“All staff seems to be ready, so I will declare the opening of the Dream Capsule popup store. See you all in two hours!”
The Vice President of the Retail Division of Barya cut the red ribbon.
“Waaaaaaah!”
Tens of thousands of people in line cheered.
Even those in the ticket reservation queue, not the entry waiting line.
To avoid congestion, tickets were issued so that everyone could enter at different times.
One hundred part-time employees sequentially scanned chip codes and let the tourists through.
From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. However, on Mondays, it opened two hours earlier at 7 a.m.
VIP customers who reserved the Prometheus Edition visited at this time.
This could be considered a privilege, and in fact, it was a privilege. After all, these customers willingly paid 100 million won to become test subjects; they deserved to be treated well.
Such wealthy individuals stepping forward would help the public feel secure using the capsule.
It seemed that about 300 out of around 500 people had visited. Including the families of the contractors, this added up to about a thousand.
At this time, actual reserved products were provided, not the trial capsules.
While the customers were looking for their capsules, I moved to the center of the popup store and stood on the towering podium.
I picked up the microphone and conveyed the guidelines.
“Experience time is limited to 10 minutes per person. I want to emphasize that Barya and Jansol do not collect any personal information from customers, and internal situations will not be recorded at all.”
Since this had already been announced in advance, the public accepted it.
“The Drimming Mode consists of two types of magic. The first is the Alchemist’s Mirror, which visually reproduces your happiest times on a dome screen. Think of it as a movie you watch standing up. And approximately 10 seconds later, Nascentia will activate. Those who have lived healthily will not feel much difference, so we will provide a health check service after the experience. If you have any questions, please ask the staff assigned to each capsule. Then, have sweet dreams, everyone.”
I put down the microphone and crossed my legs while sitting in the chair.
The previously quiet venue began to buzz.
Not everyone immediately jumped into the experience.
Initially, people were busy asking the staff questions, trying to read each other’s expressions.
A few brave citizens steeled themselves and entered the Dream Capsule.
I could see worried family members watching them as if they were boarding a spaceship.
[Drimming Mode: 28 units in operation]
Since Nascentia usually ended around five minutes in, the capsule could self-terminate.
However, none of the 28 people exited the quasi-virtual reality.
“Is something wrong with my husband?”
“Why hasn’t he come out yet? It should end in five minutes!”
“Noname! Noname!”
The confusion triggered by one person rapidly spread to those around.
But I remained unmoving, still crossed-legged in my chair.
“There’s no problem at all.”
After all, nobody would hear me, so I decided to hold back any further comments.
Another five minutes passed, and the experience time finally ended.
I moved to meet the first glorious beta tester.
“Hello?”
“Yes… Is my husband okay?”
“Please wait a moment.”
The lady bit her long nails anxiously.
Pshh—
The first to exit the capsule was a bald Chinese businessman.
“Wait, it ended already…?”
He came out with tears streaming down his bewildered face.
“Sweetheart!”
“Dad, are you okay?”
“Why do you look like that? Were you in pain? If something’s wrong, tell me so I can call a doctor!”
“Nothing like that. Hey everyone, come here for a second!”
“Huh?”
The man embraced his wife and young daughter, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Remember the day we paid off the factory debt and bought our first home in Beijing? I’m so sorry for all the hardships I put you through… sniff…”
“Why are you suddenly like this? Noname! I think something is wrong with my husband! Is there a psychiatrist here?”
“I’m fine! I’m saying I’m fine! Don’t embarrass me in front of everyone and just stay still…!”
“You look really unwell.”
“Cough, my face has always looked like this.”
After some misunderstandings were cleared up, he wiped his face with a handkerchief.
The businessman realized that I was right beside him.
“Oh my! Noname! When did you arrive? I’ve made quite a scene, haven’t I?”
“I was here the whole time…”
“Did you hide away? Hahaha!”
I was literally right next to him.
An overwhelming emotion surged within me, but I suppressed it for now.
“After using it once, my mind feels numb. So, this is what the Alchemist’s Mirror is.”
