Chapter 262: Reentering the Fear Field

Above the pitch-black sky, two gray-white moons hung high—one large, one small.

They illuminated the slope ahead, revealing a land paved with gray bones, streams of blood trickling through the gaps between them.

It seemed the only color in this black-and-white world.

The familiar sky.

He had returned to the Fear Field once more.

Luo De felt little tension.

His body had descended, free from simplicity.

His tools were fully prepared; he was no longer helpless as when he had entered as a soul last time.

He sensed the faint pressure in the air.

"Spiritual accumulation probably dropped by 30%, and physical burden increased by 50%—that's brutal."

But the increased physical burden was entirely exempted by the 【Grass Domain】.

The 【Grass Domain】 gifted by Daphne Argyle was only a small portion.

It had little effect in normal combat, but as a domain, it always had unexpected utility in strange places.

"Let spiritual accumulation drop—it's not how I make my living anyway."

He looked at Sharon.

She strolled leisurely, surveying the dimension that had altered the course of her future.

"The pain I endured here I still remember clearly, but for some reason, I feel excited."

"You're clearly sick, Sharon."

Their arrival point this time was the same as last time.

Luo De walked up the slope skillfully, scanning the surroundings.

The Fear Field had changed since his last visit.

Previously, straight ahead lay the graveyard ruins, to the left the Plague Botanical Garden, and to the right, Bone Dragon Meghan.

Meghan was gone—which he had expected.

After all, unlike structures, movement was the norm.

The graveyard ruins ahead had not vanished, but they were now covered in a thick layer of white mist.

Upon closer inspection, it wasn't 'mist' at all—it was layer upon layer of webbing, like a celestial curtain.

"Spiders?"

Luo De paid it no mind.

After all, their goal was the Botanical Garden.

He turned to the Botanical Garden.

Well, it seemed the webbed ruins were likely connected to the Botanical Garden after all.

Between the two zones, a multitude of differently shaped Botanical Garden creatures were locked in fierce battle with a horde of gray-black giant spiders.

Both sides continuously sent reinforcements from their own territories.

"A war within a mental dimension—interesting."

Sharon walked over, linked her arm through his, and gently pressed her soft, buns-like body against him.

Luo De was unsettled by her changed personality.

She used to be like a puppy; now she was like a fox.

He tried to pull his arm away.

But Sharon refused, clutching tighter, even pressing his palm against her lower abdomen.

"What? Who was the one who pinched my ass in the Fear Field and said we'd have spiritual union? Now you're acting all virtuous?"

She laughed, her tail flicking rapidly behind her.

Luo De felt awkward.

You were nearly dead—I said those things just to provoke you.

Why are you still holding onto it?

"The Botanical Garden is poorly defended now—this is a good opportunity."

He swiftly changed the subject.

"No rush. Look over there—others share our thoughts."

Luo De followed Sharon's gaze.

At the base of the slope, less than a kilometer from the Plague Botanical Garden, five human mages in black robes stood.

The style of their robes was unmistakably familiar.

He was speechless.

"Bhador Magic Academy again. Are all their students this bored? Why do they wander everywhere?"

"It's tied to their school motto—after advancing to third year, students are encouraged to gather their own spell components personally."

Seeing Sharon's cold gaze,

Luo De remembered: this dog-tribe girl had studied at Bhador Magic Academy.

"What are you planning? Honestly, your eyes don't look like Sharon's anymore—I'm starting to wonder if you've been possessed."

Sharon smiled lightly.

She chanted a spell, casting 【Invisibility】 on herself and Luo De.

"I told you, Luo De—this is the real me. I'll kill them, but not yet. I don't know their goal, but I'll appear the moment they achieve it—destruction and rebirth will happen then."

Wilson suddenly looked up.

He tapped his glasses, revealing a faint smile.

"Glasses?"

Beside him, his longtime friend Andru rubbed his bald head, frowning in confusion.

"Don't call me Glasses, baldy."

"You started it, Four-Eyes!"

Behind them, three cute, pretty female students giggled at their bickering.

"Senior Wilson and Senior Andru are fighting again—such a good relationship~"

"Their nicknames are so cute~"

"The two seniors even bicker in perfect harmony—I'm obsessed~"

Wilson and Andru exchanged a glance.

A silent understanding flickered between them, then they pretended to scoff coldly.

Life at Bhador Magic Academy was even more dull and boring than outsiders imagined.

So many students chose to create their own 'entertainment.'

For instance, using credit points as an excuse, they tricked naive, status-seeking female students into taking 'field trips' to other dimensions.

Along the way, 'coincidences' and 'accidents' occurred, until everyone ended up sharing a single large bed, fully exposed.

Wilson and Andru were the kind who loved these little games.

But this time, it was far more dangerous than before.

After all, who would go on a field trip to the Fear Beasts' nest?

In truth, this 'entertainment' was unintentional on the part of these two scoundrels.

The three students mainly wanted to obtain Fear Field pool water—a crucial spell component for their final exam ritual.

But lately, dimensional anomalies had become frequent, and entry to the Fear Field had been banned.

This caused the price of Fear Field spell components to skyrocket.

The three students had little money and couldn't afford it.

They hesitated for days.

Between changing their exam ritual or risking entry into the Fear Field, they chose the latter.

They posted a request on student discussion boards.

The request was picked up by Wilson and Andru, who had been Bie for days.

These two had once been members of Bhador Magic Academy's Dragon Fun Club.

But after fleeing the scene when nobleman Bert died during the Open-Air Maze expedition, they were forced to leave the club.

It was laughable.

Everyone at this academy was skilled at running away—the school motto even held survival as paramount.

Yet within the student body, those who fled were treated with malice, essentially branded as traitors.

Perhaps that's human nature—expecting a virgin's purity in a brothel.

In short,

Without the Dragon Fun Club's connections, Wilson and Andru could only find their 'entertainment' in such jobs.

But neither had expected:

The Fear Field had become this way now.

Where were the Fear Beasts?

Why wasn't there a single one?

(End of Chapter)