[8th January 2176, Central Continent, Kingdom of Slanvier.]
A dazzling pillar of purple light burst forth in the heart of the Capital, casting an eerie glow across the vibrant world. The world's inhabitants, however, were abruptly thrust from their tranquility as a monstrous creature emerged from the heart of the radiant column.
With 4 Dog like heads, 4 arms wielding different weapons- the name [Nightmare Hound-Lv 441] written over its head- it started destroying everything it saw. Behind it descended an enormous dark blue ball that stretched countless tentacles.
[Dream Sucker-Lv 396]
Architectures were demolished, trees were uprooted, not a single life was spared, not a single cry was heard- all faced the same fate.
Everything was disseminated with sheer force of the hound, and became clouds of gray fog and then was sucked in by suction cups of dream sucker.
But their atrocities didn’t last for long, as bright beams landed on them, destroying those nightmarish tentacles.
The Nightmare Hound halted its onslaught, its attention now fixed on a distant tower, and more specifically, an archer poised upon it. Alerted by the destructive beams that emanated from the diminutive human, the hound's vigilance heightened. It tightened its grip on its club, and as the archer drew back the bowstring while chanting an arcane incantation, a hundred blood-red runic seals illuminated before him. These runes absorbed energy from their surroundings as they charged.
Sensing danger, the hound roared as it lunged toward the archer's perch.
Roarrrrr!
Archer responded as he let go of the string.
[Arrow Rain- Tire5]
Tringggg!
Pew!pew!pew!….
One hundred blood-red beams of light rained down upon the nightmare creatures.
Boom!
Roar!
And the hound let out its last roar as it succumbed to its end, dispersing into a mass of gray fog that drifted toward the archer and merged with him.
[You hunted a Common creature: Nightmare Hound Lv 441]
[You gained 50,000 exp]
Yet, the archer's mission was far from over. A blue laser beam targeted the tower on which he stood. Swiftly, he leaped from the tower, landing on a four-story building. His attention was drawn to the colossal blue sphere, which had now opened a single eye.
Countless tentacles surged forth, assaulting structures with relentless speed. The archer, acrobatically leaping and somersaulting, barely managed to evade their impending grasp.
Avoidance alone proved inadequate, given the overwhelming number of tentacles. He unleashed a barrage of fire magic arrows, targeting the giant eye, only to find his attacks thwarted by the tentacles. The mana arrows were ineffectual against their intended target, and the severed tentacles seemed to regenerate infinitely. The colossal eye retaliated by emitting bolts of blue lightning in the archer's direction.
After a grueling struggle, the archer found refuge atop a cathedral, concealing himself from the creature's sight.
“Bah, you forced me to do this”
The archer complained as he pulled out an arrow, adorned with intricate magic runes from his quiver.
[ Axdel’s Runic magic arrow < Epic> ]
In a mere millisecond, the red arrow streaked toward the mass of the blue sphere, incinerating it into smoldering shreds of charred meat. These remnants gradually transformed into gray smoke, drawn into the archer's being.
[You hunted a Rare creature: Dream Sucker Lv 396]
[You gained 8,000,000 exp]
[ Congratulations! You leveled up.]
[Stat point: 28. Please allocate them wisely.]
[ Your mana and stamina are replenished. ]
“Trading a one-time use epic arrow with a rare creature. What a rip-off!, he grumbled.
Boom!
Another explosion disrupted his thoughts. He glimpsed six additional hounds engaged in combat with other human warriors. These hounds were not hunted by a solitary figure like him; instead, they faced a party of four.
His messenger chimed in.
*( SusyBaka: Get in the backline, Mike. We need to hunt these hounds asap and stop the portal. We can’t let any more rare or stronger creatures come out of those a-holes.)
( Mike: Yeah yeah. Coming. I just wasted my epic arrow on a sucker.)
( SusyBaka: It can’t be helped. Suckers become stronger as they suck more juice. We need to finish them as fast as possible.)*
Mike sighed again. Yes, In a situation where countless dream creatures were descending upon the continent, allowing a Dream Sucker to roam freely for an extended period could prove fatal. Thus, without further delay, Mike delivered a decisive blow, concluding the creature's existence.
As he descended from the cathedral, Mike cast one final glance at the floating screen.
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[{ Quest: Carnage of Nightmare < Legendary>]
[Nightmare creatures, that hunt all living beings in their dreams at suns fall, live on by devouring dream energy- have begun their tide hunt of dreamers from the Dark Dimension.]
[Objective 1: Kill as many nightmare creatures as you can. (Reward based on ratings and level of creature you hunt)!]
[Objective 2: Destroy the Dimensional portal before more Nightmare creatures descend. (Reward: Teleportation Crystals)]
[Objective 3: Hunt a chief tier creature with a party-( Reward unknown.)]
[Objective 4:
“Whoever made this quest don’t want players to play this game. Stupid dev…..”
Before poor Mike could finish insulting poor developers, another giant humanoid entity descended on the battlefield.
[Titan Chief Coeus (Epic) Lv.500]
*(Beat Angel: Get your ass over here, Mike.)
