Chapter 110 - 105: Commission Strategy, Fallen Spring Spirit

Chapter 110: Chapter 105: Commission Strategy, Fallen Spring Spirit

"A new era?"

"Clearing a Nightmare requires emphasizing technique and method?"

"We need to learn to fight fewer enemies with more numbers, pooling our dominant strength to gang up on the ghosts?"

Cheng Ping and the others understood each word individually, but strung together, the meaning completely eluded them.

Master Mechanic went straight to the front desk. This time, he didn’t see Mr. Hair Ghost, but the blonde woman standing behind the counter was clearly someone from the Safe Zone.

"I want to issue a commission," he said. "This commission has no direct upfront reward. Instead, the payment will be drawn from the spoils after clearing the Nightmare."

Among the Dream Descenders of the Safe Zone, this type of task was called a "foreign aid mission." They would seek outside help to clear a Nightmare together. Afterward, all kinds of loot obtained from the Nightmare would be distributed based on contribution. Usually, the foreign aid took the lion’s share, while they took the minority.

Dream Descenders like Master Mechanic wouldn’t lose out. Even if they only received a small portion, the gains would still exceed what they would get from an Ordinary Nightmare. Furthermore, after clearing a large-scale Nightmare, they would receive a massive amount of "feedback." When that time came, their development of Curse Objects would see a significant boost, drastically enhancing their own strength.

Of course, if the objective of issuing such a commission was merely to clear an Ordinary Nightmare, no one would accept it. This was because only members could cross Dream Realms, and only members were qualified to accept this kind of commission. However, the number of Cross-Domain Realm attempts for members was limited. The time of these big-shot members was extremely precious; they couldn’t possibly waste it on an ordinary commission. The returns were simply too low.

If the commission involved clearing a special Nightmare, the big-shot members might be interested. But if the commission was for clearing a large-scale Nightmare? The big-shot members would undoubtedly be interested! This was exactly what Master Mechanic relied on to confidently call for reinforcements!

The big shots were no longer satisfied with clearing Ordinary Nightmares, but large-scale Nightmares were rare. A large-scale Nightmare that Ordinary Dream Descenders avoided like the plague was, in the eyes of the big shots, a highly coveted hunting ground.

"I just don’t know which members are currently present," he mused.

While waiting, Master Mechanic invited everyone to rest. Since there were quite a few of them, they occupied two tables.

Shi An also observed his own Safe Zone from the perspective of a guest, finding it somewhat novel. As expected, Wu Qing, Wu Yue, Mr. Hair Ghost, Lina, and the others didn’t realize at all that the young man in the black trench coat sitting there was their Manager.

However, Little Blood noticed. It was a contracted, formal employee on the official payroll. It merely glanced over before withdrawing its gaze, going about its patrol. The Manager had told it to patrol the streets diligently and pretend not to see anything else.

It thought, "Hmph, humans!"

"They’re here! A big-shot member has accepted the commission!"

Before long, Master Mechanic received news from the front desk. He went to hand over the task and quickly returned, his face beaming with joy.

"This time, we have three powerful members assisting us! Our run through this large-scale Nightmare is guaranteed to succeed!"

"Three members? Which three?" someone asked.

"It’s the ’Silver-haired Witch’ Xi Xue, the ’Werewolf’ Li Wei, and the ’Rich Young Lady’ Peaches," Master Mechanic replied.

These were widely recognized titles that had gradually spread among the masses, especially for the first two. A few associate members had heard of those two, but the rest of the people who had just arrived at the Safe Zone were somewhat worried. Could they really clear a large-scale Nightmare with just three extra experts helping out? To them, clearing a large-scale Nightmare was an impossible task to begin with.

However, remembering that they had the Safe Zone backing them up, they kept their doubts to themselves. With a mix of unease and anticipation, they returned to the Withered Wood Forest shrouded in gray fog.

