I’m Doomed! I Got Trapped in a Dream! [8]

The most basic, instinctive move—one so ingrained it didn’t even require thought—a standard defensive counter that Keqing had executed flawlessly for years… failed.

This kind of direct heart-stab was easy to deal with. A light sweep upward would deflect the opponent’s blade and expose their chest for a clean counter-thrust.

But this time, something utterly unexpected happened:
Their weapons passed right through each other.

No contact.
No resistance.
Not even a slight change in momentum.

Forget exposing a weakness. Keqing couldn’t even slow the incoming attack.

Despite years of martial training, she had never encountered a situation like this.
And she panicked.

Instinct took over—she retreated two steps, still swinging defensively as she moved, trying to regain control.

In the end, both she and Chen Mo stabbed each other squarely in the chest.
But there was no pain.
No blood.
No wounds at all.

They stared at one another for several seconds.

“Well? You believe me now, Lady Keqing?”

“…”

Keqing slowly lowered her gaze to where Chen Mo’s blade had passed through her chest. Then she looked up again, her eyes fixed on the sword still embedded in his.

Not a drop of blood. Not a scratch.

She didn’t want to believe this goofy, reckless man-child in front of her—but the undeniable, iron-clad evidence of a sword through the chest with zero effect… how could she explain that?

Keqing finally withdrew her blade. She looked down, eyes blank, staring at the ground.

It was the first time in her life that she had encountered something so utterly beyond comprehension. Her mind blanked.

…

“I… I really died?”

Several minutes passed before Keqing finally spoke again.

“How… how did I die?”

“How could I be dead?”

She began muttering to herself.

“I wasn’t injured. I wasn’t sick…”

“I was just eating shrimp balls at Wanmin Restaurant…”

“Tch… I still had to inspect the new harbor construction this afternoon… and report to Ningguang tonight.”

“Ugh… I haven’t even collected the payment for the Shenglu Pavilion project… Wait—wait no, I didn’t even ask Ningguang for leave yet…”

“Oh no. The Rite of Descension’s next month! I need to notify Ganyu to fill in for me—”

Chen Mo stood across from her, listening to her list off responsibility after responsibility. His expression shifted from amusement to amazement, and finally, he couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Lady, please… you’re already dead!”

“I know that.”
Keqing snapped back irritably at his outburst.

“You know that? And this is still your top concern?!”

“You wouldn’t understand. You’re not one of the Liyue Qixing.”

Keqing’s voice was sharp and firm.

“There are hundreds of thousands of people living in Liyue Harbor. So many lives. So many mouths to feed. The things that need managing—day in, day out—are countless. I dropped dead out of nowhere, do you realize how much chaos that’s going to cause? Ningguang and Ganyu’s heads will be spinning!”

“…”

Chen Mo was speechless.

Back before he transmigrated, he saw Keqing on screen every day. Affection maxed. All her voice lines unlocked. He’d long known she was a workaholic.

But still—he hadn’t expected her dedication to go this far.

“All my life, I’ve never wanted to be a burden on others,” Keqing said proudly.

"Any problem that fell into my hands—I always resolved it. During my tenure, we renovated Liyue’s aging residential zones three times. Expanded the docks by double. Under my watch, the entire city has been transforming every day, growing stronger and better.”

As she spoke, her face glowed with confidence.
Like her whole existence had been validated.
To her, the wellbeing of Liyue Harbor clearly meant more than her own life.

But then… her tone changed.

“I just never expected… the end of my life would be such a mess. I’ve caused Liyue so much trouble.”

To Keqing, her job wasn’t just a duty—it was her life’s purpose. Watching the city flourish because of her work brought her a kind of fulfillment no personal joy could match.

Chen Mo looked at her—and suddenly, he understood the term “workaholic” on a deeper level.

“No wonder you’re you, Keqing…”

He sighed.

“Even after learning you’re dead, your first thought is Liyue’s stability.”

So this was the same Keqing who’d carried him through his newbie days, climbed mountains and mined ores with him, fought mobs, cleared Abyss floors—spent festival after festival like Lantern Rite and Moonchase by his side…

And this… this was what she truly cared about?

“Man, if this scene were in your story quest, it’d beat half the current plotlines by a mile.”

“…Wait. Speaking of which, what is Keqing’s story quest again?”

“Hm?”

His brain stalled.

This woman he saw every single day, Master Keqing…

Where’s her story quest?

Chen Mo racked his memory—every patch, from version 1.0 to 4.2…

“Wait—she doesn’t have one?!”

Confirmed.
No legend quest.
Not even a side one.

“Damn… Master Keqing, you’ve been done dirty…”

Chen Mo muttered under his breath.

“…Anyway, let’s not dwell on that.”

He glanced at the floating game menu, then turned back to Keqing, a new thought coming to mind.

“Oh right! I just remembered—when I pulled you, you had a shrimp ball in your mouth. So that means… were you eating inside the gacha pool?”

When Keqing first appeared, mouth full of shrimp ball, Chen Mo had teased her about it for a good minute.

“‘Master Keqing’…? What kind of weird title is that…”

Keqing frowned slightly. In her twenty-some years, no one had ever called her that.

“And yes, I was eating. But what do you mean, ‘you pulled me’? What does that even mean?”

“Ah, here we go again. Time to explain from the top…”

Chen Mo sighed.

“Listen carefully, Master Keqing. This place? It’s a game world.”

“A… game world?”

Keqing raised an eyebrow. “Sorry, those two words don’t logically go together.”

Too many unfamiliar terms, no context, and Chen Mo wasn’t explaining anything clearly. Of course she didn’t get it.

“Figures. Well, keep your eyes open, Master Keqing—”

He began walking forward.

Rather than explaining with words, he preferred to show her what he meant by “game world.”

And sure enough, the moment he stepped into the next trigger zone, a voice echoed through the air:

“Hmm? What’s going on over there? Smells delicious!”

Keqing froze, startled by the sudden line.

Then she whipped her head around, looking in all directions.

“Who?! Who’s talking?!”

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This is a fan translation of 完蛋！我被锁在梦里了 by 六轩岛润人芙宁娜. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!