The so-called Land of Nightmares, simply put, is a peculiar realm formed by the amplification of evil thoughts and negative emotions of living beings in dreams, catalyzed by certain special forces. It exists between reality and illusion, and breeds many bizarre beings, posing an extreme level of danger to normal living beings.
At present, Gustavo is likely being automatically pulled into the Land of Nightmares because his soul strength has reached the Legendary Tier Three. This is because the Land of Nightmares loves to devour those with powerful souls to improve its own rule system. This is not intelligence, but an instinctive reaction.
Entering the Land of Nightmares is like entering the stomach of some powerful creature. If you cannot escape, you will be completely digested and become a part of the Land of Nightmares, forever controlled by it, neither alive nor dead, living in a daze.
Therefore, the first thing Gustavo did the moment he was pulled into the Land of Nightmares was to sense whether the spatial markers within his body existed and to activate them normally.
The result was that the spatial markers were completely unaffected, which undoubtedly put Gustavo's mind at ease.
"Fortunately, this Land of Nightmares isn't too large; it can't even shield spatial markers. Although we might encounter danger, at least our lives are safe."
With this in mind, Gustavo, feeling relieved, began to secretly observe the unfamiliar surroundings. It was a small town that had been preserved in a complete medieval style, mainly consisting of stone buildings. In the central area was a towering, pointed clock tower that reached into the clouds, and even higher up was a vortex of black mist, in which tens of thousands of ghosts floated, making it particularly terrifying in the howling wind.
"You can leave once you reach the spire of the clock tower and ring the bell."
A piece of information suddenly popped into my mind.
Land of Nightmares has the ability to forcibly pull people into it, which is extremely unreasonable.
However, in the Astral Realm, everything must follow the most basic rules of balance, and such an overbearing and unreasonable ability is naturally subject to restraint.
This information is a constraint on the powerful abilities of the Land of Nightmares.
"Ringing the bell means we must first enter that spire," Gustavo thought to himself, stroking his chin.
"There's definitely something fishy going on!"
Otherwise, the Land of Nightmares wouldn't have become a place that people dread.
"But since we can call for backup at any time, let's venture into this Land of Nightmares and see what kind of monsters and demons lurk inside."
Having made his decision, Gustavo, with his short legs, headed towards the location of the spire.
However, just as he took a step, a thick black fog surrounded him from all directions, and Gustavo was then brought to an exceptionally luxurious and beautifully decorated restaurant. In the center was a long wooden table with only two seats.
Gustavo glanced at everything and realized that if he packaged and sold everything he saw, he could easily make hundreds of millions in profit, although he seriously doubted whether what he was seeing was real.
"Hehehe, finally someone else has arrived."
A large, hairy, obese man appeared out of nowhere at the other end of the dining table. He was a humanoid creature with no nose, a single eye on his forehead, and the rest of his face was covered by an unusually large mouth.
"Donbas Clan!"
Gustavo immediately recognized the humanoid creature before him. It was not a native race of the Elven Plane, but a lower race from the Astral Realm, one of the seven royal families of the Devils of Hell, the Gluttony Demon Clan.
The Devils of Gluttony are known throughout the Astral Realm for their voracious appetites, Donbas Clan, as a subordinate race, are no exception.
"Huh? You can actually recognize my tribe?"
The fat man looked very surprised.
Of the countless races in the Astral Realm, the Donbas Clan are not particularly well-known, and within this plane sealed off by the Spellcaster Association, there is not a single person who can recognize their race.
"Ho ho ho!" The fat man let out another deep, resonant laugh.
"That makes me even more eager to keep you in this Land of Nightmares; I've been lonely for far too long."
"You're from Donbas Person, so how did you end up in the Elven Plane?" Gustavo asked curiously.
"Beat me, and I'll tell you!" The fat man patted his belly and grinned.
Gustavo shrugged. "Alright, let's do it!"
"Readily!"
Although the fat man is a villain, he has a very generous personality, which makes it easy for people to like him.
