Chapter 331: Without a Taste of My True Colors, You Won't Know the Meaning of Cruelty
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 331: Without a Taste of My True Colors, You Won't Know the Meaning of Cruelty
Underground District.
"So, this is your plan?"
I looked at the two people before me. One was Tan Han, my classmate and former rival.
The other was Ninglan Qiuyue, the daughter of the Ninglan New City Lord—a young girl currently exhausting herself for the sake of the city.
I hadn't expected that after only a few days of peace, these two would seek me out again. Especially Ninglan Qiuyue; I only just learned that her absence lately wasn't due to being busy, but because she had been "grounded" by the City Lord. She had only just managed to sneak out.
Naturally, she brought news from the surface.
Meanwhile, over the past few days, Tan Han had managed to establish connections with the Beyonder Research Base and the Ground Patrol.
This development was somewhat unexpected. Tan Han had first approached the Ground Patrol, then used them as a bridge to speak with the Beyonder Research Base. Of course, my influence played a part in that.
After all, I had no reason to refuse Tan Han when she asked to use my name to open doors at the research base.
Tan Han had been working with remarkable efficiency lately, likely because her previous hypothesis had been proven wrong. A major factor driving her into the dreamscape was her search for answers; when she failed to get them from me, she naturally had to find another way. If she didn't fight for it, she wouldn't be worthy of the truth.
Now, at the cost of Ninglan Qiuyue being grounded, Tan Han had been sent into the Underground District to communicate with the people here—to put it bluntly, to recruit allies.
For Ninglan New City on the surface, caught in a chaotic free-for-all between the Nightmare Disaster, the City Lord’s faction, the Dream Demons, the Outsiders, and even the resistance force Ninglan Qiuyu was gathering within the city, the Underground District was undoubtedly a neutral and powerful external force.
Ninglan Qiuyue represented Ninglan Qiuyu’s side—her brother’s resistance. They were using every means available to stop the current City Lord’s folly.
Furthermore, Ninglan Qiuyu represented the legitimate succession of Ninglan New City.
"Yes. Although it all seems very rushed, we must stop my father as soon as possible."
"And you’ve convinced the Ground Patrol and the head of the Beyonder Research Base?" I asked again. If everything was truly as Ninglan Qiuyue said, I admired their eloquence and capability.
"Yes, we—"
"I don't care about the process. I care more about why you’ve come to me."
"Teacher Xiao Han, you once said that you don't like providing help in a time of need. Only when a person has proven their value are they worth following; only then can others be persuaded to add the finishing touches. Ninglan New City is currently in a period of upheaval. External interference and internal decay require more drastic measures to be uprooted."
"Well, I’m glad you remembered what I said..."
"The citizens of Ninglan New City have realized how corrupt the city has become. My brother has gained massive public support, and even the Outsiders who were previously expelled from the city are willing to contribute."
"The expelled Outsiders? How did you contact them... through the City Defense Force?" I asked, frowning.
"Yes, the City Defense Force. Do you remember Mo Le, the highest-ranking officer? I heard he personally received you when you arrived."
"Oh? Your brother convinced him?"
"They are... friends, I suppose. They have been since they were very young. In any case, by uniting the City Defense Force and utilizing my brother’s prestige within the City Guard..."
"Wait, I recall the City Defense Force has to deal with the Beast Tide, don't they?"
"That... yes. So the support the City Defense Force can provide is limited. We are mainly relying on the City Guard. We cannot afford a single mistake when it comes to the Beast Tide. However, if we add the Ground Patrol from the Underground District and the Beyonder armed forces from the research base..."
"Then you would have an absolute advantage to crush the existing factions?"
"Yes, that’s essentially it. And Teacher Xiao Han, as the most powerful among the Outsiders, I believe your influence over them..."
"You’ve got that wrong. I don't have any 'influence.' My appearance is more likely to cause them to turn on each other to try and take me down."
"You joke. In a life-or-death situation, I believe they won't gamble with their lives. The power you possess is an indispensable part of our fight against our common enemy, the Dream Demons," Ninglan Qiuyue said with a smile, her tone carrying a hint of entreaty.
"Hmm... I do want to help you, but I have to ask: if I agree, where am I supposed to go? To rendezvous with your brother?"
"Naturally. My brother holds you in high regard. After all, the first Dream Demon killed in Ninglan New City was a joint effort between you and him."
"He still remembers that?" I shook my head with a smile. Strictly speaking, that Type III Beyonder Killing Weapon did the killing. Counting it as his achievement was... a bit of a stretch.
"Of course. So, what is your decision, Teacher Xiao Han? I know you prefer academic research, but from what I understand, you are Outsiders after all. You have your own world and cannot live here forever. If Ninglan New City overcomes this crisis, you might be able to return home sooner."
