Chapter 33 - 30: What Exactly Is the Manager’s Identity?

Chapter 33: Chapter 30: What Exactly Is the Manager’s Identity?

In the Withered Wood Forest, in front of the small shop in the Safe Zone.

The remaining nine Dream Descenders were divided; some were hesitant, while others were tempted. After all, Xi Xue had already proven that the small shop before them was definitely not some hidden monster’s lair.

Even though its vibe was incredibly bizarre for a place like this!

"Let’s go."

While the others were still hesitating, Profound Sword walked forward without a second thought. Or rather, even before Xi Xue started pitching the place, he had already looked ready to head over.

"Big shot Profound Sword, have you been to the Safe Zone before?"

"No, this is my first time seeing this Safe Zone too."

Seeing this, Duckbill Hat couldn’t help but voice his confusion, "Then why are you so... unhesitant?"

Shouldn’t a big shot logically be more cautious?

Profound Sword spoke matter-of-factly, "At the very least, hasn’t Miss Xi Xue already confirmed it’s safe? Besides... even if we do encounter danger, I can just Slash through it with my sword.

"In the Nightmare World, we must naturally be prepared to face danger at any moment."

So this was what a big shot was like? Completely unsurprised and completely unhesitant. Clearly, a place like this was nothing special in the eyes of a big shot.

As expected of a big shot!

Profound Sword stood blankly at the entrance of the small shop. The environment before him left him in a slight daze.

He thought, "Is this right? This can’t be right, can it? Though I suppose it’s not entirely impossible."

It wasn’t until the Dream Descenders behind him squeezed past that Profound Sword abruptly snapped back to reality. He let out a dry cough and walked into the shop, acting as if nothing had happened.

He told himself, "It’s nothing strange, nothing strange at all. Xi Xue already knows her way around."

The other Dream Descenders also entered one after another. They all stood dumbfounded at the door until the people behind bumped into them, bringing them back to their senses. Yet, their expressions remained dazed.

"Is this still the Nightmare World? I’m certain I haven’t returned to reality."

The environment was simply too comfortable. They had never dared to expect such a thing. After falling into the Nightmare World, having a place to catch their breath for even a moment was an unimaginable blessing. How could they dare ask for anything more?

"Manager, excuse the intrusion."

"Manager, can we rest here too?"

They didn’t understand how such a Sanctuary was established, but they did know one thing: the more Dream Descenders gathered in one place, the easier it was to attract danger. They weren’t sure if the Manager here would take them in. They lacked confidence, as there were simply too many of them.

Perhaps the Manager would only take in Miss Xi Xue, since she was a familiar face. But...

"Meeting by chance is a kind of fate. Have a seat," Shi An said.

They didn’t dare to actually act casually. Every single one of them sat down with utmost decorum. Yet, they were still incredibly curious. Why was there a small shop with such a drastically different vibe in the middle of the Nightmare World?

Was it because they lacked experience? Profound Sword pondered this.

He wondered, "Is the Manager... a Dream Descender?"

If Profound Sword had just heard about the Safe Zone for the first time, he might have thought so. But...

He analyzed, "Miss Xi Xue only visited this shop a few days ago. Moreover, going by the Manager’s words, it seems this small shop has always existed within the Nightmare World."

Was this possible? It wasn’t impossible!

Dream Descenders could break free from the Nightmare and return to the Present Realm, but... there were also a very small number of Dream Descenders who encountered accidents and lost their Anchor Point to the real world. Consequently, they could never return and were forever lost in the Nightmare World.

Such people would go missing in the real world. In the Nightmare World, they were known as Lost Persons or wanderers.

Profound Sword had never met a Lost Person. After all, for the vast majority of Dream Descenders—even experts at the Control Stage or Refining Stage—the pressure would grow exponentially if they survived in the Nightmare World for even a slightly extended period.

If a Dream Descender became one of the Lost in the Nightmare World, how long could they hold out? A few hours? One, two, three, or four days?

Becoming Lost was almost entirely equivalent to death.

However, his master, the Master of Extreme Intent, had told him that there were indeed some "Lost Persons" surviving in the Nightmare World. These people had their own unique survival skills. They could evade the Nightmare’s lock-on and remain self-sufficient in the dead, desolate Nightmare World.

They were Lost, wandering, and struggling to survive—until one day, they could hold on no longer and completely perished.

He thought, "So that means the Manager is one of the Lost who can’t return to reality?

