Sam's thoughts churned as he reflected on what he had learned. It seemed that Ethan's earlier surge of power, despite being paralyzed, when hearing the phrase Lily… so sweet was directly connected to
Iron Will, Sam mused. The "iron" refers to his steel-like body, while the "will" signifies how his emotions and determination can amplify his physical strength. Simply put, the more intense his emotions, or the stronger his willpower, the tougher his steel body becomes.
"The Bronze Law encompasses a vast array of possibilities," Ethan continued, "and the transcendent powers derived from it are equally diverse. But the specifics? I don't know. Even what little I do know is thanks to someone I met last time in the Nightmare World—a Nightmare Apostle from the Upper."
"Nightmare Apostl."
Ethan nodded. "Anyone who's entered the Nightmare World, whether a transcendent or an ordinary person, is referred to as a Nightmare Apostle. It's an ominous title because all Nightmare Apostles eventually die in their nightmares."
"Why is that?"
"That man from the Upper District said this: Every day, some unlucky souls are drawn into the Nightmare World through their dreams. There's no pattern to it—it can happen to anyone.
"Once you've entered the Nightmare World, it's like being cursed. You'll be drawn back into it periodically, forced to endure nightmare after nightmare… until you die."
Sam's gaze darkened slightly, but his voice remained steady. "And if I want to enter the Nightmare World intentionally? Is there a way?"
Ethan shook his head again. "There's no way. Nobody knows how to intentionally enter the Nightmare World, just like nobody knows how to escape it.
"Being chosen as a Nightmare Apostle seems completely random, with no discernible pattern."
Sam's expression darkened slightly. "Is it possible to become a transcendent without entering the Nightmare World?"
"Yes," Ethan replied. "I heard that man from the Upper District mention it. There are transcendent beings hidden in this world who aren't Nightmare Apostles."
"How did they become transcendent?" Sam pressed.
"I only know part of the answer," Ethan admitted. "That man didn't finish explaining before he was killed by a nightmare creature. But before his death, he said this: 'The transcendent beings of the real world are nothing but lazy cowards. They grew stronger by feeding on the blood of Nightmare Apostles!'"
Ethan paused, frowning slightly as he recalled the man's words. "He sounded angry, almost disgusted. It seemed like he deeply resented his identity as a Nightmare Apostle. The hostility wasn't just about facing nightmare creatures—it felt like people in the real world also posed a threat to Nightmare Apostles."
Sam's eyes glinted sharply. Feeding on the blood of Nightmare Apostles? Literal blood, or something more… metaphorical?
"Give me some of your blood," Sam ordered.
"Yes, Chief!" Ethan responded without hesitation. He extended a finger, and with a swift motion, his razor-sharp nail slashed across his wrist.
In a sterile room filled with medical equipment and experimental devices, a man in a white lab coat held a test tube filled with Ethan's blood. Carefully, he used a dropper to perform various experiments, adding drops of blood to different solutions, observing their reactions under a microscope.
"How is it?" Sam asked casually, leaning against the wall, his tone indifferent yet carrying a trace of anticipation.
"Chief, this blood… it's no different from that of an ordinary person. At most, it's slightly healthier," replied the man in the lab coat after examining the samples.
"Drink it," Sam ordered.
"Yes, Chief." Without hesitation, the man downed the blood in the test tube.
Sam waited patiently for an entire hour, but there was no change.
It seemed the earlier statement about "feeding on the blood of Nightmare Apostles" was not meant to be taken literally.
Now, two paths lay before him.
The first option was to head to the Upper District to investigate information about transcendent beings and learn their methods for gaining transcendent power.
The second option was to find a way to enter the Nightmare World and become a transcendent himself.
Sam made his choice almost instantly—he would take the second path.
The Upper District was separated from the Lower District by natural barriers, not just of wealth but also of access. Having money wasn't enough; you needed connections and the right channels to obtain a residence permit for the Upper District.
Of course, for Sam, that wasn't insurmountable. It would merely take time. But once inside, conducting investigations and uncovering information about transcendent beings would also consume time.
And time was a luxury he didn't have.
Capturing Ethan Reed had already cost him three days, leaving him with only four days of life remaining.
The reasons Sam dismissed the first option were valid, but they weren't the root cause of his decision.
The real reason he chose the second path was simple:
Who could resist the allure of a mysterious, horrifying, and adrenaline-fueled world like the Nightmare World, especially when death could come at any moment?
When Sam heard Ethan's descriptions of the Nightmare World, it stirred something deep within him—a long-dormant part of his soul. For the first time in years, his heart felt a faint, exhilarating pulse of excitement.
But the question remained: How could he enter the Nightmare World?
Or perhaps… had he already entered it?
Sam's thoughts wandered to the recurring dream he experienced every night. It was so vivid, so tangible, it hardly felt like a dream at all. Yet, it was nothing like the Nightmare World Ethan had described.
In his dream, there was no danger. Everything he could ever want was there, as though the dream catered to his every desire. It was paradise.
If Ethan was right, entering the Nightmare World required pure chance—an unlucky draw in the cosmic lottery. Only the truly unfortunate could dream of the Nightmare World and be pulled into it.
But there was a problem. Every time Sam fell asleep, he entered that dream, the perfect, omnipotent one that seemed to shield him from the horrors of the Nightmare World.
He pondered this dilemma for a long moment, and a daring idea began to form in his mind.
Sam returned to the dungeon.
When he saw Ethan, however, he was stunned to find that Ethan had somehow broken free from his hypnosis!
It had only been an hour.
"Bastard! What did you just do to me?!" Ethan Reed roared, his voice trembling with fury and lingering fear. The experience of being completely overtaken—of having his mind twisted into something unrecognizable—was more horrifying than death itself.
Sam observed Ethan quietly. What remarkable mental resistance. Is this a common trait among transcendents? Or is it tied specifically to Ethan's [Iron Will]?
Well, it doesn't matter.
Sam had never intended to turn Ethan into a permanent puppet. For Sam, the world had very few interesting people, and it was precisely these rare individuals who made life vibrant and unpredictable. He had long grown weary of controlling everything. That was why he hadn't fully manipulated Lily earlier, and it was why he wouldn't completely dominate Ethan's thoughts now.
But leaving Ethan unchecked didn't mean he was going to let him go free.
They were enemies now, and letting an enemy walk away was the height of foolishness.
Sam decided to take a different approach—psychological suggestion.
Unlike hypnosis, which was forceful and overt, psychological suggestion was subtle, nearly imperceptible. And most importantly, it bypassed mental resistance entirely.
In essence, hypnosis was a direct assault on someone's psyche, which often triggered defensive reactions on a mental level.
Psychological suggestion, on the other hand, was a more insidious form of brainwashing. It planted ideas in a way that felt natural, causing the target to twist their own thoughts and accept the suggestion willingly.
It's like in the workplace: if a manager assigns you a task outside of your job description, and you resist, the manager has two ways to handle you.
The first is brute force—leveraging authority to suppress you: "Do it, or you're out. Refuse, and I'll make things difficult for you."
The second is psychological manipulation: "Learning more skills won't hurt you. I'm doing this to help you grow. Only through challenges can you prove your value and prepare for higher roles."
The difference in resistance generated by these two approaches is self-evident.
And so, Sam chose to PUA—no, to subtly use psychological suggestion on Ethan Reed.
Sitting in a chair nearby, Sam rested both hands on his snakewood cane, his gaze calm and steady. He spoke in a measured, deliberate tone:
"Ethan Reed, you wouldn't want anything to happen to Lily, would you?"