“Did you see the scene you expected?”
“No, I didn’t expect anything like this. I thought there could never be a happier day than when I listed the company on the stock exchange last year…”
“And now?”
“I see I was wrong. Thank you for providing such a valuable experience. This product… is truly revolutionary!”
“However, there seems to be a misunderstanding. The Alchemist’s Mirror is not the main magic of the Drimming Mode.”
It’s merely a tool to maintain the quasi-virtual reality; the real deal lies within Nascentia.
“Oh, I’m really losing my mind. Right, it was the healing magic.”
“If you inquire with the staff over there—”
“It’s okay. We’re going to use the diagnostic kit we brought.”
“Yes, feel free to do as you please.”
The skeptical Chinese businessman was a diabetic.
He pricked his finger with a needle to measure his bl**d sugar levels.
“Did I take my medication this morning?”
“No, you didn’t. You didn’t take it last night either, that’s why you brought the syringe today.”
“Wow… Hahaha! We’ve really entered a new world! Look at this, Shaoyu.”
“Whoa, it’s normal?”
“What is it, Mom? I want to see too!”
I couldn’t afford to keep watching the happy family.
People were continuing to exit after experiencing the Drimming Mode.
Perhaps because they faced their happy times, there were hardly any troublesome customers.
The only customer I could classify as troublesome was a woman grumbling that she felt she didn’t get much effect from it.
“I don’t feel any healthier at all. Is there really any effect?”
“Health is something you take care of when you’re not sick. Hemorrhagic strokes, cerebral embolisms, and myocardial infarctions don’t gradually come to you; they strike unexpectedly one day.”
People tend to overestimate their health subtly.
However, most individuals praised the Alchemist’s Mirror as worth 100 million won.
Some cried loudly like the Chinese family earlier, while others reminisced, sharing their experiences.
Those who had been suffering from runny noses and sneezing approached me to offer their gratitude, but I firmly declined.
The experiences of 951 people ended after about an hour.
As a side note, thanks to Barya’s diagnostic service, one lucky individual was able to detect early symptoms of colon cancer.
“For those uncomfortable with Nascentia mana remaining in their bodies, we have installed mana-preventing pads near the exit, so please take note.”
The effects of Nascentia typically last about 40 hours.
Providing the option was also important to avoid future complaints.
But perhaps I had too much distrust towards people.
Not a single person touched the pad and exited the popup store intact.
All feedback collection was complete.
951 users of the Drimming Mode.
0 major adverse reactions, 0 mild side effects, 0 reports of depression and anxiety; rather, there were numerous reports of improved symptoms.
However, the Drimming Mode does not affect the central nervous system, such as serotonin or norepinephrine.
I speculated that this was likely due to the placebo effect or the Alchemist’s Mirror performing its role.
“Your inspections are incredibly thorough, Noname. Is there a specific reason you’re going to such lengths?”
A Barya employee assisting with sorting through the surveys asked.
“It makes me really angry and upset that selfish individuals prevent people in need from receiving treatment.”
“What does that mean…?”
Ah… This friend has no idea what future awaits him.
I placed my hand on the employee’s shoulder and patted it gently.
“Let’s do our best this week.”
“Yes!”
It was as I feared.
The future I was concerned about burst forth without fail from the first day.
“Ahhh! Air raid warning! Air raid warning! Ahhhh! Aahhh! Police force mobilized!”
“Madosa! Over here! This way!”
“Oh my, seriously…”
The world has all kinds of people.
Now, just hearing the sound, I could tell, “This guy is trying to commit insurance fraud.”
In preparation for such situations, I had even prepared manuals.
“What’s going on?”
“They used the Drimming Mode for 10 minutes, and as soon as the capsule door opened, they started causing a scene like this.”
The surrounding people were startled and reluctant to use the capsule.
I was already busier than I could handle.
“Ugh. Where’s Noname Madosa? Bring Noname here!”
“This is Noname Madosa. What seems to be the problem?”
