Chapter 1748 - WMW 116

As a special envoy from the native kingdom, Agigikro had also brought a batch elite fighters with him.

This included the Forest Hunters and Amazon Warriors. They were the ones who had attacked and held Isabel as well as her underlings back, and forced them into the dangerous forest.

Now, however, a youth had suddenly broken through all these people's defences and arrived at the core circle. He was even threatening the safety of the two leaders here, so how could they not be furious and terrified?

Along with Agigikro's enraged yell, countless Forest Hunters brandished the lances in their hands and, alongside the Amazon Warriors with strange tattoos on their bodies, immediately surrounded Leylin. The sharp weapons even formed a storm that aimed to tear Leylin to shreds.

However, Leylin's expression was rather interesting. He cared little for these enemies and instead stared unblinkingly at the crystal in his hands, as if it was the only thing that mattered.

"When I got onto the island, I already had a feeling that something was off. My instincts shouldn't be wrong. This power..." Leylin's eyes glinted with wisdom.

"Kill him!" At this moment, numerous natives roared as they pounced forward.

"Die, you weaklings!" Leylin, who was immersed in studying the crystals, waved his hand in annoyance.

Arcane spell— Missile Storm! Explosive Cloudkill!

With immense penetrative force, the arcane missile ruthlessly went through the neck of an Amazon Warrior, and then opened a gaping wound on one Forest Hunter's chest.

Numerous spells were launched, giving rise to waves and waves of blood being spilt.

After the Cloudkill spell, it converged to form a black tornado that disintegrated all the natives that had fallen, and even caused the corpses to begin corroding.

In the blink of an eye, the native elite fighters surrounding Leylin turned into one corpse after another.

"How is it possible? Is– Is he a death god? Or a devil? Or demon?" Agigikro watched Leylin who was standing within the tornado, muttering in disbelief. He knew the strength of his subordinates very well.

The Amazon Warriors could use their bare hands and kill a Sawtooth Tiger, while the Forest Hunters could wrestle with pythons and alligators in the tropical rainforests. Now, however, they were falling in large numbers like grass being mowed, the speed at which they were going down far exceeding his expectations.

"Go!" "Kill them!" Now, yells were sounding from all directions. The pirates that Leylin had brought along were beginning to make their move.

"Get here!" Leylin pointed, and Agigikro as well as the native head was grabbed by a huge stone hand, pushing them till they were before Leylin.

"Agubaba… Klagila…" At this moment, Leylin saw a native smeared with oil all over his body and feathers stuck on him. Like someone having epilepsy, he began to twitch while facing him.

"A spellcaster? Is this a curse? That's so weak! This is just too weak…" He pointed lazily, and a ray of light struck the head of the great priest, white and red spilling everywhere.

Seeing the honourable great priest's body falling headlessly, all the natives completely crumbled. Leylin, who was standing in front of them, was like an enemy that they would never be able to resist. He was as omnipotent as a god in the sky.

The voices of the pirates outside gradually drew closer. In no time, Robin Hood and Ronald arrived before him.

"Boss! There are approximately a few thousand people in this tribe, but those here should be their military. They've been defeated…"

Robin Hood reported. Those who had come from Pirates' Cove could be said to be the best of the best, and there were already a thousand powerful pirates. Compared to the natives, they had an absolute advantage.

"Mm, clean things up here. Try to catch them alive if possible. I have uses for them!" Afterwards, he sized up his own prisoners and the blood-red crystal in his hand. The crystal now emanated dazzling rays that gave rise to a look of intoxication in Leylin's eyes.

'My instincts can't be wrong. This is dreamforce! While there are slight differences, this is power that belongs to Dreamscape!' From the moment Leylin had gotten onto the island, he had sensed that the native island was enveloped by a layer of strange power. After seeing the dark red fog forest and the natives' offerings, he could confirm that there was actually dreamforce here— a power that hailed from Dreamscape!

This discovery immediately aroused his interest.

"My– My lord, please forgive me. I am an envoy of the empire. You can't…" At this moment, Agigikro who was being grabbed by the large hand suddenly spoke in the language of the continent. While he stammered, Leylin could somehow understand him.

Leylin came before Agigikro, and as if seeing hope, he began to speak with as much energy he could muster, "Let me… go. I can… pay the price of ransom…"

"Seems like there really is a native empire!" Leylin's palm landed on Agigikro's forehead. "If it were me in the past, I might be very interested in this, but now… I think I'll do it myself!"

Memory Retrieval! Leylin's pupils were shrouded in white in that moment, and Agigikro looked to be incomparable pain, as if he was experiencing some torture.

"Grace of the Balulukulu? Using this as anesthesia? What a waste…"

Leylin, who moved his palm away, had a general understanding of what had transpired. Agigikro, who had experienced magic, had now turned into a drooling idiot.

"Envoy of the empire. The skills of the native races, and Nightmare Island…" Leylin arrived before the native head and did the same as before; he immediately found the information he wanted.

"So… that's what it is?" The general context appeared in front of Leylin in its entirety.

During the dusk of the gods, not only was there the invasion from the Magus World, other powerful beings they had subdued had also entered this area as retinue. Amongst which was a powerful Magus who used dreamforce!

Of course, due to the unique laws of the World of Gods and the gods being unexpectedly stronger, the Magi of laws from the Magus World met with huge losses. Even the Magus who was proficient in dreamforce had fallen here.

It might be just a part of his body or some item he brought with him in battle that fell into the prime material plane. Coincidentally, it fell onto the island, causing such a unique environment here.

The powerful radiation from high-ranked Magi could easily modify an island. When it was the night of a full moon, the forest in the island would usually see strange events. The first to notice this were the native tribes. They could not explain this occurrence at all, and could only pray as if the reason for these happenings was a godly spirit.

After tens of thousands of years of exploration and bloody, unreasonable experiments, they finally had a better understanding of the laws of dreamforce, and attempted to extract and use it for themselves.

Perhaps it was because of the contamination from staying here long-term, but only the natives in the tribe had the ability to extract the dreamforce crystals. Of course, they called this grace from Balulukulu and tried to eat them in order to gain strength.

"They say the ignorant have no fear. So true!" Leylin stared at the crystal in his hand. In his eyes, this 'refined' item was still full of many impurities. If swallowed directly, there was a 90% chance of death, while the survivors would obtain some specific ability after incitement from dreamforce. This efficiency was far too low.

"As for the ecstasy from burning the crystals? Dreamforce definitely can give people great mental joy, but that will also lead to contamination. The upper class in the native empire must be in a terrible state…" Leylin shook his head, and began to use the A.I. Chip and scan the crystals.

[Beep! Mission established. Beginning scan…] A ray of blue light shot out from Leylin's eyes, not letting off any corner of the crystal.

Soon enough, the A.I. Chip gave an answer. [Beep! Scan completed. Determined to be Dreamscape Origin Force Crystals. Similarity to that in database at 98.77%. Discovered unknown mutated composition.]

'Mutual complementation? That's not a surprise. For the World of Gods, dreamforce is the most adaptable force. Regardless of where a being is, dreamscape can exist as long as they have intelligence. Hence, there's a very high compatibility…'

Leylin observed the mutated composition chart that the A.I. Chip and sank into deep thought.

If it was some force from the Magus World, the World of Gods would definitely expel it. However, dreamforce's compatibility was rather high, and after modifying a portion, it could still live on here tenaciously.

'Just from this, it's obvious that the Magus who had control over dreamforce had attained great power and was at least rank 8. He had probably even found his own path, and was a peak rank 8 existence that had already fused laws…'

This discovery had Leylin sighing in awe. The ancient times was truly the Magus World's golden period. Any Magus was incomparably powerful.

There had been the peak rank 8 Distorted Shadow, and now he'd discovered another powerful Magus who grasped dreamforce.

'Dreamforce… is powerful. If I can tell the rhythm at which it weakens, then it's much more powerful than the average law… In addition, dreamforce can accommodate time and space, and it's very good choice!'

After all, in Dreamscape, all time and space could be warped. Using Dreamscape to sustain the power of time and space wouldn't be dangerous. For Leylin, this was like a pillow being presented to him while he was taking a nap.

'The powerful Magus who could grasp dreamforce must have known the rhythm at which dreamforce weakened and made use of it. He found a way to evade that…' Leylin's eyes twinkled.

-x-X-x-

"With how powerful Magi who comprehend laws are, just a fragment should contain a portion of his conscient and memories. There might even be a chance of getting some inheritance…" Leylin muttered, "I must get that Nightmare Wizard's inheritance!"

Dreamforce had always interested Leylin. The A.I. Chip stored the progress on his work the data from his continued experiments. He'd never given up studying it.

Rank 7 Magi needed to grasp powerful laws, while rank 8s needed to find their own path to fuse these laws, using a certain power as the base.

Leylin's goal was immortality, and he had definitely considered the future properly. If possible, he definitely wanted to use the origin forces from the Magus World and World of Gods to fuse his own laws. It was a pity that this was impossible. He might alarm the two World Wills, and on top of that there were other existences that wouldn't allow him to do so.

