Zhou Chen and Li Xiye fell silent in unison.

Being called stupid by a dog was, without a doubt, a strange experience.

Especially when said dog was a husky...

Li Xiye walked over and tapped the steel helmet on the dog's head. "What's this all about?"

"It's armor I imagined into existence."

The dog explained in a deadpan tone, "This is the core area of the Nightmare. The Spirit Realm's power has permeated this place so intensely that it's become an intersection between reality and the Spirit Realm... No, to be precise, we're already *in* the Spirit Realm.

Extraordinary beings like the two of you and Miss Angela can enter with your physical bodies. But other ordinary creatures, myself included, are just dream-consciousnesses right now. Our physical bodies are asleep.

However, as we all know, if your will is strong enough, you can do anything in a dream. A Nightmare is still a dream, so it has to follow the rules of the Spirit Realm. I focused on Meditation for a little while and managed to conjure up this weapon and armor. My willpower is limited, though, so this is the best I could do."

'So he's not in his physical body...' Li Xiye's expression was one of realization. "No wonder you're so agile."

"Are you saying I'm not agile in real life?"

"Think about your weight before you say something like that."

The husky paused for a moment before smoothly changing the subject. "There are a few types of Nightmare Monsters in this place. The first are the 'Skinless'—they're the weakest. Then there's a dense, spreading fog. Some of those humans called it the 'Dissolving Mist.' It's like a strong acid that can corrode and dissolve living things. There's also the 'Soul Eater,' which is human-shaped but only has a large mouth for a head. It doesn't eat flesh, only the Soul.

As for the boss of this level, it's probably that thing over there."

Following the dog's gaze, Zhou Chen and Li Xiye looked toward a dilapidated skyscraper in the distance. It was a real building from Hong City, a towering structure a full three hundred meters high. Under the gray sky, it looked like something from the apocalypse—scarred, battered, and utterly filthy.

The skyscraper was entangled in countless thick, pitch-black vines. At its peak was a budding, dark-purple flower. The flower itself was a hundred meters tall—an absolute behemoth. A dense, ominous black fog swirled around it, making it stand out starkly against the ruins of the Nightmare.

"An Illusion Dream Flower?" Zhou Chen was stunned. "How did it get so big? The color is wrong, too..."

He recognized the giant flower. It was a rare species from the Spirit Realm, an incredibly scarce Extraordinary Material used to create potions and runes related to the Dream Realm. But a normal Illusion Dream Flower was blue and the size of an ordinary flower. This one was clearly off the charts.

"And that's the heart of the problem. You don't actually think this Nightmare is just the Spirit Realm springing a leak on its own, do you?"

The dog wagged its tail slowly and said with conviction, "There has to be a mastermind behind the scenes pulling all the strings.

I've already asked those humans; none of them have ever seen an Illusion Dream Flower. Plus, this thing feels completely out of place with the other monsters in this Nightmare. It's most likely a source of corruption created by the mastermind... I've never seen an Abyssal Demon myself, but based on descriptions I've read in books, this thing fits the characteristics of Abyssalization.

It's evil, grotesque, and dark. Even from this far away, it's making my fur stand on end..."

'The Abyss...'

The moment he heard that keyword, Zhou Chen's mind immediately jumped to the Ancient Book that recorded the forbidden knowledge of the Abyss. 'Could this all be the work of the sentient Forbidden Ancient Book?'

"Wow, you know a lot," Li Xiye said, her face a mask of astonishment.

"Hmph. While you were playing video games, I was actually studying. To be honest, I earned my master's degrees in both physics and Extraordinary Studies a year ago. Right now, I'm researching Essence Study," the dog said proudly.

"What?" Li Xiye was dumbfounded, unable to believe it. "Don't you play games all day? Where would you find the time to study... Wait, you have a master's degree? YOU HAVE A MASTER'S DEGREE?!!"

"That's because you only see me when I'm playing games, not when I'm studying," the dog replied with a disdainful look. "And you don't need to repeat yourself. Not only do I have a master's, but a university has also invited me to be a professor. In fact, I was planning on applying for a professorship at your university once you enroll."

Li Xiye's expression immediately became complicated. It wasn't that it was impossible to accept, but it was still... really hard to accept. This was a husky... A husky!

"Your expression tells me you're discriminating against me! That's species-ism! That's politically incorrect!" the dog protested indignantly, slapping its paw on the ground.

Li Xiye ignored it and turned to Zhou Chen. "What should we do? If that flower blooms, something terrible will definitely happen, right?"

Zhou Chen nodded. That was undeniable. The Illusion Dream Flower had been corrupted by Abyssal Power. Once it blossomed, the entire Nightmare would undergo Abyssalization. Every living thing here would be corrupted, and the Dream Realm in the mortal world would also begin to transform, heading toward Abyssalization.

'If every Dream Realm undergoes Abyssalization...'

'Then Hong City will become a Purgatory in the Mortal World.'

'But the real question is, how do we take down that behemoth?'

Zhou Chen's mind raced as he quickly took stock of the trump cards at his disposal.

Through the Wish Bottle, he had come into contact with the Spirit Realm more than once. He hadn't entered it, but had instead stood upon an ocean of consciousness, peering into the wishes hidden in people's hearts.

The ability to collect the wishes buried deep within everyone's hearts from that ocean of consciousness—that alone was enough to prove the Wish Bottle possessed a portion of the Spirit Realm's Authority. Not to mention, it also served as a bridge connecting the Wish Space and the Spirit Realm.

In the span of a single thought, Zhou Chen's consciousness connected to the Round Table Hall. Unlike when he was in the real world, he could now feel, with exceptional clarity, a magnificent Power that seemed capable of dominating everything. If he so wished, he could mobilize this Power at any moment and sweep through the entire Nightmare.