As the "novelist" Dematero, increasingly adept at weaving eborate scenarios, pushed the narrative with his overactive imagination, it caused Dionysius to grow more suspicious and anxious. Negative emotions began to surface as he became increasingly concerned for his sister’s well-being.

  Meanwhile, Xanthia leisurely accumuted a healthy stash of Pain Points, easily securing a “zy win” in the process.

  It was hardly surprising that Dionysius became swept up in Dematero’s direction. His concern for his sister left him vulnerable to overthinking. After all, when it came to family—especially his sister—he could hardly afford to be anything but cautious.

  Dionysius also didn’t understand his sister, Xanthia, as much as he thought he did, particurly her inner world, which had been shaped by years of social anxiety and isotion. It wasn’t as if she made it easy for him to get close or gain insight into her true feelings.

  Thus, a "bck box" of information about Xanthia’s emotions naturally formed in his mind. And now, with Dematero—who was exceptionally creative and prone to wild assumptions—filling that void with various theories, confusion only deepened.

  Given that Dematero was already established as a "reborn" individual with an inherent advantage in gathering information, Dionysius was all too easy to mislead.

  Dematero was the type of person who always leaned toward the worst possible interpretations, particurly regarding Xanthia’s past. His penchant for doom-and-gloom scenarios only served to fuel Dionysius’s growing anxiety.

  Spreading his pessimism wherever he went, Dematero eagerly broadcasted how tragic Xanthia’s past had been. He urged those around him to protect her, to be understanding, and not to make life harder for someone who was, in his words, “already struggling.”

  Despite this, Dionysius could not bring himself to resent Dematero. In fact, he secretly felt grateful. The more extreme the hypothetical scenarios, the more they forced him to think through every detail, ensuring that Xanthia would avoid any potential misfortune—especially the grim “Bad Ending” that seemed to hang over the narrative.

  At that moment, Xanthia was enjoying the perks of her “zy win,” rexing comfortably in her bed.

  Over the past few days, she had accumuted quite a few Pain Points, especially after witnessing the intense showdown between the two "kings" in a battle that had shaken the cssroom and left a deep psychological mark on several back-row students.

  With all this amassed wealth, she wasn’t worried about spending it on a little experimentation. She had her sights set on testing the “Nightmare Phone’s” new “Pull into Dream” feature. But rather than experiment on someone familiar, she decided to use a stranger as a test subject—her usual cautious approach.

  Why did she have the contact information of strangers?

  It wasn’t a coincidence.

  She had collected many contacts for a system challenge mission, which helped her earn the “Social Butterfly” attribute.

  Later on, some of these strangers had reached out, hoping to reconnect with the “elegant beauty” they had once spoken to.

  However, Xanthia had long since viewed them as tools to complete her tasks. Once the task was done, they were forgotten.

  One of those strangers was a university student named Xenophon, who had contacted her the most. An avid fan of Souls-like games, he had mistakenly thought that he and Xanthia shared a deep connection over this niche interest and had tried to foster a closer retionship with her through their shared love of the games.

  However, after Xanthia failed to reply, their contact fizzled out. Xenophon wasn’t upset by this; in fact, he felt relieved. Had Xanthia shown any interest in continuing the conversation, he would have become suspicious, assuming that there must be some hidden agenda—perhaps she was trying to scam him in some way.

  Xanthia now gnced at the long message Xenophon had sent her—a message about his undying love for AAA games, particurly Imminent Astrals 3.

  He had even gone as far as to say he wished he could live in the Imminent Astrals world, to experience the thrill of being one of the Chosen Ones. His passion for the series was undeniable.

  Xanthia thought about it for a moment. Well, if he really wanted to live in the world of Imminent Astrals 3, why not grant him that wish, at least in the form of a hyper-realistic dream?

  The Imminent Astrals universe would also serve as an excellent source for extracting Pain Points. Perfect.

  Using the Nightmare Phone, she crafted a message along the lines of “Do you want to understand the meaning of life?” and sent it off to Xenophon. Of course, it was completely anonymous, so Xenophon had no way of knowing who sent it.

  As fate would have it, Xenophon was in his dorm room at that very moment, pying Imminent Astrals 3. He was engaged in an “Invasion” mode, entering other pyers' worlds to battle them as a world wanderer. It was a standard Sunday evening for him—his final year of university, almost free of any serious coursework or responsibilities.

  When Xenophon’s phone buzzed, he thought it was a call. But when he picked it up, he was startled to see a strange message—so strange, in fact, that it seemed to distort his screen. The edges of his phone were adorned with bizarre, intricate patterns, and the background of the message was a deep, unsettling bck-red, resembling dried blood.

  “Holy sh*t?!”

  Xenophon, startled, instinctively wondered if this was some kind of high-level phone virus. But before he could react, the overwhelming sensation of drowsiness took over. His eyes grew heavy, and without fully realising it, he found himself crawling into bed, phone still in hand.

  The strange message vanished, leaving him in a deep, unexpinable sleep.

  As for the Nightmare Phone, it seemed to be aware of Xenophon’s environment. If he were out and about, the sleepiness wouldn’t hit him immediately. Instead, it waited until he was safely at home or resting, ensuring that the person wouldn’t be harmed by sudden drowsiness in an unsafe location.

  Meanwhile, Xanthia, satisfied with the effect of the Nightmare Phone’s “Pull into Dream” feature, watched as Xenophon was pulled into a hyper-realistic version of the Imminent Astrals 3 world—a world he was intimately familiar with.

  At first, Xenophon was ecstatic, feeling as though he were living out his fantasy through an 'Isekai' narrative becoming true.

  He was now a Chosen One, just like in the game’s iconic opening sequence.

  The dark, majestic world of Locithel, filled with the echoes of ancient kings and fallen deities, stretched out before him.

  The music swelled, and he felt immersed in this twisted, beautiful nightmare.

  But the excitement quickly faded as he encountered the first true challenge: the infamous boss, Omnibus Codex.

  Despite his previous expertise in the game, this time he found himself struggling. The difficulty was far higher than he had expected, and the pain of every failed attempt felt too real to be just a game.

  Xenophon began to realise that maybe this wasn’t quite the experience he had wished for.

  As the pain and frustration mounted, Xanthia, who had carefully orchestrated the entire scenario, observed with a calm demeanour.

  She wasn’t merely a spectator; she could dive into the world herself, take on roles, and even manipute events, guiding Xenophon through his trials—an act that would undoubtedly yield more Pain Points.

  Little did Xenophon know, he was now an unwilling "worker" in Xanthia’s dreamscape, experiencing the full brunt of her machinations.