Act XXXV: Phantoms of the Past

Under the clear sky, the sun shone brighter than it had all spring.

This was how the banks of the Brags River should look in April or May. Verdant meadows stretched to the edge of the riverbank, and the forest was filled with lush trees. Near a bend in the golden river, a watermill or sawmill could be faintly seen.

The water flowed clearly, tumbling over the pebbles on both banks and carrying with it the wind from the Pine Mountain, sending it downstream towards the Viero Region. But for the locals who grew up here, this river was like an endless poem, imbued with the wisdom of ages.

Brando thought so too, as he walked along the riverbank, listening to the sounds of the forest. There were bears in the forest, though rarely seen. In one of his memories, this was a place his grandfather loved to bring him. But in another memory, this area was his familiar starting zone. The forest was filled with low-level creatures, and the bear was the local boss, dropping a good quality leather.

The two memories merged and intertwined in his mind.

The third memory was about the Golden Demon Tree—

Looking at the familiar scenery, his thoughts drifted back a few minutes:

"Freya, Romane. I'll make this brief. You must have noticed that controlling so many demon servants and offspring through mind control—the Golden Demon Tree's true power lies in the strength of its mind."

"The strength of its mind?"

"Romane, don't interrupt."

"Sorry, Freya."

"Yes, the strength of its mind. It can probe thoughts, control minds, create mysterious illusions, and imprison souls," Brando replied. "In fact, when we were dealing with the Treants, the Golden Demon Tree had already begun to influence our thoughts because it had been having a long dream, a dream that would soon merge with yours and mine."

"A dream?"

"Yes, soon we will each enter our own dreamscapes. You will see incredible things there, but before that, I have some key points I must tell you..."

Brando pointed towards the center of the valley, where the Golden Demon Tree was becoming increasingly beautiful in their eyes. Its branches seemed to stretch out in all directions, radiating a vibrant life force—this was the manifestation of the Golden Tree's dream extending into the real world.

In the game, the druids' divine blood gifted to the Golden Tree had awakened it, but it had also plunged these sacred elven trees into an eternal dream. These dreams were fragments and whispers of a dark world, and mortals who merely glimpsed them would fall into madness.

Even a single fragment of these dreams was deadly to players; once immersed, they could perish at any moment. Yet, to fight the Golden Demon Tree, one had to enter its dreams.

This would be the first stage of the battle against the Golden Demon Tree: the illusion. This stage of the fight was consistently considered the most difficult by players in the game, but a guild called 'Mutian' had found a clever way to overcome the challenge.

This method was once a little-known secret, but Brando came from an era when it had already become widely spread among players.

And as luck would have it, the resources he carried were just enough to complete this plan.

But that wasn't enough—

Because once the first stage ended, the second stage of the battle, which would take place in reality, would be decided by true strength. This stage was relatively simple in the game, but conversely, it would be somewhat difficult for Brando's original party to complete.

The reason was simple: players entering this dungeon in the game were usually at an average level of 25 or higher, but Brando, the highest leveled among the three, was only level 10. Even with the help of top-tier equipment, it would be difficult to finish the battle before the Withered Beast horde arrived in fifteen minutes.

This was why Brando's sights were immediately set on the Golden Demon Tree the moment he obtained the fate card: Sacred Sword. Because if the fate card was used well, all conditions for defeating the Golden Demon Tree seemed to be met.

"Key points?" Freya's voice pulled him back to reality.

Brando blinked, then nodded. "Because it's the Golden Demon Tree's dream entering our dreams, you must remember that you are the ones leading this dream. Therefore, no matter how it constructs this dream, or how fierce the beasts it creates, they will not exceed your limits—"

He recalled that in the game, in this scene, the Golden Demon Tree would release some of the strongest monsters players had previously encountered solo in their dreams, and then recreate those scenarios. But it wasn't that simple—here, players would gain a negative emotion value. The more mistakes they made and the more they got injured, the higher this negative emotion value would increase, and the stronger the monsters would become.

Thus, this battle often devolved into a vicious cycle where monsters became stronger and players weaker, ultimately leading to the players' inability to resist and the end of the battle.

Brando didn't know how this negative emotion value would manifest in reality, but the core principle was the same. It was to be confident in oneself and ensure the best combat readiness. Only then could victory be achieved.

He pointed to his forehead, looking seriously at Romane and Freya. "Focus your attention and maintain high morale. A person's willpower attribute—"

"Willpower attribute?"

"Don't interrupt, Romane!" Brando replied irritably. "I mean willpower. A person's willpower isn't fixed. It fluctuates based on your state. Focusing your attention and maintaining high morale will keep your willpower at its peak. The stronger your willpower, the harder it will be for the Golden Demon Tree to manipulate your negative emotions. Absolutely do not be controlled by negative emotions, or the consequences will be dire."

"How dire?" the future merchant lady asked, looking at him with her bright eyes.

Brando didn't answer. He was afraid his words would make them too nervous, and nervousness was also a negative emotion. Because failure meant their souls would be eternally imprisoned within the tree trunk by the Golden Demon Tree, only to be freed—which was also death—when the Golden Tree was turned to ash by flames.

