You said you were going to make games, how did you become the richest man without doing anything?

Fufu's figure was walking step by step into the painting, her eyes already unfocused, as if she were in another world.

"Damn it!" Rein rushed forward, tackled her to the ground, and shook her shoulders violently. "Fou! Wake up! Didn't you say you wanted to be the strongest Beastmaster?!"

His voice resonated throughout the church, as if evoking some kind of empathy.

"Click——"

The paintings shattered one after another, and countless fragments transformed into eyeless butterflies in the air, whistling and spinning, forming a huge storm.

"Mental Protection!" Margaret slammed her staff down, and a shield enveloped everyone.

Fufu finally opened her eyes slowly, her expression dazed: "I...I just dreamt about my mother..."

Rein grabbed her hand: "It's not true, those dreams are all traps."

"But it's so warm..." Fufu said softly, tears sliding down her cheeks.

Just as they were trying to calm themselves, the stone statue in the center of the church suddenly came to life.

It was a priest dressed in a platinum robe, his face blurred, his eyes indistinct, but he held a scepter made of black dream essence in his hand.

"Welcome, Dream Walker."

“I am the master of dreams here—‘Heart Whisper Priest Axel’.”

Margaret frowned deeply: "He is the core defense construct, prepare for battle!"

But Rein stepped forward, gripped his sword, and asked in a low voice, "You say you are the Lord of Dreams? Then you must know... how to seal off the Dream Realm."

"Closed-off dream world?" Exer chuckled. "Why do you always want to escape dreams? Haven't you suffered enough from reality?"

Rein did not answer, but simply slashed down with his sword!
……

Purple mist surged in mid-air.

"Lord of Dreams—Exor!"

Rein's voice echoed within the Snowdream Lake barrier. He raised his longsword, imbued with starlight and arcane magic, its blade swirling with crystalline streams of magical energy. Fou stood beside him, her fingertips burning with azure-silver holy flame, her gaze cold and resolute.

The floating Exor was draped in a robe woven from dreams, seemingly ethereal yet every stitch of which was made of nightmares. His enormous wings twisted and stretched behind him, as if space itself trembled with his rambling words. His enormous pupils reflected neither black nor white, only eternal slumber and chaos.

"...Mortals, those who dare to enter dreams become sacrifices to dreams."

The moment the words fell, the sky above Snow Dream Lake shattered completely, and countless shattered dream feathers fell, whistling like blades.

"Get away!"

Rein shoved Fou behind him, his sword sweeping outwards, creating an arched magical barrier that blocked the rain of feather blades.

Fufu quickly regained her footing, summoning wings of light that swirled like fireflies, incinerating the falling illusory feathers into wisps of smoke. "This guy can summon dream entities at will?!"

“And it’s a high-level summon, far exceeding A-rank.” Rein cursed under his breath. “We must sever his connection with the dream world.”

But Exer had already flapped his wings again, and a purple vortex formed from sleep appeared in his palm. The next moment, nightmare beasts crawled out of the vortex—deer antlers and snake tails, with human faces and spider legs—and pounced on the two of them with mournful cries.

"Come on! This is the taste of adventure!" Rein leaped up, his demonic sword trailing a string of sparks, drawing three light trails in the air, "—Dreambreaker Slash!"

boom! ! !
Three slashes instantly cleaved through the void, reducing the Nightmare Beast in front to ashes. Stone fragments flew everywhere, and dream energy swirled back.

"Fou, come to my aid!"

"understand!"

Fufu bit her finger, and a drop of blood turned into a light imprint that fell from the sky like the tolling of a heavenly bell.

"Wings of the Contract—Holy Spirit Norma, answer my call!"

A holy light illuminated the entire Snowdream Lake, and from within it flew a silver-feathered holy spirit, holding a golden bow, its expression solemn. It surveyed the battlefield, drew its bow, and released an arrow that pierced the night sky, aimed directly at Exor!
Exer snorted coldly, swung his right arm, and the Dream Mist condensed into a shield to block the Holy Arrow.

"Unfortunately, dreams cannot be penetrated by faith."

boom! !

The Dream Shield shattered, but Exer was unharmed, only staggering back several steps. The dream mist surrounding him rapidly transformed—into the figures of the dead within the dream!

"—This is a summoning illusion!"

Ray was startled. Among the emerging "spirits" were the images of people he had encountered in reality—the shadow of his mentor Green, the silhouette of his comrade Sylvie, and... his mother.

"Don't look at them! They're fake!" Fufu shouted. "He's using Dream Reflection to tempt you!"

"I know--!"

