Unaware of the helpless state of the five Holy Light Church members who had just come to realize that it would be impossible for them to complete their mission, the five adventurers began settling down for the night. Happily chatting with each other as they watched the countless unique dreamscape monsters floating by a few hundred meters away from the floating continent, while one of them also began noting down the different things they had encountered along the way so far.
After all, though they might get back from the current rather safe exploration, they would ultimately still have to submit a formal report on everything they had encountered and gone through. One of the things that was more cumbersome when it came to exploring a new region of the dreamscape that had been unknown and unexplored in the past and essentially resulted in most of the adventurers going to the dreamscape learning how to write at a level far beyond that of a normal adventurer.
During this time, the group of five from the Holy Light Church became increasingly depressed as they realized that there was no path for them to complete the mission that had been given to them.
Even if they knew that someone with dream magic would have made it possible for them to reach the other small floating island as they had one on their side that could use wind magic to fly carry one or two over such a short distance. Dream magic was far from simple and finding someone capable of using it was extremely difficult even inside the dreamscape.
Back when they had originally looked for adventurers to travel alongside them to make the journey safer, the first thing they had done was look for someone capable of wielding dream magic, but they had been unable to find anyone. Learning that the only two adventurers capable of wielding it weren’t present at the outpost and were unlikely to return any time soon.
In the end, after a good thirty minutes spent lamenting over their inability to travel the short distance between themselves and the small floating island, the five turned around and joined the group of adventurers in resting up and admiring the beautiful sight of the dreamscape from the edge of the floating continent. Taking the chance to learn more about the dreamscape in the process, as they wanted to at least get something out of this now clearly wasted trip, they had ended up going on.
Learning not just about a few of the different unique locations on the floating continent that they found themselves on, but also other more developed floating continents that existed under the control of the adventurer guild. One of these floating continents having been completely explored and controlled by the guild and transformed into the main headquarters branch inside the dreamscape.
Although they had partly heard about the Adventurer Guild having an entire floating continent under their complete control inside the dreamscape, it was still amazing to learn about it from someone who had personally visited the place in the past.
But outside of the different floating continents that the guild had managed to establish outposts on and develop to varying extents over the years, the most amazing thing they learnt about the dreamscape was the dangers that lurked both above and below the general plane of the dreamscape that floating continent like the one they were on top of could be found.
Not only were there terrifying dreamscape monsters lurking above and below, but the environment itself also underwent significant changes the higher or lower one went.
Still, it was because of this changing and unique environment that several unique materials were born. Materials that were used in anything from precious artifacts, weapons and armor to special alchemical products sought after by the high nobility across the world.
Maybe most importantly, the dreamscape was the only place that certain life extending elixirs and other things could be found regularly.
The only real problem being that the location that such materials were found could be considered deadly to not just normal S Rank Adventurers but also those who surpassed that level of strength. One such example being the demigods of the dreamscape, who generally could be used to refine such life extending elixirs or potions, though no one dared to hunt them down because of how powerful they were.
Even if one did have the strength to hunt them down, it wasn’t like that kind of life extension potion could be used several times over, as generally life extension through things like potions or elixirs would only ever work once no matter how effective the potion or elixir was.
Reason being that such elixirs didn’t add lifespan directly, but more so added a special skill that added x amount of lifespan depending on the quality of the potion or elixir consumed. The byproduct from a giant ant queen reaching the S Rank was similar, though the consumption of said byproduct would create a different skill that didn’t overlap with the one gained from a potion in case it was directly consumed instead of refined into a potion. Making it one of the more sought-after life extension materials out there.
All this life extension stuff aside, the dreamscape was an important place filled with all kinds of mystical treasures and natural wonders that made any adventurer who had grown bored of the dungeons and the material plane over their long careers more than happy to dive into this deadly place.
Even the five members of the Holy Light Church felt a bit tempted to stay a bit longer inside the dreamscape to see what they could find and potentially also to try and see if they could increase their strength a bit before returning to the cardinal.
But this thought didn’t last too long as the reality of the dreamscape soon enough hit them in the face
Not from any ambush of a powerful dreamscape monster or the two demigods of the dreamscape appearing too close to them, but instead a single invisible tentacle from what could only be described as dream jellyfish the size of a small floating island moving past above them that had gone through the invisible barrier of the floating continent that they had believed protected them against the dangers lurking in the sky of the dreamscape-
"AAAaaaah! Help meee!"
Grabbing one of the five adventurers standing beside them, as the unfortunate adventurer in question could only scream helplessly as he was dragged off the edge of the floating continent and into the sky of the dreamscape before any one of them could react.
"Wha-!?"
"Roy!?"
"Nooo!"
Only able to stare speechlessly or scream helplessly after the unfortunate adventurer now too far away for them to ever help, as the person in question was rapidly being dragged upwards towards the larger body of the dream jellyfish where he would be consumed alongside any of the other unfortunate dreamscape monsters that had been caught by the invisible tentacles following the massive dream jellyfish.
"""..."""
From thinking about potentially staying a bit longer in the dreamscape, the group of five from the Holy Light Church quickly decided against staying any longer than necessary lest they end up joining that adventurer in becoming dream jellyfish food.
"I think we should get going..."
And as this decision was made, the senior sister of the bunch quickly called out to the still grieving group of adventurers while subtly making a gesture for them to look up... And as they did, they realized that there wasn’t just one dream jellyfish the size of a small floating island, but instead dozens of them.
All moving towards their location.
And almost certain to pass over them in a few seconds.
Whoosh~
Nobody feeling willing to join their companion in becoming dream jellyfish food, the tears quickly dried up as everyone began escaping deeper into the floating continent away from the edge of the floating continent that was clearly far from safe like they had originally thought.
The Holy Light Church members who might have originally felt reluctant to give up the mission that had been assigned to them by the cardinal no longer thought about this mission of theirs and now wanted nothing more than to get back out of the dreamscape again. Silently hoping that the dream gate would be working again by the time they returned.
As for the adventurers, though they were grieving at the loss of a fellow adventurer, they weren’t too depressed as everyone understood the risk of exploring a new region of the floating continent and the danger one could fall into.
If anything, the sacrifice of this adventurer ended up saving the rest of them from following a similar fate, as there would have been no way for them to avoid the tentacles of so many island-sized dream jellyfish.
But grateful as they were, the journey back still had to be completed... And different from the first time around, the intimidation brought to the surrounding dreamscape monsters by the two demigods of the dreamscape locked in battle had undoubtedly lessened significantly. Making the journey itself much more dangerous than the first time around.