’t let them find out.’
But I could still make out the first syllables of the name.
“…Yoo Kwe?”
Something flashed through my mind reflexively, But I pushed it down, for now.
“…Huu.”
‘But who knows what might jump out…’
Even just the lab journal from earlier had given me a weird feeling.
‘For now, I’ll only touch what’s already been verified.’
I returned to the central device labeled ‘Dream Incubator’.
While there were no detailed operation logs in the <Dark Exploration Records>, it had clearly stated: ‘Though it looks like an old prototype, it appears to be in proper working condition.’
All that remained was to piece together what was needed.
“Huu.”
First, I picked up the card key I had retrieved from the dead researcher.
Then, feeling along the surface of the ‘Dream Incubator’, I found a slot located on the outer front panel.
‘Here, maybe.’
I inserted the card key into the slot.
Ziiiiing—
“…!”
The machine lit up with red and blue lights.
A huge experimental device glowing as if it were the only living thing in this decrepit old lab.
And then, The glass tube mounted at the top.
‘Is something inside?’
There seemed to be some kind of round object set at the center of the glass chamber.
‘That might be the core component.’
In any case, the Dream Incubator had successfully reactivated.
Along with a number displayed on a small panel next to the glass tube.
DE 0000000
Time for the next step.
I opened a valve at the end of a small pipe connected to the side of the glass tube.
Inside, there was an oddly shaped recess.
‘…This is it.’
I reached into my coat and pulled out the item I had prepared, Something I’d held onto ever since pulling it from a merch box, never able to use it no matter the situation.
It was said to lose its effectiveness if exposed to air due to oxidation, so I hadn’t even dared to touch it.
—Dream Essence, A-grade or higher.
A shimmering golden potion, like a hologram, contained within a Dream Essence Collector designed for Daydream Inc.’s elite teams.
…I could finally use it what I had charged up during my escape from Braun’s Late-Night Talk Show.
I fit the sharp end of the collector into the recess on the end of the pipe.
Thunk.
It clicked in perfectly, almost like a lie.
And then… the essence began to flow in.
“…!”
The dazzling, prismatic fluid filled the pipe and began to pour into the transparent glass chamber. It was almost overwhelming to look at.
‘Was it really that much?’
From what I remembered, it had only been stored in a palm-sized cylinder. Yet somehow, it filled a quarter of the chamber with a soft swish.
As the golden glow filled the glass, the object inside briefly revealed its silhouette.
‘…An egg?’
Something scarlet, the size of five chicken eggs.
It seemed to pulse, and inside, a strange form flickered for a moment.
But then it was completely submerged in the luminous liquid, vanishing from view.
And then…
DE 0000001
The number on the panel increased.
Accompanied by the hum of machinery, the number rapidly climbed…
DE 00158313
And stopped there.
“Huu.”
Success.
‘I’ve charged the Dream Essence into the machine…!’
The number, oddly reminiscent of welfare points, made me wonder. Could Daydream Inc.’s entire point system have originated from this?
Not that it mattered now.
What mattered was that everything had gone exactly as I’d planned.
All that was left was to use it.
“……”
I turned my attention to the buttons below the panel.
…They were emojis.
🥰🥸🤯🧐🤪🥱
Out of the dozens available, only these few were properly lit.
‘Maybe I don’t have enough materials?’
Or maybe it was a limitation of the machine itself, I couldn’t be sure.
Either way, I thought carefully and clicked the one that seemed the safest and most useful.
🥰🥸🤯🧐🤪🥱
The ‘observant’ emoji with a silly face.
The button lit up…
DE 00158313
DE 00148313
The number decreased, and the machine activated.
Oooooong!
With a motor-like sound, the liquid inside the glass chamber was sucked downward.
The vibrations of the machine made my whole body tremble slightly, and then…
Clunk.
The lower section of the machine opened, and a cylindrical, transparent glass bottle emerged.
“……!!”