Daylen woke up in his stone room.

He went to knock on his sister’s room and got no answer.

“She’s still in there even though she has yet to find me. ”

“What am I worried about?”

“Well, I’ll follow her example and adventure on my own for a while.”

He summoned the Grimoire as he walked back to his room and felt aura disappearing from his body.

“Everything in that dreamscape is about money for some reason. Just summoning this book costs aura.”

---Enter the way?

“Yes.” he thought as he closed his eyes.

Welcome to the way. Currently at: Southedge city, Southedge country, Falcon Empire, Light faction.

He appeared in the same dark alley he had previously used to leave the dreamscape.

"I want to communicate with a player named Ella bright." He asked the grimoire.

Option 01 : Add her to contacts/party cost : 5 pure crystals / 5 000 000 000 aura ctystals Mode of communication : Telepathy time : Unlimited Option 02 : Send message Cost : 1 pure crystal / 1 000 000 000 aura crystals Mode of communication: telepathy time : 5 minutes (One time service)

Daylen was penniless in both in real life and the way. He could not believe it.

"What the fuck? Where Am I going to find so much money so fast?" Daylen screamed out. He thought it unbelievable that the two simple looking pure crystals that had transformed his body were so rare and had too much value.

He was thinking that the creator of the dreamscape was not stingy in reeling in new players at all. If he only just left some more pure crystals for expenses.

"How do I earn more crystals?"

Trade, hunting, quests... Most reliable way: Profession and trade... Dangerous way: Quest, hunting...

 "I trust that you must at least have blacksmithing. It is the only thing I know." He helplessly said.

Explore the dreamscape first.

The Grimoire wrote.

"It seems that this book has its own spirit."

"If I remember correctly, there was a weaponsmith five blocks from here. I should start there." He said as he took the crowded streets.

It was not his first time seeing the dreamscape but the way things looked as real as the real world was startling.

"No, we do not need assistants nor a blacksmith. We have a full team here." They told him before he left with direction to another shop.

"What kind of game is this. Everything should at least be easier than the normal world. Instead, here, it seems that there is more accent to the crystals and the more you acquire the better off you are." He thought after he had been refused at every blacksmith shop in the city.

He was sitting on the ground in some corner of an alley watching the the sun go down. He was thinking that it was the only good thing out of his nightmarish day. He couldn't even get a job in a dream. That fact had marked him.

A man calmly made his way over and sat next to him. The man was clearly blind but seemed to be looking at the sunset.

"How is it?" The man asked.

"It's pleasing to the eye as always." Daylen answered as he turned around to see the man's eyes. At a closer look they looked almost the same age. He said : "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault, but thanks." the man said as he gave his name : "Darius."

"Daylen." Daylen said.

"Tell me Daylen. What would you do if you lost your sight forever but gained incredible power in exchange?" Darius asked.

Daylen thought that it was weird for a blind man to say such a thing: "Hehe...I wouldn't be able to see my loved ones and I only have a little sister. If I had no choice but to lose it, i would see it as fate. If I could keep my sight, I see no reason to lose it but if i can trade it for my loved ones to be safe forever, I'd gouge my eyes out myself."

"Well said." The blind man said before he stood up. Surprisingly, Darius had no cane. He kept looking at the sunset saying : "It's these moments that make the difference between dreams and reality."

Daylen did not understand and asked : "Are you a dreamwalker as well?" Why was he blind even. This was a world for divine stages. Being blind was impossible.

Before Daylen could ask, Darius appeared dissapointed and said: "Oh...you are from outside. Tell me, is there a difference?"

Daylen understood that he was talking to a native : "There's no difference whatsoever. The first time I got here, I got confused. It took me a long time to adjust to the reality. Both worlds are the same to me."

"Which one do you prefer?" Darius asked.

"This one of course. It may be hard to earn a living and my sister might be somewhere else on this planet, but I prefer to stay in a world in which I can become stronger so I can better protect my sister outside." Daylen said.

"Stronger huh?..." Darius mumbled. He continued : "You know, becoming stronger requires sacrifice. Do you think you are capable of exchanging your life for your sister's?"

"Without a doubt." The sun was almost gone as Daylen answered.

"Good. That's the way you should think." Darius said with a smile. He thought: "I hope to see you becoming stronger with those eyes of yours."

The grimoire that was floating next to Daylen opened and showed a line :

You've recieved the Blind Archer's approval.

 "Approval for what?" Wondered Daylen.

Accept?

 He accepted as he was curious about what would happen.

You've been bequeathed the title of Child of Darkness You've been bequeathed an ability Shade walker You've been bequeathed an ability Undead rites You've been bequeathed 25 pure crystals

"Wha...What?" Daylen screamed out.

"I gave my prized weapon to my brother. I can only do this much for you." Darius said. He added "It is not easy to find a suitable inheritor, but i just stumbled upon you. All I wanted was to see myself in my candidates and many failed while others passed but I could not decide. I am tired. I guess you are particulary lucky. Never underestimate dreamlanders Daylen because we are all like you. We want to live."

Darius turned into specks of darkness and dissipated.

"What the f**k. Was he human?" Daylen asked himself.

No. He was a discarnate spirit left behind by the Undead rites.

 "What are the dark rites." Daylen asked.

Undead Rites : The power to control the Undead. The user has control over undeads of similar level. The user can also even life to the dead transforming them into undead. Ability to rule over physical and ghostly undead, control souls of the dead or the dying.

"Oh my god...and shade walker?"

Shade Walker: Create darkness. Ability to manipulate darkness and shadows.

"This one is acceptable. Can I abandon the other?" He asked.

No.

"At least I can now call my sister."

***

Ascendant dreamscape

In the void.

A team of six was battling a strange bird.

Five were all tankers and used various skills to keep the bird in place.

The sixth remained behind sending arrows flying toward the bird.

"Hum?" The archer saw that the bow was unresponsive. The bowstring made of dark aura disappeared.

"Brother's last discarnate spirit is no more... He is truly dead this time...He must've found a suitable successor." The young man thought.

He concentrated and a dark aura left him to enter the black bow. A new bowstring made of dark energy appeared.

"I am now the true master of the Nether Bow." said the young man as a strange gleam appeared in his eyes. "Now I can avenge Darius... As long as I Tom Whiteshadow am alive, that madman will have to die for what he did to us. "

Tom pulled the the string to the full capacity of the bow. A giant arrow made of dark aura appeared between his fingers. He let go of the arrow : "Goodbye brother..."