Forbidden Nightmare

Chapter 20 The Great Other Shore

Li Nanke suddenly woke up from a daze.

What caught my eye was the familiar mottled ceiling, with patches of blurred dried water stains. The yellowed walls of the bedroom were covered with a few beautiful wallpapers, and a large number of dusty data storage disks were piled on the shelf beside the bed.

Looking at the old bedroom, the memories of fierce fighting and life-and-death thrills in my dreams flashed through my mind one by one, as if it were a lifetime ago.

The black dream he just experienced was extremely real, far more real than any previous man-made dreams. It was so real that it made him doubt whether it was a dream or a real different world.

The repeated life-and-death crises caused his synchronization rate to continue to break through and rise, surpassing the previous limit.

The effect of the Breath of the Lake allowed him to finally experience the feeling of breathing freely that he had almost completely forgotten.

But now the cold reality suddenly brought him back to square one, and he had to accept this numb and blurry world and his frail body suffering from a serious illness.

Li Nanke shook his head dazedly and sighed: "It turns out it was just a dream..."

There is a short adaptation process required to drop from an extremely high synchronization rate, just like changing from ultra-clear 4K to mosaic quality, the brain needs to refocus the senses.

Suddenly, he froze in place, feeling his body carefully.
The lingering feeling of stuffiness in the lungs has quietly disappeared, but there is still a very familiar and comfortable coolness in the chest, and the tough and illusory sense of protection of scales under the skin is still there.

Put your mind into the spiritual world, and several qualities such as 'Breath of the Lake', 'Scales of the Sea' and 'Armament' will all be there.

Unconvinced, he filled the sink with water and buried his face in it.

Instantly, the 'Breath of the Lake' trait glowed, and tiny, dense gill filaments temporarily grew out of the end of the bronchial tree in the lungs again. The pool water was limited and the oxygen in it was less, so he felt suffocated after a few breaths, but the ability to breathe underwater was still there.

He actually brought the extraordinary power in his dream into reality!

Li Nanke felt an absurd sense of horror at the first moment, and immediately drew open the curtains and opened the window.

The drizzle had stopped, the sky was turning slightly pale, and the cool morning breeze blew in through the window.

Looking at this metropolis of steel and concrete, the dirty, crowded slums are filled with dilapidated buildings, and only the 3D holographic projection advertisements are bright and beautiful.

In the distance, tall buildings and skyscrapers are everywhere, and the endless stream of hovercrafts and winding trackless trains have begun to play the prelude to the daily morning rush hour.

Li Nanke held his breath and tried to increase the synchronization rate, but he was still trapped in this numb body with weak senses.

"If only this damn reality was also a dream... that would be fine."

Glancing around, he saw the dream synchronizer placed on the bedside, and next to it was the burnt and smelly black dream data disk - 'The Sea of ​​Abeth'.

Li Nanke carefully checked the data disk and found that it was completely damaged.

He did not wear the dream synchronizer before going to bed, and the data disk of Black Dream was not plugged into the instrument, so there was no possibility of loading Black Dream, but this data disk was strangely damaged which was against common sense.

He looked at the time. Only a short moment had passed from the time he fell asleep to the time he woke up, but he had spent at least a whole day in the dark dream.

With the time flow rate of the dream synchronizers on the market, it is impossible to achieve such an exaggerated thing.

Being able to bring the characteristics of dreams back to reality must be caused by some supernatural force that cannot be explained by science, and it must be a supernatural force that exists in reality...

Li Nanke closed his eyes and slowly uttered three words: "Taboo!"

The source of the forbidden disaster is the forbidden object, which is the most terrifying supernatural force in the world.

The original body had personally experienced an extremely terrible forbidden disaster. As a survivor of the disaster, he had a lifelong psychological trauma on the wilderness and safe zones.

Being able to obtain supernatural powers in reality may be a youthful dream that everyone has fantasized about, but if this supernatural power is linked to forbidden objects and forbidden disasters, then what it brings is not surprise and ecstasy, but fear and terror!
Li Nanke stood still and couldn't help but recall the synchronous prompt at the end of the black dream.

[Hidden node rewards: main substance 'Deep Sea', unlock some special exchange permissions, improve dream settlement score! ]

He understood that although the Black Dream data disk was damaged, the bizarre nightmare was probably not over yet.

If a normal person faces the supernatural power brought by taboo objects, most of them will probably ask for help from the Crisis Management Bureau as soon as possible, because the price of all gifts from taboos is difficult for ordinary people to accept.

