Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

When Lin Yi returned to his hotel room, the room was dimly lit, with only a small lamp on the bedside table emitting a dim yellow glow.

Instead of resting on the bed as usual, Gulu sat on the edge of the bed with his back to the door, head down, carefully applying a dark green plaster to a hideous scratch on his left arm.

The plaster emitted a faint herbal scent, which mingled with the lingering smell of blood on her body.

Hearing the door open, Gulu paused, but didn't turn around. She just pressed the ointment harder on the wound, gasping almost inaudibly from the pain.

Lin Yi closed the door and glanced around the room.

Two shadowy ninjas lurked in the shadows of a corner. The room was neatly arranged, with no signs of fighting or intrusion.

His gaze finally fell back on Gulu, whose arms were covered with deep, bone-revealing lacerations, extending from his shoulder to his wrist. His trouser leg was also torn, revealing equally horrific claw marks on his calf, the flesh rolled back, the edges turning an unnatural bluish-black, as if injured by some corrosive force.

"What happened? You look so disheveled." Lin Yi sat down by the bed and asked.

Gulu turned his head, his face still showing lingering anger and a hint of barely concealed embarrassment.

She bared her teeth, as if someone had hit a sore spot: "A damn pervert!"

She spoke very quickly, her voice filled with intense resentment, as she recounted her recent experience.

According to Gulu, the nightmare realm she later entered alone was a school setting with relatively weak rules.

The dilapidated school buildings and empty playground are haunted by monsters based on school legends and fears, such as faceless wandering students and dormitory supervisors dragging rusty iron chains.

Compared to the strict and complicated rules of midnight cinemas, the rules there can be described as "mild" or even "simple".

With her combat experience and abilities, she was practically unstoppable inside. She quickly gathered a group of dreamers by combining violence and intimidation, almost wiping out all the monsters in the scene and reaping a lot of resources.

Finally, they drove away all the remaining monsters and sealed them off in the principal's office building.

“Everything was going smoothly, and we were about to find that cowardly principal and get rid of him completely,” Gulu gritted his teeth, his hand clenching unconsciously, then loosening as it aggravated his wound. “Just as we were about to rush in, a guy suddenly appeared at the building entrance.”

“It just appeared out of nowhere, like a 'whoosh'.” Gulu gestured, a hint of surprise still lingering in his eyes. “Wearing a tattered black robe, you couldn’t see his face, and the smell on him… was more disgusting than a corpse that had been soaking in a mud pit for three months.”

At first, the dreamers, including Gulu, thought that this was the ultimate boss hidden in the school scene and that they would have to challenge in the end. Although the way it appeared was a bit strange, given that the previous battles had gone too smoothly, no one paid much attention to it. Some of the more impatient dreamers even thought that this was the last chance to steal the kill.

Several eager dreamers immediately rushed forward.

As a result, before even Gulu could fully see what happened, those people were torn to pieces in an instant.

“The opponent’s attack was ridiculously fast, and…” Gulu frowned, as if recalling that discomfort, “its attack method was very strange. Wherever its claws touched, it not only caused injury, but it seemed that even its ‘existence’ itself was weakened a little.”

Realizing that the enemy was a far more terrifying foe than expected, Gulu immediately retreated.

But the monster was incredibly strong, especially its regenerative ability. The wounds that Gulu had inflicted on it healed almost instantly.

"It didn't seem to be coming specifically for us," Gulu recalled. "It stood in the doorway, not actively chasing after the people who were running away, but rather seemed to be... guarding? Or searching for something?"

During a lull in the fighting, she heard the monster mutter to itself in a distorted, hoarse voice.

“...The echo...has been alerted...it must be...cleared…”

It was precisely because it seemed to have other goals and was somewhat distracted that Gooru found an opportunity to unleash its power and successfully launch a sneak attack.

The effect of that attack exceeded her expectations, almost splitting the monster's upper body diagonally in half.

The monster's movements faltered for a moment, and Gulu seized the opportunity to escape, using the gap in the Nightmare Realm's rule transition to flee back.

Most of her injuries were sustained during her final, desperate attack when she was caught off guard by the opponent's counterattack.

“That thing is impossible to kill, or rather, conventional methods are completely ineffective,” Gulu concluded, his tone frustrated. “I feel like it’s connected to the bottom layer of the entire Nightmare Realm. Unless you can completely dismantle that hellhole, it can probably regenerate indefinitely.”

Lin Yi listened quietly, his fingers unconsciously tapping on his knee as he rapidly processed the information in his mind.

The echo has been disturbed? The anomaly must be cleared?
He immediately thought of the [Echo Resonator] he had just acquired and activated.

Just as they locked onto the fluctuations of "Echoes of Sleep," a powerful monster was alerted and appeared on the other side, mentioning "echoes."

This is no coincidence; there is a clear causal relationship between the two.

It seems that the importance of "Echoes of Sleep" is greater than he expected, and it appears to be affecting the nerves of some being deep within the nightmare.

No wonder the research institute is so tight-lipped about it. The cost of obtaining relevant intelligence is so high, probably not only because it involves the core secrets of the Nightmare World, but also because tracking it itself would bring extremely high risks.

