Chapter 1 The dream Begins

The pub reeked of ale and sweat.

Wooden beams groaned under the weight of hanging lanterns as rowdy patrons laughed and drank away the day’s labor. In the corner, a bard strummed a lute with little enthusiasm, his music drowned out by the clatter of mugs and rough voices.

Kai sat alone, boots propped on the table, staring into his half-empty mug. He wasn’t drunk. He wasn’t even thirsty.

He was angry.

This wasn’t his world — not the one he remembered. He had no clue how he got here, but it didn’t matter. Everything felt fake. The stone walls, the warm lights, the clink of gold coins changing hands… none of it was real.

A dream.

He had spent too long in the real world taking everyone’s shit. This time, things were going to be different.

The doors burst open.

Four figures strutted into the room as if they owned it. Adventurers.

The "Heroes."

They were exactly what Kai expected from a dream like this — cocksure idiots with weapons too big for their egos. Their armor gleamed unnaturally under the firelight.

The leader — tall, broad, a classic “hero” type — wore his arrogance like a second skin. He puffed out his chest, surveyed the room, and barked, “Drinks! For the saviors of the realm!”

Nobody cheered.

Nobody clapped.

The bartender nervously rushed to fill their mugs.

They didn’t deserve to be celebrated. But they acted like they did.

Kai watched quietly as the leader grabbed a young server by the waist, pulling her close. She squirmed, trying to escape his grip. The big man just laughed.

“You should be honored,” he sneered. “Not every day you get to serve a hero.”

Something inside Kai snapped.

He put down his mug, slow and deliberate.

“Hey,” he called out.

The word sliced through the noise like steel.

The leader turned, eyebrows raised.

“What?”

“I said, shut the hell up.”

The room fell silent.

The leader’s lips curled. “You got a death wish, whelp?”

He cracked his neck as he stomped forward. “What makes you think you can talk to me like that?”

Kai stood.

“I don’t think I can,” he said calmly. “I just am.”

The leader opened his mouth to bark another threat — but he never got the chance.

CRACK.

Kai slammed his forehead into the man’s nose with a sickening crunch. Blood splattered across the floor. The leader staggered back, clutching his face.

Kai didn’t stop.

He grabbed him by the collar and threw him over the nearest table. Plates shattered. Chairs splintered.

“Holy shit,” someone whispered.

The rest of the team sprang into action.

The second-in-command — a hulking strongman with arms thicker than Kai’s waist — cracked his knuckles. “You’re gonna regret that.”

Kai grabbed a chair and flipped it over.

“You next?”

Before the strongman could move, Kai kicked the chair into his stomach. The brute doubled over, wheezing.

The voluptuous woman — dressed in tight leather armor — shrieked and rushed to the leader’s side. “Babe! Are you okay?!”

She glared daggers at Kai. “You bastard!”

Kai dragged the chair toward the leader’s twitching body.

With one swift motion, he planted the legs around his neck, pinning him down.

Then he sat on it.

“You want to finish that thought?” Kai asked.

The leader coughed, blood pooling in his mouth.

The neko girl — the smallest of the group — hovered near the back, clutching her dagger with trembling hands. Her ears twitched as she tried to look tough, but the fear was obvious.

She wasn’t like the others.

Kai met her eyes… then turned away.

“I’m done taking shit,” he said calmly.

The pub was dead silent.

Nobody moved.

Nobody dared.

Kai leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, the chair legs still pinning the leader's neck to the floor.

"You think you're hot shit, huh?" Kai's voice was low, calm — the kind of calm that made everyone around the room hold their breath. "Go ahead. Lift yourself up."

The leader growled, veins bulging in his neck as he strained against the weight. But Kai didn't budge. The more he struggled, the more he sputtered, blood bubbling from his broken nose.

"Yeah... that's what I thought."

Kai tilted his head, eyes cold. "Listen real close. Next time you walk into this or any other pub with that chip on your shoulder... I'll snap more than your nose."

The crowd shifted nervously. No one dared intervene.

But then…

A blur.

From the edge of his vision, something flashed — quick, precise, aimed for his back.

Kai spun.

He caught the wrist mid-strike, the blade trembling inches from his neck. A slender hand, pale as moonlight, clenched the hilt. The dark elf.

She was beautiful — unnervingly so — with long, silver hair spilling over her shoulders and eyes that glowed faintly crimson. A wicked grin curled her lips as she tilted her head.

“Oh… you’re faster than I thought,” she purred.

Kai didn’t blink.

He yanked her forward, twisting her arm with practiced ease, and flipped her onto her back. She hit the floor with a dull thud, but instead of crying out, she let out a breathy laugh.

“Mmm… rough,” she whispered, licking her lips. “I like that.”

Kai stared down at her, disgust flickering in his eyes.

“I don’t care.”

He released her wrist with a shove and turned his back.

The crowd stayed silent as he sat down at his table, calm as ever, and picked up his mug.

“Anyone else?”

No one moved.

The pub crackled with tension. Kai took a slow sip, eyes flicking to the broken, bleeding leader gasping for breath beneath the chair.

“Didn’t think so.”

The room held its breath.

The leader lay gasping under the weight of the chair, blood running in thin streams down his lips. His eyes flicked to his teammates — the strongman clutching his ribs, the neko girl trembling near the back, and the dark elf still sprawled on the floor, laughing quietly to herself.

Then… a grin.

Slow. Wide. Dangerous.

Without warning, he lunged.

Kai caught the movement out of the corner of his eye — the sudden twist of muscle, the desperate rage of a man too proud to stay down.

Bad move.

Kai pivoted.

His boot came down hard on the leader’s ankle with a sickening crack.

The man howled, collapsing mid-lunge, clawing at the floor in agony.

But Kai wasn’t done.

Before anyone could react, he grabbed the back of the man’s head and slammed it into the nearest table. Wood splintered on impact. The mug on the table tipped over, spilling ale down the man’s bloodied face as he groaned, barely conscious.

Kai leaned in close, breathing heavy but calm.

“I warned you.”

The pub was dead silent.

No one stepped forward. No one even whispered.

The leader’s breath came in ragged gasps as he lay limp, his body twitching slightly with each shuddering breath.

Kai straightened, wiping his hands on his pants like he’d just finished taking out the trash.

He glanced around the room.

“No one’s better than anyone else,” he said flatly. “Remember that.”

Without another word, he turned and made his way toward the door. The room parted for him in stunned silence, eyes wide with disbelief.

Behind him, the dark elf propped herself up on her elbows, chuckling softly.

“Oh, I really like him.”

Kai adjusted his jacket as he pushed the pub doors open, the night air cool against his skin. His heart pounded in his chest, but his expression stayed calm — cold, even.

Behind him, the room buzzed with shock. Chairs scraped against the floor. Voices murmured, low and frantic.

Then came the shout.

"Quick! We need a healer!"

Kai paused in the doorway.

For a moment, he considered turning back… but only for a moment.

Not my problem.

He stepped into the night, letting the door swing shut behind him.

The stars above shimmered, the cobblestone streets empty and bathed in moonlight. In his mind, this was all just a dream — a place where he could finally rewrite the rules.

And this time, he would decide how things played out.

But somewhere, in the back of his mind, a faint voice whispered.

A nagging doubt.

What if it wasn’t a dream at all?