Chapter 42 - 39: The Safe Zone That Changed the Dream Descenders’ Law of Survival

Chapter 42: Chapter 39: The Safe Zone That Changed the Dream Descenders’ Law of Survival

Xi Xue looked at her Member Card.

On the front of the card was the profile of a Witch wearing a pointed Wizard Hat.

It was her symbol.

The Witch.

Profound Sword’s card, however, didn’t feature a person but a sword, held by a hand, slashing forward.

The Sword Holder.

Hair Ghost looked at his symbol.

It was the figure of a person wearing a mask, shrouded in shadow.

The Masked Man.

It perfectly matched his expectations. He would become the shadow the Manager needed.

But at this moment, the other Dream Descenders in the shop were a bit dumbfounded.

’What happened?’

’Why do the big shots like Profound Sword look so excited, moved, and shocked all at once?’

After getting the Manager’s permission, Profound Sword gave the others a brief explanation of the Member Card’s function.

’You can open a gate to the Safe Zone directly from the Nightmare World?’

’You can even cross between Nightmare Worlds?’

They didn’t really understand the latter, but the former...

Just by having a Member Card like this, it was like permanently escaping the bitter sea of the Nightmare World, never to be caught by the kill-line again.

Of course, calling it "permanent" was an exaggeration.

How long the "ticket" would last depended on how long the "great ship" of the Safe Zone could traverse the Sea of Nightmares.

The Safe Zone couldn’t stay safe forever.

But even so, for these Dream Descenders who were relentlessly pursued by Nightmares, the Member Card was an absolute Treasure they had only dreamed of.

A Divine object!

Never mind them; even the big shots—no, even the great figures who stood at the apex of Baijiang City—would probably risk everything for a chance to fight for such a small card if they could just visit the Safe Zone once.

’A Treasure like this isn’t something a small fry like me could ever possess.’

But, even though he knew this, Duckbill Hat couldn’t help but ask, "Manager, will I... will we also have a chance to get a Member Card like this?"

Shi An had naturally considered this question.

He was well aware of the Member Card’s appeal to Dream Descenders.

The reason he was "giving them away for free" this time was firstly because he valued the strength and potential of Profound Sword’s group of three. Among the Dream Descenders he had met so far, Profound Sword and Xi Xue had the most potential. Of course, Hair Ghost wasn’t bad either; he was one of only two Control Stage Dream Descenders currently under the Safe Zone’s protection.

Secondly, this would set a precedent and serve as a promotion.

Thirdly, it would put the Member Cards’ Abilities to use as soon as possible, connecting to several more Nightmare Worlds.

You see, once the Safe Zone connected with a Nightmare World, all other Dream Descenders in that world, besides the member themselves, would then be eligible for an invitation.

The expansion speed of the Safe Zone platform could be greatly accelerated.

This would kill three birds with one stone.

Of course, in the future, who would be selected for the next batch of members would depend on the Dream Descenders’ performance.

This would be enough to greatly motivate the Dream Descenders.

Shi An could also use this to influence batch after batch of Dream Descenders.

The more Dream Descenders there were in the Safe Zone, the stronger his influence would be!

"There will be opportunities. On this path of confronting Nightmares head-on, I hope to have more fellow travelers."

Shi An didn’t state any specific requirements.

But even so, it sent the Dream Descenders into a frenzy.

They desperately wanted to be permanent residents of the Safe Zone!

After having experienced the protection of the Safe Zone, to go back to struggling bitterly in the Nightmare World... the difference was just too great.

But they also knew that compared to the vast Nightmare World, the Safe Zone was just a tiny corner.

The probability of them stumbling upon it was low.

Unless... they became members!

"Suddenly, I have the motivation to venture into the Nightmare World again!"

"That’s right! If it’s for a shot at a member spot, then I can risk it all one more time!"

They were truly fired up.

After all, for the vast majority of Ordinary Dream Descenders, even Cultivation, practicing with Curse Objects, and getting stronger still meant being relentlessly pursued by Nightmares, with no guarantee of seeing tomorrow.

Control Stage masters and Refining Stage powerhouses could still die from the slightest mistake.

But with a Member Card, you had a safety net.

Isn’t that way better than becoming a Refining Powerhouse?

...

Now that they were motivated and the Nightmare had been cleared, the entire area was safe for a short period. The Dream Descenders began to greedily plunder this Nightmare World.