Xi Xue, Peaches, and Li Wei also relied on the special Ability of their Member Cards to cross countless Dream Realms and arrive at this Nightmare.

"I’ll form one team, you form one, you form another, and the dozen of you will form the last," Xi Xue instructed. "We’ll gather intelligence first and reconvene here in half an hour. Sounds good?"

Peaches made an ’OK’ gesture.

"No problem," Li Wei agreed.

"We’re fine with that too," Master Mechanic said.

Thus, the group quickly split up to scout the area.

Cheng Ping was bewildered. Wasn’t this method of exploration a bit too hasty? Yet, it was highly efficient.

Even Master Mechanic’s group, utilizing the advantage of the Witchcraft Flying Eye, managed to scout out several special areas within the Nightmare. They discovered Ghost Shadows in the gray fog, spotted a massive gray statue in the Withered Wood Forest, and even found an eerie spring.

Soon, Xi Xue and the other two returned one after another.

"I’ve cleared a similar Nightmare before," Xi Xue said. "The core is that Pollution Spring. However, before taking down the Pollution Spring, I want to deal with the other ghosts first."

Destroying the Pollution Spring would clear the Nightmare, and the other ghosts would naturally vanish with it. However, this method of clearing would result in a relatively lower evaluation. Clearing an Ordinary Nightmare was just that—clearing it. But for large-scale Nightmares, there were distinctions in the clearing evaluation: pass, excellent, and perfect.

The last time, they had barely managed to clear it and only survived because the Manager intervened to save their lives. But this time, even if the goal was a ’perfect clear,’ Xi Xue was absolutely confident. Her confidence stemmed from her strength.

Clearing a large-scale Nightmare yielded immense benefits, and she had to seize this opportunity. She wasn’t weak now, but it was far from enough. Her goal was the Extraordinary, and not just an ordinary Extraordinary. Only then would she be able to investigate the cause of her parents’ disappearance.

"I had the same idea," Peaches said.

"Plus one," Li Wei chimed in.

As for the opinions of the rest? They no longer mattered. The trio moved efficiently, heading straight for the location of the first ghost.

Within the Withered Wood Forest, the massive statue came to life. It stomped the ground, the RUMBLING sounds causing the entire earth to tremble.

In the distance, Dream Descenders like Master Mechanic felt their hearts palpitate as they shuddered in fear. Even though a few of them were in the Control Stage, they still found the prospect of directly facing a ghost absolutely terrifying. At best, they could run for a while. Fight? Impossible.

Only the hidden powerhouse, Cheng Ping, maintained a calm composure deep in his eyes. With his extensive experience, he identified the crucial points just by observing from afar.

He thought, "This statue ghost likely alternates between periods of revival and dormancy. If one wants to clear it, the key probably lies in..."

But the three members didn’t care about any strategic clearing concepts. The very reason they had joined forces was to suppress and kill a ghost in the most efficient and violent manner possible.

Li Wei transformed into a Werewolf and charged to the very front, remarkably managing to wrestle with the giant statue.

Peaches pulled out four or five Curse Objects. These Curse Objects orbited around her Magic Staff. Even though they weren’t her Lifebound Curse Objects, they still unleashed an impressive amount of lethal power. She was a Duo Bao Stream Dream Descender!

Xi Xue shaped a massive javelin and violently hurled it. It pierced straight through the enormous statue, pinning it to the ground. She was still only newly advanced to the Refining Stage, but her overall strength was more than just a few times greater than when she had gone to reinforce the Countermeasures Bureau’s camp.

Under the relentless bombardment of Curse Arts, a ghost with unimaginably terrifying Life Force was torn to pieces and thoroughly slain in just two short minutes.

Cheng Ping’s jaw dropped. The other Dream Descenders also stared with wide eyes.

"So this is how the big shots clear Nightmares?"

"No, only the powerful members of the Safe Zone can clear a Nightmare like this."