Dreamscape was the next greatest power. It surpassed big worlds like the Purgatory and Icy Worlds, and if not for its weakening phase the two strongest worlds in ancient times would have been joined by a third.

Dreamforce at its peak was the most powerful origin force beside those of the Magus World and World of Gods. Only a path that fused laws with dreamforce would stand up to Leylin's ambition!

However, to completely analyse dreamforce and find ways to evade the weakening phase was still a huge and arduous task for him now. Even with help from the A.I. Chip, he estimated that it would require over ten thousand years.

Instead, a bright future was right before him. As long as he obtained the legacy of the Nightmare Wizard, then the issue with dreamforce could be immediately solved! With such a huge temptation, Leylin's inquiring footsteps were unhindered by the great dangers within the forest.

"Captain! We've interrogated the prisoners. Miss Isabel was forced into this forest. Every full moon, the forest will be filled with great danger, and nobody has ever survived!" Robin Hood was extremely glum, while the knife at Ronald's hip was stained with blood, his expression dark.

"I'm going in," Leylin suddenly spoke.

"Captain!" "My lord, let me go!" Robin Hood and Ronald immediately persuaded him not to. From their point of view, they had already lost Isabel to a trap, and if Leylin too were to disappear within it all that awaited them would be the ire of the Faulen Family.

"Don't worry, I'm confident in myself. Tell the pirates not to get close to the forest and the dark red fog. It's best they retreat close to the coastline…" Leylin waved his arms and spoke resolutely. He inspired more fear than even Isabel in the older Scarlet Tigers, and his orders were carried out decisively.

"Is this contamination from a combination of mutated dreamforce and the laws of the World of Gods?" Leylin put on his wizard robes and wore his dragonhide armour. The Red Dragon Staff in hand roared, and the cries of the dragon soul inside could somewhat be heard from the crystal grabbed by the dragon claw.

As he had rejected the pleas of Robin Hood and the rest, he was now alone. That meant he could use his strength as he pleased. The pirates would only have been a burden in areas contaminated with dreamforce.

"A.I. Chip, begin transformation!" Standing at the side of the forest, Leylin immediately commanded.

[Beep! Transferring Dreamscape spell model, fusing with arcane spell information. Begin creation of arcane dreamforce spell model!] The A.I. Chip loyally carried out Leylin's order.

"Arcane dreamforce spell— Eternal Light!" Leylin pointed his right index finger forward, and a milky-white flame flew from the tip of his finger. It grew with the wind, reaching the size of a pumpkin in an instant.

The dark red fog dissipated under the pure white flames, revealing the original appearance of the forest.

"A.I. Chip, scan for energy undulations!" Leylin flipped his palm over, and the shattered alert rune appeared once more. A scan gave him the general direction, and he disappeared into the thick fog.

The moment any dark red fog entered his surroundings, it would be engulfed by his Eternal Light spell. It formed a strange isolated area around him.

Leylin's decision to explore the area was naturally because he was confident in himself. He could rely on arcane dreamforce spells!

With his research in the Magus World, he possessed many spell models for dreamforce spells. Using his arcanist inheritance, he could easily convert them for use in the World of Gods. There was no issue at all given the A.I. Chip's powerful analysis and calculation abilities.

"Dreamforce spells are the best way to deal with beings contaminated by dreamforce," Leylin sighed.

A dark red fireball immediately burnt a strange ent up ahead to ashes. Unlike Isabel's, his attacks left the monsters with no chance of revival.

'I'm close… Over there!' All of a sudden, Leylin's brow twitched. A large pair of wings instantly sprouted from his back, allowing him to soar into the sky…

Meanwhile, Isabel's crisis had reached its crescendo.

"Scram!" Angered cries and terrifying flames caused a large centipede to take several steps backwards.

"Keke… too weak… too weak…" Strange human faces were sticking out of this monster's outer shell. Amongst them were those belonging to the pirates under her, their eyes emitting a red lustre as they began to snicker.

Her draconic flames left not a trace on the monster's shell, as if it had a defensive power that made it hard to destroy.

"Become a part of me!" One of the faces opened its mouth, corrosive green liquid spraying out like rainwater.

Even the dragonscale defence sputtered upon contact, steam billowing out. The immense pain from the corrosion caused Isabel to frown hard.

"Quick, come!" Karen appeared at the side, pulling at Isabel's arm and running.

"I never thought it would just be the two of us left. I shouldn't have come in." Isabel now looked regretful.

"This is not the time to worry about that. Sister Isabel, I've taken a look around. The dark red fog wall seems to show signs of dissipating. As long as we hang on for a while longer, we can exit this place!" Karen encouraged her.

"Leave… haha…" Isabel now looked extremely pathetic, but much of the damage was to her mind. She had never thought she would see such strange things as she had this day. It was more than she had experienced in her lifetime.

After she had brought her subordinates and retreated into the forest, all sorts of weird things had appeared when night fell. At the beginning, she had thought it was some sick joke, but she soon found that she had to pay for that in blood.

Trees that could walk, flowers and grass that could sing, stones that had qi, the dead being able to revive, numerous clowns… All sorts of things she could not even name attacked them in succession. They were grotesque and variegated, almost causing her to think that she had gone insane.

The subordinates under her fell one by one, gulped down by either real or imaginary beings. Now, only she and Karen were left.

"That centipede monster is very strong and at least has legendary strength. Does that mean we can only evade… Hm? What is it, Karen? Are you hurt?"

Isabel looked at Karen beside her. The half-drow now had her back to Isabel, shoulders trembling slightly.

A palm touched Isabel's shoulder, and her expression immediately changed, "There's no heat. You're not Karen!"

"Hehe… adorable little captain, if I'm not Karen, who else can I be?" Karen turned back, light shining on half her face. However, Isabel's pupils only shrunk. Her beautiful face had now split from the middle, revealing terrifying white razor-sharp teeth, as if her face had turned into a large mouth.

"Damn it, what the hell are you?" Isabel yelled. Terrifying flames formed rings of fire that were several metres long, managing to get 'Karen' to back off.

"Heehee… What could I be?"

*Rumble!* The earth split, and the human-faced centipede appeared once more. Karen snickered as she dug her hands into the centipede and fused with it. At the end, the monster that looked like Karen completely disappeared, its only remnant a pale face.

*Chi! Chi!* The huge centipede let out earth-shattering cries, cold air bursting forth from its mouth. The surrounding trees and soil were covered in a layer of ice.

"It has a clone with a power of ice, and can't die. Gods… Could this be some sort of special variant of god?" This was the only conclusion Isabel could come up with. The terrifying chilliness began to freeze her body, causing even the dragonblood in her body to still.

"No, I can't die here!" Isabel looked resolute as the red scales on her body exploded.

"Blood Explosion!" The bloody red fog blocked the ice off, finally giving Isabel a route of escape.

-x-X-x-

Blood Explosion wasn't sorcery. It was an unknown spell recorded in Dragon King's Mystic Might that allowed a Dragon Warlock to burn their bloodline in exchange for ultimate strength. It was something used when left without choice, a decision to make when in complete despair.

While the blood fog hindering the chilly fog, Isabel now had a path of escape. However, she had now reverted to her human form and could no longer transform. On top of that, the areas that had been covered in dragon scales turned into a mass of bruises.

However, her desire to survive still pushed her to advance forth in the fog forest.

"So I can't hold on anymore?" The haemorrhaging blood and injuries caused everything to blur, and it all turned into darkness.

"Hm? Boss!" Before collapsing, the last thing she heard was a voice of surprise.

...

"Ugh… I'm not dead yet?" Isabel raised her right arm and caressed the Red Dragon Sword, the burst of warmth from the sword sheath instantly making her feel relieved. While she felt just as weak as before, having a weapon in her hand would allow her to die with more dignity.

Isabel laughed wryly as she began to assess her surroundings, 'It's rather small here, and I seem to be in some enclosed environment. There was also that voice I heard before I fainted…'

"You're awake!" A muffled voice sounded by Isabel's ear, and her pupils widened slightly. It was Karen's voice!

"Where– Where am I now?" Isabel asked slowly, her eyes doing their best to adapt to the darkness as they looked for traces of light.

"We're inside a hollow tree. We haven't escaped danger yet!" Karen did not seem to be in the best state either, as she stumbled over her words, "He- Hehe, I'm guessing you saw a monster that looked a lot like me, right? I also met with great danger with someone I knew well!"

Isabel was not so easily convinced, "Who's the vice captain on our ship?"

"Three Ears, although he was struck a fatal blow and eventually crippled in the last naval battle. Karen especially pressed her lips to Isabel's ear, "Also… I know a lot more private information, such as what you hide under your pillow…"

"Enough! I believe you're the real thing!" A flush rose on Isabel's cheeks as she interrupted Karen.

"This is such a critical time, and that is what you decided to point out?" Isabel's low voice was filled with anger.

