Sleep Paralysis

In the pitch-black night, there was not the slightest chirp of insects, nor any other noise.

Everything seemed so desolate.

The only sounds here were the rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze and the bone-chilling wind.

“I have to say, this Mirror World is quite a good replica,” Sui Ming remarked with a sigh.

“To think it even has something like nighttime.”

Sitting beside him were Ral and Lecter.

The latter, however, looked a bit bruised and swollen, as if he had just been beaten up.

Sensing their rather offensive gazes, the yellow-haired youth hurriedly explained, “Hey! What are you looking at me for? It’s because I’m not in good shape.”

“Ah, yes, yes, yes, everything you say is right,” Sui Ming couldn’t be bothered to explain.

“Let’s exchange information.”

“First, we can now officially confirm that something has gone wrong with this selection tournament.”

“Over at the imperial palace, which was the original finish line, we encountered an Apostle of the Abyss.”

“Although it was just an incarnation, it probably still possessed the strength of a peak [Gold Vein].”

“Peak [Gold Vein]… That’s a bit tricky,” Lecter muttered.

“I encountered a similar situation.”

“That green-haired youth seems to possess some kind of strange power.”

“Even his seemingly ordinary Soul Invocation has transformed under this power.”

“I’d estimate he’s a powerhouse around the second tier of the [Gold Vein] rank.”

“As for our side, I’m a [Gold Vein] Tier 2, and Ral is a Grandmaster-level Alchemist, but as for you…” Lecter glanced at Sui Ming hesitantly.

“How on earth did you get in here?”

“And with an initial Gold Card, no less.”

“You didn’t pull some strings, did you?”

“None of your business.”

“In any case, it’s a fact that I can knock you flat.”

“I was careless then, I didn’t dodge!”

“If I hadn’t underestimated you… you.”

“Alright, alright! You two, stop arguing!” Ral suddenly stood up and said.

“The crucial thing right now is how to take down those two and rescue everyone.”

“If you want to fight, you can arrange it yourselves once we’re out of here!”

For a moment, even Sui Ming was taken aback by Ral’s composure.

This black-haired youth, who had been so timid and hesitant at the beginning, was actually able to maintain such a calm mindset in a crisis.

That was certainly not common.

“Fine then. So what do we do?”

“In our current state, there’s no way we can beat them, even with Her Highness the Imperial Princess,” Lecter concluded, glancing at the unconscious Bai Luoxia.

“Well… that is the question now.”

“Just when will Her Highness the Imperial Princess wake up?”

It was still night.

The noble moon hung high, which should not have deigned to cast its gaze upon the mortal world.

But the brilliance of the moonlight spilling forth suggested otherwise.

“Sui Ming, I’m going to sleep.”

“You’re on watch next,” Lecter said, yawning.

“Try not to let any demons or monsters in, alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just get lost and go to sleep.”

“Don’t bother me here.”

Sui Ming waved his hand dismissively and plopped down on a small hill.

Beside him was the “sleeping beauty” princess, who had been unconscious for several hours.

Sui Ming propped his chin on one hand, his gaze fixed on the distance.

‘Where did that damn crow run off to again?’

‘It gave me a report about the outside world and then disappeared.’

Sui Ming was just wondering about it.

Perhaps in this situation, that damn crow could be of some use.

He then looked at the [Necro-Ring] on his hand.

He had no idea why the name sounded so sinister, but it was useful, and that was all that mattered.

Casually pulling a biscuit from his storage, Sui Ming began to feast under the moonlight.

“Sigh… Life is tough, life is tough—”

Unconsciously, under the overwhelming drowsiness, Sui Ming slowly closed his eyes.

His consciousness sank into the depths of his soul.

Sui Ming felt his body being enveloped by a warm tide.

Everything became crystal clear in his vision.

From within his body, an aura filled with light began to rise steadily.

It rose until it transformed into a blazing sun hanging in the sky, illuminating all things in the world.

But with a single thought from Sui Ming, that brilliantly vivid sun suddenly dispersed into countless golden particles.

They gathered in Sui Ming’s hand.

As his will shifted, the particles coalesced according to his thoughts.

This was a power different from his Soul Invocation, an entirely new ability.

[Miracle—Convergence]

All things in the world, held within his grasp.

All that is willed, shall be gathered.

After realizing the use of this ability, an idea he hadn’t thought of for a long time suddenly sprouted in his mind.

The goal he had wanted to achieve when he first arrived.

His lifelong pursuit.

The instrument that had accompanied him through his past life.

An entirely black device slowly materialized in Sui Ming’s hand.

“This familiar touch, this familiar scent—ah! The taste of mom!”

Completely immersed in an inescapable sense of familiarity, Sui Ming aimed at the golden sun and pulled the trigger.

And then, the dream ended.

“Hey! At least let me see the explosion before it ends! Have you no decency?!”

Suddenly, Sui Ming felt a pressure on his waist, weighing down heavily on him.

“Am I… being pinned down by a ghost? No way, right?”

Sui Ming cracked open his eyes, trying to see if he was really being pinned down by a ghost, and then…

The blue-haired girl was also looking at him, a trace of drowsiness in her azure eyes.

It seemed she had just woken up as well.

But as soon as she realized the situation, the girl’s face turned crimson.

She immediately sat up from on top of Sui Ming.

In her panic, her hands didn’t know where to go and ended up propped against his chest.

And so, they stared at each other, and an incredibly awkward atmosphere filled the air.

What was even more startling was their position at that moment, one on top of the other, just like an intimate couple.

Perhaps hearing the commotion, a sleepy-looking Ral and Lecter walked over from nearby.

“What… what are you doing!” Lecter was the first to shout.

“W-wait a minute! How should I know!”

“Does it look like I did this?”

“Get a grip on reality, man!”

“I don’t care! Just go and die!” Lecter demanded, grabbing Sui Ming by the collar.

Meanwhile, Bai Luoxia, still looking bewildered, silently watched the two fight, seemingly unconcerned.

For some reason, while holding onto Sui Ming last night, she had felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

It was as if everything had returned to how it was three years ago, to a time before she was lonely.

Bai Luoxia glanced at Sui Ming with hesitation in her eyes, her mind churning with unknown thoughts.

‘Could it be…’

An unrealistic idea suddenly sprouted in the girl’s mind, but she still couldn’t be sure if it was true.

‘It seems… it would be best to test it out.’

Watching the two still at each other’s throats, Bai Luoxia really wanted to facepalm.

The harmless-looking Ral felt the exact same way.

“You two, that’s enough!” two voices shouted in surprising unison.