Chapter 51 - 48: We Are Building a Camp in the Nightmare World

Chapter 51: Chapter 48: We Are Building a Camp in the Nightmare World

Although Hair Ghost called himself a mere employee, Li Wei didn’t dare underestimate him in the slightest.

But he also grew increasingly curious and awestruck by the mysterious, unseen Manager.

He had heard it was the Manager who had carved out this Safe Zone, sheltering Dream Descenders like them who were struggling in a sea of suffering.

"That’s right. As long as you’re here, you won’t have to worry about the Nightmare’s persecution, at least for this trip into the Nightmare World," said Hair Ghost.

He could tell Li Wei was in bad shape. In his current state, it was nearly impossible for him to survive the Nightmare.

But Li Wei had already entered the Safe Zone. He was one lucky kid.

"So 100g of Dream Crystal Dust is the price for this protection? This is simply..."

"Too good a deal!"

No wonder Boss Fa had said the Manager was kind-hearted.

’The price and effort the Manager must have paid to create this space for their protection has to be far more than just 100g!’

The tension Li Wei had been holding onto finally eased.

He had a strong will to live, but desire and willpower alone couldn’t change reality.

But now, he could survive. He could live through this Nightmare!

Li Wei’s spirits lifted, but the next moment, as if he’d thought of something, his expression darkened again.

He could indeed survive this Nightmare, but only this one.

He was lucky this time, happening upon the Safe Zone built by the Manager. But what about next time?

The Nightmare World was treacherous and unpredictable. There was no way to know where their Fallen Dream would take them next.

How could he dare hope to find such shelter again?

If he could reach the Safe Zone every time, he might be able to hold out until the corrosive injuries faded, escaping the Nightmare’s kill-zone for good.

But...

’That’s impossible.’

"That injury of yours isn’t a huge problem."

Shi An pushed open the door and entered the business area.

He looked at the young man not far away.

In his eyes, Li Wei was shrouded in a faint, cold black smoke, several times less in volume than what was on Hair Ghost.

But that wasn’t all. Over the left side of Li Wei’s chest, sinister black and red wisps intertwined.

This was a change that came after the Safe Zone was upgraded to Level 2.

He, Manager Shi, now had stronger perception and control over everything within the Safe Zone’s range.

"Manager, you’re here," Hair Ghost said respectfully.

Li Wei straightened up respectfully. "You must be the Manager. Thank you so much for your protection."

Even though he would most likely not survive the next Nightmare, he was still grateful.

Grateful that a powerful Dream Descender like the Manager was willing to lend a helping hand to someone as weak as him.

Li Wei knew very well that compared to the shelter and facilities here, 100g of Dream Dust was truly nothing.

’But wait.’

’What was that the Manager just said?’

’My injury? Not a huge problem?’

"What do you mean?" Hope ignited in Li Wei once again.

Shi An said, "Our Safe Zone doesn’t just offer protection. We also sell all sorts of peculiar items. Your current condition is contamination erosion, right? The source of the erosion is located over the left side of your chest. It’s not serious. A cup of Purifying Water is enough to cure it."

Li Wei’s eyes widened.

"Yes, that’s right! That’s exactly where it is!"

Hair Ghost was also surprised.

He couldn’t tell where the source of Li Wei’s erosion was, only that something was wrong with his condition.

The young man was wearing clothes, after all, and his Curse Object was most likely an organ-type that had integrated into his body. You couldn’t tell anything just by looking from the outside.

Yet the Manager had pinpointed it in a single sentence.

’As expected of the Man... no, since he’s the Manager, it’s perfectly reasonable.’

The Manager looked like an ordinary person, without even a hint of a powerful expert’s Curse Pressure. But Hair Ghost knew this was simply the state of returning to simplicity after reaching a certain level of power.

"Manager, about that Purifying Water you mentioned... what’s the price?"

"It costs 1,000 grams of Dream Dust."

’One thousand grams, that’s not expensive!’

’In fact, it’s ridiculously cheap!’

Even Hair Ghost couldn’t help but blurt out, "Manager, that’s so chea—"

But he quickly remembered that the Manager had given them the Purifying Water for free back then.

He was in no position to say it was too cheap, but Hair Ghost still felt a pang of regret for the lost profit.

Li Wei hesitated for a moment, then took out an Incomplete Level Curse Object from his pocket. "Manager, do you think this Curse Object can cover the cost?"

Shi An gestured to Hair Ghost.

