CHAPTER 180: CHAPTER 143: THE FATE OF SUBSTITUTION_2

"You must be Alka. What do you want? Sifus asked me to bring you a message: he wants you to face him on Elcott Island on the Day of Harvest. Otherwise, he’s going to kill the previously captured leader of the Treasure Hunting Team, Andre."

Upon hearing this, Chadite’s fury ignited. As she was about to charge forward, Alka quickly held her back.

"Don’t be impulsive. I’ve already gotten the information. I’ll tell you in a bit."

With Alka’s words, Chadite’s anger quickly subsided, and she calmed down. She nodded and stepped back a few paces.

Alka squatted before the pirate, staring into his eyes. "How did that death feel?"

"Death? Hmph, it’s merely something to aspire to."

Looking at the defiant pirate, Alka smiled helplessly. Once again, he sank into a dream.

Soon, the two other sleeping pirates began gasping frantically, one even screaming aloud, as if they had just experienced a terrifying Nightmare.

Alka, having just emerged, watched this scene clearly, a smile on his face.

Death in the Dream Realm causes one’s dream to vanish, forcibly ejecting them. It was unclear if it harmed their original bodies; for now, it just seemed like they had experienced a Nightmare.

Alka turned to Julia. "Julia, help me check if their mental state has been harmed."

Julia smiled and nodded. "Of course, happy to help."

Saying so, she approached the pirates, ignoring their shouts, and began to check their mental and soul states. Then, she shook her head. "Their spirits are just slightly weary, like they haven’t rested well, but there’s no damage."

Alka nodded in understanding, letting the pink mist once again enshroud the few individuals before him. The pirates who had just woken up fell into a Deep Sleep once more, sinking into a dream again.

This time, their Dream Bubbles became very thin and ephemeral, appearing somewhat unstable. The most immediate sensation was that the Dream Bubble’s membrane had thinned; it wasn’t as substantial as it had been during the first dream. The environment within the dream also appeared somewhat lifeless, with defects everywhere, as if there were texture mapping errors. And even in the dream, these pirates were lying on various beds, in Deep Sleep.

So that’s how it is?

Thus, Alka began experimenting with these pirates.

...

"Kill me! If you have the guts, kill me, you bastard! I’ll—MMFF!"

Sealing the pirate’s mouth once again, Alka controlled the pink mist to envelop him.

Chadite and the others were on deck attending to their tasks, occasionally glancing at the pirates tied to the mast. These four pirates looked exhausted, their faces pale, their lips somewhat blackened. Their eyes drooped lifelessly, the bloodshot veins within them clearly visible. They seemed to have been tormented considerably.

Alka had been experimenting on these pirates for two days, continuously using them to test various dream scenarios. For instance, he killed them in various ways within their dreams: letting them awaken only to be killed again, killing them while in Deep Sleep, and killing them while they were actively dreaming. He even dragged them out of their Dream Bubbles. Although there was inevitable struggle, Alka succeeded a few times. Once dragged out of their Dream Bubbles, they would also awaken suddenly. It seemed dreamers couldn’t leave their own Dream Bubbles. Luring them out of their Dream Bubbles simply didn’t work. Without Alka forcibly dragging them out or acting as a link, these individuals couldn’t leave their Dream Bubbles. To Alka, the membrane was as thin as a bubble’s, but for these people, it was a solid wall. Unless, like Alka, one mastered the Dream Catcher.

Seeing the pirates’ haggard appearance, Alka patted their shoulders, his tone full of gratitude. "Thank you. You’re truly good people. I will remember your contribution. Consider it redemption for your past sins."

Upon hearing Alka’s words, the pirates’ expressions grew agitated again, and they looked ready to curse him on the spot. However, as soon as Alka finished speaking, he killed them and threw their bodies off the ship.

After disposing of their bodies, Alka clapped his hands. "I’m going to experiment on myself now. There could be accidents, so please keep an eye out."

Beside him, Chadite nodded.

Alka first switched to his illusory body and committed suicide in the real environment. The instant the dagger pierced his heart, his physical body, lingering in the Dream Realm, was immediately ejected, and the persistent Dream Bubble shattered. His body, which had just died from the pierced heart, was instantly restored. It wasn’t that he hadn’t died; rather, at the very moment of death, his physical body was pulled back, appearing as if it had been reset.

Back in his body, Alka gasped for breath repeatedly. Chadite supported him, looking at his face with concern. "How are you? Is anything wrong?"

Alka, gripping Chadite’s shoulder, took several deep breaths before finally calming his frantically beating heart.