Nightmare Space

As a priest, Essen Borg originally had a place of his own, but he chose to live in the dormitory behind the church.

To shelter the homeless, the old priest had partitioned the dormitory into several simple guest rooms.

There was a kitchen, a bathroom, and separate bedrooms with beds and bedding. Though the space was small, it was comfortable.

"Come, child." The old priest beckoned. "You can stay with me for a while. This neighborhood is rough, but my place is relatively safe.

"Those street thugs won't come barging in here.

"I'll call the police and the education department and tell them I've taken in a child. Of course, I hope you'll help me with a few things, trading your labor for room and board."

Lin Rui entered the dormitory behind the church as though he knew the place inside out and picked a small single room of a dozen or so square meters. After putting down his luggage, he took the initiative to get to work, cleaning, preparing ingredients, and making meals for the needy.

Every day, the old priest drove out in an unremarkable pickup, brought back food supplies, then set up a small stall outside the church to feed the nearby homeless.

The food all came from donations, mostly from large supermarkets, restaurants, warehousing firms, and logistics companies in New York City. Some came from individuals, too, but in smaller quantities.

Bread, fruit, drinks, prepared food-there was plenty of variety. Occasionally, there were clothes and shoes as well, and honestly, the quality was far from bad.

Before each meal distribution, several believers from the neighborhood would come to help portion out and hand out the food. That was the work Lin Rui did.

As a good man, the old priest also offered a few extra services, such as opening the dormitory bathrooms to the homeless and providing irons for pressing clothes.

He also regularly collected secondhand clothes to give to the poor for free-the wealthy in New York indulged in every luxury, throwing away many clothes after wearing them just once without the slightest regret.

These extra services were not to be underestimated. Not every "charitable" organization offered them. They were extremely important to many people who were struggling but wanted to look presentable while searching for another job.

The old priest was there during the food distribution, too. Seeing how practiced Lin Rui was at handing out meals, he could not help asking, "Leon, Country Z has poor people too, doesn't it? Can they get aid?"

That was quite a sensitive subject.

Lin Rui thought for a moment, then said frankly, "To be honest, in Country Z in 2005, poor people really can't get this much aid. Many people struggle on the poverty line, earning less than a hundred dollars a month.

"Things are particularly bad in the remote inland provinces.

"My parents thought America had a good economy and was a powerful country, so they did everything they could to send me abroad, hoping I could change my fate in a foreign land.

"But there's one good thing about the poor in Country Z. They're just poor. They don't have too many deeply rooted vices that are hard to eradicate. As long as they can go to school and find a job, there's still room for them to move up."

Those words pointed to something.

Following Lin Rui's gaze, the old priest looked at the homeless people lining up for food. Quite a few were twitching and contorting their limbs, their expressions strange. One glance was enough to tell that they had taken too many drugs and ruined their brains.

No matter how much aid these homeless people received, there was no possibility of them moving up again. Their remaining days in this world had entered a countdown, too.

Giving these people aid was purely a waste of supplies. They would be better off dead.

"I hear that in your country, trafficking fifty grams of drugs gets you shot?" the old priest asked.

Lin Rui shrugged. "I'm not too clear on the specific laws and regulations. But one thing is certain: anyone who touches drugs dies. The population as a whole agrees with that."

The old priest sighed. "I don't know much about your country. But on this one point, I truly wish America could learn from it. 'Substance abuse' really does kill so many people."

"Substance abuse"-what a fine choice of words. Hearing it only made Lin Rui laugh, and all he could do was remark under his breath, "American journalism really does stand unrivaled in the world."

With two meals distributed each day, there was little else to do at the church.

The homeless took their food and left without lingering or feeling grateful, continuing to wander the streets.

When Lin Rui first arrived in New York, he, too, had wondered why these homeless people did not find jobs or go to government-run shelters.

He soon learned that the homeless had no credit, no background, and no address. They simply could not find work, so they smashed their already cracked pots and rapidly sank into ruin.

As for shelters, imagine hundreds of destitute, desperate, mentally unstable people crammed into an enclosed space. The place was an "arena." Some bloody conflict was bound to erupt.

Many homeless people would rather pitch tents on the streets than go to a shelter.

Though the old priest was a good man, he was not indiscriminately kind. He did not take just anyone into the church-only people like Lin Rui, with an identity, a known background, and no vices, received his extra help.

Before dark, a neighborhood police officer made a special visit to the church to verify that "the old priest had taken in a foreign student in difficulty."

As for finding Lin Rui another school, that would require wrangling with the bureaucrats at the New York City Department of Education. There would be no news anytime soon.

The old priest promised, "Leon, don't worry. America was built by immigrants. It welcomes hardworking, law-abiding newcomers like you.

"If we can't find a suitable public school to accept you, I'll find a way to contact a sponsor and send you to a private school."

Tuition at New York's private high schools was quite expensive. Without a hundred thousand dollars a year, one could forget about even entering the gates.

Lin Rui sighed inwardly at this. The old priest's resources really aren't to be underestimated. In my previous life, I didn't discover the reason behind it until he died. This time, no matter what, I have to make good use of his connections.

There was no entertainment whatsoever in the church. Once darkness fell, there was nothing left but bed.

Exhausted after a full day of work, Lin Rui was already heavy with sleep. By ten, he was lying in bed and quickly drifted off.

Yet after he had slept for an unknown length of time, at precisely midnight, a bone-piercing chill suddenly flooded every limb and bone. His eyes snapped open, and he sat bolt upright.

In his mind, the system issued an icy warning: "Demon hunter, Nightmare Space has opened. The sanctuary you occupy is surrounded by evil. Prepare for battle."

Lin Rui instinctively reached for the bedside lamp switch, only to grasp empty air-the switch that should have been there was gone.