Gulu has already experienced this risk for him.

"Submit your promotion request," Lin Yi said to Gulu without explaining directly.

Gulu paused for a moment, not understanding why this was suddenly brought up, but still did as instructed.

Soon, a look of surprise flashed across her face, clearly because she had seen the newly activated promotion mission two - [Echo Source Tracing], and the "Slumbering Echo" mentioned in the mission description.

She looked up at Lin Yi and pointed to the words on the task panel: "Is it because of this?"

Lin Yi nodded: "I just got the device to track it from the research society."

With a flick of his wrist, the intricately designed brass compass appeared in his hand, its central crystal prism slowly rotating and emitting faint energy fluctuations.

"It seems that using it does attract some 'attention'."

Gulu's expression instantly became incredibly interesting, first astonished, then understanding, and finally all turning into gritted teeth and furious: "So I took a bullet for you?! That bastard was after you!"

"That's one way to understand it," Lin Yi admitted readily. "Tell me about the monster's specific strength. Besides its strong regenerative abilities, what other characteristics does it have? What weapon does it use? What is its energy attribute bias?"

If we continue to trace the source of the "Echoes of Sleep," we will inevitably encounter this type of enemy again sooner or later, and they may even be stronger. Therefore, it is crucial to obtain intelligence in advance.

Although Gulu was so angry she wanted to bite someone, she knew what was important and what wasn't. She suppressed her anger and thought carefully: "In terms of absolute physical attributes, it's probably just over the sixth rank threshold. Its strength and speed are strong, but not insurmountable. What's truly outrageous is its tenacity. Its combat skills... are extremely strong. Its close-combat experience is terrifyingly seasoned. Its prediction, dodging, and timing of attacks are at least at the level of a grandmaster in close combat. Moreover, its style is extremely bizarre, unlike anything a human would do."

"The claws are the primary weapon, carrying a chilling, corrosive energy that is difficult to dispel once it touches the body, continuously eroding both the body and mind. Moreover..."

She paused, her tone growing more serious: "It seems to be able to utilize the school's rules to some extent, or rather, its very existence subtly distorts the surrounding rules. Not in a domain-like way, but more like... it has become part of the rules. Attacks landing on it always feel weakened by the 'rules,' making it extremely difficult to kill. I feel that unless we can completely annihilate it instantly, or, as you said, sever its connection with the Nightmare Realm itself, it's simply impossible to kill."

Lin Yi silently memorized these characteristics.

He was not without ways to deal with this type of enemy.

Extremely high frequency of attacks can cause its recovery speed to be unable to keep up with the damage speed, or large-scale devastating attacks, or even attacks targeting the soul level, can be tried.

If all else fails, as he had previously thought, it's not impossible to directly spit out a mouthful of poisoned milk to burst or contaminate it from the inside.

However, Lin Yi usually avoids using this method because he is unsure of the true nature and limits of this type of monster.

If the "poisonous milk" happens by accident and resolves a hidden danger in the opponent's body or replenishes their core energy, then it is purely aiding the enemy.

After gathering enough information, Lin Yi looked at the wounds on Gulu's body that were still eroding her life force and said, "Throw away the medicine in your hand. That stuff is too slow to work and can't eradicate the residual energy erosion."

Gulu didn't react for a moment: "Huh? This medicine is quite expensive, I don't want to have a scar..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Yi raised his hand, and a healing spell gathered in his palm, enveloping Gulu. Life energy surged in like a tide, and the hideous wounds on Gulu's arms and calves began to heal at a visible speed.

The rolled-up skin and flesh quickly closed and regenerated, the bluish-black color was dispelled and purified by pure vitality, and even the slight dark wounds and fatigue under the skin were soothed.

In just a few seconds, the light faded, and the wounds on Gulu's arms and legs had disappeared, leaving his skin smooth and new. Even the calluses from holding the dagger for a long time had peeled off, revealing the new skin underneath.

Gulu moved his arm in disbelief and touched the original wound. Indeed, there was no trace left. The cold, corrosive feeling in his body had completely disappeared, replaced by a warm and comfortable feeling, which even relieved a lot of his mental fatigue.

She looked down at her hands, which had become slightly softer, and said with a strange expression, "Your healing technique... is a bit too over-the-top."

Even his old calluses were gone, which just goes to show that Lin Yi's level of life energy is frighteningly high.

"It's very energy-consuming," Lin Yi replied simply, without further explanation.

Gulu pursed her lips and didn't ask any more questions.

She collapsed back onto the bed, overwhelmed by a wave of intense fatigue.

"I'm exhausted from entering the Nightmare Realm twice in a row. My mental energy is almost completely drained." She rubbed her temples. "Anyway, there's no time limit for Mission Two. I'm going to take a nap. Don't wake me up if the sky falls."

After saying that, she fell asleep almost instantly.

Lin Yi put away the [Echo Resonator], and the room returned to silence.

He looked at the sleeping Gulu and sensed the echo pulse again.

The presence of the Nightmare Mark, the sense of being watched by the Resonator, and the powerful monster Gollum encountered all indicate that the road ahead is fraught with danger.