"But my master also mentioned that every Lost Person lives a rather miserable existence. Why does this Manager look so carefree?

"It’s an illusion. The comfortable environment of this small shop must have given me a false impression!"

He wasn’t surprised by the shop’s vibe. The Curse Objects circulating from the Nightmare World were far too diverse. And the Manager—one of the Lost who could survive long-term—was bound to be a supreme expert among experts. It was only normal for him to possess a special, rare Curse Object.

While deep in thought, Profound Sword’s Spirit remained slightly tense. After all, no matter how comfortable and relaxing the shop’s environment was, he hadn’t forgotten that they were actually in the extremely perilous Nightmare World.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Profound Sword’s expression slightly changed.

Through the clean, bright floor-to-ceiling windows, he could see a dark silhouette flickering in the distance amidst the drifting gray fog. It was gradually becoming clearer.

Profound Sword furrowed his brows on the spot. He didn’t want another battle, especially a meaningless one. But...

The dark silhouette lunged at a terrifying speed far surpassing that of a human. In the blink of an eye, the figure leaped out of the gray fog. Ash-gray skin, razor-sharp teeth, and a pale, rotting face instantly became crystal clear before his eyes.

Profound Sword abruptly drew the sword at his waist.

The monster pounced against the clean, tidy floor-to-ceiling window, letting out a loud BANG along with the ear-piercing screech of its sharp claws scraping against the glass.

The next moment, the expected CRASH of the shattering window never occurred. There wasn’t even a single crack or scratch on it. The floor-to-ceiling window remained bright enough to serve as a mirror, reflecting the monster’s hideous face as if mocking it.

"What’s wrong?" Xi Xue looked over, her gaze landing on his raised sword.

Profound Sword let out a cough. He nonchalantly stroked the blade and said, "I’m just performing maintenance on my Curse Object so that it can exert its full power when needed."

Only then did the other Dream Descenders gradually realize what had happened. It wasn’t that their reactions were too slow, but rather that the monster’s speed was simply too fast. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been Dream Descenders who were hunted down and killed before they even realized what was going on.

"There’s a monster!"

"Quick! Careful! Prepare for battle!"

"Wait, did the monster not get in? Uh, right, oh, it can’t get in at all!"

Only at this point did the startled Dream Descenders realize there was absolutely no need to jump at shadows. Look at the big shot—so calm and collected, even leisurely wiping his blade.

Xi Xue had been looking forward to this scene for a long time. She coughed to draw everyone’s attention, then put on a serious face like a shop employee and explained:

"I told you all earlier, our Safe Zone is extremely safe. There’s absolutely no need to worry about monster attacks. Everyone just needs to seize the time to get some good rest. There’s no need to make a fuss.

"Of course, this is your first time in the Safe Zone, so this reaction is perfectly normal. If there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask me."

Little Blood’s eyes widened as it thought, "I am the actual employee!"

But forget it. Since the boss hadn’t ordered it to entertain the guests, then... it would just continue crouching there, pretending to be a statue.

It thought, "Who would work hard when they could just slack off?

"Hmph! What a foolish human woman."

Up until now, seeing that there wasn’t a single scratch on the window, the crowd was finally convinced that even if a true terror attacked, they wouldn’t have to worry. This door, this window, this wall—it truly gave them an incredibly overwhelming sense of security!

It completely didn’t feel like they were in the Nightmare World anymore. They genuinely relaxed, even lazily sinking into the plush chairs.

Not far away, Shi An was lazily yawning, not even sparing a single glance at the monster outside. It didn’t look like he was trying to survive in the Nightmare World at all; it looked more like he was on a leisurely vacation.

Profound Sword was even starting to doubt his own earlier deductions.

He thought, "Master, didn’t you say that surviving in the Nightmare World as a Lost Person is exceptionally arduous? That almost all of them end up looking like homeless vagrants, and many even mutate from corruption? But...

"How is this Manager struggling to survive in any way?!"

——

PS: On a side note regarding the operation of the Safe Zone, I will be charging a "protection fee" later on. It definitely makes more sense to charge a fee (this will start in the next story arc). Originally, I intended to write a behind-the-scenes mastermind story, but as I kept writing, I realized that based on the current setting, it should be a shop manager story instead. Jian has sacrificed half a month’s worth of hair and has significantly adjusted the outline.

I hope this turns the tide. I don’t want to get Slashed~!