I created a safe zone in the nightmare world.

Chapter 2 The Dreamer

Shi An watched the middle-aged man flee into the store in a panic, then looked out the door at the black tide that was blocked by the white mist and could not be crossed even an inch. He kept thinking to himself.

Invitation... safe zone...

He already had some guesses in his mind.

...

A few seconds ago, when Shi An saw the black tide clinging to the middle-aged man in the black suit and surging toward his small shop, his eyelids couldn't help but twitch wildly.

He wasn't calm; rather, once he made the choice to "invite," there was no going back.

The shop is only so big, and he has no room for tactical maneuvering.

but,

He also had a backup plan—his dream differed from the "nightmare" Haki Lu spoke of, not only because he didn't encounter any danger in the dream, but also because he could enter and wake up from the dream at any time.

A few seconds later, the middle-aged man in the black suit rushed into the store, while the surging shadows were blocked outside, unable to move an inch. Shi An remained calm, his eyelids no longer twitching and his heart no longer fluttering.

He was somewhat surprised by his own composure.

Shi An stared out the window. The shadows were even more terrifying than he had imagined; they were a tide of shadows made up of countless tiny black insects.

However, even such a terrifying swarm of black insects could not break through the shop's seemingly dilapidated defenses.

The cracked glass windows stood as majestically as a city wall, without even the slightest tremor.

The half-open door is an insurmountable barrier for the insect swarm!

"This is the safe zone? Brilliant! Brilliant!"

"Although I don't know why the shop is so dilapidated, it has a protective ability that is completely different from its appearance."

I feel incredibly safe!

And "invitation"...

Shi An sized up the newcomer.

Beneath the black suit, the outline of bulging muscles was visible, and a huge, brownish-red pair of scissors was tightly gripped in his hand, with wisps of ominous black smoke curling around it.

Shi An vaguely felt that the scissors gave him a feeling somewhat similar to the outside world.

He noted down this judgment.

Looking at the guest again, he was dressed in rags, looked tired, and his eyes were bloodshot. He was clearly in poor condition, but he still gave Shi An a rather dangerous feeling.

"That's true. Just from the speed at which that person sprinted 100 meters, you can tell that his physical abilities are far superior to mine. Moreover, the outside world is so strange; people who can survive out there probably possess some kind of bizarre abilities."

Shi An was naturally wary of the newcomer.

However, once the visitor stepped into the dilapidated shop, he had a gut feeling—or rather, received some kind of divine revelation…

They possess the power to "expel" others.

Visitors can be directly driven out of the safe zone.

"Invitation" and "expulsion" are the means by which one controls the safe zone.

The function of this "dream" of the dilapidated little shop gradually became clear in Shi An's eyes.

……

The small shop is located next to the main entrance.

That welcome brought Cheng Ming, in the black suit, back to his senses. He looked at the young man behind the bar.

A silver-gray coat, sun and moon ornaments... This appearance wasn't particularly unusual, but what truly surprised him was the relaxed demeanor of the person before him.

These people walked on thin ice in the nightmare world, their expressions revealing their weariness. Unlike this young man, who casually leaned against the bar, showing no wariness of his surroundings and appearing ready to explode at any moment.

His posture was so relaxed, as if he were eating and sleeping at home.

Cheng Ming quickly cupped his hands in a respectful greeting, "Sir, may I ask where this place is?"

After a moment's consideration, Shi Anlu said, "You can treat this place as a safe transit and rest stop. At least, those guys can't get in yet."

Shi An pointed outside.

Cheng Ming looked again, and after catching his breath, he looked more carefully. Those terrifying shadow worms were indeed unable to cross even half a step.

Soon, the white fog thickened, enveloping the outside of the window and obscuring the shadows and tides that had been constantly crashing against the window and door.

The last danger is truly gone.

but,

He gave a wry smile. "In this bizarre and dangerous nightmare world, where can one find true safety? I would be very grateful if you would allow me to rest here for the time being."

