Chapter 300: Abyssal Dream Demon
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 300: Abyssal Dream Demon
Everywhere I looked was a wasteland; a landscape of utter devastation met my eyes.
The sight was harrowing. Once-grand buildings had been reduced to nothing but broken walls and crumbling pillars, with rubble and debris scattered across the ground. In the distance, the skeletal remains of skyscrapers looked desolate even under the harsh glare of the afternoon sun.
The more ruined and barren the place appeared, the more it spoke of its former prosperity. I stepped onto the soft earth, each stride seemingly kicking up yellow sand scorched by the fires of war.
"Is this... the dreamscape?"
I looked at it all in a daze, unable to believe such a place existed within a dream.
"Sister Bai... where is Sister Bai?"
I instinctively looked around. When I failed to see that familiar figure, a flicker of panic rose in my chest.
However, I pulled myself together in the next moment and began checking my own condition. Fortunately, it seemed my Mana Source and spellbooks were still with me. I wasn't facing these nightmares empty-handed like last time.
But then, my expression turned grim. I realized that the seal on my Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art... had vanished.
While this meant I could use the Great Spellbook right now, it also meant the book was exposed. If I encountered an enemy at the Transcendent level...
I slapped my forehead. What am I thinking? If I run into a Transcendent enemy, what difference does a Great Spellbook make?
I’d be lucky to leave a corpse behind.
Still, since the Dean said this was a game between the Main World and the Abyssal Demons, it implied the environment was at least relatively fair.
Right... at this moment, there was no longer a distinction between the Witch Academy and the Wizard Academy. All factions of the Main World were allied—at least, that was the case for me. Whether the other academies could set aside their rivalries to face a common enemy was something I couldn't guarantee.
For now, I’d better find a safe spot.
I scanned my surroundings. No one knew what dangers lurked here. I hadn't forgotten those sleeping people who looked like they were trapped in eternal nightmares; they must have encountered something truly terrifying.
At least for now, it seemed... safe enough...
Just as that thought crossed my mind, a terrifying surge of power erupted from behind me. Accompanied by a blood-curdling screech, something lunged at me.
The sudden onset of danger triggered an instinctive reaction. As I spun around to face the source, a hideous, monstrous creature was already inches from my face.
Faced with this sudden mutation, a flash of terror gripped me, but I quickly realized—this was a Nightmare.
In the split second of reacting to the danger, the Fireball Spell I was conjuring was already too far gone to pull back. Blazing flames condensed into a massive sphere as active fire elements flocked to it like swallows returning to their nest.
A giant fireball, nearly as tall as I was, solidified. The moment it left my control, it hurtled toward the monster.
The fireball carried a terrifying heat, warping the air in its path before colliding with the Nightmare in a violent explosion.
My protection spells triggered instantly. The explosion was so intense that the heat nearly bypassed my shields.
My mind was filled with a single question: Why?
Why was it that powerful?
Was that really my Fireball Spell?
I was certain I hadn't performed any "micro-modifications" on it. It was just the most basic, most practiced Fireball Spell I had, cast out of pure reflex.
But this power...
I stared at the explosion in disbelief. Amidst my daze, I quickly realized that this might be a special effect of this specific dreamscape. Just as I had been unable to sense my spellbooks last time, perhaps magic was amplified here?
It was just a guess, but there was a more pressing matter to face.
That thing... was a Nightmare!
Nightmares carried Luck. If I killed this thing... wouldn't I be burdened with its Luck?
Never had I hoped more fervently for an enemy to survive. Please...
I rushed forward to check the situation. The Nightmare was no longer the terrifying beast from before; it had reverted to its original form—a cloud of pitch-black nightmare mist.
"Phew... it's not dead. Scared me to death..." Seeing that the mist hadn't dissipated, I let out a long sigh of relief. But before I could even finish that breath, I watched as the mist began to fade away...
