Chapter 18: Dreamscape
Inside the hotel room, the curtains were drawn, and a layer of triggered barrier clung to the interior, like a massive bubble inflated to its limit, pressed against the walls, ceiling, and carpet.
Seren and Alanna, witnessing Su Xiao and Kaiser’s collaboration for the first time, kept their distance, seemingly ready at any moment to break through the perception barrier and leap out the window.
In truth, it was no wonder they were on edge. In the meeting room, a round table sat at the center, covered with various items. Leaving aside the materials imbued with Abyss, nightmare, and aberrant properties, the Book of Original Sin and the Abyssal Jar placed on the table were enough to make anyone dizzy.
Kaiser was fiddling with a peculiarly shaped disc, about the size of a washbasin, composed of interlocking rings stacked toward the center. However, due to Kaiser’s “masterful” craftsmanship, the disc had been carved to resemble a massive pile of excrement.
Strangely enough, despite the many items scattered around, this oddly shaped, upright disc immediately drew one’s attention. The feeling was such that if you didn’t glance at it, something felt missing in your heart, an unbearable itch.
But after looking, regret set in, and discomfort lingered for a few seconds. Even more peculiar, once the discomfort passed, you’d want to look at the disc again—it was utterly addictive.
Click-clack, click-clack.
The faint sound of tiny gears turning. Su Xiao was adjusting a machine that looked chaotic, its overall structure so intricate it was headache-inducing. Every component was engraved with a dark purple rune, representing the nightmare’s dark violet.
To catch the speed-rule violator, conventional methods wouldn’t work. Given the opponent’s ability type, many had likely tried to capture him, yet he was still alive and well today, proving his talent in this regard.
Consider this: when would such a person let their guard down most easily? The answer was during their daily habits. Just as no one would guard against their own hand suddenly slapping their face, they wouldn’t guard against their own dreams.
In reality, dreams could be divided into three types: 1. Dreams/Pleasant Dreams, 2. Nightmares, 3. Infernal Nightmares.
First, dreams or pleasant dreams were entirely one’s own. Even if, in a dream, punches lacked strength or running felt like treading on cotton, these dreams were exclusive to the individual, a derivative of their own mental energy.
Second, nightmares began to deviate from being wholly one’s own. This occurred when mental energy was eroded by negative energy. However, in essence, nightmares were still a derivative of one’s mental energy, just with a risk of invasion, unlike dreams/pleasant dreams, which were absolutely closed domains.
Third, infernal nightmares were a different matter entirely. This involved one’s dream spirit being dragged into a nightmare realm that was completely foreign and intensely hostile to the individual.
The [Dream Creation Stone] Su Xiao possessed could create all three types of dreams.
[Dream Creation Stone (Immortal Rank Item): Upon use, creates a Pleasant Dream/Nightmare/Infernal Nightmare lasting 3 to 5 hours, dragging the spirits of 1 to 3 targets into this dream realm.]
This item was a gift from the Gluttony Clan. But relying solely on an Immortal Rank [Dream Creation Stone] wouldn’t be enough to deal with the speed-rule violator. However, if it were extremely enhanced, that would be a different story.
The machines Su Xiao had assembled, despite their complex structure, were, in simple terms, nightmare signal amplifiers.
After adjusting the amplification device, Su Xiao picked up a [Dream Creation Stone]. He only had three of these, so enhancement required caution. He placed one into a node on the round table, activating the array. Various nightmare-property materials turned into semi-fluid energy, converging into the [Dream Creation Stone].
Detaching the [Dream Creation Stone] from the array, Su Xiao tossed it to Kaiser. Wearing the [Deceiver’s Headwrap], Kaiser took various powders and poured them onto the stone, making it look rough and uneven. Finally, he dropped it into the Abyssal Jar.
Bang.
A burst of black smoke, and crystal fragments flew out, indicating the enhancement had failed.
Su Xiao picked up the second [Dream Creation Stone], repeated the process, and handed it to Kaiser, who did the same, ultimately tossing it into the Abyssal Jar.
