Chapter 17: Morpheus’s Whisper and the Shifting Dream

“Old man… uh, Boss, how much is this gun?”

Overwhelmed by her excitement, Bai Yu nearly blurted out her true thoughts.

However, the Old Man seemed unconcerned, merely lifting his head slightly to glance at the gun in Bai Yu’s hand.

“This gun… it was left behind by a hunter.”

The Old Man appeared to be lost in thought, reminiscing, before turning his gaze to Bai Yu.

“You wish for this gun?”

“Mm-hm.”

Bai Yu nodded emphatically. Although her physical capabilities had undergone a terrifying surge after acquiring Night’s Kin, her inherent caution still led her to prioritize ranged attacks.

After all, no one truly knew the nature of those Shadow Beasts, and she had no desire to approach such monsters up close.

“Regrettably, this gun was never intended for sale.”

The Old Man shook his head.

“Not for sale? Then why is it sitting there?”

A wave of frustration washed over Bai Yu. She had finally found a weapon that caught her eye, only to discover it wasn’t even available for purchase.

“If you truly desire this gun, then take it. However, I must inform you that this weapon carries a curse.”

“A curse?”

“Indeed. To wield this gun, one must forge a contract with it. Yet, every individual who has ever signed such a pact has perished within their dreams.”

“Holy moly, that’s incredibly sinister! How am I supposed to use it then?”

A shiver instantly ran down Bai Yu’s spine. If such a condition existed, she wouldn’t touch it even if it were given to her for free.

“However, should one manage to escape from the dream, the curse will be entirely lifted.”

“This…”

Bai Yu remained hesitant. Regardless of the potential reward, she dared not take such a risk.

[Take it. This weapon is no ordinary artifact; it is connected to your other spiritual core.]

“You have a way?”

Bai Yu’s spirits instantly lifted. If Moweila spoke of it, there had to be a solution.

“Yes, enter the dream and shatter everything within it.”

“Huh? You make it sound so simple. Haven’t you seen how many generations of owners have died because of it?”

[You are different. Your spiritual core is the ultimate proof.]

Moweila’s words immediately silenced Bai Yu.

She was different? What made her so special? It seemed everyone, in various ways, reflected her uniqueness.

“I accept this curse. This gun is mine.”

Bai Yu ultimately took the gun, resolving to take a gamble.

“Excellent, excellent. Remember, this gun’s true name is [Morpheus’s Whisper].”

The Old Man lowered his head once more, remaining seated in his chair, his broad hat still obscuring his entire face.

With a casual flick of his wrist, he tossed a box of bullets to Bai Yu.

“These are specialized bullets, only ten rounds. In an emergency, you can replenish them with your spiritual energy.”

Bai Yu nodded.

Moments after she departed, the Old Man’s frail body grew translucent, eventually dissolving into countless white particles that drifted into the air, vanishing completely.

By the time she emerged from the warehouse, dusk had already settled.

The peculiar space seemed to possess an effect that distorted one’s perception of time; her senses distinctly recalled not having spent such a long time selecting a weapon.

However, just as she was about to seek out Lu Xingyao to head home together, she noticed something amiss.

“What’s going on? Why is there no one in the school?”

Bai Yu’s hand instinctively went to the pistol at her waist, a sudden ominous feeling washing over her.

[The dream began the moment you left that space.]

“This… this really is the worst possible news.”

A bead of sweat trickled down Bai Yu’s smooth cheek, the unsettling sensation preventing her from relaxing her guard in the slightest.

Activating Night’s Kin, Bai Yu’s physical attributes instantly surged tenfold.

“Wait, there’s still some time until nightfall. Why am I experiencing this effect already?”

[Most likely due to the dream itself.]

Moweila’s explanation eased Bai Yu’s mind, the continuous influx of power within her body sweeping away all her anxieties.

She touched the necklace around her neck, the silver moon emblem upon it shimmering with light.

Bai Yu continued her walk, the familiar campus still surrounding her, yet enveloped in an eerie silence.

As she pressed onward, reaching the sports field, that unsettling sensation had almost materialized into a tangible presence.

The space around her began to warp, the distant buildings unable to maintain their original forms, starting to disintegrate.

The sky above turned utterly bleak at that moment, even tinged with a bloody red hue.

Whispers of strange, alien languages began to murmur in Bai Yu’s ears, ceaselessly eroding her sanity.

More and more disparate voices swirled around her, and unidentifiable, amorphous objects materialized within her field of vision.

Bai Yu tightened her grip on the gun in her hand. The reassuring feel of the weapon offered a slight comfort, yet everything before her continued to encroach upon her consciousness.

The ground of the sports field began to soften, undulating gently like the abdomen of some colossal creature.

In the distance, the fragments of disintegrating buildings started to coalesce in the sky, outlining an indescribable, grotesque structure.

It appeared like the remnants of a monstrous beast, yet simultaneously resembled a sacred statue.

[The dream is corrupting your mind. Utilize your spiritual core.]

Moweila’s voice resurfaced in Bai Yu’s mind, yet Bai Yu did not immediately react.

She was listening, intently absorbing the bizarre whispers that coiled around her ears.

Though she had never heard such sounds before, they evoked an undeniably familiar sensation.

It was akin to forgotten memories, hearing others recount a story that was inherently her own.

Gradually, she began to comprehend these eerie sounds. The thousands upon thousands of interwoven, strange murmurs now, in Bai Yu’s mind, slowly revealed their true meaning.

Her [Stars] spiritual core began to tremble, greedily absorbing knowledge, seemingly reveling and celebrating this immense feast.

In the sky, the grotesque shapes started to shift, forming into humanoid figures that plummeted onto the fractured earth, surging towards her with frenzied intensity.

They possessed no discernible features, their limbs contorted in unnatural directions, descending from the sky at an astonishing speed.

Shadow Beasts?

No, these entities appeared to be exclusive products of the dreamscape, lacking the characteristics of Shadow Beasts that Lu Xingyao had previously described.

A gaping fissure split open in the center of their bodies, revealing a crimson glow within.

“Become… nourishment.”

“Eternal… dream.”

Amidst the cacophony of whispers, Bai Yu seemed to grasp the meaning of their utterances.

She sensed her [Stars] spiritual core within her.

Its ravenous consumption continued unabated, like a dragon long deprived of sustenance, now frantically devouring all the knowledge of the dream.

[Stars] was still feeding. Though she did not know its purpose, her intuition told her it was profoundly important.

It seemed she would first have to deal with these things.

Taking a deep breath, Bai Yu raised [Morpheus’s Whisper], lifting her gaze to the horde of monsters before her.

“In that case.”

“Then, let us fight.”