"Huh? I... I didn't do anything! Don't die!" I watched the dissipating Nightmare, feeling like my world was crumbling. This was the definition of failing before even starting!
But as I wallowed in despair, I realized that no Luck had been transferred to me.
"Tch..."
I stopped what I was doing. Having confirmed the facts, I realized... I’d been played.
I stood up and straightened out my emotions. Nightmares didn't die that easily; my previous panic had been wishful thinking. Nightmares were the memories and cognitions of the Fool's Dream—chaotic, disordered, and feeding on human emotions.
Fear... terror... they thrived on creating such atmospheres. Because I had been terrified of it dying, it had simply played dead.
So, where is it now?
I looked around. Everything seemed the same, but if the Nightmare thought it could slip away unnoticed, it had clearly underestimated my Spirit Vision.
After a brief search, I finally found the fellow. Even without a physical form, its presence leaked information that differed from the surrounding environment. As long as there was abnormal Information, my Spirit Vision could capture and track it.
"Found you... that clumsy hiding technique wouldn't even fool a toddler."
I reached out, and a Fireball Spell appeared in my hand. With my previous experience, I didn't let it spiral out of control; instead, I shaped the fireball into a flaming cage, trapping the Nightmare inside.
I admitted that the Nightmare had no physical body, but if I bound it with absolute power, how could it respond? In reality, I might have been helpless against it, but here in the dreamscape, we were on equal footing.
"Little sister~ thank you for catching my dinner for me~ would you mind giving it back to me?~"
A figure appeared behind me again. I spun around to see an enchanting, elf-like "girl." She walked toward me from the distance, her temperament completely at odds with the ruins.
Her skin was as white as snow, shimmering with a mysterious, unknown luster. Looking into her eyes was like staring into a galaxy.
She cradled her "proud assets" with one hand while placing the index finger of her other hand against her lips. Her vivid red lips curled into a seductive smile. Her mere appearance was enough to shake my resolve.
"Who are you?" I snapped back to alertness, dropping into a defensive stance.
"Little sister~ don't be so guarded. It's not like I'm a good person~" She swayed her slender hips, her skirt fluttering with every step. With her every movement, an exotic fragrance wafted through the air.
"You're a Dream Demon." I frowned, confirming her identity. Aside from the students of the Transcendent academies, the only other entities here were Nightmares and... the Dream Demons of the Abyssal Demon race!
Damn it... why does this Dream Demon have to be so beautiful?
But I knew better. These creatures were the culprits behind the deaths of students in the real world, and they were the primary force here to seize Luck!
I had run into a troublesome one right off the bat.
This was a dreamscape. Dream Demons traveled between dreams and reality; this was their home turf. I had to focus.
Furthermore... I didn't know if my spellbook's methods could actually harm her in a dream. Theoretically, they should, even if there was a clear boundary between dreams and reality.
"Oh? I didn't expect you to recognize me, little sister~ How impressive. That's right, big sister is indeed a Dream Demon~ Give me one night of pleasure in this dream, and I will..."
"Beat it, you disgusting thing."
I rudely cut her off. Just hearing her speak told me exactly what her "business" was. Dream Demons... were they all this indecent?
But then again, they were Abyssal Demons. It made sense. It reminded me that the Main World had a Succubus Academy—were these two races sisters? One handling reality and the other handling dreams for a double-dose of exploitation?
Who could handle that?
"Oh? Such a disobedient child. In that case, let me show you the power of a Dream Demon~"
"Just die." I didn't waste any more words and went full throttle. This was my first time fighting an unknown enemy; I needed to maintain a maximum sense of crisis.
I launched an Evocative Magic attack. Even with the first probing wave, I felt the pressure. My fears had come true.
"Your firepower is quite fierce, little sister~ I wonder if your stamina will satisfy me as much as your strength? Still putting up a futile resistance? As a Dream Demon, the dreamscape is my domain!"
"You feed on stamina?" I asked, frowning.