"We need to change our mentality," Karen said solemnly, "Did you notice that these monsters have held back from killing us? It's like… What's an appropriate word… Teasing us. Yes!"

"You mean…" Isabel had the same thought.

"Exactly! I think those monsters feed on human emotions. They keep scaring us to cause despair…"

Karen sounded agitated, "Beings like this exist in the Underdark as well. That's why I'm doing my best to hold in the fear and unease in my heart. Surprisingly, I haven't bumped into any particularly powerful monster, and have managed to hold on till now…"

As a half-drow from the Underdark, Karen evidently had a better understanding of such evil monsters. It was a pity though. Her ideas may have been valid in the World of Gods, but dreamforce wasn't as simple.

Still, Isabel now had no choice but to believe her, "In other words, I can deal with them easily if I suppress my emotions?"

"I can only say there's a slight effect, since completely obliterating all emotions are things only legendary mind flayers can do…" Karen had a wry smile on her face.

"Also… be careful not to experience intense emotion. It will only attract more powerful monsters!"

"I understand…" Isabel nodded, "These things only seem to appear at night. As long as we can hold on till sunrise tomorrow, we might be safe…" Isabel now had no thoughts of bringing more men to explore the area. She only hoped to escape as far as possible.

*Rumble!* The surface of the ground trembled slightly, and a strange monstrous laughter sounded out. Isabel began to get nervous, "Be careful, something's here!"

She could see the human centipede crawl over slowly through the hole in the tree, large amounts of saliva dripping from its head. The surrounding trees were pushed away, revealing the sinister and terrifying human faces on the shell.

"Relax, as long as we calm ourselves, it can't find us…" Karen's voice trembled, evidently still uneasy at this life and death gamble.

'Don't think too much. No! Don't think about anything, and don't have any emotions!' Karen thought to herself as Isabel tightened her grasp on her sheath.

It seemed like their prayers had been answered. The giant centipede didn't seem to discover them as it wandered past the large tree.

'It really worked!' 'We did it!' Isabel and Karen exchanged a glance, looking hopeful and excited.

*Huala!* The large trunk was split apart all of a sudden, revealing the two. They stared in shock as the giant centipede swayed back and forth.

"Keke, is this a game of catch?" The faces on the shell kept changing until a child's face appeared, speaking in a young voice.

"What a pity… You thought calming your emotions would help you escape Zelos. How childish!" The human face warped, becoming that of a middle-aged pirate. The voice grew older as well.

"Hehe… the game's over! Become a part of me!" The large centipede yelled, the numerous faces on its shell separating themselves and turning into white human silhouettes with masks. They moved slowly, looking blank as they surrounded the two.

"No, why did this happen? Did we guess wrong?"

"This is a nightmare. This has to be a nightmare! No… let me wake up! I want my mother…" Karen was the first to break under the immense pressure, seemingly laughing and crying at the same time.

"Damn it, I knew women aren't dependable at critical moments!" Isabel cursed, her sword being thrust into a white figure to no effect. They were still slowly surrounding her.

"There's no way… There's no way at all… I'll really die here…" Isabel seemed bedazzled in that moment, her life flashing before her eyes. A hint of tenderness appearing in her gaze, "Unfortunately…"

"Arcane dreamforce spell— Flying Palm!" Just as the white figures were about to completely surround them, a black figure fell from above. Powerful spells shot out, pulling the dark red fog together to form a large palm.

*Thud!* The large palm pressed down abruptly, and countless white figures were crushed. With a swipe, the rest were sent flying.

"Thankfully, I got here in time!" Leylin turned back, glancing at Isabel's expression as she looked shocked and elated, "Are you two alright?"

"We're fine! I'll leave this to…" Isabel felt very suffocated, and only managed to say this at the end before fainting.

"Has her stamina completely run out? And this one…" Leylin watched Karen on the ground, who had been scared stupid, "She looks like she was terrified. Not surprising; not everyone can bear the shock of experiencing dreamforce…"

"Keke… another one! Another one that will become a part of my body!" The large centipede's head now split open, revealing an old face filled with wrinkles. The other fragmented white figures were inhaled into its body, and masked faces appeared on the crust.

"Such a large being contaminated by dreamforce… it's at least a legendary, hm?" Leylin looked up, elated, "Just the radiation alone can create a legendary being here… Whatever is here must be even more astonishing!"

"Kid, you dare ignore…" The centipede monster began to howl, and more cysts appeared on its body. They looked ready to explode.

"I have no time to play with you right now. See you next time!" Leylin was the absolute master of this region contaminated by dreamforce. He didn't even frown, feeling no fear.

"Arcane dreamforce spell— Distrait Dream!" Dark red undulations spread from his hands, and their surroundings strangely went silent.

"Let's leave first!" Making use of this rare opportunity, Leylin grabbed Isabel and Karen as he spread his wings. He flew to the edges of the forest where the dark red fog converged like a cage.

"Open!" Leylin exclaimed, and arcane spell energy poured into the Red Dragon Staff, blazing flames breaking through the lock. With a few flashes of his body, he disappeared into the horizon.

He was still unable to deal with the large centipede and naturally would not waste his strength on that.

...

It was now morning. Isabel, who had recovered most of her strength, arrived outside the tent. She then saw Leylin, who was studying the edges of the forest.

"I'm sorry… We were completely wiped out. I'm the one to blame for all this…" Isabel gritted her teeth and stammered.

"This was really an accident. Others would have had the same results." Leylin was focused as he took samples of the soil, while Isabel looked fearfully at the forest. The lesson she was taught in there was etched into her mind, and she hoped that she would never return to this place in her life.

-x-X-x-

"You're just in time. I've given Karen a tranquilising potion, and she should be starting on the road to recovery. Bring them all back to Pirates' Cove!" Leylin stowed a test tube into a box where things were carefully separated.

"We're going back? Then what about you?" Isabel asked in surprise.

"This place is very interesting, I'm getting ready for some extended research. There needs to be someone overseeing things at Pirates' Cove…" There was a fanatical expression in Leylin's eyes. Most wizards liked to research all sorts of strange things, which was why Isabel was not the least bit suspicious.

Still, the danger she'd experienced before had made her rather anxious, "But things are too dangerous here…"

"Don't worry, wizards always make preparations for this. I'll also need you to send me some magic materials and daily essentials periodically."

Whether it was the confidence in his tone or his successful rescue of her yesterday that moved her, Isabel finally agreed.

"Fine… You have to be careful. Perhaps I could stay here?"

"No. Nobody besides you has complete control of the Scarlet Tiger. This period is very crucial…" Leylin told her seriously.

After spending a lot more time persuading her, Leylin finally let his cousin take most of the pirates and leave. Watching the ships sailing away in the distance, he could not help but sigh.

'Now, this Nightmare Island shall be mine…' He nodded, arriving at edges of what was now called Nightmare Forest. There were already a few pirates in wait.

"My lord, command us as you will." While they looked exceptionally ferocious, they could only withdraw all their fierceness in front of Leylin. They even had pleasing smiles, looking more harmless than little rabbits.

There was no way around this. Leylin's reputation had scared them out of their wits. This was their true leader, so how would they dare be careless now?

"Mm. Build me a house here, I'll be staying for a while." Leylin casually pointed at an empty area.

"No problem, you'll see a villa soon. Iron hook Calon is very honoured to serve you!" The pirate at the front bowed respectfully, and after Leylin nodded he brandished the whip at his waist, "Heard that? My lord wishes for a villa to be built here. Start work immediately!"

*Pak! Pak!* It had to be said that the pirates who were now foremen were rather good talents. With their fiendish threats, the rest of the native slaves soon understood what they wanted and began to clear the base and start cutting down wood.

"Mm, not bad!" Leylin nodded in praise. After gaining his approval, Calon raised his head with more pride, as if he had obtained some incomparable honour.

'Based on the memories of the native chief, the nightmarish phenomenon only appears during the full moon of every month. It is otherwise a normal forest…' Leylin then looked towards the forest. The dark red fog had long since dissipated, and there was even a layer of white mist at the surface of the greenery. Nothing looked special about it.

'I only get tens of hours for research every month. That's just too short. Looks like I'll have to stay here for a long time…' Leylin thought, and he sighed.

If those who'd comprehended laws in the Magus World knew of his thoughts, they would definitely go green in envy. A chance to study dreamforce and obtain the legacy of the Nightmare Wizard was something they would scramble for even if it would take them tens of thousands of years.

Leylin's regret only stayed for a moment. He then began his intense research.

Ruins from Magi were even more dangerous than the World of Gods' wizard ruins. They were filled with unknown variables, and with an existence dealing with dreamforce, there was now a higher difficulty in his exploration.

"Even the most surface layer of dreamforce contamination has created a legendary monster. Deeper down, it definitely gets more dangerous… Thankfully, I've already obtained firsthand information, so I'm not without direction…" Leylin glanced at the tremendous Nightmare Forest, a zealous look in his eyes.

...

Spring left and autumn arrived. In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.

