The cavern was deathly still, save for the faint hum of the hundreds of tubes pulsing with the sickly green light of the trapped dreamers. Fang Yuan's sharp gaze swept across the rows of unconscious humans, their faces blank, their bodies limp. Each one connected to the hulking, nightmarish figure at the center of the room. Coming closer Fang Yuan saw-
It was no creature of flesh and blood.
The massive, grotesque figure in the center of the cavern was a mecha—a corrupted, broken machine warped by some malevolent force. Its towering frame, once a marvel of engineering, now resembled a twisted nightmare, covered in dark, pulsing veins of corrupted metal. Jagged armor plates jutted out from its body at unnatural angles, and its joints, once smooth and agile, were exposed and rusted, sparking faintly in the dim light.
Its mechanical hand gripped a massive mace, a weapon as terrifying as the machine itself. The mace was made of interlocking gears and broken metal, jagged edges designed to crush and tear through anything in its path. The sight of it made the cavern feel even more suffocating, as if the machine's mere presence poisoned the air.
Fang Yuan's gaze, however, was drawn to the cockpit.
The reinforced plates were shattered, cracks spider-webbing across its surface, revealing the body inside—a corpse, half-fused with the mecha itself. The pilot's lifeless form was melded into the metal, his face a sickening blend of decaying flesh and wires that coiled into his skin like serpents. He looked as if he had been trapped within the machine for centuries, feeding on the dreams of the hundreds of humans connected to him.
Fang Yuan approached slowly, his instincts sharp, his mind alert. Something was wrong—beyond the obvious horror of the scene before him. He could feel it in the air, the way the mecha's presence seemed to distort the very fabric of reality. The closer he got to the cockpit, the stronger the sensation became, until he was standing just a few meters away.
He studied the pilot's corpse. It was ghastly, grotesque—its eyes closed, as if in eternal slumber. Yet, despite the machine's decayed state, something inside it pulsed with life, some remnant of its former power waiting to be reawakened.
Fang Yuan leaned closer, his eyes narrowing.
Then, the pilot's eyes opened.
They were hollow, glowing with a sickly green light, the same light that pulsed through the tubes connected to the sleeping humans. And in that instant, the dead pilot locked eyes with Fang Yuan, a deep, haunting gaze that pierced through to his very core.
The mecha stirred.
A low, grinding sound filled the cavern as the massive machine began to move. The hundreds of tubes connecting the mecha to the dreamers snapped, breaking apart like brittle strings. The mecha's limbs creaked and groaned, rusted joints grinding as it slowly stood upright, its enormous form towering over Fang Yuan.
The mechanical mace it wielded came to life, gears clicking and turning as it swung the massive weapon through the air with a heavy whoosh, sending debris scattering across the stone floor.
The corrupted mecha was awake.
Fang Yuan's heart remained calm, but his mind raced. He was unarmed, faced with a monstrous, nigh-indestructible opponent. His first instinct was to retreat, to gain distance, but the cavern was too small, and the machine too fast for him to escape so easily.
The mecha turned its gaze toward him, its glowing eyes burning with the same green energy that had trapped the dreamers. It raised its mace, and with terrifying force, it swung.
Fang Yuan leaped to the side just in time, the mace crashing into the ground where he had stood a moment before, shattering the stone floor into jagged pieces. The force of the blow sent a shockwave through the cavern, but Fang Yuan remained composed, rolling to his feet with practiced ease.
The mecha moved faster than he had expected. It swung its massive weapon again, this time with deadly precision. Fang Yuan ducked, narrowly avoiding the strike as the mace smashed into the wall behind him, sending debris raining down. Dust filled the air, but Fang Yuan's eyes remained locked on the mecha.
He needed a weapon.
Fang Yuan could feel the faintest connection to the sword that had shattered during the trial. It was distant, almost nonexistent, but still there, like a flicker of a candle in a storm. He reached for it with his mind, calling out to the blade that had once guided him through the trial.
But there was no response.
