Chapter Summaries

Angel discovered that Nereid was a Nightmare Dream while the real Nereid existed in a separate Box Garden in the void. He returned to the dream and told Gray Porcelain and Rabbit Girl that their progress there still counted, leaving the team ready to search for elemental gems.

• Angel used his god's-eye view to find himself and the other Nereid Challengers asleep in separate bubbles inside a void.
• Angel located the real Nereid Box Garden and spotted a sleeping half-blood demon he suspected was the stage's special NPC, but found no clues inside the Box Garden.
• Gray Porcelain and Rabbit Girl showed Angel the Keye Mining Pick, which could dig quickly while avoiding damage to elemental gems.
• Angel told Gray Porcelain and Rabbit Girl that Nereid was a Dreamscape and explained that their progress within it was still real.
• Gray Porcelain and Rabbit Girl checked their Text Panels and saw their progress had reached 1%.

Angel, Rabbit Girl, and Gray Porcelain explored the mine for elemental gems while considering how to reach the perfect-clear challenge. After Rabbit Girl chose the challenge option, the team entered challenge status and learned that they must gather limited gems, hunt Nereid with everyone surviving, and pass Montedan’s assessment.

• Rabbit Girl proposed that a perfect clear might require entering the non-Dreamland version of the stage, and Angel urged the group to focus on the Dreamland version first.
• Angel led Rabbit Girl and Gray Porcelain through the mine, using fluorite and mining knowledge to find a promising excavation site.
• Gray Porcelain dug up an elemental deposit, while Angel told Rabbit Girl that a sleeping Half-Blood Demon in the real Box Garden was not a Time Doppelgänger she recognized.
• The Text Panel offered a standard option or a challenge option that limited the team to twenty-five elemental gems, and Rabbit Girl consulted Angel and Gray Porcelain.
• Angel recommended the challenge option, and Rabbit Girl chose it, triggering three challenges: collect limited gems, hunt Nereid with everyone surviving, and pass Montedan’s assessment.

Angel and his team collected elemental gems and prepared countermeasures against Nereid, advancing the Rabbit Hole Team’s progress to 20%. The chapter ended with Angel inscribing separate offensive and defensive magic energy arrays to help them interrupt Nereid’s attacks and survive the fight.

• Rabbit Girl claimed five earth-element gems from a depleted ore deposit, and Angel explained that each deposit could yield only five gems.
• After learning that Nereid commonly used wind, lightning, fire, and ice attacks, Angel planned to counter them with elemental gems and an automatically targeting Element Turret.
• Angel led Rabbit Girl and Gray Porcelain through the mines, where they collected five gems each of wood, water, lightning, and fire; the team’s progress rose from 1% to 20%.
• Angel created stone-slab mediums and an engraving pen with Nightmare Illusion Nodes, then began inscribing separate offensive and defensive magic energy arrays.
• Angel planned to use the Element Turret to fire thirty shots and the Elemental Field to provide twenty defensive shields against Nereid.

Angel trained Gray Porcelain and Rabbit Girl through increasingly difficult illusion battles to prepare them to face Nereid. Gray Porcelain overcame his fear and proved he could coordinate the team under pressure, and they set out on their final hunt with growing confidence.

• Angel encouraged Gray Porcelain to face Nereid, and Gray Porcelain coordinated with Rabbit Girl and Angel to interrupt the dragon’s elemental attacks in their first simulated battle.
• Angel introduced shortened casting times and instant skills, forcing the team to adapt with elemental fields when they could not interrupt Nereid in advance.
• Angel added surprise attacks that scattered the group, then changed the turret-button setup so whoever was nearest could respond while Gray Porcelain continued predicting Nereid’s moves.
• Gray Porcelain handled increasingly difficult simulations, including Nereid’s melee attacks and a collapsing mine tunnel, and Angel judged that he had graduated from the training.
• Angel tested dark-element abilities and explained how the team could respond to them, then ended the simulations as Gray Porcelain’s fear gave way to confidence.
• Gray Porcelain, Rabbit Girl, and Angel began their final hunting journey to face Nereid.

