Chapter 62 - 59: Is This Still a Civilian Dream Descender?

Chapter 62: Chapter 59: Is This Still a Civilian Dream Descender?

Jiang Peng raised an eyebrow.

To realize this Nightmare was unique and fraught with higher risks, yet still possess the confidence to conquer it? He thought, "This is getting interesting."

After exchanging a glance with Researcher Wang, he said, "Alright, we agree to cooperate and conquer this Nightmare. However, this partnership is merely a preliminary intention. Whether we actually proceed with conquering it will depend on our level of certainty when the time comes."

For the two of them, as long as they didn’t proactively conquer Nightmares or challenge eerie entities, their skills were more than enough to survive comfortably in the Nightmare World. They faced nowhere near the amount of pressure that ordinary Dream Descenders did.

By avoiding risks, they could just prioritize survival indefinitely. Thus, taking risks seemed unnecessary, didn’t it? Yet, beyond merely staying alive, there were always things a person needed to do.

As key members of the Baijiang Research Institute, they were able to survive comfortably thanks to the various items provided by the Institute. Naturally, they had to give back, making contributions to the Research Institute, the entire Great Xia, and... Baijiang.

Even taking a step back, avoiding risks didn’t guarantee they could evade danger forever. If an accident ever occurred and they fell into a high-risk Nightmare, it would be too late to start fighting for their lives.

Hair Ghost said, "No problem, that’s very reasonable. I already have a preliminary understanding of this Nightmare. However, there is one more thing we must address before that, which is...

"Familiarity, cooperation, and the leadership of the team.

"I go by the codename Hair Ghost. I am a Yugui Stream Dream Descender at the Control Stage, commanding a Wet Hair Ghost."

Hair Ghost was very direct and imposing. He wasn’t typically an imposing person, but the Manager was currently watching him. He already viewed this exploration, the entry into a Cross-Domain Realm, and the conquering of the Nightmare as the Manager’s assessment of him. He could not afford any mistakes.

Furthermore, in order to conquer a dangerous Nightmare, it was indeed necessary to establish leadership. This was especially true since all three of them were Control Stage Dream Descenders, making it highly likely that each would have their own ideas. Conflicting thoughts at crucial moments would be fatal.

Jiang Peng raised an eyebrow. This grassroots Dream Descender was quite confident.

His teammate, Researcher Wang, was rather socially anxious, so Jiang Peng spoke up. "We are from the Baijiang Research Institute. My surname is Jiang. I’m an exploration-oriented Dream Descender, skilled in long-range detection. His surname is Wang. He’s a Support-oriented Dream Descender who can conceal the traces of multiple people. We also have some special methods. As for leadership..."

Hair Ghost interrupted, "Whoever contributes more and acts as the main force in conquering it will be in charge of commanding. How about that?"

Jiang Peng nodded. "That’s very reasonable."

Although this Hair Ghost was exceptionally confident and surely possessed extraordinary traits, the two of them were fully prepared Baijiang researchers. Their descent into the Nightmare this time was precisely to accomplish something. Could he really compete with them in terms of Abilities and exploration? Being a Yugui Stream Dream Descender wouldn’t make a difference.

Jiang Peng tapped his fingertip against his glabella. The next moment, an eerie-looking orange light-bird emerged from between his brows, hovering more than a dozen meters in the air to observe the surroundings.

This was his Lifebound Curse Object. His Lifebound Curse Object could act in tandem with the special glasses he was wearing.

He didn’t ask Hair Ghost how much he knew about this Nightmare or what exactly he had learned. Instead, he wanted to rely on his own strength to investigate, thereby seizing the leadership. He quickly discovered some key areas.

An altar, burial mounds, and walls adorned with the "Double Happiness" character...

The total area of a small Nightmare wasn’t very large. He only needed to shift to two or three different positions and use his Lifebound Curse Object and items to survey the area; then he would be able to map out the vast majority of this Nightmare Map. Maps and intelligence were exactly the first, and most crucial, step in conquering a Nightmare.

