Nightmare Game
Copyright© 2025 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 54
Ethan didn’t really care much about the talk of the Treasure, since even the legend itself seemed like a distant fantasy, but at least it offered a glimmer of hope for escaping this nightmare.
Of course, if such a thing truly existed, he wouldn’t mind competing for it; for someone confined to paralysis, anything novel stirred a rush of excitement he found hard to resist.
He didn’t bother asking if anyone had successfully unlocked that instance or anything like that, figuring if Clara knew, her tone wouldn’t have been so uncertain.
“By the way, do you know what a Blessing is?”
Ethan asked out of the blue.
Ever since leaving the Castle, one thing had been nagging at him: every step there had been fraught with danger, mainly because he lacked any effective way to harm the monsters, leaving him constantly on the defensive.
If he had to face creatures like that again, one slip could mean instant death.
Especially when dealing with the Vile Gaze at the end, he’d desperately wished for something like Lucas’s transformation ability, which at least would have made him tougher and more resilient, even if he couldn’t win outright.
“How do you know about Blessings?”
Clara said in disbelief. “You just told me this was your first Dreamplay, and the initial one is known as the trial stage.”
“It’s usually low difficulty, with no hints provided, let alone mentions of Blessings; it’s basically an entry test to weed out those unqualified to become Dreamwalkers.”
Ethan was taken aback by that and followed up. “Could a Dreamwalker who already has a Blessing sneak into the trial stage?”
“Absolutely not.” Clara shook her head. “Like I said, it’s an entry test. If veterans could slip in, the whole system would fall apart.”
After thinking for a moment, Ethan described Lucas’s transformation to her in rough terms.
Clara listened, her eyes flickering with incredulity before settling into confusion. “From what you’re saying, that sounds like the Bear Blessing, but how? Why would a newcomer get a Blessing right at the start?”
Though she couldn’t make sense of it, she still explained to Ethan. “A Blessing is essentially a mysterious power drawn from certain animals, with abilities tied to the creature’s traits.”
“For instance, the Bear Blessing you mentioned includes Berserk and Divine Strength; the transformation he used was Berserk.”
“Beyond the bear, there are bats, spiders, crocodiles, eagles, lions, leopards, mantises, lizards, turtles, octopuses, and pangolins.”
“But don’t think of them as ordinary animals; they’re likely high-level entities in the Dreamplay world.”
“They observe Dreamwalkers’ performances inside Dreamplay, and those who play a major role tend to earn their favor, often receiving a Blessing as a result.”
“Still, that’s about as far as they can go; they can’t enter Dreamplay themselves, so they’re more like investors at best.”
Ethan’s expression turned odd at that, as he suddenly recalled the Ape, Snake, Wolf, Fox, and Butterfly that had appeared in his dreams for so long.
Could there be a connection?
If so, why hadn’t Clara mentioned them?
Had she overlooked them?
Unlikely; missing one or two might happen, but all five? No way.
“Are there any others besides the ones you listed?”
He asked casually, as if it were no big deal.
Clara shook her head. “No, I’ve seen the list of animals, and those should be all of them.”
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