Chapter 12 Children After the Dream Descends

"Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip!"

The sound of the alarm clock by his ear quickly brought Qin Chuan to consciousness.

He sat up abruptly in bed and grabbed his cellphone beside him, staring intently at the screen.

The electronic display showed 8:00 and then under Qin Chuan's watch, changed to 8:01 a moment later.

The time, not exactly precise as the day before, was nevertheless clearly understood by Qin Chuan that the moment he returned to reality this time was delayed by one second.

That one second was like observing a frozen Dream World as if he were a deity. Although he did nothing, he had the illusion of being omnipotent.

Was this his Golden Finger?

Having extra time to stay when the entrance to the Dream World closed?

Qin Chuan rubbed his temples, his thoughts racing.

Since he could linger in that world where time stood still, he might as well call it Time Stop.

He had gained one second of Time Stop yesterday at the moment when he returned to the real world.

Today, the moment he returned to the real world, he clearly saw that the Time Stop displayed behind the time had increased by another second.

So, could he gain one second of Time Stop every day after leaving the Dream World?

If he saved up Time Stop for some time and didn't use it, could he stay for a longer period all at once?

Taking a deep breath, Qin Chuan thought of Water Flower, who could move during the Time Stop just like him, and the colorful parakeet frozen in midair.

The Spiritual Beasts in the Dream World had no power to escape the Time Stop.

But Water Flower, bound to him by contract, could.

This meant that the Spiritual Beasts contracted to him could also act within the Time Stop.

If he could use this special power wisely, it would yield significant benefits, so he had to calm down and think clearly about what to do.

Looking at the time on his phone once more, Qin Chuan put on his jacket by the bed.

For now, he'd better get to class.

After hastily washing up and getting ready, Qin Chuan shouldered his backpack and pushed open the front door of his rental.

"Good morning, big brother!"

Standing in front of the neighboring unit's door were a mother and daughter; hearing movement, the two turned their heads in unison. The little girl, who appeared to be onlyfive or six, immediately brightened up and greeted him with a smile.

"Good morning," Qin Chuan stopped in his tracks, first nodding at the little girl's mother and then smiling at the little girl, "Tongtong, why are you up so early?"

"Because Tongtong didn't sleep last night!" The little girl's face showed a frightened expression, "Sleep hurts!"

Qin Chuan was slightly taken aback, then he realized.

That's right, the Dream World had no age restrictions; even a five- or six-year-old child would enter the Dream World if they fell asleep during the corresponding period.

These little kids, who had very limited self-care ability in the real world and could hardly leave their parents, would obviously be in a dire situation in the Dream World.

"The first night after the Dream World appeared, Tongtong was in the Dream World, and..." Tongtong's mother paused mid-sentence, "That experience caused quite a psychological trauma for Tongtong, but thankfully the Special Affairs Group sent a professional psychologist to provide timely counseling."

"Following the advice of the Special Affairs Group, we adjusted Tongtong's routine to avoid the Dream World's opening hours," Tongtong's mother stroked her daughter's head, "At least until she gets a bit older, she won't be exposed to the Dream World again."

"At present, only I can take leave to accompany Tongtong in adjusting our schedules," Tongtong's mother spoke softly. "According to the Special Affairs Group, there are many children just like Tongtong."

"So soon there will be special classes for children with reversed schedules in kindergartens, elementary schools, and junior high schools. When the time comes, I won't need to take leave to be with Tongtong."

"I see," Qin Chuan understood, leaning down to pat Tongtong's head. "Tongtong, don't be scared, everything in the Dream World isn't real."

"I know, big brother!" Tongtong's expression was very serious. "Tongtong is super brave and won't be scared anymore!"

"Yes, Tongtong is very brave." Qin Chuan was amused by the little girl.

"Big brother, have some candy!" Tongtong fumbled a piece of candy out of her pocket and handed it to Qin Chuan.

"Thank you." Qin Chuan did not refuse Tongtong's kindness, unwrapping the candy and putting it in his mouth in front of her. "It's sweet."

"Alright, big brother needs to go to class, and you should hurry up and go to sleep," Tongtong's mother smiled at Qin Chuan. "You should head to class, don't be late."

"Mhm." Qin Chuan waved to Tongtong and her mother, then turned and left.

-----------------

Before the early class had even started, the classroom of senior year class three (7) was filled with the chatter of students who had arrived early. Continuously, students announced that they had contracted a Spiritual Beast, eliciting gasps of astonishment.

However, amidst the lively atmosphere, there was a discordant voice mixed in.

"Abandon, to desert, to leave behind."

Xiao Pang was seriously gazing at his vocabulary book, his face showing a deep love for learning.

Even Qin Chuan, who was absorbed in studying the "Wilderness Survival Guide" and looking for suitable solutions among the shelter's building cases, couldn't help but lift his head, looking at Xiao Pang in surprise.

This guy who never liked to study in the past, had actually started to seriously memorize English vocabulary after Blue Star entered the 2.0 era?

"Are you alright?"

"Aban... Huh?" Xiao Pang's recitation paused for a moment, turning to look at Qin Chuan with a hehe smile. "I'm fine, totally normal."

Knowing that it was abnormal for him to be memorizing vocabulary at this time, Xiao Pang chuckled and explained in a low voice, "I met another player in the Dream World, a girl."

"Hm?" Qin Chuan looked at Xiao Pang in surprise.

"But she's a foreigner, speaks English." Xiao Pang scratched his head. "You know, my English isn't good, I can only understand a few words."

"I thought I'd cram at the last minute to see if I could communicate with her more smoothly."

"Is there a possibility," Qin Chuan spoke faintly, "that if you encounter another Growth Rank Spiritual Beast and restart, you might not see her again?"

"Don't jinx me!" Xiao Pang glared at Qin Chuan irritably. "You don't say, I really was almost about to delete my account and restart."

"I just ate two fruits and got chased by a Juvenile Stage Flame-tailed Squirrel. It was the girl who helped me out." Xiao Pang touched his chest with a silly smile. "Qin Chuan, do you know what love at first sight is?"

Qin Chuan: "…"

My fist is hard.

"Let's not talk about that." Xiao Pang sensed a hint of murderous intent, silently closing his vocabulary book. "Qin Chuan, have you contracted a Spiritual Beast yet? I've seen quite a few classmates who have."

"Yes, I already have," Qin Chuan glanced at Xiao Pang. "What about you?"

"Not yet, I got delayed by that Flame-tailed Squirrel…" Xiao Pang scratched his head. "But I already have a target, I should be able to contract it tonight."

"Good luck," Qin Chuan was about to continue looking down at the guide, but Xiao Pang held him back.

"Qin Chuan, did you see the update from the Special Affairs Group today?"