Because he could only evolve a skill below the super-tier, at most evolving a high-tier skill to super-tier.
So, the two super-tier skills were out of the question.
The Tearing Demon Eye couldn't be evolved into a super-tier skill, because while its power would increase, so would its side effects. Given the current number of Blood Erosion Worms, they might not be able to sustain the consumption of vitality, hindering the timely transformation of combat power.
The Mind Eye Soul Sword and other spatial skills were sufficient for now.
In order to deal with the coming Beasts of Nightmare, he could only enhance abilities related to the dream attribute. Once we exclude the mid-tier Dreamscape Blessing, only the racial skill of the Phantom Dream Spider, the Dream Weaver, remains!
The ability is to weave a protective net for the dreamscape, but the ability is too one-dimensional, and it can only be used for passive defense. Compared to the Dream Eater skill of the same level, its effect is subpar.
What would it be like after its evolution?
Gary Smith directly chose to evolve it. The icon of the Dream Weaver skill blurred for a moment, then transformed into a completely new skill.
Dream Prison: Super-tier, evolved from the Dream Weaver skill, can spit out Phantom Dream silk containing space and dream power, creating a prison of dreams. The outer wall can protect the soul and the dreamland, and the inner wall is hard, capable of imprisoning dreamland life, and can also imprison consciousness of living beings in reality.
PS: The woven Dream Prison can be strengthened by absorbing the dreamscape of sentient beings.
After being promoted to the super-tier, it directly transformed from a mediocre passive defensive skill into an active controlling skill, and also gained the ability to protect the soul.
The key point is that this is also a growth skill!
It can be strengthened by consuming a large amount of dreamland!
Betting once can turn a bicycle into a motorcycle!
If the previous Phantom Dream Spider had this ability, it would have been claimed by the powers that be, and Gary Smith wouldn't have had a chance.
"Ying?"
A hint of perplexity emerged on the Little Spider's face as knowledge about the Dream Prison suddenly surfaced in its mind.
It felt it had something to do with its Master. As for the reason...
There was no particular reason.
The Master is the best!
With this thought in mind, the Little Spider started to clap.
"Ying ying!"
Master is so amazing!
Genuine praise, without a hint of flattery.
Compliments for the Saintess!
Even Gary Smith, seeing the Little Spider's rainbow farts, couldn't help but feel a little proud. This little guy really is a bundle of joy.
But he didn't forget the main issue, and ordered: "Little Spider, enter my dreamland and weave the Dream Prison!"
Then Gary Smith realized he hadn't laid down yet. Just as he thought of correcting himself, a strong wave of sleepiness came over him like a tide. Muttering "that's not good," he fell forward.
But before he hit the ground, an almost transparent spider silk held him mid-air. With a wave of the Little Spider's hand, he was gently placed on the bed and the blanket was carefully put over him.
"Ying!"
Only after finishing all this did the Little Spider, flickering in and out of the void, come to the Master's side, its form becoming phantom-like, preparing to enter the dreamland.
However, because this was Gary Smith's first time, his dreamland gateway was quite narrow. Therefore, the Little Spider carefully widened it, softly "Ying-ing," indicating that it's rather big and asking the Master to bear with it.
Then, it broadened a bit more and little by little crawled in.
In reality, as a Dreamscape Pet Beast, entering the dreamland isn't that challenging for the Little Spider, but, since it was just born and unfamiliar with its abilities, its skill proficiency is just beginner-level. Plus, fearing it might harm the Master, it moved slower.
Once it grows proficient, it can move in and out freely, even squeezing into some stubborn dreamlands.
On the other hand, Gary Smith's consciousness also entered the dreamland, manifesting in the middle of a deep sea. Once again, the feelings of suffocation and weakness were felt as his body sunk.
However, this time he remained conscious. With a thought, the scenery in front of him changed, and he appeared on a small island.
This is his dreamscape, which he can control with just a thought.
In his previous life, some people could also control dreamlands; however, they had to constantly train to achieve lucid dreams, while Gary Smith relies on the Little Spider.
Gazing up at the nine suns in the sky, they were still stacking and warping, but they didn't seem as eerie, nor did they have Beasts encapsulating within their radiance as before.
If he had to describe it, they were shapes without spirits!
Because these were not the real Taboo Suns, they were simply the Nightmare Beasts exerting influence through his mark, forcing him to constantly recall the things he fears the most.
However, memories are remodeled as time passes by, adding implications to them.
For example, if you thought some food was delicious in your childhood, it might not taste the same when you grow up. This is actually because memory actively remodels.
