Comfortably laying on the sofa, Minnie was shivering from the cold, but probably also from fear. According to her, the streets of the city were now a ‘living hell’, and her very arrival in this world was a mistake. However, she did not want to say more.

  “Here,” Winningham said dryly, irritated by Minnie’s request for hot cocoa. She had initially refused her request, but finally gave in, unable to bear her whining.

  Minnie took a sip and let out a joyful sigh. “Mmm! I've always wanted to try this!”

  Winningham was surprised. “You've never had cocoa before?”

  Minnie giggled. “I just never had the chance.”

  Evelyn had to quietly admit that May was right and that this girl was indeed a little strange.

  “Hmm, this cocoa is good, but I expected it to be a little sweeter,” said Minnie, putting the empty cup back on the table. “Now I'd like to try something called ‘tiramisu,’ do you have that?”

  Winningham frowned. “No, I don't.”

  “Hmm, could you go out and buy some?”

  “You must be kidding, girl!” she hissed angrily. “Where am I supposed to buy tiramisu at this hour, not to mention that we’re in the middle of an apocalypse! Enough of this! I’ve welcomed you, even though I didn’t have to, so repay me and explain what the current situation is!”

  Minnie leaned back and turned her head sulkily.

  “Geez, geez, why get so upset? Don't you know that anger makes you age faster?” She chuckled, but seeing Evelyn's murderous glare, she quickly stopped. She cleared her throat and spoke again. “I only want to talk to May.”

  “Are you kidding me? That's not an option.”

  May had seen this coming and, in a way, wished for the same thing as Minnie. She stood up and touched Winningham on the shoulder.

  “I can handle this. She... She won't talk to anyone but me.”

  “May, I think...”

  “I saved your life, didn't I? You have to trust me. Please, just this once.”

  The woman fell into thought. She clearly didn't like the idea. Despite this, after a moment she nodded and replied. “All right, but if anything happens, scream. I'll keep my finger on the trigger.”

  She said the last sentence, looking directly at Minnie. Minnie trembled, unable to hide her fear of the old woman with the revolver. Soon Evelyn disappeared from view, leaving the two girls alone.

  Minnie immediately exhaled loudly.

  "Finally! I felt like I was about to throw up. What a vicious woman! Ugh, just the thought gives me chills."

  “Enough. Let's get down to the point.”

  “Oh, yes. Sure.”

  “So?”

  “So what?”

  May was getting annoyed with this idiot. With every passing second, she was losing hope that she was actually the avatar of the system she claimed to be.

  “Our earlier conversation. You said it was a dream?”

  “Oh... Yes. I've already told you everything. Have you missed something?” She giggled stupidly, which made May angry, and she struggled to control herself.

  “I understood everything. But whatever, if you know how I got here, I guess you know how I can get out of here. Assuming you're telling the truth, of course.”

  While May was speaking, Minnie walked over to the fridge and started rummaging through it. “Hmm, no. I don't know.”

  “How do you not know?”

  “ Well, just like that." She said, putting a strawberry she found in the fridge into her mouth. It didn’t look very fresh. “I mean, hmmm… Theoretically, with the help of the system, I should be able to kick you out of this dream.”

  Oh, right. She said I had a system... Let's think, in stories like this, all you had to do was think... System! Panel! Skills! Stats? Menu!

  “Come on. You can't use the system in a dream. I don't really know why that is.” She said, eating her fifth strawberry. “But you can buy that option! For only 500 [mu]!”

  May frowned. “[Mu]? What's that?”

  “The official currency of the Island Mountain Sect. This is where you reincarnated,” he said, twirling his finger in a circle.

  “500 [mu]...? How much is that in dollars?” she said, looking for her wallet.

  “How should I know?”

  May finally managed to find her wallet. “And in euros? Forints? Norwegian kroner?”

  “Listen, I don't know. Besides, it's a dream, this money isn't real. You can't pay with it.”

  “Then it's impossible. I don't have that whole [Mu] thing you're talking about.” She replied with a sigh.

