Loran was strong enough to easily kill every apprentice in the room.
When faced with a truly powerful threat, Loran would still have to deal with it herself.
But if she had no subordinates, she would have to handle even the tiniest problems herself. That clearly wasn't ideal.
Loran continued, "Starting tomorrow, some of you will be split into pairs. Like my apprentice assistants, you'll patrol the city and the densely populated areas nearby."
"Each pair will patrol for five days. After that, the next pair will take over."
"Yes, my lady!"
"Yes, teacher!"
This time, both the local apprentices and Charles's group of five rose to respond.
One of the local apprentices bowed respectfully and asked, "My lady, we don't know much about this convergence with the Shadow Nightmare Realm. How should we handle anything we encounter on patrol?"
Loran's gaze passed over the local apprentices. Patiently, she explained, "It's normal that you don't know much about it."
"The intervals between the Shadow Nightmare Realm converging with our Wizard World can range from decades to centuries."
"The last convergence with the Shadow Nightmare Realm happened more than three hundred years ago."
"When the Shadow Nightmare Realm converges with us, it brings many changes to the Wizard World. The most common is that the nights grow longer. During the day, shadows stretch out beneath the sunlight."
"Spending a long time in the shadows may lead to the appearance of a Nightmarespawn Parasite. These are creatures from the Shadow Nightmare Realm. Once they infest a human, they transform the body, making the person stronger but robbing them of their intelligence."
"The appearance of a Nightmarespawn Parasite can trigger a chain reaction. If it isn't dealt with, others nearby may also become infected. An entire city could end up as a nest of Shadow Nightmare creatures."
"The longer a Nightmarespawn Parasite lives, the more the Shadow Nightmare Realm strengthens it. Once it matures, it bursts out of its host and becomes a powerful Shadow Nightmare creature. Some of these creatures can even rival a wizard!"
"Besides Nightmarespawn Parasites, Nightmare Beasts may also appear. They come from the Shadow Nightmare Realm."
"They can move through shadows, and ordinary attacks can barely hurt them. Only spells can hit them."
"Besides Nightmare Beasts, powerful Shadow Nightmare warriors may appear as well. Every one of them has at least the combat strength of a wizard. If you encounter one, call for reinforcements immediately. I'll get to the scene as soon as I can and take it down."
After explaining all this, Loran took out several reference booklets and distributed them to everyone with her mental power. "These are basic materials about the Shadow Nightmare Realm. Study them carefully when you get back."
"The nights have already started getting longer. I don't think it'll be long before the Shadow Nightmare Realm truly arrives and begins to converge with ours."
"For your own sake and for the people here, stay alert. Kill every Nightmarespawn Parasite you find. If you don't, its presence could draw even more powerful Shadow Nightmare creatures!"
"Yes, my lady!" the apprentices answered.
Charles looked at the information about the Shadow Nightmare Realm in his hands and felt his head start to ache.
No wonder the nights had seemed to grow longer lately. He'd thought it was because of the season and had never considered this possibility.
He'd originally planned to head down to the banquet hall and have some fun, but now that he felt the pressure bearing down on him, Charles had lost all interest in entertainment.
Loran left the room, and Charles and the others followed.
Charles and Jody returned to their rooms to rest, while Quake and the other two went down to the banquet hall for a bit of fun.
Back in his room, Charles studied the information about the Shadow Nightmare Realm carefully.
What Loran had explained wasn't the whole story. He would have to read the materials to learn more.
The Shadow Nightmare Realm and the Wizard World were almost like two sides of the same coin.
The materials described how powerful wizards had ventured deep into the Shadow Nightmare Realm to explore it.
They had discovered that it was even larger than the Wizard World.
The Shadow Nightmare Realm moved irregularly through the surrounding void, but every few decades or centuries, it converged with the Wizard World.
The process seemed to happen naturally, without any deliberate interference from the Shadow Nightmare creatures.
Compared to the Wizard World, the Shadow Nightmare Realm was far more strange and bizarre, filled with the fantastical and the uncanny.
Even the invasions of the Wizard World by Shadow Nightmare creatures were unintentional.
The creatures didn't deliberately invade the Wizard World. Every invasion was forced upon them; somehow, they ended up in the Wizard World without knowing how.
But because the rules of the two worlds were different, Shadow Nightmare creatures entering the Wizard World had to kill living beings to survive. They couldn't control this behavior.
When Shadow Nightmare creatures killed people, they grew stronger. By the same token, wizards also benefited from killing Shadow Nightmare creatures.
Charles sighed softly. From this perspective, the Shadow Nightmare creatures and the inhabitants of the Wizard Realm were both victims, forced into a deadly conflict with each other.
According to the materials, it wasn't just Shadow Nightmare creatures that could enter the Wizard Realm.
There was also a chance that living beings from the Wizard Realm could end up in the Shadow Nightmare Realm.
It went both ways.
Anyone unfortunate enough to end up in the Shadow Nightmare Realm would be in trouble. They would need to hide as best they could. If Shadow Nightmare creatures found them, they wouldn't get away unscathed.
The Shadow Nightmare Realm was like another Wizard World, only far stranger.
Living people who entered the Shadow Nightmare Realm could still return. If they found a Nightmare Window where the two worlds converged within a few days, they might be able to make it back to the Wizard World.
Even so, most people who were forced into the Shadow Nightmare Realm died there. It was simply too dangerous.
Just as human wizards could find and kill Shadow Nightmare creatures, humans in the Shadow Nightmare Realm would be doomed if they encountered a powerful Shadow Nightmare creature.
The Shadow Nightmare Realm was vast, and its landscapes were bizarre and ever-changing, as wondrous as the dreams of an insomniac.
The materials recorded many accounts of powerful wizards' experiences in the Shadow Nightmare Realm. Reading them made Charles yearn to explore it himself.
For wizards, knowledge was power. Learning about more things and acquiring more knowledge were both highly beneficial to their cultivation.
In fact, the more knowledge they possessed when they advanced to become a wizard, the higher their chances of success.
Loran's notes on becoming a first-circle wizard made this clear as well: the more knowledge one acquired, the more likely one was to become a powerful wizard.
Clearly, if Charles learned enough about the Shadow Nightmare Realm, he would have a better chance of becoming a first-circle wizard someday.
He finished reading the materials quickly and finally let out a breath of relief.
In most cases, if the convergence with the Shadow Nightmare Realm was handled properly, things wouldn't get too dangerous.
Charles closed the booklet and breathed out softly. Should I head back down to the banquet hall and have some fun?
But when he looked up, the surroundings had already changed completely. It was as if he were sitting inside a hazy veil.
Charles's face turned pale, and panic seized him. "What the hell is this place!?"
"Where the hell have I ended up!?"
"Is this even the Wizard World anymore!?"
Before you continue