Mini World Of Endless Fun Awaits

“Haha…I’ve heard many stories about people getting thrown into the friend zone, but it’s actually my first time witnessing someone get rejected.”

There was a figure sitting on the grass between the trees, laughing uncontrollably at Ren Suo.

Under the dim glow of the moon, Ren Suo could not make out who it was, but he was able to recognize the voice. He said, “Is that…Li Dan?”

“Call me Brother Dan,” Li Dan said nonchalantly.

“Eh…all right, Brother Dan,” said Ren Suo, considering that Li Dan was much more highly skilled than he was. Ren Suo asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Sleeping,” Li Dan said before he laid back down on the grass.

Ren Suo was confused. Walking over to Li Dan, he asked, “Why are you sleeping on…the grass?”

“Is that very peculiar? I’m not even sleeping naked,” Li Dan replied.

“What’s peculiar is that you are actually not sleeping in the nu…nevermind,” Ren Suo said as he sat down beside Li Dan, hoping to get closer to him. He asked, “Is the wooden bed in the dormitory too hard for you to sleep on?”

Li Dan said, “The mattress I sleep on is from Simmons.”

Ren Suo asked, “Then…is it because of your roommates?”

Li Dan replied, “Each of us has our own rooms.”

Ren Suo guessed again, asking, “…unless it’s because you naturally like the soil and the grass?”

“No, I still have to shower when I return to my room,” Li Dan answered with a shrug.

“Why on earth are you sleeping here then?” Ren Suo questioned.

“Because I can’t fall asleep,” Li Dan said.

Ren Suo was stunned for a brief moment. “Oh? Do you have insomnia? Or neurasthenia? Or perhaps because of your bottomless pit of desires?”

“It’s because I’m too handsome that I can’t fall asleep.”

Upon hearing Li Dan’s answer, Ren Suo remained speechless as he looked at the faint figure of Li Dan under the moonlight.

After about a minute, Li Dan finally said, “It’s because of physical reasons. Nowadays, even if I put on earplugs, I am still able to hear the faintest of sounds from very far away, and it becomes so noisy that I can’t fall asleep.”

“Have you tried noise-canceling headphones?” Ren Suo asked. He scratched his head and suggested, “Perhaps you could use the earbuds with noise-reduction from Hell Company or the noise-canceling headphones from Bose…”

“They are all useless. In fact, they make things worse, as many of those noise-canceling earphones drown out ambient noise by producing sounds instead, which are even more audible and annoying to me,” Li Dan said. He laid back down again and said, “But it’s also no big deal, not sleeping won’t cause any problems for me now.”

“It’s because…you have Awakened?” Ren Suo probed.

Instantly, Ren Suo felt as if the temperature around him dipped a few degrees, and he seemed to have stopped breathing. Li Dan who was lying on the grass shot Ren Suo an intense death stare, his eyes glimmered horrifyingly in the dark. It was the first time Ren Suo felt what a ‘killing machine’ was like in real life!

He felt as if S686, AK47 and M416 guns were pointing straight at him with the icy cold metal of the gun barrels coming into contact with his skin. The bone-shattering destructive energy seemed to radiate through the air right into Ren Suo’s nervous system, continually exciting his pituitary gland!

The fear of guns and weapons, as well as the fear of wild animals arose from natural instincts. However, the apprehension Ren Suo felt towards Li Dan was as if he was facing fear itself, right in the face!

It was absolute control of a higher presence over a lesser presence!

“…Do not ever attempt to probe into other people’s Awakening so casually again,” Li Dan said solemnly. He continued, “It’s a very sensitive topic even within Branch 18.”

“Over the course of the last six months, I have seen many people who had Awakened kill many commoners in order to hide their own abilities. This is exactly what the phrase ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ warns us against, the moment they have a strong sword to wield, thoughts of killing others arise easily.”

The gripping hold over Ren Suo’s entire body seemed to disappear. No longer feeling like needles surrounding him, Ren Suo gasped for air and said, “Under…understood.”

“Go back to your room since you have nothing else to do here. You will have to leave soon after you complete registration tomorrow morning,” Li Dan said.

Ren Suo hesitated for a good ten seconds before he finally said, “Well…I previously learned a technique to help people sleep more easily, do you want to try?”