  “You're wrong, you do. In the real world.”

  “But like you said, I don't have access to the system here. It's a vicious circle, to get the system I need money, which I can only get with the system.

  “Without my help, that would indeed be the case. Although you don't have access here, I can manually use the system with your consent.” She said, throwing herself back onto the sofa. “By the way, you should also get your memories back with it.”

  “All right, then. Do your thing. We'll see if what you're saying is true.”

  Minnie smiled. “Doing business with you is a pleasure.”

  May's pupils dilated, and in a split second, all her memories hit her like a train. She looked around, suddenly understanding the situation.

  “System,” she said quietly, wanting to see if it worked.

  “Minnie?”

  “You're in a dream that has its own rules. Your real stats are highlighted in yellow. That means they're currently unavailable,” she explained. “If you want, you can buy...”

  “If I want to, I can buy to unlock them. No, thank you.” She didn’t let her finish. “By the way, why did you take on this persona?”

  “Oh, this?” Minnie said, striking various poses. “When you fell into this dream, I tried to contact you. Unfortunately, the system requires payment if you want to use it in this place... After all, this is not an ordinary dream. Unfortunately, without your consent, I cannot spend your money.”

  “But you succeeded...?”

  “Yes. I tried for a long time, but I finally did it! You have no idea how difficult it was without using the system's funds! Unfortunately, to get here, I had to take over the body of one of the NPCs here!”

  “NPC?”

  She chuckled. “That's just what I call them. In reality, they are probably characters created by your subconscious based on people you know or have seen in your lifetime.”

  So I can't use my real abilities... Buying them would probably cost a bit. After all, this world is based on my old world.

  “I see... Good job, Minnie.” She decided to praise her. Even if it was limited, having memories and being able to use the system was extremely useful.

  After all, it's a test... Depending on how I behave here, my character will be evaluated.

  “Sure... Anyway, do you know what this test is about?” Minnie asked. “For now, the streets are full of bloodthirsty psychos. One is even lying dead at your doorstep...”

  “Yeah... It's for a test. He attacked Evelyn. I defended her and killed him. That'll probably give me some good character points!”

  “Oh, really? You're brave even without your memories, well done,” Minnie commented. “But I wonder if that's enough? How long have you been in this world?”

  “More than a day. According to them, these nightmares can last up to a few hours, but I've been here much longer than that. As for whether it's enough... Maybe? I don't know what else I could do.”

  “Many people are dying on the streets. You could try to help them. That should give you some extra points.” Minnie wondered aloud.

  May thought about it. “Maybe, but... We don't know exactly how this test works. Objectively speaking, going outside is a death sentence. It's possible that it would be deemed foolish.”

  After all, only an idiot would go outside now, even if it was to help others. I don't want the results to show that I'm reckless.

  “So what are you planning to do?“ Minnie asked, staring at the television screen, which was constantly showing the same messages on a loop. ”Are you going to wait here until the dream ends on its own? Not that I mind, I don't really feel like leaving, but I don't think it's going to help your test results."

  “I think differently. Staying here is a rational option. Besides... This nightmare is still going on. The man who attacked Winningham didn't show up here by accident.”

  Minnie sighed. “I think I understand. So you're saying there will be more trials?”

  “Yes. Even if we don't move from here, I suspect something will come to us anyway,” May replied. “To be honest, so far this nightmare hasn't been as bad as they described it.”

  Minnie frowned in irritation. “What are you talking about? It wasn't that bad? Someone tried to murder you, and you say it wasn't that that big of a deal?”

  May shrugged. “I expected something worse.”

  “Ugh, you're not normal.”

  “Okay, now that we've decided to stay here for the time being, you'd better tell me what the situation is like outside.”

  Minnie turned to her with sudden seriousness and sat down right next to her. May hadn't expected such a sudden change in atmosphere.

  “People went crazy. Suddenly, out of nowhere, some started acting like mindless wild beasts. However, not everyone behaved the same way.”

  “Can you explain?”

