Claude and Claudia stand still, shock and confusion spreading across their faces as they see Greg kneeling on the ground, his head lowered, his voice trembling as he prays to the unseen presence.
Claudia's heart tightens.
She already knows.
This place…
It is not natural.
It is not some harmless dream.
It is something created.
Something powerful.
Something dangerous.
An Evil Spirit.
She had realised it long ago.
But she never spoke of it.
Not to her teacher.
Not to anyone.
Because she knows what happens to those connected to such beings.
Believers in evil spirits are imprisoned.
Or killed.
And now,
Her family is already gone.
Only Claude remains.
She cannot risk losing him, too.
So she stays silent.
Pretends she does not understand.
Pretends this is nothing more than a strange gift.
Claude, on the other hand, listens carefully.
A voice echoes through the Paradise.
Calm.
Detached.
"I will not rescue your brother."
Claude's eyes narrow slightly.
Not will not.
Not cannot.
The difference is clear.
The being can help.
But chooses not to.
Greg understands it too.
His head lowers further.
"God… please rescue my brother," he pleads. "I am willing to offer you my soul."
A laugh echoes.
Cold.
Almost amused.
"What am I going to do with your soul?"
Greg's body trembles.
His strength collapses.
He falls forward, his hands pressing against the ground as quiet sobs escape him.
Claude watches.
Something in his chest tightens.
It is hard to look at.
Then the voice speaks again.
"I will not rescue your little brother, Grim," it says, "but I can tell you where he is."
Greg's head snaps up.
His eyes burn with sudden light.
"Where?" he demands.
In the next instant,
The answer appears in his mind.
A location.
Clear.
Precise.
Greg's breath quickens.
"Lord, let me out!" he shouts.
The voice responds calmly.
"You can leave when your body wakes."
Greg shouts again.
And again.
But no answer comes.
The silence returns.
His strength leaves him once more.
He slumps.
Claude steps forward.
He kneels slightly beside him.
"At this time," Claude says quietly, "the police will be resting. They will not act immediately."
Greg clenches his fists.
"I do not need them," he says. "I will rescue my brother alone."
Claude shakes his head.
"Calm down," he says. "You know if you go alone, instead of rescuing him, you will need to be rescued."
Greg does not respond.
He remains slumped.
Claude pauses.
Then speaks again.
"Let's fight," he says. "It will take your mind off this… and help you grow stronger."
Greg stays still for a moment.
Thinking.
Then slowly nods.
He cannot leave this place yet.
There is nothing else he can do.
He stands.
Finds a wooden stick nearby.
Claude lifts his own.
They face each other.
Then move.
Their sticks clash.
Back and forth.
Strike.
Block.
Counter.
With every movement, faint echoes appear.
(Fighting +1)
(Basic Sword +1)
(Red Crane Sword +2)
(+4)
(+1)
(+0.5)
(+3)
(Shadow Sword +1)
(+1)
(+2)
(+1)
(+1)
Their movements grow sharper.
Faster.
More precise.
Claude improves quickly.
His foundation is still lower than Greg's.
Each gain is more noticeable.
Greg's progress is slower.
But steady.
They continue.
Time loses meaning.
Only movement remains.
Only growth.
Until,
The world fades.
Greg's eyes snap open.
He is back.
In his room.
Without hesitation, he jumps to his feet and rushes out.
After learning of his brother's disappearance, he had come to the market, knowing the Wolf Bandits' base lies somewhere within the Blackwood Swamp.
But he also knew.
Entering the swamp alone at night,
Is suicide.
So he rented a room.
Forced himself to sleep.
To seek help from the Evil Spirit.
He did not receive help.
But he received something else.
Information.
Now, he acts.
He rushes through the market.
Outside, he sees movement.
Police.
Gathering.
Preparing.
Greg does not stop.
He enters the swamp.
Follows the path etched into his mind.
Behind him,
Unseen.
Lin Yu follows.
Invisible.
His True Spirit conceals him completely.
His gaze is fixed ahead.
On Greg.
And beyond him.
Toward the Wolf Bandits.
Toward the Evil Spirit behind them.
Because something is wrong.
He cannot sense the rule network of this world.
A thin, solid film blocks his perception.
That should not happen.
Even if he is a foreigner,
He ascended from the lower world of the Great Dream World.
That still makes him part of its system.
Not an outsider.
At most, a citizen from a vassal land.
Still connected.
Still recognised.
Yet something blocks him.
To proceed with his plan,
He must perceive the rules of this world.
And the Evil Spirit behind the Wolf Bandits…
Maybe the key.
But there is a problem.
If that being senses him,
It will not descend.
So he must remain hidden.
He must let Greg…
And the police…
Force the summoning.
Only then,
Will make the Evil Spirit appear.
Greg moves through the Blackwood Swamp, heading deeper along the path imprinted in his mind.
The air grows colder.
Then suddenly,
A chill runs through his body.
The surroundings shift.
Mist seeps in from all directions, thick and unnatural, swallowing the trees and ground alike until his vision is obscured.
