I have a Tantric panel

Chapter 75 The Hermit (Seeking first subscriptions! Seeking monthly votes!)

It's like slowly sinking in the dark depths of the sea.

Suddenly, in an instant, consciousness passed through a thin membrane.

Clara opened her eyes.

The scene before my eyes went from blurry to clear.

The first thing she saw was a tall, slender man wearing a trench coat.

As usual, Clara couldn't see his face clearly.

But just seeing the other person brings a sense of peace and joy.

"Master Hermit, you've arrived!"

"Yes, I'm here."

Xia En nodded slightly.

"The Hermit," was what Clara called him in her dream.

At first, Shane called himself a traveler of dreams, but Clara seemed unwilling to use that term to refer to him.

So he adopted the code name "Hermit".

Xia En also felt that the code name suited his image quite well, so he readily accepted it.

By the way.

Clara's self-given code name is "Iris".

After exchanging greetings, Shane began to observe his surroundings.

Directly ahead is an exceptionally mysterious ancient castle.

Each wall is made of black stone, its surface covered with dents as if carved by a knife and axe.

The towering spires pierced the deep black sky.

Deep within the tower, a faint candlelight emanates from extremely narrow, pointed arched windows, flickering uncertainly in the night.

"really----"

Xia En raised his eyebrows.

This dream was unlike any I'd ever had before.

The home field is no longer Clara's dream, but the painting he has created!

In the past, "entering a dream" always meant that Xia En entered other people's dreams.

This time, it was Shane who used the spirituality of the painting to invite Clara in.

In gaming terms...

Previously, I was soloing Clara's dungeon.

Now I'm duo-queuing with Clara to run dungeons.

Moreover, before entering the dream, Xia En saw two points of light.

In other words.

Besides Clara, her mother was most likely also pulled into the dream.

If I'm not mistaken.

This should be the change brought about by passion (1) to (2).

Xia En couldn't help but think further ahead.

Does this mean—

In the future, he can simultaneously pull multiple seeds with extraordinary abilities into a dream world based on painting.

At the same time, guide them onto an extraordinary path, thereby reaping [Soul Points]?

Even in the more distant future.

There's no need for Xia En to actively enter the dream; just leaving behind a painting is enough to complete the guiding task based solely on the content of the painting.

The difference in efficiency is not as simple as one or two times.

"The Hermit?"

Clara's voice interrupted Shane's thoughts.

"This is a dream, right?"

"Moreover, it's different from any of my previous dreams."

The girl quickly noticed something was wrong.

In the past, she often only realized she was dreaming in the latter half of the dream.

But today, just as it began, she discovered that it was all a dream.

"Speaking of which, isn't this the painting I saw during the day?"

Clara was more lively than usual: "Mr. Hermit, you gave me that painting, didn't you?"

"Yes."

Shane nodded and looked at the open castle gate.

The doorway of Heimer, like the gaping maw of an unnamed behemoth, awaits the arrival of visitors.

not difficult to see.

Although the castle is based on his painting, it is not exactly the same.

The sense of danger was even stronger.

This is probably because there was something else mixed in with this dream—

Clara's mother's deepest fears.

The real trigger that made her obsessed and driven her to madness.

Xia En also wondered if drawing a warm, bright, and harmless picture would make this dream experience safer.

The answer is probably no.

Such a painting might not even be able to take the first step of "entering a dream".

Only paintings that could touch Clara's mother's heart could bring her into her dreams.

If the final boss of the dungeon isn't there, what's the point of running it?

Therefore, this painting is the best choice at present.

Clara followed Shane's gaze and asked in a low voice.

"Is my mother in this castle?"

"Um."

'

"Then what are we waiting for? Mr. Hermit, let's go."

"Before that, we need to do some small preparations."

Xia En looked at his palm.

Imagine there is a gun there.

The silver-gray gun barrel, the gleaming walnut wood grip, and the chilling aura that silenced everything—

next moment.

He held the silent hand in his, and a heavy sense of security followed.

Then, there was a box of pale silver anti-magic bullets.

Imagining the ammunition was relatively difficult, but we succeeded in the end.

Clara watched this scene with curiosity and blinked.

"Master Hermit, what kind of ability is this?"

"Can I learn it?"

Xia En thought for a moment.

This dream was different from the previous ones.

Perhaps Clara could be an asset to him.

"Imagine a weapon you are most familiar with and bring it into your dream."

"Weapons are not necessarily better the more complex they are; the simpler they are, the easier they are to reappear in dreams."

"Is that so?"

Before Shane could finish speaking, he saw Clara holding a long, slender sword.

Cold steel blade, rhomboid cross-section.

The gilded hand guards gleamed with a very faint, dark gold sheen above the knuckles.

It looked like a nobleman's sword.

It is not only for display, but also has considerable practicality.

"You can use a sword?"

Xia En was somewhat surprised.

"I used to learn from my mother and practice with my older brother, but I haven't had much contact with it since I went to university."

After thinking about it again, Xia En realized that it wasn't entirely incomprehensible.

His contact with Clara was actually limited to Akarin University and his dreams.

We know nothing about what she studied in the past.

It is not incomprehensible that a nobleman would master swordsmanship in childhood.

Clara realized she might have said too much and changed the subject: "Mr. Hermit, may we set off now?"

"Let's go."

The two walked side by side toward the dark castle gate.

Stepping across the threshold, the cold air brushed against my cheeks.

The darkness in the hall is alive.

It was as if something was lurking within, patiently waiting.

laugh!laugh!laugh!

Suddenly, the candles inside the castle lit up on their own.

The dim, yellow light spread out, as if welcoming their arrival.

Clara's sword was slightly drawn from its sheath and moved slowly forward.

Shane then looked at the wall in front of him.

A painting hangs on the wall.

The painting was ridiculously large, almost taking up the entire wall.

The painting depicts a man with his fingers crossed and placed in front of him.

The man was dressed in a smart, elegant robe, with a dark red shawl draped over his back.

Like a prince, or a nobleman of high rank and power.

However, the man's face in the painting was covered in a scarlet smear.

It's unrecognizable from its original appearance.

Who is the man in this painting?

Xia En had a vague guess.

The other party is very likely the mastermind behind Clara's mother's "illness".

"Ugh————"

Clara struggled to make out the details for a while.

As she looked at the painting, a sharp, stabbing pain shot through her mind.

"He...he's someone I know very well, but—I...I can't say it."

Xia En glanced at the girl's expression.

"Don't push yourself, there's still a long road ahead."

Before he could finish speaking...

The crimson hue in the painting suddenly came to life.

Thorns covered in barbs spread and grew, a drop of scarlet fell to the floor, and a shadowy figure, half-human and half-moth, crawled out of the filth.