“Only by breaking through the limitation of your pain can your mental power grow. Do not be afraid of pain; embrace it and surpass it.”
This statement was written on the spell page. It was listed under training alongside ‘sacrifice’ as the basis principle to mastering spells. Transmutation of pain was a kind of power. Carlot Doctors not only had to face their own pain but the pain of the patients, so they had to understand it to better digest it.
Gu Jun gave a long sigh as he appeared to come to a decision. The determination also made the power of light residing within him resonate with brightness. The figures of the Carlot Doctors revived into activity. He glared angrily at the second floor of the old manor and sang in the foreign language, “Carlot Doctors, in the times of peace, you fight for harmony.”
The little ditty was in itself a protection spell. Lightning flashed across the dark sky and pierced through the palpable darkness. The scattering of strange shadows on the second floor appeared to be temporarily frozen. Other foreign voices joined in. The twelve figures in white robes all took out their Carlot Scalpels. Even Raybundy’s humble face was lined with courage as he sang loudly, “When the whole world is collapsing and imploding, when humanity has nowhere else to turn but horror...”
“You will not turn back.” The other students joined in, even Teacher Orlem. The young watcher was ecstatic. The faces of the mayor and the other villagers took on a semblance of joy. The village of Warsong was going to be saved.
The legendary Landon, his eyes were shining brighter and harder than his peers. He raised his scalpel in aggression and shouted out the last line of the spell. “You shall use your sharp surgical knife to slice through the darkness!”
With a resounding crack, some of the windows of the old manor were shattered. The eerie lighting inside the house started to flicker. The space appeared to be twisting.
“Hmm...” Wu Siyu could feel the grip over her mind slowly releasing, and the world around them appeared to be brighter. The first thing she did was reach out and plant her hand on Gu Jun’s arm to channel her mental power into him.
More and more windows of the old manor shattered. The decaying corpses shuffled above exploded like bloated corpses, their putrefying pieces washed away by the cleansing storm.
“Child, you have tried your best,” the voice from inside the old manor said. The voice was indescribably sick. It was a combination of the foreign people’s dead bodies, the ESP children, and the dead. Underneath the indifference, there was an undercurrent of another emotion. “But unfortunately, that is still not enough.”
Every face suddenly turned into a mask of twisted horror in that moment, and they released shrieks that blanketed the world. The bulging manor started to change again. The architectural shape and shadows were melting and morphing into strange yet majestic stone pillars and alluring carvings.
The light that just brightened was instantly snuffed out, and the lightning in the sky was smothered out. Gu Jun focused his gaze, it was R’yleh. It was a projection of R’yleh.
‘They are trying to connect to the dreaming energy coming from R’yleh.’
“It’s pointless.” Ol’ Uncle Dog’s hoarse voice cut through. “This nightmare is the amalgamation of many forces. You are not going to defeat it alone.”
There was a rave inside the imposing old manor, but the group of Carlot Doctors stranded on the backward country roads looked like a group of defeated soldiers. Even with the combined mental power of Gu Jun and Wu Siyu, they were too drained...
“Is that so?” His heart felt like it was about to stop, but there was no trace of despair. The determination shone through. He had to destroy this nightmare. He had to stop that connection from being made, or else there would really be no more chances. “I wonder where I can find reinforcements.”
He had the Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan in mind. Granted, he had only studied the first chapter, and his mastery of it was less than half complete, but it was better than nothing.
“No sun no moon, no sky no time.” Gu Jun started to cast the spell. Wu Siyu and all the Carlot Doctors joined in. “Action comes with shapes, not lost!”
He tried his best to control the summoning power. The ripple of change could be felt around him. The earth appeared to be shaking. Some unformed darkness burst out from the ground. It was unclear what kind of existence it was. It all pounced at the old manor and leaped right into the second floor foyer. It jumped at the dead bodies, children, and Ol’ Uncle Dog. Some shadowy figures instantly flitted forward to block their path. When the two parties collided, there was a strange clashing sound. Both parties dissipated into nothingness. However, as the shadows inside the old manor faded, others moved forward to take their place. They had formed a formidable bulwark. On the other hand, the number of shadows summoned by Gu Jun was decreasing, and their shapes were having greater trouble coalescing. They were like candles, snuffed out with a puff.
“Oh? These are... Regardless... they won’t be enough.” The twisted voice began again. It had barely discernible impatience and condescension running through it. “Child, do you still not understand? Even with your iron will, even if you exhaust all your mental power, it will not even leave a dent on this nightmare.”
The young watcher, the mayor, and the villagers had their brows deeply pleated. Even they could tell that the Carlot Doctors could barely keep up. Every doctor’s face was strained and stressed. They turned from feverish red to deathly pale. Some were already swaying and kneeling on the ground.
“...” Gu Jun took gruffy breaths. He wanted to challenge the voice, but he could barely summon the strength to even speak. The corruption rate had reached ten percent. The old manor was still standing strong, and the strange figures had not depleted. It was like a wall that could never be breached.
“Dirty-minded Jun, do you hear that?” Wu Siyu, who was about to collapse, suddenly let slip a whisper. “Is that someone calling your name?”
‘Someone is calling me?’ Once she pointed that out, he could pick out strands of voices calling his name through the overall din.
“Ah Jun, can you hear us? Answer us!”
“Tycoon Jun, Tycoon Jun!” That was Cai Zixuan’s voice.
“Kid, at least get us a response. We’re here!” And it was Elder Tong.
‘What is going on?’ Gu Jun latched onto these voices that appeared to come from nowhere. He could feel his mental power refreshing, rising, and boiling. With confusion, he responded in his heart. ‘I can hear you. I am here. You guys... isn’t this an illusion?’
Suddenly, the wind howled. A ripple through dimensions burst from around him, and something coagulated into firm existence. It was a person. The two noted in shock that it was Elder Tong, followed swiftly by Prof Shen.
“Wait, how can you be here?” Gu Jun gasped in shock.
“Hahaha, kid, don’t you know something called lucid-dreaming? We’ve dreamt our way here.” Elder Tong chuckled, seeming to savor the surprise on Gu Jun’s face.
“Ah Jun, it has been almost a week since you stopped the Nightmare Illness from claiming the people from Phecda,” Prof Shen added seriously. “With some outside help, Phecda managed to come up with a solution for us to come to this place with you as the dream anchor. But that only works for people who you are familiar with and those who share a bond with you. Needless to say, we’re here to help you.”
Just as Prof Shen finished, more people materialized into being. As Prof Shen promised, they were all familiar faces to Gu Jun!
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