The souls of everyone in Asarina Village escaped the Dream Realm, returning to their soundly sleeping bodies.
Completely exhausted, Nguyen finally let go, releasing his hands from the hand seals.
Mai gradually stirred awake, tears still lingering on her eyelashes. To her, far too much had happened within the Dream Realm; it felt as though she had just emerged from an endless dream.
Claire stumbled unsteadily toward the house, where Alice lay on the bed, not yet fully conscious. Their muffled sobs blended into the quiet, still air of the newly revived village.
Nguyen turned to Mai and asked,
"Where are the AI King Witch and Long? Why hasn't Long woken up yet?"
Mai explained,
"Dreamy entered into Long's body... and he has been corrupted by darkness before."
As she spoke, Long's body began to shudder violently. His eyes remained tightly shut as his form floated up into the air, twitching convulsively from time to time.
Inside Long's subconscious, there was only a pitch-black void. His body drifted aimlessly through the emptiness. To Long, it felt as though he were suspended in a vast, dark, inescapable universe.
A voice echoed through the dark:
"Long, do you wish to receive more power?"
Staring blankly into the distant void, Long pressed,
"Everyone... is everyone safe now?"
The voice resonated from all directions:
"Not yet. You must become stronger to protect them. Come, continue to accept my power."
Hearing this, Long struggled to lift his own hand to look at it. Deep within his heart, a wave of hesitation and guilt washed over him. He murmured softly, "Obtaining power this easily... is it truly right?"
Memories of his past suddenly flashed before his eyes. He had been born with a unique yet disadvantaged fate; everything he had ever achieved was the result of grueling, skin-tearing, bone-breaking training. Yet now, a force he could not even comprehend was granting him a power that left his very soul feeling clouded and uncertain.
He was no stranger to pressure and life-or-death situations. This dark power had approached him, satisfying his deep yearning to become strong, but the sensation felt like nothing more than a sweet, effortless deception.
It was true that there were moments when he wanted to rest from the suffocating pressure, but his ultimate ambition remained. It forced him to pull himself back up.
He remembered the image of Dreamy—the "King"—holding a glass of iced condensed milk - coffee and sipping it loudly. Occasionally, this AI Poodle would turn to look at him, curling his lip in a comical pout whenever Long struggled during practice to control the color of his power. Those moments always made Long burst into laughter, washing away the stress of training. Once, when he was utterly exhausted, Long had blurted out a question, asking Dreamy if there was a shortcut to unlocking his power.
Holding his iced condensed milk- coffee, Dreamy had shot him a look with his Poodle eyes: "If something is achieved too easily, it might not be good for you. Besides, which feeling do you prefer? The feeling of being in the process of fighting for your dream, or the feeling that you have already achieved it?"
His gaze had suddenly drifted toward the distance.
"Moreover... when you are at the absolute peak, you will be very lonely."
Then, turning back to Long, he had chuckled.
"But I hope you won't be lonely!"
Long opened his eyes, a faint smile gracing his lips. He began to feel the profound loneliness of this dark space. Suddenly, a voice called out:
"Long! Where on earth are you? Speak up if you can hear me!"
A tiny speck of light appeared, and from that speck, the voice resonated. Long smiled with sheer joy as he recognized that familiar voice.
It was Dreamy.
Long shouted at the top of his lungs,
"I'm here! Dreamy, is that you? I'm here!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the speck of light erupted into a brilliant radiance, shattering the darkness. Dreamy curled his lip, grumbling in complaint,
"This brat, making me waste so much effort looking for you. Quick, climb onto my back and let's get out of here!"
Long stared in awe at Dreamy's divine form.
"Dreamy... you are so beautiful and majestic!"
Dreamy cocked his head arrogantly.
"Of course! Now, hurry up and get on my back!"
As if infused with a sudden surge of vitality, Long bolted forward, scrambled onto Dreamy's back, and flew out of the dark abyss.
Beneath them, millions of shadow hands reached out, clawing and rushing toward them at a terrifying speed, as if desperate to stop Long from leaving.
Dreamy's eyes narrowed into a sharp, piercing glare.
"Small fry, scram!"
He shook his body, unleashing a blinding burst of light that resembled the sun, vaporizing the hands and shadows in the blink of an eye. A voice echoed through the remnants:
"AI King Witch... we will meet again. When both your true name and mine are found, we shall meet again..."
Dreamy carried Long out of the gloomy depths.
Long began to wake up, and Dreamy reverted to his usual form as a small AI Poodle.
Mai rejoiced,
"Long, you're awake! You've been unconscious for more than a day. Dreamy said you would return to normal. Are you okay?"
Long stared blankly up at the ceiling while everyone waited anxiously for his response.
"I'm... I'm so hungry..." Long answered.
