Smack—
The yarn-like creature known as the Shadow Insect was mercilessly stomped flat by a Pujis.
Its corpse did not remain like those of ordinary creatures, but swiftly dissolved and faded, like ink being wiped away—leaving nothing for the Mycelium Carpet to decompose.
Even using [Spirit Vision], Lin Jun could not detect the slightest trace of a soul within this Scrapped bug.
It was as if it had never truly existed at all, only a fleeting projection of nothingness onto reality.
From any angle, it seemed impossible for this thing to become a source of skills for [Greed].
And the ritual had consumed a hefty amount of materials besides.
Even so, Lin Jun resolved to continue delving into Abyssal magic.
For now, it seemed the only possible path toward glimpsing the truth of this world.
At the very least, it felt more reliable than praying to some so-called god and expecting answers.After tidying up the leftover magical scraps of the ritual, he began organizing the information he had just received.
The entire five-minute ritual had yielded less data than those two seconds of contact with the Abyssal Void.
And unlike that all-encompassing torrent of knowledge, this time nearly all the information consisted of structural parameters of various creatures’ bodies—almost no data of deeper meaning to analyze.
Was this just coincidence, or did different kinds of Abyssal rituals leak different categories of information?
That was worth recording, to be verified in the next experiment.
…
Sigh… what a miserable mood.
Though he disliked boasting, Lin Jun was secretly rather proud of the progress and achievements he had made along the way.
He now controlled his dungeon with increasing mastery; he had gradually formed mutually beneficial ties with humans, allowing his Mycelium Carpet to spread across the land almost effortlessly; in the far north he commanded a great many followers, building up his own power; even in elven territory mushrooms sprouted everywhere; and most recently, he had unexpectedly gained the body of a vampire duke, once again savoring delicious tastes…
Everything had seemed to be moving in a better and better direction.
And then, suddenly, reality had slapped him hard in the face.
What if all of it was just a meaningless virtual game? What if he himself was only an NPC? Who could endure that?
Troubled by creeping nihilism, even his true body deep in the swamp let its blue mushroom cap droop dispiritedly.
Fortunately, whenever his mood fell to rock bottom, Lin Jun had his own unique way of cheering himself up—by diving into the top of the Interesting Dreams Ranking!
That ultimate fountain of joy he normally dared not enter lightly, for fear of breaking it and never being able to enjoy it again!
——
In the city of Mordu, not far from the bustling downtown, stood the house jointly purchased by Veyra and her companions.
They had bought it back when Mordu was still under expansion, at a price that now seemed laughably cheap. Since then, property values in the area had skyrocketed, leaving them stunned.
Each time the subject came up, the three could not help but feel grateful for their decisive purchase, a real bargain.
The house wasn’t large. Veyra lived in the smaller bedroom herself, giving the larger, windowed master room to Phylline and Fein, the sisters.
As for Sirian, he chose to stay at a nearby tavern. His presence had even improved the tavern’s business, and the owner gave him a very generous rate.
The group had just completed a successful escort mission, protecting a shipment of Pujis to the Norwid trading market.
The pay was generous, bringing them another step closer to their goal: saving up to open a little shop in central Mordu.
They hadn’t fully decided what to sell.
Perhaps Phylline’s gathered and prepared herbs, perhaps some basic magical books and scrolls, maybe even a small brokerage for Pujis trade—all were possibilities.
As long as it was a modest business of their own, steady and secure. After all, adventuring was not something one could do for life.
Outside, rain pattered against the windows. Lying in her bed, Veyra thought of the future, her thoughts blurring as she drifted into a warm dream.
A faint scraping sound, nearly drowned by the rainfall.
Boom—!
Lightning split the night sky, illuminating a round, looming figure that filled the window…
…
Veyra’s dream was quite ordinary: adventuring with her team, helping those in need along the road, finishing quests, feasting and drinking in taverns—the joy no different from their real lives.
But Lin Jun had rated her dream as number one on the ranking, for good reason.
With just the right touch, her dream could become…
A chilling, sinister gale tore into the lively tavern, seizing Fein and Phylline before everyone’s eyes!
The wind carried only a whisper: “At last, I’ve found them—the twins of rarest blood!”
Veyra roared and tried to chase, but to no avail. The dark gale vanished into the distance, leaving only the stunned elf Sirian at her side.
At that moment, an elder Green Mushroom appeared, solemnly informing Veyra that the abductor was a powerful vampire duke, and that to defeat him, she must first overcome his Four Heavenly Kings…
…
Morning. Birds chirped outside the eaves, waking Veyra.
She sat up wearily, covering her face, struggling to recall the final bizarre turns of her dream.
“What even was that Mushroom Elder… and why were there five Heavenly Kings… and Sirian of all people…”
The dream had been filled with wrenching choices—sacrificing one, or forsaking many.
When Sirian calmly walked out from behind her, wordlessly taking the fifth throne, that shock and disbelief still lingered.
Sleep had not refreshed her. She looked half-dead as she stepped out of her room, startling the twin sisters.
When the four gathered, Sirian had just fended off the overly forward advances of two female adventurers.
He turned, saw exhausted, hollow-eyed Veyra, then glanced at the radiant, lively Phylline and Fein.
The handsome elf ranger hesitated, lips parting—but in the end, he swallowed the words “you should take it easy,” sending only a complicated, faintly worried look her way.
——
What a shame—the dream had been too short. Lin Jun hadn’t even used the biggest reversal he’d prepared.
If only he could one day craft an Eternal Dream!
Still, this exhilarating “creation” was more than enough.
The gloom under Lin Jun’s cap dispersed by half, his mood lighter, he finally turned back to business.
And that business was the remnants of the werewolf tribe, still stubbornly holed up on the tenth floor of his dungeon!
His frequent tactic of sending Charming Pujis to lure away stragglers no longer worked.
Too many losses had made the survivors wary—they would not fall for it again.
Now the tribe’s numbers were severely reduced, most of them rigid-minded elders clinging to their so-called “Demon King” tradition. Lin Jun had no interest in recruiting such “bitter gourds.”
Forcing them in would only taint the rest. Better to let them rot on the tenth floor.
But there were still some younger werewolves among them, worth taking in. Lin Jun’s goal this time was to pack them up and wring out the last drops of value from the werewolf tribe!