Chapter 351: I Will Only Help You Once, and Only This Once
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 351: I Will Only Help You Once, and Only This Once
As the ritual concluded, the blood-red glow within the Underground District gradually dimmed. The dark crimson atmosphere, combined with the pitch-black depths, shattered buildings, and the lingering scent of blood, painted a scene of utter devastation.
The faint glimmers from Light Illumination spells shot toward the sky before slowly drifting down, providing only the meagerest patches of light.
In such an environment, the Dream Demons remained unaffected. After all, conditions in the Abyss were far harsher than this; for them, stepping into the darkness was like returning home.
Leveraging their innate talents, the Dream Demons flickered between the dream and reality. They didn't even need to coordinate to suppress the students, forcing them into a frantic retreat.
Amidst the darkness, only the Holy Light wielded by the Holy Angel Academy illuminated a specific area. The Holy Angel students spread their wings of light and banded together; only then did the Dream Demons show a hint of wariness when facing them.
Casters unleashed spells, searching for the right moment to deliver a fatal blow, but thus far, their efforts yielded little result. Students from the Beast Academy chose to undergo Beast Transformation, meeting the Dream Demons' lethal ambushes in their most powerful forms. They scavenged for weapons among the ruins or used those they had found earlier to clash directly with their foes.
When the numerical advantage was great enough, even a Dream Demon would occasionally take a hit heavy enough to cause comminuted fractures in an ordinary person.
But it wasn't enough. The reason everyone feared the Dream Demons was their ability to kill permanently. By siphoning a person's Soul Essence, they could cause anything from blurred consciousness and loss of motor control to a full coma and the fading of the physical body.
The Dream Demons relished the pleasure of the slaughter, their expressions manic, as if venting all the grievances and oppression they had suffered in the Abyss. Some even intentionally killed their targets repeatedly, waiting until the moment they were at their weakest upon resurrection to drain their Soul Essence.
This left their victims unable to even put up a fight.
"Yang Yuehan... Big Sister! Please, I'm begging you, help us! I can't hold on much longer!"
Finally, someone could no longer endure and let out a helpless cry. It was only then, under the dim light, that many realized the person they were pleading with remained unmoved—just as they had been when the Dream Demons first swarmed her.
"Is this not the answer you were seeking? If you can't even endure the suffering required to find the truth, why didn't you refuse back then?" After rebuking them, I offered no further response.
Following my earlier conversation with the First Generation City Lord, I finally re-entered the fray. Although he said he would provide assistance, his so-called "aid" was Luck. It would only provide the final push at the critical moment; it wasn't going to drop a free lunch into my lap.
I still had to handle the Domain derivation of the Nightmare Spell myself. To this day, my understanding of that concept remained limited to the name alone.
While it seemed like all I had to do was turn a single-target spell into an area-of-effect or group spell, the difficulty was anything but small.
Even now, I lacked any experience or inspiration in this regard. I felt like I had no place to start. But that was fine; many spells shared significant commonalities. For instance, it was time for my Fire Rain Domain Spellbook to make its debut.
When the Fire Rain Domain Spellbook appeared, I realized I had been overthinking things.
If I simply used the Fire Rain Domain spell, I could force these Dream Demons to hide in the dream realm, afraid to enter reality.
However, the Fire Rain Domain was a spellbook. My mana source hadn't fully recovered yet; I had only regained a small portion, which was nowhere near enough to support the use of an Over-consumption Spellbook.
Therefore... I didn't plan on using the spellbook as intended!
Fire Rain Domain Spellbook, become the theoretical test subject for my derived Nightmare Spell!
Of course, all destructive research was conducted within the dream. I wasn't so wealthy that I could afford to use an Over-consumption Spellbook as a one-time consumable in reality.
When I produced another spellbook in my hand in front of everyone, one of the Dream Demons instinctively shuddered.
She remembered all too clearly the last time I had made that move and the horror that followed.
Rising from the dead!
Transforming instantly from a caster into a master of body arts, even standing unscathed within a sacrifice ritual while the ritual's power failed to claim a single shred of her flesh.
If that happened again... she didn't even want to imagine it!