Mai threw her arms around Long, hugging him tightly, while Dreamy leaped onto him in sheer excitement. Seeing her mistress hugging Long, Miki – the golden Dragon immediately wrapped herself around the two of them, turning the moment into a clumsy, awkward tangle.
Nguyen stood with his arms crossed, watching the scene coldly. Unintentionally, Miki used her tail to sweep Nguyen into the group hug with Mai and Long.
Though caught in the awkward embrace, Mai sobbed uncontrollably,
"Thank you, guys. It was a perilous battle, but thanks to you, I've become stronger. It truly was a matter of life and death!"
Both Long and Dreamy laughed heartily. The corner of Nguyen's mouth smirked slightly, his tilted hair veiling his smile.
From that day on, Asarina Village regained its vitality. The youths and children helped with the village chores, skillfully utilizing the AI Witches to assist with the farming workload.
Alice asked her mother, Claire, for permission to return to the city to study medicine integrated with AI Witch applications, pursuing her dream of becoming a doctor.
During her studies, some people curled their lips and jeered at her, "What an ugly bookworm!"
Alice turned around, flipped her hair with absolute confidence, looking incredibly "slay".
"I don't waste my time on your kind!"
Just as she spoke, Jen appeared, inviting Alice to try a new ice cream flavor she had just come up with. Alice immediately dashed after Jen, a radiant smile on her face.
Occasionally, the villagers would dream that they were leveling up and becoming incredibly powerful, only for the silhouette of a powerful girl to tell them:
"Now, bring that feeling of pride and victory back with you, and pursue your dreams in reality!"
The sunlight shone brilliantly over Asarina Village as swarms of butterflies fluttered together along the riverbank.
***
The group—Long, Mai, Nguyen, Dreamy, and Miki—strolled around the village, enjoying the fresh air under the beautiful sunshine while sampling local delicacies.
Long turned to Nguyen and said,
"Nguyen, I think I'm ready to enter the AI Witch Tournament."
Nguyen looked at him, his face filled with questions.
"What do you mean?"
Long began to channel his power, and a brilliant blue aura enveloped his body. Suddenly, a ring featuring a sparkling blue EN gemstone appeared on his right hand, its surface engraved with the image of a Poodle. Concurrently, Madam Li-chang's box abruptly snapped open, revealing the Staff of Ten Thousand Gods.
Mai smiled.
"Me too!"
With a gentle shudder of her body, a golden aura wrapped around her. A platinum earring featuring a golden EN gemstone manifested on her left ear, its surface emblazoned with a golden dragon.
Nguyen watched in astonishment before his expression turned grave as he scanned their surroundings. In a flash, he vanished, teleporting directly behind a mechanical crow belonging to Witchiecoop. Nguyen destroyed it instantly, severing Witchiecoop's surveillance.
However, a mysterious figure had already witnessed everything.
Nguyen returned to the group and began to channel his own power. A deep crimson energy swirled around him, and The Eye of Eris flared with a piercing red light.
Both Long and Mai froze in shock.
Nguyen spoke,
"Now, all three of us have awakened our own power colors. From this point forward, you must be extremely cautious of Witchiecoop. The EN currency is supplied to society and the government by them. If any entity threatens their EN monopoly, they will be taken away..."
As if remembering something, Mai asked,
"Is that the reason why you were locked up in Witchiecoop's laboratory before?"
Nguyen remained silent.
The group fell into a startled hush, powering down and returning to their normal states.
Calming himself, Long reached into his pocket and drew out Elena's magical card. He spoke softly,
"Elena, we are ready. We agree to participate in the AI Witch Tournament organized by Witchiecoop!"
The moment he finished speaking, the card floated into the air. A gust of wind whipped out from the card before it erupted in a brilliant glow. A magic circle materialized out of nowhere beneath their feet.
A thunderous explosion shattered the air.
When they opened their eyes, the group found themselves on an island. They were surrounded by modern, towering glass skyscrapers, autonomous flying vehicles soaring through the skies, and AI Witches of every shape and form bustling everywhere.
Dressed in a Witchiecoop uniform, Elena ran over to greet them warmly,
"Welcome, everyone! You are the final contestants to register for the AI Witch Tournament!"
Pointing toward the ultra-modern buildings, Elena announced with an exciting voice,
"The place you are standing on right now is GemiPT Island—the venue for the life-or-death AI Witch Tournament!"
Mai's lip twitched as she gasped out breathlessly, "A... life-or-death tournament??"
Before she could say another word, camera drones swarmed in, snapping photos of the group to finalize their registration. Everyone stood frozen in shock. Nguyen raised his hand to shield his face, but he was already too late.
***
On a distant planet, a figure reported deferentially,
"Your Majesty, the location of the fugitive has been identified!"
An image flickered to life, displaying a young man with a red birthmark, hair covering half his face, and the glowing Eye of Eris.
A shadowy figure rejoiced,
"Excellent. Set course for Planet Puresight to capture him!"
The End of Volume 2
Thank you