Chapter 21 - 18: Reality Invasion

Chapter 21: Chapter 18: Reality Invasion

Shi An was just a low-key, simple, and completely ordinary handsome young man.

He did not want to be the first among ordinary people to step up and try it. However, seeing everyone else hesitating, he figured they would probably dilly-dally for another few dozen seconds until Professor Luo took the Curse Object back, without anyone daring to step forward. He had no choice but to do it himself.

Shi An genuinely wanted to try it out. This was indeed a rare opportunity. He was confident he could get his hands on some Dream Curse Objects, and now he had also learned how to use them. However, studying them alone in hiding was completely different from using them under the guidance and protection of an expert.

Shi An was not intimidated in the slightest. After all, a certain Mr. Shi was not intimidated by the Nightmare World in the slightest either.

Professor Luo revealed a look of appreciation from the podium. "Not bad, young man. You’re a student of Baijiang University, right?"

Professor Luo actually recognized him? Although Shi An had taken Professor Luo’s classes before, he was merely a low-key student, inconspicuous among the masses. Had he already caught Professor Luo’s attention before he even got a chance to show off?

"Yes, Professor. I graduated from Baijiang University and have taken quite a few of your classes before," Shi An replied.

Four Curse Objects were displayed on the podium, all resting on special pedestals.

"This first Dream Curse Object is called ’Strong Tendons.’ Its effect is straightforward. It enhances the user’s muscles and maintains them at their peak for a certain period of time," Professor Luo explained. "As for the side effects, you will experience muscle damage and tearing after use."

This Curse Object was scarlet, looking like intertwined muscle fibers. The ends were still writhing, making it look incredibly bizarre and horrifying. No wonder so many people hesitated to step forward. It was also Shi An’s first time seeing a Curse Object with such a repulsive appearance. He gulped and reached out, pressing his hand against the end of the Strong Tendons. It felt a bit slippery and a little slimy.

"Grasp this Curse Object, then tense your muscles. Throw punches and perform chopping motions," Professor Luo instructed, simultaneously sprinkling just the right amount of Dream Crystal Dust.

Each Curse Object had its own method of use. Before integrating a Curse Object into one’s body, it naturally couldn’t be activated by a mere thought. When holding the Shadow Giant Scissors, one simply needed to use them like regular scissors and snip at a shadow. The Ghost Candle was simple; it could be lit with a fire source like an ordinary candle, or one could blow on it to ignite it. As for the Strong Tendons...

When Shi An reached out and grasped it, he didn’t feel anything obvious at first, only a faint chill in his arm. This was the erosion of the Curse Object. However, as long as it wasn’t activated, a brief contact wouldn’t have much of an impact on him.

"Well, assuming it’s an Incomplete Level Curse Object," Shi An thought.

But when he grasped the Curse Object and swung it forcefully, clenching his other hand into a fist and punching out violently... it was like flipping a switch. His body’s muscles instantly tightened. It felt as though boundless strength was continuously surging from every cell. Shi An’s punch even produced a sharp swoosh through the air.

"I feel like I could punch a cow to death!"

His ego inflated just like his muscles. But Shi An quickly calmed down, well aware that this was merely an illusion. He was only superficially using an Incomplete Level Curse Object; it was far from possible for him to kill a cow. At most, he could punch out a bunny.

Simultaneously, as he activated the power of the Strong Tendons, Shi An clearly felt a cold, gloomy force surging into his body alongside it. The sensation wasn’t too pronounced yet, but...

"That’s enough," Professor Luo spoke up at the right moment.

Previously, quite a few testers had become addicted to the power and swung a couple more times than necessary. The effects of the Strong Tendons were indeed very straightforward. But Shi An wouldn’t make that kind of mistake. He had already stopped before Professor Luo spoke, placing the Curse Object back onto its supporting pedestal.

