Chapter 81: Reconnaissance
"How long have we been asleep?" Raven asked, urgency threading his voice.
Jacob blinked rapidly, shaking his head as he processed the question. "Thirty… maybe forty seconds, My Lord. Have you already been to the Dream World?"
Raven's eyes widened. Thirty to forty seconds? He had spent what felt like over two minutes inside the dream. "That fast?"
Selene muttered beside him, a frown tugging at her brow. "Perhaps time flows differently in the Dream World."
[Yes. Sometimes, the time flow accelerates in the Dream World. Other times… it slows. What did you experience?] Zera's voice hummed in his mind.
Raven forced a smile. "The world looked like ours, but there weren't… humans. Well, not exactly humans. They moved, but more like beasts than people."
[Beasts, you say? Describe them.] Zera's curiosity sharpened.
Raven nodded and detailed their twisted forms, the staggering gait, the raw aggression in their movements.
[Walking corpses… I've seen similar beings in Edhen World. Charles called them 'Zombies,' though in plays or tales. This Dream World glimpse—likely the city's future. And judging by their development… no centuries ahead. Perhaps only a decade or two.]
[Unlike the physical world, Dream World visits are temporary and unstable. The dream you entered may collapse soon. Without a Dream House, the connection cannot hold indefinitely. You'll need to enter again to gather more intelligence.]
Raven's eyes widened.
'The future?'
[As I've said, the Dream World links past, present, and future. The time ratio here seems roughly 1:5. Next visit, bring your spear and let Selene store it in Dream Harvest. The city may be empty, crawling with walking corpses, but survivors might linger at the outskirts. Look for books, diaries, newspapers—anything with clues about the future. You must return to the exact location within 24 hours.] Zera's tone sharpened, urgency threading his words.
"Can I use my abilities in the Dream World?" Raven asked. During his previous visit, he had no time to test them.
[Yes. All bloodline abilities and additional skills function, except System powers and my direct aid. Avoid bites—the infection is highly contagious.]
Raven's brow furrowed. "We're only going in as consciousness, right? I thought soul, body, and consciousness were one."
[They're linked but not fused. Full fusion occurs only upon entering the realm of Divines. For now, your consciousness acts like your body. Pain and injury feel real, even though effects vanish upon leaving.] Zera explained.
Raven nodded, gathering supplies: Frozen Ender Spear, silver pocket watch, dry bread, water pouches, two sets of clothes. He removed his shoes, handing everything to Selene.
"Store these in Dream Harvest. We return to the Dream World," he instructed, pausing to glance at Jacob. "Stay vigilant. Protect us while we sleep. We won't awaken for over six hours."
"Yes, My Lord," Jacob bowed sharply.
Selene hesitated. "Won't the undead attack immediately upon our return?"
Raven's lips pressed together. They could be lying in wait. He considered, then nodded. "Let's move to your room. We'll prepare there."
The trio walked the dim corridor until Selene unlocked a small room at the far corner. Unlike Raven's quarters, it was spartan: a single cot, table, and two chairs.
"Let's sleep on the floor," Raven said, spreading a sheet across the cold floor and lying back. Selene joined him, clasping his left hand, eyes closing.
Seconds later, a cold wind swept the room. Raven's eyes snapped open. Instinctively, he activated Mind Eye.
'Insects scuttling across the floor. Two rats are hiding behind the broken cot. A crow perched outside the window. I can scan five meters with perfect clarity.'
A groan from Selene drew his gaze. She pushed herself upright and summoned their gear from Dream Harvest: spear, pocket watch, shoes.
Raven took the spear, fastened his shoes, and checked the time. "9:20 P.M., September 15th, Year 1420." He nodded, determination settling. "Let's move."
Selene produced a one-meter wooden staff, bluish gem embedded, and followed him.
They slipped into the corridor, halting when three figures banged on a door fifty meters ahead.
'The same undead as before.'
"I'll handle them." Raven tightened his grip on the spear and lunged. Corridors offered little advantage for a spear, but he adjusted his thrusts, mind and body syncing.
The spearhead pierced the naked woman's neck cleanly. She crumpled, blood spraying. The old man leapt to bite—Raven twisted, spear stabbing through his chest. Motion slowed around him. Every step, every strike, precise beyond natural limits.
'Dream World effect? Reflex enhancement?'
A young man charged—another thrust, a decapitation. Time in the real world barely ticked, yet the battle felt like an eternity.
"Incredible!" Selene whispered, awe-struck. Raven hadn't used magic—only raw spearmanship.
The old man crawled, relentless. Raven jabbed toward the ceiling, another decapitation. Fresh blood confirmed they weren't fully dead.
"We need reconnaissance before moving forward," Selene urged.
Raven nodded, breaking the door and peering outside. "Our strength suffices against these… zombies."
"They resemble necromancer undead, right?" Selene asked, tilting her head.
"Yes. Aggressive, but human-level strength. Nothing Radiant Rank yet."
"What is our objective, My Lord?" Selene pressed.
"Locate normal people. Explore the outskirts." Raven's gaze swept toward Thornevale Family territory.
'Even elite members are above Expert Rank. If the infection spreads fully… we'd face an army.'
He descended, assaulted by the stench of rot. Flies swarmed corpses scattered across the staircase.
Outside, streets lay empty. Broken carriages, corpses littered the city. Crows circled above, silent sentinels.
Ten minutes later, fifty-meter-wide road revealed remnants of civilization. Raven rifled through wreckage, uncovering a newspaper.
"Legacy News. 12th January, Year 1454… Black Undead spreads east… Alchemist Johnathan finds cure… Royal family commemorates late Emperor Ian Sillalus Jorvot… Raynor family scrutinized over epidemic…"
Raven's breath caught. Thirty-four years into the future.
"Store this," he said to Selene, tucking the paper into Dream Harvest. Movement ahead caught his eye. Thousands of undead advanced, their gaze locked in his direction.
Can they sense humans? Or are they controlled?
"Main road is impossible," he murmured. Scanning left, a towering seven-meter wall gleamed under moonlight. "This way."
Raven sprinted, dodging a charging undead. Selene kept pace. After five minutes, the stone wall rose before them, a watchtower marking their path.
"There should be stairs," Raven noted, heading toward the tower.
They found a side staircase and began to climb, shadows of the Dream World stretching long across the city below.