The prompts hovered before him, glowing faintly against the soft blue of the post-battle sky. They pulsed like heartbeats, and each bore a different symbol.
[Absorb DreamSurge Knowledge]
[Integrate Title: The Dream Assassin]
[Unlock Skill Orb]
Andrew stared, still on his back, lungs aching, vision blurred. Blood trickled from a cut above his brow. But he reached up, his instinct guiding his fingers through the translucent prompts—and tapped the middle prompt.
The world shuddered.
Not the forest. Not the earth. Reality itself.
His mind lit up like wildfire.
[DreamSurge Knowledge Absorbed]
____________________________________
Memory Imprint Detected.
You have glimpsed the Echo Archive of the First Dreamers.
Mental Resilience +10
New Passive Unlocked: Lucid Resistance
(You now retain clarity and control in hostile dreamscapes or illusions.)
Access to game granted.
_______________________________________
A rush of impressions followed: floating cities woven from threads of starlight, titanic beings ,dreaming planets into existence, a shattered crown buried beneath a sea of mirrors. It wasn't memory. It wasn't prophecy.
It was potential.
Andrew gasped, rolling onto his side. He couldn't tell how long it lasted. Seconds? Years?
[Access Knowledge]
[Knowledge accessed]
___________________________________
DreamSurge
Prophecy of the Dreambound Realm
------------------------------------------------------
When sleep's soft veil turns steel and chain,
And dreamers walk where none remain,
A world within, by shadows spun,
Shall rise beneath the moonless sun.
The waking mind shall not recall
The nightmare forged beyond the wall.
Yet one shall stand, both lost and free,
To shape the fate no eye can see.
With blade of thought and heart of flame,
They'll play the gods' forgotten game.
And should they win, the dream shall break—
But fail, and none shall ever wake.
___________________________________
Immediately he finshe reading the poem-like message, another messaged displayed on the prompt.
___________EXPLANATIONS____________________
DreamSurge: Level Up, Accomplish Missions in your dream. A game that exists in different realms. A game of death. A game to become the strongest. A game that only appears to a dreamer.
___________________________________
Stages: Stages are themes of specific consecutive levels.
___________________________________
Qualification Stage: A stage set for Dreamers (Irregulars) who has entered the game.
___________________________________
Dreamers: Different representatives who has activated the game. They're categorized into two: Regulars and Irregulars.
Regular: Those chosen by the system to participate. They are ranked
Irregulars: Those who entered the game without being chosen by the system. They aren't ranked only level up normally.
Dreamers who lost and are taken captive by the opponents, or dreamers who died in the game are regarded as Inactive.
Those who are still levelling up are regarded as Active.
Info: Dying in the game means eternal slumber in reality or death(depending on the kind of death).
Dying at the hands of S-B ranked opponents - Death
Dying at the hands of C-E ranked opponents - Eternal Slumber
___________________________________
Titles: A title is given at the end of each stage. It's determined by the gamer's characteristics and actions during a particular stage.
___________________________________
Badge: A badge is given at the end of each stage exemption of the Qualification Stage. It is determined by the gamer's achievements during a particular stage.
___________________________________
Monarchs: An army of species of your opponents. Monarchs are gotten after gaining the required points.
__________________________________
Skills: A trait earned by the gamer. It involves fighting abilities and martial arts.
Abilities: A trait earned by the gamer. It involves magic, mystics and superhuman abilities.
___________________________________
Guardian Spirit: A god, demon, superhuman that protects the gamer that earns him. Powerful, an entity, a gift from the unknown.
___________________________________
"Hmmm....so that means I'm an irregular?"
He said and turned his gaze to the other prompt.
_____________GAME INFO______________
DreamSurge: The Gods' Forgotten Game
It landed on your planet called Earth.
[Dreamers Overall: 300 Earth Gamers]
[Active Earth Gamers: 2 Irregulars]
[Inactive Earth Gamers: 298 Regulars]
[Dead Earth Gamers: 190 Regulars 8 Irregulars]
[Eternal Slumber Earth Gamers: 60 Regulars 40 Irregular]
_____________________________________
"500?! Only two remaining?!" He yelled in fear.
"But two irregulars..irregulars has the upper hand in this stats..does that mean Irregulars are really strong people" His expression lightened. A smile curved on his lips.