"True enough." I nodded. The fact that she said this meant some Outsider had already spilled everything about us, but it didn't matter.
"Then, your choice is?"
"I will help, of course. But... there is one thing you've done that makes things very difficult for me." I sighed, my gaze sweeping over Ninglan Qiuyue.
"What is it?"
Hearing me soften my stance, they both became a bit excited despite the "but." It was just a matter of terms; Tan Han knew exactly how terrifying the Xiao Han standing before her truly was.
"Well... it's..." I feigned a look of deep thought, then suddenly looked up. With a snap of my fingers, a thick, long black spike impaled Ninglan Qiuyue through the chest.
This instantaneous mutation terrified both Tan Han and Ninglan Qiuyue.
Tan Han was shocked by my decisiveness, while Ninglan Qiuyue spent that split second wondering why.
It wasn't until Ninglan Qiuyue processed the event that she realized my attack hadn't actually harmed her.
Just as the two of them regained their composure and turned curious as to why I had done it, a blood-curdling scream erupted from within Ninglan Qiuyue’s body.
"AAAAAAH—!"
The heart-wrenching shriek was the final wail of a dying creature. An illusory figure emerged from Ninglan Qiuyue, revealing its original form, but my strike had been intended to kill.
In the next moment, the figure vanished into the dreamscape like a popping bubble.
"What... what was that?"
The violent upheaval, so intimately connected to her own body, terrified the young girl. She collapsed onto the floor.
"A Dream Demon, I presume," I said casually, as if I had just done something trivial.
"A... a Dream Demon?!"
Tan Han was the most shocked of all, but she quickly recovered. "Xiao Han, you... you knew from the start?"
"More or less." I nodded in response.
Under the gaze of Spirit Vision, the creature's form of existence had nowhere to hide. Moreover, I had encountered Dream Demons before and understood how they manifested. Their disguises, which were invisible to the naked eye, seemed like a blatant insult to my intelligence—as if they were treating me like a fool.
Of course, the Dream Demon had also demonstrated just how troublesome they could be. This method of infiltration was a "dimensional strike" against the entirety of Ninglan New City. Even Tan Han had been fooled, which showed how sophisticated their methods were—though the element of surprise was their greatest weapon.
This time, a Dream Demon had been following Ninglan Qiuyue, but it hadn't been there last time. That meant the possession was recent.
"Ninglan Qiuyue, if I may ask: since the last time we met, through your grounding until now, did you notice anything unusual?"
"I..." Ninglan Qiuyue leaned against the wall to stand up, looking somewhat disheveled. Since neither of us moved to help her, she had to manage on her own. She thought for a long time but couldn't recall anything strange. "I don't know. I have no idea how it..."
As she spoke, her other hand clutched the pendant hanging from her neck. The Dream Demon had been hiding inside it.
"It's normal not to know. This method is far too 'cheating' for people like you. It seems the Dream Demons' methods of infiltration are even more terrifying than we anticipated," I comforted her. After all, a Dream Demon with such abilities could go unnoticed with terrifying ease.
"I'm sorry, Xiao Han. We didn't know this would happen..."
"It's fine. It wasn't your fault. Why are you apologizing to me? If there's nothing else, you should take Ninglan Qiuyue and leave. She looks quite shaken." I looked at Tan Han.
"Then, about the invitation..."
"Didn't I just say I'd help?"
"Thank you." Having received her answer, Tan Han knew that she and Ninglan Qiuyue had achieved their goal. The trip hadn't been in vain. Since I had clearly issued a dismissal, they didn't linger.
Even though Ninglan Qiuyue wasn't so scared that she needed to go back and rest, Tan Han persuaded her to leave anyway.
Once they were gone, my gaze shifted to the area where I had just slain the Dream Demon.
I didn't know what form a Dream Demon’s death took in reality, but in the dreamscape, they dissipated like bubbles.
However, even if the target died in a dream, death didn't mean they vanished into thin air. Through Spirit Vision, the death of a Dream Demon in the dreamscape manifested as the dissipation of Information. It might be invisible to the naked eye, but Spirit Vision could see the feedback of that Information.
I had been so eager to send Tan Han and the other girl away for my own reasons.
For instance... why not try a Resurrection Spell on this Dream Demon?
I wasn't worried about being unable to handle the Dream Demon once it was revived; I was only worried the attempt would fail. Failure meant no gain.
And even if it succeeded, one mustn't forget that this was the Beyonder Research Base. The scholars and technicians here had developed a mountain of Beyonder Killing Weapons. The security here was beyond reproach.
And within the dreamscape, where could she possibly run?
