Chapter 351: I’ll Only Help You This Once, Just This Once
As the ceremony in the Underground City concluded, the bl**d-red light gradually faded, and the dark red atmosphere, combined with the pitch-black surroundings, dilapidated buildings, and the lingering smell of bl**d, painted a gruesome picture of the place.
The faint illumination from the Light Spell shot towards the sky and then slowly fell back down, providing only a slight glimmer of light for them.
However, the Dream Demons in such an environment were not affected at all; after all, they were accustomed to even harsher conditions in the Abyss. Entering the darkness felt like going home to them.
With their innate abilities, the Dream Demons traversed the boundaries of dreams and reality, effortlessly suppressing these individuals without even needing to work together.
In the darkness, only the Holy Light held by the Holy Angel Academy illuminated an area. The Holy Angel students, spreading their wings of holy light, merely caused the Dream Demons to feel a momentary sense of caution in their presence.
The spellcasters were casting spells, trying to find the right moment to deal a fatal blow to the Dream Demons, but it seemed ineffective at the moment. The students from the Beast Academy opted for beastification, facing the onslaught of the Dream Demons with their strongest forms. They casually picked weapons from the ruins of the buildings, whether from their previous preparations or newly found ones, and began to fight the Dream Demons.
When the number advantage was significant enough, even the Dream Demons could sometimes take hits strong enough to cause severe injury to an average person.
But that was not enough. The reason the Dream Demons instilled fear in everyone before was their means of completely killing them—draining a person’s soul material. This would leave them with a foggy consciousness and uncontrolled bodies at best, while at worst, it could leave them in a coma, their physical forms fading away.
Those Dream Demons reveled in the pleasure of slaughtering those from the Main World, their expressions insane, as if they were releasing the grievances and oppression they had suffered in the Abyss. Some Dream Demons would deliberately k*ll their targets, waiting until their opponents’ revived state was at its weakest to extract their soul material.
This made it impossible for their targets to even fight back.
“Yang Yuelan… big sister! I’m begging you, help me out! I can’t hold on here anymore!”
Until someone could no longer contain their helpless cries, and many people noticed, under the dim light, that the person they had previously sought help from was now unmoved, just as they had been when the Dream Demons first surrounded them.
“Isn’t this exactly the answer you all sought? You can’t even withstand the suffering required to uncover the truth. Why didn’t you refuse in the first place?” After a brief retort, I ceased responding any further.
After my conversation with the First Generation City Lord, I finally re-entered the battle. Although he mentioned providing me with help, his so-called aid was fortune—it would only be there for the final push and wouldn’t drop a pie in my hands from the sky.
The derivation of Nightmare spells into a field also needed me to manage it myself, but as of now, I was still stuck at just the name of the concept.
While it seemed that all I needed to do was transform single-target spells into group or area effects, the difficulty was not insignificant.
Even now, I had no experience or inspiration in this regard, feeling utterly at a loss. But it was alright; many spells had substantial correlations. For example, the Fire Rain Field Spellbook I possessed—it was time for it to make an appearance.
Upon calling forth the Fire Rain Field Spellbook, I realized I might have been overthinking it.
Using the Fire Rain Field Spell directly could indeed force these Dream Demons to stay within the dream realm, too frightened to enter reality.
However, the Fire Rain Field was a spellbook, and my Magic Source was not fully restored—only slightly rejuvenated—and it wasn’t nearly enough to support the usage of such an excessive consumption spellbook.
So… I decided not to use the spellbook!
Fire Rain Field Spellbook, let it become the theoretical experimental subject for my derivation of Nightmare spells!
Of course, all destructive research was carried out in the dream realm. I was not rich enough to use an excessive consumption spellbook as a one-time item in reality.
As I once again took a spellbook in front of everyone, a Dream Demon instinctively shivered.
Because she clearly recalled how terrifying the events that followed this action were not long ago.
Resurrection!
Directly transforming from a spellcaster into a master of body techniques, she could even stand within the sacrifice ceremony without any harm, as the power of the ceremony couldn’t extract her flesh and bl**d.
If that were to happen again… she could barely imagine it!
The other Dream Demons viewed her as a lunatic, a madwoman whose unpredictable behaviors left even her teammates bewildered. No one knew what her next move would be.