The very moment he let go and pulled away from the Curse Object, the coldness that had previously coiled around his arm and surged into his body—the coldness he hadn’t felt much of earlier—suddenly erupted.

Shi An violently shivered. His chest felt tight, his heart pounded wildly, and beads of cold sweat rolled down his forehead. He couldn’t stop gasping for breath. His two arms, which had just exerted force, felt incredibly sore and swollen. At this point, they were already losing strength. However, in the next moment, without Professor Luo seemingly doing anything, the residual coldness inside his body was siphoned away. Shi An took a few more breaths, already feeling much better.

Shi An thought, "Is this the side effect of using a Curse Object? It feels pretty terrible! But then again, maybe it’s just because it’s my first time."

The coldness had been drawn away, but the physical effects of the Strong Tendons remained. His muscles were still sore and swollen. If he had used the Strong Tendons a few more times, it probably wouldn’t be just soreness. Without the Dream Crystal Dust to exempt some of the cost, both of his arms might have been completely ruined by now.

Terrifying. Simply terrifying.

He realized, "No wonder Dream Descenders very rarely choose to confront anomalies directly. Even if they could win, let alone when they can’t..." With such a massive price for a single fight, he wouldn’t want to fight either.

Previously, Shi An thought Old Yao was too cowardly and that Xi Xue was a proper Veteran. But now, he felt that Old Yao was right. Though, from the perspective of the Safe Zone’s Manager, Shi An hoped that all his customers would be as reckless... no, as valiant as Xi Xue.

Afterwards, Shi An tried the other few Curse Objects one by one. The side effects of these Curse Objects manifested in different ways: muscles, hair, eyesight, and tooth marks. Running the gauntlet of these side effects thoroughly tormented him, but Shi An’s gains were also obvious.

He thought, "By the time I used the fourth Curse Object, my perception of that cold aura was much clearer than it was at the beginning." When he used Curse Objects in the future, he would no longer be starting with zero experience. And all the side effects he suffered this time were recoverable; none of them were permanent injuries.

Off to the side, Professor Luo analyzed the situation for a moment before saying, "The paths that are more suitable for you are the Yugui Stream or the Array Base Stream."

There were no living Curse Objects present on the scene, but with his wealth of experience, Professor Luo could still make a judgment by observing certain changes in the Curse Objects. It was also hard for him to say whether Shi An’s Talent was good or bad. On one hand, when Shi An used ordinary Curse Objects like the Strong Tendons, the side effects he suffered were noticeably severe, which was a sign of poor Talent. But to call his Talent poor would be inaccurate too, as he managed to instantly activate certain Curse Objects into highly active states. Pursuing those two rare streams would allow his Talent to truly shine.

However, rare streams... The reason they were rare was precisely because the necessary Curse Objects were rare! Without a strong backer, it was virtually impossible for a Dream Descender’s first Lifebound Curse Object to be a rare Curse Object. Just being able to integrate a complete Curse Object would be considered fortunate.

Of course, besides the aforementioned streams, there were even rarer and more uncommon streams than the Yugui Stream and Array Base Stream, such as the Domain Stream and the Faith Stream. Those couldn’t be tested directly.

The engrossing class soon ended, leaving Shi An wanting more. This training course would last for seven days. Naturally, not all of them were Professor Luo’s classes; there were also several sessions on physical training and emergency response. Afterwards, he, Shi An, would officially start his job as an ordinary clerk. He would probably be assigned to a post in the logistics department. Shi An didn’t care what post it was. Either way, the logistics department wouldn’t come into direct contact with Nightmares, and the biggest risk was merely falling into the Nightmare World. It was safe and sound.

The Safe Zone was flourishing, and the real world was much safer with the backing of the Countermeasures Bureau. Right now...

Shi An suddenly shuddered as a cold wind brushed against his face. Unbeknownst to him, his surroundings had become much chillier. The sunlight was obscured by dark clouds, and wisps of gray mist were drifting all around him.