But high risk usually means high reward, and whether it's a promotion mission or the possibility of touching the world's core secrets, it's worth the risk.

However, as Gulu said, continuously entering the Nightmare Realm and fighting powerful enemies does indeed consume a lot of energy.

Even he needs time to adjust his condition and get himself back to his best level.

Outside the window, the eternal twilight of the sleeping city shines through the glass, casting a gray hue over everything inside.

Lin Yi diverted some of his attention to control the [Echo Resonator]. The intricate array of crystal prisms inside the brass compass continued to rotate slightly, transmitting the pulse fluctuations to him with perfect accuracy.

This perception is not auditory, but more like a resonance that acts directly on the soul, a directional intuition.

"The world's lament..." Lin Yi recalled Bliss's description, which was indeed quite apt.

The fragility and heaviness carried within these fluctuations are difficult to describe without experiencing them firsthand.

Time passes in silence.

Tracing the source of the "Echoes of Sleep" is no easy task. Judging from Bliss's description and Gollum's experience, its danger level far exceeds that of ordinary nightmare realms.

This hotel is currently considered a safe zone due to its special status and the research institute's subtle protection, but it remains to be seen how long this safety will last.

To ensure safety, Lin Yi summoned ten more soldiers from the Shadow Legion to burrow into the shadows of the room and keep watch.

Anyone attempting to approach or spy on the room will be killed without exception.

This time, Lin Yi did not passively sense it, but tried to probe it with a trace of energy to get a deeper feel for the "echo" fluctuation.

hum-

The compass vibrated slightly, and the central crystal prism suddenly accelerated its rotation, emitting a more pronounced soft halo.

The agonizing, pulsating sensation became several times clearer in an instant, like a dull bell tolling directly in the depths of one's mind.

More fragments of information surged in with the pulses, chaotic and bizarre:
...A shattered scream...a twisted corridor...an endless staircase...whispers...pleading...a desperate silence...

These fragments crashed against Lin Yi's consciousness like a tidal wave, trying to drag him into that chaos.

He calmly recorded these fragments, trying to sift out useful information while attempting to pinpoint the direction of the pulse source.

Almost the instant he deepened his connection with the echo, a strong sense of being watched descended upon him once again!

This time, it was no longer a vague feeling, but a near-tangible malice.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees suddenly, and a very faint smell of decay filled the air, similar to the smell of "a corpse that has been soaking in a swamp for three months" that Gulu described.

The ninjas in the corner instantly assumed a fighting stance, warily scanning their surroundings, but they seemed unable to pinpoint the source of the malice.

Gulu, still fast asleep, shifted restlessly, uttering mumbled incoherently, as if it too sensed the oppressive, heart-pounding feeling.

Lin Yi remained expressionless and immediately cut off the energy that had penetrated deep into the resonator, maintaining only the minimum basic sensing.

The intense feeling of being maliciously spied on quickly diminished and faded, as if a thread had been cut. A few seconds later, the unusual atmosphere in the room completely disappeared, and the temperature returned to normal.

Only the faint, lingering smell of decay in the air proved that what had just happened was not an illusion.

"...Such a quick reaction." Lin Yi looked at the resonator in his hand, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He was merely trying to deepen the connection, far from reaching the point of using the "Deep Resonance" active skill, yet he immediately elicited such a strong reaction.

That so-called "nightmare mark" was like an extremely sensitive alarm, firmly bound to him and the resonator.

If he tries to analyze the "slumbering echoes" more deeply, it will immediately alert the monitoring mechanisms behind it.

The monsters that Gulu encountered were probably just one of the coping mechanisms.

This means that in the upcoming tracking operation, he will likely have to face continuous interference and attacks.

After an unknown amount of time, Gulu let out a long yawn, rubbed his eyes, and sat up.

She seemed to have recovered a lot, although her face still showed signs of sleepiness, but her energy and spirit had returned.

She twitched her nose and immediately caught a familiar scent.

"That bastard came here?" Gulu looked at Lin Yi, and she could smell that familiar stench in the air.

"Hmm, the moment I activated the device, the other party tried to emerge from the inner world, but I managed to cut off the device in time. It seems we'll have to reconsider."

Lin Yi spoke calmly, as if he were talking about a trivial matter, "It seems that if we delve a little deeper, we'll attract those things."

Gulu wrinkled its nose in disgust, as if it could still smell the faint stench of decay: "It's like a persistent ghost... What should we do? Should we just stop using this thing?"

“Use it, but not like before.” Lin Yi put away the resonator. “We need to find a way, either to block its ‘alarm’ signal, or…”

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, “...Prepare a sufficiently ‘enthusiastic’ welcome ceremony just as they are attracted.”

Gulu immediately understood his meaning, a bloodthirsty excitement appearing on his face, but then he curled his lip: "Easy for you to say. Too many of those unkillable things will be troublesome. And what if we attract something even more powerful?"

"So we need to prepare. The Research Institute's shop has unlocked quite a few new items, perhaps including equipment that can temporarily isolate fluctuations or counter those kinds of monsters. I plan to go to the Research Institute again later to talk to Bliss and see what new items are in the shop." (End of Chapter)