The person before them was a lunatic—a madman that even her own teammates and faction couldn't understand. No one knew what she would do next.
This Dream Demon even suspected that if pushed, she would kill her own allies. The unintentional fear radiating from the other outsiders toward this individual made that much clear.
With the signature cracking sound of a spellbook, the Over-consumption Spellbook—so highly coveted by the senior sisters at the Witch Academy—shattered within the dream. Countless ritual runes broke free from the book, flashing through the air for a fleeting moment. That string of symbols, resembling garbled code, was the very essence of the runes that composed the spell.
In that moment, its complexity fully revealed itself to me. But it didn't matter; I had long anticipated this. The Memory Bookshelf spellbook meticulously recorded every detail of the rune information I glimpsed in that split second.
"Let's begin," I said, turning my head slightly.
No one here knew who I was talking to, but the First Generation City Lord of Ninglan New City understood perfectly.
In that instant, the power of Luck erupted. A golden aura spread throughout the Underground District, and interlocking Luck threads tightly connected everyone present. Everyone felt as if they were divinely assisted; such was the guidance Luck provided to one's decisions and judgments.
And all of this Luck pointed toward a single person: me. In that moment, in a sense, I was truly in the same boat as them, if only temporarily.
As I violently dismantled the spellbook, I began my interpretation of the ritual runes. I needed to understand the theoretical foundation of spell Domain derivation. Even with inspiration, attempting a spell derivation without the proper foundation was like having a brilliant short story in your head but lacking the literary skill to write it down.
My requirements weren't high. A Domain-derived spell was my ultimate goal, but even a group-target Nightmare Spell derivation would be highly beneficial. These were precious theoretical and practical experiences—opportunities that were hard to come by. After all, the chances of me being able to borrow Luck again to complete my vision were slim to none. There likely wouldn't be a next time.
As the spell was dismantled, the simplest way to understand its principles and operating mechanism was to use it and observe how every step functioned.
Freed from the constraints of the spellbook, the Fire Rain Domain spell manifested in the Underground District in this form for the first time.
However, the spell wasn't supplied by mana, but driven by the fire elements dissipating in the environment.
As the ritual operated, the temperature centered around me began to rise. The process was much slower than I had anticipated. The temperature difference between the surrounding Underground District and my location even kicked up a rare, fierce wind.
The signature fire clouds of the Fire Rain Domain didn't even form.
Yet, as droplets of fire element condensed into pure rain of flame and fell to the ground, they ignited into scorching fires.
This phenomenon reminded many students of my trademark Fire Rain spell. The elves from the Afuhemi Academy, in particular, felt unpleasant memories resurfacing at the sight.
Only this time, the power of the fire rain was far, far weaker than before.
While many were complaining, Tan Han knew exactly what this represented. This was a spell cast manually, without a spellbook!
The Dream Demons felt a surge of pain as they were enveloped by the Fire Rain Domain. However, after several tests, they found that this level of intensity wasn't enough to force them out of reality.
Still, they couldn't deny that it was causing them significant trouble.
Moreover, as time passed and more fire elements gathered, the fire rain grew stronger. It was like boiling a frog in lukewarm water.
Fortunately for them, they noticed it in time.
"This is bad... how can the range of this spell be so large? There's no way to dodge fire rain this dense."
"Go and interrupt that guy's casting! We can't let this continue!"
When the Dream Demons had more to worry about, their focus wavered. Once their attention slipped, they began to make more mistakes. The consequence of their mistakes was being heavily injured; despite their advantages, they had to admit they were outnumbered.
Furthermore, the power of this fire rain was calibrated to a very uncomfortable level. If they didn't use protection spells, they would get hurt and feel pain. But using protection spells was a waste of energy, and spells couldn't traverse the boundary between dream and reality. Every time they moved between the two, they had to use protection spells to endure the rain. Setting aside the consumption, their mobility was being severely crippled.
Thus, they once again turned their sights on me. But even with that intent, they tacitly agreed only to interrupt my casting, not to kill me. In their subconscious, they had already struck the option of killing me from their minds.
