Chapter 22: Invasion

The sleep was most comfortable, and when Rod woke again, he felt nothing but refreshed, and his spirits rose considerably.

"This time, I'm sure to assemble it correctly!"

Rod rubbed his hands together, sat down at the table, and began to reassemble the curious firearm.

Time ticked by without success for Rod.

The firearm was far more complex than he had anticipated, and unlike a physical firearm, had many components he didn't recognize and didn't dare to force together, lest they become damaged and complicate matters further.

But the fundamental principles of engineering remained the same.

Besides, boys naturally excel in the knowledge of firearms and weapons. Since childhood, Rod had loved building machines and robots; working with intricate mechanics was his forte.

"Hmm... this bolt shouldn't be here; it should be near this gas vent."

"The stock should be under the piston, the recoil spring should hang behind the Spirit Pressure Gauge, and this is the gas rod... Here's the trigger mechanism—yes, the piston needs to be connected in the middle... Such advanced design concept, the Spiritual Energy directly ignites the primer of the bullet. This gun doesn't need a firing pin, because we ourselves are the lighter."

With this revelation, Rod's progress soared, his hands deftly dancing over the task.

Soon, a brand new Raven Spirit Gun lay before his eyes.

The table was spotless, not a single part left over.

"Haha, I did it!"

"Let's do it once more."

About a clock hour later, Rod could skillfully disassemble and reassemble the gun, having completely mastered every tiny detail inside and out.

Now, only one last thing remained.

To buy bullets.

The "Raven" used True Silver Bullets, and he had run out of the previous seven.

Considering the possibility of unforeseen emergencies, Rod thought he should buy at least fifty.

Luckily, True Silver Bullets weren't regulated, and many places within and outside the Academy sold them.

Unfortunately, they weren't cheap, costing seven silver coins each.

On him, Rod had only forty-two silver coins, enough for just six bullets.

Six bullets, which, if fired quickly, could be gone in six seconds.

Even faster than a man with a quick trigger finger.

Clearly, that wouldn't do, but fortunately, Rod found Green Hair, whose family owned a shop and had many businessmen affiliated with them.

Upon hearing Rod's request, Green Hair promised to help with a thump on his chest.

He found an "acquaintance" to vouch for him and borrowed fifty bullets on his behalf.

"I'm only helping you because we walk the same path," said Green Hair as he handed Rod two boxes of True Silver Bullets.

"I really don't get why you're in such a hurry to get all these bullets. Don't go causing trouble in the Academy, alright? Be careful not to get caught by the guards. It's more than just a deduction of points. Weapons are only allowed on the training grounds."

"And next time, don't snatch the teacher I've got my eye on. I still haven't learned to use Spiritual Energy because you robbed me of my chance for a Spirit Melding with Teacher Karaman."

He rambled on with a string of complaints and even wished to discuss their shared method of 'learning,' which boiled down to a mix of 'peeping' and 'fantasizing.' However, Rod had no time for him; he took the bullets and ran, leaving Green Hair stamping his feet in frustration.

"This guy is heartless, Wayne, let's go to the Fairy Bar together."

——

Rod ran back to his dorm, making several trips to transfer the gun and bullets into the Dream Realm, preparing everything.

After a final check to ensure nothing was overlooked, Rod returned to the Dream Realm.

Walking to the back of the Obelisk, he lightly touched its surface, and blood-red text emerged, flickering slightly.

"Two sunsets" had already turned into "one sunset."

Although Rod had not seen the sun since arriving in this world, the people here still divided a day into Morning, Noon, Evening, and Night, and their routines largely followed this schedule.

This suggested that, at least once upon a time, a sun had existed here.

It was merely obscured by the Black Fog.

Logically deducing, the final sunset would end tonight at Evening, and then the unknown invasion would arrive.

Rod glanced at the pocket watch he had brought specifically for this.

The current time was Noon, three clock hours and seven moments.

A day here was equal to four complete hours, one complete hour to four clock hours, and one clock hour to nine moments.

Using this system, Rod quickly calculated that the current time was approximately akin to 5:40 p.m. on Earth.

Only twenty minutes left.

Rod once again organized the supplies on his person.

Elf Grass Juice, Spirit Tree Dew, Red Powder were all in his bosom.

The "Raven" had been fine-tuned already; Rod had fired a shot into open space to confirm its functioning within the Dream Realm.

With another True Silver Bullet loaded, Rod was ready for action.

Twenty minutes flew by, Noon passed, and Evening arrived.

