Chapter 1606 Semi-Finals <TOC> Chapter 1608 What About You?
Translator: SumTLMan
The swiftness with which the match concluded defied everyone’s expectations. The audience, still in a hubbub, was suddenly silenced, and it took a good while before a wave of astonished murmurs broke out.
When Angel turned his head to look at the stage, Hilary had already been carried away.
The victor was beyond doubt: it was Onassis.
But what exactly had transpired in between?
Angel was conversing with Sabo, but part of his attention was indeed on the stage. He clearly saw that after the match started, Onassis didn’t say a word, nor did he make any moves; Hilary simply fell to the ground.
Angel’s only speculation in his mind was… Could it be that Hilary had fallen asleep again?
But hadn’t she taken some sort of potions?
Puzzled, Angel proceeded to the medical team’s area. When he entered, he found that the attending physicians had already left, and only Nausica and a few others were there keeping watch.
“What’s the situation with Hilary?” Angel asked.
Nausica furrowed her brows, “She’s asleep.”
Coral then chimed in, “Based on the diagnosis, Hilary has simply fallen asleep; there are no other injuries. But we saw her drink a potion before going on stage; logically, the effect shouldn’t have worn off so quickly.”
Angel also examined Hilary and found that she indeed had no major issues, she was just sleeping.
But as Coral pointed out, Hilary shouldn’t have fallen asleep so soon. There must be something fishy going on here.
After pondering for a moment, Angel addressed everyone: “Let’s do this — I’ll enter her dream to see what’s going on.”
Seated nearby, Shalem, who is holding a black tome, looks at Angel curiously and asks, “When did you learn the Dream Entry spell? Are you cross-discipline training?”
Angel nods, “You could say that.”
Shalem looks astonished. For them, mastering a second level spell requires a considerable amount of time. Is Angel actually cross-training, and not even in the elemental field, but in the mysterious realm of dreams?
The expressions on the faces of others present mirror Shalem’s amazement. To avoid undermining their confidence, Angel casually explains, “Dreams and illusions share a similar core, which is why they are often linked. Once you understand the underlying patterns between them, cross-discipline training in illusion arts is actually simpler than learning elemental spells.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course, I have no reason to deceive you,” Angel says, affirming with conviction.
Although Shalem still has some skepticism, it seems they have no choice but to trust Angel at this point. If Black Canon were around, with its wealth of knowledge, it might clear up Shalem’s doubts. Unfortunately, it hasn’t returned yet.
Thinking of Black Canon, Shalem once again gets lost in his emotions.
Angel then casts a spell that no one else understands. Subsequently, he leans back in his chair and closes his eyes.
…
In the core of a chaotic world, Hilary ponders, even though she knows she won’t figure out anything substantial. She’s aware that she’s dreaming… a lucid dream, to be exact.
A lucid dream allows the dreamer to alter their dream environment extensively and even act with complete freedom. For instance, a physically weak person can become a superhero in a lucid dream.
Due to her innate gifts, Hilary spends far more time in her dreams than in reality. Hence, even though she’s not a wizard specializing in dream magic, she has mastered the art of lucid dreaming through extended periods of sleep.
In the realm of lucid dreams, Hilary can do many things. What she can’t do — or rather, finds difficult to do — is engage in deep contemplation within the dream.
This limitation is common to many people who experience lucid dreams. Even if you become aware that you’re dreaming, you can’t fully harness your brainpower to delve into profound thoughts unless you are a dream-specialized wizard.
Hilary is well aware of this limitation, yet she doesn’t have many desires. She also knows that the glamour and brilliance in a lucid dream are illusory, so her dreams often take place in a chaotic world.
She’s aware that it’s difficult to engage in deep thought within dreams, but that doesn’t deter her willingness to think.
Her stubborn quest for thinking began quite early in her life. She even harbors a small, fanciful hope that if one day she could engage in deep contemplation in her dreams, she could save questions she encounters on her witch’s path for pondering within the dreamscape, thereby maximizing her time even in slumber.
In that case, no one would worry about her progress in magical training.
Due to this unwavering fixation, every time Hilary enters a dream, she exhausts all avenues to think through issues.
Now, she is contemplating a peculiar matter: Why did I fall asleep?
She vaguely recalls that she was in a competition on a real-world stage. How did she suddenly fall asleep? Did she forget to drink a potion?
Since the scope for deep thought in dreams is limited, Hilary can only gradually dissect the circumstances leading up to her falling asleep.
She remembers that she was supposed to compete with a formidable opponent. Even Angel had said that the adversary was not to be underestimated.
She took the match seriously and should have consumed a potion before it started… But wait, who was her opponent on the stage?
Hilary thought long and hard but couldn’t recall who her opponent was. This is quite unusual, as recalling one’s own memories usually doesn’t involve deep thinking and shouldn’t be so elusive.
However, she genuinely couldn’t remember who her opponent was.
Hilary decided to temporarily set aside her immediate reflections and instead chose to start recollecting from the finer details.
She remembered her opponent, who seemed to hail from a not-so-large wizarding organization. That organization once had a rather famous wizarding apprentice who had apparently defected.
As Hilary thought of the “Philosopher Scholar” Suyatutai, she was immediately reminded of another person through the connection of the title.
“Philosopher” Onassis.
Yes, her opponent was Onassis.
Then, Hilary began to ponder what happened when she faced Onassis that led her to fall asleep? Hilary thought she’d once again get mired in confusing memories, but to her surprise, she was able to quickly recall the situation at that time.
The details of the competition, Onassis’s appearance, even the rustling sound of the wind, the murmuring of the audience, and the sound of the blood flowing inside some people’s bodies — Hilary remarkably remembered it all. The feeling was like being back in reality.
Elated, Hilary thought: Could it be that she had genuinely overcome her limitations and could now engage in deep thinking within lucid dreams?
Hilary is the kind of person who habitually considers the worst-case scenario first. After her initial excitement, another possibility crossed her mind: What if she had actually returned to reality? What if she had awakened and that’s why she could engage in deep thinking?
With this thought, Hilary opened her eyes, wanting to verify her immediate surroundings.
As light flooded her eyes, she was momentarily stunned: There was sunlight?
She would habitually convert her lucid dreams into a chaotic world, where the appearance of sunlight was improbable.
So, had she genuinely awakened?
Hilary felt a twinge of disappointment, but it was a feeling she had grown accustomed to. Having awoken, she planned to first assess her surroundings. Given the presence of sunlight, she surmised that she must have already left the arena.
Either she had already returned to the Bliss Pavilion, or she was being carried on someone’s back on the way back to that very place.
Opening her eyes and preparing to greet her friends, Hilary found herself at a loss for words as she took stock of her environment.
Here, she was in a boundless wilderness.
The sunlight streamed down, clouds meandered across the sky, and the open field was a tapestry of light and shadow.
“Where… where am I?” she pondered.