This particular Dream Demon even feared that she might k*ll her allies in her fit of rage—with the terror unveiled by these outsiders revealing itself against the fear she had inadvertently shown.
With the iconic sound of the spellbook breaking, the excessive consumption spellbook celebrated by so many seniors at the Witch Academy shattered within the dream realm. Countless runic ceremonies broke free from the spellbook in that instant, flashing through the air, and the string of symbols resembling garbled text was precisely what composed the spells.
Its complexity showcased its intricate nature thoroughly at that moment; however, that was fine. I had long anticipated this. The Memory Shelf Spellbook recorded every detail of the runic information I encountered in that brief moment.
“Let’s begin,” I said, turning my head.
Here, no one knew who I was addressing, but the First Generation City Lord of Ninglan New City understood its meaning.
At that moment, the power of fortune erupted violently, and a golden aura spread across the entire Underground City, intertwining chains of fortune tightly connected every individual here, as if everyone were divinely assisted, representing the guiding influence of fortune on one’s decisions and judgments.
And all this fortune was also directed toward one person, me. At this moment, in a certain sense, I truly found myself tied to the same boat as them, albeit just temporarily.
As I violently dismantled the spellbook, I began my interpretation of the runic ceremonies. After all, I needed to understand the theoretical foundation for the derivation of spell field approaches. Even with inspiration for spell derivation, without the corresponding basis, it was akin to having a brilliant short story in one’s mind without the ability to express it in writing.
My requirements were not high; the derivation of field spells was my ultimate goal. Even if it was merely a group Nightmare spell, I needed that as well, and this was precious theoretical experience. It was something that could not be sought at will; after all, the next time I sought to use fortune to fulfill my expectations was likely impossible, and there might not even be a next time.
As I dismantled the spell, the simplest way to understand its principles and operational mechanisms was to utilize it and observe each step of its operation.
Breaking free from the spellbook’s constraints, the Fire Rain Field made its debut in the Underground City in this form.
However, the spell was not supplied with magic power, but driven by the fire elements dissipating within the environment.
As the ceremony proceeded, the surrounding environment, centered around me, began to heat up. This process was much slower than I had anticipated; the temperature difference between the Underground City’s perimeter and where I was caused a rare gust of wind to rise.
Even the signature fiery clouds of the Fire Rain Field did not appear.
But as the tiny fire elements coalesced into pure drops of flame rain, falling to the ground, they ignited a wave of blazing flames.
This unusual phenomenon reminded many students of my signature Fire Rain spell, especially the elves from Aphhemia Academy, who, upon witnessing this scene, recalled some rather unpleasant memories.
However, this time, the power of the fire rain was significantly diminished compared to the last encounter.
Though several complained, Tan Han fully understood what this represented. These were spells cast without a spellbook, made from scratch!
At that moment, the Dream Demons, shrouded by the Fire Rain Field, felt a surge of pain, but after several trials, they realized this level was not enough to force them to stay in the realm of dreams.
However, they could not deny that it had indeed brought them considerable trouble.
Over time, as the fire elements continued to gather, the fire rain grew even more potent, functioning like boiling water slowly cooking a frog.
Fortunately, they realized this in time.
“This is no good… How can this spell’s range be so vast? We can’t hide from such dense fire rain!”
“Go disrupt that guy’s casting; it can’t go on like this!”
As the Dream Demons found themselves needing to consider more things, their focus began to lapse. Once their focus waned, they made more errors, and the consequences of those errors were severe injuries. No matter how they boasted about their advantages, they had to admit that they did not have the superiority in numbers.
Moreover, this fire rain’s intensity was precisely at a painfully uncomfortable level. If they didn’t cast a Protection Spell, they would be hurt and in pain, but casting one wasted precious strength. Furthermore, spells couldn’t traverse dreams and reality; every trip across realms required them to use Protection Spells for defense, not to mention the costs involved—in terms of energy and mobility were severely hampered.
Hence they formulated further plans against me. However, even with this plan, they defaulted to interrupting my spellcasting instead of killing me, as they had subconsciously dismissed that option from their thoughts.