The island that Leylin had named Nightmare Island now looked completely different. The native tribe had completely disappeared, having been killed or sold as slaves.

There was now a two-storey villa next to the forest. The garden at its front had blooming golden tulips, and violet wisteria climbed all over the fence. A faint aroma lingered in the air.

By the flowerbed, Leylin now held a white watering can as he leisurely took care of the plants in his garden. The soil around the roots of his flowers quickly grew damp as they greedily absorbed the water. Sparkling droplets of water remained dazzling on the petals and stems.

'Time passes so quickly. People at home and my cousin are very dissatisfied with how long I've stayed here…' After finishing the work at hand, Leylin picked up a white towel and wiped his hands. He then sat on a rattan chair amongst the flowers as he began to admire the fruits of his labour.

However, the A.I. Chip's light didn't dim from within his eyes. It continued to conduct precise simulations, performing analysis and calculations.

"With all these years of study, there's finally results…" Leylin saw the map that the A.I. Chip projected. On the translucent viewport, Nightmare Island was now separated into three layers. Nightmare Forest was only on the first.

'The ancient Nightmare Wizard's inheritance has sunk underground. The forest here is a structure formed from some vaporised dreamforce that's similar to a secret lock?' Leylin looked grim.

The legacy of such a terrifying existence of laws was something even his main body had to approach cautiously. With his strength as a clone, every step had to be taken prudently, or he could just die too easily.

"Thankfully, with the information I had before on Dreamscape, as well as the mutations to dreamforce in the World of Gods, finding a few methods to break through the lock is still simple…

"However, what's important now is to increase my strength…" Leylin headed into the villa and entered a secret room. He saw the many strangely-shaped rock carvings, totems and the like, and looked deep in thought.

These sculptures and decorative figures all had a very boorish style, and were also extremely incredible. They were filled with primitive daydreams towards exemplary strength, but what was more similar was the power of faith on them. Golden rays shone brightly as they illuminated the room.

"Immature power of faith?" Leylin muttered to himself. All this was loot from the Scarlet Tigers' attacks on the native tribes. They were items that those natives worshipped, filled with primitive power of faith. There even valiant spirits and some sort of nature spirits in there as well, albeit sealed.

'While I avoided native tribes protected by the Ocean Goddess or nature spirits of legendary strength, the outer seas are boundless. There aren't many of those…'

Leylin wandered aimlessly to a piece of blood-red animal skin. On the dark brown surface of the flag was a double-headed wolf totem, drawn in bright colours. Varied and dense power of faith spread from it, and the strange wolf seemed ready to pounce out at any moment, but was held back by the strong seal.

'This one is halfway between a dark soul and a natural soul. It hasn't even obtained divinity, so how can it go against Isabel, a Dragon Warlock?' Leylin sensed the valiant spirit on the flag. It had already grown sharp teeth and pointy ears, and a wart began to bulge at its neck. Evidently, the soul of the ancestor of the natives was already turning into a double-headed wolf.

'A poor guy who's held by the power of faith…' Leylin watched the confused valiant spirit, eyes not showing any pity.

This valiant spirit must have been some kind of hero in the original tribe. He had been worshipped extensively after death, and the faith of the tribe had intertwined with their worship of him. Had he completely transformed, a new god would have been born one day.

Unfortunately, Leylin's path conflicted with his. In that case, what else was there to say?

'Thankfully, these faith totems did not transmute divine force, or I might not have been able to absorb them…' Leylin raised his right hand, a faint Targaryen figure emerging in his eyes as terrifying devouring power enveloped the animal-skin flag.

"Innate skill— Devour!"

*Whoosh!* It was like a long dragon drinking water as threads of golden light were pulled out of the flag with a formless force, disappearing into the dark hole. Immense power of faith, with souls and intense emotions mixed in, was devoured by the formless black hole, turning into the most pure origin force.

In the time of a few breaths, the dark golden lustre on the animal skin flag completely died down, and the wolf totem had now lost all life, turning into a dead item.

[Beep! Divine force absorbed, increased energy reserves by 3.8%. Total progress: 89.77%!] The A.I. Chip prompted.

"As expected of the offering of a small tribe. It's too little!" Leylin shook his head, looking dissatisfied. With a wave of his hands, the other statues and totems soared in the air.

The tremendous black hole devoured all these elementary sacrifices in an instant, turning them into the purest energy source. Afterwards, Leylin saw the numbers on the A.I. Chip's screen beginning to rise steadily.

-x-X-x-

[Beep!] [Beep!] The value rose continuously, very soon reaching 100%.

*Bang! Bang!* The totems and primitive statues lost their lustre, and hairline cracks began to appear on their bodies.

'These were all primitive gods. Did I just kill over a dozen deities?' Leylin chuckled inwardly at the thought of it, and very soon he tossed this matter to the back of his mind.

Although these primitive totems hadn't gained divinity, it was worth mentioning that the power of faith was extremely strong. The problem was that one god's faith was another's poison, and this faith was heterogeneous. Only someone like Leylin, who'd mastered the law of devouring, could easily expel the thoughts and conscients within them, turning them into the purest of energy that he could use.

After the reserves had reached 100%, the A.I. Chip's voice sounded out. [Beep! Divine force reserves completed. Beginning to transfer energy to the main body, simulating divine grace!]

Leylin's reserves depleted quickly, and soon he'd expended it all. Compared to the previous times when he had absorbed the energy, this time round it was much more powerful!

[Beep! The host has undergone a divine baptism. Spirit +1]

[Beep! The host's arcanist rank has increased to 18! Arcane Energy +10!]

[Beep! Obtained one rank 8 arcane spell slot, one rank 7 arcane spell slot, and one rank 6 arcane spell slot!]

Very soon, Leylin's stats had undergone changes too.

[Leylin Faulen, Age: 22. Race: Human, Rank 18 Arcanist. Strength: 15. Agility: 15. Vitality: 15. Spirit: 18. Arcane Energy: 180. Status: Healthy. Feats: Sturdy, Erudite, Intermediate Perfect Body. Specialties: Arcane Energy Detection, Arcane Amplification.]

[Progress of Weave Analysis: Level 0 100%, Level 1 100%, Level 2 100%, Level 3 100%, Level 4 100%, Level 5 100%, Level 6 76.88%, Level 7 51.30%, Level 8 19.60%.]

[Spell Slots: Rank 8(2), Rank 7(4), Rank 6(7), Rank 5(???), Rank 4(???), Rank 3(???), Rank 2(???), Rank 1(???), Rank 0(???).]

"This is the power… of divine grace?" A surge of power swelled through Leylin's body, intoxicating him. It was only now that he learnt how powerful the gods here were.

"So all that matters is divine grace. If I ignore the divine force requirement, I can also turn a pig into a legendary?" Leylin's improvement in strength right was akin to having received divine grace from a god, except that he obtain it through other means.

"It seems like Alustriel isn't just a Chosen, she also has some of Mystra's divinity. She is at least rank 25, and coming face to face with a legendary would not faze her one bit…" The situation in the north was still in a mess, especially the borders between the orc empire and the humans. That had turned into a place of unrest where darkness and chaos were prevalent.

"It seems like that queen has been devastated and is planning to live in seclusion?" Leylin rubbed his chin. He still held a hidden card in the north; Tiff was living there in territory he owned. It was possible for him to intervene in the battles and tip the balance of the scale.

'However this is also a blessing in disguise. The north has attracted the attention of the central continent and the gods, which makes it easier for me to carry out my plans in Dambrath…' Leylin pondered before leaving the secret room, without casting another glance at these sacrificial items which were much too mundane to him now.

...

Night fell, and the full moon appeared. A thin red fog had spread around Nightmare Forest starting at dusk.

A group of pirates and human slaves had retreated Immediately, as if the fog was their nemesis. Some of the human slaves even knelt in the direction of Nightmare Forest, praying loudly despite the whips of the foremen.

"Damn it! How many brothers has this cursed forest taken from us already?" Calon wiped the cold sweat off his body as he looked in apprehension at the forest enshrouded in the mist, his knees buckling weakly. His only thought now was to run away if something was off in the slightest.

Having served Leylin for the past year, he had seen the workings of this sinister forest. Despite repeated warnings, there were still foolhardy pirates who approached the forest on a full moon, and they never appeared before him again.

The numerous events had etched the memories of this forest deep in Calon's mind. His fear of it had long surpassed what he held for those monsters lurking in the deep seas, and equalled what he felt for demons and devils.

'Good heavens! Our Lord is actually conducting his research in this place, he really doesn't fear death! Almighty Goddess of the Ocean, I seek your blessing in leaving this cursed area at the next available chance…' Looking at the maroon-coloured moon and the mist enshrouding the forest, Calon prayed towards the gods piously for the first time...

...

"No matter how many times I've seen this, it still moves me…" Leylin stood at the edge of Nightmare Forest, fully armed. He stretched out his hand and grabbed a trace of the dark red mist, his eyes filled with emotion.

