"There's someone there!"
Zheng Xiaoyu was the second to spot the girl dancing amidst the sea of flowers, softly gasping.
"Who is that?" Lin Yue asked Qin Chuan with an inquisitive look.
"The Lost People·Salma," Qin Chuan spoke softly, his expression somewhat grave, "In the real world, she is clearly in a deep sleep, yet here, she is awake."
"Is she the one we're supposed to awaken?" Lin Yue looked surprised, "So... are we inside her dream right now?"
"Eight or nine times out of ten, that would be the case," Qin Chuan nodded.
Seemingly aware of the trio's observation, the dancing Salma stopped and curiously looked their way.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Qin Chuan took a step towards her.
Lin Yue and Zheng Xiaoyu quickly followed.
As they drew close, Salma spoke in the mysterious and unfamiliar language of the Otherworld.
[Immortal Clan? It doesn't seem quite right.]
[Even though you share some resemblance to them, I can sense that your aura and power are different from that of the Immortal Clan.]
[It seems the Heavenly Dome Rank has seen the rise of a new clan...]
[How strange, I did not sense any precursors of the instance forming, what clan are you?]
"We're of the Human Race," Qin Chuan fell silent for a moment, slowly speaking, "What clan is this 'Immortal Clan' you mention?"
He had intended to use the conversation to try to awaken her from this dream, but he hadn't expected her first words to give him such a shock.
The Immortal Clan, what kind of clan was that?
The subject within the instance mentioned "Heavenly Dome Rank" and "instance forming."
This gave him the surreal feeling that he was not talking to a projection of power within the instance, but to a real being of the Heavenly Dome Rank.
He had never felt this sensation in previous instances.
Salma looked at Qin Chuan and the others, her multicolored eyes flickering with wariness and doubt.
[You do not know of the Immortal Clan?]
[Did you not clear instances before ascending to the Heavenly Dome Rank?]
[Within the instances, you should have encountered all the clans of the Heavenly Dome Rank.]
"We have not encountered the Immortal Clan," Qin Chuan said solemnly, "We've only met Moon Spirits, Half-demons, Dwarf Demons, Dead Ghosts, the Crystal Clan, and the Dragon Clan."
"Besides, we haven't ascended to the so-called Heavenly Dome Rank yet."
"Right now, we are inside an instance."
Salma's expression froze.
Her gaze grew vacant, the earlier suspicion replaced by an unprecedented sense of loss.
[This is not right...]
[It shouldn't be ...]
Qin Chuan's brows were furrowed.
Although every word Salma said was loaded with information, there was a sense that they were talking past each other.
Just as he was at a loss, a hand gently grasped his.
Lin Yue gave him a "leave it to me" look, then immediately stepped forward with a serious expression.
"Do you remember? Your people have already failed."
Salma's delicate face instantly lost all color.
[We were born with the power of dreams, we were the most likely to succeed.]
[We cannot have failed!]
"But this is something you wrote yourself, isn't it," Lin Yue took out a white kite.
Dungeon clue, the monologue of the lost one.
At the sight of the kite, Salma froze both in movement and expression, as if she had seen something that could never possibly exist, filled with struggle.
Despair and bewilderment spread across her delicate face, then she covered her cheeks in agony as her previously calm aura started to climb frantically amid the slightly changing expressions of Qin Chuan and the others, sending the entire dream world into wild turmoil.
Hall Rank… Epic Rank… Legend Rank…
Salma suddenly raised her head, her eyes and slit pupils filled with bitter hatred.
[You are lying to me! You are deceiving me!!]
As the trio felt a sense of falling into an abyss, Salma's energy erupted violently, and as her voice boomed, her aura smashed through the limits of the Legend Rank and surged towards the Mythical Rank!
Two light formations appeared beneath Zheng Xiaoyu and Salma's feet, slicing away half of Salma's escalating power in an instant.
The second Talent of Yue Li, activated.
As Yue Li clasped her hands together, countless light spots flew out of Salma's body and converged around Qin Chuan.
Prayer, the Third Talent, activated.
Time Stop, two seconds.
Standing in place, Qin Chuan expressionlessly dissipated the Ice Blade that had somehow formed in his hand.
Following Salma's sudden outburst, the dream realm underwent a special change, allowing Qin Chuan to exist in a lucid state during the Time Stop.
The originally almost-Mythical Rank Salma came to an abrupt halt.
Unseen deep bloodstains had appeared on her body, slicing it in two.
The hatred in Salma's eyes faded along with her power, and her expression returned to one of forlorn acceptance.
[We truly have failed.]
A line of text appeared before the trio's eyes.
[Congratulations to the players for achieving the minimum Dungeon Clearance Rating, completing clearance of the S-level instance: Miglu Sleeping Plain, current Dungeon Clearance Rating: A]
In the desolate center of the plain, Bekeland sat cross-legged, gazing deeply at Salma, who lay atop fresh flowers within the Crystal Coffin.
Salma had been lying there for who knows how long, yet the flowers remained vibrant, dew still fresh upon them as if they had just been picked.
He continued to watch, unaware of how much time had passed.
Until a moment came when Bekeland's pupils slightly constricted.