I created a safe zone in the nightmare world.

Generally speaking, the nightmare world isn't very big.

Once the white fog in the safe zone dissipates, it usually doesn't take long for Shi An to spot the dreamer cautiously making their way through the nightmare.

And extended an invitation to them.

but,

It's been almost half an hour since he got back.

Along the way, Shi An frequently inquired about Xiao Xue's situation and also prepared to have Xiao Xue extend an invitation to open the door for him.

But then they didn't see anyone.

Is this reasonable?

"This nightmare world seems particularly ominous to me."

……

The group of dreamers, whom Shi An was talking about, were carefully making their way through the deadwood forest.

"We can't possibly conquer the entire nightmare world, but at least we need to eliminate one source of danger so that we can return to reality as soon as possible."

"That's what Lao Cai from the Countermeasures Bureau said."

In a normal nightmare world, they would only stay for one or two hours, or two or three hours.

But what about a major nightmare? If they're just trying to escape, they might have to stay here for more than ten hours.

Even an Ironman can't stay mentally taut for that long, not to mention the challenges of supplies.

They had almost nothing—water and food.

Hoping to find supplies in a nightmare world? You'd be better off hoping to find cursed items on the street.

At least the latter is possible.

"However, we need to determine what the source of the danger is."

"That's right. Using cursed objects has side effects. We should avoid most battles as much as possible and save enough power to strike at the crucial moment."

"Hopefully we can find clues to this nightmare world as soon as possible."

……

With a total of eleven Dreamers in the team and a wealth of cursed artifacts, the initial exploration was relatively easy.

There's a dilapidated wooden house up ahead.

"I saw it with my own eyes. There was a monster crawling on the ceiling of the wooden house, probably some kind of eerie appendage."

"beat!"

"There are no clues inside the cabin. Let's move on to the next location."

...

"Something's not right with this river. I suggest we take a detour."

"I think so too."

"+1+1!"

...

"My wet-haired ghost saw it! There's a whole nest of monsters over there!"

Is it a source of danger?

"It doesn't seem like it. Dangerous entities often have some hunting mechanisms, so this nest is likely just an ordinary 'wild monster'."

"Next place, next place."

……

However, with each use of the cursed artifacts' power, the Dreamers' condition gradually deteriorated.

The atmosphere within the team became increasingly tense.

At this time,

A strange shadow emerged from the gray mist and attacked the group.

Before one of the dreamers could react, the shadowy figure pounced on him, biting off his neck on the spot, splattering crimson blood all over the figure.

It is a humanoid monster with grayish-black skin, long arms and legs, and sharp teeth.

Just like the legendary ghouls.

"beat!"

Xuan Jian reacted the fastest, his eyes opening on the hilt of his sword, and in the blink of an eye he strode to the monster.

half an hour.

After a fierce battle, at the cost of three Dreamers being injured, the group finally killed the monster.

However, their expressions quickly turned sour.

"It's not eerie! It's not a source of danger, just one of the many dangers in this vast nightmare world!"

"Damn it! I knew it, the Weirdos wasn't that easy to kill!"

"What do we do now? Everyone has already activated the cursed items two, three, or four times. If this continues, let alone eliminating the source of danger, we probably won't be able to defeat even if another monster like this appears."

"Is a massive nightmare really that dangerous?!"

Even Xuanjian and Fagui, who were in the control stage, looked extremely unpleasant.

Some of those trapped in the dream couldn't take it anymore, crying out, "If this continues, we'll all die, we'll all die!"

As he spoke, he turned to run off on his own.

A man in a baseball cap remarked quietly, "Even with three powerful figures protecting him, he's still like this. He'd be even more likely to die if he were alone."

"I think you can leave if you want."

Fa Gui added, "Maybe they can even draw some fire for us."

The dreamer, who had already taken the first step, fell silent.

He remained silent for a while, then quietly retracted the leg he had extended. "The big shots are right, let's continue."

Xi Xue remained silent.

Aside from the battle just now, this strongest newcomer to the wizarding family was very low-key, completely different from the personality he displayed during his self-introduction.

Some people find it strange.

Just then, Xi Xue suddenly became excited, "We've got it! We've found the safe zone! Sisters and brothers, follow me! This Nightmare difficulty is in the bag! Maybe we can even conquer Nightmare!"

……

"Is it safe?"

Wait a minute, just a second ago everyone was frowning and felt that even survival was difficult.

How did it become stable in the next second?

Still think you can conquer nightmares?

Is the time gap between these events huge? Did they lose a significant portion of their time?

Xi Xue walked very fast.

The other nine people instinctively followed.

Looking ahead in this direction, amidst the gray fog and withered trees, a one-story building gradually comes into view.

"This looks like a modern little shop?"

An arched gate made of dark brown wood, coffee-colored brick walls, and floor-to-ceiling windows polished to a shine that could reflect their faces.

However, you can't see inside the store through the windows.

Apart from that, the entire building is no different from a modern, well-decorated roadside casual coffee shop.

Very normal.

"Normal my foot! If I remember correctly, this is a nightmare world, right?"

"Yes, yes."

Xi Xue didn't think there was anything wrong with it; on the contrary, she felt that others were just inexperienced.

"This is the safe zone, a special area created by the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper is kind-hearted and willing to shelter us struggling dreamers. So, once we're here, we don't have to worry about the dangers of the nightmare world. Maybe we can even conquer this nightmare world."

Xi Xue wasn't sure she could find a safe zone.

But now that we've found it, there's hope, and there's a future.

This is the safe zone that gives people a great sense of security; it's hard for someone who hasn't experienced it to imagine.

It's truly hard to imagine the other dream sufferers.

They just felt something was off.

How could there be such a modern little shop in this desolate and lifeless forest of dead trees?

That's unscientific! Absolutely unscientific!

The logic doesn't hold up.

For a moment, several people who had fallen into the dream showed expressions of surprise and doubt.

However, some people find the term "safe zone" familiar.

Old Cai frowned as he recalled, "The safe zone? Right, I heard from Old Yao that he's been in much better spirits lately, apparently because he's been relying on the safe zone, making even surviving nightmares easier?"

"Could this be the safe zone that Lao Yao was talking about?"

He hadn't really believed it before.

But now, what is happening before our eyes is indeed beyond the realm of common sense.

Is the safe zone real or fake?

"I can't tell the difference!"

...

"Of course it's true! Hey, you newbies are so paranoid. Others can't even get to the safe zone. Today, let me, as a senior, tell you just how lucky you are."

Xi Xue couldn't wait to start babbling on about all the wonders of the safe zone.

Although she had only been to the safe zone shop once, in front of others, she was undoubtedly a regular customer and a long-time member!

This time, it seems she'll have to take the lead in this nightmare world.

"Manager, I've brought a new employee!"