“Is there a way for players to quickly gain abilities?”
The Nightmare Lord was stunned for a moment, but then he roared at Zhang Xing Yu: “What? You want to give these ants abilities? Don’t you know how much Nightmare Power that would consume, you idiot!”
“Uh… it takes that much Nightmare Power to give them abilities in the Nightmare World? Isn’t it our dream that we’ve created?” Zhang Xing Yu asked in confusion.
“………………” The Nightmare Lord was silent for a moment before saying: “Are you referring to the Nightmare World only, or does that include the real world?”
“Well, of course, gaining skills and using them in the game world is a normal thing, isn’t it?” After finishing his sentence, Zhang Xing Yu realized that the Nightmare Lord lacked knowledge about video games.
“Depending on the impact on the Nightmare World, the amount of Nightmare Power consumed will vary, but… it won’t be too much,” the Nightmare Lord said.
“So, for example, if I want to make Odilia learn how to use a hand crossbow, how much Nightmare Power would it take?”
“Less than 1.”
“That little?” Zhang Xing Yu was surprised by the low cost: “Is it because the skill is too simple? … Wait, why were you so angry earlier? … Wait, the real world? Could it be?”
“Humph, why are you making such a big fuss? I am the Nightmare Lord. What’s wrong with granting an ant the ability to have power in the real world!”
“I see!”
“Humph—back in the day, I even imitated some deities, establishing the Nightmare God Cult and developing millions of followers!” The Nightmare Lord said proudly.
“…………I feel like it was the Nightmare X Cult, and you developed millions of food sources.”
“You could say it that way too,” the Nightmare Lord said with a strange smile.
“…You’re not denying it…” Zhang Xing Yu sighed and said, “But, speaking of which, what kind of power can you bestow on those… followers?”
“Magic, martial arts, knowledge, you name it.”
“That’s amazing! Isn’t it just dream-like power?”
“There’s nothing Nightmare Power can’t do!” The Nightmare Lord said proudly.
Zhang Xing Yu felt like he had some misunderstandings about Nightmare Power and needed to re-evaluate it. He asked, “If I want to give humans in the real world some power, what kind of methods can be used?”
“Through Nightmare Marks.” The Nightmare Lord said.
“Nightmare Mark?”
The Nightmare Lord laughed with its signature eerie and terrifying voice, saying, “This is a special mark that I invented, containing a blend of Nightmare, runes, and the spirit, all in one. Normally, I would bestow Nightmare Marks upon my important ‘followers.’ Through Nightmare Marks, they can freely enter and exit the Nightmare Realm, or use the mark to drag other humans into the Nightmare Realm. Of course, they can also use special powers through the Nightmare Mark.
These foolish humans think that with the Nightmare Mark, they can become great beings, but they don’t realize that they are just high-level food sources. Once they lose their Nightmare Mark, they are still nothing!”
“So, even though humans who have the Nightmare Mark can use special powers, the source of that power belongs to the mark, or the Nightmare Lord, it has nothing to do with them?”
“Exactly! Foolish humans! They never realize this until the very end. I can reclaim the Nightmare Mark at any time!” The Nightmare Lord said triumphantly.
“Demon!” Zhang Xing Yu couldn’t help but say, then he tilted his head and asked, “So, how did your Nightmare X … God Cult end up?”
“………………”
“………………”
Zhang Xing Yu and the Nightmare Lord stared at each other for a while, the Nightmare Lord snorted, seemingly unwilling to answer.
Zhang Xing Yu could probably guess. A cult that treated its followers as food would naturally be despised by everyone. It was likely that it was eventually destroyed by other deities.
“I’m becoming more and more curious about your previous experiences…” Zhang Xing Yu muttered, but he didn’t ask any further. The Nightmare Lord seemed reluctant to discuss his past. All Zhang Xing Yu knew was that the Nightmare Lord existed for millions of years, maybe even longer (the Nightmare Lord never counted his age), and in its prime, it possessed powerful enough strength to destroy the world.
“How much Nightmare Power is needed to bestow a Nightmare Mark, and to add other powers to it?”
“A basic Nightmare Mark only grants the ability to freely enter and exit the Nightmare World, of course, I can revoke that right at any time. It consumes very little, about 30 Nightmare Power will do. If you want to add other powers to the Nightmare Mark, it starts at 10,000 Nightmare Power!” The Nightmare Lord said.
“10,000 Nightmare Power is more than we can afford right now. But a basic Nightmare Mark only costs 30 Nightmare Power, not much… Wait, I think this Nightmare Mark will be very useful in the future…” Zhang Xing Yu’s eyes lit up as he spoke, seemingly thinking of something exciting. He jumped up in excitement, without concealing his excitement. “Teach me how to use the Nightmare Mark!”
“What are you planning to do?”
“Heh heh, naturally, it will be very useful!” Zhang Xing Yu smiled.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………