I admitted they were troublesome and eerie within dreams, but in reality, they required a material foundation. The fact that they could be killed by the Beyonder Killing Weapons here proved that their life forms in reality were... somewhat fragile.
"Come, let's try this." I approached the spot where the Nightmare Information was about to dissipate and cast the Resurrection Spell.
This was my first time trying it. Compared to the first time I used a Fireball Spell, this was many times more difficult.
But with a bit of trial and error, the Resurrection Spell was successfully cast.
In truth, even I didn't know if it counted as a success.
When I first encountered the Resurrection Spell, I remembered it requiring many rare supplementary materials. But this seemed to only consume mana?
And it was only mana from the Mana Source within the dream.
But you couldn't say there was no cost; after all, the dreamscape had its own set of operating rules.
In the next moment, under the watch of my Spirit Vision, the Information belonging to the Dream Demon began to converge. I didn't see a soul or even Soul Essence Information in the Dream Demon’s essence. So... were Dream Demons, in a sense, not actually "life"?
Thinking back, when the Academy Dean explained Dream Demons to me, she never explicitly stated they were "life forms."
However, as I watched the Dream Demon gradually "resurrect" within the Resurrection Spellbook, its body was at least taking shape.
"Interesting."
I watched the process unfold with great interest. I didn't care about the mana consumption; as a master of the Dream Rewriting Spell, the entire dreamscape was my Mana Source.
In a way, the power of the Dream Rewriting Spell was chillingly formidable.
"Ugh... where am I..."
"Welcome back. It looks like you had a good nap." Seeing her react, I spoke to her with a touch of wicked humor.
"You... You! A Witch! A Witch!"
The moment she saw me, she seemed to have a stress response. She opened her mouth to let out a piercing, explosive shriek, but before the sound could escape, a massive force slammed into the side of her face, pinning her to the ground.
The blow instantly calmed her down. Once she realized what was happening, she immediately tried to disconnect from the dream and bolted for the door.
"Run. Run if you think you can. Have you forgotten where this is? The Beyonder Research Base. The security measures here are top-tier. The moment you try to violently destroy any facility here, you'll trigger the alarms. Want to try?"
The Dream Demon, who had been violently yanking at the doorknob, gradually calmed down upon hearing my words. She turned around to look at the terrifying existence who had detected and insta-killed her. Her only comfort was that she was currently in reality, while I was in the dream.
"You... what do you want!"
"I should be asking you that. What exactly are you Dream Demons up to?"
"You think I'll tell you?"
"Of course. If you don't talk, there are plenty of other Dream Demons who will. I haven't joined the crusade against you yet because I'm afraid of breaking the balance of the game."
"You... this power... You! You're a Transcendent Witch!"
"It seems you haven't seen much of the world. You're mistaken~ If I were a Transcendent Witch, our situation wouldn't be like this, and you wouldn't be speaking to me as an equal."
"Not a Transcendent Witch... Hmph... Hehe... Hahaha! If you're not a Transcendent Witch, why should I fear you! You're nothing but a mediocre native of the Main World... You! What did you do!"
As she was mocking me, her world suddenly began to spin. The indoor laboratory began to shrink. In her eyes, reality became pitch black, like a fragmented memory. It was as if the very concept of space had vanished.
"Take a guess? Hehe..." I walked toward her, accompanied by a chilling laugh. She tried to run, but no matter what she did, she couldn't put any distance between us. The gap between us closed at the exact speed of my stride.
"No... don't come any closer! Let me go! Let me leave!" At this moment, the Dream Demon finally understood the meaning of fear and helplessness.
"Never suffered a setback, so you don't know what pain feels like, right? Did you die too quickly just now to learn how to be afraid?" I reached out, grabbed her head, and slammed it violently into the floor.
A dull thud echoed. The sound wasn't particularly crisp; her head wasn't a very good one.
"Without a taste of my true colors, you won't know the meaning of cruelty."
I looked at the miserable Dream Demon lying on the ground, and the corners of my mouth curled up involuntarily.
This was a reverse application of the Nightmare Killing Weapon Rune Ritual Technique—the technology used by ordinary people to trap Nightmares within dreams.
By reversing it, I found that while the dream couldn't interfere with reality—likely because there was no material basis for it—it could achieve an effect similar to a Nightmare invading a person's consciousness. It pulled the target's consciousness into the dreamscape. In other words, it pulled them onto my home turf.
Those Nightmares only acted on instinct, terrifying people to harvest negative emotions like fear. But in the hands of someone with creativity, this ability could be used in countless ways.
Even without my main body, I, existing within the dream, had the power to make those in reality wish they were dead.
Now that I’ve tested it, it seems even the Dream Demons, who claim the dreamscape as their home field, are no exception.
These Dream Demons are only good for bullying those poor, weak Nightmares.