Another bang—the second one failed too. Seeing this, Su Xiao frowned slightly. If all three failed, he’d have to resort to a more cumbersome backup plan. While the result would be the same, the cost would skyrocket.
Repeating the process once more, when the third [Dream Creation Stone] was thrown into the Abyssal Jar, dark purple smoke drifted out. After a moment, Kaiser poured out the [Dream Creation Stone] from the jar.
Now, the [Dream Creation Stone] emitted a mysterious, deep purple glow. As soon as Su Xiao took the enhanced stone, he sensed something amiss. Activating his hunting vision, he saw, in the nightmare gaps around him, nightmare creatures like Nightmares and Floating Filth gathering, drawn by the enhanced stone.
Blood smoke surged, forming a massive beast claw that grabbed a Floating Filth and crushed it with a pop. This drove the other nightmare creatures away.
When facing ancient drifting beings in spatial gaps, one must remain calm. If interested, you could even sit on them and drift through the gaps—a truly peculiar experience. But against nightmare creatures, one had to appear overwhelmingly strong. These creatures were like sharks drawn to blood; showing any weakness would make them swarm.
Su Xiao had deliberately attracted these nightmare creatures, but unfortunately, he hadn’t lured the specific target he wanted. He took out a vial of dark purple liquid—an extract of the Ancient God Nightmare God’s divine blood. Only this small vial remained. He poured out a portion, and a unique, decayed fragrance of nightmares spread.
Crack, crack.
A faint gnawing sound came. Hearing it, Su Xiao’s right hand slowly and silently grew a crystal layer. His index and middle fingers suddenly shot forward, pinching an invisible filth insect.
Squeal!!
A burst of black energy waves erupted from the insect’s screech. A strange worm, over ten centimeters long and as thick as a pinky finger, was caught between his fingers. Its head was long and pointed, made of bone, with an exoskeleton resembling a skull. Its mouthparts were a pair of vicious pincers. The worm’s body was covered in hair-thin black tentacles, writhing wildly. Just looking at it made one feel their sanity plummeting.
This nightmare creature was called a “Marrow Sucker.” It dwelled in nightmares, feeding on the mental energy of living beings. When someone fell into a nightmare, the Marrow Sucker would follow quietly, using the residual nightmare aura to track the host’s physical body. Before the host woke, it would burrow into the brain through the ear, secreting a mental fluid that dulled pain and induced drowsiness, until it drained the host’s mental energy and moved on to the next.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The Marrow Sucker gnawed at Su Xiao’s right hand with its pincers but couldn’t break through the crystal layer. Realizing it couldn’t escape, it screeched at Su Xiao again.
Crack, crack, crack.
The crystal layer spread over the Marrow Sucker, temporarily sealing it. Su Xiao picked up the [Dream Creation Stone] from the table. After Bubu Wang fixed various devices to his left arm, he inserted the stone into the “Nightmare Signal Amplifier.” Before the machine started, he opened the Book of Original Sin, aligning the eighth page with the amplifier’s sensor. Not only that, but he also pulled a causal thread of the speed-rule violator from the eighth page and wrapped it around the [Dream Creation Stone].
Hum.
The Nightmare Signal Amplifier activated. Within the purple mist of the [Dream Creation Stone], a figure gradually emerged—the speed-rule violator, though his image was blurry.
Meanwhile, in District 29, Slaughter Street’s back alley, a third-floor room of an inn. The room was spacious, about seventy square meters, but Speed wasn’t satisfied with this temporary lodging. As a violator, he naturally indulged in every luxury.
Speed was arrogant, but not stupid. He was wary of the Hunter, White Night, so he planned to keep a low profile recently.
“Made a killing this time.”
Speed sat down on a wooden chair, pulling out a 1,000,000-denomination soul coin savings card. Just seeing this soul crystal card made him feel content.
Just then, Speed noticed a washbasin-sized, earth-yellow disc hanging on the wall beside the window. It looked like a pile of excrement, dirtying his eyes at first glance. He quickly looked away, but after a few seconds, he couldn’t help glancing again, only to be disgusted once more. He muttered a curse under his breath.
