"Don't be afraid, this is just a dream."

Xu Lang's voice drifted from behind.

Li Shuwen turned around and saw Xu Lang, feeling as if he'd taken a calming pill. His pounding heartbeat gradually steadied, and the entire dreamscape became tranquil. "Xu Lang, you're here!"

Wu Huihui stepped forward and explained things, and Li Shuwen understood what was happening.

In the end, he had only one question.

"This kind of slot must be precious, right? Why did you choose me? I feel like Wenwen's value is higher than mine."

Xu Lang replied:

"Don't misunderstand. The Nightmare Apostle isn't a life-saving item."

"Only truly talented people are qualified for the role. The upgrade path ahead will be perilous. Look at Wenwen's personality—does she seem suited to scaring others?"

"Besides, the value of a Nightmare Apostle can't be measured by the Blacksmith Sequence. There's no way to tip the scales."

Li Shuwen gripped his spear shaft, a flash of realization dawning.

It was for the best. Wenwen as a Nightmare Apostle truly wasn't suitable. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

He didn't want Li Wenwen to be scorned by thousands...

"Thank you, Xu Lang!" Li Shuwen said earnestly. "From now on, I'll prioritize the duties of a Nightmare Apostle over my responsibilities as a player."

Xu Lang smiled faintly. Smart people like this always knew how to hit the key points, which was quite pleasant.

"Let's go. We need to recruit two more companions." Xu Lang grinned.

...

Neither Wu Huihui nor Li Shuwen could guess who the third candidate was.

"I'm supposed to be a Nightmare Apostle?!" The Sword Saint pointed a finger at himself, his beast-like face stunned.

"Yes. Your blade is sharp. Cutting people down in dreams won't just enhance their Combat Instinct—it'll also let them generate Nightmare Essence." Xu Lang's face was full of smiles. "I've even thought of a title for you. How about 'Blade-Beast Nightmare'?"

The Sword Saint shook his head repeatedly. "That's too ridiculous. I'd die before taking that title!"

"Then do you want to be our companion or not?" Wu Huihui brandished her thick club, growing impatient.

The Sword Saint fell into thought.

Becoming a Nightmare Apostle meant immortality, but that immortality came with conditions.

—It depended on Xu Lang not dying.

And the downsides were obvious: permanently cutting off the possibility of joining other factions, and becoming someone everyone feared.

Completely boarding the Demon King Castle war chariot... with a future as nothing more than a subordinate.

After a long silence, the Sword Saint lifted his head and met Xu Lang's gaze. "Can I fight you?"

"Sure." Xu Lang agreed, then asked, "Have you never been to the Coliseum?"

The Sword Saint drew his broad-bladed longsword, eager to test himself, and replied, "Not yet. I'm waiting for that Chu Tianhe to show more openings."

Xu Lang nodded. This Sword Saint had no small ambitions.

Then, manifesting Purgatory's Master, Xu Lang held nothing back as he clashed with the Sword Saint.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Three minutes later, the Sword Saint lay crumpled on the ground.

"Take your time to digest this." Xu Lang bestowed the duties of the Nightmare Apostle upon the Sword Saint, privately satisfied.

The Sword Saint's strength was genuinely impressive. Remember, War God was a Mythical-ranked universal skill, representing the pinnacle of a civilization.

For the Sword Saint to last three minutes was already remarkable.

Witnessing their fight, Li Shuwen tightened his grip on his spear. Perhaps he couldn't even match the Sword Saint.

If he wanted to overtake him on a curve, he could only pin his hopes on the Nightmare Apostle.

Or maybe, further develop the Martial Master Sequence.

...

This time, Xu Lang planned to recruit four Apostles first, leaving one slot vacant for now.

And this final Nightmare Apostle was also very special.

It wasn't Gu Yan or Zheng Kai—players with high loyalty—nor was it about raw combat ability.

In the pure white space, Floating Life Play sat quietly on a bench.

Extracting Nightmare Essence and terrorizing enemies—perhaps no one was better at it than Floating Life Play.

Besides, the negative BUFF of Charm being in the negatives was something Floating Life Play might even crave, since he used fear to control players.

"Greetings, Dorm Owner." Floating Life Play stood up and bowed to Xu Lang.

"You knew we were coming?" Wu Huihui asked.

"The Dorm Owner told me to go to sleep and said there would be instructions." Floating Life Play hadn't planned on sleeping tonight, but after receiving Xu Lang's Private Message, he finally closed his eyes.

"After the dormitory upgrade, I gained some abilities..." Xu Lang felt that Floating Life Play was a bit dangerous and unpredictable.

Taking this opportunity, he could spread some misleading information while solidifying the surface-level identity of the Nightmare Apostle.

Hearing Xu Lang say this, the others naturally linked the abilities of the Nightmare Apostle to Demon King Castle.

Unsurprisingly, Floating Life Play became Nightmare Apostle 004.

...

"To myself, the immortal and undying!" On the stage of the auditorium, Floating Life Play opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth curling upward, utterly ecstatic.

His pale skin flushed with an excited red tide, as if he were getting high.

"Boss... what's wrong?" A Tenant swallowed nervously and asked cautiously.

He felt that Floating Life Play's aura had suddenly changed.

It filled him with disgust, but also a deeper sense of fear, so he instinctively tried to curry favor.

"Have you had any nightmares recently?" Floating Life Play turned to look at the Tenant, raising a finger.

The Tenant's pupils contracted.

Floating Life Play had a hypnosis skill triggered by a snap. Was he about to use it on him?!

He wasn't wrong!

The next second, Floating Life Play snapped his fingers, and the Tenant immediately fell into a deep slumber!

"Painless SAN Manipulation. This service will definitely be a hit!" Floating Life Play leisurely closed his eyes, a smile on his face, as if entering a sweet dream.

Dreaming could also lower the SAN value of Mad King Building players.

Floating Life Play had a side hustle: helping people control their SAN value. His techniques were masterful, earning him the title of the torture master within Mad King Building.

And his fees were quite steep.

About half an hour later, Floating Life Play opened his eyes.

The hypnotized player lay on the ground convulsing, foaming at the mouth, muttering "No more, no more, no more..." in his sleep, making it impossible to tell what he had endured.

The surrounding Tenants were deathly silent, no one daring to speak.

Suddenly, lightning and thunder erupted in the space around Floating Life Play, with all kinds of terrifying apparitions manifesting.

"Can I amp up the power a bit more?"

After a moment's deliberation, he suddenly pulled off one of his own fingers, from which a river of magma surged out.

This magma river swept around, scalding all the Tenants.

"AAAAAHHH!!!"

All the Tenants collapsed to the ground, wailing in agony, as if cast into a scorching hell.

"Dreams become reality. This is the power of the Demon King!" Floating Life Play seemed oblivious to the carnage around him, murmuring to himself.

Nightmares coming true, and with extreme destructiveness...

Floating Life Play added fuel to the fire of "extreme destructiveness," indulging in a bit of self-torture to turn horrors far beyond his current abilities into reality.

The magma on the Tenants didn't disappear—it persisted!

This was the power of the Nightmare Apostle: to control dreams and turn the horrors within them into reality!