“Noname Madosa? A missile is falling right in front of me. Aaaah!”
“It seems he is showing symptoms of mental confusion. Mr. Wigo, it might be effective to use polygraph magic for a proper diagnosis.”
“I am Eric Wigo. I am a polygraph expert and have mostly dealt with m*rder, infidelity, and s*x crime cases.”
A former FBI polygraph examiner cast the spell.
[Casting: Polygraph]
“Are you alright? It would be helpful if you could tell us what you see right before your eyes as it is.”
“… Ahhh! Missiles from the sky!”
“He seems to be lying after some hesitation.”
“Why do you say you see missiles when there are none?”
“I wasn’t like this before! Right now, I genuinely see them! There’s something wrong with the capsule!”
“From beginning to end, this is false. Ah, the last statement subtly reveals his wishes.”
“Are you pretending there’s something wrong with the capsule for monetary reasons?”
“What are you talking about? I may be in trouble, but I’m not the kind of shameless guy who sells his conscience!”
“He is trying to hide his lies by partially telling the truth. But at the end, he’s hiding something regarding that topic.”
‘Wow, is this the current performance of lie detectors?’
Not only identifying truths and lies but accurately discerning the subject’s intentions as well.
I was internally impressed.
Just then, Eric Wigo looked at me and said in a serious tone.
“This is a 30-year-old model, Madosa. Its performance lags behind modern lie detectors.”
“How did you know what’s in my heart…?”
At that moment, I felt a chill run down my spine.
Still, once Mr. Eric Wigo began to accurately read him, the troublemaker calmed down significantly.
“We will do our best to ensure your health and safety. However, if it is revealed that there is malicious intent behind this disturbance, we will definitely sue for obstruction of business and fraud. You do know the maximum penalty is 10 years in prison plus fines, and in serious cases, it can go up to 20 years?”
“Oh? Suddenly, I don’t see anything? I’m feeling fine, so I’ll be going now…”
“Get out.”
Before the security guards could escort him out, the man hurriedly left the store.
Whenever new technologies emerge, conspiracy theories run rampant.
Even with smartphones, which people all over the world use today, rumors have circulated that electromagnetic waves cause brain tumors and that certain frequencies manipulate users’ brains.
In fact, the recent insurance fraudsters didn’t even come close to qualifying as the worst offenders.
There were individuals who walked out smiling and then rushed to the media to spread lies as if they were truths.
They claimed things like feeling as if they were inhaling pesticides during sleep, their bodies moving involuntarily, etc.
How would they even know what pesticides taste like?
Considering the similar repertoire, it’s evident that someone must have coached them.
However, the number of individuals engaging in such despicable acts was genuinely a minuscule fraction.
The reason I had managed to accommodate around 40,000 people at the popup store in a day.
[Did you guys not taste pesticides when using the Dream Capsule? It seems like it’s not something we should use.]
└ Come on, staff, lol
└ How many of the same posts do we need to see?
└ We should block the Drimming Mode for such idiots, but…
└ We didn’t feel any of that. If you did, you must be a parasite ^^
└ Don’t slander Noname
└ Thanks to Noname, I finally breathed through my nose for the first time in 10 years lol
└ My mom, who passed away when I was young, came back and cried a lotㅠㅠ
The Dream Capsule users became warriors fighting against conspiracies.
On the first day of the popup store.
Reports of early exits began to come in earlier than expected.
[Texas, Florida, Arizona announce phased permission for Drimming Mode usage]
└ I heard there were Florida representatives among the VIPs at this Barya event?
└ Oh, they probably want to use it themselves, lol
└ Those stubborn people changed their stance in a day. How effective is this?
└ Feels like receiving a mana treatment costing about $10
└ Doesn’t feel like anything at all, right?
└ You feel nothing during treatment, but most ailments are fixed, wow
└ I don’t know if it’s just me, but my fatigue completely vanished
└ Noname, release it nowwwww!!!
![[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1743806812-5548-TS-The-Protagonist-is-Conquered.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered")
