Chapter 47: New Features

When Li Nanke opened his eyes once more, the sky was clear and pristine, clouds as soft as spun silk. Beneath his feet, a shallow lake stretched out, its water so transparent that every detail at the bottom was visible. The surface gently caressed his ankles, extending into the boundless distance at the edge of his sight.

The reflections of sky and cloud in the water were crisp, as if the lake were a vast, polished mirror, blurring the boundary between heaven and earth. Every breeze, every ripple, murmured softly of this place being where dreams began.

In his dream, he had ultimately prevented the giant aberration known as "Death Omen" from fully forming. Yet, even without achieving its complete form, this collective consciousness entity was capable of contacting other planetary-level aberrations. In the eyes of those terrifying higher civilizations, the plans of the United Human Federation were little more than a joke.

Thus, even though he and Alba, far away on Gliese 798c, had done everything in their power to halt the birth of "Death Omen," the final outcome was still one of despair—facing countless planetary aberrations and the destruction of humanity’s homeworld.

A synchronization chime sounded, and azure text appeared before his eyes.

[Nightmare, you have completed the Forbidden Dream—"Flare Project"!]

[Dream settlement in progress...]

[Your settlement rating for this dream: Grade A]

[You have completed a hidden node: Discovered the key experimental log in the biological laboratory and touched the "First Construct."]

[Your dream settlement rating has increased to: Grade A+]

[You have completed a hidden node: Prevented the planetary aberration on Gliese 798c—"Death Omen"—from forming.]

[Your dream settlement rating has increased to: Grade S+]

[Based on this rating, your current standard exchange fee is 300 points, and you may select two items from the special list.]

Li Nanke frowned. Last time, the initial rating for the guided dream had been Grade S. Now, in this dream, the initial settlement rating was only Grade A.

Even after achieving two hidden nodes and eliminating "Death Omen," the overall score merely reached S+.

So what does it take to achieve SSS? Completing other, as-yet-untriggered hidden nodes?

Rescue the space station crew, destroy the First Construct, save the United Human Federation, eradicate all planetary aberrations...

He shook his head. This was only his second experience with the Forbidden Dream; many things were simply beyond his capacity.

Although the final rating of this dream matched that of the guided dream, the reward cost had increased, and he was granted one more special exchange option.

Before the options list appeared, the synchronization chime sounded again.

[Nightmare, you have unlocked new Great Beyond privileges: "Repair" and "Enhance" functions!]

[You may spend a certain amount to repair and enhance your existing equipment.]

[Repair: Restore damaged or destroyed equipment to full functionality.]

[Enhance: Improve equipment to raise its rating; some items may even be upgraded in quality.]

Li Nanke’s eyes lit up as he retrieved his ruined "Linear Laser Cannon."

The Great Beyond displayed the repair cost for this weapon as 80 points; enhancement would cost 100.

Repair and enhancement costs varied by equipment. For example, the battered Apprentice Uniform set, torn from battle, required only 2 points to repair and 3 to enhance.

Different equipment also had different enhancement limits, and the nature of their upgrades varied. The cannon’s enhancement reduced its cooldown, while the chainsaw sword’s upgrade increased the sharpness and lethality of its teeth.

He raised an eyebrow and took out the reward from the final node.

[Nanobot Repair Kit]

[Type: Tool/Equipment]

[Quality: Superior+]

[Rating: 69/100]

[Details: This is an advanced repair device containing self-organizing, programmable nanobots. These micro-machines can recognize and adapt to a wide range of repair needs, from precision electronics to large-scale firearms. They can automatically scan for damage, assess its extent, and use their own reserves to mend or replace damaged components. (Nanobots cannot repair items of higher quality than the kit itself.) Remaining nanobot supply: 100%]

[Note: Nanobots, kid!]

The nanobot repair kit was clearly meant for emergency repairs, able to swiftly mend damaged gear in any situation. However, it was limited by both the type and quality of equipment; repairing the laser cannon would consume 28% of the nanobot supply.

The Great Beyond’s repair function, on the other hand, was incredibly powerful—without restrictions on equipment type or quality—but could only be used after the dream ended and required a fee.

Thus, Li Nanke did not immediately repair the "Linear Laser Cannon," but instead brought up the dream’s exchange list.

[Standard Exchange List]

[Weapon: Flamethrower, Cost—200]

[Weapon: Chainsaw Blade Gun, Cost—150]

[Weapon: Plasma Cutter, Cost—50]

[Weapon: Warden Kinetic Rifle, Cost—25]

[Weapon: Sentinel Kinetic Pistol, Cost—15]

[Weapon: Electric Drill, Cost—5]

[Weapon: Steel Pipe, Cost—1]

[Ammunition: …]

[…]

[Armor: Work Spacesuit, Cost—150]

[Armor: Pressure-Resistant Spacesuit, Cost—50]

[Armor: Oxygen Mask, Cost—20]

[Armor: Space Station Worker Uniform, Cost—10]

[Armor: Miner Outfit, Cost—5]

[Armor: Death Row Inmate Uniform, Cost—1]

[…]

[Item: Death Row Restraint Collar, Cost—20]

[Item: Portable Mining Lamp, Cost—1]

[…]

"What a pile of worthless junk..."

Perhaps because Li Nanke had not explored the space station deeply enough, most of the standard list was filled with items of little value.

The only things that caught his eye were functional gear like the "Work Spacesuit," "Oxygen Mask," and "Death Row Restraint Collar."

Without hesitation, he spent 80 points to fully repair the Linear Laser Cannon.

[Special Exchange List]

[Weapon: Wave Particle Pistol]

[Weapon: High-Energy Pulse Rifle]

[Weapon: Plasma Spray Gun]

[Weapon: Plasma Cutting Sword]

[Weapon: Electromagnetic Oscillation Hammer]

[Armor: Powered Protective Armor]

[Item: Stasis Field Module]

[Item: Universal Recharge Kit]

[Vehicle: Prisoner Transport Vehicle]

[Summon: Cutter (Standard Aberration)]

[Core Material: "Blood Moon" (may be exchanged unconditionally, does not count against the exchange quota)]

[Attribute: Calamity (conditions not met, cannot be exchanged)]

[Attribute: Spiral (conditions not met, cannot be exchanged)]

[Summon: Super AI "Becky" (conditions not met, cannot be exchanged)]

[Vehicle: Heavy Polar Snow Vehicle (conditions not met, cannot be exchanged)]

[Vehicle: Large Escape Pod (conditions not met, cannot be exchanged)]

[Vehicle: Gliese 798c Large Space Station (conditions not met, cannot be exchanged)]

[…]

[All rewards may be brought back to the real world and the next Forbidden Dream.]