Even Xi Xue, who had expended too much energy, and Profound Sword and Hair Ghost, who were still relatively weak, couldn’t resist going out to search for Treasure.

In the eyes of ordinary people, they were big shots.

But even for minor experts like them, this was the first time in their lives they could recklessly loot a large-scale Nightmare.

Of course, before setting out to loot, the group had already decided on the distribution percentages.

Among them, the Manager would receive 50% of the spoils and also had the right to pick three items first.

Profound Sword, Hair Ghost, and Xi Xue would get 13%, 11%, and 10% respectively. This was allocated based on their combat contributions, and the three of them had no objections.

In fact, both Profound Sword and Hair Ghost wanted to give their shares to the Manager, but Shi An refused.

The two of them thought it over and agreed; there would be plenty of opportunities to repay the Manager’s kindness in the future.

Besides, they were also planning to buy some precious items after returning to the real world.

The remaining seven Dream Descenders would split the rest of the spoils evenly. Among the seven, Old Cai and Duckbill Hat, who had contributed more, had priority in choosing items.

The seven had even fewer objections. They knew perfectly well they were just freeloaders who got carried to victory.

They wouldn’t have complained even if they got no spoils at all.

’But they did contribute something,’ Shi An mused. ’Not to mention anything else, right now they represent seven pairs of hands for looting. This distribution method is already quite fair, and it can also motivate everyone.’

’It seems Dream Descenders have been around for a long time. Cooperative clearing of Nightmare Worlds must be a common occurrence. People from large organizations like Profound Sword and Old Cai are already familiar with this kind of distribution logic.’

’Of course, treasure moves the hearts of men, especially when the danger has passed.’

Without danger to act as pressure, Dream Descenders turning on each other on the spot over precious Treasure was probably not uncommon, Shi An figured.

In the Nightmare World, a person or two dying was no big deal at all.

What’s more, a person’s clothes, appearance, and aura were completely different in the Nightmare World compared to the real world. Even if a sneak attack failed and the target held a grudge, they wouldn’t know who to take revenge on back in the real world.

Just like with this batch of Dream Descenders, aside from the three from large organizations—Xi Xue, Profound Sword, and Old Cai—whose identities could be vaguely inferred, nobody had any idea who the others were.

No legal constraints, everyone’s identity hidden, and a high probability of never meeting again afterward...

It was simply a place naturally suited for backstabbing!

Before clearing a Nightmare, you had to face its incredibly dangerous killing intent. After clearing it, you still had to be wary of your teammates turning on you.

Even Shi An couldn’t help but sigh. "Being a Dream Descender in this world is really tough."

However...

’This batch of Dream Descenders seems to be of decent character. They probably won’t come to blows over a few spoils.’

It wasn’t that Shi An had faith in human nature.

Human nature couldn’t withstand temptation.

But he had faith in his Safe Zone.

There were no legal constraints, but the Safe Zone could provide them!

There was a high probability they would never meet again, but with the Safe Zone, they would sooner or later meet here again!

As long as they weren’t planning on never returning to the Safe Zone, then even if greed arose in someone’s heart, they would firmly restrain it.

And would they be willing to give up the Safe Zone?

As for privately hiding things, that wasn’t so easy either.

Dream-world items often emitted a faint, cold Qi. In an environment like the Safe Zone, every last wisp of this Qi was incredibly obvious.

If Shi An could think of this, then veteran Dream Descenders like Profound Sword, Hair Ghost, and Old Cai could certainly think of it too.

This kind of incredibly harmonious looting was indeed a rare sight in a randomly formed team.

Never mind all the miraculous things like the Purification Treasure Medicine and Member Cards, the mere existence of the Safe Zone itself...

"...is enough to change the very laws of survival for us Dream Descenders."

Profound Sword sighed with emotion. "If one day, the Safe Zone can become a Beacon standing in the center of the Sea of Nightmares, then we Dream Descenders might usher in a new era."

"A great age where we are no longer pursued by Nightmares, and everyone can become Extraordinary!"

Still, the idea was too outrageous.

Even though the Manager had become increasingly mysterious in his mind, envisioning the future and daydreaming were two different things.

A little over two hours later, having scoured the Nightmare World and practically dug three feet into the ground, the group returned to the little shop in the Safe Zone with bags full of spoils.

Shi An hadn’t had any particular expectations for the spoils; Curse Objects weren’t very useful to him.

But,

’There’s actually something good here.’