Angel, Gray Porcelain, and Rabbit Girl reached Nereid’s cavern and prepared to fight the sleeping dragon with magic energy arrays and illusion support. Gray Porcelain started the battle, and when Nereid readied Thunderous Punishment, he chose to head for the elemental field to counter it.

• Angel discovered that Nereid had no emotional fluctuations and concluded it was likely a projection with standardized combat mechanisms.
• Angel learned that the Lairen Clan had hinted that the platform’s blocks concealed clues, then found faint traces of Wonderland power beneath them.
• Angel finished setting up the magic energy arrays, turret controls, navigation display, and illusion nodes, and calmed Gray Porcelain before the battle.
• Gray Porcelain stepped onto the platform, awakening Nereid, and Angel and Rabbit Girl followed him into the fight.
• When Nereid prepared Thunderous Punishment, Gray Porcelain realized he could not reach the turret in time and sent word to head for the elemental field instead.

Angel, Gray Porcelain, and Rabbit Girl survived Nereid’s Thunderous Punishment with a lightning Elemental Field, then interrupted its Hurricane Toss with an Earth Cannonball. Nereid crashed to the ground from elemental backlash, and the group waited rather than waste attacks against its scales.

• Rabbit Girl escaped Nereid’s lightning spears and rejoined Gray Porcelain and Angel inside Angel’s lightning Elemental Field.
• Nereid’s Thunderous Punishment struck the field, but the lightning dome deflected the attack and left the three unharmed.
• Angel filled the battlefield with Phantom Mist Clouds to aid movement and monitor Nereid’s attacks.
• Gray Porcelain warned the others that Nereid was casting Hurricane Toss and identified its mouth as the spell’s weak point.
• Rabbit Girl fired an Earth Cannonball into Nereid’s mouth, interrupting the cast and causing elemental backlash that sent Nereid crashing to the ground.
• Angel reminded Gray Porcelain that their close-range attacks could not penetrate Nereid’s scales, so the group waited.

Angel and his team discovered that the floor absorbed Nereid’s elemental energy to charge the Sanctuary Platform, which generated safehouses once all five elements were gathered. Nereid entered a dark armor state, and after a sudden change to its elemental core fooled Gray Porcelain, Angel used a Fire Elemental Field to save the team and began to understand the armor’s purpose.

• Angel found that Nereid’s Hurricane Toss had a close-range blind spot and that elemental energy made nearby floor tiles glow.
• Gray Porcelain predicted Nereid’s attacks from the energy leaking through its cracks, and the team repeatedly interrupted its abilities with opposing elemental shells.
• After the floor absorbed wind, fire, ice, and the other elements, the Text Panel announced that the Sanctuary Platform was charged and would generate elemental safehouses during attacks.
• Nereid covered itself in dark armor, which periodically changed its elemental form and made it immune to attacks matching that form.
• When Gray Porcelain mistook a false purple feather for Nereid’s core, Angel activated the Fire Elemental Field, allowing the team to escape Skyfire Descent.
• Angel told Gray Porcelain and Rabbit Girl that he thought he understood the purpose of Nereid’s dark armor.

Angel deduced that Nereid’s Dark Armor removed the blind spots in its attacks and protected it from its own elemental damage, then guided the Rabbit Hole Team through the final rounds of the hunt. After Nereid was defeated, the team completed Montedan’s assessment without realizing how, despite a notice that he disapproved of their approach.

• Angel explained that Nereid’s Dark Armor made its attacks cover the whole platform and rendered it immune to attacks of its own element.
• Angel warned Gray Porcelain and Rabbit Girl not to underestimate Nereid, and Gray Porcelain improved his calls as Nereid suffered repeated elemental backlashes.
• Angel predicted the next round would be decisive, and Gray Porcelain identified Nereid’s eyes as the cores of Thunderous Punishment.
• The Rabbit Hole Team fired two wood-element shells from the Element Turret, striking Nereid’s eyes and defeating it after its twentieth backlash.
• The Text Panel recorded the hunt as complete and then announced that the team had passed Montedan’s assessment, even though it said Montedan disapproved of their approach.