'The dreamforce from another world seems to have reached an accord with the laws of the World of Gods, developing a mutual tolerance…' Dreamforce was common in other worlds as well, and it underwent a necessary mutation to adapt to the laws of the World of Gods. If other beings who had comprehended laws learnt of this they would go insane over the discovery.

'Without a doubt, this could be the reason why the Overgod's conscient fell into slumber. Otherwise, it absolutely would not allow this sort of malignant tumour to smoothly grow…' Leylin stroked his chin, watching the dark red dreamforce in his hand twist into a variety of forms.

"A.I. Chip, establish mission: Investigate the feasibility of transmuting external powers into the World of Gods!"

[Beep! Mission established, added to secondary investigation list!] The A.I. Chip loyally reported.

"Nightmare Island… What surprises will you bring me?" Leylin's lips curved into a smile as he slowly melded into the forest, his figure swallowed by the dark red mist.

"The dreamforce in this forest completely explodes outwards during the night of a full moon, but normally even ordinary creatures can pass through the forest." A milky white flame lit the path ahead of him, and all Leylin could see on either side were trees.

At this moment, the forest seemed to take on a life on its own and all the trees became ents. They hugged their shoulders, shying away from the bright light of the everlasting flame. They even spared to the time to whisper to each other, "Hurry! Look! That human came again…"

"Hey! Ouch! You stepped on me, it hurts! Don't you know that it's very rude to step on an old person's head?" An aged voice came from beneath Leylin's feet. Leylin soon discovered that the green rock that had originally been there had grown tiny little hands and feet, and was now uprooting itself from the soil. An elderly face even appeared on the surface of the rock.

'Is this a Life Activation technique? It seems to have been corrupted.'

Under the influence of the World of Gods' transmuted dreamforce, the entire forest seemed to have come to life. Various unimaginable things were running to and fro.

"Oh, human! You have returned. Are you looking for Zelos?" A squirrel greeted Leylin, perching onto the shoulder of a giant ent.

'Zelos? Is it that giant centipede? Is it his turn to come out?' Leylin nodded, "No, but could you tell me where it is?" He withdrew a pine nut from his pocket and tossed it to the squirrel as he spoke.

"Mm, my favourite!" The little squirrel immediately stuffed the pine nut into its cheeks, its teeth quickly gnawing through the thing. Its words were rendered rather unintelligible as it ate.

"Zelos has been looking for you all this time! It's in the east… No! It's already here, run!" The little squirrel immediately took the pine nut and left, the nearby ents following it in succession. The area quickly emptied, leaving Leylin standing there alone.

'How lucky! Every night of the full moon, a different creature becomes the strongest one each time. I've seen a Nightmare and a walking piano before. Compared to them, unravelling the mystery behind a giant centipede is much easier…' Leylin had a relaxed smile on his face.

*Bang! Bang!* An enormous black shadow suddenly erupted through the soil. It had innumerable feet, and a humanoid face rose out of its shell. The face, that of a youth, turned its crimson eyes to gaze coldly at Leylin.

"We meet again, giant centipede!" The Red Dragon Staff in Leylin's hands suddenly shout out a red light.

"No, I am Zelos the Third. What you met before was my father. You should not have trespassed here, intruder!" A droning voice came out of the youthful mask.

"Very well, this damnable dreamscape period has complicated everything significantly…" Leylin looked at this giant centipede with a serious expression. "Are you going to obediently get out of my way, or do I have to slaughter you?"

"Vile human!" It was clear that his attitude had infuriated the centipede. The giant monster roared loudly, bearing down quickly on Leylin with its entire body.

-x-X-x-

*Bang!* Rocks and soil were sent flying everywhere, and the place where Leylin had just stood immediately turned into a giant pit in the ground.

'Extremely fast, with great strength. As expected of a defensive creature that was contaminated by dreamforce…' Leylin assessed the centipede indifferently from the very edge of the pit.

"Human, you have provoked me! I, Zelos the Third, will make you pay the price!" The giant centipede shouted. Face after face separated from its body, each transforming into a strange, humanoid figure.

"I'll be honest. You're much easier to deal with than a Nightmare that can use dreamforce skillfully or a walking piano that can't be dealt with via normal magic." Finishing this earnest declaration, Leylin pointed the Red Dragon Staff at the centipede.

"Soul Burn!"

*Roar!* A powerful draconic aura erupted from the staff. The red dragon's soul seemed to endure some torturous force on the staff's tip. It shrunk as its spirit withered considerably.

A surging red energy glowed at the end of the staff, transforming into the upper body of a mature red dragon.

*Roar!* This monster which had appeared so abruptly had reached legendary strength, and a swipe from its enormous dragon claws sent the centipede flying. Afterwards, this legendary dragon spat out its dragon breath!

*Bang! Bang! Bang!* The ground trembled continuously, and even the dark red mist in the air was dispersed considerably. The enormous red dragon phantom dissipated, only leaving behind a giant imprint of a centipede monster on the ground.

The monster looked very miserable and the summoned mask creatures had been completely exterminated. Even the armour it wore seemed to be rather damaged.

"Ow… How could the power of the normal world harm Zelos the Third?" The centipede monster had been torn in half, its breastplate shattered to pieces. Its fiery red energy core was even exposed, but the mask on its skull did not show the slightest hint of suffering. It continued to absorb traces of dark red mist that repaired the damaged shell.

"Of course the power of the ordinary world cannot harm dreamscape creatures, but what if dreamforce was used as well?" Although he saw that the creature was being rapidly restored, a smile of success still flashed across Leylin's eyes.

"Arcane dreamforce spell— Void Blade!" Some unknown force caused the dark red fog to condense, transforming it into an arc of light.

"If one wants to break through the first layer of the Nightmare Forest, you need to make a sacrifice to Sibyl!" After two years of slow and fumbling analysis, Leylin had developed an exceptional understanding of the Nightmare Forest's surface layer.

"Giant centipede, become my sacrifice!" The dark red blade of light flew from his hands and streaked cleanly through the centipede creature's exposed red core.

Enormous cracks appeared on the surface of the core. A crisp sound rang out as it exploded loudly, shattering like glass.

The whimpers and howls of many aggrieved spirits lingered in Leylin's ear as confused souls poured out from the centipede monster's wounds. These souls took the form of the natives of the forest, and there were a few familiar-looking pirates mixed in with them.

"Open the path with souls, Sibyl's sacrifice!" Leylin's hands sketched out numerous runes at lightning speed as he chanted ancient words out loud.

*Bzzt!* A layer of suffocating energy swept across the forest. Many souls were gathered together and became a gorgeously lit passageway.

"The blood of a witch, a dark raven's wing, and the dark matter from Manter's sacrificial rites… The conditions have all been fulfilled!"

A sound of muffled thunder came from above as Leylin's actions seemed to have given rise to some chain reaction. Violet lightning blanketed the sky!

*Ka-cha! Bang!* The passageway of souls rushed forward in a flash, and an enormous tunnel seemed to appear in the ground. The floor began to rumble as if an 8-point earthquake had been triggered.

"Was it a success?" Leylin's figure emerged from the smoke and dust. He waved a hand, and a dark red hurricane immediately swept away the dust to expose a devastated landscape.

The giant centipede monster and the spell array from before had vanished without a trace. The very earth seemed to have cracked apart, revealing a crevice that was unfathomably deep.

"The power of the lock has been broken, revealing the entrance to the lower layers," Leylin jumped into the crevice without the slightest hesitation. The turbulent darkness below gobbled him up as if he had leapt into the mouth of some giant monster.

The air whistled past his ears loudly, and spots of fluorescence constantly flashed in the darkness like fireflies.

"My research indicates that the Nightmare Wizard's inheritance has three locks total. The higher locks are closer to the World of Gods…'

The creatures in Nightmare Forest were bigger than those of the normal world. The deeper inside the forest one went, the greater the contamination of dreamforce. Even laws began to distort at a point.

Leylin had deduced that the third level of the lock would not have such constructs as time and space, instead being a mere assembly of thoughts and concepts. After all, it wasn't difficult for dreamforce to contort spacetime at its strongest.

"No matter what, I have to at least see the remnants of this ancient Nightmare Wizard…"

*Thud! Thud!* Leylin suddenly felt a strange sensation from the solid ground. He stood rooted in place.

"Not granite… but mahogany planks?" Leylin raised his head, and sunlight shone gently into the room he was in. Motes of dust could be seen floating in the air, making the place look hazy.

"Little Ardin! The great wizard Poffert is here to recruit an apprentice; you must succeed this time!" A lady with a kind and gentle expression stood before Leylin, and her husband sipped on coffee as he read the newspaper. She gave a red haired boy a poached egg as she instructed him.

'What's happening?' Leylin's brows furrowed and he felt a chill down his spine. He tried to react, but found that he had completely lost all energy. He was now only a spectral observer, forced to just stare at the scene.

'Dreamscape! I'm in dreamscape! This is the second floor of the lock, countless fantasy dream worlds!' Leylin was suddenly enlightened.