"I'm damn strong!" He concluded stupidly.
___________________________________
Getting more than 100 kills in 'Qualification Stage' has earned you a title!!
[The Dream Assassin]
___________________________________
Your frequent use of immense speed during 'Qualification Stage' has earned you a Skill
[Enhanced Agility]
___________________________________
________________Status__________________
[Coins: 18450]
[Level: 5]
[Stage: Oblivia Twilight Stage (Pending)]
[Titles: 1]
[Badges: 0]
[Monarchs: 0]
[Monarch Points (Overall):125]
[Skills: 1]
[Abilities: 0]
[Guardian Spirit Points: 40]
[Weapons: Nyxian Dagger]
[Spins: 5]
___________________________________
"Hmm...a proud moment" he mused. "It said something about market unlock before right?"
Immediately the prompt displayed another information. Not a message. Like an online purchasing app, more like the one Andrew bought spaghetti and meatballs. It was different. Not only showing food, it showed clothing, weapons and a house?!!!
"A house? 8000 coins"
___________________________________
Dreamer Abode: A resting area for a dreamer before moving to any level. It moves with you as you level up and appears when you summon.
___________________________________
At first he was confused, then immediately bought it.
[Dreamer Abode bought]
" I guess I'll take care of clothing and food when I get to the house. First I need to know more about this game."
"But no more levelling and going on missions for now.. I'm plump tired"
"Who is this gamer?"
___________________________________
Gamer.200
Level:300
General Title: "The Ultimate Gamer"
___________________________________
"Ragnhildr mentioned a gamer 200...hmm he or she sure is damn strong."
"Level 300! Aaaah ...I still have a long way to go"
[Begin your real journey into DreamSurge, Irregular]
"Dreamer Abode" he said in a low commanding tone. Immediately a large prompt appeared in the horizon.
The Irregular
Born beyond the system's eye,
Unshaped by stars, unblessed by sky,
You walk the thread the Fates won't weave,
A spark the Dream was meant to leave.
No tether binds, no law defines,
Your soul's a blade that cleaves all lines.
Where gods once spoke and rules were sealed,
You'll be the wound that never healed.
To some, a curse. To others, key.
The one who breaks what none can see.
And should you stand when echoes fall—
You'll silence fate, and shatter all.
The moment the words left his mouth—"Dreamer Abode"—the world cracked.
Not literally. Not physically. But like a bad rendering in a glitched video game, the space around him began to pixelate, chunks of the forest breaking into blocky fragments, dissolving into shimmering particles that rose like ash caught in an updraft.
Andrew staggered to his feet, heart thumping. His body felt both weightless and heavy, like he was being pulled through a stream of code.
Then,impact.
He landed on his feet, knees buckling slightly from the jolt. But the ground was solid. Cool. Clean.
Marble.
He straightened and blinked. Before him stood a building—no, a structure—that seemed carved from the stuff of dreams and surreal logic. A tall, elegant estate wrapped in soft silver light, hovering just slightly above the marble platform it stood on. No foundation. No base. Just suspended, as though gravity had been politely asked to wait outside.
The architecture was an impossible mix: ancient columns of obsidian, vine-wrapped and glowing faintly with ethereal blue sigils, held up walls of shifting crystal, transparent but not fragile. Inside the crystal, he could faintly see images pulsing and shifting—like fragments of memories, people, battles, even stars dying in silence.
Above it all, a wide dome roof of blackened glass curved upward into the sky. It reflected nothing—no stars, no clouds, only void.
At the apex of the structure, hanging without wires or support, floated a rotating sigil, glowing with the same hue as the system prompts. It resembled a crescent moon entwined with a blade of wind.
A soft chime echoed around him.
[Dreamer Abode Initialized]
Personal dimensions syncing...
Mental Domain active.
Safety protocol: Online.
Welcome, Andrew.
A set of onyx double doors slid open silently before him, revealing a hallway lit with soft golden ambient lights and walls that pulsed like the veins of some slumbering titan.
Andrew took a hesitant step forward. "Home...?"
Then a second step.
"It moves with me…" he muttered, awe replacing weariness. "My own base... in a world of death games."
He chuckled.
"I could get used to this."
But just as he reached the threshold....
[Alert: Presence Detected]
Unverified energy signature within Abode.
He froze.
Inside, beyond the shimmer of lights, something moved.