Chapter 184: Return, Second-Circle Wizard!

Inside the manor, Richard cast a terrified glance at the basement before sprinting out without looking back. He wasn't sure what Susa had unleashed, but he knew it was beyond his capacity to handle.

Even a mere whiff of its aura bombarded him with terrifying hallucinations. Even with the activation of the Badge of Courage, the visions persisted, threatening to unravel his sanity and drag him into a mire of panic.

"Get out of my way!" Richard roared.

He forced himself to calm down, strategizing his next move.

His avatar on the battlefield saw Amadeus rushing back to the manor. Without a quick escape plan, Richard risked being cleaved by an enraged Amadeus.

Richard doubted Susa would protect him. A three-circle wizard was battle-hardened, and survival often meant being ruthless.

If using Richard as a decoy could increase his chances of escape, Susa would do so without hesitation.

Wizards, whether black or white, ultimately shared the same ruthless essence—white wizards only appeared more humane.

Outside the manor, Richard felt Amadeus' intimidating aura closing in.

Watching panic-stricken nightmare spirits scatter, an idea struck him.

How do you hide a tree in a forest?

By placing it among many trees.

Richard rapidly expelled Nightmare Crystals from his body, reducing his aura. Within seconds, thousands of crystals surrounded him, and he shrank into a small nightmare spirit.

Nightmare creatures were fascinating—they grew by consuming power and regressed without it.

In his new form, Richard pocketed the crystals and melded into a crowd of nightmare spirits.

Soon, Amadeus, mounted on his black dragon, arrived at the manor, encountering Susa and the fleeing Amanda.

"Wizards! You tampered with what should remain untouched!"

Amadeus wielded his magic sword like a god of war, his voice causing ripples in the air.

Susa frowned at the timely arrival of Amadeus.

Unlike the novice wizards of the Dreamwalkers' Club, Susa had remained in the Nightmare World for decades, far surpassing Richard's knowledge of nightmare creatures.

Although seemingly primitive, these creatures, upon reaching the third tier, harnessed nightmare rules to dramatically enhance their combat prowess.

Their bizarre abilities, empowered by nightmare rules, were unpredictable and dangerous.

But now was too late for regrets; a battle with Amadeus was inevitable.

"Amadeus, you have remarkable restraint," Susa said, revealing the object from the coffin—a piece of flesh from an unknown creature.

"To resist consuming a Nightmare King's flesh, you're unlike those fools."

Amadeus' aura surged at the sight, and his sword, bristling with eyes, pierced space to confront Susa.

The battle commenced.

...

While Amadeus and Susa clashed, Richard, disguised as a nightmare spirit, quietly slipped into the outer city.

He had no intention of witnessing the duel between the two titans. He only wanted to escape this cursed place before the fight's aftershocks reached him.

On the battlefield, although the Black Knight commander perished, Amadeus' absence left both sides leaderless.

"Don't look so glum; the other side lost their leader too," Richard consoled Puppet Billy. "With Amadeus gone, we can withdraw. He'll forgive us."

"Withdraw?" Puppet Billy shook his head. "What about our territory? The nightmare spirits we've nurtured?

A well-trained nightmare spirit can provide a unit of Nightmare Power a night. If they die, we start from scratch.

But Amadeus' taxes won't wait!"

Puppet Billy glanced at the Black Knights breaching the swamp, resolve in his eyes.

"Black Robe Charlie, you can leave. You've nothing to lose—staying alive is victory enough. But not me. I won't let these Black Knights destroy my territory.

Three centuries of cultivation can't end like this!"

Richard realized nightmare creatures, too, had their beliefs and loyalties. Billy's resolve was partly to afford taxes, avoiding regression to a nightmare spirit.

Yet within that resolve lay a genuine desire to protect his land.

"Puppet Billy, may I have one of your killer puppets?" Richard suddenly asked.

"Huh? Why do you want one?" Billy asked, puzzled.

"Just a memento," Richard replied. "I'm heading to other territories."

Billy looked at Richard, then sighed.

"You're lucky."

A half-human-sized killer puppet emerged from Billy, obediently approaching Richard.

Richard pocketed it and left the battlefield without looking back.

His Nightmare Power sufficed; fighting the Black Knights was unnecessary. Though he had ten soul seeds, each loss was significant before becoming a grand wizard.

...

Days later, in the wilderness, Richard's avatars recombined into Nightmare Power by his side.

Dividing the power, Richard began refining it with his mental energy.

His mental power, originally ninety, had reached ninety-nine point nine after consuming soul essence. Further enhancement required significant soul essence.

"Caw, how nice. Share some with me," Ulysses drooled, eyeing Richard's soul essence.

"Share? Can a soul projection consume soul essence?" Richard retorted.

Ulysses froze, then angrily hopped around:

"Caw, who says a soul projection can't devour soul essence! ***** (gods' expletive)"

Though unable to meditate in the Nightmare World, Richard's mental recovery through efficient sleep was swift.

In a month, Richard refined enough soul essence for his needs. With leftover Nightmare Power, he retrieved the daggers from the killer puppet.

[Materials: Killer Puppet's Dagger (×3)]

[Refinable Rule: Nightmare Rule (Highly Fragmented)]

[Refinement Cost: 6 Mental Energy]

Due to Amadeus' arrival, Richard's regression into a nightmare spirit delayed his avatar, resulting in the conversion of his acquisitions into Nightmare Power, losing the rules.

Thus, only Billy's daggers retained nightmare rules.

"Refine."

As soul energy flowed, a black orb formed on the furnace, merging with Richard. Instantly, he felt marked.

A profound comfort enveloped Richard, akin to returning to the wizarding world.

The nightmare rule provided no new abilities, likely due to its fragmented state.

With rules refined, Richard examined the forerunner artifact.

[Material: Damaged Forerunner Artifact]

[Refinable Information: Dream World Communication Technology (Moderately Damaged)]

[Refinement Cost: 50 Mental Energy]

[Refinable Information: Nightmare Crystal Production Technology]

[Refinement Cost: 200 Mental Energy]

The staggering cost of refining forerunner technology made Richard gasp.

Complete forerunner technology wasn't easily extracted.

Yet, Richard pondered a question.

The forerunners' traces were widespread, from the wizarding world to the Hive World, extending to the Nightmare World.

Even a communication technology required Richard to be a three-circle wizard for extraction.

What catastrophe erased such a powerful civilization from history?

Suddenly, an unknown fear gripped Richard's heart, a small yet persistent vine clinging to his core.

Taking a deep breath, Richard extracted the Dream World Communication Technology.

Preparing to leave the Nightmare World, the device couldn't accompany him. It would be left with Bones, his contingency.

Using their bond, Richard took half a month to locate Bones in the wilderness, sending Ulysses to deliver the device.

"Caw, kid, keep this safe. Your master is injured and needs rest, not resurrection. Stay alive and grow stronger."

Ulysses handed over the forerunner device, excess Nightmare Crystals, and the daggerless killer puppet.

Bones, receiving the items, felt a surge of joy and determination.

Richard consumed the soul essence, his soul exiting the Nightmare World, entering a void.

Advancing to a second-circle wizard needed no world's essence, achievable anywhere.

"The Soul's Gloom... so familiar."

Fifty years later, Richard's body in the secret realm began transforming, absorbing the realm's magic.

The metamorphosis commenced.

Three months later, Richard opened his eyes, standing tall.

"I'm back!"