I didn't even ask why my spells weren't landing; I asked that instead.
"That's right~ I can smell the rich stamina on you; it's practically bursting out~ Let big sister have a taste~ just one sip." The Dream Demon lunged at me with incredible speed, but I continued to pelt her with spells.
Every time a spell was about to hit her, her body would flicker, and the effect would pass right through her.
I didn't doubt the damage of my spells—the Nightmare had already tested that for me. I was simply testing and observing what method the Dream Demon was using to dodge my attacks.
Was she not a physical entity?
But this was a dream. To the real world, she wasn't physical, but in a dream, she was real!
"It's useless~ useless~ Your attacks have no effect on me. Everything about you is fake. This is a dream; you can't hit me~"
"You're lying," I said with certainty. "Dream Demons... you travel between reality and dreams. You can't ignore spells; you're just dodging them..."
"Aww~ you figured it out~ But even so... Ah!"
The Dream Demon was about to gloat when an explosion suddenly sent her flying.
While she was still reeling in confusion, my voice rang out.
"Explosive Trap. Detonates on contact, zero casting delay, impossible to guard against. How do you like that move?" I asked, looking at her disheveled state.
"Explosive Trap?" The Dream Demon was stunned. She hadn't expected to suffer a setback so quickly. How was this possible?
"Traveling between dreams and reality requires subjective control, right? But as long as it's subjective, there's a reaction delay."
"Hmph, little sister, I'll admit you have some tricks, but if you think this is enough... Ah!"
Before she could even fix her appearance or take more than a few steps, she triggered another Explosive Trap.
"Well?" My question left her speechless. "Want to guess how many Explosive Traps I've set? Do you really think you can get close to me?"
"You! Don't get cocky! These petty, low-class tricks... they're just tricks! I'll make you realize the price of a Dream Demon's wrath! I'm going to squeeze you dry! I'll suck out your stamina and drain your Soul Essence!"
The Dream Demon no longer looked enchanting; she revealed the true, nauseating nature of the Abyss. Simultaneously, her aura grew exponentially. The sheer pressure made my heart skip a beat.
A surge of Transcendent energy I had never seen before swirled around her. The world centered on her seemed to be swallowed by that power. A powerful ripple of energy struck me, forcing me to take an instinctive step back.
But what followed was an even more violent storm of energy. Everything around us—the ruins, the ground—began to tremble, as if the Dream Demon could tear the world apart with a wave of her hand.
Things had escalated to a point where I knew this would be a hard-fought battle. It felt like every fight I faced unfolded in an unexpected way, leaving my familiar tactics and responses feeling inadequate.
Perhaps this was the real reason I wanted to collect more spellbooks and enrich my library. No matter how niche a spell's effect was, there would always be a moment where it was needed.
I stopped probing and prepared for an all-out strike. This was just the first Dream Demon I had encountered; if they ever worked together, I couldn't imagine how terrifying that scene would be.
However, at that critical moment, a figure appeared silently. She leaped into the air, standing high above, framed by the piercing sunlight.
She didn't emit a shred of aura, looking like an ordinary person. Holding a long straight blade, she delivered a direct backstab to the Dream Demon.
"AAAAAAAH!"
This was the Dream Demon's latest scream, but it was by far the most agonizing. The blade seemed to pierce her very origin. Her shriek was filled with wailing, a mix of extreme pain and ultimate fury.
But when she turned around, she saw an indifferent face. Her fury instantly turned to terror, and she tried to flee.
The deep-seated pressure emanating from the newcomer made the Dream Demon realize she had encountered an enemy far beyond her reach. Her only thought was escape.
"Escape? Can you?"
The cold voice sounded like a death sentence. As the blade was pulled from her pierced abdomen, it seemed to draw out the last of her life. The Dream Demon dissolved into bubbles and vanished into the dreamscape.
"Sister... Sister Bai?"
"Xiao Han, I finally found you..."