After leaving the principal's office, Ryan received a system notification: "Major plot change detected, earning 15 offset points."
As expected, gaining more offset points in the main world made Ryan feel a sense of relief. His previously depleted offset points had finally recovered slightly.
However, knowing that a basilisk was still hiding in the Chamber of Secrets was unsettling. For both safety reasons and the potential for more offset points, Ryan decided he needed to kill it.
This wasn't part of his original plan. But after his visit to the world of Dr. Zombie Bruce, where he obtained the Cummins Taoist scriptures, Ryan realized he had a viable solution—a magic circle.
With the right setup, a magic circle could amplify power with minimal effort. In the post-apocalyptic world of Dr. Zombie Bruce, energy-rich resources were scarce, which led to the decline of such techniques. However, the Cummins Taoist scriptures still contained records of these ancient methods. Upon studying them, Ryan found several magic circles that could be effective against the basilisk.
The problem now was gathering the materials. Buying them outright wasn't an option; he simply didn't have enough resources, and purchasing such a large quantity of magical materials at once would raise suspicion.
After careful consideration, Ryan concluded he had to gather the materials himself. His best option was the Forbidden Forest. The effectiveness of a magic circle depended on the quality of its materials.
However, he couldn't go on a killing spree—especially not unicorns. The death of a unicorn would cause an immediate investigation throughout the entire school. Besides, Ryan had chosen the path of balance in his cultivation, so senseless slaughter went against his principles.
Instead, he set his sights on the Eight-Eyed Giant Spiders.
These creatures were the ideal target—abundant, fast-reproducing, and considered unnatural just like the basilisk. Created through wizard breeding experiments, they were invasive creatures that disrupted the natural balance of the Forbidden Forest.
Most importantly, Ryan's life magic was particularly effective against unnatural beings like the Eight-Eyed Giant Spiders, making them easier to hunt.
Still, he needed to prepare first.
A Night in the Forbidden Forest
After a busy weekend and the Monday night curfew, Ryan snuck out of the castle and made his way toward the Forbidden Forest.
The night was dark, and the forest was even darker. To light his way, Ryan summoned a Lantern Grass from his grocery store.
Not even ten minutes into his journey, he heard rustling in the bushes beside him. Suddenly, a large figure leaped out.
Ryan instinctively reached for his wand, but upon closer inspection, he realized the creature looked familiar. After a second or two, he let out a sigh of relief.
"Betty! Good evening. You almost scared me to death jumping out like that."
Standing before him was Betty, a centaur he had met the previous year when rescuing a unicorn in the Forbidden Forest.
Betty studied Ryan for a moment before speaking. "Did you visit the Chiron Temple in Crete this summer?"
Ryan shook his head. "No. The ring you gave me is still with me." He pulled a chain from under his robes, revealing the ring hanging from it.
Betty furrowed her brow. "That's strange... then how did you learn to enter the Emerald Dream?"
Ryan blinked. "Emerald Dream? What's that?"
Betty hesitated before responding. "Take my hand and don't resist my invitation. I think you'll understand once you enter."
Trusting her, Ryan reached out and grasped her hand. Immediately, he felt a mental pull—an invitation on a spiritual level. He instinctively accepted it.
The next moment, his consciousness was transported into an immense world, filled with natural energy and spiritual vitality.
Ryan was certain he had never been here before, yet the place felt familiar. After a moment of reflection, he realized why—it resembled the dream world he had encountered at the altar in Edinburgh, except this one was larger and thriving with life instead of being barren and dead.
He examined himself and saw that his soul body looked like a twelve-year-old boy, unlike the older version he had seen in the past. Perhaps cultivating the Cummins Taoist methods had strengthened his soul, preventing it from unconsciously projecting information.
As he observed his surroundings, the glowing light particles nearby began to gather, forming into Betty.
"I haven't been to the Emerald Dream before," Ryan told her. "But I did visit a similar place once. It was much smaller and... lifeless."
Betty nodded. "Some wizards cut off parts of the Emerald Dream to make them their own private realms. The place you visited was likely one of those fragments. But you should know—once a part of the Emerald Dream is severed, it rapidly loses its vitality and dies. This process damages the Dream itself. So, Ryan, don't follow in those wizards' footsteps."
After warning him, Betty continued, "When I saw you helping the unicorn before, I judged you to be worthy of entering the Emerald Dream. That ring I gave you was meant to guide you to my teacher at Chiron Temple. But I didn't expect you to find another way in. Show me how you did it."
Ryan nodded. "No problem."
He demonstrated his method, exiting and re-entering the Emerald Dream.
The moment he reappeared, Betty frowned. "Your method was created by wizards, wasn't it? You're forcibly tearing an opening into the Emerald Dream. This damages both your soul and the Dream itself."
However, she then softened her expression. "But since the Emerald Dream has already accepted you, you've passed the most difficult step. You no longer need to travel to Chiron Temple to learn this. I can teach you the proper way to enter."
Betty proceeded to guide Ryan through the correct method.
Instead of forcefully breaking in, her technique involved feeling the natural flow, communing with the environment, and entering harmoniously.
Ryan found this method to be far more intricate than the one he had learned from the Viking wizards' memories, but also much more effective. Entering the Dream was now easier, faster, and less draining.
"This," Ryan realized, "is the true way." The Viking method had been a crude shortcut, while Betty's was a refined art.
As he practiced, Ryan couldn't help but think—this trip to the Forbidden Forest had been incredibly rewarding.
Hopefully, every adventure would be this fruitful.
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