Level-Up Apocalypse: Surviving With The Assimilation System

"Hatter…Wait, why am I back here? Dreamwalking–is that what this is…?" He strung together the jumbled thoughts in his previously sleeping mind while sitting there.

From laying in bed to sitting at the table of tea with the peculiar man across from him, the shift was jarring. As he sat there for a moment, ignoring a rambling about the proper etiquette of "consuming tea" from Hatter, he placed together what was happening to him.

'I heard it when I fell asleep–"Dreamwalking Initiated"--it's that skill I obtained. I didn't activate it myself though. Is it passive? Whenever I fall asleep? No, it can't be everytime–this is only the second time, right? Besides, this doesn't even feel like a dream,' Finn pondered while staring at the cup of tea sitting in front of him.

Without giving any acknowledgement to the rambling hatter, he decided to test out the legitimacy of the world he was in as he pinched the skin on his hand. A sharp sensation met his action as he stopped, now left more confused than before.

"Might I ask what you're doing? It seems fun," Hatter asked before pinching his own hand then quickly letting go, "--Ow! This is not a very fun game."

He kept to his thoughts, not paying any mind to the host of the lonesome tea party. It could only be explained as some sort of dream, though it certainly didn't feel like one.

Still, applying logic to anything as of late seemed to be an exercise in futility—he recognized that.

"This world is not a fabrication of your mind, if that's what has your brain tying itself into knots," Hatter suddenly spoke up with a more intentful tone.

"What're you talking about? How did you—" Finn tried to ask, finding it as if his mind was tapped into.

"There's not a whole lot else going on in this land anymore. Frankly, you're the only guest I've had at my tea party in years!" Hatter claimed, shrugging as he swirled the tea in his mug.

"What's that have to do with—hold on, can you just give me a straight answer?" Finn asked.

It seemed like an incredible task, considering Hatter struggled to do anything but ramble about tea.

Finn looked around, looking at the trees that took the shape of wondrous animals. Yet, there were no such critters still present in the tucked-away field.

The ginger tea-drinker swirled his cup, "I know a lot. After all, sitting here and drinking tea for as long as I have, you get quite a lot of time to think. Think and think, and think and think."

"That doesn't explain anything," Finn said.

Hatter leaned closer with a small smirk, "Besides myself and that unkindly beast, there's only two who occupy this world, and not often at that. You are one of them."

"And the other?" Finn asked, not knowing where the tea drinker was going with his admission.

"The Universe," Hatter told him before leaning back in his chair, taking a sip while spreading one arm out.

"The Universe?" Finn repeated, somehow expecting a reasonable answer.

"Oh, yes. When I'm all alone here with a fresh cup of tea laid out for a guest, there's times when that seat is taken by the Universe. After all, even the embodiment of existence seems to get quite bored and lonely sometimes," Hatter explained casually.

Even being told plainly by the peculiar man, Finn didn't quite understand what he was being spoken of. It only left him with more questions than answers, sitting there at that tea table in a foreign land, when he should be sound asleep in bed.

"The Universe knows quite a lot, you see. Well, I suppose they know everything. I am a great listener, so I learn a lot," Hatter explained. "They even told me about you. The "Dreamer" from afar."

"The Dreamer? That's what they—the "Universe" told you about me?" Finn asked, not fully wrapping his mind around it, though getting somewhere.

The direct interest he took was met with a mischievous smirk from the host of the tea party. Of course, by that look and a raise of the eyebrows by Hatter, Finn knew what was being asked as he glanced down at the cup of tea before him.

'Right…He'll only tell me what I want as long as I drink this damned tea with him,' he recalled.

The mug was raised, bringing it to his lips as he took a sip before firmly placing it back down. As expected, a satisfied smile sat on the peculiar man's lips.

"What was I saying? As I was saying—right! Quiz time: The boy who walks in his dreams, is…?" Hatter enthusiastically questioned, moving his fingers as though playing the table like a piano.

"Me?" Finn answered, playing along.