The surroundings were gradually becoming hazy.

But Brando still had one rule left to explain. In this battle, there was a rule: when the first person woke up, they could enter the dream of the next person, conveying a belief to their companion, allowing them to defeat the nightmare more easily.

However, each person in the team only had one such opportunity. Therefore, guilds would usually set up a waking chain: the strongest person would enter the dream first, followed by the second strongest, then the third strongest. This way, when the most powerful person in the guild woke up first, they could timely assist those below them. This order could prevent the team from suffering too many casualties in the first stage.

Now, Brando intended to change this order.

"I will enter the dream first," he said. "Then Freya, and finally Romane."

"How do we enter the dream?" Freya asked.

"Just close your eyes. I'll close my eyes first, then you, then Romane—" Brando almost bit his tongue. He immediately reached out to press Romane's eyelids, as he saw the merchant lady was about to close her eyes and try it out.

"Ah!" Romane let out a low cry as Brando's hand pressed on her forehead.

"Curiosity killed the cat, young lady!"

"S-sorry."

"The world of magic and the mind is dangerous. Be cautious in all things," Brando sighed. His plan was this: he was the most confident, so he should naturally enter the dream first. Freya would follow him because he believed that among the three, the future Valkyrie would be the most difficult to overcome herself—due to too many mental barriers, the danger would be greater.

But with someone experienced like him assisting, it probably wouldn't be too dangerous. Conversely, the simple-minded Romane should be easier to break free from the Golden Demon Tree's control. With Freya's help, success would be a matter of course.

The time limit for the first stage was five minutes, which would be extended to half an hour in the dream. If they did not break free within this time, they would also be eternally trapped by the Golden Demon Tree for getting lost.

It seemed like a plan with a high probability of success. At least Brando couldn't find any flaws in it. If they succeeded, besides the considerable rewards, they would also have ample time for activities in Ridenburg. No one among them knew better than Brando what the situation in Ridenburg was like now and what it would become in the future. Finding Romane's aunt there and successfully evacuating would be more hopeful with more time.

He patted the Gleaming Thorn on his waist and took a deep breath. The Golden Demon Tree's dream was very real. As he inhaled deeply, his lungs seemed to fill with the scent of the damp earth on the riverbank, the smell of March and April, of green grass and growing trees.

But what did the Golden Tree BOSS mean by throwing him in here? Did it think the strongest monster he had encountered was that old brown bear in this forest?

That's great. A level 16 rare elite is nothing he can't handle now.

However, in Brando's memory, the Golden Demon Tree was never this kind. Quite the opposite, these creatures, twisted by the so-called "God's Blood," were the purest evil, their malevolence utterly devoid of reason.

But judging by the time, the plot should be triggered soon, right? Even though he'd only been in this world for a few days, Brando still subconsciously used the term "trigger the plot." It was just habit.

At that moment, he heard the sound of metal clashing. Brando's ears twitched. For someone like him, who had a certain degree of familiarity with swordsmanship (Level 3 Military Swordsmanship), he could tell just by the sound that it was likely two people sparring.

It didn't seem intense, though; it looked like practice.

Brando didn't choose to avoid it, because he knew that avoiding things in a dream was meaningless. Furthermore, evading danger meant shrinking back, which was a negative emotion, and the Golden Demon Tree might exploit it. He followed the source of the sound and found it coming from behind the sawmill's waterwheel. As he got closer and his vision passed the tall, stationary waterwheel, he saw two unexpected people—

An old man with snow-dusted temples and silver hair, dressed in a dark blue uniform, sword in hand. He stood there exuding a naturally imposing aura, like a mountain. However, what made Brando's heart skip a beat was the old man's expression. His seriousness carried an inherent authority, the kind that would make anyone with a guilty conscience immediately avert their gaze.

The other was a little boy holding a wooden sword. He might have looked like any ordinary child, but to Brando, he meant something different.

He recognized him instantly as Brando, or rather, the young Brando. Startled, he looked up and immediately realized who the old man was. It had to be Brando's grandfather, a veteran of the November War and a recipient of the Candlelight Medal. Good heavens, that was incredible. Even though Eluin was old and frail, the medal from the Temple of Flames wasn't something easily obtained—

But this time, the dream set up by the Golden Demon Tree seemed a bit different from the game, Brando thought with a tightening chest. Yet, in that moment of hesitation, he immediately felt the aura of Brando's grandfather grow even more stable, beginning to affect his state of mind.

"Negative emotion!" Brando realized with a jolt that he had been influenced without even noticing. This was completely different from the game. In the game, the system couldn't manipulate people's thoughts, but here, it was entirely different.

This meant the battle would be much more difficult than in the game!

Brando couldn't help but take a deep breath and pat his waist pouch. Fortunately, he still had his greatest trump card. Although it was unexpected, the situation was at least under control.

With that thought, he calmed himself down.

The old man's gaze also settled on him. After observing him for a while, he finally spoke, "Young man, do you have the qualifications to inherit everything my grandson has?"

The words made Brando's body tremble slightly.