Chapter 136: Deep Slumber

Kang Ian once again plunged deep into that familiar, pitch-black space.

There was no light around him, no sound, and no directional markers to distinguish up from down. His body felt weightless, as though drifting across an endless sea, yet his consciousness was bizarrely sharp.

Kang Ian knew that he had likely slipped into another deep slumber.

The previous times had been exactly the same.

Whenever he entered this place, he lost all control over his physical form. He couldn’t wake up, couldn’t return, and could only leave himself at the mercy of the swallowing darkness until time ran out and he woke on his own.

Yet this time, Kang Ian felt as though he might be trapped here for quite a while.

Ahead of him, a pale blue light was quietly drifting.

It resembled a tiny lamp lit amidst the boundless night, faint, yet enduring. That illumination didn’t pierce the entire space, merely casting enough glow to sketch out a vague path stretching forward.

Kang Ian gazed at the light calling out to him, then began to walk forward at a slow pace.

Each step he took produced no sound. There was no real earth beneath his feet either, yet strangely, he was still able to walk as though treading along a well-worn road.

A deeply familiar sense of anticipation even welled up inside Kang Ian’s chest.

That’s right.

He only needed to follow this light, and he would get to see that boy once more.

His boy.

That thought quickened Kang Ian’s pace. The blue light ahead grew progressively clearer, while the surrounding darkness began to melt away in patches.

The gentle fragrance of grass and trees drifted into the air, followed by the sound of wind whispering through a canopy of leaves.

Kang Ian caught sight of a familiar forest.

Towering trees shot straight up into the sky, sunlight piercing through their gaps to speckle the ground with countless tiny dots of light. This exact scene had surfaced in his dreams an uncountable number of times, so intensely familiar that it made his chest ache sharply.

Kang Ian’s field of vision shrank drastically, his hands growing smaller as well, while an oversized set of clothes draped loosely over his tender frame before gradually shrinking to fit snugly against his body.

He looked down at himself without a shred of astonishment; undoubtedly, he had once again reverted to a child.

Lifting his gaze ahead, Kang Ian immediately broke into a run.

His tiny feet slapped against the layer of dried leaves, footsteps echoing through the tranquil woods. He sprinted past thickets, vaulted over gnarled roots jutting from the soil, chasing a memory that had guided him through countless times before.

A brilliant blue radiance gradually bloomed ahead.

Kang Ian emerged from the forest.

A sprawling lake sat nestled in the center of the valley, its surface shimmering under the sunlight like a scattering of diamond dust. A gentle breeze swept past, carrying with it a cool dampness and the scent of fresh grass.

By the water’s edge, a small figure was cheerfully holding a fishing rod.

The boy sat upon a boulder, his legs dangling over the water’s surface. His dark hair was ruffled by the wind, and a look of intense concentration graced his fair features. He was staring unblinkingly at the tiny bobber floating on the lake, entirely oblivious to the person running toward him.

Kang Ian came to a halt.

His chest heaved from the run, yet his eyes refused to tear away from that silhouette.

A mixture of raw agony and yearning surged within him, squeezing his heart tightly.

"Ian!"

The boy by the lake abruptly turned his head upon hearing his name called.

Ian shouted aloud, "Kei!"

The boy started. The fishing rod in his hand nearly slipped into the water. Turning back, Kei spotted Ian standing at the edge of the forest and instantly broke into a sweet smile.

"Ian."

Those two simple words were enough to make Ian feel every hollow space within his chest fill to the brim.

He strode quickly toward the lake.

Kei set the fishing rod aside and stood up. The boy’s tiny frame swayed unsteadily atop the boulder, yet the smile never vanished from his face.

"You’re too late," Kei chided softly. "I’ve already caught three fish."

"Three?"

"Mhm."

Kei pointed toward the basket resting nearby. Sure enough, three small fish were thrashing inside, splashing water.

Ian looked at them, then back at Kei. "Did you catch them yourself?"

"Of course." Kei puffed out his cheeks. "I’m big now, you know."

Ian chuckled softly. "That’s right. My Kei has grown up."

Kei stared at him with a puzzled expression, but a moment later, he cheerfully grabbed Ian’s hand and pulled him down to sit beside the lake.

"Ian, let’s grill some fish today."

Ian allowed himself to be led.

Kei’s tiny hand felt so warm that he never wanted to let go.

He knew the scene before his eyes was nothing more than a dream. He knew this place wasn’t real. He knew that the moment he woke up, the lake, the forest, and the boy beside him would vanish into thin air.

Yet in this exact moment, Kang Ian didn’t want to entertain those thoughts.

So long as Kei remained here, it was enough.

Outside the Dungeon, the hunters of the Crying Ghost Guild were gathered closely around Kang Ian.

Kang Ian lay motionless on the leaf-strewn ground. His expression was serene, his breathing steady, as though he were merely caught in an exceptionally deep slumber.

An A-rank hunter reached out to check his pulse, then turned to look at the others.

"The Guild Leader is still alive. His mana shows no signs of turbulence, either."

"But he refuses to wake up," another said with deep anxiety.

They had tried calling out to him, shaking his body violently, and even deploying specialized awakening skills from a Healer. Yet Kang Ian had given zero response.

"What on earth is the Guild Leader dreaming about wearing a smile like that?"