The anomaly that Wen Wen discovered was right under Delia's bed, where one floor tile was a different color from the others.
Upon lifting this tile, Wen Wen discovered a green, semi-transparent vine-like thing.
At the top of that semi-transparent vine, there was an eyeball the size of a chicken egg, which revolved twice and then fixed its gaze on Wen Wen.
The vine, originally thin and almost undetectable, suddenly thickened dozens of times, and its numbers multiplied severalfold, encompassing the entire room within its attack range.
On every vine, there were countless sesame-sized mouths, and Wen Wen had no doubt that once touched by this thing, it would gnaw away at a considerable amount of flesh.
The aura of these things was completely at odds with the environment here, and not at all in the style of the Nightmare.
Appearing right here, Wen Wen found it difficult not to associate it with the sleeping cases. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novᴇlfire.net
The offensive of these vines was extremely fierce; an average Upper Sequence Superpower User would likely be completely devoured as they began to expand.
However, Wen Wen was prepared and had already retreated outside the window as they started their attack.
Then he took a deep breath, his abdomen inexplicably swelling, and spewed a mouthful of scorching flames into Delia's room.
The temperature of these flames reached tens of thousands of degrees, surpassing that of the sun's surface. Normally, it would be difficult for Wen Wen to produce such heat, but since this was a dream realm, he achieved it with ease.
The vines writhed in the flames, gradually withering away until only a piece remained beneath the bed, entirely devoid of vitality.
Wen Wen returned to the room, gazed at the leftover piece of semi-transparent vine, inhaled deeply, and activated the Nightmare's powers to dive again.
Unlike being outside, this time his powers worked successfully, indicating that near this vine, there was a passage descending to deeper layers of the dream realm.
After a peculiar sense of compression, Wen Wen arrived at an indescribable place.
Here, everywhere fluctuated with rapidly changing blocks of color; these blocks were myriad flows of powerful energy, some were striped, some circular, and many were bizarrely unnameable.
In this strange area, Wen Wen could feel himself weakening rapidly, indicating that even for a Nightmare, this place is an absolute forbidden zone.
However, a profound secret seemed to be hidden here, as those strange color blocks bore some resemblance to the external appearance of the Sanctuary Wen Wen occasionally glimpsed.
But Wen Wen did not continue probing; given the current situation, lingering here too long might compel him to forcibly awaken, thereby leaving the dream realm.
Beside him, he saw a semi-transparent green vine extending downward.
Following the direction of the vine, Wen Wen's body descended swiftly, encountering many vines moving in the same direction along his path, each presumably representing a sleeper.
After advancing for roughly an hour, Wen Wen once again encountered something with a concrete form—a vast mountain range manifesting a spiral shape with eighteen layers.
Wen Wen carefully recalled, realizing the deity depicted in the mural referred to 'Hell' as being an inverted version of this mountainous form.
"I've found the right place...but this also means I'm about to face a Catastrophe-Level Expert, and it's within their domain."
Frankly speaking, in such an environment, Wen Wen did not feel confident in defeating the opponent, yet he still intended to investigate, preparing to forcefully awaken if anything went awry.
Currently, as a Nightmare, he should be able to maintain self-preservation within the dream realm.
Following the vine to the outer layer of the mountainous range, Wen Wen once more felt a barrier and activated the Nightmare's powers again, finally entering the odd mountain.
The descent process this time was considerably longer than anticipated; by the time Wen Wen finally landed, he found himself in a primordial forest.
Surrounded by tall trees, clear streams cheerfully flowed through the woodland, visible fish swam, and the air was crisp, every breath infused with the fragrance of flora.
"The environment here is quite nice; though I don't particularly love nature, living here feels pleasant."
"Could it be that those people were drawn to this place not to suffer, but to enjoy bliss?"
Wen Wen attempted to fly to survey the surroundings, but found himself rooted in place, cold sweat appearing on his forehead.
His power had vanished!
"Something felt off...so this is it. This place is deeper than the bottom layer of the dream realm; my powers can't penetrate here temporarily."
"Forcing a recovery of strength is possible but would lead to my departure from this place."
"Handling this place is tricky; encountering enemies before regaining my strength would force me to flee embarrassingly."
Wen Wen contemplated for a while, deciding to conduct a discreet investigation before restoring his powers.
Delia was but one among tens of thousands of comatose individuals, investigating her might avoid drawing the mysterious deity's attention.
Without powers, Wen Wen was unsure where to find Delia, so he decided to have others find him.
He gathered some dry wild beast dung nearby, igniting it to send thick black smoke skyward, hoping anyone who saw it might come.
After waiting for over ten minutes, Wen Wen sensed an approaching presence, but it was not one person as expected, rather a group.
A group of men with feathers on their heads, modesty covered by leaves, bodies painted with mysterious white symbols, surrounded Wen Wen with primitive-looking weapons.
Wen Wen cheerfully greeted them, "Hello, everyone, I am..."
Before Wen Wen could finish speaking, the men aggressive surged forward.
Though devoid of powers, Wen Wen was a seasoned superpower user, easily able to handle Master Ye barehanded.
Using low blows, eye pokes, and throat strikes from a set of unorthodox martial arts, Wen Wen left the native-like men in disarray.
A thin needle the length of an index finger pierced Wen Wen's neck; when Wen Wen turned, he saw it was a blow dart from a native.
Without powers, Wen Wen had no resistance against these poisoned blow darts and immediately fell unconscious.
Swarming over him, the natives bound Wen Wen hogtied, like binding a pig, extinguishing his flames carefully, and carried him away in a direction.
Though physically unconscious, Wen Wen's mind remained clear; due to physical limitations, he was easily subdued by the natives, but consciously, he remained as formidable as the strongest expert.
Since the natives seemed temporarily disinclined to kill him, Wen Wen did not force himself to awaken; instead, he intended to observe their intentions, possibly leading to contact with Delia.