I Can Copy Curses

"Hehe, it seems my room isn't here," Billy said with a silly smile. "Go and rest. The finals are the day after tomorrow. You don't have much time."

Orion and the others nodded as they walked through the hallway, looking for their names on the doors.

"Big Brother, see you later." Tracy waved and entered the room with her name on it.

Orion sighed, found his own room, and entered as well.

"Don't fall asleep, everyone! We have to gather in the evening for the Vision Hall!" Erza's loud shout reached his ears just as he stepped inside.

Orion sighed. "What a long and exhausting day." He walked through the entrance and found himself in a bedroom with two doors.

He lay down on the bed. 'Pretending to be someone else and talking to that person's family is exhausting,' he thought, feeling as if he'd used up all his mental energy while talking with Tracy on the way there. She kept asking question after question, and he had no choice but to answer each one.

Now, he was completely drained.

"I wonder what the final assessment will be?" he muttered, lying on the bed. He knew there would be a huge number of contestants—thousands, maybe even tens of thousands. He wasn't sure of the exact number but was certain it would be more than a thousand participants.

He couldn't imagine what kind of assessment could accommodate that many people.

'No point in overthinking it. I'll find out soon enough.' Orion thought, feeling very tired.

'Should I take a nap?' he considered. 'Erza will wake me up eventually, so I might as well.'

Giving in to his exhaustion, Orion closed his eyes.

***

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Orion stood frozen in the midst of a dreamscape, surrounded by countless versions of himself. Everywhere he looked, there was another him—his own face staring back at him, each expression vacant yet eerily familiar.

The figures floated, walked, and stood, their bodies forming an endless sea of Orion Darkwoods. It was unsettling, a sight that would have left anyone questioning their own identity.

"What is this...?" he whispered, but his voice was swallowed by the collective murmuring of his doppelgängers.

They were all speaking in unison, their voices blending into a haunting echo that seemed to vibrate in the very air around him.

"Find the blank pages..."

"You must find the blank pages..."

Their words repeated like a chant, each one piercing deeper into his mind. Orion clenched his fists, feeling a strange mixture of dread and curiosity. He knew he was dreaming—this wasn't real.

And yet, the oppressive presence of his own image was hard to shake. It was like staring into a mirror, except the reflection was alive, and every version of him carried the same unspoken weight.

"Find the blank pages..."

"You must find the blank pages..."

The sheer number of them made the murmurs sound like a swarm of bees, but unlike buzzing bees, he could understand every word clearly. That made it even worse.

"Find the blank pages..."

"You must find the blank pages..."

"Get away from me!" Orion started running. He couldn't take it anymore. Their constant droning was driving him mad.

But no matter where he looked or ran, all he could see was himself—his own face. They kept murmuring, repeating the same words, tormenting him.

"SHUT UP!"

***

"SHUT UP!"

Orion jolted awake, drenched in sweat. 'What the hell was that dream?' he thought, his heart pounding. He could still hear the faint buzz of their murmurs in his ears.

'It looks like I was too exhausted, which led to that dream... or maybe it's not just a dream,' he considered.

'I need a bath. That'll clear my head.'

Orion decided that after a refreshing bath and a good meal, he'd be in a better state to think about whatever that dream was.

'Being this exhausted will only lead to more problems.'

After a quick check of the bathroom, Orion stepped in and took a long, satisfying bath.

***

In the dining room, Orion sat at a table, devouring his food. He'd ordered several delicacies from the menu since they were all free, and he had noticed that with each rank upgrade, his appetite seemed to grow.

He suspected it had something to do with maxing out his stats before upgrading to a higher level at each rank. Only he was able to achieve something like that, so there were bound to be unique side effects along the way.

'Whatever that dream was, they kept telling me to find the blank pages...'

Orion smiled wryly. "What are these blank pages? Who's sending me this message, or am I losing my mind? Not likely, considering I've maxed out my perception stat."

'Whoever is sending this cryptic message is an idiot. Couldn't they just explain things properly instead of sending such a creepy dream?'

He cursed whoever was responsible.

Orion was convinced it wasn't just a random dream. It was too strange for that. He'd seen enough in this world to know that even dreams could be controlled if someone had the right talent.

'What are these blank pages, and how many are there? No clue whatsoever, but they want me to find them.'

He cursed the seven generations of whoever sent him that dream.

'Forget the dream for now. It's almost time for whatever this Vision Hall thing is.'

Orion began eating faster. One thing he loved about being in this world was the food—it was unbelievably delicious. He couldn't get enough without having three or four servings of the same dish.

"Knock, knock!"

"Ray, it's time."

Orion quickly finished the last bite of his meal before answering. "I'm coming, just a minute."

He rushed to wash his hands and face.

"Where are my clothes? I need something decent."

Orion pulled out a set from his storage ring—a pair of dark blue pants, a black t-shirt, and a light blue half-shirt. He quickly dressed and left the shirt unbuttoned for style.

'This looks good.'

Satisfied with the appearance of Ray Wiser, he took one last glance in the mirror before opening the door.

Everyone was already gathered outside.

"Hey, guys, looks like we're all early—just like me!" He waved with a grin.

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