"Indeed. In a Shallow Nightmare, Refining Powerhouses are already exceedingly rare. Having several Refining Powerhouses team up to clear a Nightmare is an extreme luxury, something that’s virtually impossible to see."

"Furthermore..."

These three were simply too strong! Cheng Ping prided himself on possessing the combat power of a weaker Deputy Captain Level, but it seemed he couldn’t compare to these three—especially that Silver-haired Witch.

After eliminating one ghost, Xi Xue swiftly proceeded to the second location. Once again employing the Surrounding Beating Technique, they rapidly suppressed and killed another ghost.

With two ghosts slain in quick succession, the entire Nightmare grew turbulent. One Ghost Shadow after another surged from the gray fog, chasing their trails and lunging forward for the kill. With the Ghost Shadows launching an assault, destroying the Pollution Spring naturally became much more difficult.

However, the Guidance Squad’s combat prowess was vastly superior to what it used to be. Master Mechanic and his group of over a dozen were just along for the ride.

Xi Xue’s long silver hair flew out, transforming into threads of extreme Sharpness in midair that slashed across like blades.

SWISH—

The bodies of two Ghost Shadows were cut in half.

These monsters possessed far less Life Force than true ghosts. Once a Dream Descender wielded overwhelming power, they could dispatch these creatures in just two or three moves, resulting in a terrifying level of efficiency.

The three members carved a path of destruction through the Ghost Shadows, advancing relentlessly toward the Pollution Spring. Master Mechanic and his group didn’t even need to fight, yet they struggled just to keep pace with the three figures ahead.

"Outrageous! Simply outrageous!"

"Is this the power of a Refining Stage expert? Rumor has it that the Captain of the Countermeasures Bureau is in the Third Refinements Realm. What kind of strength would that be?"

However, knowledgeable Dream Descenders understood that a typical First Refinement Realm expert absolutely did not possess this level of combat prowess. These three were at the absolute apex of the First Refinement Realm.

There were no accidents, no scares, and no dangers.

BOOM!

With the piercing strike of Xi Xue’s final javelin, the entire Pollution Spring was shattered to pieces. By Shi An’s ear—who had been watching the whole time—a pleasant notification chime rang out.

[You have led the clearing of a large-scale Nightmare. Belief Value +300.]

[You may select three of the following five spoils of war as your reward.]

[1... 2... 3...]

"As expected..." Despite his words, a joyous expression appeared on Shi An’s face.

He also noticed that after the Safe Zone upgraded, the descriptions for the loot options had become much clearer. Not only were there Skill descriptions before recruitment, but he could also see the general appearance of the ghost employee post-transformation. He no longer had to worry about recruiting a hideous monstrosity of a ghost.

[Special: Fallen Spring Spirit]

[Description: Transforms into a special lifeform, the "Fallen Spring Spirit Ghost," and contracts it as an employee of the Safe Zone. You have jurisdiction over this ghost, and at the same time, you must pay its salary...]

[Skills: Call Tide, Elemental Form, Fallen Domination]

Call Tide was a standard spring water manipulation Skill, but the water from the Fallen Spring Spirit carried an incredibly terrifying capacity for erosion and pollution.

Elemental Form was similar to Little Blood’s Blood Concealment Body. It couldn’t turn invisible, but its transforming and Shaping capabilities were far superior to the Blood Hand Seal’s.

Fallen Domination was its core Ability.

[The Fallen Spring Spirit can control "fallen individuals" that it has polluted. The number depends on the Fallen Spring Spirit’s Tier, Skill Level, and the Tier of the controlled individuals.]

He wondered if the Fallen Spring Spirit was a summoning, army-building type of ghost. Shi An wasn’t sure how high the upper limit of this Skill was, but his initial estimate suggested it wouldn’t be weak at all. The Safe Zone had just gained another top general.

As for the other two rewards?

[Selected:]

[Building: Wizard’s Alchemy Workshop] (Synthesizable)

[Dream Curse Object Template: Ghostly Cloak (Rare)]