  “Yes. Some were like zombies, stupid and slow. Others, however, were fast and agile, killing a dozen people one after another in a matter of minutes. But the worst was the third type...” Minnie said anxiously. “They were like other people, indistinguishable. But as soon as you let your guard down, they attacked you from behind!”

  May thought for a moment. “Some kind of mind control? It reminds me a little of the situation with the Glendola parasites from Easter Court...”

  “I had similar feelings, but I think it’s something else...” said Minnie. “As I was wandering around aimlessly, I noticed that the people who were affected were holding phones in their hands.”

  “Their phones?”

  “Yes, I think something they saw on their phones caused these symptoms,” Minnie explained.

  “That would explain why the internet isn't working and television is limited,” May wondered aloud. “If whatever is causing people to be taken over was spread on the internet, then shutting it down could be the government's way of limiting the spread of this disease, or whatever it is.”

  Minnie agreed with her assessment.

  Winningham doesn't use a phone or the internet, and she hasn't watched TV in over a week, so she avoided being taken over... The reason behind it doesn't matter. After all, the goal of this nightmare isn't to solve the issue.

  Suddenly, in the middle of May's thoughts, Minnie spoke up: “You know, I was just thinking... But I think I understand this whole nightmare a little bit.”

  “Hmm? What do you mean?”

  “Nightmares are created by the subconscious, hidden fears... You said yourself that this situation is somewhat reminiscent of the events with the parasites at Eastern Court. Following that logic, this situation is simply a visualization of your hidden fears. You are afraid of losing your loved ones again.”

  Minnie's words made May pause for a moment.

  “But then why am I on Earth and not in Eastern Court? Besides, even if you're right, we'll never know.”

  Minnie shrugged. “Because maybe you're still more attached to this place than to your new world? I'm not saying that both situations are completely the same, but the general facts are the same. And if that's your fear... Then this nightmare will try to take away those you love from this world.”

  May was surprised. It didn't sound... stupid?

  “Minnie... Since when are you so smart? You're usually useless, but this whole thought doesn't seem too bad...”

  Minnie seemed offended, but after a moment she gave up and sighed.

  “To tell you the truth, when I took over this body to get here... Something changed in me. Usually, I'm just a voice in your head, right? No body, just simple feelings. But now I have a real human body and... I started to feel different.”

  It's strange... It doesn't seem like a change for the worse, but... I hope it doesn't cause any trouble.

  “I see... I'm not entirely sure what to think about that, but I hope it turns out well for you...” May said thoughtfully. “However, that's a matter for another time. Right now, we need to focus on making sure the rest of the test goes well.”

  Minnie quickly shook herself out of her thoughts. “Yes, but there's nothing we can do about it right now.”

  May nodded. All they could do was wait for the next ‘trial’ to appear. If Minnie was right, and the nightmare was based on her hidden fear about the loss of someone close to her then the people she loved most were her parents. However, this seemed unlikely, as they lived hundreds of miles away. Even a nightmare had to obey some laws of logic.

  Apart from them... Friends? Well, if I was put in a difficult moral situation by this nightmare, I wouldn't have such a hard choice when it came to them, compared to if it were someone from my family, for example.

  Winningham suddenly left the room and entered the living room where Minnie and May were sitting. Well, there was nothing strange about that, as she must have been getting impatient. “Are you done yet? I had the impression that you had forgotten about me.”

  “I was about to go get you...” replied May, who had indeed forgotten about her a little. “But since you're here now, I'll tell you briefly what I've learned.”

  May summarized what Minnie had told her earlier. Winningham was useful, so it was better to tell her what was currently going on.

  “I didn't expect to live to see the end times,” she mused quietly, shaking her head. “As absurd as it may sound, it would certainly explain the current situation.”

  May still couldn't get over how an old woman like Evelyn Winningham, despite being almost a centenarian, had such an open mind about such things. To tell the truth, she had never had such a close relationship with a woman in her previous life, so she was a little surprised.

  But in reality, was she really like that? After all, according to Minnie, this world was created based on my subconscious…

  It was one of those things she knew she would never really know the whole truth about.