　I am in a dream. Ever since I was born, I have been living in a dream. In this dream, I take on a special job and perform it in the same way. The name of that job is Soul Operator. But this dream never ends. It will continue until I die, as if nothing had happened. That is why I want the dream to end. The end of the dream. I feel that reality awaits me after that.

　"Soul Operator 8 will provide various types of support."

　"I am Soul Operator number 20, and I need your help."

　"What is the nature of your operational trouble?"

　"My soul is destabilising due to the normalisation of escape reactions."

　A common bio-reaction seen during inspections. I have heard that the most unusual of these are hostile reactions and escape reactions. For those two, they say that depending on the feelings you hold, you can see changes in the wave of biological reactions, but is it true?

　"Give me a minute. Let me check your biological reactions."

　"Please. We'll know when we investigate."

　Sorrowful voice of Soul Operator 20. From the sound of his complaint, the urgency of the situation may be high. I scanned Soul Operator 20's bio-signs, and the sheer volume of the wave caused me to shout out unintentionally.

　"Sorry to startle you. But really, I'm afraid of burning my soul."

　"Afraid? 'Oh, I understand. I accept jurisdiction now."

　"Thank you, thank you. ......"

　I quickly finished the transfer of jurisdiction, as if my voice had pushed me to do so. Soul Operator 20 is temporarily freed from the fear of soul burning, and I am closer to the end of my dream. Nothing could be better for both of us.

　"You've finished. Good work on the jurisdictional transfer process."

　"Good work. I really am selfish, aren't I?"

　"Maybe. But it can also be in the other party's interests."

　"I see. Sorry, I have to go now. ......"

　"Soul Op 8, no longer supported."

　I told myself and looked up at the ceiling. For Soul Operator 20, is facing this job a worse nightmare than this? If so, the moment of momentary release from all jurisdiction may be the heaven that 20 dreamed of.

　"This is Soul Op 8. We are available to solve all kinds of problems."

　"Part of Economy Facility Y has collapsed. Can you please restore it after your investigation?"

　"Understood. We will start the investigation and restoration immediately."

　I checked the current status of Economy Facility Y on the control panel. The equipment had become dilapidated, and cracks were concentrated on one side of the equipment. However, the control panel alone did not provide any details of the interior. I decided to activate Doctor mode and begin to identify the area that caused the partial collapse.

　Doctor mode. Detailed analysis. Problems in the structural system. Problems in the energy system. Various contents. Problems in the structural system, reduced active area due to semi-collapses. Problems in the energy system, unstable energy supply due to disconnection.

　And the source of the partial collapse. It is definitely -.

　"Investigation completed. The cause appears to be excessive use of Block 5."

　"Block 5? Thank you."

　"You're welcome. We will now move on to the restoration. Please wait a moment."

　I said, but in my head I understood. The remaining amount of souls. In terms of its numerical value, I don't know if it can be completely restored or not. Just to be sure, I checked on the display.

　"Soul Operator 8, current soul level is 46%."

　Normally, this is still high. But my vitality is not that high to begin with. That's all because I keep holding on to the expectation of waking up from a dream, which is an untenable expectation for me to function as a Soul Operator. But this idea doesn't seem to be an escape reaction by "Soul's Engine" standards. Is it because I am proactive in the execution of my work? Even I find it really strange.

　Continue to maintain contact mode. Activate guide mode.

　My soul is now burning even faster. I might say that a full recovery is hopeless. But I wasn't sure I could finish the recovery by myself. That's why I decided that it would be wiser to efficiently accelerate the combustion of my soul, while giving top priority to restoring Block 5, the cause of the half-collapse of Economy Facility Y.

　If possible, I would have liked to make contact with the other soul operators in this state now. However, due to the specifications of the contact mode, this is not possible, and from the very beginning, only one entity can be spoken to in contact mode at any given time.

　"Soul combustion of at least 30% is recommended for the restoration of Block 5 of the Economy Facility Y."

　The reality that the guide mode confronts is the drastic burning of souls. Even so, I am not lost. If I burn my soul, I can ultimately save many beings. For that reason, I will gladly use up my soul.

　The guide mode reiterates its confirmation. I agreed to all of them, and my soul increased its combustion speed to the point of roaring. The remaining amount of soul on the display. As if in proportion to that, my body is gradually losing something. My soul, then my life force ....... Surely there are others.

　"Soul Operator 8. Current soul level is below 10%."

　My soul is trembling. It's trying to muster up its last bit of strength. And I must respond to it too. Even if this voice is dying out.

　"Block 5 fully restored in three, two, one ......, zero, complete. One hundred per cent complete recovery."

　The job is done. All that remains is to report this achievement to the other being. To do this, I was waiting for the automatic termination of the guide mode.

　"Soul Operator 8. Soul level has reached 0%."

　Something snapped inside me. Was it the line of the ‘Souls Engine’ that was connected to me? Or was it the chains that had trapped my own soul in this world? I don't think I want to know the answer to that question now.

　The destination of the soul. If I get there, the time will come when I will know everything.