However, just as Jiang Peng pointed out the three key locations—the altar, the burial mounds, and the "Double Happiness" walls—Hair Ghost chuckled and smoothly took over the conversation.

"The altar is set up in the courtyard, with a coffin resting upon it. There are Ghost Insects inside the rooms on both sides of the courtyard. They aren’t eerie entities, but they will still cause us some trouble.

"There isn’t just one burial mound. There are seven graves in total, located here, here, and here.

"And besides that..."

With every key area Hair Ghost pointed out, the astonishment on Jiang Peng’s and Researcher Wang’s faces deepened. Jiang Peng originally thought that Hair Ghost’s professed understanding of this Nightmare was merely superficial and vague.

The Nightmare World was inherently filled with the unknown. Rounding a corner could result in a monster lunging straight at your face; catching a glimpse of a light source could strip away your sanity. Exploration was difficult. It required utmost caution and could never be rushed. Even in a small-scale Nightmare, Dream Descenders would struggle to fully map out the entire area.

Unless, of course, they were a specialization-type Dream Descender focused on exploration, like himself. But even so, Jiang Peng had to admit that he couldn’t explore with such meticulous detail. At the very least, he absolutely could not have detected the danger lurking in the rooms flanking the altar just by observing from a distance.

Thus, he said, "We have a special powder that might be able to deal with those Ghost Insects you mentioned. It can drive them away and keep them from approaching for a short time."

But Hair Ghost replied, "I already have a way to deal with the Ghost Insects."

As he spoke, he pulled out the mutated Flaming Torch and flipped the switch to ignite it. Instantly, orange flames blazed brightly, dispersing ripples of halos that seemed to burn away the gloomy chill in the air with a loud SIZZLE.

Jiang Peng was speechless. Although it hadn’t been tested yet, he was a professional, after all, and he could see the unique properties of this torch. Moreover, most dangerous insect-type entities feared fire. Using fire to drive away the insects would likely be far more effective than their special powder.

Jiang Peng offered, "We also brought a few bottles of Berserk Potion. In critical moments, it can grant us the speed of the wind to escape danger, though it does have some side effects."

Hair Ghost responded, "Our ’I’m Fired Up Special Drink’ has a similar effect. In times of need, it can also allow us to unleash even more powerful Curse Object strength."

They could retreat to escape, or advance to attack!

Jiang Peng tried again, "Old Wang also has a special item on him: an Eerie Compass. Although its detection range is limited, the needle will react immediately the moment an eerie entity approaches."

Hair Ghost was somewhat surprised. Indeed, this compass item was incredibly practical. It was his first time hearing about such a thing. However, having witnessed the numerous miraculous creations in the shop, Hair Ghost was now able to view practical and extraordinary items like the Eerie Compass with a level head. It was merely a bit novel, nothing more.

"A nice item. However, I also have preparations for how to give early warnings about eerie entities."

With that, Hair Ghost looked up high. Jiang Peng followed his gaze. There, suspended high in mid-air, was a palm-sized eyeball with two small, fluttering wings.

"Is that... an item?"

"That’s right. This is our detection-type item, the Witchcraft Flying Eye. It can fly and conduct long-range observations. Although it’s unclear in what form the eerie entity of this Nightmare will appear, now that we have your compass and the Witchcraft Flying Eye, it’s more than enough to defend against it from all angles.

"This way, we can attack, defend, advance, or retreat. It’s enough to formulate a secure tactic. Wouldn’t you two agree?"

Jiang Peng nodded, his expression complex.

The good news was that the preparations of their temporary teammate, Hair Ghost, were more than ten times more thorough than they had anticipated. Their certainty in conquering this Nightmare would significantly increase. Conquering it was well within reach.

The bad news, however, was that the two of them had definitely lost any claim to leadership. It didn’t really matter if they lost it. Their goal was purely research, not coveting the Treasures obtained after the conquest.

It was just that...

Looking at the Witchcraft Flying Eye in the sky and then at the torch in Hair Ghost’s hand, he couldn’t help but think, "Is this guy really a grassroots Dream Descender?"