After Montedan withheld his approval but passed Rabbit Hole Team through the assessment, Rabbit Girl’s explanation of his principles earned them ten points. The team discovered the Awakening Gate and chose to enter the true Nereid, despite Gray Porcelain’s warning that it could be as dangerous as a B-rank Instance.

• Rabbit Girl explained why Montedan valued a fair process, and Angel agreed that he had balanced his principles by passing the team.
• Montedan secretly listened to their conversation, improved his opinion of Rabbit Hole Team, and awarded them ten points.
• Angel found the Awakening Gate and learned that clearing challenge mode unlocked a hidden option to enter the true Nereid.
• Gray Porcelain’s Danger Sense warned that the true Nereid could be equivalent to a B-rank Instance or higher, but Angel reassured him.
• Gray Porcelain rushed toward the gate, learned only the team leader could choose, and Rabbit Girl prepared to lead them into the true Nereid.

Angel, Rabbit Girl, and Gray Porcelain escaped the Nightmare Dream and entered the True Nereid stage, where they faced a genuine risk of death. With Nereid set to awaken in two hours, Angel led the team to mine elemental gemstones and prepare for the fight.

• Angel watched their consciousnesses pass through scenes of their earlier battle before the three returned to their real bodies in the True Nereid's domain.
• The Text Panel revealed messages from Shi Zhen and Nereid, then warned that the stage carried a real risk of death and showed 70% completion.
• Angel reassured Gray Porcelain by proposing a powerful gemstone-based attack, and Rabbit Girl agreed to continue rather than settle the stage immediately.
• When Gray Porcelain left the Dome, the team learned that Nereid would awaken in two hours and could detect activity or detonate nearby elemental ore.
• Angel cast Nightmare Illusion Mist to conceal the team, took a Keye Mining Pick, and began digging and refining fire-element gemstones while Gray Porcelain and Rabbit Girl followed.

Angel prepared enhanced magic energy formations and led Gray Porcelain and the Rabbit Girl to confront Nereid in the Keye Mining Area. They survived Nereid’s mine detonations, then used the formations to deflect its lightning and knock it from the air, though Angel warned that the damage was slight.

• Angel mined and refined ores, crafted magic energy formations, and reassured Gray Porcelain that his preparation experience would help him in the coming battle.
• Angel led Gray Porcelain and the Rabbit Girl toward Nereid as its shallow-sleep countdown ended, and Gray Porcelain’s Danger Sense warned them of mines detonating beneath them.
• The group escaped further mine explosions and reached the Sanctuary Platform, where Angel deployed the formations as Nereid unleashed Thunderous Punishment.
• Gray Porcelain and the Rabbit Girl activated the lightning elemental field and wood-element shells, causing Nereid’s lightning to rebound and a shell to strike its face.
• Angel stopped Gray Porcelain from firing more shells, explaining that Nereid had suffered only minor injuries and that they should conserve their resources.

Angel and his companions struggled to trigger elemental backlash against the real Nereid, whose Dark Armor and altered attack pattern differed from the Dreamscape version. After forcing Nereid to use Glacial Hell and interrupting it, they discovered that backlash required interrupting attacks from all four elements, leaving Nereid severely injured.

• Nereid activated Dark Armor immediately, and Angel's group interrupted its attacks with Reverse-Element Shells without causing elemental backlash.
• Rabbit Girl noticed Nereid had not used Glacial Hell, so the Safe Sanctuary had not activated, and Angel deduced that each attack relied on a core in a different part of Nereid's body.
• Angel's group bombarded Nereid's eyes, mouth, and wings to force it to use Glacial Hell from its horns.
• Nereid cast Glacial Hell and activated the Safe Sanctuary, but Angel ordered the group to force another cast so they could try interrupting it.
• Rabbit Girl struck Nereid's horns with a fire shell as it cast Glacial Hell, interrupting the spell and triggering elemental backlash that sent Nereid crashing from the sky.
• Angel and his companions realized they had to interrupt one attack from each of the four elements to cause backlash, which inflicted severe injuries on Nereid.

