76: Chapter 76 The Shock and Seeds of the Settlement Space

Chapter Seventy-Six: The Shock of the Settlement Space and the Seed

Pure white, an endless expanse of pure white.

When the familiar feeling of absolute silence and emptiness enveloped his body, Zhang Hao's nerves, which had been as tight as a bowstring, finally relaxed slightly. Having escaped the ubiquitous field of pleasure in Dreamland, moved far away from the heart-pounding scene of the Dominator's birth underground, and bid farewell to that eccentric [Joy] and the silent, comical Black and White Clown, this pure Settlement Space gave him a rare sense of peace.

He exhaled a long breath of turbid air, feeling a wave of intense fatigue wash over both his body and mind—a normal reaction to sudden relaxation after high tension.

First, as was customary, images began to project above the space like movie scenes. The images flashed back quickly, clearly displaying his experiences during this task: from stepping through the gates of Dreamland to experiencing various facilities, then to the growing suspicion that led to his exploration, discovering the hidden [Nightmare Haunted House], breaking through the Stone Wall of Three Questions, and finally witnessing the birth of the Lord of the Seven Deadly Sins, conversing with [Joy], until his final farewell to the Black and White Clown...

Watching his own narrow escapes in the images, especially the moment the seven-colored pillar of light soared into the sky and the Larva of the Seven Deadly Sins opened its eyes, Zhang Hao still felt a pang of trepidation. This task was far from as simple as it appeared on the surface.

Once the images finished playing, the familiar Settlement Panel slowly unfolded before him. However, the content on it caused his pupils to shrink suddenly, and his breath hitched.

[Task Settlement Report - Dreamland]

· Task Type: Solo Dream Task (Optional Task)

· Basic Task Completion: 100% (Enjoy to your heart's content)

· Hidden Task Completion: 200% (Completed two [Hidden Dream World-Class Tasks]:

[Finding the Truth of Dreamland]

[Witnessing the Birth of the Lord of the Seven Deadly Sins])

· Personal Contribution Evaluation: SS

· Task Difficulty Correction: Simple → Hell (Due to touching upon and witnessing the birth of a higher existence)

[Hidden Dream World-Class Task]!

Zhang Hao's heart pounded violently. He had experienced many tasks, but the prefix "World-Class" was the highest level he had encountered so far! And he had completed two at once! This undoubtedly confirmed his previous suspicion: the secrets hidden behind Dreamland had far-reaching implications that went beyond the scope of a single task world. That SS-Rank personal contribution evaluation was an unprecedented height.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart, and continued looking at the reward section.

[Reward List]

· Basic Task Reward: Dream Power + 4,000 points

· Hidden Task Reward: Dream Power + 16,000 points

· Extreme Difficulty Multiplier: Final Reward x 2.0

· Total Dream Power Obtained: (4,000 + 16,000) * 2.0 = 40,000 points

Forty thousand points of Dream Power!

This was a fortune! It far exceeded the gains from any of his previous tasks! It was enough to support his consumption for a long time to come and even allow for some large expenditures he hadn't dared to imagine before.

Next, status update information appeared on the panel.

[Status/Buff Updated/Obtained]

New Permanent Buff: [Child of Numerology]: Fuses and devours all [Dominators Gaze] and [Divine Blessing], strengthening the Talent.

Talent Evolution: [Logical Connection Rank D] + [Origin Heart-Wall Rank C] → [Child of Numerology (Special Unique Talent) Rank B (Unstable)]

"[Unstable]?" Zhang Hao's gaze froze on the last two words. He immediately sensed his own condition and could indeed feel that new, vast power flowing within him. But like a rushing river, though powerful, it seemed to lack a stable "riverbed." There was a subtle sense of sluggishness and potential risk, as if it were difficult to fully control and could veer off course at any moment. Was it because he had forcibly fused too many high-level powers of different natures, leading to an unstable Foundation?

Just as he was feeling worried—

Buzz!

