Observing as the dream cloud whale disappeared entirely, Scaly let out a sigh of relief. Even though she might be strong enough to fight with the dream cloud whale, that was under normal circumstances. In the dreamscape, she was completely outmatched by the dream cloud whale and had little chance of fighting back in case it decided to retreat from the floating island.
But this was just for now, when she learnt to travel through the sky of the dreamscape like the dream cloud whale, she felt confident that she would be able to fight the dream cloud whale and potentially even turn it into a target for her to hunt down.
The problem she faced with turning this into reality was the simple fact that it had become awfully clear to her that the magic utilized by the dream cloud whale to fly through the sky of the dreamscape without any obstructions was dream magic. However, different from her expectations of being able to learn something from observing the dream cloud whale and potential copy it to some extent to allow easier travel through the dreamscape, she found that the complexity of the magic used by the dream cloud whale far exceeded what she could comprehend with her current rather pitiful understanding of dream magic.
As for remembering it and copying it in the future when she gained a deeper understanding of dream magic... That was nothing short of a pipe dream, as she was likely going to forget the way that the dream cloud whale was using dream magic at that point in time. Instead of that, it might be better for her to find some way out of the lower parts of the dreamscape that she likely found herself in.
Not just to avoid being targeted by another dream cloud whale in the future, but also because she guessed that it would be far easier for her to find other living creatures in the dreamscape outside the lower parts of the dreamscape that seemed to be the hunting ground of the dream cloud whales.
To do this, she had several ideas, the first being to leave the dreamscape and make it above ground before reentering the dreamscape, as she had a feeling that entering the lower part of the dreamscape had to do with her entering the dreamscape while underground. Problem with this was obviously that she had no idea where she would end up if she left the dreamscape and had far too little mana to check properly.
So, that left her with the most obvious choice, which was to climb to the top of the mountain and look for a way to grab hold of another floating island from below while passing by, something that should be possible in another few hours, as the floating island was already heading directly towards another floating island that would get awfully close to the top of the mountain. Potentially even scratching off part of it when it passed by.
Still... She had several hours before that and should be able to easily reach the top of the mountain and with nothing else in mind, she decided to use this time to explore this new floating island. Curious if she would find another native creature hidden away in the spares forest that surrounded the relatively tall mountain at the center of the floating island.
However, much like the floating island with the crystal-clear lake that she had initially ended up on after entering the dreamscape, the mountain floating island was also completely devoid of life. Showing no sign that any creature or monster had ever lived on it in the past. Leaving her both disappointed, but also nervous, as she understood that the main reason for this lack of life would be the dream cloud whale she had seen earlier.
But... One dream cloud whale would be far from enough to take care of so many floating islands. Meaning that there are likely more of them out there...
Silently thinking this to herself as she gazed off into the distance where a few different colored clouds entwined to form a unique celestial river that cascaded down several hundred meters before disappearing into another layer of clouds, Scaly couldn’t help wondering just how many dream cloud whales were currently lurking around her. Ready to pounce the second she left the protection of the small floating island and made some kind of disturbance.
At the same time, as she stared off into the colorful clouds and stared down into the cloud layers below, she couldn’t help wondering just how deep the dreamscape was and if there was something more deadly than the dream cloud whales lurking deeper down.
If there really was something deadlier than the dream cloud whales, wouldn’t that mean it had essentially surpassed the S Rank in terms of strength. Surpassing the highest level of monster and adventurer she had encountered so far.
Shaking her head as she felt a slight shiver running down her spine at the thought, Scaly focused her attention back on the mountain before her. Deciding not to think too much about what might be lurking below her as she began making her way up the mountain. Soon enough, reaching the flat peak of the mountain that had seemingly been grinded down from the mountain colliding with the underside of the floating islands above.
Sitting down, Scaly took the opportunity to observe her surroundings in far greater detail than she had when first reaching the edge of the crystal-clear lake floating island. Higher up and with a greater vantage point, she could now also clearly see the outline of a massive floating island barely hidden by the colorful clouds above. Stretching for as long as she could see with only the edge barely visible to her from where she was. Forming what she guessed to be a floating continent instead of a floating island.
Even without knowing anything about what might be lurking on that massive landmass, she still instinctively wanted to reach it. Knowing that there wouldn’t be anywhere better than such a massive landmass to find native dreamscape creatures and monsters.
However, different from the floating island she had originally been aiming to reach when the top of the mountain she was sitting on top of collided with the bottom of it, the massive landmass barely visible above was clearly at a far higher up compared to that floating island. Making it impossible for her to reach without the ability to move more freely through the sky of the dreamscape.
Staying on the mountain floating island and looking for another opportunity was an option, but doing so would take her below the towering landmass floating above. Making it even harder for her to reach it.
Not to mention, as she stared off into the distance where that massive landmass was located, she also realized that the color of the clouds below the landmass were becoming increasingly darker the further one traveled below the massive floating continent.
Although it wasn’t definitive proof of anything, Scaly’s instincts told her that the darker clouds meant greater danger... And with her instincts having already proven their worth inside the dreamscape by warning her about the dream cloud whale before it appeared, Scaly decided to trust her instincts when it came to predicting danger in the dreamscape.
After all, this danger sense might be something unique to a dreamscale dragon. Allowing them to more easily survive in the dreamscape.
But in the end, because of this, Scaly had decided to leave the mountain floating island no matter what when the opportunity came.
To avoid potential danger and find a stable floating island where it would be easier for her to find somewhere safe to leave the dreamscape and make her way back to the surface again.
After leaving the dreamscape and getting back to the surface, she would always be able to try and reach the floating continent by entering and leaving the dreamscape until she reached the continent. Avoiding the danger of having to fly to the dreamscape and potentially get attacked by a dream cloud whale in the process, something she very much wanted to avoid if possible.
The only thing that worried her was that entering the dreamscape might also end up attracting the attention of a dream cloud whale. Even if it should be safe, as the dream cloud whales were supposed to be docile there, she still felt uneasy after her first encounter with a dream cloud whale painted these natives of the dreamscape as something far from docile.
To be honest, she couldn’t exactly imagine a docile dream cloud whale after seeing how it had gulped down the spiritual projection of the powerful human with practiced ease and without any hesitation.
But that was ultimately something for when she found a way to safely leave the dreamscape. For now, her focus had to be on the slowly approaching underside of a small floating island that the mountain top she found herself on top of was on a collision course with.