The Lightning god party of Daylen, Daryl and Graxx took close to two weeks to reach Frost Village.

They had departed as soon as they could after Daylen delivered his new merchandise he had been forging before Graxx and Daryl barged into his shop. The hunter's guild was once again happy to host another auction.

"When is the beast tide?" Graxx asked the grimoire as soon as he saw the village on the horizon.

You'll have to wait a few weeks or months. Even I do not know when until it actually starts.

As they approached the village, they found that it was lively. Not a village that was supposed to be on the brink of annihilation.

"Is this the place we are supposed to protect? Why are they not evacuating?" Daylen screamed out.

"Maybe they plan on fighting back." Daryl said.

Graxx said: "The grimoire said that we only have to defend the village. I wouldn't be against some free help. Besides, the grimoire also said that there are other parties who got the same quest making their way over here."

Daylen said: "It's a beast tide...I wonder...how many times we will have to die trying to protect this village."

"The last encounter of the Human Mode raid is a general and his army. You are given the same amount of soldiers and are expected to win. It's not easy as it's always an even fight." Daryl said.

"The God Mode is basically the same as well. It's just hard. Almost no one clears it." Graxx said.

Daylen then said with a frown:"Why choose the Demon God Mode?"

"WE have my reality warping ability, your undead and Daryl's lightning." Graxx said.

"That's all you're counting on?" Said Daylen.

Daryl sighed and said:"Let's just give it a shot since we already are preparing for it. Besides, there's a rumor that the game master, Anlow, is your opponent at the last encounter on the last floor."

"I wonder what Anlow looks like...your fath..." Graxx said before he was stopped by Daryl with a punch.

"Anlow?...What a weird name..." Daylen said.

It appeared to be a normal day for Frost village.

***

Three individuals simultaneously entered the Humorous Roc tavern.

The moment the Lightning God party entered, all eyes were on them.

"Shoo...we do not serve milk here." The bulky beardy man behind the counter said.

It was true that Daylen looked young. Daryl even more.

As for the flying bombay cat, the mention of milk was more of an insult compared to the two humans beside it.

"This is how they welcome heroes in Frost village?" Graxx complained.

Everybody laughed.

A man that appeared to be drunk inched closer and said: "Heroes?...hehe...When the old me is in need of saving by a bunch of brats like you...I wouldn't deserve this life...hehe."

"They came here for the beast tide, I guess." Another drunk man said.

"They're ignorant."

"haha...They think that we actually need help fending off a few demonic beasts."

The trio ignored the comments and whispers and headed for the counter.

They ordered some ale.

"Why is the village not preparing for the beast tide?" Daylen asked the barkeep.

The barkeep looked at the trio then sighed. He said: "It's not that we are not afraid, It's just that even if we die, we will come back to life eventually. Some of us choose to fight while others choose to sit back and watch. At the end of the day, once the beast tide has passed, we can rebuild the village and restart life like before."

The trio looked at each other with shocked faces.

Daryl then said: "Isn't it a bit boring to be immortal?"

"You three are dreamwalkers aren't you?" The barkeep asked as if Daryl's question had triggered something inside of him.

"If by dreamwalker you mean us coming from the outside world, then yes we are." Daylen said.

The barkeep the said: "Us dreamlanders can only live here. As you can see, this world looks just like the world outside. Our God, Anlow, made sure to make this world as close to the real world as possible. He made us immortal and even gave us a chance at improving ourselves inside this world. We've been alive for as long as we can remember. Some of us find it boring while others seek perfection by leveling up and collecting abilities. Those that are bored stay in this divine dreamscape and live peacefully while those that seek strength live in the ascendant dreamscape."

The grimoires appeared and said:

There is a possibility of obtaining a quest if you keep asking questions about this place. Those kind of quests are hard to complete but the rewards are always worth it. Continue the conversation at your own risk.

The three looked at each other. They then decided to keep asking questions.

"Why was this world created then?" Daylen asked.

"Our world was on the brink of destruction. Our god just had enough time to save our souls. Our bodies were destroyed along with our world. That's why we can only live in this dreamscape." The barkeep said.

"Do you not have any thoughts of regaining your bodies and living in the real world?" Graxx asked.

The barkeep sighed and said: "Some of us do but nobody really wants to regain their bodies. In this world we are immortal. If we leave, even though we are immortal, we lose the protection of our god and can be killed. This dreamscape is a paradise where we can die and get revived forever. It is even closer to the real world as we can live just like we used to."

"What happens if your God dies?" Daylen asked.

"We all die along with him, but it's unlikely that such a thing will ever happen. Even back home, our God was feared and respected as one of the strongest." The barkeep said.

As the three were wondering how long it would take to finally get that quest, the barkeep seemed to be struggling for a moment. He then asked: "I wonder if it is possible for you three to help me out. Well..., help us out."

Daryl then asked: "What do you mean?"

The barkeep stopped sweeping the counter and said: "I'm part of those who would like to live outside the dreamscape."

"You want to regain your bodies?" Graxx asked.

"In a way, yes. There is a special ability that can allow us to live in both worlds just like you. It would be the reverse of how you entered the dreamscape. We would wake up in the real world while staying safely in this dreamscape." The barkeep said.

"Is such a thing even possible? It sounds like something that only your god could do." Daylen said.

The barkeep nodded: "You are indeed right. It requires the 80th level to be able of activating the ability on a small scale, then the 90th level to be able to use it on a bigger scale."

The trio looked at each other with wide eyes.

They were only at the 12th level and had yet to enter the Ascendant dreamscape. They couldn't even fathom the act of reaching the 80th level.

After a while, Daylen sighed as he asked: "What is the name of the ability? And how do we acquire it?"

"The ability is called 'The heart of the dreamwalker' and it can only be found in the ascendant dreamscape. As for its exact location, I have no idea. You'll have to investigate on your own but there is a clue I can give you."

Graxx immediately asked: "What is the clue?"

"The holder of the ability can be found in your world as his ability allows him to wake up in your world with a body." the barkeep said.

Their grimoires then said:

You've accepted a quest.

Step 1: Find the current holder of the 'heart of the dreamwalker' and steal his ability.

Step 2: Reach the 80th level. (Minimum required level to use the ability.)

Step 3: Use the ability to allow the dreamlanders to gain access to the real world.

Rewards: One planet in the Ascendant Dreamscape.(Gain a planet of your own in the ascendant dreamscape.)

Abilities:

(Graxx)-Level 80 Reality sculptor ability(Allows you to sculpt reality as you wish.)

(Daryl)-Level 80 Accelerated thought process (Allows you to think faster than the speed of light.)

(Daylen)-Level 80 Dark earth manipulation (Allows you to wield the destructive powers of dark earth. Destroy, damage and consume everything that bars your path.)

"Level 80...This barkeep is basically asking us to become gods." Daryl complained.

"You're the first to complain about something for once." Graxx said.

"Of all three abilities, Daryl's ability is the best." Daylen said.

"True. But mine is even better since I already am a reality warper.I will just be upgrading myself." Graxx said.

"You say it like it's going to be easy to get there. It's the 80th level we're talking about. And you forget that we must steal the 'heart of the dreamwalker' from a guy who's probably a god." Daryl said.

They argued for a while until they left for their lodgings.

A few weeks later, the beast tide was spotted hundreds of kilometers away from the village.