In short, the Nightmare Demon didn't have the ability to control the Taboo curse, so Gary Smith only recalled the fear from his own memory. Even though they look the same, it was just a high-quality imitation.
Looking at his biggest nightmare from the past, Gary Smith couldn't help but remark: "I have to admit, having nine suns is quite warm!"
"Ying?"
The Little Spider appeared on his shoulder. Even though it was blindfolded, the six Eyes of the Void behind it narrowed and didn't find it warm, but rather, felt the multiple suns were glaring.
With a laugh, Gary Smith reached out his hand and grabbed, causing the nine suns in the sky to disappear. In their place, a large, black hole appeared as if there was a leak in the sky, emanating intense malice.
This was the mark left by the Beast of Nightmare, the source of his nightmares.
With the fear gone, the true form emerged.
"Ying."
The Little Spider frowned, not liking this aura at all. Dreamland creatures and nightmare beasts are natural enemies.
It reached out with its delicate, white hands. Rainbow-colored silk threads shot out from the tips of its fingers. The spider's fingers gently pressed against the air, like a top pianist playing a magnificent piece of music.
The multitude of rainbow-colored threads danced like the robes of a fairy, perfectly interweaved together. It took several hours to weave a large spiderweb that covered the entire dreamland.
The mesh of the web was dense, and the surface of the web was wrapped with a lot of irregular threads, which could intercept some flying creatures and strengthen the web.
From now on, Gary Smith's dreamland had become a huge prison, intentionally leaving the black hole part unrepaired.
Without solving the Beast of Nightmare, the mark could not be expelled. Rash repairs might alert the enemy, so it's better to let them walk into the trap.
Once the Nightmare Demon steps into the dreamland, it will fall into the spiderweb. The more it struggles, the more tightly it will be wrapped by the silk thread, eventually becoming prey.
Now, Gary Smith wanted to become a hunter and see what effect the Skill Secret Food made by the Nightmare Demon might have.
According to the Little Spider's perception, the Nightmare Demon should attack within the next month, or possibly less. Therefore, he had to make several preparations without knowing the opponent's strength.
He really needed a dozen or so trump cards to feel secure.
Gurgle~
Hearing the sound, Gary Smith looked at the Little Spider. Its face was pale and it was in a state of weakness.
After all, it had just been born a few hours ago and had not eaten during this period. It also managed to weave a complete Dream Prison web. It was good enough that it wasn't reduced to an empty husk.
What Gary Smith didn't know was that ordinary Phantom Dream Spiders need months to weave a dreamland protection network for their masters, during which they need to eat a lot.
He had planned to weave it over several days, but the Little Spider completed it in one go. He was caught off guard.
In the end, it all came down to his lack of preparation.
The Little Spider has attributes of both space and dreams, so its diet should also follow these two attributes. Ordinary human food has only average effects on it.
Space materials are extravagantly expensive and aren't guaranteed to be available for purchase either. The newly born spider also can't directly enter the Void to devour Space Fragments.
When it comes to the Dreamland type, because of weak strength and rarity, related feedstocks are seldom sold in retail stores and can only be purchased online. But right now, there's definitely not enough time.
It's also possible to absorb the energy emitted by dreamlands, but absorbing too much can lead to mental exhaustion, memory loss, and other issues.
Having the [Dream-eating] skill is even more convenient, directly consuming dreamlands. But it will damage the soul and is illegal. Once discovered, you will be fined by the Alliance and may even be imprisoned.
As a hegemonic-level infant, the Little Spider will suffer from malnutrition if it doesn't eat much, let alone needing to strengthen the Dream Prison.
"Ying Ying!"
The Little Spider also felt the distress of its master. It casually pinched a Dream Bubble full of delicious food, swallowed it in one bite, displayed a satisfied expression on its face, and then waved its hand to indicate it wasn't hungry anymore.
The ancients had Cao Cao drawing plums to quench thirst, and now we have the Little Spider pinching dreams to stave off hunger.
But its complexion was still pale.
This considerate behavior made Gary Smith feel even more guilty. As he placed an order online, he comforted: "It's okay, I'll make you a feast!"
He thought that with his [Master of the Gate] talent, as long as he made food items above good quality, they would be imbued with special effects like stamina recovery and should be enough to fill up the Little Spider, right?
And then two hours passed...
Looking at a pile of food of [ordinary] quality on his table, Gary Smith felt he was being silently ridiculed.
He overestimated his cooking skills. It's fine for daily meals, but if he wanted to reach the [good] level and gain special effects, he still had a long way to go.
But where could he find a large amount of dreamland? Humans won't do, other sentient beings...
Wait, sentient beings!
His eyes hardened.
He had a plan...