In the pitch-black dreamscape, an elf-like girl sat on a swing.
She had specially come all the way to Gandharva Ville just to observe the sleeping boy before her through the veil of dreams.
"Squeak?"
Nestled in Lin Feng's arms, Little White blinked open its eyes, looking toward a corner of the room where — in reality — nothing should have existed.
"That creature… I think mortals call it a Treasure Hoarder Weasel?"
Nahida tilted her head, curious about the tiny animal staring right at her.
Little White blinked again… then promptly curled back into a deep sleep.
"…Probably just a coincidence."
Seeing the weasel fully asleep again, the Little God shook off a certain… distinctly un-wise suspicion.
She turned her attention back to her goal — contacting the "culprit" behind yesterday's elemental disturbance.
Looking at the peacefully sleeping boy, Nahida lifted one small hand and attempted to enter his dream.
"Eh? I… I can't get in?!"
—A tiny Archon let out a helpless whimper.
Lin Feng woke up feeling incredible.
It was like his entire body had been soaked in a vat of miracle tonic while he slept.
Curious, he opened his status panel:
[Entity Information:@￥%& — Lin Feng]
Level:32 → 34 （Insufficient conditions）
(Can manipulate elemental power to a certain extent; possesses power above common mortals)
Element:Dendro
Traits:[#%*&],Elemental Control: Dendro (insufficient conditions, unusable),Blessing of Dreams 3 (insufficient conditions)
???
Staring at the two unexpected level-ups and the new trait, Lin Feng's head filled with question marks.
He opened the detailed description:
Blessing of Dreams 3:
A diverted portion of a god's dream-power. Enhances affinity with dream-type abilities, increases resistance to dream-type abilities, and boosts Dendro affinity.
Lin Feng's expression darkened instantly.
Great.
He'd tugged on the little Dendro Archon's wool again.
Twice in one day.
It was only because Nahida had a good temper.
If it were another certain basement-dwelling Archon… he'd probably wake up already bisected.
Sigh… I'll have to ask her someday if she wants to leave the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
I can't just keep bullying the nice ones…
Even with his shameless personality, exploiting a small loli Archon still stirred a faint pang of guilt.
Pushing the awkwardness aside, Lin Feng rushed through washing up and headed straight for Tighnari's house.
Standing in front of the slightly larger treehouse, he raised a hand and knocked.
"Coming—"
Hearing footsteps approaching, Lin Feng felt a spark of anticipation for today's mission.
Creak—
Tighnari opened the slightly stiff door and ushered him in.
The interior looked almost identical to Lin Feng's own lodging — perfectly organized, perfectly tidy.
Lin Feng now understood, on a deeper level, that Tighnari was absolutely a workaholic.
Dragging over a chair, Tighnari motioned for Lin Feng to sit.
From the table, he picked up a small, green glass orb.
"Before I report your elemental awakening to the others… I want you to keep this."
He placed the orb into Lin Feng's hands.
"This is… a Vision?"
Lin Feng recognized it instantly.
It was nearly identical to the one hanging at Tighnari's waist.
"So that's why he didn't get up early today and needed me to knock…"
"Yes. It's a replica of a Vision. With this, you can claim publicly to be a Vision holder."
"After all, someone who can use elemental power without a Vision is extremely valuable to the Akademiya. Not to mention your strength — you're exceptional even compared to actual Vision wielders."
Tighnari sighed.
"And the Akademiya these days is… well. Complicated."
Once Lin Feng fastened the imitation Vision to his waist, Tighnari pushed aside his worries and started the day's work.
After efficiently gathering the forest rangers, he announced that Lin Feng had been granted a "Vision" and would be joining him in dealing with monster camps in the forest.
Naseene and the others shot Lin Feng envious looks, but above all, they were relieved.
Their overworked boss finally had real help.
After dismissing the group, Tighnari led Lin Feng into the rainforest, following reported sightings to locate a Hilichurl camp.
Along the way, Tighnari took the chance to identify various mushrooms and plants — the misleadingly named hallucinogenic Sweetwater Shroom, the vine-type flower Padisarah, the autonomous Moonlily that opened and closed with time…
Lin Feng listened with delight, feeling the same satisfaction as watching nature-documentary experts debunk wildlife myths in his previous life.
"Stop. We're here."
Tighnari raised a hand.
In the distance, camouflaged among the trees, stood a crude watchtower.
"That's a Hilichurl lookout. Usually manned by Hilichurl Shooters. A watchtower means the tribe has formed a full camp. If left alone, it may eventually produce a 'Hilichurl King.' We need to clear it."
"Do you want a demonstration first, or will you attack while I provide support?"
Tighnari readied his bow.
"I'll go first. If anything unexpected happens, please cover me."
Lin Feng's eyes shone with excitement at the furry creatures in the clearing.
He had already scanned them — most were around level 10, with the Hilichurl Berserkers barely over level 20.
Not a threat.
Gathering Dendro energy into his palm, compressing it as tightly as possible, Lin Feng hurled it toward the watchtower.
"BOOM!"
A shockwave blasted the clearing.
Not only did ordinary Hilichurls collapse instantly, even two axe-wielding Berserkers were blown into unconscious heaps.
"Kundala! (Strong enemy!!)"
The surviving Hilichurls scrambled and howled alerts.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Lin Feng charged forward.
Once he entered their line of sight, he called out:
"Bind!"
Thick, thorn-covered vines — as thick as human thighs — erupted from the ground, coiling around two Berserkers. Their twisted limbs showed clear deformation under the pressure.
"Tch… I expected it to be messy, but this is beyond what I pictured."
Even calm, composed Tighnari couldn't help muttering as he looked at the scattered, barely recognizable remains of the camp's defenders.
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