Chapter 19: The Weaver’s Fear

Observing the ever-increasing number of monsters emerging from the tree trunk, Bai Yu furrowed her brow, disinclined to further expend her spiritual energy.

With two swift shots, she shattered the encroaching monsters before immediately surging towards the apex of the Flesh Tree.

The higher she ascended, the more potent the chaotic thoughts became, to the point where even Bai Yu found herself disoriented by the whispers at her ear.

This was unequivocally the core of the dream world, for Bai Yu could discern, high in the sky, the uppermost canopy of the Flesh Tree.

The brain-like canopy, surprisingly, was a hollow cavity, into which Bai Yu directly plunged through its lowest aperture.

Only then did she exhale in relief, finally free from the accursed grip of gravity; running on the tree trunk had permitted no moment of relaxation.

The instant she stepped inside, the unspeakable whispers and frenzied consciousness dissipated entirely from Bai Yu’s mind, leaving her intellect utterly clear in that moment.

[Stars], her spiritual core, ceased its voracious consumption just as swiftly, settling quietly within Bai Yu, almost identical to its previous state.

“What just happened? Is it over already?”

Bai Yu felt a pang of bewilderment, having anticipated this as an excellent opportunity to acquire her first innate arcane art.

Bai Yu lifted her gaze, peering into the interior of the Flesh Canopy.

“This place seems… a little different from what I imagined,” she mused aloud.

Upon entering the Flesh Canopy, she found herself confronted by a scene reminiscent of a medieval castle, with two staircases flanking a pristine hall before her.

Yet, Bai Yu did not allow her guard to drop; after all, no one could truly know what entities lurked within this dream.

Indeed, in a dream devoid of order, the presence of such an organized structure was perhaps the most unsettling anomaly.

She advanced with light steps, sensing that this place exerted an even greater pressure upon her than what she had previously endured.

The hall was terrifyingly silent, a stillness that felt more akin to the calm preceding a storm.

With a resounding *thud*, the entrance to the Flesh Canopy was instantly sealed shut, preventing the crimson moonlight from penetrating and plunging the hall into deeper gloom.

Bai Yu turned, only to discover her path of entry irrevocably blocked.

She shook her head resignedly, unable to suppress the thought: ‘Was this some kind of game dungeon?’

Or perhaps the dream was woven from her own thoughts.

All such considerations, however, swiftly became irrelevant as the purple torches adorning the hall’s walls ignited one by one, illuminating the entire space.

The floor began to tremble, the entire chamber vibrating as colossal roars, accompanied by the sound of shattering, echoed in Bai Yu’s ears.

“It seems it’s not time for rest yet,” she murmured.

Bai Yu once more activated [Night’s Kin]; though her spiritual energy had partially recovered, it was still far from replenishing her previous expenditure.

She would need to conclude this battle swiftly.

The hall’s ceiling began to fracture, colossal chunks of stone plummeting from above, striking the ground and unleashing thick plumes of black smoke.

Through the shattered ceiling, the blood-red moonlight streamed in, casting the shadow of an immense leviathan.

That was a creature Bai Yu had never before witnessed, as vast as a building, its entire body covered in tumors, eight limbs scuttling across the floor like those of a spider.

Its foremost two limbs resembled human arms, impossibly thick, each clutching an enormous, gleaming silver blade.

In stark contrast to its colossal, swollen body, it possessed a human head.

That head was devoid of features, akin to a blank white mask, its eye sockets hollow black abysses that fixed upon Bai Yu, as if death itself had turned its gaze upon her.

“ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!”

A cacophony, as if blended from the cries of countless animals, erupted in the hall, its grating shriek reverberating through the surroundings.

At Bai Yu’s ear, the whispers resurfaced; this time, however, she found herself able to fully comprehend their meaning.

[Twin-Blade Weaver]

“Is that the monster’s name? It seems the dream’s core is a living being,” Bai Yu murmured, shaking her head in resignation.

The deafening sound threatened to rupture Bai Yu’s eardrums.

The monster let out a mournful wail, more dreadful than any heard before; despite their slender appearance, its six limbs propelled it powerfully as it leaped from the ceiling, swinging its two colossal blades down upon Bai Yu.

[Night’s Kin] activated at full power, its tenfold amplification allowing Bai Yu to react instantly, sidestepping the attack.

Nevertheless, the immense impact generated by the blades striking the ground still buffeted Bai Yu.

Standing her ground, she was propelled backwards by the shockwave, sliding several dozen meters.

Fortunately, her shoes were of excellent quality, or they would have been shredded in that single blow.

She surmised that upon her return, she would need to prepare a set of specialized attire; though her current clothes remained pristine, not even soiled, such luck could not be relied upon every time.

Thanks to Night’s Kin, dealing with these dream monsters had been relatively easy so far, but who knew what the future held?

Bai Yu raised her hand and fired at the Twin-Blade Weaver’s head; having never handled a gun before, her aim was less than stellar.

This was precisely why her attacks against such monsters typically relied on close-quarters combat.

As expected, she missed, the spiritual bullet instead striking the Twin-Blade Weaver’s tumorous body.

“ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!”