The mecha advanced, its massive footsteps shaking the ground beneath them. It swung its mace again, the weapon cutting through the air like a hurricane. Fang Yuan dodged, but the sheer force of the strike threw him off balance, sending him skidding across the stone floor.
Unarmed, Fang Yuan knew he couldn't fight the mecha head-on. Its sheer size and power were overwhelming, and the corrupted energy pulsing through it made it even more dangerous. But he had faced impossible odds before. His mind sharpened, calculating his next move.
The mecha loomed above him, its glowing eyes locked onto him like a predator stalking its prey. It raised its mace high, preparing to deliver a killing blow.
Fang Yuan's mind raced. He reached out again, calling for the sword, his thoughts filled with an unyielding resolve. He could feel the connection, faint as it was, still buried within him. The sword had acknowledged him once before, and now, at the moment of his greatest need, he called to it again.
"Come to me."
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then, as the mecha's mace came crashing down toward him, the sword responded.
[You have gained an Attribute.]
The spell finally spoke.
In a flash of light, the shattered blade reformed in his hand, glowing with a brilliant, ethereal energy. The runes along its edge pulsed with power, and the connection between Fang Yuan and the weapon was restored, stronger than ever before.
Fang Yuan moved.
With a burst of speed, he rolled to the side, avoiding the crushing blow of the mace. The mecha's weapon smashed into the ground, but Fang Yuan was already on his feet, his sword flashing as he struck at the machine's exposed joints.
Sparks flew as the blade connected with the corrupted metal, cutting deep into the mecha's arm. The machine groaned, stumbling backward as Fang Yuan's strike severed a key joint, disabling part of its arm. But the mecha was far from defeated. It swung wildly with its other arm, the mace crashing into the ground with relentless fury.
Fang Yuan ducked and weaved, his movements fluid and precise. His mind worked quickly, analyzing the mecha's movements, searching for a weakness. The corrupted energy that coursed through the machine made it unpredictable, its attacks wild and chaotic. But Fang Yuan remained calm, focused. He needed to get closer—to the cockpit, where the pilot's corpse remained fused with the machine.
The sword hummed in his hand, guiding him as he parried the mecha's strikes, each blow sending tremors through the cavern. Fang Yuan darted around the machine, his eyes locked on the broken cockpit. The pilot's glowing eyes still watched him, filled with malevolence.
Fang Yuan moved with deadly precision, using the mecha's own size against it. He darted beneath its swinging mace, his sword flashing as he struck at its legs, cutting through the rusted joints. The machine staggered, struggling to maintain its balance, and Fang Yuan saw his opening.
With a swift leap, Fang Yuan climbed onto the mecha's back, his movements quick and fluid. The machine thrashed, trying to shake him off, but Fang Yuan held firm, his sword gleaming as he carved his way up toward the cockpit.
The closer he got to the cockpit, the stronger the sense of corruption became. The pilot's corpse, half-fused with the machine, was the source of the nightmare, feeding off the dreams of the humans trapped below.
Fang Yuan gritted his teeth as he reached the top of the mecha, standing before the shattered cockpit. The pilot's lifeless eyes followed him, filled with an unnatural hatred. The mecha's movements became more erratic, as if it sensed its imminent defeat.
Without hesitation, Fang Yuan raised his sword.
In one swift motion, he drove the blade through the cockpit, piercing the pilot's decaying corpse. The sword sank deep into the metal and flesh, the energy of the blade cutting through the corruption that had fused the pilot with the machine.
The mecha let out a deafening roar, its limbs spasming as the corrupted energy within it began to unravel. The green light in the pilot's eyes flickered, then dimmed, and finally, the machine collapsed, its massive form crashing to the ground with a thunderous impact.
Fang Yuan stood atop the fallen mecha, his chest rising and falling with steady breaths. The nightmare was over. The corrupted mecha was dead.
To confirm it the spell spoke-
[You have slain an Awakened Terror, Master of Lamentation]
[Wake up, Fang Yuan! Your nightmare is over.]
[Prepare for appraisal…]