Gretas

The knight cleaved Lu Li in two with a single sword strike. The next moment, countless shadows burst forth from Lu Li's corpse, transforming into amorphous shadow monsters, devoid of consciousness, will, and self, possessing only completely chaotic thoughts.

Everything around you is transformed into shadow, and when the shadow covers you, you become part of it. Countless tentacles lash out, and the knight who stood in front of the shadow monster was smashed to pieces along with his sword by a single tentacle.

The shadow monster grew larger and larger, and an aura of fear permeated its surroundings. Anyone who saw its image would have that aura spread along their line of sight. Anyone with a weak will would be infected by the fear, and the fear in their heart would turn into shadows, eroding their normal bodies. Shadows rose from the ground, enveloping flesh and turning into chaotic shadow creatures.

As a primordial shadow creature, Lu Li relentlessly erodes everything, covering and submerging all things in the shadows, Avatar into a part of the shadows. This shadow monster, known as the Strange Light, grows ever larger.

The members of the tribunal, who were originally eliminating the outcasts in the city, all sensed the ominous atmosphere over there and rushed towards it. After discovering the shadow monsters, they unleashed all their divine magic, holy aura, and abilities upon them.

However, when the light is at its peak, the shadows recede, but when the shadows are powerful, the light will be corrupted and become part of the shadows.

All the light lost its original color, turning into a dim glow. The fear in the hearts of everyone who looked directly at the ever-expanding shadow monster was instantly amplified, and the shadow itself permeated everything around them.

The corrupted shadow monsters, instinctively calling out the name of Grotesque, charged into the town, killing all life and sacrificing it to the great Grotesque. The shadows corrupted everything in the city, and the light could no longer shine there. In the end, the world Annihilation, and everything returned to its original state.

Lu Li opened his eyes instantly, patting his somewhat confused head. Although Grotesque's consciousness was subsequently isolated and blocked, Lu Li could still sense just how chaotic it was.

Lu Li returned once again to the lowest floor of Building B, filled with candle holders. Alice, holding a rabbit in a vest, was filled with amazement. Seeing Lu Li wake up, she quickly covered her mouth with her white ladylike fan and exclaimed, "What a dangerous student! If you really lost control like in the dream, it would cause me quite a bit of trouble."

"I've noticed that your body is on the verge of transformation. You could have taken that step long ago, but you hesitated," Alice said with a charming laugh. "Deep down, you still harbor some attachment to your human identity, and a... well, a sense of confusion about becoming an unknown monster."

"Although you can't perceive fear or other such factors, you are indeed worried that you will be completely changed. You are worried that I am no longer myself, and that in your dreams I will be completely transformed into an unconscious monster. That is what you fear most."

"Grotesque, you must remember, you control the shadows, not the other way around," Alice said gravely. "Your problem now is to find the real you—the you who was unchanged a year ago, or the distorted you you are now."

Lu Li pursed his lips. It was really annoying to be seen through so easily. Seeing Lu Li's puzzled expression, Alice shook her head and said, "Dreams are a wonderful place, and your dream is currently undefended."

"I never imagined that legend was actually true." Alice exclaimed in surprise, then waved to Lu Li instead, saying, "That's enough for today. You can go back now. I'll give you some basic knowledge, and you can come back tomorrow to officially begin your studies."

After speaking, Alice gradually retreated into the darkness. A rope hung down from the sky, seemingly indicating that Lu Li should leave.

Just as Lu Li placed his hand on the rope, about to pull it down, Alice suddenly emerged from the darkness, asking with a strange expression, "I learned about stockings from your memories. What do you think of me wearing white stockings?"

"...It's pretty good." Lu Li was taken aback and observed Alice across from him. She was about 1.6 meters tall, wearing an exquisite white princess dress, with black straight hair that spiraled at her temples. She was holding a rabbit wearing a vest in her arms, and her two straight, delicate white feet were cleverly hidden under the wide skirt.

"Oh, then there's no problem." Alice retreated into the darkness again. Lu Li shook his head strangely, pulled the rope, and was carried away. When his eyes lit up, he was already in the small wooden house at the transfer station. When he pushed open the door, he found that it was already midnight. Sure enough, the time in the dream was not completely synchronized with reality, and there was no clear pattern.

When Lu Li returned to his dormitory, there were already several scrolls on his desk. He figured they must be the basic knowledge scrolls Alice had mentioned. Lu Li touched his stomach, feeling that he could hold on for long, so he sat down at his desk and continued reading.

Unfolding a scroll, Lu Li carefully read the knowledge within. This scroll described the Dreamlands, and it stated from the outset that the description was not entirely accurate.

The Dreamlands, also known as the Dream of Delusion Dreamlands, seems to exist in every world. These Dreamlands are unique and mysteriously connected, and every living being projects Dreamlands onto itself. That is everyone's dream. Dreams are not as fragile as imagined. Even if a person is not asleep, their dream still exists there.

Dreams are projections of Dreamlands. In fact, everyone who has dreams is capable of accessing Dreamlands, but not everyone can remain conscious within Dreamlands. Those who can remain conscious are called dream-suited individuals.

If the Dreamlands still existed, then every Dream Realm Compatible would be a darling, able to reach another vast world, grow with the resources of that world, and transform their own dreams, expanding and making them real, turning them into a smaller version of the Dreamlands. With the help of the Dreamlands, they could unleash all sorts of abilities.

However, long ago, an unknown entity gathered the Dreamlands behind the Gate of Slumber. Although people still have dreams, they cannot contact the Dreamlands of this world and can only reach the Gate of Slumber in the Dream Interstice dreams.

Of course, the Dream Wizards initially obtained their knowledge from the Gate of Slumber. At that time, the Dreamlands had not yet been consolidated, and every Dream Candidate was a sought-after individual.

However, now that the Dreamlands has been consolidated under the Gate of Slumber, it can only rely on the dreams of others for cultivation. Dream Compatible Individuals have become useless; small organizations can't afford to cultivate them, and large organizations can only cultivate one at most.

The reason Lu Li was chosen was because the shattered, Dream of Delusion was broken down. A small part of it, which was the unique ability to absorb legendary elements, Integration into Lu Li's heart, while most of the Dream of Delusion was Integration into his shadow. This Integration caused an unknown mutation in Lu Li's dream.

The name "Strange Light" didn't quite fit the style, so I looked up the English translation and came up with the word "grotesque" (something of strange shape). Then Xu Ming as "Grotesque," which should be fine, right?

Recently, subscriptions have dropped a bit. I was thinking of adding a request to subscribe at the end of the article, but I'm worried about increasing the charge. So, Xu Ming asking if it's possible to add it.