Rein closed his eyes and took a deep breath. At that moment, the magic within him seemed to respond, and a long-forgotten incantation surfaced in his mind:
"—Cleanse the dream mist with starlight, traverse the void with willpower."

He suddenly opened his eyes, and the demonic sword slammed into the ground. A ring of star patterns expanded out from beneath his feet, purifying all the illusions!
"It's my turn!"

He leaped into the air, his sword blade gathering the brilliance of seven stars, and thrust it straight at Exor's heart.

Exer finally roared, and the dream mist formed a giant claw that collided head-on with Rein's sword.

--boom! ! !

The barrier trembled violently, the lake water surged backward, the sky tore apart, and in the instant when starlight and dream mist intertwined, Fufu seized the opportunity and unleashed a winged blade of light from behind!
"My turn! — Judgment Wing Slash!!"

This time, Exer was unable to defend himself with all his might. The dream mist was torn apart, and a burning wound appeared on his chest.

"Gu...!"

Axel howled hoarsely and distortedly, his Dreamwing half-broken, clearly injured.

"Well done, Fou!" Rein flipped in the air and landed, standing side by side with her.

“You’re not bad either,” she replied with a smile. “But now is a good time to pursue.”

Without much hesitation, the two rushed toward the weakened Lord of Dreams.

However—just as they were preparing to deliver their final blow, Exer suddenly transformed into a dreamlike mist, splitting into a thousand and dissipating into the air, its lingering whispers echoing:
“You… will eventually slumber in the depths of your dreams…” A moment later, Snow Dream Lake returned to silence.

But in the center of the lake, there appeared a piece of crystal that shimmered with silver light—a fragment of the Dream Core.

Rein stepped forward, picked it up, and felt a subtle, heart-pounding magical rhythm.

“He’s not dead.” Fufu clenched her fist. “This is one of the fragments of his original body. He just retreated.”

“But we won this battle.” Rein sighed, putting the dream core into his bag. “And it may have opened a door to another dream.”

"In other words, the adventure has only just begun."

"Just to my liking."

The two smiled at each other and walked towards the lakeside. There, the snow had stopped, and the first rays of the morning sun were just beginning to fall—

On the shores of Snowdreams Lake, the morning light, like silver threads, rose from the lake's surface, heralding a new beginning. The frozen lake had been shattered by the recent battle, and the broken ice crystals shimmered with the faint light of fragments of the Dream Core. Rein gently placed the fragments into the runestone box prepared by Elsie, his expression solemn.

"Are we sure we want to take it back to the capital?" Fufu asked softly, stroking the stone box.

“We can’t stay here,” Rein nodded. “The dream core still contains the residual magic of the Dream Lord. If it continues to spread, it will form an even stronger dream erosion area.”

“Then let’s go back and assess the situation before deciding on the next step,” Elsie added, pulling several vials of medicine from her pocket. “These are sobering agents from the department—once the dream erosion takes effect, they must be taken immediately to maintain sanity.”

Fufu looked at the medicine bottle and couldn't help but frown: "The taste is so strange..."

"It's alright, the bitter taste means it's very effective." Rein patted her shoulder.

They walked back to the capital, exchanging battle details and assessing their next move along the way. But as they crossed the edge of the forest, the side effects of the lingering magic from Snowdreams Lake began to surface.

Fufu suddenly stopped, her eyes glazed over, and she swayed as if about to fall. Rein quickly caught her, took out a sobering agent and put it in her mouth, but as soon as the medicine entered her mouth, she coughed up a mouthful of foam and then collapsed to the ground.

"Fufu?!" Rein crouched down to examine her, his face deathly pale. "The stimulant didn't work on her?"

Elsie quickly pulled out another vial of potion and fed it to Fou. A few seconds later, Fou raised her head slightly, her voice weak: "I... I saw... the Lord of Dreams... at the bottom of the water... it was smiling at me..."

Rein pulled her close and hugged her tightly, angrily saying, "Shut up, Fufu! Don't be fooled by it!"

Elsie nodded, her expression grave: "It seems the Dream Core fragments are still affecting her repeatedly. The sobering agent can only suppress it temporarily."

Ray ruffled her hair. "Let's go back to the town hospital first, and then assess her condition."

They carried Fufu on their hurried journey until they reached the "Night Rest Inn" on the outskirts of the capital—a place specifically for members of the Investigation Bureau to rest. In the room, Fufu lay on the heated kang bed, a cool lotus patch pressed against her forehead, her whole body still trembling.

Rein stood guard by the bedside, his hands clenched into fists, seemingly struggling with the anger and worry in his heart. He suddenly looked up at the window where the setting sun shone, his gaze resolute: "The Dream Core fragments must be completely purified, otherwise Fufu will not be able to recover, and may also be unable to control her abilities."