( Mike: Coming Betch.)*
While warriors like Mike battled the nightmare creatures as part of a single Legendary Quest, someone observed them from a levitating fortress, their expression tinged with amusement
A gust of wind rustled through his shoulder-length silver locks, as if carrying secrets meant only for his ears. His eyes, resembling polished rubies, reflected the chaotic spectacle of warriors and nightmarish beings. With an innate grace and refined features that belied his seasoned demeanor, he commanded attention with a mere glance. Dressed in a meticulously tailored black suit, he exuded an air of formality, though his nonchalant expression hinted at an unrestrained spirit.
Within the ethereal expanse of the levitating fortress, a network of interconnected citadels spanned the horizon, forming a colossal honeycomb-shaped energy field that enveloped the entire continent. Above this barrier, a multitude of nightmare creatures, ranging from epic to legendary and even mythic, swirled in a captivating spectacle. Their mere presence threatened the realm, their relentless onslaught tearing holes in the energy field, transforming them into treacherous portals through which adversaries could emerge. But the man remained disinterested in their chaos, his unwavering focus directed below, where his true purpose awaited.
While he observed the players, a young girl in a maid outfit brought a tray with a tea kettle. She poured a cup of tea and held it in front of him.
“Your tea, master.”
The man held the cup and brightly smiled to show his thanks. He took a sip and glanced at below again. The girl took her position behind him as she made her report.
“The dream energy consumption to keep this energy field is nowhere near what we are receiving from the remaining player’s hunting session. The government of many countries is following in the footsteps of the US and banning the game all over the world. If this keeps up like this- the EF will collapse and the dream world will go through a period of total cleansing. And destroying everything you built, master.”
“It’s “we built”, Luna. We built it together. Everything - from the first patch of grass to this giant continent-when I was making them, only you were with me.”
Luna's shoulders slumped, and she lowered her head as she listened to her master. Reminiscence of the past struck her as she stood silently. Memories of her work with her master kept flooding as she went through another data recollection session.
As the players completed their objectives, the silver-haired man's interest waned, and he turned his attention back to his maid.
“Do you believe in God, who is supposed to create the universe, Luna?” he asked.
Luna came back to her senses as she was asked such a question out of nowhere.
“Yes, I do. The day you created me- you became my creator. If I have a creator, this dream realm also has a creator. And then, every living being who dreams has a creator.”
The man flashed his charming smile at her.
“I believe too. Actually, I wasn’t that of a pious man. But I became a firm believer the day, my brother came to me with that research data. The research data-that made me spend the rest of my life.”
“Should I start believing in a religion too?”, Luna asked.
"Hahaha, no need. God created religion for us, humans. Not for dream creatures like you. So, there is no need for that.”
Luna became silent as her master talked. It’s rare for his master to take the initiative to share his thoughts.
"And in my religion, there is an interesting story of a prophet called Yusuf describing a dream. The Egyptian king of that time dreamed of seven lean cows eating seven fat cows, the prophet described it as a sign of famine. And which really occurred shortly. Isn’t that amazing?”
Luna shook her head.
“I don’t think so. I have data about prophets. They are given amazing abilities by God, so describing a dream shouldn’t be a problem, right?"
The man let out a peal of hearty laughter as he caught the woman by her waist.
“Hahaha. And I didn’t say prophet describing dreams was amazing. To me- the Egyptian king can get signs of the future from dreams-that is the amazing one! Past and Future don’t exist in reality but, that doesn’t mean they do not exist in the dream realm, which is in a different moment dimension! And he unknowingly had a link with a different dimension!”
Luna’s eyes widen at the remark. A disbelieving look was vivid on her face. Her lips quivered as she asked,
"Are you saying....”
“Yes, dear. If a random Egyptian guy can dream of the future, how I, Lord of Dreams can not make my present self know the future through dreams. I have been working on this for five years, and finally- I now have the ability to do so.”
Luna removed his hands from her waist as she asked,
“But something so world defying like this must come at a great price. Right?”
His smile became even wider at this question.
“Yes, and it will cost me everything. Including all the dream energy we have, everything we built, you, and lastly- myself.”
Luna blocked his mouth at his remark.
But removing her hand, he continued,“I got information about the future from my dreams. And you can guess, the future isn’t bright. But, I will use everything I have to mess with this timeline of ours. So that the universe will rewind this whole timeline to set in its expected course of action. But I will make sure my dreams in this dream realm won’t be affected. And my dreams will create a new future”
“Won’t the universe reset again if you try something totally different from its intended path?”
“No, it won’t. The universe flows in the path of cause and effect based on the law of probability. That doesn’t mean, everything is predestined. But events that have already happened will be the cause of future effects. And I will use my dreams knowledge to change unshaped causes to bring the effects to my favor. And by 2176, I will create a different future for both of us.”
“So, you are saying the future exists because of the present. And universe only reacts when someone changes the intended future. But you intend to change the future of the future, which doesn't even exist in the probability tree.”
“Aren’t you gorgeous?”
Luna rolled her eyes at the remark. But her voice became full of worry as she asked,
“Will you succeed?”
The man showed a bitter smile on his handsome face,
“Wish me luck.”