Greg slows.
His senses sharpen.
Then,
A sharp slap strikes his arm.
Pain flares.
His balance falters.
He steadies himself immediately.
Through the mist, he catches a fleeting glimpse of a figure,
Then it vanishes.
A rotten scent fills the air.
Greg's eyes narrow.
Mist Demon.
He raises his sword.
Shadow energy flows.
He begins moving carefully, leaving behind Shadow Cuts in the air, invisible layers of force waiting to be triggered.
The mist shifts.
Something moves.
An attack comes,
It passes through one of the Shadow Cuts.
Greg reacts instantly.
His sword follows the trigger.
It strikes.
At the same moment,
The Mist Demon hits him.
A force slams into his side.
Pain surges.
But his blade, imbued with fighting energy, connects with the creature's shifting body.
The mist ripples violently.
Greg grunts.
The Mist Demon retreats into the fog.
Gone again.
Greg does not hesitate.
With his left hand, he pulls out a Life Elixir from his Dream Stone and drinks it in one gulp.
Warmth spreads through his body.
He exhales sharply.
The situation is clear.
The Mist Demon is Level Three.
He is still Level Two.
Close.
But not equal.
If this continues, he will lose.
Greg steadies himself.
He falls into the rhythm of the Shadow Man Breathing Technique.
His breathing deepens.
Controlled.
Precise.
Fighting energy flows through him as he continues placing Shadow Cuts into the surrounding air.
The mist stirs again.
Another strike.
Greg meets it.
Steel and mist collide.
Both sides take damage.
The demon's attack tears into his flesh.
Greg's blade cuts through its body.
He endures the pain.
Does not stop.
The battle continues.
Another clash.
Then another.
Greg's body accumulates wounds.
But he keeps going.
After two more encounters, he takes out another Life Elixir and drinks it quickly.
His breathing remains steady.
His rhythm improves.
The pressure sharpens his focus.
Adrenaline floods his system.
His control deepens.
The Shadow Man Breathing Technique grows more stable.
More refined.
The Mist Demon attacks again.
And again.
Three more encounters pass.
Greg's condition worsens.
Without hesitation, he drinks another Life Elixir.
Then,
Something breaks.
A lock inside him shatters.
His cells compress further.
The energy within him condenses.
The Life Elixir is absorbed faster.
More completely.
At that exact moment,
The Mist Demon attacks.
Greg strikes forward.
His sword is different now.
The fighting energy is denser.
Sharper.
Twice as powerful.
The clash happens in an instant.
Greg is hit again.
Pain explodes through his body.
But his blade cuts deeper than before.
The Mist Demon lets out a cry.
Its form destabilises as it is forced back into the mist.
Then comes an angry roar.
Greg does not pause.
He drinks his final Life Elixir.
His body adjusts rapidly.
The breakthrough is complete.
He becomes a Senior Knight.
Energy surges through him.
His movements sharpen.
His presence stabilises.
The mist churns violently.
The Mist Demon attacks again.
Greg meets it head-on.
This time, he is faster.
Stronger.
The exchanges are shorter.
Sharper.
Within two encounters,
Greg finds his opening.
His sword flashes.
A clean, decisive strike.
The blade cuts through the Mist Demon's neck.
The form splits.
The mist collapses.
Silence returns.
The fog thins.
Greg stands still, breathing heavily.
Then he moves.
He kneels and cuts into where the creature fell, opening its chest.
Inside,
He finds it.
The Monster Core.
Small.
Dense.
Hidden within where the heart once formed.
Some low-level monsters form cores.
Mist Demons are among them.
He takes it and stores it inside his Dream Stone.
Then rises.
Without delay, he continues forward.
Toward his brother's location.
Behind him,
Lin Yu follows silently.
His presence was completely hidden.
Watching.
Waiting.
Greg crouches behind the bushes and peers ahead.
In the distance, he sees it.
The entrance of a cave.
Dark.
Hidden beneath overgrown roots and hanging vines.
He narrows his eyes.
The path in his mind points directly inside.
His brother is there.
But he does not move.
Guards stand outside the cave.
Armed.
Alert.
Watching the surroundings carefully.
Greg studies them for a moment.
Counts them.
Measures the distance.
His grip tightens slightly.
He could try.
But he knows.
If he rushes in now, he will not succeed.
He exhales slowly.
Then retreats.
Step by step.
Careful not to make a sound.
He decides to call the police.
Lin Yu watches him leave.
Hidden.
Silent.
Then he turns toward the cave.
Moves forward.
Invisible to all.
The guards do not notice him.
He passes them as if they are not there.
Then enters the cave.
Inside, the air grows colder.
Darker.
He walks deeper without hesitation.
Like it is his own home.
His steps are steady.
Unhurried.
He moves through the tunnels, following the faint traces of energy, until he reaches the main location of the bandits.
There,
He stops.
And waits.
For Greg.
For the police.
For the moment, the Evil Spirit descends.
He prepares.
Ready to capture it when it appears.