***
Bonus chapter! Thank you to --- for the donation! ^^
***
Each person's Nightmare World is independent, and in the end, there are only two possible outcomes:
Either kill your fear—or be killed by it.
But when an outsider intervenes, a third possibility emerges: the interloper kills the fear instead.
This was likely an unprecedented situation, and the consequences were unknown. Ruan Qing didn’t dare take that risk.
Yet outright refusing Ji Nanyu wasn’t an option either.
His slender frame trembled slightly, his downcast eyes filled with hesitation and conflict. Clearly, he couldn’t bring himself to make a decision so easily.
Ji Nanyu didn’t seem suspicious—after all, struggling with a choice like this was only natural.
Begging him meant agreeing to the terms he’d proposed back in the study room.
But this time, he wouldn’t give him much time to deliberate. The moment Ji Nanyu remembered what he’d seen when he pulled open the bed curtain, a thick, dark intensity churned in his gaze.
......
The grotesque, twisted corpse pursued them relentlessly, as if it would never tire—but Ji Nanyu’s movements were beginning to slow, as though he were growing weary.
Ruan Qing understood perfectly: this was Ji Nanyu forcing his hand.
The distance between the corpse and the two of them steadily shrank. When the monstrous figure was just three steps away, Ruan Qing finally spoke.
Gritting his teeth, he squeezed his eyes shut, as if mustering every ounce of his strength to part his lips and whisper,
“…Please.”
The instant the words left his mouth, Ruan Qing didn’t hesitate—he immediately began hypnotizing himself, preparing to alter the Nightmare World before Ji Nanyu could fully destroy the corpse.
But before he could even finish his thought, the sound of a blade slicing through flesh rang out far too close.
From the direction of the corpse.
Ruan Qing’s eyes flew open—only to widen in shock.
The creature that had been chasing them mere moments ago was now cleanly severed in two, its remains dissolving into black mist that scattered into the air.
No, more accurately—it was being absorbed into the man holding the sword.
The same man he’d encountered in the dorm supervisor’s room.
Han Feng released his grip, and the sword instantly dispersed into shadow. With a faint smirk, he glanced at Ji Nanyu.
“So, Classmate Ji… you’re this weak, huh?”
The slight curve that had just touched Ji Nanyu’s lips vanished. His expression was ice, his gaze frigid and unreadable.
Yet Han Feng acted oblivious, his tone dripping with faux concern as he offered,
“You should be careful, Classmate Ji. If you’re too weak… you might just die in this Nightmare World.”
"...Let alone protecting someone else."
When Han Feng said this, his gaze shifted to Ruan Qing—and the insinuation in his words was impossible to miss.
Ruan Qing pressed his lips together lightly, murmured a quiet "thank you," then struggled to free himself from Ji Nanyu's arms.
Since the corpse hadn’t been killed by Ji Nanyu, their "deal" was void. With no reason left to hold him, Ji Nanyu let Ruan Qing down as he wished, and the atmosphere grew tense.
Normally, when the thing a dreamer fears disappears, the Nightmare World should collapse—but Ruan Qing’s didn’t. Most likely, the presence of too many dreamers had caused it to merge with others’ nightmares.
Neither man panicked, but somehow, their duo had inexplicably become a trio.
Han Feng and Ji Nanyu were roommates, and even with Ruan Qing wedged between them, the two seemed to have endless things to say.
"Classmate Ji, how did someone as weak as you manage to kill the thing you feared?" Han Feng tilted his head, feigning exaggerated surprise. "Don’t tell me you were afraid of something like… a caterpillar?"
Ji Nanyu smirked lazily. "Why? Want to test that theory?"
"Hard pass. I’ve got no interest in caterpillars."
Ji Nanyu let out a faint, cold laugh. "How do you know it’s a caterpillar unless you try? Or maybe that’s what you’re afraid of?"
Han Feng chuckled and shook his head. "You’re joking, Classmate Ji. I’m not like you—what kind of grown man would be scared of that?"
Though both were smiling, their eyes remained icy, sending an unsettling chill down the spine.
Ruan Qing didn’t dare utter a word. Head bowed, he walked uneasily between them, as if still shaken from earlier.
But in truth, his mind was elsewhere.
He’d been right. The thing one fears can’t be killed—at least, not by one’s own hand.
Killing a Nightmare World entity meant being corroded by His power, becoming one of His avatars. The black mist merging into Han Feng’s body was proof enough.
Yet the more Ruan Qing observed them, the more something felt off. These two didn’t just seem like 'His' avatars—they also resembled… the System’s avatars within this dungeon.
The thought made his scalp prickle. Had he misjudged?
Were these people really the System’s avatars? Had the System grown bold enough to invade a dungeon to this extent?
What exactly had changed in the dungeon? Who was the intruder? And what was the system hiding from him?
The answers to all these questions seemed to lie in finding the real Xiao Mingyu—and to do that, he first had to shake off the two men by his side.
Ruan Qing’s lashes trembled slightly as he lowered his gaze. In the next instant, the Nightmare World abruptly shifted, reverting to the endless corridor from before.
But this time, something was different.
