Chapter 43: Gu Ze's Dreamscape

Chapter 43: Gu Ze's Dreamscape

Levi returned to reality, opening his eyes to find it was already the next morning.

"I see, the collapse of the dreamscape was because Rota woke up."

He reviewed the memories in his mind and found that Rota's cultivation experience had not been lost.

A joyful smile appeared on Levi's face.

Then, his heart tightened as he remembered that the Great Dream Wandering Technique originated from the cultists of the Evil God.

"Damn it, I almost forgot about that."

Levi's expression shifted for a moment before he inspected himself, breathing a sigh of relief upon finding everything normal.

He sat by the edge of the bed in deep meditation; the temptation of the Great Dream Wandering Technique was simply too immense, making it difficult to abandon even with the full knowledge that a price might be paid.

"Alas! There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world..."

After heading out and having breakfast, Levi happened to run into Rota, and thinking of the events in the dream, he asked probingsly, "Master Rota, I have encountered some confusion while practicing the Minor Fireball spell. Could you help clear it up for me?"

Rota glanced at Levi and said with a smile, "It is quite normal for mages to exchange cultivation insights. Tell me what your question is, though I may not necessarily be able to resolve it."

Levi smiled faintly, "Thank you in advance, Master Rota. It is like this: I noticed that the sixth circuit of the Minor Fireball's spell model seems rather fragile. Every time I construct the model, the mana tends to falter at the sixth circuit."

Rota raised an eyebrow; he happened to have researched this very issue.

In truth, Levi had intentionally asked because he knew Rota had conducted research in this area.

He said, "The Minor Fireball spell model is derived by simplifying the Fireball spell model, where the sixth circuit is the structure connecting the first-tier Fireball's seventh and eighth circuits. The Minor Fireball omits the subsequent spell circuits to reduce the difficulty of casting..."

Rota explained a portion of spell structure theory to Levi, who nodded continuously as he listened.

As they spoke, Levi steered the topic toward the direction of deriving new spells from the Minor Fireball.

After explaining a series of principles, Rota said, "Constrained by the maximum circuit limit of a zero-tier spell model, it is already very difficult to enhance the power of the Minor Fireball."

"My recent research has revealed a new direction that might make it possible. Since we cannot enhance the power of the Minor Fireball itself, we can attempt to increase the number of Minor Fireballs."

"The second-tier Chain Fireball spell is a classic example of increasing quantity to enhance spell power. I am currently trying to combine and construct the chain-casting circuit together with the Minor Fireball, but unfortunately, there has been no great breakthrough yet."

Rota lamented, letting out a slight sigh.

He said, "If my research succeeds, it would allow a zero-tier spell to exert power comparable to a first-tier spell."

Levi said, "Has Master Rota approached Teacher Gu Ze? Teacher Gu Ze once created the Triple-Shot Ice Arrow spell. Perhaps he could offer you some experience in this regard."

Hearing this, Rota's eyes shifted, "Gu Ze's Triple-Shot Ice Arrow? How did I not think of that? I shall go find him at once."

Levi smiled and said, "Teacher Gu Ze is currently in class. It might be better for Master Rota to go at noon instead."

After finishing breakfast, Levi returned to his room.

He began his morning cultivation.

Spell practice experience could be acquired from the dreams of others, but mana would not grow on its own.

Levi cultivated diligently to increase his mana.

In a few more days, he would be able to upgrade his Basic Meditation Technique once again.

Levi looked forward to the new effects after the upgrade of the Basic Meditation Technique.

At night, after finishing his spell practice, Levi lay on the bed and invoked the "Great Dream Wandering Technique."

He entered the dream world.

Levi pushed open his room door; the darkness outside was calm, indicating that the dream world across the threshold was stable.

"I wonder whose dream it is today?"

Levi carefully extended his hand, but felt an absolute, piercing cold; when he pulled his arm back, it was already covered in ice.

With a thought, he conjured a thick cotton coat, put it on, and stepped out the door.

Whistling winds howled!

The cold gale raged, blending with a violent blizzard.

In a world of ice and snow, a wooden cabin with a warm firelight gleaming from its windows stood solitary amidst the storm.

Step by step, Levi walked toward the wooden cabin.

Standing outside the window and beholding the scene within, he froze for a moment. This was actually Teacher Gu Ze's dream.

However, the Gu Ze in the dream appeared rather young.

Inside the house, firewood burned in the fireplace. A man and a woman sat on the sofa chatting, while a teenage Gu Ze and a young girl sat on the rug by the fireplace, playing.

The conversation of the group could not be heard clearly, reaching Levi's ears only as meaningless murmurs.

Only the laughter of the young Gu Ze could be clearly heard.

Levi was greatly surprised; he had not expected that the seemingly mature and steady Teacher Gu Ze actually yearned for his past childhood.

The man and woman in the dream were likely his parents, and the young girl was perhaps his sister.

Everything was exceedingly warm and harmonious.

Suddenly, the blizzard intensified fiercely, and a massive dark shadow emerged from the snowstorm, approaching the cabin.

Crash!

A snow bear magical beast, over five meters tall, smashed through the wall of the wooden cabin.

Instantly, the freezing wind from outside rushed into the room, extinguishing the firelight.

Levi saw Gu Ze's parents resisting the snow bear with all their might, fighting for their lives, while Gu Ze pulled the young girl to hide in the corner, trembling violently.

"Alas!"

A sigh, mingled with the wind and snow, reached Levi's ears.

He recognized it as Teacher Gu Ze's voice.

Gazing at the snow bear that was about to kill Gu Ze's parents, Levi hesitated for a brief moment before a minor fireball flew out.

Whoosh!

The fireball pierced through the wind and snow, striking the snow bear.

Boom!

The immense power blasted the snow bear's body askew, and Gu Ze's father, who should have met a tragic death, escaped the disaster.

The snow bear scrambled up, looked toward Levi, and let out a roar.

The scene of Mage Al casting the Fire Snake spell back then surfaced in Levi's mind.

His figure shifted; his entire body became enveloped in a mage robe, and a staff appeared in his hand.

Roar!

A massive fire snake surged forth violently, swallowing the charging snow bear.

All of this was nothing but a dreamscape.

Levi had altered the nightmare ending for Gu Ze.

Young Koze cradled his sister, gazing at the mighty mage who had slain the snow bear, his eyes filled with reverence.

A burning, fervent longing surged within him—*I must become a mage!*

Livi glanced at the four figures in the storm and turned away.

He could alter dreams, but not reality.

On his way back to his room, the howling blizzard around him suddenly ceased. Gray mist seeped into the dream.

Shhh... shhh... shhh...

The mist merged with ice and snow, and before Livi stood a five-meter-tall snow bear wreathed in gray vapor.

Livi’s heart jolted; a sense of dread washed over him.

*This aura… it's a nightmare!*

*Why is there a nightmare in Master Koze’s dream? Could it be because I changed the dream’s ending?*

"Roar!"

The massive, mist-shrouded snow bear charged, swiping down with a colossal claw.

Without hesitation, Livi unleashed a small fireball at peak speed.

Boom!

The snow bear’s claw exploded into fragments.

Yet its enormous body slammed into Livi, hurling him violently through the air, crashing into a drift of deep snow.

Protected by invisible armor, Livi was unharmed.

He scrambled to his feet and realized, though immense, the nightmare was merely a first-rank one.

(End of Chapter)