A flash of anger passed through Jormungandr’s eyes.
This bastard actually wanted her to use the power she had painstakingly recovered to extend the life of some random girl?
What did he take her for? An energy source?
Jormungandr’s face turned dark, and she was just about to refuse such an outrageous request.
But then she caught sight of the icy gaze Luca directed her way.
Her expression immediately softened into a sweet smile as she obediently replied, “Of course, my lord, I’ll extend her life right away!”
“Smart decision,” Luca commented with a cheerful smile.
That smug attitude of his made Jormungandr want to tear a chunk of flesh out of him.
“Calm down, calm down. I’ll have all the time in the world to deal with him once I’m free,” she told herself, forcing down her fury. She glanced at Tia and her sister Mira, snorted coldly, and with a wave of her hand, sent a ball of purple Dreamweaving energy surging into Mira’s body.
Mira watched in confusion as her body was enveloped by the violet light, her expression full of panic. She still had no idea what was happening.
This was one of the drawbacks of Dreamweaving—people brought into existence through memories were essentially just clones. Mira only retained fragmented pieces of memory.
Currently, her memories were stuck a few years in the past, and many parts were missing entirely. Tia would have to explain things to her slowly over time.
Even so, Tia felt immense gratitude, bowing deeply. “Thank you, my lord, for your great mercy. I will never forget this kindness!”
Luca sat on a wooden chair, fiddling with the teacup in his hand. Without a trace of emotion, he doused her excitement with a bucket of cold water. “Don’t be too quick to celebrate. Jormungandr’s power is only enough to sustain your sister for seven days. Complete the task I give you within those seven days, and I’ll extend her life again. Otherwise, she will vanish from this world.”
He glanced down at the sisters, who had turned pale, and continued, “I’ll make it very clear: until the day I no longer need you, you will not have freedom. Until then, serve me well. I’ll give you a chance at life, and I’ll grant you heights you could never dream of achieving.”
“If you become useless, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
Luca’s words weren’t just directed at Tia, but also at the members of the Nightmare Cult and Jormungandr herself.
He had no need for dead weight!
Sweeping his gaze over the group of fanatical cultists, Luca suddenly asked, “Who among you wishes to enter the Dream Kingdom? Step forward, and I will grant your wish!”
The Nightmare Cult’s deacons and followers had long been waiting for this moment. Hearing Luca’s words, their eyes lit up, and they eagerly stepped forward, shouting with excitement, “Me, me, me! My lord, I want to enter the Dream Kingdom!”
Jormungandr gave Luca a curious glance.
Although she hadn’t known him for long, she could tell that this young man, while possessing a certain baseline of principles, was by no means a kindhearted person. So why was he suddenly being so generous this time?
There’s definitely something fishy here…
Watching the excited expressions of the cultists, Luca’s smile grew even wider.
“Relax, no need to rush. There’s enough for everyone,” he said, waving his hand dismissively.
After that, his smile suddenly turned cold and rigid. He glanced at Jormungandr and said, “They want to enter the Dream Kingdom, so I’ll leave them to you.”
Jormungandr froze for a moment, not immediately understanding what Luca meant.
But when she saw the frostiness in his gaze, it suddenly dawned on her.
So, he was talking about another Dream Kingdom…
In other words, these people now belonged to her?
Jormungandr licked her crimson lips, her serpentine eyes narrowing slightly as an excited expression appeared on her delicate face.
Perfect timing—she had lost quite a bit of power on that girl earlier. Now she had the chance to replenish it…
With that thought, a smile identical to Luca’s appeared on her face.
Jormungandr beamed at the crowd of eager cultists and said sweetly, “Ahem, may nightmares endure, and dreams last forever! No need to worry. I’ll take you all in, one by one. Trust me, I’ll give you a dream that’s truly eternal and fulfilling…”
The cultists, their faces glowing with enthusiasm, had no idea that they were about to become a meal for a certain King-level monster.
Ignoring these fools who were blissfully unaware of their impending doom, Luca stretched lazily and strode out of the clinic, leaving the rest for Jormungandr to handle.
He did need the Nightmare Cult to serve his purposes, but what he needed were capable individuals, not a bunch of idiots who only cared about daydreaming all the time.
So, Luca’s first step in taking over the Nightmare Cult was to clean out this trash.
After that, he’d have Tia reorganize the entire cult and recruit new members, transforming this notorious evil cult into a hidden trump card under his control.
As for how powerful this card would become in the future, that was still uncertain, but Luca had a feeling it might just give him an unexpected surprise.
“My lord, what would you like us to do?” Tia’s voice came from behind him. At some point, she had caught up, and after a moment’s hesitation, she finally asked.
Mira only had seven days left. Time was tight, and for Tia, extending her sister’s life was her top priority.
Luca thought for a moment before giving his orders. “First, send people to the areas where the monster horde broke out and look for any signs of the other Demon Lords—especially Hydra. Report to me immediately if you find any clues.”
