Nightmare Despair

Chapter 13 Nursery
[Defeat the 'Paper Doll' to gain +6 Universal Experience Points]

[You have shaken off the illusion; Mysticism Experience Points +1]

[Mysticism lv0→lv1]

"In a world full of filth, the eyes are a curse."

[Note: Knowledge is a double-edged sword; beware of its corruption.]

……

A rusty two-handed sword

Zhou Kai shifted his gaze from the sword hilt stuck in the ground not far away.

Huh, huh...

He was panting heavily as he lay on his side in the damp, cold mud.

He was still clutching the tender bud that had saved his life.

The oil lamp, which I thought had gone out, now stands steadily not far away, stubbornly burning with a small flame.

Zhou Kai forced an awkward smile, struggled to his feet, and picked up the oil lamp.

The illusion shattered; the magnificent hall vanished, replaced by the overwhelming smell of earth.

The actual basement was small, only about 30 square meters, and it was low and damp.

In the very center was a square pool built of bricks and tiles, filled with black soil and some rotting grass.

In the corner lay several broken pottery jars and a dark little hole, its destination unknown.

Looking at the small hole, Zhou Kai felt a chill run down his spine, sensing that this was not a place to linger.

He decided to act quickly and go up as soon as he finished exploring.

In the brick pool, Zhou Kai found a notebook with only a few pages written on it.

The notebook pages were damp, soft and wrinkled to the touch, but the ink was eerily clear, as if it had just been written on.

Clean soil is hard to find; even the ground is contaminated with insect eggs... This is the last piece of clean soil.

[Placing it here should keep out the filth underground.]

[Amazing plant, it doesn't need sunlight.]

But... the nursery is about to collapse.

"nursery?"

Zhou Kai's eyes lit up as he looked thoughtfully at the grass sprout he had just put back in his pocket.

"Could it be planted here?"

Zhou Kai carefully buried each grass sprout into the nursery soil.

Suddenly, a chat box popped up above the nursery.

The Moonlit Orchid is thriving.

The aura she exudes will dispel despair within a certain range.

Zhou Kai laughed, feeling better than ever before.

This trip to the basement was worthwhile; this thing, like the fireplace, is definitely a special structure!
"So this seed is called Moonlight Orchid... I wonder what it will look like when it grows up."

Zhou Kai stared at the few tender green spots and took a deep breath.

He looked at his panel and a brilliant idea suddenly popped into his head.

"Since you saved my life, I'll invest a little and give it a try."

Zhou Kai focused his mind on the tender bud, and a small plus sign appeared.

Sure enough, this skill point allocation panel is much more flexible than I imagined!
Zhou Kai couldn't help but become curious...

If those who were caught up in the nightmare world like me obtained identification, would they also be able to access the panel?
Is this something unique to me, a cheat code?

Of course, now is not the time to think about that.

A new dialog box suddenly popped up on the nursery.

[Lack of fertilizer]

Zhou Kai's heart skipped a beat.

Special buildings are nice, but you have to be able to afford to maintain them.

The fertilizer for this stuff probably has to be made from monster corpses...

He hesitated for a moment, then picked up a wad of tattered paper from the ground, tore off a small piece, and buried it in the soil.

Then, he took out most of the remaining seeds from his pocket and planted them as well.

Then, he silently decided on the upgrade path for Moonlit Orchid.

The Moonlit Orchid will consume less fertilizer as it grows.

You paid 2 general experience points.

Standing beside the Moonlit Orchid nursery, Zhou Kai could feel a positive boost similar to that of a fireplace, but because the plants were still too weak, the feeling was faint.

"I'll come see you again later."

Zhou Kai shook his head, picked up the oil lamp and axe, and walked towards the dark hole in the corner.

That place has a very bad feeling; it's best to find something to block it up.

Zhou Kai carried the broken pottery jars and miscellaneous items from the corner to the entrance of the hole and threw them down.

The entrance to the hole was angled, as if something had crawled out or climbed in there.