Fetid blood spattered from the flesh, and the swollen body spun around, its two blades flailing wildly in all directions.

The entire hall was instantly reduced to chaos by this frenzied assault, all furniture and staircases splintering into fragments that scattered everywhere.

“ROOOOAAAARGH!!”

A shriek, even more deranged than before, interwoven with whispers, assaulted Bai Yu’s sanity; even she could not immediately adapt to its intensity.

Bai Yu clutched her head, swaying unsteadily, her delicate features contorted in a mask of fury and pain.

The Twin-Blade Weaver seized the opportunity, dragging its immense body as it surged rapidly towards Bai Yu.

“Damn it, that accursed sound!”

Bai Yu, steadfast against the encroaching whispers, immediately widened the distance between herself and the creature.

The twin sensations of rage and agony continuously spurred [Stars], her spiritual core, prompting its previously dormant consumption to resume feeding.

It devoured the whispers, transforming them into sustenance, into knowledge, consuming them without restraint.

Bai Yu seemed to have fully grasped the purpose of [Stars]; she directed the spiritual energy within her towards [Stars], striving with all her might to accelerate its rate of consumption.

*Thump, thump, thump!*

Bai Yu could almost hear the pounding of her own heart; poised on the precipice between life and death, she felt not a trace of fear.

Instead, an boundless rage and madness surged within her, accompanied by an inexplicable… exhilaration.

This was a sensation she had never experienced before, a stark contrast to the person she once was.

One could only describe her past self as weak.

Had she come here before this transformation, she surely would have fled in terror.

Even with the ability to resist, she would have been frozen by fright.

Bai Yu gripped the gun’s barrel, a faint smile gracing her lips.

A witch, she realized, such a being seemed utterly devoid of fear.

It was only then that Bai Yu truly comprehended: she was no longer human.

Her eyes, as profound as the distant stars, swirled like galactic eddies.

[Night’s Kin] instantly flared to its absolute limit, even surpassing its tenfold amplification cap, propelling Bai Yu like a cannonball towards the Twin-Blade Weaver.

Within her, [Stars], her spiritual core, spun with frantic energy, consuming everything in its vicinity; the whispers and chaotic knowledge gleaned from the monster now began to gradually transform within Bai Yu.

Almost simultaneously, Bai Yu precisely shot and obliterated the Twin-Blade Weaver’s grotesque hand, which had clutched the massive blades.

As the colossal blades fell, Bai Yu adjusted her posture mid-air, holstering her pistol at her waist before seizing the hilts of both massive weapons.

“ROOOOAAAARGHGH!”

Witnessing Bai Yu’s sudden transformation, the Twin-Blade Weaver’s featureless head glanced at its now-vanished hand, a flicker of confusion in its void-like eyes.

Its enormous body then began to recoil, the swollen mass seemingly trembling.

It… was afraid.

Bai Yu, clutching the two colossal blades, each taller than herself, gazed expressionlessly at the grotesque, swollen form before her.

“So, you can feel fear too?”

As if she had discovered something immensely intriguing, Bai Yu’s gaze pierced the monstrous body, perceiving the Twin-Blade Weaver’s very soul.

It was afraid, it was trembling.

“But I, on the other hand, know no fear.”

Bai Yu lowered her head, dragging the two colossal blades across the floor, leaving twin, savage gouges in their wake.

In that moment, [Stars] finally ceased its consumption; the surrounding whispers vanished, the chaotic sounds faded into nothingness, and the dream became as silent as the cosmos itself.

Bai Yu opened her eyes; [Stars], having consumed boundless spiritual energy and knowledge, had at last forged Bai Yu’s first innate arcane art.

An unknown tongue whispered in Bai Yu’s ear, yet she could perfectly comprehend its meaning.

[Blades of the Faceless Moon]

“Just the weapons I needed to borrow,” she stated coldly.

Bai Yu’s tone was glacial as her spiritual energy enveloped the two colossal blades.

Pallid moonlight and icy starlight shimmered upon the twin swords respectively.

The rage and killing intent of the very stars—this was the essence of the arcane art.

Even Bai Yu, who had never wielded a bladed weapon before, now unleashed her own unique sword dance, born of fury and murderous intent.

Her small, graceful form moved through the air, wielding the colossal blades, utterly dissecting the bloated, vile body into fragments.

The two massive blades wove through flesh and bone, yet ultimately succumbed to the overwhelming spiritual energy, shattering completely as Bai Yu delivered her final strike.

[It is over. It seems you have finally comprehended the true nature of a witch.]

Moweila’s voice broke the profound silence.

“Indeed,” Bai Yu replied.

[Are you satisfied with who you are now?]

“Hmph…”

Bai Yu ascended the shattered staircase, moving towards the now ethereal sky.

The dream’s curse had lifted, confirming Bai Yu’s suspicion that the gun was no ordinary wondrous item.

What kind of curse could construct such a terrifying dream? Had it not been for her near-cheat-like [Night’s Kin], she would likely have been torn to shreds by the monsters long ago.

Everything around her grew indistinct, and the dream concluded.

Within her, [Stars], her spiritual core, had at this very moment, unequivocally ascended to Tier Two.