These were indeed his heartfelt words.

Although it is said that survival is not easy for people like them, and cooperation is the best option in a nightmare world, reality is often not so simple.

Stress, danger, suspicion... it's a miracle if strangers don't clash when they meet. Cooperation, rescue, and shelter are so rare.

Shi An caught the key words, and it seemed that the entire nightmare world was full of dangers, and there was no safe place at all.

If that's the case, how are middle-aged people supposed to survive?

Even an Iron Man can't withstand facing crises time and time again.

Shi An thought for a moment and asked, "How long have you been in the nightmare world?"

He guessed that this nightmare world was connected to the nightmare that Haki Lu had mentioned.

The only correct word he knows is "nightmare world," and he only learned it from a middle-aged man.

Having absolutely no knowledge of the nightmare world, asking this question certainly involved an element of gambling.

But it's not a big problem.

Having control over the security zone is the greatest source of confidence.

Cheng Ming thought for a moment and said, "It must have been about half a year, or more than half a year. About seven or eight months ago, I encountered my first nightmare. It was similar to most people's experience. Whenever I fell asleep, I would fall into a nightmare for no reason. We either break free from the nightmare or are swallowed by it."

"I was lucky enough to get a decent cursed artifact after escaping the nightmare, so I don't think that being a dream faller is that miserable. Risk and reward always go hand in hand. At least, I no longer need to work on construction sites, and my income is far greater than before."

"But I was too naive. We Dreamers are tormented by nightmares, and we could fall into this dangerous and bizarre world at any time. Even if we survive and return to the real world time and time again... we can't know when we will fall into nightmares again. Maybe it will be ten days or half a month later, or maybe it will be tomorrow or the next hour."

"That's why, even in the bright sunshine of reality, I can't truly relax; I have to be on guard at all times. It's been about half a year since I fell into this nightmare, but I always feel like several years, even more than a decade, have passed. Time is hard for me to define clearly anymore."

Perhaps because he had just escaped death and his emotions had fluctuated wildly, this middle-aged man needed to vent his inner feelings.

Shi An quietly became a listener.

He reaped a great harvest!

The secrets hidden beneath the real world, the bizarre and unknown nightmare world, have been partially revealed to him.

"First of all, Lao He's nightmare is probably not just a rumor. It was the prelude or the beginning of a nightmare, but Lao He probably didn't make it through."

"Secondly, after breaking free from the initial nightmare, it seems one can obtain a 'Dream Cursing Item,' though it's unclear whether this is a matter of probability or certainty. This 'Dream Cursing Item' appears to be the core of the Dream Faller's abilities."

"Finally, there is the situation of those who fall into nightmares. For them, the nightmare world is full of danger, eeriness, and murderous intent. The good news is that after falling into a nightmare for a certain period of time, they will wake up and return to reality. But the bad news is that they cannot predict when they will fall into a nightmare again. It could happen while they are sleeping, taking a shower, eating... They could fall into a nightmare at any time, so they are always on edge in reality."

Shi An is conceivable.

Even a Dream Faller with considerable strength would eventually break down if their mind had to be constantly on edge.

And if you are in a bad state, you are more likely to encounter danger in the nightmare world.

"Dream-fallen, dream-fallen, no wonder the word 'fallen' is used. Falling into a nightmare means that one's life is no longer under one's control."

He sighed.

From this perspective, even if those who fall into dreams can wield some power, they are still unfortunate.

However, he has a safe zone, which can also invite some dreamers to enter.

The underlying mechanisms still need to be explored.

While pondering, the middle-aged man said, "Staying in one place for too long can cause danger to strike sooner..."

He expressed his intention to take his leave.

This seems to be another 'survival rule in a nightmare world'? Shi An mentally jotted it down in his notebook, then said, "Don't rush, this area is safe. You can rest here a bit longer. Besides, where else can you go now?"

Outside, the shadows and tides were still uncertain whether they had receded.