A figure was slowly approaching from the far end of the passage.
A man shrouded in black mist, dragging a bloodstained greatsword behind him. Fresh blood dripped from the blade, trailing along the ground in a sinuous, crimson path.
Upon closer inspection, the "black mist" surrounding him wasn’t mist at all—but countless fine, writhing black threads.
His steps were unhurried, the screech of metal against stone grating against the ears, exuding an overwhelming aura of danger and power.
Ji Nanyu and Han Feng were still processing the sudden change, but the live chat had already erupted into chaos.
[HOLY SHIT!!! IS THAT SU ZHEN?! WHY IS HE IN THIS DUNGEON TOO!?]
[No, wait—his expression and eyes are off. This probably isn’t the real Su Zhen, but a manifestation of whatever our wife fears most in the Nightmare World.]
[Wife’s greatest fear = Su Zhen. Pffft—ahahaha! If Su Zhen ever finds out, he’d probably die of rage.]
[Who knows if he’d die, but he’d definitely lose his mind. After all his efforts chasing after our wife, only to end up as the "scary monster" in his nightmares, lol.]
To be fair, Ruan Qing wasn’t actually terrified of Su Zhen. It was just that, among the people he knew, Su Zhen was one of the strongest. If anyone could stall the two men beside him, it’d be him.
Of course, this only worked if the Nightmare World replicated a person’s actual strength.
And as it turned out—Ruan Qing’s gamble paid off.
The moment "Su Zhen" stepped closer, Ji Nanyu and Han Feng’s expressions shifted into ones of grave tension.
The Nightmare World could manifest anything. And the oppressive aura radiating from this unfamiliar man was unlike anything they’d ever encountered—even within the Nightmare World itself.
Han Feng’s face darkened. He shot Ji Nanyu a glare and hissed through clenched teeth, "Are you out of your fucking mind?! Just to prove you’re not scared of caterpillars, you had to manifest this instead?!"
As Nightmare Emissaries, they did have some influence over the Nightmare World. Re-manifesting their own fears wasn’t impossible.
But Ji Nanyu’s expression was equally grim. His voice dropped low.
"This isn’t mine."
Han Feng froze upon hearing this, and Ji Nanyu himself paused mid-sentence. The next second, both men turned disbelieving eyes toward Ruan Qing.
There were only three people present. If it wasn’t something they feared, then that left only one possibility…
Han Feng’s voice rose uncontrollably. “Yours?”
Ruan Qing’s face was pale, his slender body trembling uncontrollably with fear. He looked so fragile, as if he might collapse at any moment.
His reaction was answer enough—the man before them was clearly the embodiment of his terror.
Once a nightmare manifests what one fears, it will hunt the dreamer relentlessly, never stopping until one side is destroyed.
Both men immediately grasped the severity of the situation. Ji Nanyu pulled Ruan Qing behind him and gave him a push. “Run.”
“Run as far as you can. Find Ling Qishuo—tell him to get you out of here now.”
Ling Qishuo was the one who had brought him into this dream. Only he could forcibly extract someone from the Nightmare World.
Ruan Qing seemed paralyzed with fear. He staggered back a few steps, then turned and fled without a second glance.
The moment he ran, ‘Su Zhen's' slow, deliberate steps abruptly quickened. He lunged forward, black threads writhing grotesquely around him as they shot toward Ruan Qing’s retreating figure.
Ji Nanyu and Han Feng moved instantly to intercept. The three clashed, their battle erupting in a frenzy of violence.
In the Nightmare World, overcoming one’s fear came with a price. The victor would inherit the power of what they had feared, along with some control over the nightmare itself. By definition, they ceased to be fully human.
Yet even with these advantages, the two were no match for ‘Su Zhen’. Their only hope was to exploit their limited control over the nightmare, weaving traps to stall him.
Just hold out until Ruan Qing finds Ling Qishuo…
***
Far from the chaos, Ruan Qing didn’t alter the nightmare’s terrain. If he did, ‘Su Zhen’ would vanish—and the other two would come for him instead.
All he could do now was wait.
He’d already set the stage for Xiao Mingyu. If the other truly wanted to find him, he’d come on his own.
But the figure that eventually emerged from the shadows wasn’t Xiao Mingyu.
It was… ‘Su Zhen’!
Ruan Qing’s eyes widened, his pupils contracting in shock.
How—?!
He never expected him to be the one who found him first.
"Those two... are dead?"
A System's avatar was several times stronger than one corrupted by 'Him,' infused with the system's own power. How could they have died so easily—and in such a short time?
Yet the man standing before him was unmistakably Su Zhen.
Ruan Qing watched as the figure slowly approached, his face draining of all color. He immediately tried to hypnotize himself, attempting to forcibly alter the Nightmare World and erase the 'Su Zhen' before him.
But even as the world around him shifted, Su Zhen remained—still advancing, step by step.
No matter how many times Ruan Qing tried, nothing changed.
This wasn't right.
This wasn’t some manifestation of the Nightmare World.
This was the real Su Zhen.
Therapy time: "my wife see me as his worst nightmare 😭"
ReplyDeleteThank you for the multiple chapters!