Speed leaned back, letting out a long breath. The chair creaked beneath him. He placed one hand on the right armrest, thumb rubbing the wood grain. Suddenly, a protruding splinter on the armrest stabbed into his thumb pad. He yelped, “Damn it!” and immediately raised his hand to pull out the splinter, but his jerky motion snapped it off, leaving half embedded in the flesh. The pain made him hiss.
Suddenly, Speed’s pupils contracted. At his current strength, even if he focused on speed, his physical defense shouldn’t be this weak. Not even a metal spike could pierce his skin, let alone a wooden splinter.
Speed looked around but found nothing unusual. He stared at the splinter in his thumb pad. A sound of sprouting and growing came, and the splinter inside his thumb actually grew into a small tree. This tree suddenly coiled toward his neck. It seemed elastic, its roots gripping his right hand, forcing it into a fist, while the trunk stretched between his wrist and neck.
Bang, bang, bang.
In this bizarre pose, Speed started punching himself, blood spurting from his nose. When he finally stopped, he was gasping for breath, his face stained with blood, a look of lingering fear in his eyes.
“A… nightmare, huh.”
Speed snapped the trunk with a crack. Green liquid metal spread, coating his right hand and turning it into a claw. Venom dripped from the claw tips, corroding through the floorboards.
A whoosh came from above. With a crash, several floors above were smashed through. A figure wielding a long blade, wearing a bone mask, landed in front of him. Seeing this person, Speed felt a chill run down his spine.
Clang!
A sharp blade ring. Speed, crouched low with hands on the ground, barely dodged the slash. But he sensed that one more strike would kill him in this nightmare. He absolutely couldn’t die here—the consequences would be severe. What those consequences were, Speed didn’t know, and he had no desire to find out.
With a bang, the room’s window shattered. Speed stood still for 0.5 seconds before his figure gradually faded and disappeared. This was an afterimage left behind by sheer speed.
Everything around him stretched into streaks. Speed leaped between buildings. At this extreme velocity, his thoughts accelerated too. He realized that a nightmare of this magnitude couldn’t be unilaterally dominated—it was too complete and solid. With his speed, he couldn’t break through it. Therefore, there must be rules here, and even the masked powerhouse had to follow them.
Speed soon noticed a giant timer floating above the empty city, displaying 30:20, seemingly representing 30 minutes and 20 seconds, counting down.
Seeing this, Speed figured that as long as he wasn’t killed or caught by the masked pursuer within 30 minutes, he could escape the nightmare. The enemy intended to kill his spirit in the nightmare, then exploit the period of weakened mental energy to deal with his physical body in the real world.
Thinking this, Speed smirked. When it came to speed, he feared no one. Sensing the masked figure closing in behind, Speed suddenly increased his velocity by 99%. His current speed was only 1% of his full potential.
The moment Speed went all out, the nightmare world shrank dramatically. He was right—the rules of this nightmare world couldn’t be changed, even by the hunter, Su Xiao. However, one rule was: the faster you go, the smaller the hunting ground. When Speed unleashed his full speed, the hunting ground shrank so much that it expelled Su Xiao and wrapped around Speed instead.
Speed, enveloped by the nightmare, felt an unprecedented suffocation. Fortunately, it didn’t last long. The nightmare around him burst like a balloon with a bang.
Speed suddenly opened his eyes. A dim room, the faint sound of medical equipment. He lay immobile on an operating table. Beside him stood a figure wearing a mask connected to several tubes, holding a high-tech particle saw in one hand and a fixation device in the other.
Speed’s eyes first showed confusion. After five minutes, terror set in. Ten minutes later, despair deepened. Finally, he let out a sound that was both a groan and a roar.
“No!!”
!
Speed’s eyes snapped open. The next instant, he was back in the inn room, seeing that disc ornament on the side wall. At the sight of this eye-soiling decoration, Speed’s face darkened. He was still in the nightmare, hadn’t escaped.
A scraping sound came from outside the window. Dark purple liquid surged past like a raging river, rumbling.