Angel and the Challengers discovered ways to exploit Nereid’s health bar and the Sanctuary Platform’s boundary, driving the dragon close to defeat. A hidden rule called Battle Intent Shackles then injured both sides, but the Challengers’ attempt to use it to kill Nereid failed, leaving them to finish the fight themselves.

• Angel used god’s-eye view to give Nereid an accurate health bar, encouraging Gray Porcelain and Rabbit Girl as they saw the dragon lose 10% of its health to elemental backlash.
• The team repeatedly forced Nereid into elemental backlash until its health fell to 50%, prompting it to switch to physical attacks.
• Rabbit Girl lured Nereid’s tail across the Sanctuary Platform’s boundary, triggering a hidden backlash that cost it another 10% of its health.
• The Challengers interrupted Nereid’s remaining elemental attacks and used its boundary-crossing weakness until its health fell to 20%.
• After Nereid and the Challengers remained idle, Battle Intent Shackles penalized both sides, leaving Nereid with only a sliver of health.
• Angel concealed the team to try to trigger the penalty again, but they learned that Nereid’s intent to attack prevented it; they decided to defeat it by force instead.

Angel and Rabbit Girl used illusion mist to alter Nereid’s sense of direction until it crossed the Sanctuary Platform’s boundary and died. Montedan arrived to settle the score and introduced himself as Nereid’s observer, but the group had not yet explained how they defeated it.

• Nereid stalled the group with occasional tail whips, and Gray Porcelain worried that its injuries would heal before they could kill it.
• Angel filled the platform with illusion mist and sent Rabbit Girl to approach Nereid while the others watched through an illusionary telescope.
• Angel slowly altered Nereid’s perception of direction as Rabbit Girl drew its attention, guiding it toward the boundary without its noticing.
• Nereid sensed the boundary-crossing punishment too late and died, and Angel explained how the illusion had altered its perception.
• Montedan arrived after the supreme Wonderland Authority called for the final score settlement, asked how Rabbit Hole had cleared Nereid, and introduced himself as Nereid’s observer.

Angel and the Rabbit Hole Team confronted Montedan over his low score and learned that observers set subjective scoring rules of their own. After Angel explained their unconventional perfect clear of Nereid, Montedan agreed to reassess their score, though the purpose of the observers remained unknown.

• Gray Porcelain and Rabbit Girl challenged Montedan for giving the team only ten points, and Montedan admitted he could not score their perfect clear without learning how they had completed it.
• Montedan explained that his fifty approval points were divided between the ordinary and perfect challenges, with only twenty points available for the perfect clear.
• Angel learned that observers created their own scoring rules and could potentially award points according to personal preferences, though Montedan insisted on following his fairness principles.
• Angel asked why the Wonderland Authority created observers, but Montedan said he knew only that they were tasked with scoring challenger teams.
• Angel truthfully told Montedan that the team had defeated Nereid by exploiting the Sanctuary Platform's boundary penalty, and Montedan marveled at their unconventional method.
• Montedan explained that the perfect version had no guide or prescribed strategy and required challengers to use whatever abilities and items they had.

Montedan awarded Gray Porcelain's team twenty points after deciding to judge their understanding, teamwork, and courage rather than adherence to a fixed guide. The Rabbit Hole Team's perfect clear halted every other Nereid challenge, and the Dragon Team and Lord of Myriad Games discovered their respective rankings as they awaited the score breakdowns.

• Montedan explained that he valued teamwork and resolve, then gave Gray Porcelain's team a score of twenty points.
• Babaregon's Dragon Team used the Merchant's Danger-Energy Compass to gather elemental gems and began fighting Nereid in normal mode.
• The Rabbit Hole Team achieved a perfect clear, freezing all other teams' challenges while their scores were calculated.
• The Dragon Team received twenty-five points, made its challenge record public, and found itself in third place on the rankings.
• The Lord of Myriad Games team saw that its forty-one points had placed it second and opened the other teams' score details.