The eighteen gifts from the Black and White Clown—nine Colored Crystal Balls and nine Black and White Crystal Balls—which he had stored in the temporary storage of the Settlement Space, automatically floated out and circled around him.

Then, under Zhang Hao's surprised gaze, these crystal balls emitted a soft light. The colored light contained pure, refined positive emotional energy, while the black and white light represented essence-purified, harmless negative emotional energy. These two energies, opposite in nature yet from the same source (both originating from the stone wall rules), seemed to have found a home. They turned into streaks of light and gently, evenly merged into his body.

This energy did not directly increase his power. Instead, like the finest sand, it precisely filled the tiny cracks and unstable structures in the core of the [Child of Numerology] Talent caused by the forced reshaping, building a more solid and harmonious base for it.

As the last bit of light merged into his body, Zhang Hao clearly felt the rushing power within him instantly find a solid riverbed, becoming docile and tamed. That "unstable" sense of sluggishness and potential risk vanished abruptly, replaced by a feeling of smooth control as if it were an extension of his own limbs.

He looked at the panel again, and sure enough, the word [(Unstable)] after the Talent description had disappeared.

[Child of Numerology (Special Unique Talent) Rank B]!

In his heart, he once again felt a sense of gratitude toward that silent, comical "bystander," the Black and White Clown. This seemingly insignificant gift had played a crucial role at this moment.

However, just when he thought the settlement was about to end—

Buzz!!!

The entire pure white Settlement Space suddenly jolted! It wasn't a physical vibration, but a hum of the rules themselves!

The Settlement Panel before his eyes suddenly erupted with an indescribable, magnificent light that seemed to contain all the colors of the world yet transcended them all! This light was not blinding, but carried a sense of mystery and sublimity that reached straight to the Origin of the Soul.

The light converged, temporarily covering the original settlement report. A line of text, more ancient and majestic, as if carved by the rules themselves, was highlighted in the center of the panel:

[Dreamworld Humanity Mission]

Zhang Hao's Soul was shaken! [Dreamworld Humanity Mission]? What level of existence was this? He subconsciously focused his intent and "clicked" on that line of text.

The panel content changed, showing a simple introduction:

[Mission Opening Conditions Not Met]

Below, the opening conditions were clearly listed:

[Reshape Talent - Obtain Special Unique Talent] (Met)

[Increase Talent Rank to Rank A or Above] (Not Met)

Both of the above conditions must be met simultaneously to unlock the [Dreamworld Humanity Mission].

Zhang Hao stared blankly at these two conditions.

A Special Unique Talent... he had just obtained one.

And Rank A... he knew that was a Rank held only by powerhouses at the top of the Hosts, like Lin Yifeng, the leader of the [Tianyin Squad]!

This meant he had touched upon an unprecedented mission threshold—an ultimate challenge related to the so-called "Humanity" that could only be unlocked with a unique Talent and absolute strength!

While his heart was racing as he carefully pondered the deep meaning contained in the words "Humanity Mission," that indescribable magnificent light slowly receded. Finally, it turned into an extremely tiny, almost imperceptible glimmer of spirituality, like dust that had gained life, silently and completely merging into the core of his [Child of Numerology] Talent core.

Zhang Hao vaguely felt the Talent core "throb" slightly, as if injected with a sliver of extremely ancient yet fresh vitality. But upon careful sensing, everything seemed normal, except that his perception of "Fate" and "Karma" seemed to have become more... agile and full of "possibilities."

He didn't know where this sliver of light came from or what it represented, but he knew that the gains from this trip to [Dreamland] far exceeded what was displayed on the panel.

The light of the Settlement Space began to soften, indicating that his return was imminent.

Zhang Hao stood where he was, feeling the new power rushing through his body. Looking at the [Humanity Mission] hanging high on the panel, which required a Rank A Talent to unlock, his eyes shone with an unprecedented light.

The road ahead was clearer, but also more full of challenges.