In the quiet confines of the bedroom, a gentle laughter broke the silence. The blue fairy's attention snapped to Astr, who had interrupted his meditation, shoulders shrugging, face covered as laughter escaped through his fingers.
A strange unease settled over the blue fairy as Astr, still chuckling, mused aloud, "How could I have overlooked this? What a curious twist of fate... I've become a fish—a fish ensnared by destiny."
Astr abruptly lifted his head, revealing a single eye amid disheveled white locks. The blue fairy, sensing an unsettling transformation, leaped to the farthest corner, fur standing on end.
In Astr's ice-blue gaze, madness and exhilaration swirled, resembling a frigid flame hungry to consume everything in its path.
Locked in a mutual gaze, the blue fairy sensed an insidious grip on her mind, as if it were being unraveled. Overwhelmed by fear, she stood paralyzed, unable to break free.
[Warning! Erosion rate rising] a vivid red alert flashed, and beads of blood trickled from Astr's tightly clenched lip, staining his pallid face.
The path of transmigration unfolded, learning the Nightmare School's meditation technique, and delving into the Astral Academy for crucial healing materials. It became evident that an unseen force orchestrated these events seamlessly, like a guiding hand behind the scenes.
Just as his meditation pattern mirrored, Astr resembled a fish ensnared by fate, dangling from the fishing line, steadily navigating through this unfamiliar realm, step by step.
Having unwittingly fulfilled the enigmatic purpose of an unknown entity, Astr, a wielder of firearms, should have been consumed by anger, desperation, and fear in the face of a great terror.
Yet, the singular emotion pulsating through every fiber of his being was "Excitement."
Driven to uncover the puppeteer orchestrating events, Astr harbored a burning desire to dismantle and consume them whole.
[The erosion rate has increased to 50%]
"Huh..."
His brain tingled. Astr inhaled deeply, releasing the pent-up violence from his heart as his flushed, overheated body gradually cooled.
In that moment, Astr's two ice-blue eyes shone brighter than the full moon outside the window, aflame in the subdued bedroom light.
Abruptly, Astr shifted his gaze to the blue fairy huddled in the corner at the opposite end.
! ! !
The blue fairy stiffened like an iron plate, eyes widened, face contorted in twisted fear.
"Haha," Astr chuckled, his voice soft, "Why so frightened? I'm not a devil."
"... ..."
'But you're more terrifying than any devil! ! !' The blue fairy screamed in her mind.
Now, the truth became clear. As a human in the nightmare world, Astr's presence explained the pristine mansion devoid of monsters hungry for the enticing prey within.
She surmised they all perished, devoured by this very human being.
"What in the world are you?" The blue fairy trembled as she spoke, fear in her gaze fixed on the white-haired boy leaning against the bed.
For the first time, she sought information from him, not for the sake of flirtation or intimacy.
"I'm not dev—cough," Astr rubbed his eyebrows, expressing helplessness and doubt. "Why do people keep asking what I am? I'm just a hapless soul ensnared by fate."
"Huh."
"..."
This declaration left the blue fairy speechless. She regarded Astr with eyes that held an indescribable mix of emotions. After a prolonged pause, she advised him in an elder-like tone,
"While I may not be a paragon of virtue, my lord, dishonesty is still wrong."
Astr: "..."
'What I said is true! Why won't you believe it?'
Sigh.
Astr is perplexed, innocence evident in his demeanor.
...
After a brief pause, as the erosion rate subsided, Astr raised his hand. With slender, white fingers, he traced an "∞" in the air, one end larger than the other.
As the bright white lines converged, a majestic energy erupted.
Crash—
The sound of crashing waves echoed in the ears of the Blue Fairy. The scene before her warped and flickered, resembling the depths of the ocean.
She opened her mouth, releasing an imaginary bubble. Her thoughts wandered, traversing the window into the silent garden, where vibrant red roses whispered secrets.