If not, you will surely die without a burial place once you step out the door.

Inside... the shop wasn't very big, and it certainly didn't seem like there were any other routes to take.

"How strange," Cheng Ming murmured. This was the first time he had ever seen such a dream realm.

Or perhaps, this isn't a real area, but rather the only way for the Black Street to survive?

When he first became a Dream Faller, he heard from some veterans that even in a nightmare that seemed hopeless, there was always a glimmer of hope.

Exploring and finding that glimmer of hope is key for these people to survive in a nightmare world.

However, after experiencing many nightmares, Cheng Ming began to have doubts about this claim.

He wasn't sure if the dilapidated shop was a glimmer of hope in the current situation, but he was indeed feeling weak and needed more rest to recover.

Time ticks by.

As a seasoned dreamer, Cheng Ming was naturally always on high alert. He could immediately detect any slight change or disturbance in his surroundings.

But to his surprise, he discovered...

no change.

He had been in the store for more than ten minutes. Based on past experience, the environment would change if he stayed in the nightmare world for a while, and nightmares and eeriness would follow.

There wasn't one today.

Is it that change hasn't happened yet, or that there will be no change?

"Don't worry, this area is safe."

"You can use this as a transit and rest area."

The words I just spoke came back to mind.

Does a safe zone really exist in this nightmare world?

"I cannot define the nightmare world with my limited understanding. Indeed, the nightmare world is still too vast and too mysterious."

"Who is this mysterious young man who knows the safety of this place so well? Is he a Dream Faller who is much more experienced than myself?"

Cheng Ming thought so; surely he couldn't be the one in charge of this little shop.

To rule over an area in a nightmare world... wow, that's too sci-fi.

As he was thinking, he suddenly sensed something, and his tense face relaxed drastically.

Cheng Ming spoke up, "Your Excellency, I have sensed the opportunity and am about to escape the Sea of Nightmares. Thank you for taking me in this time, and I hope we will meet again in the future."

From his perspective, Shi An didn't actually do anything; he just showed some goodwill.

But kindness is already a rare commodity for someone like him, a dreamer struggling to survive.

Upon hearing this, Shi An nodded slightly, his expression indifferent, as if he were used to it.

Then he silently memorized this information.

Being dragged into a nightmare in the real world without any warning;

But when you're about to leave the nightmare world and return to reality, will there be any warning signs?

This is really bizarre!

Shi An was utterly speechless at the rules of this world, which seemed to be designed to kill people.

Under his gaze, after another ten seconds or so, the middle-aged man's figure began to fade, and then vanished in a flash, leaving not a trace.

"Is this how you escape the nightmare?"

"Being dragged into a nightmare, suddenly appearing in the nightmare world, is probably a similar situation."

Shi An thought it was over, but a few golden particles remained where the middle-aged man had disappeared.

The golden particles swayed and gradually disappeared, seemingly blending into the dilapidated little shop.

A prompt appeared in my mind.

"Entertain a person who has fallen into a dream, faith value +0.55".

"Belief points can be used to upgrade the safe zone, unlock more functions of the safe zone, and also to modify the interior of the safe zone."

……

Inside the dilapidated shop, Shi An gradually understood how to use the safe zone.

He discovered that many of the functions here require triggering to be 'unlocked'.

Just like the previous "Invite" and "Remove", including the current "Safe Zone" panel.

"Safe Zone"

Rank: Zero

Upgrade Requirement: 10 units of Faith.

Shi An received the message from the unseen world, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Ten units of belief points may not seem like much, but..."

There are too few customers!

It has been a week since he awakened his past life memories. During this time, whenever Shi An sleeps, including during his afternoon nap, he enters the dream world of the safe zone.

But in all this time, only this one incident involving the middle-aged man in the black suit has been triggered.

His condition for inviting the dreamer to come was that someone else had to show up first.

Shi An is currently unsure whether the occurrence of the 'event' is purely probabilistic or whether there are certain conditions that can trigger it.

