Warlock Apprentice

By the time Toby finished recounting its first complete confrontation with the Extreme Resentment Thoughts, Greya finally understood why Angel had said, ”Toby’s experience is even worse than facing mortality.”

Because Toby’s first encounter with the Extreme Resentment Thoughts ended in death.

For Toby, the most difficult part was that it simply couldn’t face the torrent of resentment unleashed by the Extreme Resentment Thoughts. When Toby was being washed over by the waves of resentment, it was like sitting in a small dinghy, facing monstrous surges.

Unable to save itself, utterly powerless to resist.

Even though it told itself to endure, to resist the temptation of the Extreme Resentment Thoughts, it still failed to do so. In the end, countless streams of resentment flooded its mind, and in bottomless fear, Toby perished in the Void.

The terror before death, the horrifying sensation of its brain bursting with an overload of chaotic emotions, the panic of impending doom—all of these made Toby shiver uncontrollably even as it recalled the experience now.

Thankfully, it was merely an Illusion Dream. Toby hadn’t truly died, but the feeling of confronting death, of confronting the Extreme Resentment Thoughts, was deeply etched into its heart.

After listening, Greya looked at Toby with boundless sympathy.

The content of Toby’s narrative might seem inconsequential to outsiders, but its hesitant and cowering gaze spoke volumes. You had to understand, when she trained Toby, no matter how grueling it was, Toby had never revealed such fearful and dreaded expressions.

And this was just the first time. Toby was already so afraid. According to Angel’s plan, Toby would still have to go through this hundreds of times!

Greya couldn’t help but turn to Angel: ”Is this really effective? Can the simulated Extreme Resentment Thoughts in the Illusion Dream truly help Toby overcome its tribulation?” If it was useless in the end, wouldn’t Toby be suffering those hundreds of times in vain?

This was Greya’s third time questioning him, but Angel did not show impatience, because Greya only believed that Toby was battling the simulated Extreme Resentment Thoughts in the Illusion Dream. Every wizard knew well that within an Illusion Dream, even if one becomes the Creator God, the Abyssal Demon God, or even the Dominator of the world, it’s all merely illusionary, impossible to carry into reality.

So, Greya’s doubts didn’t surprise Angel. If their roles were reversed, Angel would also have concerns if he were in Greya’s position.

”It works,” Angel responded firmly. To reassure Greya further, he added, ”This is the only method I can think of that might help Toby face its tribulation.”

Angel’s resolute expression reflected in Greya’s sight. She fell silent for a moment before letting out a deep sigh: ”Alright, since there are no other options, we’ll go with your method.”

Greya turned to gently stroke Toby, speaking in a soft whisper, ”The difficulty now is only for an easier tomorrow. Just bear with it for a little longer.”

Even though the nightmarish experience in the House of the Heart had left Toby truly terrified, it had already come to terms with the inevitability of facing the Tribulation of Five Flavors.

Without the assistance of the House of the Heart, it might lose when confronting the Extreme Resentment Thoughts... No, it would certainly lose. Its outcome today against the Thoughts had ended in death, which symbolized that if Toby faced its tribulation now, it would inevitably meet the same fate: death.

Two paths now lay before Toby. One path appeared smooth, bathed in Sunshine, lined with flowers and greenery, yet the end of the path was a cliff into the Abyss; the other path was shrouded in gray mist, devoid of Sunshine, uneven and filled with potholes of varied sizes and strewn with thorns. It looked perilously treacherous, and even the end of this path seemed to lead to the Abyss. However... above the Abyss swung an iron chain in the wind, connecting to the other shore.

Undoubtedly, Toby would choose the second path. Because it yearned for the future, and only the second path allowed a glimpse of it.

Even if the path granted only a glimmer of hope.

Thus, Toby resolutely nodded, responding to Greya’s rare moment of tenderness.

Greya smiled faintly, brushing over Toby’s head: ”You see things clearly. It seems your experience in that Illusion Dream has indeed given you insight.”

The moment Illusion Dream was mentioned, Toby began to feign disorientation. Greya burst into laughter—it was clear that Toby and Angel had coordinated their story.

Greya shook her head, turning to Angel: ”Are you truly unwilling to tell me what you’re hiding?”

Angel replied solemnly, ”We’re not hiding anything.”

”The Illusion Dream isn’t like your refined theatrical Shadow Box, where you can pause and resume the same thread later. Moreover, the simulated Extreme Resentment Thoughts in the Illusion Dream—can it really trigger Toby’s heart tribulation?” Greya calmly pointed out flaws in Angel’s supposed plan. ”You truly have no intention of explaining?”

The issues Greya raised were ones Angel couldn’t fully address, leaving him only able to respond with silence.

Greya gazed deeply at Angel for a moment: ”Fine, I won’t press further. Everyone has secrets, though your secrets exceed what I imagined.”

With that, Greya acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to ask Toby for details regarding its experience with the Extreme Resentment Thoughts, helping it brainstorm approaches to handle the ordeal.

Angel, meanwhile, sat quietly to the side, lost in thought.

Should he tell Greya about the Wilderness of Dreams?

Telling her didn’t seem like a problem. After all, they understood each other well, shared mutual secrets, and barring any unexpected changes, they were certainly aligned on the same front. Additionally, Greya would be staying with Sanders for the foreseeable future, until recovering her body.

Now that Angel had acquired the Ability Tree and fully controlled the Wilderness of Dreams, even publicizing its existence wouldn’t pose a risk of anyone stealing it.

However... after thinking it through, Angel ultimately decided to keep it concealed.

The Wilderness of Dreams could certainly be shared publicly.

But if Greya entered the Wilderness of Dreams, she would undoubtedly investigate Toby’s experimental situations, at which point the House of the Heart would be exposed. Along with it, news of the Dream Conch’s ability to achieve Infinite Alchemy would also surface.

”Infinite Alchemy” was far more earth-shaking than merely airing the existence of the Wilderness of Dreams.

Angel understood well that once the Wilderness of Dreams was publicized, external entrants would inevitably uncover the secret of Infinite Alchemy. While Angel didn’t intend to keep the secret forever, he lacked the strength to control the fallout from revealing this news at the moment.

Though Greya might not betray them over Infinite Alchemy, Angel chose to err on the side of caution and continue withholding the truth for now.

While Infinite Alchemy couldn’t be talked about yet, after Toby’s matter was resolved, he could consider giving Greya a hint about the Wilderness of Dreams.

...

Greya gradually gained an understanding of Toby’s general situation, as well as the process and outcome of Angel’s plan.

The experiment for Destiny’s Boiling Tune had now succeeded. Next, Toby needed to continuously face the Extreme Resentment Thoughts, accumulating experience and finding countermeasures.

On this front, Angel could hardly provide any further help.

Ultimately, the responsibility shifted to Greya and Sharley to handle, especially Sharley, who had remarkable expertise in managing emotions. Her methods might prove beneficial to Toby.

And so, the next phase entered a cycle of trial and accumulation.

Toby would return to the House of the Heart to gather experience. Each time it emerged, it would report its findings to Sharley and Greya, and together, they would strategize ways to counter the assaults of the Extreme Resentment Thoughts.

Initially, Angel stayed on hand to protect Toby, but he quickly realized that Sharley, through ”Destiny’s Boiling Tune,” could completely stabilize Toby’s surging emotions, ensuring no threat of harm. Given this, his constant watch was no longer necessary. Thus, he handed all the Demon Flower Sprite Demon Blood Stones over to Sharley, relinquishing control and letting her lead independently.