But Li Nanke happened to be one of those few people. He pondered for a long time, suddenly picked up the medicine bottle on the bedside table, and stuffed three more zopiclone pills into his mouth.

“Since some things cannot be avoided, it is better to take the initiative to fight for them rather than passively endure them.”

"After all... I've had enough of this!"

Then he lay back on the bed and closed his eyes.

After a long time, sleepiness slowly came over me...

……

When he opened his eyes again, he was in a strange world.

The sky is pure blue, the clouds are like silk and brocade, and the water of the shallow lake under your feet is only above your ankles, but it extends to the distant horizon, endless and boundless.

Above this crystal clear shallow lake, the reflections of the sky and clouds are so clear, as if the lake itself is a huge and perfect mirror, gently erasing the boundary between heaven and earth, presenting a fascinating and strange world.

All his senses were clear and distinct; the breeze blowing against his face, the cool lake water wetting his feet, and the fresh air he inhaled into his lungs all indicated that he was in a dream.

All senses such as vision, hearing, and smell merge into a torrent of information, which squeezes into the neurons of the brain and breaks down the falsehood brought about by the numb reality.

If there is such a thing as reality, then dreams are reality. If there is a place at the end of all dreams, then it should be here...

Li Nanke was the only one in the vast world, but he did not feel lonely. Instead, he felt as if he had completely detached from the world.

A familiar mechanical voice, neither male nor female, sounded, and the words that appeared in the field of vision changed from bright red to azure blue.

[Dreamer, you have completed the dream guidance and officially promoted to nightmare, and have obtained the qualification to ascend to the other shore.] [The dream guidance is being settled...]

[The score you received in this dream is: S grade (SSS, SS, S, A, B, C, D, E)]

[Since you have completed the hidden node: Eliminate the 'Stranded Wanderer - Orfanas'. ]

[Your dream settlement score rises to: S+ level]

At this time, Li Nanke didn't care about the score, and he carefully felt the so-called other side.

The gift has been received, but at what cost...

[Based on this score, your current normal exchange fee is 250 points, and you can exchange for one item in the special list. ]

[You have unlocked most of the common exchange options for this dream! ]

[You have unlocked a small part of the special redemption options for this dream! ]

As the synchronous prompt sounded, a series of options in the redemption list appeared.

【Ordinary exchange list】

[Weapon: Howler Chain Axe, Cost -150]

[Weapon: Killer Chainsaw Sword, cost - 150 (can be exchanged unconditionally, no exchange fee is consumed)]

[Weapon: Spiked Cane, Cost -20]

[Weapon: Monk Apprentice's Sawblade, cost -10]

[Weapon: Iron Harpoon, Cost -1]

【…】

[Weapon: Thermite Rifle, Cost - 200]

[Weapon: Shock Rifle, Cost -200]

[Weapon: Arc Spray Gun, Cost -100]

[Weapon: Mauser military pistol, cost -30]

[Weapon: Martyr's Fragmentation Grenade, Cost -30]

【ammunition:……】

【…】

[Armor: Armed Monk Uniform Set, Cost -10]

[Armor: Apprentice Uniform Set, Cost -5]

[Armor: Town Resident's Undershirt, Cost -1]

【…】

[Accessory: Gilded Pocket Watch, Cost -5]

【…】

【Special Exchange List】

[Quality: Unclean]

[Trait: Tentacles]

[Accessory: Bloody Rose Badge]

[Main material: Deep Sea (can be exchanged unconditionally, does not occupy the exchange quota)]

[Trait: Storm (Cannot be exchanged if relevant conditions are not met)]

[Trait: Blood Rage (Cannot be exchanged if relevant conditions are not met)]

[Trait: Savage (cannot be exchanged if relevant conditions are not met)]

[Summoning Item: Advanced Sea-Follower (Cannot be exchanged if relevant conditions are not met)]

[Vehicle: Improved Steam Carriage of the Rammer (cannot be exchanged if relevant conditions are not met)]

[Vehicle: War Machine IV Steam Artillery Airship (cannot be exchanged if relevant conditions are not met)]

【…】

[After exchanging the above rewards, you can take them back to the real world and the next forbidden dream. 】

The general list includes almost all the weapons, equipment, and items that appear in dreams, and the things in the special list are even more jaw-dropping.

"Advanced Sea Blessed Ones, Steam Airships... these things can also be exchanged?"

(End of this chapter)