Creak.
The door pushed open. A figure holding a long blade, wearing a bone mask, walked in.
Speed, sitting on the wooden chair, looked grim. He lunged forward, his right claw striking out.
Clang!
The blade met the claw, surprising Speed. In this nightmare, the Law Destroyer, White Night, wasn’t as powerful as he’d imagined.
Clang, clang, clang!
Metal clashed repeatedly. After about ten minutes, Speed crashed into the wall with a bang, covered in cuts. He grinned, blood staining his teeth. The opposing Hunter bore several claw marks, barely winning.
Speed felt himself sinking into the floor, then into water. In the pitch-black water, he drowned and revived repeatedly. After many cycles, he jolted awake.
The familiar inn room, the familiar wooden chair beneath him, the familiar pile-of-shit disc on the side wall. This time, the dark purple liquid surging past the window no longer flooded it entirely but half-covered it. Additionally, the Hunter, White Night, wasn’t entering through the door but was already standing at the threshold.
Ten minutes later, Speed lost again, but this time, he managed to sever the Hunter’s left arm.
When Speed opened his eyes once more, the dark purple liquid outside the inn room had stopped surging. The sky outside was pitch black, and the Hunter, White Night, was now five meters away.
Ten minutes later, Speed lost again.
Speed kept dying in this nightmare realm, waking up each time. Yet his mood improved. He knew the Hunter had miscalculated. The opponent hadn’t expected his willpower to be so tenacious. After so many deaths, he could still reconstitute his mental energy instead of waking up weakly in reality.
Moreover, Speed noticed that with each awakening, the inn room’s external environment improved—from pitch black to overcast, from overcast to dusk, and now, it seemed to be approaching early morning.
On his 1,165th awakening, Speed confirmed that time in the nightmare was blurred. Not much time should have passed in the outside world.
Waking again, Speed sat on the wooden chair. After a glance at the pile-of-shit disc on the wall, his right hand turned into a claw and struck at the Hunter, White Night, across from him. After so many cycles, the Hunter was no longer at the door but sitting directly opposite him.
After nearly an hour of combat, Speed was slashed across the throat, while the opposing Hunter barely avoided defeat.
Seeing this, Speed’s eyes gleamed with excitement as darkness encroached. Just a little more, and he could defeat this formidable foe. Defeating him was the key to escaping the nightmare.
After a brief darkness, Speed opened his eyes again. He glanced at the pile-of-shit disc on the wall. Outside, the morning sun was bright. But the formidable foe sat across from him. Speed struck first, throwing a straight punch at Su Xiao, a triple-technique grandmaster.
Slap!
Su Xiao caught Speed’s fist with one hand. With a crack, he crushed it into a bizarre shape. Sealing runes from Su Xiao’s palm instantly spread over Speed’s arm, torso, and elsewhere.
Speed’s eyes widened in shock. His first thought was: why was the Hunter, White Night, so strong this time? The next instant, a horrifying realization struck him, making his pupils contract and his face twist:
This… was no longer in the nightmare!
Speed’s aura exploded. He tried to flee at top speed, but as soon as he took a step, his entire body felt like it was burning. Countless sealing marks covered him. He collapsed with a thud, then received a notification.
[Warning: You have been subjected to 10,680 sealing runes.]
Seeing this warning, Speed nearly blacked out. In an instant, how could there be so many seals?
Why? Because Su Xiao usually used sealing techniques against Original Sin Objects. Using them against a violator was overkill.
Speed struggled to rise. His eyes fell on the pile-of-shit disc on the wall. That thing had fooled him. In the previous 1,166 nightmare awakenings, he’d seen it hanging there. And it was so addictive—the more he looked, the more he wanted to—so he’d subconsciously glanced at it each time.
This ingrained in Speed the subconscious belief that seeing the disc meant he was still in a nightmare.
As for how Su Xiao knew Speed’s hiding place, that was why he’d used the nightmare blood to attract the nightmare insect, the Marrow Sucker.
