Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 808 - 749: The Game Continues
The voice was initially very faint, obscured by the shouting of the crowd. However, it carried an undeniable weight, like the snap of an eggshell breaking, the subtle sound of a bud bursting free from its calyx. The tiny yet firm voice, once heard by healthy ears, would elicit a reaction, so they quietened down, turned their heads, and all their widened pupils looked this way. As other noises died away, that sound, like something breaking free of its shell, began to swell, booming like a thunderstorm, pouring down heavily in the heart of the Dream Elf.
Doludo slowly retreated, moving away from the source of the disturbance, his expression grave and his pace slow as though afraid of disturbing something. The exhausted Berserker was not fleeing; a newfound vitality filled his chest. He withdrew only to near his shield-bearing brother, to take a suitable weapon from Charles and prepare to pounce again with the ferocity of a beast.
There was movement in Armstrong’s corpse – within that massive eyeball, the unknown organization’s tearing and tremulous surges grew increasingly violent; the frequency sped up, and in the end, the rhythm seemed to dance on the Elf’s heart.
Bang!
The corpse of Nightmare opened its eyes.
A sweet scent, starkly contrasting the foul stench, emerged with the green light from within the cracks, revealing a massive emerald crystal before everyone’s eyes. That pure gemstone drew their gaze, and at the center of the big emerald, lay the beauty the Dream Elf had longed for.
"It’s Lady Irason!!!"
"She’s still alive!!!"
The piercing thorns were faster than anyone else; Susanna removed the emerald barrier that had formed after the Mana Crystal’s dissipation, and embraced Irason, who seemed to have slipped into slumber, in her arms. Susanna, out of her armor and smaller in stature than the Green Dragon Priest, cradled the sleeper’s head, her green robe covering the filth beneath.
"She’s fine, just in shock," Susanna gave a quick diagnosis and announced this good news to everyone.
The leader being unharmed once again sparked a small wave of cheers. The Dream Elf players made some conjectures, linking cause and effect, remained silent, but excitement of uncovering the truth shone in their eyes. They had defeated the Nightmare BOSS, saved the realm of dreams, and also their leader – they were heroes, true heroes.
Squirming tentacles emerged from the other side of the crack; Susanna, holding the sleeping Elf, made no move as she observed the familiar black and red tentacles. Susanna’s composure caused the Dream Elves to halt their actions as they watched the tiny cluster of tentacles twist and change, eventually transforming into the familiar dog administrator, the last administrator, Lyle.
Lyle showed a bitter, ashamed expression and quickly averted his gaze from Susanna, looking like a guilty child in front of everyone.
"It’s my responsibility, I am so sorry. Being an administrator, I became complacent and underestimated the situation, allowing the Evil God’s malice to sneak in. This terrible monster took control of me, and even held Irason hostage when she arrived to rescue. We made a huge mistake, and the administrator’s authority was soon decoded by the Nightmare. I could feel my consciousness being dissected. If not for your help, brave players, both Irason and I would likely..."
Lyle’s self-blame made the players chilled to the bone. After pondering the meaning of his words, the despair of facing the apocalypse just minutes ago seemed to climb up their spines, followed by a sense of fortune for surviving a calamity, as well as pride and honor for their actions.
[So we really did save the world! Even the dog administrator has admitted the mistake! It must be true!]
Lyle had nearly deceived everyone, but it was Susanna, with her cold and blunt stare, that looked as if she was trying to bore holes through his body. Her lips, pressed tightly, parted slightly as she was about to inquire details – the invasion of the Evil God was of utmost importance; she couldn’t just accept Lyle’s vague explanation.
Just as she was about to speak, a moan came from Irason in her arms.
The slumbering Green Dragon Priest awoke, her eyes confused as if she had experienced a nightmare, her voice’s weakness grasping tightly at Susanna’s heart.
"My dear Susanna, why is it you?"
Before the Elf Executive could say anything to comfort her, the Green Dragon Priest clutched her head in pain again.
"Ah! My head, it hurts so much! Why does it hurt like this?!"