Just then, urgent knocking came from outside the bedroom. The old priest's hoarse voice carried through the door.

"Demon hunter, get up quickly. I sense evil gathering. I need your help now."

What?

Lin Rui's heart jolted. The system did call him a "demon hunter," but he had never revealed that identity to anyone. How could the old priest know?

He got out of bed in the dark and unlocked the door.

Outside, the old priest wore a loose robe, his long, gray-white hair falling over his shoulders. In his left hand he held a bronze candlestick, its flame flickering; his right gripped a wooden staff with an ancient grain, and his eyes blazed like torches.

"Mr. Essen Borg, what are you...?" Lin Rui could not help calling out his full name.

"I am the gray-robed wizard who guards this sanctuary," the old priest said solemnly, his words swift and clear. "I will never allow the evil spirits outside to defile this pure land."

Lin Rui was even more bewildered-had the old man lost his mind? He had never seen anything like this in his previous life. But then he looked around, and his breath caught.

The brick bedroom had actually become a rough log cabin. The comfortable sprung mattress had been replaced by a hard wooden bed, and every modern light fixture had vanished without a trace.

Only a set of old leather armor and a sheathed longsword lay neatly arranged beside the bed.

What kind of show was this?

The Lord of the Rings meets The Witcher?

"Demon hunter, there's no time to hesitate," the old priest urged sharply. "Arm yourself at once. We need to patrol the area."

Lin Rui's mind was a jumble. He could only obey, fumbling into the leather armor and grabbing the longsword. The system's notification sounded at that moment:

"Quest issued: Armed patrol."

"The evil spirits outside the sanctuary are extremely powerful. You must cooperate with the gray-robed wizard stationed at the sanctuary to patrol the surrounding area, resist the invasion of evil, and defend this pure land."

"Quest completion reward: One attribute point."

The old priest turned and hurried toward the church hall, with Lin Rui close behind.

The instant he stepped out of the bedroom, he froze completely-every trace of modernity in the entire church had vanished, replaced by a rough, ancient medieval style.

Even the figure of Jesus on the cross above the altar had become a broken statue of an unknown deity.

"Go, close every door and window in the sanctuary first," the old priest ordered. The church's main doors were already shut, but several ventilation windows along the side wall remained open.

Lin Rui hurried over. Before closing a window, he could not resist glancing outside-the familiar city streets were gone. There were no streetlights or neon signs, only darkness as thick as ink.

Strange rustling came from deep within that darkness, mingled with piercing screams, sobs, and cries for help. Farther away came the chaotic sounds of collapsing walls and shattering glass.

A cold current laden with malice surged through the window, sending a shudder through Lin Rui. He slammed the window shut and fastened the heavy wooden bolt.

Almost simultaneously, bang! Bang! Bang! Impacts rang against the church's front doors, and a woman's anguished sobs pierced the wood. "Help... open the door... please save me..."

Beyond the sobbing, inhuman roars pressed closer, layer upon layer. Roof tiles rattled, doors and windows shook violently, and the entire church seemed to tremble beneath an invisible force.

The crying was so heartrending that Lin Rui's heart softened.

But the old priest abruptly slammed his staff against the floor and let out a thunderous shout-the sound waves spread as though solid, and the crying and roaring outside faltered at once.

The woman's pleas suddenly twisted into a curse filled with venomous hatred, then dispersed into the wind.

"Was that... an evil spirit pretending?" Lin Rui's throat was dry.

"That's right." The old priest's gaze was sharp as a blade. "Remember, demon hunter, draw your sword and defend this hall. As for everything outside... most are demons and evil spirits, or their minions."

There was none of his usual kindness in those words, only the biting severity of a battlefield.

With that, the old priest glanced at the longsword in Lin Rui's hand. "You're still an apprentice demon hunter and haven't obtained an enchanted weapon yet, correct?"

Lin Rui drew his sword. The blade was ordinary steel, plain and unadorned. It might be handy for chopping melons and vegetables, but against evil spirits...

The old priest said no more. He swept his staff through the air, pointing its tip directly at the blade-a mass of blazing red light surged out at once, coiling around the edge like living fire and burning fiercely.

"This is a temporary enchantment. It lasts twelve hours, which should be enough for you to complete one armed patrol."

The instant the enchantment was complete, Lin Rui felt waves of warmth flow from the longsword in his hand. It also increased his "strength," "constitution," and "agility" by two points each.

"Come with me. Let's take a look outside the sanctuary and familiarize you with the nearby streets while we're at it." The old priest placed his candlestick before the broken statue, then lit two lanterns.

"Remember, don't let the light go out, or the darkness will devour you." With great care, the old priest handed one lantern to Lin Rui.

With that, staff in hand, he swept toward the church's back door like the wind.

At the same time, gusts of sinister wind shrieked through the gaps around the doors and windows, rushing straight at the lone candlestick before the broken statue on the altar. Its faint flame swayed wildly.

The closed doors and windows were actually very thin. Any adult could have kicked through them with a single blow. Yet, bolstered by the candlelight, they stubbornly withstood the assault of the unknown presence outside the church.

Only a few cold, black currents of air seeped through the cracks around the doors and windows.

Lin Rui did not know what was outside the church, but he could sense that it greatly feared the candle flame before the broken statue and was trying every means to extinguish it.

The currents gathered without dispersing, like nimble tentacles. They hissed beneath the candlelight, constantly advancing and constantly being consumed, never managing to extinguish the feeble flame.

Lin Rui stared blankly at the candle flame for a moment, deeply worried that it might go out.

The old priest had already opened the church's back door and urged, "Demon hunter, hurry up and follow! The patrol has begun. We need to see what those evil spirits are up to now!"