Warlock Apprentice

Greya had noticed long ago that there seemed to be some shared secret between Toby and Angel.

Once Toby entered the Dream, the Extreme Resentment Thoughts could transform into creatures in its dream, leading Toby astray and even breaking the seal. Previously, the Extreme Resentment Thoughts had taken the form of Angel and wreaked havoc within Toby’s dream.

For this reason, whenever Toby showed signs of drowsiness, Greya would stay vigilant, using various methods to dispel Toby’s sleepiness.

However, what puzzled Greya was that Angel seemed unconcerned about this. As long as Toby was by his side, sleep was a common occurrence.

Angel cared deeply about Toby’s safety, so it was unlikely he would allow Toby to remain in danger. This made his behavior remarkably strange—he was clearly confident that Toby would be fine entering the Dream while by his side.

Where did this confidence come from?

”Has Toby’s emotional state changed?” Greya turned to ask Sharley.

Sharley, who had been attuned to Toby’s condition, answered without hesitation, ”The same as before—very calm. The negative emotions in its body are still like undercurrents in the deep sea, surging below but not stirring the surface.”

In other words, Toby’s emotional state was the same awake or asleep.

Greya’s eyes flickered with doubt. Could this be the reason? Did he somehow pull Toby into his own dream, keeping it safe this way?

But whenever Toby slept, Angel didn’t necessarily sleep as well. So, this explanation didn’t seem right either.

What could it possibly be?

Greya couldn’t figure it out, but she had a faint feeling that the answer revolved around one key—the Dream Realm.

Moreover—

Greya raised her head to look toward a particular room on the second floor behind her. She recalled hearing Sanders mention before that he, too, was researching Dream-based Tricks.

Master and apprentice both delving into Dream-related studies—there must be something suspicious here. Perhaps the Dream Realm held some truth they had been concealing all along.

”Although I know Angel wouldn’t hurt Toby, I still can’t help but want to uncover their secret,” Greya murmured softly to herself.

Sharley caught the sound of Greya’s muttering but didn’t catch its meaning. She turned to look at her in confusion. ”My lady, were you speaking to me?”

”No. Just keep monitoring Toby’s emotions,” Greya said with a shake of her head, signaling her to continue.

Sharley refocused her attention on Toby. It didn’t take long before her brows furrowed deeply. ”Something’s not right—Toby’s negative emotions seem to be surging!”

Greya snapped her head around. ”What’s happening?”

Sharley shook her head. ”I don’t know what triggered it, but the negative emotions are rising... and fast!”

To Greya’s eyes, there was no visible change to Toby; it was still sleeping peacefully. But for Sharley, someone immensely sensitive to emotional fluctuations, it was different. Even in ordinary circumstances, Sharley could sense the Extreme Resentment Thoughts hidden deep within Toby. Now, she could feel the vast and terrifying surge of negative emotions.

In Sharley’s perception, if Toby’s usual emotional state resembled a tranquil ocean with undercurrents deep below, then now the ocean had begun to shift. Waves were breaking forth, and the hidden currents were transforming into foaming bubbles, rising aggressively to the surface.

Initially, Sharley could answer Greya’s questions while monitoring Toby’s state. But as things progressed, she became completely engulfed by the negative emotions emanating from Toby, leaving her unable to focus on anything else.

The surface of that ocean was now covered with bubbles formed from negative emotions.

A faint ”pop” echoed in her mind.

The bubbles burst, releasing the negative emotions contained within them.

The entire surface of the ocean began to thicken with dark mist—like the densest night fog, shrouding the increasingly volatile waters.

”How could there be such intense negative emotions?” Sharley murmured in disbelief. She had always been aware of the vast negativity hidden within Toby, but she’d never imagined its release would be this terrifying.

Even someone like Sharley, who relished collecting negative emotions, felt a twinge of fear.

Moreover, Sharley could sense that the negative emotions Toby was releasing now were still under suppression. Much more still lay bound within Toby.

As Sharley was shaken by the negativity, Greya too began sensing something unusual.

A faint black mist was emanating from Toby’s body, lingering around it.

This black mist was the tangible manifestation of the Extreme Resentment Thoughts. From just a slight probing, Greya could feel the torrent of negative emotions it carried—grudges, envy, jealousy, malice...

”Why is this happening? Could it be that the seal suppressing Toby’s Extreme Resentment Thoughts is on the verge of failing?”

If the Extreme Resentment Thoughts really broke free, it would mean Toby had to face the Extreme Resentment Tribulation right now! But in its current state, could Toby truly confront the Extreme Resentment Thoughts?

It wasn’t that Greya lacked faith in Toby, but she was keenly aware of how horrifying the enemy Toby was about to face would be.

The Tribulation of Five Flavors—a legendary trial of emotions for Magical Creatures!

Looking at Toby shrouded in dense black mist, Greya grew so tense that her fists clenched involuntarily.

Just moments earlier, she had needed Sharley’s observations. But now, she could see with her own eyes how the black mist around Toby was growing thicker and denser...

”What should we do? Are we really going to let Toby face the Extreme Resentment Tribulation now?” Greya frowned deeply, her gaze shifting to the golden-haired man sleeping beside Toby. ”Angel, what exactly are you doing?”

As unease filled Greya’s heart, Angel, who had been asleep, suddenly opened his eyes.

Greya immediately noticed and hurried forward. ”Angel, what is going on?”

Angel didn’t immediately respond to Greya’s question but turned his gaze toward Toby. The black mist shrouding Toby had grown so thick that only its silhouette could be made out.

”Just as I thought,” Angel murmured softly.

”What have you realized? What’s happening to Toby?” Greya pressed, unable to suppress her questions.

Angel looked at Greya. ”I’ll explain later. For now, I need to resolve Toby’s problem.”

With that, Greya watched Angel closely, expecting him to take action. However... Angel simply closed his eyes again and fell back asleep.

Seeing this, Greya felt thoroughly perplexed.

According to Angel’s previous explanations, he would bring Toby into his dream to conduct experiments. But now that Angel was awake, Toby couldn’t possibly still be in his dream. So where was Toby? Or perhaps Angel had never brought Toby into his dream in the first place... Was he lying?

While Greya was consumed by doubt, Toby’s condition began to change again. Perhaps it was exactly as Angel had mentioned—he was resolving Toby’s problem—

The black mist surrounding Toby started to contract.

Soon, it had completely reabsorbed into Toby’s body.

Looking at Toby now, it was once again sleeping soundly, as if nothing at all had occurred.

Greya could no longer sense any change in Toby’s emotions. Left with no other option, she turned to Sharley, hoping for an explanation.

”How is Toby now?”

Sharley, still shaken, took several deep breaths before attuning herself to Toby’s emotional state again. After a long pause, she looked astonished. ”The negative emotions have once again sunk to the depths. Toby has returned to normal.”