Hair Ghost immediately took the Curse Object, but he couldn’t judge its value by sight alone, only that it was an Incomplete Level Curse Object.

And so,

"Kid Li Wei, come with me."

He called Li Wei over to the Value Assessment Machine in the corner of the business area. After a bit of fiddling, there was a

BEEP~

"Assessment Result: Curse Object · Pain Relief Needle (Incomplete Level). Effects omitted. Value: 1100g Dream Crystal Dust."

Seeing the young man’s surprised expression, Hair Ghost explained:

"That’s right. This machine can assess an item’s value. It’s another treasure our Manager created."

"Our Safe Zone also has a buyback service. For a Curse Object like this, we usually buy it at seventy percent of its market value."

That was still a bit more than the buyback price on the outside black market.

Clearly, Li Wei’s Curse Object wasn’t enough to cover the cost.

And he had nothing else of value.

Shi An spoke up. "Get him a cup."

Li Wei looked over.

Shi An said, "Consider it my investment. I hope you can become an elite Dream Descender, one who can conquer Nightmares."

In the real world, his friends had all avoided him like the plague.

But here in the Nightmare World, he had encountered kindness again and again.

Li Wei took a deep breath and said with conviction, "Manager, I will!"

He drank the Purifying Water.

The symptoms of erosion on his body faded within a few blinks.

In just a short while, Li Wei felt his condition return to its peak.

No, he was even stronger than his peak.

It seemed that even some of the hidden corrosive injuries left over from using Curse Objects in the past had been purified and removed as well.

’This is simply...’

’Ordinary Treasure Medicines outside cost several thousand Dream Dust. The Manager’s Purifying Water is definitely worth far more than one thousand!’

’Calling it a sale, calling it an investment... that was just to protect my pride!’

"Manager!"

’He’s my savior!’

As he spoke, he was about to bow down.

But Shi An reached out a hand and made a lifting motion. The space of the Invisible Corridor manifested as a barrier, preventing Li Wei from bowing.

"Just work hard, young man."

Shi An waved his hand, opened the door, and walked towards the back of the shop.

「Night.」

The Safe Zone successively welcomed a second and third batch of Dream Descenders.

A veteran Dream Descender discovered a Blind Spot.

"It seems we’re... from different Nightmare Worlds?"

"But the Manager’s Safe Zone has appeared in multiple Nightmare Worlds before, so this seems normal, right?" a Dream Descender who had been here before thought to himself.

He also discovered that the shop had been expanded.

’Since the Safe Zone has been expanded,’ the burly man thought, ’it doesn’t seem that strange for it to be able to connect to even more Nightmare Worlds.’

If someone more knowledgeable had been there, a Captain Level expert from the Countermeasures Bureau for example, they would have been utterly shocked.

But the vast majority of Dream Descenders didn’t actually have a deep understanding of the Nightmare World.

"The Safe Zone is truly getting more and more miraculous."

Looking at the Dream Descenders in the shop, a regular customer sighed with emotion and envy. "We’ve been given shelter and are in perfect condition. If all of us Dream Descenders from different Nightmare Areas could team up and pool our strength, conquering an ordinary Nightmare would probably be a piece of cake."

’The Member Card the Manager gave out possesses a miraculous ’traversal power’ that allows travel to other Nightmare Areas,’ Hair Ghost thought to himself.

’However, the chance to cross between areas is rare. I’ll only use this opportunity when the Manager gives an order.’

’The Manager definitely wouldn’t use it on conquering a mere ordinary Nightmare World.’

Shi An was also thinking about something.

’In the eyes of Dream Descenders, the Nightmare World is vast and chaotic. Normally, two Dream Descenders from different Nightmares would never meet.’

’But...’

It was an illusion!

The Safe Zone’s recent promotion had allowed Shi An to glimpse a sliver of the truth.

The various Nightmare Worlds were pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle. They seemed far apart, but in reality, they might only be a street’s length away from each other.

If one had a map and enough time, it theoretically wouldn’t be difficult to assemble a grand Dream Descender conquest team.

...

「At the same time, at the Countermeasures Bureau.」

A small meeting was in progress.

"To implement that plan, we need to gather a sufficient number of elite Dream Descenders in the Nightmare World."

"That’s both difficult and not difficult."

"But there’s another prerequisite for executing the plan: logistics."

"To that end, we need to establish a camp within the Nightmare World, a place where our Dream Descenders can rest, resupply, and fend off danger."