"Bingo! In the boy's sleep, he drifts between worlds—only until he takes. Like jumping into a lake with a rope around your waist," Hatter explained, using his fingers to represent walking legs.

It was hard to digest, especially coming from quite the erratic pair of lips, though it matched what he experienced.

'Something like that…It's hard to believe, but it lines up,' he wondered.

As he tried to accept what was told to him by the less-than-reliable mouth, he felt a warm sensation trickling over his top lip. Feeling it with his fingers, he was disturbed to find black blood once more, bringing him to quickly wipe it away.

"Shit…" Finn mumbled.

"The Universe mentioned that one, too," Hatter said with a more disheartened tone.

"It did…?" Finn asked, brushing the blood away as he exhaled before willfully indulging in a chug of tea this time.

Hatter watched him before nodding, continuing on, "It is a great burden to walk between worlds. To project yourself through the curtains of reality. Your brain is struggling to endure."

"I'm not doing it on purpose though…I don't want this," Finn said, setting the cup down.

"I'm afraid I don't know anymore than that. Think of it like an affliction such as sleepwalking, yes? Perhaps there are solutions, yes," Hatter considered, though in knowing of the answer himself.

Finn felt himself lightheaded, having another cup poured for him before downing it all in one sip. Again, he got another refill before chugging it in a single go, earning a look from the eccentric connoisseur of tea, crossed between concern and elation.

"I am honored you enjoy my brew to such lengths, but I might suggest taking it slower? I believe a slower, more considerate consumption is more aligned with a tea party," Hatter suggested.

If nothing else, he consumed the cups of provided liquid plentifully to alleviate his lightheadedness, dissuading the weakness he felt in the moment.

"I'm fine now…How the hell do I wake up, anyway?" Finn asked.

"You are "awake", well–in a sense, I believe. You are, in fact, at my tea party, Mr. Thorne. You're also sleeping in bed. It's quite confusing, isn't it? A conundrum–ah, it hurts my head," Hatter tried to explain, though quite literally seemed to tie his mind in knots as he caressed his head.

"Enough with the bullshit!" Finn burst out for a moment, slamming his hands against the table.

There was a visible jump from Hatte at the sudden outburst, bringing the stressed assassin to sit himself back down, taking a breath.

"...I just don't want to be here any longer than I need to be," Finn calmly said.

Hatter adjusted his tie with a huff, settling back down, "You're free to come and go as you please, but I will not tolerate rudeness when I've been a more than charitable host."

"Yeah…my bad, sorry," Finn half-heartedly apologized, rubbing the bridge of his nose with a sigh.

"Since you've been…mostly a proper guest today, I shall inquire more from Mr. Universe next time he visits," Hatter assured him, sipping from his cup. "All I can tell you for now is, you left this world soon after earning the wrath of that foul-breathed beast."

"Thanks, I appreciate it," Finn said, sitting up from his seat.

It still felt like a fever dream, though it was undeniably a reality in its own that he had to accept. Even if he was connected through "Dreamwalking", after the wounds he awoke from last time, danger still felt present.

'I'm "projecting" myself into this faraway world, but if I get hurt here, I'll suffer the same wounds when I wake up. The same goes for experience though–I can level up here. It's a risk-reward balance, I'm starting to get that,' he acknowledged as he moved past the tea party.

Retracing his steps led him through the burnt pathway out of the Hatter's domain. If it all possible, he'd prefer a simple, normal night of sleep–not spending it risking his life.

Tiredly, he stepped out into an ashen field, overlooked by a jagged peak. It felt all too familiar, none more so than the grand shadow that soon cast itself over him as the silhouette of wings spreading through the veil of clouds became visible.

It was that same feeling of dread, settling itself in his heart at the sight of the beast that perched itself on the mountain with size comparable to the landmark itself.

"Beware! My claws that snatch! My jaws that bite!---"

["Sleuth Status"]

[...Assessing information about [???]...]

[BOSS Identified: "The Jabberwock"] [Level: 100]