Such comfort—such bliss—
The blue fairy roamed freely through space until, inadvertently looking up, she discovered the pale yellow full moon looming very close.
That enormous grinning visage stared down at her with an unsettling smile, the deep pit on the moon's face visible from such proximity.
"Ahhhh—!"
With a swift return to reality, the blue fairy found herself slumped in the bedroom. Across from her, Astr sat on the bed, observing her with keen interest. The smile on his face mirrored the mocking grin of the full moon behind him.
In shock, the blue fairy panted heavily, cold sweat streaming down her azure skin as bright as the stars.
...too powerful.
The energy within this meditation pattern surpassed hers. The blue fairy, overwhelmed with both fortune and fear, willingly submitted, becoming the obedient servant of this adult.
[Successfully engraved meditation PATTERN·FISH]
[Gain 15 experience points]
With this, combined with the previous abduction of the Blue Fairy and the fear extracted from classmates, Astr amassed a total of 65 experience points.
Allocating them to the [Wizard Apprentice] profession, he ascended a level.
[Wizard Apprentice Lv12→Lv13]
[Gain 1 skill point]
A surge of life force emanated from the deepest recesses of his being, akin to watering parched soil. Though not sufficient, it left the surface somewhat moist.
Next, Astr allocated the 2 skill points he had acquired to [Dream Catcher].
As for [Basic Swordsmanship], it would have to wait for another time.
[Dream Catcher Level 10→Level 12]
With a sweeping motion, the darkness surrounding the manor receded like a tide, and Astr's influence extended to the ornately carved iron outside the door.
"Woooo—"
A long, low whistle resonated, accompanied by a clanging sound, echoing through the garden and reaching Astr's ears.
Peering through the window, Astr beheld a dark red, old-fashioned steam train slowly halting outside the iron gate of his residence.
White steam billowed from the exhaust pipe, trailing behind. The interconnected pistons executed a rhythmic reciprocating motion, ceaselessly transforming heat energy into the kinetic force propelling this colossal metal monster.
'Train.' Astr's eyes gleamed. Similar to a real vehicle, this old-fashioned dark red steam train served as a crucial link between different regions of the nightmare world—an equivalent to a "transfer point."
Now, his mansion stood as one of these sites, signifying complete control by Astr over the Serene family estate.
However, the outer areas couldn't be claimed solely through upgrades. Like a lord expanding territory, he needed both force and wisdom to conquer them.
The blue fairy observed in astonishment as the dark red behemoth reflected in her emerald green eyes—a sight entirely foreign to her.
"What is that?" she inquired.
As no passengers boarded the train, its whistle sounded once more, and white steam billowed from the exhaust pipe. With a clang, it departed for other destinations, vanishing like a dark red line into the encompassing darkness.
"That's a train that connects various stations. After all, even the seven nightmare lords can't extend their territory everywhere in the nightmare," Astr explained.
"The nightmare belongs to that god."
The blue fairy nodded, then sniffed and asked covetously, "Does the train smell of blood? It smells delicious..."
Astr glanced at her in surprise. "Your senses are quite sharp. Trains in reality definitely won't smell of blood, but in nightmares~"
The proximity between them reminded Astr of descending into the wrong deep sea.
Surviving the nightmare and returning to reality. This familiar process took on a different significance for Astr as he confronted his own origin.
His consciousness gradually descended. Gracefully waving his hand, Astr closed his eyes, and under the moonlight, his long white eyelashes shimmered.
Seeing her discomfort, Astr found solace. However, at the mention of "moon face," the blue elf's expression turned somber. She pursed her plump lips, diverting from the "train" topic.
"When I don't summon you, you're free to move around. Just pay me 50 moon faces next month," Astr said, licking the corners of his mouth. He reclined silkily on the bed, pulling up a small quilt.
"Someone's here; it's probably time for dinner." Astr's ears twitched at that moment, prompting him to stop talking and listen intently. "The true identity of this dark red train is quite intriguing—it is——"