Irason began to thrash on the ground, and the helpless Susanna could only try to steady her. She was at a loss for words, every time she tried to say something, the Green Dragon Priest suffered another bout of post-spiritual deficiency syndrome.
"You handle this, I’m taking Irason back to reality to see a doctor!" A hurried Susanna immediately disconnected from the game, and before the cradle-carried Irason disappeared, she gave Lyle a deceitful wink.
He had finally managed to deceive them. Lyle breathed a sigh of relief, but his gaze unintentionally met that of the Gatekeeper Angel. The dog administrator’s heart was raised again, as this dream incarnation of Mr. Raymond possessed great power. Before the BOSS battle began, Lyle was terrified, fearing that the Nightmare BOSS, a combined effort of both administrators, would be wiped out by Holy Light in an instant. Luckily, the Gatekeeper only gamified the Nightmare with Holy Light, which conveniently suited Lyle’s wishes.
The Gatekeeper blinked his eyes and transformed into a streak of light that dissipated.
[Crisis averted, the dungeon area still requires my guardianship.]
One NPC after another left, and the Blue Dragon muttered a few words before disappearing into the cracks of the programming code. The players fixed their gaze on Lyle, not showing the slightest intention to leave.
Are you kidding? We fought the Evil God to save the world, and if the damn admin doesn’t give us a reward, the next second we’ll start a damn admin extermination war.
Lyle’s eyelids started twitching as the stamina-recovered, weapon-wielding dream dragon Claudia stood before the players, with the Green Dragon Priest who had turned the tide being embraced by the players, and it seemed she was quite keen on the idea of continuing to beat up the admin.
Lyle coughed and pointed to the [Icario Key] in the Green Dragon’s hand.
"That’s my sword, still a beta version!"
The Green Dragon was straightforward.
"What’s yours? It’s mine if it’s in my equipment slot! It’s my skill that I got it! You better hurry up and distribute the BOSS reward, or with one command from me, from now on, you’ll be hunted in your dreams by my brothers every day!"
Lyle was unfazed, not panicking at all.
"That sword is your reward, and the experience and gold will be allocated to your accounts afterward."
"What about equipment!! Doesn’t your BOSS drop several Divine Artifact pieces of gear when it’s first killed!!!"
Where’s the equipment coming from? It’s not a real BOSS, but the Evil God mecha piloted by the admin. It’s exhausting even changing data backstage to send experience and gold. Lyle’s gaze shifted, and he saw Doludo standing to one side, the Elder Berserker’s last-ditch counterstrike made Lyle’s hair stand on end, and the final killing blow was hair-raising. This Berserker had truly taken a new step, creating new skills for Black Dragon Kin, ancient humans, which were actually invented by an Elf. Behind Doludo, the aura of the Black Dragon appeared faintly, and the arrogant Black Dragon was also vying for benefits for its outstanding subordinate.
"Alright then!" Lyle invoked his powers.
Flesh roiled, corpses surged, and the Intangible Son dangled the remnants of Nightmare, crafting it into a weapon in Lyle’s hands. Using the remnants of Nightmare, combined with the bindings given by the Holy Light and utilizing the assimilation power of the Intangible Son, Lyle fashioned a living weapon out of the scraps of Nightmare.
[Nightmare - Roaring Ripper
Type: Two-Handed Axe
Level: Divine Artifact
A living weapon constructed with the stillborn body of a Nightmare stripped of consciousness, each attack inflicting mental trauma that strikes directly at the spirit. It is both a weapon and a conjured being. The andrean spirit-calling school is very pleased to collect this piece of art, especially after they know who its creator was.
Special effect: Portable.]
"Doludo Yuehen, one in a million Berserker, this is what you deserve."
The Elder Berserker stared intently at the dazzling weapon, its pulsating, vein-like patterns on both sides, and the large eyeball in the center was still moving about. Holding it in his hands, Doludo could almost hear the war axe’s screams. This grotesquely shaped weapon, however, was the envy of all, and Doludo himself was like one possessed.
"So domineering! Damn, that’s so cool!"
"I will always love the Realm of Dreams!"
"Praise to my lord, praise to the firstborn of war, Alcalon!"
Lyle tilted his head.
Didn’t I issue this weapon?