“Second, eliminate those high-ranking members who are only interested in living in a dream. Recruit more elite professionals in their place.”
“Third, summon all the Nightmare Cult members to the Southern Territory and have them stand by for further instructions.”
Disrupting Hydra’s node had yielded great results for Luca. These King-level monsters hadn’t fully descended yet and were still relatively weak. This was the perfect time to strike, and Luca certainly wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip away.
Tia nodded, carefully noting down each of his directives.
Luca spoke calmly, “As long as you handle these three tasks well, your sister’s lifespan won’t be a problem in the short term. Rest assured, while I might not be a saint, I’ve never been one to mistreat my own people.”
“I understand. Thank you, Master.” Despite knowing that Luca was using her sister’s life as leverage to make her do his bidding, Tia was still genuinely grateful.
After all, if it were Jormungandr instead, the price for reviving her sister would likely have been far greater.
Behind her, Mira timidly stared at Luca’s back.
By now, she had a vague understanding of her situation.
It was hard for her to believe that she had been resurrected, but the reality before her left her with no choice.
For Mira, Luca was undoubtedly her creator, so she naturally felt both respect and fear toward him.
At the same time, there was a flicker of curiosity in her heart. Luca didn’t look very old, yet he possessed such immense power—far surpassing even her father. It was truly astonishing.
After receiving Luca’s instructions, Tia took Mira with her and left. There was so much she wanted to tell Mira, and she could barely contain her excitement.
With everything settled, Luca logged out of the game. frёeωebɳovel.com
He planned to get a good night’s rest and prepare for his journey to Southwind City the next day.
Meanwhile, back in Riverfall City—
A group of players from The World Guild were waiting respectfully in the town square.
As two flashes of light lit up the area, Celephais and Dien’s figures emerged.
Neither of them looked particularly happy at the moment.
Several days had passed, and while their resurrection cooldown had finally ended, their levels had fallen far behind the other players. Even some regular players had managed to catch up to them.
On top of that, they’d lost two Bronze Grade items, making their losses truly staggering.
Dien, in particular, looked as if his face was twitching in pain.
That Bronze Grade piece had cost him every last bit of his savings, and yet Luca had looted it just like that.
He had been so distressed over it these past few days that he hadn’t been able to sleep a wink.
“Still no news on that bastard?” Celephais’s expression was dark, like the calm before a storm. In all his years, he had never suffered such a grave humiliation.
If he managed to uncover Luca’s real identity, he would make that audacious bastard pay dearly.
One of The World Guild’s vice presidents, trembling with fear, replied, “No, we haven’t found him yet. He’s hidden his information well and rarely interacts with others. Unless he reveals himself, I’m afraid it’ll be very difficult to track him down…”
In truth, he was already being diplomatic. Given the level of privacy protection in Eternal Game, unless Luca exposed himself, it would be nearly impossible for any player to trace him.
Celephais understood this reality all too well. Although he was filled with rage, he knew that finding Luca in the real world was nearly impossible.
But swallowing this bitterness without doing anything? That was something he couldn’t stand.
This was just some ordinary player—someone without even a guild or a professional club backing him.
If he couldn’t even deal with such a small fry, how could he maintain his reputation in the community?
With a dark and icy gaze, Celephais ordered, “If we can’t find him in the real world, then track him down in the game! No matter the cost, I want you to dig this Luca out for me!”
Dien and the other high-ranking members of The World Guild quickly acknowledged his command.
They could tell Celephais was in a foul mood and didn’t dare to further provoke him. They immediately left and began executing his orders.
They threw money around, hiring a large number of regular players to search every corner of Riverfall City for Luca’s presence. As long as he showed his face, The World Guild would be the first to know.
But since Luca had already logged out of the game, their efforts were destined to be fruitless today.
…
The next day at noon, the sun hung high in the sky, and Luca was abruptly woken up by the sound of someone pounding on his door.
“Luca, Luca! Get up already! The sun’s practically burning your back! Come to Southwind City and hang out with me!” Susie’s distinctive crisp voice rang out from outside, accompanied by a series of loud knocks that made the bedroom door rattle.
Luca groggily opened his eyes, glancing at the clock. It was only 10 a.m. He pulled the covers over his head and attempted to go back to sleep.
Although the game’s immersion pod could physically relax his body, it didn’t replenish his mental energy. On top of that, he hadn’t rested well these past few days. Now that he finally had a chance to catch some extra sleep, he wasn’t about to waste it.
“Didn’t Auntie say he was home?” Susie muttered to herself outside the door. She’d been knocking for a good while without any response, and she started to wonder if Luca had gone out after all.
She hesitated, considering whether to push open the door and check. But then she remembered what happened last time, when Luca had taken advantage of her, and she hesitated again.
“Last time was just an accident… It was my fault for not being on guard. But now that I’m prepared, there’s no way that will happen again!” With this thought in mind, Susie mustered up some courage and slowly pushed open Luca’s bedroom door.