With a wave of his large, fleshy hand, plates of delicious-looking food appeared out of thin air on the long dining table in front of him. Gustavo took a few sniffs, and the aroma of the food made every pore on his body open up, as if every cell in his body was trembling with pleasure.
Recalling that his body was transformed from a soul, Gustavo's eyes lit up; these foods seemed to be specifically for nourishing the soul.
"Eat!"
The fat man pointed to the lavish food on the table, "Eat more than me, and you'll pass this test!"
Comparing food consumption to that of the Donbas Clan?
Gustavo's eyes flickered slightly.
Clearly, this is the test of the Land of Nightmares.
"This level is going to be tough!" Gustavo thought to himself. He could clearly sense the fat man's soul strength. Both were Legendary Tier Three, and with equal soul strength, Gustavo was confident he could easily beat him to a pulp in a head-on fight. But if it came down to eating...
He pondered his assets— the Soul Devourer talent, the Star Swallowing Technique.
With these two working together, we might not necessarily lose to this guy.
After all, the Donbas Clan is merely a lower-ranking branch of the Devils of Gluttony, tainted with only a small amount of demonic blood. In terms of bloodline, they are only of Legendary bloodline, far inferior to the Dragon-Hunting Spider Clan.
Moreover, as a test derived from the rules of balance, it is impossible to fake it, otherwise the logic of the Land of Nightmares's existence would have serious flaws. In other words, the food in front of us is real, and the nutrients it provides to strengthen the soul are genuine.
Or rather, as long as you pass the test, these foods are real.
Conversely, if you fail, you will not only have to vomit up whatever you ate, but you will also lose yourself. This is the rule of the Land of Nightmares.
It's very unfair, but at least they gave us a chance.
"Have you made up your mind, little one?" The Donbas Clan man was already seated, waiting.
Gustavo looked up, sat down in the seat opposite him, picked up the cutlery on the table, smiled slightly at the fat man, and said, "Then, let's eat!"
After saying that, the fat man reached out and grabbed a piece of unknown beast meat. He opened his mouth wide, his lips even splitting open to his ears, and swallowed the entire head-sized piece of meat whole. His sharp teeth opened and closed, and after a few simple chews, he swallowed it.
Seeing this, Gustavo glanced at the cutlery in his hand, rolled his eyes, and casually tossed it behind him before imitating the fat man and eating with his hands.
With the first bite, a feeling of fullness washed over Gustavo, who widened his eyes in surprise; this was the first time he had ever experienced such a sensation.
"What terrifying nutrition!"
Just one bite, and I'm already a little full?
Gustavo's expression turned somewhat solemn. He tentatively activated [Soul Devourer] and [Star Swallowing Technique], operating them simultaneously. The food in his stomach was rapidly digested, breaking down into a large amount of soul essence, which then seeped into various parts of his body.
The feeling of fullness vanished rapidly, replaced by a palpable sense of vitality, and the strength of the soul increased almost every moment.
"Nice one!"
Gustavo's eyes lit up. This was only one bite. If he ate and digested everything on the table, his soul strength could leap to the upper end of his current stage, or even the peak level.
"Eat! Even if you're stuffed, you have to eat!"
When the potential profits are substantial enough, Gustavo will set aside his caution. Sometimes, it is just one such all-out effort that lays a solid foundation for development over a long period of time.
Piece after piece, plate after plate, the Donbas Clan fat man and Gustavo devoured the food on the table like two starving ghosts.
In terms of speed, Gustavo was clearly at a disadvantage, but his rhythm was very steady, like a well-organized production line that never stopped, just like a machine.
Time passed slowly. At first, the fat man ate heartily, but later he was clearly a little full, and in the end, a series of burps came from his mouth.
In contrast, Gustavo remained deliberate and methodical, maintaining his own rhythm without any disorder. As the food in front of him was consumed little by little, his aura also increased at a slow but steady pace.
With each advancement in his aura, Gustavo's digestion speed also increases.
After an unknown amount of time, with a thud, the fat man fell to the ground, his round belly looking like it was about to burst at any moment, like a ripe watermelon.
On the other side, Gustavo glanced disdainfully at the fat man and continued to enjoy his meal. He finished everything on the table, still unsatisfied, and complained, "Bring on the food! Is this all you've got? Are you trying to starve me?"
