Chapter 21: The Forbidden Dream

Faced with such a vast array of exchange options, not to mention the firearms and other weapons, there were even summons like "Advanced Sea Servant" and vehicles such as the "Steam Cannon Airship."

Li Nanke had no doubt about the truth of the synchronization prompt stating, "Rewards may be brought back to the real world." After all, he had just returned to the real world to personally verify this; since extraordinary powers from the dream could be carried into reality, why not tangible items as well?

When he saw the latter part—“the next Forbidden Dream”—his gaze grew complex, tinged with an excitement he had vaguely anticipated, yet shadowed by a fear of the unknown future. His heart was a battleground of contradictions.

Li Nanke stopped perusing the exchange options and turned to the boundless emptiness of the "Great Shore," asking, "Do I have to continue to the next dream?"

The reply came, cold and mechanical.

"Yes. You have completed the guiding dream and have formally ascended from Dreamer to Nightmare. But this is merely the beginning; you must endure one Forbidden Dream after another, endlessly."

"You have no right to refuse. Your only option is to strive to survive and continually grow stronger."

So this was the price... Li Nanke arched an eyebrow. "What is the purpose of all this? How strong do I need to become?"

"You currently have no authority to know."

Suppressing his emotions, he took a deep breath. "Since you require me to survive and grow stronger, shouldn't you explain those traits, main essences, and what you mean by 'self,' 'beast nature,' and 'human nature'?"

"This is a special gift from the Great Shore—a grand system capable of accommodating all supernatural powers."

"The individuality of a sentient being is formed by its essential 'self,' which in turn is composed of four fundamental essences: 'beast nature,' 'human nature,' 'spiritual nature,' and 'divine nature.'"

"For your understanding, you may simply regard these four essences as 'categories,' the main essence as 'paths' or 'professions,' and traits as 'skills' or 'specialties.'"

"For example, the trait 'Breath of the Lake' you already possess grants the 'skill' of underwater breathing, while the unclaimed main essence 'Deep Sea' is the 'profession' of a sea servant; both belong to the 'beast nature' category."

"Enhancing traits allows specialization in certain 'skills,' while strengthening main essences grants comprehensive empowerment for that 'path' or 'profession.' Some peculiar main essences, once sufficiently enhanced, can even spontaneously comprehend related traits."

"Mastering the system of essence and the four fundamental natures theoretically enables one to accommodate all supernatural powers."

"I think I understand, but why only theoretically?"

Having received an explanation, Li Nanke had gained a preliminary understanding of this power system, but new questions soon arose.

"Besides, learning too much of everything isn't necessarily good. Jack of all trades means master of none. Why not pursue a single path to its ultimate strength?"

"You currently have no authority to know."

Damned riddles again!

He switched to the most crucial question: "When will I enter the next Forbidden Dream?"

"You must, within ninety natural days, find a forbidden item bearing residual pheromones, and use it to enter the next Forbidden Dream."

With the mechanical voice's conclusion, an intangible will poured into his mind.

Li Nanke felt a new knowledge take root in his thoughts—a special method called "Visualization." By employing this technique, after finding a forbidden item, he could visualize it and thus forge a connection with the Great Shore, entering a dream associated with that item.

The "Abyssal Sea" black dream data disk he encountered before was precisely such a forbidden item. Li Nanke had inadvertently touched upon the forbidden, which triggered an even greater taboo—the Great Shore itself.

"Good heavens, I need to actively seek out a forbidden item to continue to the next dream." He did not ask about the consequences of failing to find a forbidden item within the allotted time, for the answer was self-evident.

"Are there any other major rules I should know? If so, tell me now."

"None for the moment."

"If I reveal information about the Great Shore in reality..."

"You may do so. Whether in the real world or the dream world, it is permitted, but all risks and crises arising as a result must be borne by you alone."

Li Nanke's expression stiffened. This Great Shore was even grander than he imagined... No, more terrifying.

The Great Shore was utterly indifferent to secrecy and leaks, unconcerned whether reality would be irrevocably altered by knowledge of its existence—which meant that, to it, reality posed no threat whatsoever.

Neither the advanced technology of the real world nor the Crisis Control Bureau that contained and managed numerous forbidden items could affect it in the slightest.

Or perhaps, the real world had long since known of the Great Shore's existence...

With this thought, he asked several more detailed questions; after receiving answers, he shifted his attention to the exchange list.

Within the Great Shore's system, any supernatural power gained in the dream could be brought directly into reality. However, to bring back items, certain conditions had to be met—one must obtain true ownership of the item.

In the ordinary list, only Liliana's chainsaw sword was available because he had triggered some hidden condition, thereby gaining ownership and qualifying for a free exchange.

The main essence "Deep Sea" in the special list was similar; as a reward for a hidden node, he possessed ownership but had not claimed it before returning to reality. Thus, it appeared in the list as a free exchange.

Aside from necessary consumables like ammunition—which had no quantity limits—and a total of ten grenades, nothing else in the ordinary list could be exchanged more than once.

The S+ rating converted to 250 points, enough to obtain anything from the ordinary list.

After careful consideration, he first claimed the free chainsaw sword, bypassing the thermite rifle in favor of the shockwave rifle.

With the remaining fifty points, he exchanged for a five-point piece of armor—the "Apprentice Uniform Set"—and spent the rest on two types of shockwave rifle ammunition.

Compared to the powerful thermite rifle, the shockwave weapon seemed unremarkable, but in truth, its functionality was exceptional.

Shockwave Rifle

Type: Weapon / Firearm

Quality: Ordinary+

Rating: 55/100

Details: A peculiar combination firearm, equipped with dual barrels—an automatic rifle barrel with a twenty-round capacity, and a shockwave barrel with two rounds. It features adjustable cluster and scatter modes; the former delivers concentrated shockwave stun to control a single powerful enemy, the latter disperses shockwaves to repel multiple weaker foes.

Note: Shockwaves, shockwaves~ bang bang bang bang~

There were many firearms in reality stronger than the shockwave rifle, but Li Nanke valued not its real-world utility, but its preparation for the next Forbidden Dream.

The ordinary list offered little of true destructive power; the shockwave rifle was the most versatile weapon he could obtain.

The apprentice uniform set was not chosen for its negligible protection, but for the tactical belts included. These versatile belts could hold firearms, ammunition, and blades alike—essential gear for any journey, whether at home or abroad.

Though exchanged items possessed a storage function akin to a private space, accessible in both reality and dream, if in the next dream he acquired a large arsenal, lacking tactical belts would make carrying them inconvenient.

With the ordinary exchange list settled, he turned to the special list.