I was currently focused on exploring the Domain derivation of the spell and paid no heed to the Dream Demons' schemes. After all, I never intended to rely on the Fire Rain Domain to suppress them; I was merely using it to create something much bigger.
I wanted the Dream Demons to taste what it was like to be trapped in the dream realm. I wanted to grab them by the collar and tell them loudly: You are nothing but failures who bully the weak with your innate talents. Strip away those talents, and you are worthless trash, inferior even to maggots.
Traveling between reality and dreams was their talent; they should have utilized it, not relied on it. It was this lack of ambition that I wanted to criticize.
Even if my Spirit Vision talent were taken away, I wouldn't become a helpless waste like these Dream Demons. I would still explore the mysteries of spellbooks and study runology with dedication. I would make achieving the Transcendent state my primary goal, master the Real Five Senses, and then re-explore the domains I had once trodden.
"Oh? Targeting me now?"
Facing the Dream Demons who had turned their focus toward me, I felt no fear. In fact, I was eager to try.
I raised my right hand, and the Nightmare Spell surfaced. It was the perfect time to test the modifications I'd made.
"Die! Stop this damn spell!"
"Hmm, I'm afraid you won't get your wish." With a wave of my hand, I ignored her strike as it lunged toward my body.
I made no other move until her attack passed through my body without resistance.
The Dream Demon's attack dealt no damage. She was stunned, as were the other Dream Demons who were about to move.
The attack didn't land?
"She's in reality! Have you fought yourself stupid?" another Dream Demon shouted in frustration, charging at me with decisive action.
But a moment later, she too passed through my body just like the first, failing to cause even a scratch.
Suddenly, a chill ran down both their spines.
Only these two Dream Demons, who had tried, knew what had happened in that instant. They... had actually been trapped within the dream!
"I don't believe it! I don't believe it! We are Dream Demons! The dream is our home field! We are the masters of the dreamscape! How could I be trapped in the dream?!"
As this Dream Demon shrieked manically, she instantly drew the attention of every student and Dream Demon present.
Trapped in the dream...
Wasn't that exactly what had happened to the students of the Transcendent Academy?
"What did you do! What did you do to me!" The second Dream Demon who had experienced my Nightmare Spell lunged at me like a madwoman. But every one of her attacks passed futilely through my body. I remained a calm, indifferent observer. The contrast left everyone present in silence.
It wasn't just the contrast between madness and composure; it was the contrast between their struggle and my effortless ease.
"I once said I dislike meaningless battles because they have no value. Did you really think I did nothing just now but cast a Fire Rain spell? Isn't that a bit naive?"
I spoke in a flat tone. Then, as the Dream Demon rushed me again in a frenzy, I reached out and clamped my hand over the crown of her head.
The sudden impact stunned her; she had expected the blow to phase through her again. But in the next heartbeat, a Focusing Fireball Spell erupted from the crown of her head, piercing through her entire body. The Dream Demon was engulfed in flames and turned to ash in an instant.
"Your talent is an ability anyone would envy, yet you've lived your lives as wastes who can only rely on it. Without your innate abilities, you are nothing but insects who can't even withstand a fireball."
I clapped my hands together as if the Dream Demon I'd touched had made them dirty. It was an act of supreme insult.
In that moment, the entire battlefield in the Underground District fell silent. Even the fire rain began to dwindle. Only the burning buildings and the residual heat in the air proved that something significant had occurred here.
The Dream Demons loved to call us outsiders "insects," and now I had returned the title to them in full. At this moment, they were the only ones who deserved the description.
"Thanks. This ability of yours is quite useful."
On the silent battlefield, my sudden, cryptic remark confused everyone. But it was followed by a cold shiver down their spines—there was an entity here they couldn't even perceive!
Only I understood that I was thanking the First Generation City Lord. So this was what it felt like to be bolstered by Luck.
Everything had happened as naturally as water flowing into a channel. Was this the treatment of a protagonist?
But unfortunately, if given the choice, I still wouldn't choose to be such a protagonist.
"Now is the time for you to find the answers using your own strength. I will only help you once, and only this once."
As I finished speaking, a crisp snap of my fingers echoed across the battlefield. An invisible domain expanded outward instantly.
Nightmare Domain, activate!