Elsie walked over to him and took his arm: "I have a plan. But it means we may have to enter the dream again... The target is the sealed location of the Dream Core Fragment's origin."

Rein took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a long time, and finally replied in a deep voice, "Wherever you go, I will follow you."

-

As night fell, in the core meeting room of the Magic Investigation Bureau, Rein and Elsie attended an emergency meeting with fragments of the Dream Core. Director Heran looked solemn, while Margaret laid out a map of the illusion, marked with the "Dream Source Location."

“According to the Dream Core retrospective, the aura originates from the ruins of the ‘Sleep Path Ancient Church,’ located in the desolate wasteland southwest of the royal capital.” Margaret nodded. “That was a crucial point in the ancient sealing against the erosion of dreams. As long as we restart the sealing ritual there, we have a chance to eradicate the residual power brought by the Dream Core in reality.”

Rein said in a deep voice, "The problem is that the church may still be occupied by dream constructs, and the mental danger is extremely high."

"I have already assigned the dual-protection spellcasters and mental guardians from the Hall of Awakening to assist you in your operation," the director added. "The three of you will go first, and the rest will follow to provide support."

“Okay.” Elsie nodded. “We left when it was just dawn, rushed across the wilderness and headed straight for the church.”

Rein looked at Fou on the bed, his heart resolute: "Take me with you, I'll go too."

The director pondered for a moment, then said solemnly, "...You can do it, but Fufu needs special protective gear. We will allocate domain-sensing rings to monitor her dream fluctuations. If she gets out of control in the dream, we will immediately call the alarm and evacuate."

"Understood." Rein accepted the order, and from then on, the nights became even longer.

-

At three in the morning, a cold wind blew fiercely on the southwestern road of the royal capital. Rein, Elsie, and Fou, wearing protective gear and carrying two perception rings, set off on the wilderness road.

A desolate wind swept across the withered wheat fields, stretching and smoothing shadows, as if the world itself were uncertain. They walked on, the spires of the church ruins appearing and disappearing in the night.

"We've arrived," Rein said in a low voice, staring ahead.

The abandoned church doors had collapsed, and inside lay scattered fragments of stone tablets and broken tiles. Moonlight filtered through the shattered dome, casting dappled patterns of light. A whispering wind carried a chill down one's spine.

Elsie took out her rune pen and quietly drew a huge sealing array in the center of the hall: "After the ceremony is activated, the two of you will be responsible for defense and guiding magic power, while I will carry out the core purification process."

Fufu gently touched the ring, her voice trembling as she said, "I remember, after entering the dream... I would see impossible landscapes, and... the sounds would entice me to come closer..."

Rein held her hand, his voice gentle: "No matter what happens, hold my hand tightly and don't let go."

The moonlight was once again obscured by clouds, and the hall fell into a deathly silence. Elsie placed the fragment of the Illusionary Source in the very center of the sealing magic circle and chanted a complex incantation. The magic circle activated, and a sudden surge of blue-white light enveloped the three of them.

"The ritual begins—the key to awakening manifests in this world!"

The light flashed again, and the world seemed to stop beating. Then, phantoms began to appear: shattered icons, fragments of lost churches, children's laughter, the tolling of night festival bells... everything was distorted and deformed, forming a maddening dreamscape.

Fufu rolled her eyes, slumped to the ground, and when she suddenly opened her eyes, she was disoriented. Rein quickly caught her, but he too began to sway, as if caught in a storm.

Elsie calmly guided, "Pay attention to the blue lines on the edge of the magic circle; they are your anchors to reality. As long as the magic circle doesn't break, don't let your guard down."

The illusion grew increasingly real, the church dome transforming into an endless black sea, shimmering with countless stars. The shadowy figures of dreamers roamed the edges, seemingly within reach.

Fufu murmured, "Mom...Mom told me...she misses me a lot..."

Rein's heart tightened, and he desperately suppressed his impulse: "No, I'm not your mother, I'm Rein..."

A powerful tearing force ripped through the phantom, nearly shattering the edges of the dream. Elsie bit her lip and uttered the incantation:
"—Purify the Spirit and Seal the Core, No Sleep Within the Realm!"

The storm abruptly ceased, the light concentrated, and the fragments of the dream core trembled as they absorbed the surrounding illusions, the shattered dreamscapes rushing towards the fragments. The illusions in the church were forced back into the void, and the world returned to silence.

"Purification—successful!" Elsie announced softly, her hands cupping the shattered magic circle. (End of Chapter)