"How did you get here?"

"How did I get here? Oh, my legs."

Zantman patted his thighs while groaning.

He raised his eyebrows and glared at Rudger.

"I figured you'd try to get into the deep layer somehow, so I followed you in a hurry."

"I thought it would take quite a while, but you came faster than expected."

"It would have normally taken a long time! Given the situation, I rushed here with some effort. I brought this with me too."

Zantman said this while showing the luggage he had brought.

Seeing the large luggage, Rudger instinctively realized that this was what Clara had said she would give him.

"Is that it?"

Rudger's gaze moved from the luggage to Zantman's hands and legs.

While Zantman had worn comfortable clothes outside, once he entered Dreamland, he was properly dressed in attire bearing the Dream School's logo.

The brass-colored gloves and gaiters worn over the outfit.

Looking at the barometer and clock embedded in the back of the gloves, they were clearly not ordinary items.

"This is called Siesta. When entering Dreamland, it adjusts the dream pressure so you don't get swept away by this world's dream flow and keeps the flow of time as close as possible to reality. It's an essential artifact for going into deep places."

That's why Siesta's other name was diving suit.

Just as a diving suit protects the body from cold and water pressure when going into deep seas and regularly supplies oxygen.

Siesta also protects the wearer when going into the depths of Dreamland.

"Usually you can move without much trouble up to the upper middle layer of Dreamland, but Siesta is essential for going to the middle section..."

Zantman stared at Rudger with an incredulous look.

"To not only pass through the middle section so easily but to reach the entrance of the lower section too. And you still look perfectly fine. What kind of mental fortitude do you have?"

"I did struggle quite a bit, even if it doesn't look like it."

"That's disappointing to hear. The fact that you can say that shows you didn't struggle enough. You should have struggled more for those words not to come out."

It was hard for Zantman to say anything nice.

When it was dangerous enough to stay still, entering a hazardous area without proper equipment was reckless.

While he understood the urgency of the situation, as a professional, Rudger's actions were far too rash.

If Clara hadn't told him that she was a very important person who must be protected, he would have left her alone, considering it natural selection.

But since he couldn't do that, Zantman came down to the middle layer and came all the way here alone, leaving behind other Dream school mages.

And he did so while carrying the Siesta for Rudger to wear.

Does that young man even know?

Just how much of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity he has grabbed right now?

Zantman was about to say this out loud but stopped.

Not only was Rudger's physical condition too perfect, but he also had 3 people accompanying him.

'No. Not completely human.'

One was a dwarf girl.

The other one...gave off subtle elven vibes. That means they must be mixed blood.

The middle section was hard enough to handle alone, let alone moving together with others.

'The white landscape of the middle section is a canvas for projecting human desires and the past. And there weren't just 1 brush but 4 brushes on it, so it must have been quite chaotic.'

Yet everyone seemed fine.

Were all four of them such exceptional talents?

'The only one whose ability is somewhat visible is the small mixed-blood child. The other two aren't at that level.'

Because this was Dreamland, Zantman could roughly gauge their abilities by the aura flowing from them.

In his judgment, among these 4 people, only Rudger was capable of withstanding Dreamland's harsh environment.

'Yet all four are fine, which means...'

It means that one person led the rest.

'Is this even possible?'

It must be possible.

Isn't it happening right before his eyes?

Zantman felt he understood why Master Clara told him to watch Rudger carefully.

"Anyway, now that I'm here, you can rest a bit easier."

"That Siesta thing, should I wear it now?"

"Not needed right away. You're perfectly fine as is, so why waste energy unnecessarily? You can put it on before going in there."

That's when Hans, who had been quiet, spoke up.

"Who are you?"

"Ah. Come to think of it, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Zantman. A mage belonging to the Dream School and one of the Dream Walkers. And you are?"

"I'm Hans. This is Sedina Roschen, and this is Seridan Ironfoot."

"Hmm. I see. Wait...Sedina? Sedina Roschen?"

Zantman jerked his head at hearing the familiar name.

Sedina seemed not to understand why Zantman was calling her name.

"So it's you! The friend our youngest was so devastated about losing!"

"P-pardon?"

"Oh my. Look at this small frame. Are you eating properly? Should grandpa give you some candy?"

"U-um..."

If Julia were here, she would have immediately yelled at him to stop.

While Sedina felt burdened by Zantman's sudden interest in her, the word "youngest" he mentioned kept ringing in her ears.

"That youngest person..."

"Huh? Weren't you two friends?"

"Friends? Ah!"

Sedina finally realized who Zantman was talking about.

Come to think of it, she should have noticed when he introduced himself as belonging to the Dream School.

The reason she didn't was partly because Zantman was an extremely old mage, but also because he was very different from what she had imagined.

"Dream School mages are...supposed to be mysterious and mystical people..."

"Huh? Who says that?"

"Well..."

Sedina recalled Julia's image.

Outstanding appearance. Overwhelming talent. Even a noble bearing like that of a crane.

Although Julia was always alone, no one dared point fingers at her.

A flower on a cliff that no one could match or associate with, that was the perception of the person called Julia.

The Dream School background wasn't insignificant in creating that perception.

"That's..."

But how should she describe the Dream School mage she actually met?

