Damiano kept reading different threads, informing himself about everything he could.
After that, out of curiosity, he went to check the rankings.
Just as Wandering Wind had said, there were two rankings.
The global one and the regional one. The regional ranking listed the 10,000 most powerful Sleepers in the entire country, while the global one spoke for itself.
Of the 10,000 Sleepers in his region, only 23 were also listed in the global ranking.
Of course, his name did not appear in either ranking, and he doubted it ever would.
There were always tryhards in everything, and Damiano had never been one of them.
When he tried to enter the nightmare space, the system asked him to create his own avatar.
He didn't think about it much and chose Amon's appearance. 1.80 meters tall, black eyes and black hair slightly long, reaching below the ears.
His face was very handsome, and the monocle over his right eye made him look intelligent and intriguing.
A large, ornate wizard's hat rested atop his head, while he wore long, loose black robes with a dark green interior.
Damiano looked like an erudite mage from an ancient fantasy.
With the system's confirmation, he entered the nightmare space.
His eyes opened wide in immediate surprise when he suddenly found himself in a large ancient plaza, surrounded by a great number of people.
Some people hurriedly left the plaza, while others disappeared in flashes of light.
Damiano's eyes shone with excitement.
The entire place looked like a fantasy landscape. There were half-animal people, monsters, strange bodies, and all kinds of beings.
Leaving the plaza, he walked aimlessly until he found himself at a great lookout point.
The wind struck his face and fiercely ruffled his hair, but Damiano didn't care.
Because in the distance he could see a beautiful and grand ancient city stretching across breathtaking landscapes.
His breathing stalled when he saw several people flying through the skies. Some had wings on their backs, while others seemed guided by a mysterious force.
A wide smile appeared on Damiano's face as he grabbed the railing with strength and excitement.
This was truly fantastic, a view worthy of a movie or a painting. He felt his body tremble with emotion as he thought about venturing into that fantastical city and uncovering its mysteries.
He felt as excited and fascinated as when he was a child and watched Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings for the first time.
A child fascinated by a fantasy world.
Damiano wished he had his phone in hand to take as many pictures as possible.
Since he didn't have it, he could only record these images in his memory. He went down the stairs with a silly smile on his face.
He discovered that all the inhabitants of the city were Sleepers and that its population was over 500,000.
His country had more than 70,000,000 inhabitants. That meant less than 1% were Sleepers.
The craziest part… was that of those more than 500,000, not even half were legally registered.
Governments had learned their lesson and didn't want to allow people with so much power to roam freely without any supervision.
Each country had developed its own Ministry of Nightmares, dedicated to registering and supervising all the Sleepers in the country.
When a person survives their first nightmare and becomes a Sleeper, they are obligated to register with the Ministry of Sleepers.
Well… half the people here didn't consider it an obligation.
Damiano had fun walking and roaming through the streets of that city, which he learned was called: Nemea.
That lasted until it became 7 p.m., and he had to go out to eat.
If he wasn't in the dining room by that time, they would come into his room to tell him.
So it was better to leave earlier.
Andre was already at the table, playing on his phone in a disinterested manner.
"Sit down, I'm serving," a girl's voice came from the kitchen, and Damiano sat on the couch and turned on the television.
Ashley came out of the kitchen with two plates in her hands. She placed one in front of Andre and the other on a seat beside her. "Turn off the TV already! Let's eat."
"Come on! Let me eat while watching a movie!" Damiano complained.
"No!" Ashley put her hands on her hips. "Dad is about to get here, and I want us all to eat together."
Damiano rolled his eyes and turned off the TV.
He sat at the table and waited for Ashley to finish serving the food. A few minutes later, his father arrived home from work.
His pants, boots, and vest were dirty with dust, cement, and paint. Upon arriving, he greeted them all briefly, washed his hands, and sat down to have dinner with them.
Patrick wasn't especially talkative. He ate in silence, and at the table only the sound of cutlery against plates could be heard.
When everyone finished, Andre went to wash the dishes while Patrick went to take a shower.
Damiano, for his part, flopped onto the couch with a big smile on his face. He put on a suspense movie and quickly got hooked; Ashley joined him a little later.
When Andre finished washing the dishes and Patrick finished showering, they also joined Damiano in the living room.
Patrick ordered a pizza, half chicken and half ham and cheese—his favorite.
Together, they enjoyed a movie night in quiet and peaceful company.
When it got very late and everyone was tired, they went one by one to their rooms.
When Damiano was about to go to his room, Patrick called out to him. "Son!"
Damiano turned around and raised an eyebrow.
"Happy birthday." A rare smile appeared on his usually stoic father's face. From his pocket, he took out a few crumpled bills that still had some paint on them.
500 Osis!
Damiano frowned when he saw so much money and had no intention of taking it.
But Patrick knew his son well. He grabbed his hands and placed the bills in them.
"You're an adult now, son," he said without letting go of his hands. "And I've never known you to have a girlfriend. Take this money and ask a girl out."
"But Dad—"
"No buts!" Patrick refused to listen. "You're young! Enjoy life."
Damiano saw his father's eyes turn a little red.
Not wanting to see his father cry, he nodded and thanked him.
He went into his room and stared at the bills.
His father only earned 1,300 Osis a month.
He worked in construction, and giving him that amount would surely strain his finances.
Shaking his head, Damiano decided not to spend the money and to use it for any household needs instead.
Before going to sleep, he couldn't help but look at the nightmare system doubtfully.
Should he enter another nightmare?