At this moment, I was focused on the exploration of the derivation of spell fields and did not regard the plotted actions of those Dream Demons. After all, I never intended to rely on the Fire Rain Field to suppress them; rather, I aimed to leverage the Fire Rain Field Spell to achieve something larger.
I wanted the Dream Demons to experience what it felt like to be confined to dreams. I would grab them by the collar and loudly tell them, “You are mere failures relying on your innate talents to bully the weak. Without your talents, you are not even as good as maggots!”
Traversing back and forth between reality and dreams was their innate ability; they should utilize it well instead of relying on it. Such a lack of ambition was what I wanted to critique in them.
Even if my Spirit Vision talent were taken away, I wouldn’t end up like those Dream Demons, becoming a useless being devoid of skills. I would still explore the mysteries of spellbooks; I would diligently study runic literature, but I would prioritize achieving the extraordinary, mastering the true Five Senses before diving into the realms I once stepped into.
“Oh? Now you’re targeting me?”
In the face of the Dream Demons targeting me, I felt no fear whatsoever; in fact, I was somewhat eager to fight.
I raised my right hand; the Nightmare spell emerged, just in time to test the modifications I made to it.
“d*e! Stop this damned spell!”
“Well, maybe this won’t go as you wish.” With a wave, I remained unconcerned as their strike headed directly for my body.
Until that attack effortlessly passed through me, I made no other moves.
The Dream Demon’s attack caused no harm to me; at that moment, she was left in a daze, and the other Dream Demons wanting to strike me were equally bewildered.
This strike didn’t hit?
“She’s in reality! Did you knock yourself senseless in battle?” one frustrated Dream Demon shouted, rushing toward me decisively.
But the next moment, just like the previous Dream Demon, she also passed through my body, dealing me no damage whatsoever.
Instantly, a chill rose behind them.
Only those two who attempted this knew what had happened in that brief moment—they were trapped in the dream realm!
“I refuse to believe it! I refuse to believe it! We are Dream Demons! The dream is our domain! We are the masters of dreams! How could I possibly be trapped in a dream!”
As this Dream Demon shouted in a crazed frenzy, she caught everyone’s and the Dream Demons’ attention.
Trapped in the dream realm…
Isn’t that just like the students of the Extraordinary Academy?
“What did you do! What did you do to me!” The second Dream Demon to experience my Nightmare spell, now in disbelief, lunged at me in a frenzy. However, every attack she made effortlessly passed through my body, and I remained an indifferent observer, leaving everyone present in silence.
This was not merely a contrast between madness and ease; it was a stark comparison of their struggles against my nonchalance.
“I once said I dislike meaningless battles, for such battles hold no value. You don’t really think I did nothing earlier and merely cast a Fire Rain spell, do you? Wouldn’t that be a bit naive?”
I spoke evenly, then, facing the frenzied Dream Demon rushing at me once again, I grabbed her by her crown.
The sudden impact left her bewildered, thinking this blow would still fail to hit her. But the next moment, a gathered Fireball Spell pierced through her crown and entire body, setting her ablaze in an instant, turning her into ashes.
“Your talents are abilities anyone would envy, yet you’ve lived as mere leeches reliant on that talent. Without your innate abilities, you are nothing more than bugs that can’t even withstand a Fireball!”
I clapped my hands as though that hand had touched the Dream Demon, making me feel dirty, a severe insult.
At that moment, the battleground in the Underground City fell silent, even the Fire Rain gradually diminished. The only remaining signs of what had once transpired were the surrounding burning structures and the lingering heat in the air.
The Dream Demons often referred to us outsiders as bugs, but now I fully returned that term to them, for at this moment, they were the ones who truly deserved such a description.
“Thanks, your ability is really useful.”
In the silent battlefield, my sudden statement took everyone by surprise, followed by a chill down their spines—there was indeed an existence they could not perceive!
But only I understood I was thanking the First Generation City Lord. Was this the feeling of being blessed by fortune?
Everything happened as if it were preordained; was this what it felt like to be the protagonist?
But regrettably, if given the choice, I would not choose to be such a protagonist.
“Now it’s time for you to seek answers using your own power; I’ll only help you this once, just this once.”
As I finished speaking, a crisp snap resonated throughout the battlefield, and an invisible field instantly expanded outward.
Nightmare Field, activate!