He was a bit...frivolous.

Rather than someone mysterious who seemed to have stepped out of a folk tale, he gave off the impression of someone you might commonly see in a countryside village.

That wasn't necessarily bad, but.

Since it clashed so much with Julia, the Dream Walker she had known, she couldn't make sense of it.

"Hehehe. That kid, putting on all sorts of airs outside? I'll have a year's worth of teasing material when I get back."

Zantman immediately understood which part had disappointed her from Sedina's reaction.

In fact, it would have been hard not to understand.

Many people who visited the Dream School showed similar reactions to Sedina's.

However, since she was Julia's friend, he had thought she would know more about them, but for her to be this bewildered.

It means Julia must have desperately avoided talking about her seniors.

Kids these days, really.

While clicking his tongue, Zantman didn't forget what he needed to do now.

"Sir. Since I came in such a hurry, could you explain exactly what's going on here?"

The sudden outbreak of the sleeping sickness.

And the unprecedented appearance of the dream subordinates.

While Zantman had come this far because he needed to handle urgent matters first, he had too many unresolved questions.

"It's quite a long story."

Rudger explained to Zantman how this situation came about.

About the old man called Nirva, the retainers he commanded, and how he was now waiting for something to awaken in the depths of Dreamland.

Zantman's expression hardened after hearing the whole story.

"I thought it wasn't an ordinary matter, but it's far more serious than that. Now I finally understand why Master gave such strong warnings."

Zantman stroked his beard with a sigh.

"Sir. You're going to continue on, right?"

"Having come this far, can I turn back?"

"Tsk. That's true. Running away would be pointless anyway. But I don't want to go first and take all the blame either."

"If you're that worried, you can wait here. I'll go down first."

"What do you take me for! To retreat after coming all this way? Everyone in our school would laugh at me. I absolutely cannot do that!"

Though he said that, Zantman had come all this way to fight from the beginning.

Rudger wasn't unaware of this either.

"Here, take it first. It's a special Siesta made for you."

Zantman handed over the Siesta he had brought to Rudger.

The large case opened to reveal sophisticated gloves and gaiters inside.

Unlike other Siestas which were brass-colored, Rudger's was pitch black.

The design was also much slimmer and smoother.

"It looks quite different."

"Because it's special. When I just said to make it normally, the maker said how could they do that and made it in a style that would suit you. Well, honestly it doesn't look bad at all."

Rudger put the Siesta glove on his hand.

The black glove made of metal material automatically adjusted its size to fit his hand perfectly.

Rudger could feel it the moment he put it on.

The subtle pressure of Dreamland's force pressing on his mind disappeared as if blocked by something.

It was like putting on an oxygen mask while holding your breath deep underwater.

'So this is why Dream Walkers said it was an essential item. It's certainly extraordinary.'

To Rudger who was marveling with shining eyes, Zantman gave one piece of advice.

"See the green jewel on the back of your hand? Try flowing a little magical power into it."

When he did as told, the green jewel turned a bluish color.

Soon, a translucent barrier was created around Rudger.

"Oh, oh?"

"Phew."

Hans, Sedina, and Seridan who were inside the barrier unknowingly let out sighs of relief.

It was because they were now free from the dream pressure that had been imperceptibly pressing on them from Dreamland.

"While maintaining it will be quite burdensome for you, you can safely move with up to 10 companions."

So it wasn't just tailored for individual use, but also considered the role of moving with companions.

"At this point, it should be called a submarine rather than a diving suit."

"It was Master's instructions. That shows just how important your role is."

"So, what's this item's name?"

"Name?"

"If it's special, shouldn't it have a name befitting its special status?"

"We packed it up and ran right after making it, was there even time to name it? Since you brought it up, why don't you name it as its owner?"

"You're completely transferring ownership rather than lending it?"

"My good sir, we're not merchants. We're especially not the kind of people who scheme for personal gain in urgent situations like this."

Seeing Zantman staring at him with upright eyes as he spoke, Rudger let out a small laugh.

People who move for the greater cause rather than personal greed in such urgent situations.

He could understand why the Dream School was said to be full of idealists.

If Zantman, who could be considered the head of the group, was like this, it was natural that those below would be the same.

If there were many more people like this in this world, it would have been a better place to live.

'No. Even then it would be useless. Since the foundation of the world itself is wrong, it's not something that can be solved just by gathering individual people.'

Rudger shook his head to clear away the stray thoughts.

"A name."

Looking at the black gloves covering his hands, Rudger suddenly recalled a story.

A story about someone who spent too long sleeping in dreams and returned to find the world had changed.

There's a saying about not knowing your hoe handle has rotted while playing with immortals, and there are various similar folk tales.

Rudger decided to name it based on that.

"[Rip Van Winkle]. This would be good."

When you enter the depths of Dreamland, you experience a completely different timeline from the outside.

Considering the name attached to these gloves, isn't this quite timely?

Rudger knew the ending of the story that was the origin of this name.

Yet he gave it such a name, not only because it matched the current situation.

It was to constantly remind himself of the current situation of entering this world.

No.

It was a resolution that we will never meet such an ending.

"Let's go. We need to pass through that door to reach the deep layer."

And so the party, now joined by Zantman, moved toward the massive door.