'This must be the Nightmare Wizard's memories of his youth…' Leylin now looked at the little boy tucking in on a high seated chair and hastily wolfing down a meal. His legs were dangling off the ground as they shook, giving off a comical vibe.

"I know, mother!" The red haired boy promised and began to quickly finish eating his food.

"When I send you to the wizard later, you must remember to be polite at all times! Honey, why don't you say a few things to him too?" The wife glared at her husband.

It was only then that the dead husband raised his head from the newspaper, revealing a perplexed expression, "Yea, you can do this!"

"Ah, the grace of gods! Someone save me, I can't stand this any longer. Don't you know how important today is for little Ardin?" The wife seemed to turn estranged.

"I know, I know! It's just Poffert isn't it? I once…" The middle aged man reminisced the past.

"Stop boasting of those adventures you claim to have had. No matter what, you're just an inspector on the roads of the city…" It was apparent that the wife did not believe a word that her husband said.

"I'm done eating!" Ardin pushed his plate away as he stood up.

"Oh! Wait… Milk! Your milk!" The woman called out behind him.

Ardin ran very quickly, soon leaving his mother in the distance as he left the simple house.

*Boom!* A fiery explosion suddenly occurred, and blazing flames filled the scene. Shrapnel grazed past Ardin's face, leaving behind a cross shaped wound on it.

Leylin felt like he was watching a movie, unable to help in a time of tragedy.

'No! If I go all out, I might be able to…' The flames engulfed Leylin whole, but could not affect his body in any way. A phantom Targaryen appeared as terrifying devouring power took form in Leylin's right palm. He grabbed a broken glass.

*Boom!* He felt an immense force immediately, as if he was clutching onto the claw of a dragon. The whole world began to shake as if rejecting his existence.

'Even if it's dreamscape, I cannot tamper with this… The memory is just too vivid…' Leylin began to deliberate over the situation.

...

Soon after, the trembling of the world stopped and the void swirled.

"Hey kiddo! Are you awake now?" The scene changed as little Ardin opened his eyes and rubbed his face. The sharp pain from the touch caused him to inhale a deep breath.

"Don't look anymore, you're disfigured now… Hehe… Not bad, you're to my liking…" An ancient voice spoke with a tinge of mockery, as if it contained all the evil in the world. It would cause one to cower in fear.

Little Ardin raised his head, and only saw darkness in front of him, just having taken on human form.

"Huehuehue… I'll give you a chance because of your father. As long as you manage to survive, you will become the disciple of the Nightmare Wizard…" The darkness disappeared after the black figure spoke, revealing a pack of hungry grey wolves which eyed the little boy ravenously.

Leylin had learnt his lesson this time, and only watched on coldly at the struggle between little Ardin and the wolves. His gaze was indifferent, only with the occasional flickering of light from the A.I. Chip.

"This should be a small world close to Dreamscape. Also, the way this Magus chooses his students is rather savage…" Leylin knew that back when he was still a human, he had no chance of dealing with these creatures.

-x-X-x-

The second layer of Nightmare Island was constructed of numerous dreams. Leylin now wandered through many dreams, looking for an opportunity to break through.

He felt weightless again, and found his surroundings changed once more. Ardin had now grown into a young man, but the scar on his cheek had not disappeared. He'd activated some sort of talent in that life or death fight to successfully survive the attack, and was now an apprentice of the Nightmare Wizard.

The Nightmare Wizard's method of teaching his apprentices was very crude, and he had several apprentices like Ardin who were treated almost inhumanely. Many died, and only Ardin's desire for revenge allowed him to persevere and strengthen himself rapidly.

Many of these dreams involved him with a female junior, creating some of his most tender memories.

"Next is a great darkness… That must be the reason he transformed…" Leylin muttered to himself, both hands waving to create strange runes as he broke through this dream, entering deeper levels.

What appeared in front of him was darkness was so dense that it could not dissipate. Endless malicious intent converged to its limit, attacking his senses and almost turning him insane.

'Nothing can hold me back!' Leylin looked indifferent as he took a step forward.

*Bzzt! Bzzt!* The darkness separated, revealing orange dots of candlelight. There were many fragmented and incoherent scenes here.

"Keke… dear apprentices, your last test is to kill each other in this pocket dimension. Only one can survive, and that person will absorb all of your life forces and ingenuity, becoming my most outstanding disciple…" The Nightmare Wizard laughed wildly, sending all of his apprentices to a bloody pocket dimension.

Ardin clenched his fists, glancing at the female apprentice who was like a white lotus next to him. She now looked slightly pale, and while she at most could be considered graceful, she still had a unique aura that captured his heart.

'No! There has to be another way! There has to!' Ardin bit his lips till blood was spilt.

...

'The next dream should be in a bloody pocket dimension…' This level of darkness was nothing to Leylin. With a slight caress with his right hand, he seemed to push a curtain aside.

However, the next scene surprised him. Torrential rain fell, and terrifying dreamforce spread everywhere. The area looked to be full of debris, and there had evidently been a great battle here.

"Haha… Ardin, my dearest disciple, are you going to betray me?" The Nightmare Wizard formed of numerous shadows watched the young Magus in front of him. This was obviously Ardin, who now only wished for his master's' death. He'd lost one of his eyes, and the other had turned purple.

"Do you not know that my nightmare clones have spread across the whole world? Without the determination to destroy the world, don't you know you can't kill me?" The Nightmare Wizard laughed madly, a dreamforce spell forming a three-headed helldog. Hellfire blazed as it ruthlessly pushed Ardin to the ground.

"I was the one who taught you all your magic, so what are you going to use against me?" He continued to snicker wildly as the bloody eyes of the figure stared at him, "Speak… how do you want to die?"

"I want you to die!" Ardin yelled, his arms surrounding the three-headed dog.

*Awoo!* Terrifying hurricanes formed at his forehead as a red eye opened up. Streaks of green veins protruded from it, shooting out rays that dissipated the fog and absorbed the dispelled dreamforce.

"Ah… Ah…" Ardin's clothes burst bit by bit, and he turned into a monstrous giant of five metres, with a horn, red scales, and a third eye between his brows.

"This is… the physique to absorb nightmares! How is it possible? I've already checked it before, you can't have this bloodline…"

"Nothing is impossible, old man. Die!" Ardin, who had turned into a giant, grabbed forward in the air. Dark phantoms were pulled out of the dreams of numerous intellectual beings, and then exterminated.

"So your true body was hidden in Dreamscape. I found you!" Ardin exclaimed, and then seemed to open a channel straight to Dreamscape. Powerful dreamforce forced the old Magus out.

After seeing the old man, the black figures from before pounced forth, the injuries they had transferring over to him. The old man's expression quickly changed as he coughed up black blood.

"Hehe… as expected of the Nightmare Absorbing Physique, the rumoured favourite of Dreamscape! Cough cough… He actually managed to link with Dreamscape and expel my true body… cough cough…"

Mouthfuls of black blood spurted out from his mouth, but his gaze as he watched Ardin was like he was seeing treasure.

"Cough cough… The Nightmare Absorbing Physique has the natural ability to link with Dreamscape and absorb its origin. What I've been pursuing all my life has finally appeared before me…" The old man's eyes were filled with fervour, like a devout follower finally meeting his god.

"Are you done yet?" The giant walked over to him, the scar from the knife wound now seeming more jagged and obvious.

"I ensure you that even your truesoul will be crushed, and I won't give you the chance to enter the astral plane!" Tremendous Dreamscape origin force poured into Ardin, to the point that he could even somewhat sense laws.

*Rumble!* After the powerful tremors, Ardin returned to his original state. Traces of black blood still flowed from his right fist.

"Henceforth… I am the Nightmare King!"

...

Light flashed, and the scene changed.

"Little Ardin! The great wizard Poffert is here to recruit an apprentice; you must succeed this time!"

Ardin's mother urged him repeatedly...

...

'As expected, the dreams are repeating themselves. Is this a maze formed of the life experiences of that Nightmare King? If I can't break the seal and find the entrance to the third level, I might be trapped to death here…'

Leylin watched the scenes a second time, feeling like a movie was being replayed.

'But...the Nightmare Absorbing Physique! I never thought it actually existed! Ancient records say that those with such a physique are the darlings of Dreamscape, and can even have Dreamscape origin force poured into their bodies. They are treated even better than the children of planes… This physique can absorb a large amount of dreamforce and compensate for its weak phase, the Nightmare King must be incomparably close to rank 9…'

"But… How do I get out of this dream maze?" The A.I. Chip's light shone in Leylin's eyes,

"Based on the A.I. Chip's observations and calculations, there were 38 key points in the dreams just now that could have changed his fate. There are 34198 chances to indirectly change it… but most important is probably the lost memory of the battle in the pocket dimension… I'll try them one by one first…"

"Plan 1…" Leylin pushed at the milk on the table, causing a large cup of milk to splatter onto Ardin's clothes.

"Ah! What's going on, Ardin? Your clothes!" The housewife cried, "Are you going to meet that esteemed wizard in this state?"

