Seeing Yin’s appearance, Nevia felt her heart skip a beat.

Yet the young girl’s attire startled her—it clearly didn’t belong to this era, yet mirrored the fashion from Nevia’s memories of Earth.

Yin’s entire presence—the beautiful long straight black hair, the distinctly Eastern features, the alluring outfit, and that gentle, ladylike voice—was exactly Nevia’s ideal type. She could even call her the "dream lover" from her previous life.

Yin was the administrator of this dream world. But she wasn’t created by the little Nightmare Agatha. Instead, she was the Spirit of the Artifact born autonomously over the long years after Demon King Virgil’s sealing. She originated from the demonic tool—the Yama Blade—bestowed by Lotus and crafted by Virgil himself, carrying fragments of his memories and knowledge.

This peculiar dreamscape was also conceived at Yin’s suggestion, fulfilling one of Virgil’s eccentric whims from long ago.

The spirit born from Virgil’s soul shared her master’s mischievous tastes.

In the boundless void known as the "Dream World," the black-haired girl stepped down invisible stairs, drawing closer.

Nevia blinked behind her glasses. The word "dream" made her think of the Nightmare clan in the Demonic Realm. But Demons should still be confined there. Besides, Nightmares trapped victims in endless nightmare loops—she’d never heard of them creating entire worlds.

Then again, no Nightmare would dare inflict nightmares on their own Demon King.

After a brief pause, Nevia decided to observe quietly.

She shifted her eyes and took a step back, standing obediently behind Celia.

"So, how does this game work?" Celia asked calmly.

"I don’t want to play any game! Where is this place? Send me back now!" Nina grumbled, clutching Celia’s arm while eyeing the black-haired girl warily.

"Sorry, but that’s impossible," Yin apologized with a smile. "Only by winning this game can you return. Until then…"

Yin suddenly covered her mouth, giggling softly. Her eyes sparkled with inexplicable excitement.

"You don’t get a choice!" Her voice rose sharply.

The surroundings shifted violently. Countless lights burst across the black void, surging like tides. A vast landscape materialized from nothing.

A soft sensation met Nevia’s feet. She tapped the ground lightly—it had turned to grassy earth. Endless plains stretched in every direction, and on the horizon loomed a colossal, boundless castle.

"Your task for now is simply to enter that castle," Yin pointed toward the distant fortress. "First, allow this one to explain the rules."

"You likely assume this is just an illusion or mental magic, hmm?" Yin smiled. "You’re right—it *is* all a fantasy."

Nevia froze, stunned by her blunt admission.

"But if you die here," Yin continued cheerfully, "your souls will sink into endless chaos, becoming soulless husks!" She watched their shocked faces with satisfaction.

"In this world, each of you will have a control panel projected from your own abilities."

With a wave of Yin’s hand, translucent panels appeared before them.

Nevia stared. This familiar sight reminded her of virtual novels from Earth. Could there be another transmigrator here? Was this "Dream World" their creation?

Her heart raced. Though years had passed in this world, she’d never fully abandoned hope of returning home. Now, the possibility of a "compatriot" ignited fierce excitement.

The glowing interface resembled those from anime and movies she’d seen—except instead of expected stats like "Attack" or "Defense," a massive golden hourglass dominated the center, sand trickling steadily downward.

"This counts down your game time," Yin explained. "If it runs out before you succeed… you lose."

Around the hourglass floated text:

**💥 Explosion Maniac: Boom is Art! 💥**

Nevia’s face flushed. She casually glanced sideways. Celia’s panel read:

**Arcane Soul: A walking grimoire mastering all spells.**

*So cool…*

She looked away, shifting her gaze to Alyssa’s panel:

**Domestic Mastery: The perfect wife material!**

*My Alyssa is the best!*

Nevia turned toward Nina next—but Nina blocked her view with her body, glaring protectively.

"These represent your abilities," Yin’s voice cut in. The girl smiled sweetly. "A little spoiler for what’s next…"

"*Hehe…*" Yin’s gentle expression didn’t waver, yet her laugh dripped with malice. "First, choose your weapons… things are about to get *very*… *in*… *ter*… *est*… *ing*."

She drew out each syllable. As she spoke, a pile of dazzlingly colorful weapons clattered onto the ground before them.

*Oh, and this is a newbie perk—one weapon per person!*

Curious, Nevia peered at the weapons. Floating text descriptions hovered above each one.

Seeing the words, Nevia confirmed it: another transmigrator *must* exist here.

First, a dark crimson spear radiating icy chill. Twin spiral patterns coiled from tip to tail. Its forked head split into four jagged blades—designed to sink deep with a single thrust.

Nevia lifted it. It felt weightless.

Text appeared:

**Piercing Death Thorn Spear:** A causal-reversal demonic spear. It inverts cause and effect, predetermining the "effect" (piercing the heart) to dictate the "cause" (the thrust). Since the outcome is fixed, defense or evasion is meaningless. This curse interferes with fate itself.

As the "Spear of Causality," it defies worldly order, exuding unnatural cold.

○

*Ever heard ‘Lancers always have E-rank luck’?*

Though impressive, Nevia tossed the spear aside with a grimace.

Her eyes swept the pile, settling on a longbow.

It resembled a three-pronged branch. Two red gems adorned its upper and lower limbs, and a pink flower bud bloomed at its tip.

*Feminine, sure—but*

*Bow users always get the best of everything!*

Without hesitation, Nevia grabbed it.

**Circle of Reason (Bow):** A bow born of miracles, brimming with hope—*"I want to be someone who helps others."*

A golden longbow crowned with a rosebud. Normally folded into a slender branch for carrying, it unfolds into bow form when drawn. The string and energy arrows materialize mid-pull. At full draw, the bud blooms into a rose, igniting the arrowhead with pink flames.

Its arrows leave luminous trails and track targets with absurd precision.

**Abilities:**

• **Single Shot:** Fire one magic arrow at blinding speed.

• **Rapid Fire:** Unleash consecutive magic arrows rapidly.

• **Scatter Shot:** Summon a Magic Circle to release a barrage (reduced power, wide area).

• **Charged Shot:** Unleash a massive arrow with immense power and speed (slow charge).

• **Final Hope:** A miracle arrow fueled by "Hope." Devastating power—but overuse invites misfortune!

*…Like turning into a witch or something?*

Nevia silently吐槽’d, gripping the bow unmistakably inspired by "Madoka."