Su Xiao first injured Speed’s spirit in the nightmare, obtaining a portion of his mental energy, which he fed to the Marrow Sucker. The near-death insect would do everything to find Speed’s location, desperate for mental energy to recover.
Using the Marrow Sucker, Su Xiao tracked down Speed’s hideout. As for who Speed fought in the subsequent nightmares, it wasn’t Su Xiao. It was Speed’s imagined version of the Law Destroyer, White Night—wielding a blade, seemingly invincible.
When Su Xiao reached Speed’s hideout, he saw Speed sitting on a chair, covered in nightmare liquid. In that state, touching Speed would pull his body into the nightmare, where his physical form and spirit would reunite at full strength. Speed would then escape the nightmare and randomly appear somewhere in this world.
Thus, this wasn’t a capture. Speed had to wake from the nightmare, his consciousness returning to his body, before he could be caught. But setting up barriers around him so he couldn’t escape upon waking seemed feasible but was risky.
First, Speed’s spirit had left his body for the nightmare. When it returned, it would likely sense barriers or traps around his physical form, alerting him that he was about to re-enter the real world. He’d then use a life-saving item to escape the moment he opened his eyes—no doubt about the quality of his escape tools, likely bought from Apocalypse Paradise.
Binding his body before he woke was even less viable. His body was shrouded in nightmare energy; approaching within half a meter would disturb it.
Getting Speed into a nightmare and finding his body weren’t hard. The challenge was making him waste the optimal instant escape time upon waking.
Thanks to Su Xiao and Kaiser’s setup, when Speed woke from the nightmare, he still believed he was dreaming. He used his only escape moment to punch Su Xiao. Truly, a master of courting death.
“Get it over with, Hunter.”
Speed let out a long breath, ready to meet his end.
Su Xiao sat on the wooden chair, looking at the bound Speed on the floor. “Unfortunately, for my personal gain, I can’t kill you.”
Hearing this, Speed’s heart sank. Having come this far, he knew some fates were worse than death.
“You’ve taunted me a few times and took 1,000,000 soul coins from me. We have a grudge, but not a deep, irreconcilable one. I shouldn’t treat you this way. But I can’t kill you for a Scarlet Chest, so this is the most convenient and efficient method.”
With that, Su Xiao grabbed Speed by the hair, lifting him from the floor into a seated position with his hands bound, making it look more dignified.
“Indeed, I shouldn’t treat you like this. If you’re resentful, feel free to curse a few times now.”
Su Xiao’s tone was calm, but to Speed, it grew more unsettling. He forced a last shred of bravado: “What, you’re going to torture me?”
“In the past, I might have. But people grow. Leaving some matters to professionals is a better choice.”
Su Xiao checked the time. The sea clan members from Night City had taken the fastest train to Falling Star City last night and should arrive soon.
“Oh? You’re letting those wizards deal with me? Regardless, we’re both from Reincarnation Paradise. Do you really think those wizards can handle me?”
Speed smirked.
“I have some ties with the Sea King of Wind Sea Continent. Coincidentally, there are a few sea clan members in Night City’s underground market.”
Hearing this, Speed’s expression turned serious. He didn’t doubt Su Xiao’s words.
Facing torture from the Wizard Guild or other factions, Speed was confident he could endure. But against the sea clan of Wind Sea Continent, he felt a flicker of panic. He almost hoped Su Xiao was just bluffing.
Knock, knock.
A knock at the door. Amu opened it, and two well-dressed sea clan members entered. One of them, beaming, exchanged pleasantries with Su Xiao before approaching Speed to record his height, weight, energy type, soul characteristics, and more.
“White Night, is this really necessary? I hear the sea clan charges a lot.”
Hearing this, the smiling sea clan member quickly sealed Speed’s mouth, giving Su Xiao an enthusiastic grin.
“Mmph! Mmph!”
Speed struggled violently, then with a clatter, a soul coin savings card dropped from him onto the floor.
Baha flew over, picked up the card, and unsealed Speed’s speech. Speed quickly said, “I give up, completely. Let’s skip this unnecessary step, Brother White Night. I’d hate to see you waste money.”