"I'm sorry, Mama! I'm going to change now!" Little Ardin ran into the next room and began to change his clothes.

As expected, his efforts had led to Ardin staying inside the house. Immediately after, a huge explosion burst out and enveloped the building...

Lights flashed, and the scene changed again.

"Little Ardin! The great wizard Poffert is here to recruit an apprentice; you must succeed this time!" Ardin's mother urged him repeatedly...

"Alright! Looks like killing Ardin won't work. I need to try something else…" Leylin had no choice but to watch this scene unfold again, and he began more tests...

...

'Getting him to escape and then study under the Nightmare Wizard… fail!'

'Saving his parents and having the whole family move to another city… fail!'

'Accident during experiment, finding a new strength system… fail!'

"It's already the 17,862nd time… My spiritual energy can't hold on much longer… But I've already found the key to proceed to the key memory region!" Leylin now looked resolute. The scene had changed to the time when the Nightmare Wizard had wanted the apprentices to kill each other.

"After so many experiments, I finally found the key point. Dreamforce, stop!" The scene froze with Leylin's will. Be it the crazy laughter of the Nightmare Wizard or the worried apprentices and Ardin biting his lips, everything stopped like a statue.

The world lost all its colour in that instant, turning monochrome like a photograph.

Leylin headed to the female apprentice that Ardin had feelings for, staring at the jade pendant on her chest. It had a white lotus on it.

"Break!" Concentrated dreamforce passed through the pendant like a needle, and the entire scene seemed to shatter like porcelain. The dream no longer repeated, and everything descended into darkness.

Two paths flickering with dark red light appeared in front of Leylin, and there were even strange eyes on him from the back of the paths.

"One of these two should lead to the third layer, and the other should be the sealed memories…" Leylin stroked his chin, "If I were the Nightmare King, finding out that an outsider dared peep on my sealed memories would make me…"

-x-X-x-

Leylin had a critical decision to make. At one end was heaven, and the other hell. He could enter the third layer of the island to find the legacy of the Nightmare King. On the other hand, the consequences could be dire for entering the hidden memories.

Of course, Leylin was unsure of the way this king thought. Perhaps he wanted to share his memories with other Magi, and wanted to slaughter those who wanted to get the legacy.

'Most importantly… all detection methods are useless. I have no idea what's at the end of the paths…' Leylin's scalp began to tingle.

He was a fairly conservative person. While he'd braved many dangers, he only did things when he had a 70-80% assurance of success. This half and half situation caused him to hesitate.

"I hate things that are so difficult to grasp like luck. It kills me…" Leylin complained. His luck was average, but he hated having to do things like following the will of the heavens.

Right now, however, the choice wasn't in his hands. The surrounding dreams began to shatter and would soon affect him. They wouldn't pull him into another cycle, but rather, twist and crush him into powder without leaving even his truesoul behind.

"What do I do? Do I choose one at random? With this probability, it's too…" Leylin began to get nervous. This was a rather new feeling, and he was somewhat savouring it.

"Left… I sense large amounts of chaotic concepts and coordinates on the left. This should be the third layer!" After a lot of analysis, Leylin gritted his teeth and made his decision.

*Whoosh!* At this moment, however, something sounded in his body, causing his expression to change. He looked down abruptly to find that it was from his bag of holding.

'It's that thing!' Silver light flashed, and an ancient animal-hide scroll appeared in front of Leylin. Fresh blood still dripped from stains on it, and sound, light, and even the shattered time and space began to distort in front of the scroll.

"This is… the power of distortion! The might of Distorted Shadow!" Leylin muttered, "As ancient Magi or even allies, Distorted Shadow's remains alarmed the Nightmare King?"

Boundless distorting power took shape, and the two dark red paths were affected as they twisted and fused under this energy.

*Bzzt! Bzzt!* After the light dissipated, the two paths had become one, forming an even larger spatial gate. Blood red dreamforce runes flickered on it.

'What a sly Nightmare King. He even had this planned!' Now, Leylin didn't even have a choice. He rubbed his nose and turned grim, glancing at the scroll before stowing it away.

The surface of the scroll was now very soft. It squeezed under pressure from Leylin's fingers, no longer having the power it once did. It was like an ordinary magic scroll. However, he did not dare underestimate this thing.

'This scroll has Distorted Shadow's strength and even conscient sealed inside?' Seeing that this item was adamant on following him, Leylin could only roll his shoulders back and accept it.

This body was a mere clone after all. At worst, he could abandon it even if it caused grievous injuries to his main body. With enough strength to protect himself, he naturally feared nothing and had the guts to try everything!

"No matter what it is you want me to do, you have to give me benefits first!" Leylin's eyes glinted with intelligence as he placed the scroll away, streaking into the spatial gate.

The third layer of Nightmare Island.

"As expected… The extent of dreamforce contamination here is even worse. This place has only the purest intent…" Leylin now found himself unable to sense his own body, only able to exist as the most fundamental form of his soul and conscient.

He was surrounded by a boundless universe, filled with the feeling of weightlessness. Leylin seemed to be a lonesome boat in the turbulent seas.

There was no concept of another existence around, and only nothingness. Leylin had no qualms in believing that he would stay like this until the world was destroyed if he did not make the first move.

Having lost his body, his sense of time began to slow. He had no idea whether seconds had passed or tens of millennia. All he felt was that the sense of self he had was gradually vanishing.

'No, this won't do! I have to persevere. Once my sense of self disappears, my truesoul will also disappear…' Leylin abruptly burst forth with strength, and his willpower took control all his thoughts. His body suddenly condensed and became distinct.

"Hah… How is this third layer of defence constructed? Even the essence of Magus concepts are dissipating…" Having reinforced his sense of self, Leylin glanced fearfully at his arms that had formed once more.

"This is the lost land… And also the place where the Nightmare King lost his self…" A few black feathers fell, and Leylin found a black crow was 'flying' towards him.

In this void with only concepts and no matter, a crow was something very strange. What caused Leylin even more astonishment was that it could move about freely in this void.

"We meet again, Mister!" The black crow combed its feathers and greeted him happily.

"Have we met before?" Leylin asked, confused.

"Hm. To me it's in the future but for you it's in your past. My future form is a single-eyed owl." The crow was a chatterbox.

'Single-eyed owl!' Leylin immediately recalled the time after he'd advanced to rank 5, when he'd been afflicted with a Dreamscape curse. He'd obtained a present from the owl within a dream then, allowing him to come into contact with dreamforce.

"My apologies, but may I know who you are?" Leylin asked the question he wanted to.

"Me? I'm just a mass of concepts. I shall exist as long as Dreamscape survives…" Leylin had a feeling that this crow or owl or whatever it was wasn't speaking the truth, but he did not fixate himself on that.

"You're saying this is the place the Nightmare King lost his sense of self? What does that mean? Has he fallen? Who did it?"

"As long as the Nightmare King did not want to die, nobody could make it happen. Here, however, he abandoned his sense of self. This means he's completely dead, without even a fragment of his truesoul left behind…" The crow seemed to know about matters of ancient times very well.

'If he's abandoned his sense of self, doesn't that mean he's committed suicide? So when the Nightmare King invaded the World of Gods, he was already determined to die?' Leylin had a feeling that perhaps the Nightmare King Ardin had died long before. After the bloody battle in the pocket dimension, the Ardin that still existed had only been a walking piece of flesh.

However, he was far too powerful, to the point that he could not even kill himself. Was that why he needed help from the gods?

'As expected… High-ranked Magi mostly have mental issues. It's too serious with the Nightmare King. I can't become like him in the future…' The example this senior set gave Leylin a good warning.

A real peak rank 8 Magus would never be able to fall if they did not want to die. This was the case with Distorted Shadow. He had already died for tens of thousands of years, and yet could still create trouble. The Nightmare King was bent on dying, which is why he had truly died...

"Well then… Magus, tell me your intent in coming here!" The crow opened its beak, its two black beady eyes looking mischievous.

"I…" Leylin gritted his teeth and spoke anyway, "I hope to obtain the legacy of the Nightmare King. At the very least, I want to find a method to evade the weakening of dreamforce!"

"Grasping dreamforce? Caw caw… that's not very easy. Are you sure you want to do that?" The crow asked.

"I'm very sure." Leylin answered seriously, eyes filled with resolution from his pursuit of truth. There was no fear of death.

"Caw caw, good! I see Ardin's shadow on you…" The crow cawed, and its body started changing.

*Whoosh!* It suddenly swelled, turning from the size of a dove to that of a large evil dragon, jet-black neck showing dense black scales. Its beak widened to reveal sharp teeth like those of sharks.

*Ka-cha!* A strike of blood-red lightning fell right on the forehead of the strange black dragon, turning into a bloody third eye!

"This… this…" Such a tremendous change had Leylin stunned.

"Accept it! This is a gift from Dreamscape!" The strange black dragon howled, the bloody third eye turning into a ray of light and disappearing into Leylin's forehead.