The sun set.

Rod snapped his pocket watch closed with a click, his spirits tensing.

Everything remained unchanged.

The grey mist flowed slowly as ever, the pale land remained as silent as the dead.

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The color-drained dream realm, for the moment, had nothing amiss.

It wasn't until Rod looked up and saw the infinite distance before him.

There, the rolling grey fog had dyed black.

It spread with terrifying speed, like the evening glow of a black sunset appearing at the edge of the sky.

The tranquil and mysterious atmosphere was shattered, and a heart-palpitating danger was drawing near.

On one side of the Obelisk, even without Rod touching it, bright red text still emerged.

It flickered rapidly, like the harbinger of Doomsday.

Rod's heart rose to his throat, his right hand gripping the gun tightly, his Spiritual Energy ready to be unleashed at any moment.

Suddenly, a massive figure stepped out from the black fog.

In this instant, all of Rod's fear, worry, and trepidation vanished from the bottom of his heart, leaving only calm.

He skillfully summoned Spiritual Energy, tapped lightly at his brow, and the Eye of the Soul opened.

The world of the dream realm remained unchanged, but the image of the monster became clearer.

It was about five meters tall, covered in black fur, with huge claws and misshapen legs, head invisible, but two eyes glowing red.

Rod raised the Spirit Gun, and Spiritual Energy gathered with unprecedented speed, the Spirit Pressure Gauge soaring high.

But the next moment, the Spirit Gun didn't fire.

The giant claws had already pierced through his body, tearing open his head.

The monster, with speed beyond the limits of his vision, had instantly killed him.

Agony surged from deep within his Soul, the world twisted and shattered, and darkness enveloped everything.

When Rod opened his eyes again, he was back in the dormitory.

The neat bookshelves, the spacious wardrobe, the exquisite room, the bright light—all with a faint fragrance floating in the air.

Everything was as it was before he entered the dream realm.

What's going on?

For a moment, Rod was bewildered, but then came the ripping pain from deep within his nerves; his head was in so much pain it felt like it was about to split open.

Rod fell off the bed, and the continuous, severe pain almost prevented him from thinking, leaving only the instinct to thrash about.

The bench was knocked over by him, the desk toppled, and a small green packet fell onto his chest.

Rod's scattered will suddenly found a focal point.

Kashan's words from yesterday came to mind:

"This is Poison Violet Juice, used for pain relief; I heard that you boys..."

Pain relief!

Rod's fragmented thoughts comprehended only this one word.

He grabbed the packet and shoved it into his mouth without hesitation.

The moment he bit into it, Poison Violet Juice sprayed out in his mouth, a bitter taste rapidly creeping up his nerves.

Rationality returned amidst the sourness, the excruciating pain diminished within the sour taste, and finally, Rod became aware of his thoughts.

He knelt on the ground, gasping for air, feeling as though he had returned from hell.

Standing up, he realized he was drenched from head to toe.

The tearing pain persisted, but it had eased to a level humans could endure.

Rod looked at his hands, empty.

Did I just die?

Did I return to the physical world when I was killed in the dream realm?

Pain came in continuous, rhythmic waves, but it didn't hinder Rod's thoughts.

He remembered clearly—he had experienced this headache once before, right when he had first come to this world, when his head had throbbed with the same severity.

Later he discovered it was because that entity known as "Prince of the North" was attacking the Obelisk.

So now, was that wolf-like monster also attacking the Obelisk?

If the Obelisk was shattered, would I truly die?

A strong chill rose from his back, and Rod knew he must hurry back into the dream realm.

Even if he was no match for that creature.

Rod, enduring the pain, overlaid the thumbs of both hands to form the Lightning Symbol.

The world before him instantly blurred, and his Soul soared.

The moment his vision cleared, he found himself standing right where he was before, with the Spirit Gun, True Silver Bullets, and Red Powder falling at his feet.

And the black monster was violently attacking the Obelisk.

The stele, now covered in cracks, appeared on the verge of collapsing.

The pain became clearer; Poison Violet Juice was somewhat overwhelmed, Rod quickly picked up the gun, and Spiritual Energy rose swiftly.

Bang!

A massive Spiritual Light exploded at the muzzle, a pure white ray shooting out, and the True Silver Bullets hit the monster.

Tiny sparks scattered in all directions.

The monster was unharmed.

But the next instant, a golden light suddenly burst from the monster's chest, a Light Blade thrusting in from the struck spot, tearing it in two.

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