Vol. 2 Chapter 24: The Door of Slumber

Chapter 24: The Door of Slumber

With nothing left to discuss, the group each found an empty room to rest in. Lu Li lay on the bed, reflecting on this game instance. From the initial plunge into the water, to the mermaid princess's request, then the journey to the witch's village, and the task involving the ghouls, and finally the various behaviors of the mermaid princess, Lu Li felt like he had forgotten something.

"What could it be?" As Lu Li was about to fall asleep, he rapidly reviewed his memories. Suddenly, he realized what was off—it was something about the Phantasmal Dream.

In the first game instance, Lu Li had encountered the Phantasmal Dream. He also found traces of it in the real world. Before entering this instance, he had intended to test the Phantasmal Dream here. However, he had only remembered this now.

"Something must have blocked my memory, keeping me from thinking about the Phantasmal Dream." Lu Li was not a forgetful person. Yet several times during rest, he hadn't recalled the Phantasmal Dream. However, he had gradually accumulated a sense of something being wrong, and now it came back to him.

"This situation…" Lu Li's thoughts turned to the initial plunge. Recalling the abyssal depths he had seen then, he realized something had indeed merged into his body, likely causing the memory block about the Phantasmal Dream.

"So why seal my memory of the Phantasmal Dream?" Lu Li pondered. Normally, players who had experienced the Phantasmal Dream would just consider it a special mechanism of that world. Without help from the instance, they couldn't access the Phantasmal Dream. Yet Lu Li had managed to capture the sensation of the dream's opening, gaining the ability to enter it independently.

Thinking further wouldn't help. Lu Li decided to rest, clearing his mind. Soon, his consciousness blurred as he drifted into sleep. That fleeting sensation returned. Lu Li seized it, and in an instant, found himself in a strange place.

The surroundings were pitch black, with a single source of light ahead—a door. Two massive dog-headed statues flanked the door, resembling the ghouls he had encountered, but more refined and imposing. These creatures seemed like true ghouls compared to the quickly-made versions Lu Li had faced. Perhaps those quick versions would need years of feeding on flesh to reach this level.

It felt like this place wasn't the Phantasmal Dream, but rather a gap between dream and reality. Lu Li approached the door, which was covered in bizarre patterns, seemingly meaningless yet profoundly significant, like dream whispers. This was the Door of Slumber, connecting dream and reality. A torrent of seemingly meaningless information flooded Lu Li's mind.

Humans with unique mental talents could reach this place. Most, upon seeing the door, would be overwhelmed by the influx of information and driven mad, forced to retreat. In reality, their madness would fester until they became incomprehensibly insane and self-destructive.

A few could withstand the door's chaotic information, gleaning useful insights to transform themselves, achieving feats beyond ordinary capabilities. This was the origin of the world's first wizards, their knowledge passed down from the Door of Slumber.

Only elite individuals could pass the test of the guardian ghouls, entering the door to meet the master of dreams.

"So this world's Phantasmal Dream is claimed by some entity?" Lu Li pondered, setting down the stone tablet he had found nearby. It detailed the door and invited those who saw the tablet, noting their unique qualities and potential to join their ranks, along with contact information.

Estimating his strength, Lu Li realized approaching the door now would be suicidal. The guardian ghouls were far more powerful than the ones he had defeated, likely able to kill him instantly.

Choosing to leave, Lu Li's consciousness faded. Before fully falling asleep, he glanced at the door, feeling he would return someday. At that moment, an eye opened on the door, meeting Lu Li's gaze. He heard a faint voice in his mind, or perhaps he heard nothing at all.

Lu Li suddenly sat up, seeing Hu Wenxu opening the door. Hu Wenxu's expression was indifferent. "It's time. The mermaid princess is ready to leave. We need to intercept the prince before he enters the city, so we need to find a good spot early."

"Got it." Lu Li rubbed his head. The memory of visiting the dream's gap was clear, but much of the information from the door was lost. Only a bit remained, which coalesced into a ritual or spell in his mind.

This spell altered the nature of water, imbuing it with a special "worm." Drinking the transformed water rapidly healed most injuries, but the worms would infest the body, gradually hollowing it out to form a nest. Excessive consumption would turn a person into a monster.

Though dangerous, the spell was extremely effective and could save lives in critical moments. Occasional use, despite causing some mutation, wasn't a major issue. [TL: well extra information is always good]

With this new knowledge, Lu Li joined the others. The mermaid princess and her companions were ready to depart under the cover of night, aiming to find a secluded spot outside the port city to intercept Prince William…

[End of the Chapter]