Chapter 555 - 17: Nightmare Origin
Elvin struggled to lift his head, bloody froth clinging to the corner of his mouth. He gasped, "I... I’m from the Caesar Dia Kingdom."
Murphy said flatly, "No. I’m talking about a world, not a kingdom."
A flicker of confusion crossed Elvin’s eyes. He fought back the sharp pain in his chest and said in a clearer tone, "I am talking about the Caesar Dia World. There’s a distinction between ’kingdom’ and ’world’ in the Nightmare Language, isn’t there?"
Upon hearing this, an inscrutable smile appeared on Murphy’s face. "The Nightmare Language? How interesting. Right, Caesar Dia World?"
The language Murphy spoke was the Soul Language—a language that became self-evident under the rules of the Old Realm after he reached Foundation Establishment.
It was as natural as breathing.
Upon crossing into the realm of the Extraordinary, an Extraordinary life form would naturally acquire this language.
Murphy had a rough understanding of the principle behind it.
Humans have DNA originating from observable matter.
So, too, do they possess DNA from unobservable matter.
This DNA is entwined with the soul.
When a life form meets the requirements for its expression, it begins transcription and expression.
In other words, what is commonly known as an Extraordinary gene.
Or, a bloodline.
Although Murphy’s Spirit Root was inscribed with the Laws of Cultivation, his body and soul were still native to this world, so he naturally possessed this world’s Extraordinary genes.
Yes, Murphy’s rebirth was not a mere reincarnation of the soul.
Because the soul does not represent the entirety of a person’s being.
Generally speaking, the soul partakes in a creature’s life but does not manifest in the physical world.
Because the substance that constitutes the soul is made entirely of unobservable matter.
Those without Spiritual vision cannot even perceive the soul.
But after Foundation Establishment—or more precisely, after Dao Transformation—
Because Dao Transformation is the process of the physical body converting into unobservable matter, the soul, which is already composed of unobservable matter, naturally merges with it.
This process is called the Unity of Spirit and Body.
Murphy continued calmly, "Which is why you have to proactively learn the language of the Nightmare World."
At his words, the faces of Elvin, Captain Keynes, Lelas, and the other guards sprawled on the ground changed instantly!
All color drained from their faces, already pale from their injuries, replaced by unconcealable horror and fear!
Elvin’s pupils contracted. He instinctively recoiled, as if trying to get away from Murphy, but his injuries only allowed for a futile shuffle.
He bit his lower lip, his panicked gaze darting to Keynes beside him before quickly dropping, not daring to meet Murphy’s eyes.
The air on the platform seemed to solidify, leaving only the heavy, suppressed panting of the wounded and the rhythmic, heart-stopping "CLANG, CLANG" from the distant forge.
Murphy took in their reactions, his voice devoid of any emotion. "Why are you so afraid of me?"
No one answered.
Only heavier breathing and the nearly inaudible chattering of teeth.
Elvin lowered his head even further. Keynes’s lips were pressed into a thin line, his eyes glinting with a complex mix of emotions.
Lelas averted his gaze, staring down at the gray queue still flowing slowly below the platform, as if that sight were more worthy of his attention than Murphy.
Murphy waited a moment. Seeing as no one was speaking, he said lightly, "If no one’s going to talk, then you die."
"Wait!"
Elvin snapped his head up, his voice cracking with desperation and fear.
He glanced at Murphy, then shot a look at Captain Keynes, but Keynes merely remained silent, his face ashen.
Elvin took a deep breath, as if mustering all his strength, and finally spoke, his voice trembling, "Because... because you... you’re a monster from the Nightmare World!"
Hearing this, Murphy’s eyes flickered. He didn’t seem angry. Instead, as if he’d heard something amusing, he repeated, "A monster... from the Nightmare World?"
Elvin nodded vigorously, cold sweat beading on his forehead. His words came out in a rush, as if to purge himself of his pent-up terror. "Only native entities of the Nightmare World—those completely twisted, insane... things—are born speaking the Nightmare Language! They don’t need to learn it. It’s their mother tongue, proof of their very existence!"
He paused to catch his breath, then continued, "But outsiders... like us, explorers and adventurers who enter the Nightmare World from other realms... no matter how much knowledge we master or how thorough our preparations are, we still have to learn the Nightmare Language, to struggle to understand and use it! It’s common knowledge! It’s... it’s one of the most fundamental ways to tell an outsider from a native monster!"
Murphy nodded, then asked, "And what kind of world is yours?"
Elvin hesitated for a moment. His gaze swept over his gravely wounded companions, then returned to the unfathomable Murphy.
The will to survive warred fiercely in his eyes, ultimately overpowering everything else.
He licked his chapped lips and began in a hoarse voice, "The Caesar Dia World... is a..."
"Elvin! Shut your mouth!" a sharp cry cut Elvin off.
It was Lelas.
The Elf Ranger had somehow managed to prop himself halfway up, his emerald eyes blazing with fury.
He glared at Elvin, his voice sharp with agitation. "What are you doing?! Are you going to leak information about our world’s location? Become a disgraceful traitor and lead the monsters of the Nightmare World right to our home?!"
"I... I’m not a traitor!" A flicker of panic crossed Elvin’s face at Lelas’s outburst, but it was immediately replaced by an overwhelming will to live. He shrieked in rebuttal, "I want to live! I just want to live! You saw him! He... he could kill us at any moment! I’m just..."