Amber Sword
Chapter 86: Act 35: Phantoms of the Past_2

Chapter 86: Act 35: Phantoms of the Past_2

He remembered that in the game, the Golden Magic Tree would release the strongest monsters that players had previously encountered alone in their dreams, recreating those scenes. But it wasn’t just that simple—the players would receive a Negative Emotion Value in this place. As he made more mistakes and took more damage, the Negative Emotion Value would increase, making the monsters stronger.

Therefore, this battle would often end in a vicious cycle where the monsters grew stronger and the players got weaker, leading to inevitable defeat.

Brand didn’t know how the Negative Emotion Value would manifest in reality, but the core remained the same: he had to be filled with confidence and maintain the best fighting status to achieve victory.

He pointed to his forehead and looked seriously at Romantic and Frey: "Focus your attention and keep your spirits high. The human Will Attribute—"

"Will Attribute?"

"Don’t interrupt, Romantic!" Brand replied irritably, "I mean Willpower. Human willpower isn’t fixed. It fluctuates with your status. Focusing your attention and keeping your morale high will keep your willpower at its Peak. The stronger your will, the harder it is for the Golden Magic Tree to manipulate your Negative Emotions. Never let Negative Emotions control you, or the consequences will be severe."

"How severe?" The future Miss Merchant asked, looking at him with big bright eyes.

Brand didn’t answer. He feared his words might make them too nervous, and nervousness was also a Negative Emotion. Because failure meant their souls would be forever confined within the trunk of the Golden Magic Tree, only to be freed when the Golden Tree turned to ashes by fire, but that would mean death.

The surroundings were gradually becoming hazy.

But Brand still had one rule left to explain. In this battle, there was a rule whereby when the first person woke up, they could enter the next person’s dream and pass on a belief to their companion, making it easier for them to defeat the nightmare.

However, each team member only had this chance once, so the guild generally arranged an awakening chain; the strongest person would enter the dream first, followed by the second strongest, and so on. This way, when the strongest person woke up first, they could swiftly help the next person, ensuring that the team’s casualties in the First Stage wouldn’t be too severe.

Now, Brand planned to change this sequence a bit.

"I’ll enter the dream first," he said, "then Frey, and finally Romantic."

"How do we enter the dream?" Frey asked.

"Just close your eyes. I’ll close my eyes first, then you, and then Romantic—" Brand almost bit his tongue as he hurriedly reached out to hold down Romantic’s eyelids because he saw that the Miss Merchant was about to close her eyes and try it out.

"Ah!" Romantic let out a low cry as Brand’s hand pressed against her forehead.

"Curiosity killed the cat, Missy!"

"S-sorry."

"The world of magic and the mind is very dangerous; you must be cautious." Brand sighed. His plan was this: he was the most assured, so he should be the first to enter the dream. Frey would follow because he believed that among the three, the future Valkyrie would be the hardest to overcome herself—more heart barriers meant greater danger.

But with an experienced person like himself assisting her, it shouldn’t be too dangerous. On the contrary, with her simple mind, Romantic should more easily break free from the Golden Magic Tree’s control. With Frey’s help, success would be inevitable.

The time limit for the First Stage was five minutes, extended to half an hour in the dream. If they didn’t make it out within that time, they would still be lost forever, confined by the Golden Magic Tree.

It seemed like a solid plan with a high chance of success. At least Brand couldn’t find any flaws. If they succeeded, not only would they receive considerable rewards, but their time in Ridenburg would also become quite ample. No one knew the current and future state of Ridenburg better than Brand. Finding Romantic’s aunt there and successfully retreating meant every extra moment provided more hope.

He patted the Azure Light Piercing at his waist and took a deep breath. The dream realm of the Golden Magic Tree felt so real that when he took a deep breath, it was as if his lungs were filled with the moist, earthy scent by the riverbank, the smell of March and April, grassy fields, and the growing woods.