If it's the former, he'll have to accumulate the required belief points over time. This time might not be very long, maybe a few months.

only……

"Nightmares and those who fall into nightmares are real, so the world may not be as peaceful as it seems on the surface."

"A few months is probably too long; there are too many variables."

Shi An frowned.

He stayed in the dilapidated shop for another two and a half hours, but unfortunately, the outside was still covered by a thick white fog, and the fog did not clear up to reveal the outside world again.

He felt regret, but he couldn't stay there forever.

Judging that it was already dawn in reality, Shi An decided to leave the safe zone.

He had entered and exited this dream many times and was already very familiar with it, but this time, just as he was about to wake up from the dream, a change occurred.

"Safe Zone Operations Settlement:"

"You changed the fate of a dreamer and received feedback from fate."

"Belief value +10.66".

"You will randomly receive one reward related to the dreamer."

"Drawing in progress, you have obtained the Cursed Dream Item template 'Shadow Giant Scissors'."

Shi An was in a state between waking and waking up, staring at the prompt in front of him, somewhat taken aback.

There's even a reward?

Wonderful!

"It seems that there is indeed a second way to obtain faith points in the safe zone, and this one is more profitable."

"Did it change my destiny?"

Shi An recalls.

Not long ago, the middle-aged man was almost swallowed by the shadowy tide. If he hadn't invited him in time and opened this safe passage, the result would likely have been death.

It's no exaggeration to say that this can change one's destiny.

Shi An stroked his chin. "Thinking like this is a bit immoral, but the more dangerous the nightmare world, the more likely I am to change the fate of the visitors, cough cough!"

When he thought of this, a mysterious revelation came to him.

"Change your fate to receive a gift; this effect can only be applied once to a Dreamer."

"Upgrading your Dreamer rank or triggering a special event can increase the maximum number of Fate Feedback attempts."

He Shi'an is certainly not a devil; he is simply praying for the safety of all his guests.

Shi An stared at what was in front of him.

On one side, clusters of light, woven from particles of belief, float and sink in the sea of dreams.

On one side was a huge light bubble, inside which was a pair of scissors about the length of a forearm, the very same pair that the middle-aged man had been tightly gripping in his hand not long ago.

His mind was focused on the scissors.

"Shadow Giant Clip (Template)"

"Note ①: Possesses the power to cut through shadows; even ordinary people can use it to cut through shadows. Further powers must be developed by the holder."

"Note ②: This Cursed Dream Item can be replicated using a template by consuming Faith Points. Replicating the Shadow Scissors requires 50 Faith Points."

"It's so expensive?"

"Not to mention I don't have that many faith points, even if I did, I wouldn't use them to replicate this cursed artifact."

Use your precious faith points elsewhere first!

Besides,

Shi An recalled the feeling the brownish-red scissors had given him before—ominous and eerie.

"These cursed dream items are probably a trap. They might have side effects like curses. I can't touch them until I figure out the side effects and how to use them."

But then again, his previous guess was correct; the Dreamers did indeed possess certain strange and bizarre abilities.

"These scissors can cut through shadows, and it specifically states that this applies to ordinary people wielding them. In other words, the true power of the Shadow Scissors goes far beyond this."

Are those who fall into dreams ordinary people, or have they transcended the ordinary? Shi An didn't know.

However, even for those who are not ordinary people, even for those who are experts, surviving in the nightmare world is not easy.

The safe zone might be the only sanctuary in this nightmare world.

"In that case, let's upgrade."

The feedback from fate perfectly met the need for a basic upgrade in the safe zone.

Shi An entered the safe zone once again.

He looked at the dilapidated little shop, his eyes filled with increasing joy.

He focused his mind.

"upgrade!"

"Prompt: Upgrade the safe zone by consuming 10 units of Faith Points?"

"Notice: This upgrade and maintenance will last for 8 hours. During this time, the safe zone will be inaccessible. Upgrade now?"

"……yes!"