This time upon returning, Fang Senyan noticed the number of people in the Space had clearly increased again. The crimson light within the Nightmare Space also seemed much more intense, shimmering in a way that made the very blood surge in one's veins. It appeared as though casualties in some recent battlefield had been heavy, necessitating a fresh influx of newcomers.

For both Reef and Mogansa, they had been anxiously awaiting Fang Senyan’s return. But thankfully, Reef understood that Fang Senyan was dealing with the crucial matter of awakening his talent in the real world, so he and Mogansa waited patiently, spending their Survival Points and Potential Points diligently cultivating within the Space.

As soon as Fang Senyan reappeared in the Space, greetings from Mogansa and Reef quickly arrived. Reef’s query was simple: "Success?" Mogansa’s was more direct: "What are your stats after the talent awakening?" This exchange immediately highlighted that the dark-skinned man evidently had greater faith in Fang Senyan.

After the trio successfully reunited, their primary focus was naturally on Fang Senyan’s talent. Since they couldn't view the actual attributes, they could only marvel as they listened to the account of his current changes. Following this, the group swiftly began deliberating over a series of spending plans.

Indeed, plans for expenditure—how to convert their current massive wealth into immediate combat power, and how to achieve the most impact for the least amount of money—had become the most pressing issue.

After some discussion, they outlined several essential tasks they needed to accomplish immediately:

Firstly: Without question, they needed to examine the harvest from the True Crimson Card.

Secondly, Mogansa hoped to upgrade his necklace, the Black-grade equipment Viper’s Whisker, which required purchasing a suitable Soul Core. Furthermore, Mogansa mentioned discovering an item on the market that seemed closely related to his Spartan Broken Spear; it might complete his spear. He noted that if he faced personal financial difficulties in this process, he hoped the team could provide support.

Reef also had a requirement: he wished to upgrade his Birmingham "Stuka" Hand Dart Pouch to Silver-grade Story Equipment. Any remaining funds, he offered, would be freely allocated to support the team.

Fang Senyan also intended to upgrade the Bison’s Eye in his possession to Silver-grade Story Equipment. However, his Soul Core for this was readily available, meaning minimal expenditure. Moreover, to effectively utilize his +7 Wester, Fang Senyan needed to enhance his basic capabilities—at the very least, Basic Melee needed to reach Lv7, and the advanced skill Blade Mastery needed to reach Lv4 (or a higher advanced skill).

If any funds remained after these priorities, they would consider equipment reinforcement. However, equipment reinforcement was rumored to be a bottomless pit, consuming a fixed fee plus a percentage of the equipment's value, plus Potential Points, and Merit Points! Moreover, the difficulty of reinforcement was notoriously high; even reaching +4 was quite rare, let alone +7.

As there was no time to waste, Fang Senyan produced the True Crimson Card. This card had originally displayed a translucent, agate-like crimson color, but upon returning to the Nightmare Space, it eerily dimmed, losing its luster. While the others were perplexed, Fang Senyan paused in thought, gripping the card and beginning to walk around the Nightmare Space plaza. When he approached the western side, the card suddenly emitted a very faint red glow.

"This is the direction!" Fang Senyan was instantly invigorated. The three immediately pressed forward. Whenever they deviated, the card's red light would weaken. After a series of movements resembling aimless wandering, the red luminescence grew so dense it seemed almost tangible. Soon, as Fang Senyan and the others neared the wall of the Nightmare Space, the True Crimson Card automatically floated out, or more accurately, dissolved into the flesh-and-blood-like wall.

Immediately following this, a doorway opened.

Fang Senyan, holding the card, stepped through the portal, but Mogansa and Reef could not follow—clearly because the True Crimson Card belonged to Fang Senyan. The next second, the doorway sealed shut. Fang Senyan’s vision momentarily went black as a series of Nightmare Mark notifications echoed in his ears:

“You have used a True Crimson Card to enter the private space of a deceased Hunter.”

“You have gained 11,000 Survival Points and 7 Potential Points.”

“The identity of this Hunter is Reserve Lieutenant Colonel. If you attempt to acquire their Merit Points, there is a small chance your Formal Military Rank will change. Do you wish to proceed with this action?”

Seeing this prompt, Fang Senyan could only regretfully select 'No.' Losing his Formal Rank and reverting to Reserve would be a truly heartbreaking outcome.

“Within this private space, all equipment/items/weapons possessed by the deceased Hunter at the time of their death will materialize.”