This idea made him very uncomfortable, but fortunately the hole wasn't big, so it was relatively easy to block it up.

"I hope this hole doesn't lead to some weird place." "I'm going to spend the night in this house early the day after tomorrow, and I don't want to be in two places at once."

"Have mercy on me, as I have to deal with attacks from both above and below ground."

But he also knew that if something really did crawl out of the hole, no amount of broken jars or even sealing it with cement would help.

Filling it in is just for peace of mind.

To resolve the underground hazards, we still have to rely on this Moonlit Orchid.

"But how much will the Moonlit Orchid grow before that night comes?"

Zhou Kai completely filled the hole and stomped on it a few times.

He returned to the nursery, knowing full well that the above-ground and underground were equally important.

So he buried all the remaining pieces of paper in the ground.

"Anyway, a little scrap of paper probably won't burn for long, so I might as well leave it for you to use as fertilizer."

His smile carried a hint of financial hardship.

Zhou Kai pulled the two-handed sword from the soil next to the nursery and planned to take it to the first floor.

As he turned to walk up the stairs, a new dialog box popped up in the distance behind him in the nursery.

The painting, tainted with misfortune, dissolves beneath the roots of the sacred flower.

You received a gift from Moonlit Orchid.

[Status Attained: Clear Mind]

Zhou Kai suddenly stopped in his tracks.

His gaze drifted to his personal panel.

[Character: Zhou Kai]

[Status: Erosion, Clear Mind]

【技能：综合格斗lv2（3/25），轻盈步伐lv2（5/25），神秘学lv1（0/15）】

[Items: Residence permit, bloodstained axe, rusted chef's knife, Morning Star Notebook, Moonlit Orchid Seed (full), nearly dried-up oil lamp, rusty two-handed sword]

[General Experience Points: 7]

"Clear-headed?"

Zhou Kai focused his consciousness on this new state, and a secondary page unfolded accordingly.

[Status: Clear-headed]

[Effect: In the current state, one is less likely to fall into hallucinations, sensory acuity is enhanced, and learning efficiency is moderately improved.]

Duration: 36 hours

"Um?!"

"made money!"

Although the nursery doesn't directly give experience points, it does give buff status effects!

This thing is just as helpful as a fireplace, and in certain situations, it's even better than a fireplace!
The 36-hour duration means he can bring this buff back to reality...

As a result, Zhou Kai's confidence in facing the nightmare summons the day after tomorrow instantly soared.

"Moreover, different plants might bring different gifts..."

……

Back on the first floor, the warm light from the fireplace dispelled the chill from the basement.

Zhou Kai recovered quickly under the firelight.

With his mind "clear," everything he had recently learned and practiced flashed through his mind like a movie in fast-forward.

Zhou Kai suddenly had a strange sense of déjà vu.

It was as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over his head, washing away all the distractions and fatigue from his mind.

The world is clearer than ever before.

"Perfect, let's try this."

Zhou Kai placed the axe against the wall and gripped the heavy two-handed sword with both hands.

He recalled the instructional videos shared by Flash Dillam and began practicing.

The greatsword was no longer heavy, and the moves in my memory were no longer scattered fragments, but a never-ending river.

He didn't even think; his body started moving on its own.

Every turn, every swing, was so precise it was as if he had practiced it a thousand times.

Ten minutes later, a complete swordplay demonstration was finished.

The subtitles floated past Zhou Kai's eyes.

You are rehearsing the movements from your memory.

You have acquired the skill: Soraka Swordsmanship

[You have completed a precise practice session. Soraka Swordsmanship Experience +1]

[Soraka Swordsmanship lv0→lv1]

The two-handed sword, weighing three kilograms, felt as light as a feather in his hands.

Zhou Kai knew that it wasn't that it had suddenly become lighter, but rather that his own strength had increased.

Compared to mixed martial arts, which focuses more on enhancing body coordination and agility, Soraka swordsmanship, as a greatsword technique, brought him a perceptible improvement after just one level up.

(End of this chapter)