No one responded!
The fat man has already fainted!
Gustavo curled his lip, seemingly disdainful, but in reality, he was almost full. Everything Western Capital its limits. The Soul Devourer talent and the Star Swallowing Technique are not invincible. His soul has leaped several levels in just a few days, and his current endurance has reached its critical point. If he eats any more, he might explode on the spot.
He stretched out his hand, and a vast and boundless power surged from his palm. It was materialized soul energy. Although this was Land of Nightmares, Gustavo understood that with his current soul strength, even outside, if he released his soul power at full power, the scene he would create might not be much less spectacular.
"Land of Nightmares, hmm... if all the trials after this are this easy, we might as well rename it the Land of Dreams."
Gustavo thought strangely.
As if sensing his thoughts, the black mist above the Land of Nightmares churned, seemingly in anger. Then Gustavo found his body suddenly light, and without him having to walk, he was teleported to a location only half a distance from the central spire.
Opening my eyes, I saw gambling tables, chips, and various gambling paraphernalia everywhere I looked—it was clearly a casino.
Welcome to Nightmare Casino!
At that moment, a sharp and cunning voice entered his ears. Gustavo turned around in surprise. Behind a light green gambling table stood a short Devil Clan wearing an exquisite fitted suit. His dark skull, pure white flames in his eyes, and the iconic evil pattern on his forehead made Gustavo instantly recognize him.
The Devils of Hell Clan, and not just any ordinary demons, but high-ranking demons, or rather, demon nobles.
"Hmm, I didn't expect that the Devils of Hell Clan who control the Seven Deadly Sins would also be controlled by the Land of Nightmares," Gustavo chuckled.
Upon hearing his words, the pure white flames in the Devil Clan's eye sockets flickered violently. He raised his head, surveyed the demon indifferently for a moment, and said, "The power of original sin is indeed great, but Nightmares should not be underestimated either."
"But here there are only nightmares, not Nightmares!" Gustavo replied.
The Devil Clan didn't speak, but simply pointed to the dice in front of him, "This level is a contest of gambling skills with me."
What about the rules?
"It's simple, just compare sizes, one round decides the winner."
What would happen if we lost?
"Like this!" The Devil Clan chuckled sinisterly, then turned around and gently pulled, causing the black mist to dissipate and revealing the scene hidden within.
Those were iron cages, each containing a different creature.
Gustavo saw many powerful beings of the spirit realm, all of them Legendary, with the only exceptions being a disheveled, half-bald raven and a man wearing khaki armor.
Arthur?
Rubbing his eyes, Gustavo checked several times and found that he wasn't mistaken; it was indeed the friend he had made in the Jilong Highlands.
I really don't know if this guy is unlucky or lucky.
"What? You know these two unlucky guys?"
The Devil Clan keenly noticed the unusual glint in Gustavo's eyes.
"Not familiar!" Gustavo shook his head. He wouldn't add to his burden at this moment. Besides, he and Arthur could only be considered friends to a certain extent. That guy had abandoned him and run away last time. Gustavo wasn't very vindictive and still remembered it.
"Then let's begin!" The Devil Clan didn't dwell on this point, picked up the dice on the table, and handed one set to Gustavo.
"One round to decide the winner?" Gustavo weighed the dice in his hand, a little energy seeping into them. Hmm, there was no mercury or anything like that mixed in, but the Devil Clan didn't seem to need those things anyway.
These guys are masters at manipulating people's hearts and contracts.
The leader of the lawful evil faction is no mere figurehead!
Of course, despite this, Gustavo was confident of winning this game.
Although his conversation with the Devil Clan was brief, it contained some very subtle information.
Clang!!
The two shook the dice cups in their hands at the same time, feeling the three dice jumping inside. Gustavo stared calmly into the eyes of the Devil Clan in front of him, where the pure white flames were almost frozen!
When!!
The dice cups are placed on the table at the same time!
They exchanged a glance, and simultaneously revealed the answer.
The Devil Clan: two at 6 points, one...7 points!