Shadow Slave

That was something Sunny was keenly interested in.

Of course, he had a general knowledge of how things were set inside the Spell. But the First Nightmare had already shown him that reality was different from how it was portrayed in popular culture in a number of small, but infinitely important ways.

He needed to separate truth from the myths. And, of course, it was very advantageous to hear it from the mouth of someone who had actually been to the Dream Realm. So Sunny was all ears.

Awakened Rock began to speak:

"Most people are aware of what Nightmares are — because they have an impact on the real world and their lives. All of you have been warned before entering the First Nightmare that, should you perish there, a Nightmare Creature would be allowed to cross the threshold and enter reality."

Yup, that was the reason why Master Jet had to wait patiently by his side, prepared to deal with the monster if it appears.

"First Nightmares are unique, because each of them is individual. That's why only a single Creature can appear. However, starting from the Second Nightmare, things become much more dangerous. These Nightmares are not tied to an infected person. Instead, they are born in the Dream Realm. While the Seed of the Nightmare is growing, any number of Awakened can attempt to conquer it."

Hunting down Nightmares was the main responsibility of the Awakened. Sunny knew that much.

"Should they all die or fail to find the Seed before it matures, a Gate will open in the real world, letting through countless monsters. You all know the consequences. Other Awakened will be forced to withstand the onslaught on this side, but then there can be massive destruction or losses among the civilian population."

Opening Gates were something that every person on the planet feared. It was also the second disaster brought upon by the Spell after the initial appearance of the Nightmare Creatures. The main difference was that, in that initial wave, there were only dormant beasts. However, Gates had ranks of their own, and any type of Creature could potentially step through.

Not long before Sunny was born, a Rank 5 Gate opening left a whole continent uninhabitable. Luckily, high-rank Gates were very rare.

Awakened Rock's voice grew solemn.

out maturing Nightmares and close them before any harm could befall the real world. From this, you can see that the Dream Realm and the Nightmares are connected, but are not one and the

Awakened

Realm is a world. It is vast, mysterious and mostly unexplored. It is also dead. There is no life out there except for the Nightmare Creatures, corrupted ecosystems… and now us. But it wasn't always dead. We can tell that once, a long time ago, the Dream Realm was home to several primitive civilizations. There are

their development was centered around soul cores and mysticism as opposed to technology.

were destroyed by

if the Dream Realm exists inside the Spell as one of its illusions, just on an unimaginably larger scale, or if it's real, with the Spell only serving as a pathway between two

the beginning of his Nightmare. He thought

was not that simple. Otherwise, why would the Spell remember him? And what

'I wonder.'

four main differences between the Dream Realm and the Nightmares. Firstly, it doesn't have a "story". There is no predetermined conflict you are forced to resolve. You can move freely and explore, provided that you have the

know,'

no predetermined conflicts in the Dream Realm. But with his [Fated] attribute, he was pretty certain to end

Meanwhile, the instructor continued:

came from the real world. There are only monsters. Some of them can mimic

mimicking humans? So creepy!

first row and noticed that they did not show any sign of surprise. So,

the real world if you die in the Dream Realm. It may sound cruel, but

even months in

bound by the rules of fairness, there is no limit to what kind of Creature you can meet in the Dream Realm. During its trials, the Spell won't pit a dormant human against

'Oh really?' Sunny sneered.

to agree with Awakened Rock. Even though both Hero and Mountain King were way out of his league,

to the regions with enemies on par with your own rank. It's not an ironclad guarantee, but at least there will be less of a

Nightmare Creatures below his rank was even better. That was exactly