Agony! Leylin felt everything go black as he felt himself being torn into, collapsing into a dead faint. Large amounts of dreamforce flooded into him like a tsunami, enveloping his body completely in a huge crimson cocoon.

When the tide of Dreamscape weakened, the crimson cocoon had disappeared. Only the black crow was still around.

"Old friend… After helping you this time, I've repaid all my debts to you…" The crow murmured to the air, its body becoming less corporeal as it disappeared into the vast nothingness.

-x-X-x-

*Rumble!* The pirates witnessed a marvellous scene outside the forest. The thick red fog that shrouded the forest transformed continuously, dissipating to reveal the original lay of the land.

The earth trembled as numerous small cracks and even pits appeared in the ground. At the very center of the island, the bare mountain peaks issued a wrathful roar. Fiery lava shone faintly as it flowed over with agitation.

"This is bad. Earthquake! The island is about to erupt… My Lord! Where is the lord?" Calon didn't care at all about those worried native slaves and pirates. He rushed to the border of the forest in search of Leylin's figure. This wasn't due to loyalty; he knew that if he dared to abandon Leylin and flee in secret, the enrage Scarlet Witch would flay him alive!

The island was flooded with an aura of death and despair. Many creatures fled from the thickets, the small cracks in the rocks, and through underground caves to escape. It became an exodus, and even the little ants had bored out from their tunnels beneath the ground.

"Damn… Damn! How could these natives have settled their tribe on a volcanic island? Why weren't there any signs before?" Large droplets of sweat beaded on Calon's forehead.

However, the gods above seemed to hear his prayers. Just when Calon was prepared to abandon everything and flee, he finally spotted Leylin's silhouette near the forest border.

"Oh, thanks to the Ocean Goddess! My lord, you've finally appeared, let's quickly leave this place!"

Leylin seemed rather distracted however, and he caressed his forehead as if he didn't hear a single word that Calon said. Just when Calon was considering carrying this lord's body away, Leylin's eyes finally regained their vigour, "This place is now useless, let's go!"

"Yes Sir!" Calon's eyes were overflowing with hot tears. He felt as if he had just heard the most pleasant words he would ever experience in his life.

The pirates were masters of handling ships. Although they had wasted quite a bit of time, they still managed to leave Nightmare Island before the volcano fully erupted.

*Rumble!* Strong black flames rose into the skies, covering the bright white moon. Only in the skies of Nightmare Island would the moonlight become purple on the light of the full moon, and now it would never happen again.

The fiery red lava flowed in streams resembling human arteries as they snaked across the entire volcano. It even spread relentlessly to the area outside of it.

'I never thought that the island was on a fire ley line. Once the dreamforce suppressing it was gone, the volcano immediately erupted… Perhaps this eruption was even more berserk because of the long suppression. This entire Nightmare Island probably won't exist any longer…' Leylin looked expressionlessly at the distant island, which was now engulfed in lava. Right now, all his attention was captured by the A.I. Chip's information records.

[Beep! Sustained unknown influence, scanning has suffered interference. Effect has been temporarily lost!]

[Beep! Intense interference… Currently…]

'The third level of the lock relates to memory. It made the A.I. Chip unstable for a while too… Really terrifying…'

However Leylin shifted his attention to the densely packed prompts below it:

[Beep! Host's truesoul has suffered unknown interference, probability of radiation to the body in the Magus World is 98.77%! Initiating separation! Experiencing interference… Separation has failed, unable to complete the task!]

'Ah…' Leylin breathed in a lungful of cold air, 'So even my main body's truesoul was affected. Dreamforce is truly nefarious and frightening.' After displaying this record, the A.I. Chip's information seemed to flow even more smoothly. It seemed as if the earlier interference had completely disappeared.

[Beep! Host has absorbed a great amount of energy essence! Determined to be mutated dreamforce! Initiating absorption!]

[Beep! Host has absorbed mutated dreamforce! Spirit+1!]

[Beep! Host's arcanist ranking has increased, currently rank 19. Arcane Energy+10. Obtained Feat: Dreamscape View, Obtained Specialty: Illusions]

[Beep! Host's soul has advanced. Level 6 Weave fully analysed. Host has obtained all rank 6 spell models and is immune to forgetting them. No materials are required to cast rank 6 spells.]

[Beep! Host has advanced to rank 19. Spell slots obtained: rank 9: 1, rank 8: 1, rank 7: 1.]

Below these messages were introductions to the two feats.

[Dreamscape View: Host possesses the ability to see through Dreamscape, can now look straight at the souls of other people. Any concealment will be rendered immaterial, and nothing can hide from the host's eyes.]

[Illusions: Host automatically grasps illusions, granting an additional 20% to the power of illusory spells.]

The A.I. Chip once again refreshed Leylin's stat window:

[Leylin Faulen, Age: 24. Race: Human, Rank 19 Arcanist. Strength: 15. Agility: 15. Vitality: 15. Spirit: 19. Arcane Energy: 190. Status: Healthy. Feats: Sturdy, Erudite, Intermediate Perfect Body, Dreamscape View. Specialties: Arcane Energy Detection, Arcane Amplification, Illusions]

[Progress of Weave Analysis: Level 0 100%, Level 1 100%, Level 2 100%, Level 3 100%, Level 4 100%, Level 5 100%, Level 6 100%, Level 7 77.99%, Level 8 38.21%, Level 9 0.11%.]

[Spell Slots: Rank 9(1), Rank 8(3), Rank 7(5), Rank 6(???), Rank 5(???), Rank 4(???), Rank 3(???), Rank 2(???), Rank 1(???), Rank 0(???)]

'I've finally reached rank 9 of the Weave. Is this the limit of the Weave's casting ability?' Leylin shut his eyes and sensed the Weave's network across the entire World of Gods. After the first 10 levels of the Weave, after rank 0 to rank 9, there seemed to be an even more vast world out there. However their souls were tightly shackled, unable to continue connecting to the Weave.

"It looks like the forbidden domain of the gods exists past rank 9," Leylin muttered to himself.

He had his own hypotheses on what came after the ninth level of the Weave. It could very well be the gods' divine spell network, the 'personal' network that the gods had made for themselves.

'Using the Weave to transmit divine spells? It could very well reduce the consumption of the gods considerably, and make it easier for them to cultivate followers. Ha, these gods have calculated it all very well, however…' Leylin controlled himself from speaking any further, as it was not something he could deal with at his current level.

'I'm close to becoming legendary now. Being rank 19, I'm only half a step away. I should refine my own power as quickly as possible, stepping into the domain of legendaries. Only true legendaries have a say in the continent.'

A rank 20 only had a few extra spell slots, not much different from a rank 19. The difference came in the refinement of their power, something that allowed them to perfect their theory.

Leylin thought of records chronicling the advancement of wizards. Although every legendary could still advance further, they had all walked to the peak of their own paths. Their theoretical knowledge was extremely rich.

'It's even more complicated to become a legendary arcanist. I need to condense my theories into a skill tree or a circulating energy loop. However, this won't be a problem for me. All that's left is the work on refining energy…' Leylin touched his forehead, a puzzled expression on his face.

The previous situation with the third level of the dreamscape lock surfaced before his eyes once again. Only now, his forehead gleamed pure white, as if there were no abnormalities.

'The final gift, what on earth did it mean?' His visit to the nightmare world had allowed him to absorb a great deal of dreamforce, and pushed his ranking to rank 19. However, Leylin was not granted his greatest wish of obtaining the Nightmare King's inheritance, and the method to avoid the exhaustion of dreamforce.

'Was this created by Dreamscape?' Leylin looked at his hands. The white palms contained unyielding power, but Leylin felt that his corporeal body had already been perfected to its limits. However, at every day and in every moment, he still tirelessly absorbed the nearby light and electromagnetic waves to refine his power. This was all to break through his bottleneck.

'After walking out of Nightmare Island, I keep feeling that I have changed greatly. Yet I can't place my finger on how exactly I've changed…' Leylin's eyes held a trace of suspicion.

"Where are we headed, milord?"

"Mm, let's go to Pirates' Cove first!" Leylin replied. When he turned his head however, all he saw was Calon who had fallen to his knees in shock, his complexion deathly pale.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing! There's nothing wrong! Your humble servant has bad eyesight!" Calon had a flattering smile on his face. He left at lightning speed while murmuring to himself, 'I must have drunk too much rum, how can Lord Leylin have three eyes? And those blood-coloured patterns on his face, ha… Haha…'

Calon shook his head with all his strength, as if trying to shake the memory of Leylin out from his head. However, he discovered that no matter what he did, his arms and legs still involuntarily trembled. He could only crawl his way back to his bedroom with the support of the wall.

"Three eyes and blood-coloured runes?" What Calon did not know was that his mutterings in the ship's hold had all been heard by Leylin. After he left, Leylin conjured up a water mirror with a wave of his hand.

What appeared in the mirror was the appearance of a young noble. His complexion was a little wan, with sky blue eyes as deep as the ocean. His golden curls fit with his thin lips, and he was handsome, without any abnormalities whatsoever.