Towering high-rises filled the view, shrouded in a gray smoke that made one cough.
Although the Dream World hadn't developed an electronics industry—viewing objects like cell phones as Divine Artifacts—it did have some industries with a steampunk flavor...
Naturally, you couldn't expect these industries to be concerned with environmental protection.
"Time to charge... wait!" Chu Bamboo had only run a hundred meters or so when he abruptly stopped. He flexed his wrist, an odd look on his face. "My body..."
After a brief hesitation, Chu Bamboo began to run again—lightly and nimbly. He was as swift as the wind, streaking through the street. Fast. Incredibly fast!
"Just as I thought!" Chu Bamboo wasn't even out of breath when he stopped in front of the bank. "My physical prowess... it's even greater than in the real world."
'This feeling of power... it's a bit like when I fell into that mysterious pool and my muscles swelled like crazy!'
If the average person's physical prowess in the real world was a one, then Chu Bamboo's could now be considered a two.
In that case, his physical prowess in the dream yesterday, when he fell into the pool, was a five—or maybe even higher.
And now, even after the reset, his physical prowess had somehow remained at that level of five, or perhaps higher.
'The mechanics of the Dream World! Can I only bring a fraction of this power back to reality?' Chu Bamboo mused. He gave the bank one last, deep look, then turned and ran.
Chu Bamboo had figured it out. He wasn't going to meekly rob the bank again.
Soon, he arrived at the city gate.
Since he wasn't carrying any cargo, leaving the city was free. Then, following the route he'd memorized from yesterday, he sprinted onward...
...
"This physique... it's more ridiculous than a horse's!" Chu Bamboo marveled, gazing at the three great peaks before him. 'It's only just noon. The Dog-Mask gang should have been arrested by the Captain's Office by now...'
He was more than twice as fast as he had been at this same time yesterday.
Following the familiar path up the vines, Chu Bamboo moved with absurd speed, as if he were walking on level ground.
'Let's see if my guess is correct!' Staring at the sinkhole before him, Chu Bamboo leaped down again without the slightest hesitation.
The familiar sensation of falling.
'Four, five, six...'
The familiar timing.
This time, Chu Bamboo focused all of his Perception. He felt as if... he had passed through a thin membrane.
?
Beautiful crystals, beautiful clouds, a bewitching glow.
No matter how many times he saw it, Chu Bamboo always marveled.
'So, these clouds... they couldn't actually be the "radiation clouds" that popped up in that AI search yesterday, could they?'
Strictly speaking, "radiation cloud" wasn't a real concept. Radiation was obviously invisible to the naked eye. A so-called radiation cloud was, in theory, a dust cloud formed by various substances that were vaporized by high temperatures after a massive explosion, carrying radioactive particles.
Such a cloud would naturally be absurdly lethal... but it certainly wouldn't be this beautiful—
These beautiful clouds before him looked more like something out of a science fiction novel.
As he continued to fall, Chu Bamboo reached out with all his might and swiped at a cloud. The moment his arm passed through it, he felt a sharp, stinging pain. Staring intently, he calmly watched his own arm begin to swell, bit by bit.
The blood vessels beneath his skin bulged out like pebbles, pulsating vigorously. His skin quickly lost its pale, jade-like quality and took on a bronze, metallic texture.
'I should have realized sooner!'
The changes weren't limited to his arm.
But because his physique was stronger this time, the extent of the mutation was less severe, and its progress was slower.
Chu Bamboo sighed softly. As he strained his eyes to see... perhaps aided by his now-stronger physique and enhanced vision, he saw the true nature of the pool just before he plunged into it...
It was a pool with no visible edge and no discernible bottom!
Perhaps because the light was insufficient, it was entirely, pitch-black.
SPLOOSH!
A familiar sound echoed.
"Warning, gamma radiation levels exceeding standard..."
His mind gradually grew muddled.
Chu Bamboo struggled to open his mouth, wanting to ask, 'What kind of AI are you!?' But at that moment, he felt as if he were drunk. His mind was in utter chaos, and he could only babble things that he himself couldn't comprehend.
His consciousness gradually faded into an eternal slumber.
'...No. I can't die like this.'
And so...
Everything reversed!
The clear sound of birdsong drifted in from outside the window.
Like a drowning man bursting up from beneath the water's surface, Chu Bamboo shot upright, gasping for air. His eyes were glazed and unfocused. Only after a long moment did he come to his senses and drag himself out of bed.
It was the same small, yet tidy and clean, room.
The sounds of pedestrians and shouting drifted in from outside...
And...
...the familiar sound of water being thrown, and the voice of the bald old man shouting curses.
...
"This feeling is just...!" Chu Bamboo splashed cold water on his face, forcing his mind to clear a little.
Compared to resetting after waking up in the real world, this more direct method, while viable, left him in a much worse state...
He left his home as before.
Evidently, because he'd lingered for a moment, the people he encountered upon leaving were completely different from the last time.
'My body... it didn't get any stronger this time!' Chu Bamboo clenched his fist, his mind racing.
'I was exposed to the same radiation, so why didn't I get stronger... Or does the strengthening effect only happen on the first exposure?'
'What a headache! And this time, I didn't even make contact with that suspected AI...'
'Where can I find some answers?'
Chu Bamboo mulled it over. There were only two paths he could take. One was the Officials—or more precisely, the Captain's Office. After all, from what he had seen, everyone in the Captain's Office was a Transcendent. It was still unclear if they'd become Transcendents due to radiation...
...but there was no doubt they possessed the means to grow stronger!
The other path...
'Work with Dog-Mask again, snatch the key...' Chu Bamboo clenched his fist. He thought about it for a long time. 'Maybe I died instantly because I didn't use the main entrance! Perhaps I should just get the key and find the proper way in. I just don't know how long that would take.'
But that was the reliable option. After all, with that method, he might be able to enter the Ancient Ruins in a relatively normal fashion and communicate with the AI—which didn't seem broken—to clear up a lot of his confusion!
Suddenly, Chu Bamboo froze. He stared at the distant Yang Family Bun Shop, his brow slowly furrowing.
Unlike last time.
This time, although a large crowd was still gathered up ahead, they didn't appear to be buying buns.
Instead, they were gathered around two people—two men dressed in white robes and wearing small white caps!