“Hypnosis?” Li Dan said sullenly, “Practitioners who are from the same batch as me all strengthen our three spiritual energies jing, qi, and shen at the same time when we practice the breathing rhythms. You may not even be hypnotized successfully, what’s more to say if I were to be hypnotized? I’ve tried many methods before, and even had doctors who were performing hypnosis on me fall asleep instead.”

Ren Suo scratched his head and said, “Well, the technique I know is a very unique technique that I learned by chance. It’s really very impressive, and I even use it on myself sometimes when I have insomnia. I am able to fall asleep in less than ten seconds, so I suppose it really is quite powerful.”

“You used it on yourself?” Li Dan was stunned for a moment. He smiled as he said, “Have you been counting sheep?”

“No, no, no…” Ren Suo was not able to fully explain his ‘skill’ clearly. He asked, “Why not just let me have a go at it? Regardless, if it is not effective you won’t be at a loss, but if it succeeds…I’m sure it’s been a long time since you had a good sleep?”

Ren Suo’s words went straight into Li Dan’s heart.

Most people would think that sleep is a waste of time, for a third of the day would go past from sleeping. A short nap could waste six hours, and a deep sleep could become nine hours long. If people were able to conserve this time, they would be able to play many more games, read many more books, or even down many more drinks…

Yet, the experience Li Dan went through of going over forty consecutive days without sleep has proven that not only is sleep a biological need, but also a physical need for rest.

Of course, Li Dan could not have gone totally without any sleep at all, but regardless, without proper sleep, his energy was barely sufficient to get him through the day, similar to the fatigue felt by people who had worked hard physically for an entire day.

However, Li Dan had also realized that even though he had much more extra time due to shorter periods of sleep, he still hoped to have quiet moments spent in the dark where he could clear his mind and collect his thoughts. Darkness, peacefulness, warmth, emptying the mind of any thoughts; these were some of the benefits sleep sought to provide. To humans, sleep would be akin to reliving the times when they were still a fetus in their mother’s womb.

Apart from regaining physical strength and energy, sleep was also a splendid enjoyment.

Yet, Li Dan had been unable to enjoy any of the benefits sleep could provide. In the foreseeable future, he would have to live with such a disruption, unless he found a breakthrough for himself. Fortunately for Reiki rejuvenation, he had been able to nourish his body with Reiki without sleeping. He would otherwise have suffered from organ failure or cirrhosis-related problems from overworking his body long ago. Regardless, he still hoped to have a good sleep one day.

“Alright, you can give it a try,” he said, finally.

Ren Suo tried his best to contain his excitement. In his mind, he equipped himself with the [Lure of Sweet Dreams] ability from the game inventory. He looked at Li Dan who was lying down on the grass and thought in his heart: Hypnotize him.

Then, Ren Suo stretched out his hands instinctively, and Li Dan looked on as Ren Suo’s fingers moved and flickered in the air rapidly.

Although the area amongst the trees was not well-lit, as a skilled, first rank Practitioner, Li Dan had long acquired the ability to see decently well in the dark, and naturally, he could see what Ren Suo was doing with his hands.

It was as if Ren Suo was a magician performing a magic trick, using his hand movements to draw his attention. At the same time, Ren Suo seemed like he was an old rogue seducing a young maiden.

A thought flashed past in Li Dan’s mind: Could this fellow be an ability wielder? However, he was starting to think Ren Suo’s hypnosis technique was useless.

Who would be hypnotized by such hand movements? Only a fool would believe him…

Ren Suo waited for another ten seconds before he put down his hands. There was not a single sound coming from Li Dan.

In the shadows amongst the trees in the forest, Li Dan lay on the grass, without making any sounds.

Slowly…

Slowly…

Ren Suo placed his hands on Li Dan’s thigh.

He thought that placing his hand on other areas of Li Dan’s body would seem inappropriate. Furthermore, there was bound to be more fats on the thighs and would slightly decrease his sensitivity to Ren Suo’s touch.

There were still no sounds from Li Dan.

“A key has been found.”

“The key is in a sleeping state. Starting to retrieve the key.”

“The key has already been formed. 303 seconds required to retrieve the key. Do not remove physical contact. 302, 301, 300…”

Success!