The teams reviewed the rankings, and Rabbit Hole’s 130-point first-place score revealed it was a team from the Dream Mirror Organization. Angel chose to release an edited teaser of their perfect-version Nereid encounter, planning to have Turing turn the full process into a video after they left.

• The Lord of Myriad Games team saw that its 41 points came from Challenge 1, Observer Rating, and battle progress, while Babaregon regretted choosing Normal Mode for the Dragon Team.
• Babaregon and the others watched Rabbit Hole’s brief recording, learned that the first-place team belonged to the Dream Mirror Organization, and noticed Angel making a shushing gesture at the camera.
• The Dragon Team left Nereid, and Babaregon said it knew Angel from his previous visit to Pipi Castle and intended to ask him about the gesture.
• After receiving 130 points, Rabbit Girl asked whether Rabbit Hole should display its process, and Angel initially decided against revealing it.
• When Rabbit Girl explained that first place could selectively disclose footage, Angel changed his mind and directed her to edit a teaser showing Nereid’s movements and his final gesture.
• Angel explained that the teaser would build curiosity for a full Nereid video Turing could edit after they left.

Angel examined the teams’ Nereid performances as Montedan explained why he had awarded Lord of Myriad Games recognition points for their teamwork and sacrifice. Montedan then revealed that he could enter Dream Crystal Plain as a follower and chose to offer his service to Rabbit Hole, leaving the team to decide whether to accept.

• Angel reviewed the rankings and praised the Dragon Team’s strong progress against Nereid, noting Babaregon’s inventive use of elemental gems.
• Montedan explained that he had watched Lord of Myriad Games instead of the Dragon Team because the former had chosen the challenge mission.
• Montedan showed footage of Lord of Myriad Games risking themselves to protect one another, explaining why he had awarded them 20 recognition points.
• Montedan revealed that he had received a Text Panel and could live in Dream Crystal Plain as a follower of a team he recognized.
• Montedan told Rabbit Hole that he intended to follow them, and Gray Porcelain asked what would happen if they refused his service.

Rabbit Girl accepted Montedan into Dream Mirror after learning about his sealed permissions and management abilities, and the group left Nereid with him. They emerged to find a crowd waiting for Rabbit Hole, so Rabbit Girl led everyone directly back to Text Manor.

• Rabbit Girl questioned Montedan about his permissions and learned that some would be sealed when he left Nereid, while others required the eventual Lord of the Sandbox to unlock.
• Montedan recalled managing a stronghold city in the Abyss and described his skill at organizing people, tasks, and rankings.
• Rabbit Girl accepted Montedan's allegiance to Dream Mirror, and Montedan chose to leave Nereid with the group.
• Rabbit Girl insisted Gray Porcelain join them in future stages because his predictions had helped them clear Nereid, and he reluctantly agreed to try again if needed.
• Angel led Rabbit Girl, Gray Porcelain, and Montedan out of Nereid, where a crowd gathered to question Rabbit Hole about its perfect clear and high score.
• Montedan offered to handle the crowd, but Rabbit Girl declined and led the group back to Text Manor.

Angel brought Montedan to Text Manor, where the Dream Mirror welcomed him and prepared to discuss upcoming stages. Laplace arrived with Yifuda and Srita, whose account revealed that the Golden Country stage was a deadly killing ground, leaving the group to learn more about its danger.

• Angel answered the crowd's questions about the perfect clear by promising a complete guide, then entered Text Manor.
• Rabbit Girl brought Montedan to Text Manor, and Angel explained that the manor was a Dream Mirror gathering place and welcomed Montedan into the group.
• Angel assigned Rabbit Girl and Gray Porcelain to review their failures in Nereid while he helped Montedan study the Dream Crystal Plain Encyclopedia.
• Laplace arrived with Gabriel, Yifuda, and Srita, welcomed Montedan to the Dream Mirror, and introduced news of a new stage.
• Yifuda explained that Srita had been affected by the Golden Fear after his team entered the Golden Country stage.
• Srita told the group that the Golden Country was not the Hailasu homeland and described it as a killing ground that devoured flesh and blood.