Hearing this, the two sea clan members looked displeased. They’d come a long way. Seeing this, Speed dropped another 6,000-denomination soul coin card. The sea clan members picked it up and looked at Su Xiao.
Su Xiao waved his hand. The two sea clan members left satisfied. Seeing them go, Speed breathed a sigh of relief.
“You took 1,000,000 soul coins from me yesterday, right?”
“Yes.”
“…”
Su Xiao stared at Speed in silence. Speed’s cheek twitched. “No, I misremembered. It was 1,500,000 soul coins. We must have been mistaken.”
“Oh, then I must have been wrong.”
As Su Xiao finished, Baha flew over and freed Speed’s bound hands. Now covered in seals, Speed couldn’t escape—this was a sealing level meant for Original Sin Objects.
Speed scrambled and finally scraped together 500,000 soul coins.
[Prompt: Violator 10***58 requests to trade with you (This is a violator; proceed with caution).]
[You have received 500,000 soul coins.]
Not only had he recovered the lost 1,000,000 soul coins, but he’d also gained an extra 500,000. The three [Dream Creation Stones] were clearly worth it.
“White Night, how about we end our grudge here…”
Before Speed could finish, three “Mercy Spikes” embedded into his arm, torso, and thigh. He thrashed like a fish out of water.
Su Xiao raised his hand, and the three spikes flew out into his palm. “I’ll give you a chance to rephrase.”
“I know a secret. It’s about a [Primordial Core].”
Speed spoke through gritted teeth, panting.
“That shows some sincerity. But I’m just a weak melee fighter. For certain reasons, I can’t kill you to silence you.”
“?”
Speed looked confused, not because of the latter part about not killing him, but the former: “I’m just a weak melee fighter.” Hearing that, his chest tightened.
“As a weak melee fighter, I’m worried you might retaliate.”
“??”
Speed was utterly baffled. He wanted to retort: “Bro, you’ve made enemies of Arcane Eternal Star to that extent, and you’re worried about a lone wolf violator like me retaliating?”
“To show your sincerity, I’ll give you a chance.”
“Your meaning is…”
“A chance to sign a contract with me.”
“!”
Speed’s cheek twitched violently. This time, his gaze was resolute. “Absolutely not.”
“Good, you have backbone.”
Su Xiao spoke approvingly but pulled out the Book of Original Sin. The fourth page happened to be empty. He opened the book, and sealing rune tentacles dragged Speed inside.
“Wait! Wait! Let’s talk this over…”
Before Speed finished, he was pulled into the fourth page of the Book of Original Sin. On that page, Speed’s information gradually appeared, along with his portrait. It showed Speed slowly donning a “pain mask,” and it was remarkably vivid.
In short, Speed courted death in the most creative ways and wore the most vivid pain mask.
Meanwhile, at the Sky City’s Top City, the ancient arena.
A woman with a ponytail, wearing a black vest, exuded a fierce aura. She stood in the center of the circular arena. Her build wasn’t bulky, but her silhouette radiated wild strength. From the corpse traces around, she had killed them all with her bare hands, including a massive beast whose spine had been snapped from a suplex, its head twisted.
“Not enough… I can endure more.”
As she spoke, darkness poured down from above—pure, primordial Abyss energy. Bathing in it, she grew stronger, but without the hollow feeling of sudden power. She had always been constrained by her own limits. In truth, her technique mastery had already reached an extremely high level.
It was clear that the Sky City faction hadn’t colluded with the Dark God Cult—or rather, they looked down on it. The Abyss energy here was purer, stronger, and more dangerous.
Just then, a voice emerged from the dark vortex ahead, a blend of male, female, young, and old tones. It said:
“The former twin guards of the Astral Tower were killed. Though they joined the Dark God Cult, they were still guards of the Astral Tower. You sought power, and we gave you the chance. Now that you have it, as agreed, you must do something for us. You must… avenge the twins.”
Hearing this, Sha, immersed in the Abyss energy, opened her eyes.
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