“You have exactly ten seconds to plunder. Upon expiration, you will be forcibly teleported out of the room.”

“Your current rank is Lieutenant Colonel. You do not possess a Private Plunder Certificate. Therefore, during the plunder, you can only discern the grade of all equipment/items/weapons by their glow, unable to view their specific appearance or attributes. You may carry a maximum of three items (equipment/items/weapons/scrolls, etc.) out.”

“If you understand the rules of plunder, please select 'Start,' which will simultaneously initiate the ten-second countdown.”

Fang Senyan carefully reviewed the instructions twice before selecting 'Yes.' He then charged madly into the private space of the dead man, McGee! Upon entry, he immediately cursed under his breath! It turned out McGee’s private space was a good two to three times larger than Fang Senyan's own 'hovel,' and it was lavishly decorated with every conceivable amenity!

And these decorations should not be underestimated. For instance, resting for an hour on one Xavier EUD sofa could extend one's remaining stay time in the Space by 10%. A magnificent mahogany bed, after only half an hour lying upon it, could increase Vitality recovery speed by 33% for a duration of 72 hours (transferable to the Nightmare World and the Real World). The water from a Vought intelligent luxury water dispenser, when consumed, could even boost Mental Energy recovery speed by 15%...

Fang Senyan had no time to examine these things; he was frantically sprinting toward the deeper room of the private space. He kicked the door open with one foot—only six seconds remained... A blinding array of light flashed before his eyes. On a long conference table, McGee’s private collection was laid out. Fang Senyan simply didn't have time to examine anything closely and immediately started grabbing!

"Wow, something emitting a dark gold glow!!! Is there even a question here?"

"What is that thing? It looks a lot like a book? Wait, no, it looks more like a scroll."

"Damn, the glow from this book is a deep, blood-red! What does that signify? How strange."

"Ah, only one second left, damn it, I can only grab something shining silver! That’s it!!"

When the ten seconds elapsed, Fang Senyan was thrust out of that space by an incredibly gentle but immense force. His vision cleared, and he found himself standing back in the Nightmare World plaza, holding three items:

A pendant that looked somewhat like a crayon, yet also resembled a woman’s lipstick, emitting a dark gold light.

A very ancient-looking paper scroll (folded), radiating a shocking, blood-like glow.

A cross emitting a faint silver light.

As Fang Senyan initiated the sharing process, the attributes of these three items were displayed:

The cross was named:

Soul Core of Tony (Scarce) Item Rarity: Silver Story Grade Usage Effect: When used on Black-grade equipment/weapon, it becomes its "Soul Core," upgrading the object’s grade to Silver Story Grade. Warning: If the Soul Core’s compatibility with the receiving equipment is insufficient, the Soul Core will be damaged. Material: Ghost Weight: 3 grams. Description: This sacred cross imprisons the soul of a powerful and greedy vampire, Tony. Tormented by silver and holy water for several millennia, he eagerly awaits a new environment. Therefore, this Soul Core will achieve remarkably high compatibility with any equipment it fuses with—except for spell-based weapons and equipment—because the repulsive Tony only excels at fighting with his teeth and claws.

The ancient paper scroll was named:

Fragment of the Dead Sea Scrolls Item Rarity: Space Unique (Only one such item will exist in any Nightmare Space at the same time.) Usage Effect: This fragment, rumored to be drawn on papyrus from 4000 BC, possesses profoundly cryptic power. When opened within the Nightmare World, it will reveal the location of a hidden secret! Warning: Using this fragment may expose you to immense personal danger! Further Warning: The final rarity and yield of the treasure revealed depend entirely on the random circumstances of that specific world! You might use it in the Avatar world to acquire an incredibly powerful artifact, but using it in the Terminator world might only yield two or three US dollars hidden in a tin box by a child after arduous exploration. Conversely, this situation could be reversed (i.e., minimal gain in Avatar, massive gain in Terminator). (To put it plainly, this Scroll Fragment is a high-difficulty random quest; the rewards are also random. You might complete the quest after great effort only to receive a pile of junk, or you might hit the jackpot.)

Huh, another Alliance Leader has joined.

I had intended to release an extra chapter today, but after consideration, quality takes precedence. Therefore, I will release five chapters tomorrow at midnight.

So, no bonus chapter today. Please give me more time to refine the plot and the prose. I trust you all understand. RO