Compared to when he first entered this place, William Clark's five senses could now clearly perceive his surroundings.

The chill in the air, the rebound sensation under his feet as he stepped on the ground, the friction of his clothes against his skin as he moved.

All these sensations made him increasingly certain that there was something wrong with this dream.

“This isn’t an ordinary dream... No dream could ever be this vivid. No dream could repeat for over a month!”

At this point, William Clark was sure he had encountered something abnormal.

But since even memories from a previous life could exist, his ability to accept and adapt was far stronger than most people’s.

Clack.

The door connecting to the living room was slowly pushed open.

William Clark slowly walked out, step by step, glancing left and right, then made his way toward the main door of the living room.

He stopped in front of the exit.

William Clark looked up and examined the door.

The dark red door was made of some kind of metal, with faint wood grain patterns on its surface. From a distance, it looked like a red grandfather clock.

In the center of the door hung a circular design, within which four different animals formed a ring.

William Clark didn’t recognize what these four animals were. They looked like cheetahs, but had long, serrated tails.

Above the door was a patch of diamond-shaped patterns, resembling a huge vertical pupil, staring intently at everything inside the room.

William Clark frowned and reached out to touch the edge of the doorframe.

There were repeating, unfamiliar letters on the frame, forming a chain-like pattern that covered the entire doorframe.

“This door... feels like it’s guarding something.” A strange emotion rose in William Clark’s heart.

But curiosity still won out over everything else.

He reached out and grasped the doorknob.

The cold handle was carved into the head of a black python, its dark red eyes glinting faintly. He could even see the delicate scales on the snake’s body.

He twisted it hard.

Click...

With a faint sound, the door slowly opened.

A spacious woodland shrouded in mist appeared before William Clark.

In the center of the woods was a carriage road, stretching into the distance under the cover of trees, disappearing into the depths of the fog.

Everything seemed to be in shades of gray and black.

William Clark swallowed and slowly stepped out the door.

Beneath his feet were three wooden steps, stained with a faint dark red, as if some kind of paint had been splashed on them.

The steps felt soft underfoot, as if they might collapse at any moment.

Creak, creak...

After descending the steps, William Clark stood in front of the door, looking around.

All around was a gray gloom, with large swathes of trees blocking out the night sky.

The night sky was a shade lighter than pitch black, but still not enough to illuminate the ground or the woods. It was just barely enough to make out the outlines of things.

William Clark walked forward a few steps, feeling his feet sink into the soft mud, struggling to keep his balance, so he stopped again.

Thump... thump... thump...

A faint, strange sound seemed to come from the distance.

William Clark looked up in the direction of the sound.

In the hazy mist, something seemed to be moving rapidly.

Thump... thump... thump...

The sound was very rhythmic, with a heavy undertone.

“What is that?” William Clark focused, squinting his eyes, trying to see more clearly.

Thump thump thump thump!!

Suddenly, the sound sped up.

It was like a heartbeat, the frantic pounding of a heart in panic.

Before William Clark could react, he saw a tall, black figure rushing toward him through the mist.

The figure moved at an incredible speed, accompanied by that strange thumping, charging at him madly.

Thump thump thump thump!!

The sound grew closer and closer—it wasn’t any other noise, but the footsteps of the figure!

William Clark's pupils contracted, and he stepped back.

Bang.

He tripped on the steps and fell to the ground.

“Damn it!!”

Before he could get up—

The figure suddenly accelerated, moving faster and faster, like a movie on fast-forward. Even though there was still a long distance, the figure, with a bizarre, twisted posture, was upon him in an instant.

“I—!!”

Thump!!

William Clark's half-risen body suddenly froze.

His head flew off, accompanied by a spray of blood, struck the half-open door, then rolled down and came to rest on the wooden steps.

A pair of wide-open black eyes gradually lost their focus...

The black figure held a heavy longsword, its tip touching the ground, pausing for a moment. Then, with a sudden motion, it slashed down.

Slash slash slash slash!!

William Clark's body was hacked and smashed to pieces, blood and flesh splattering everywhere.

Amid the wet, squelching sounds, the corpse quickly became unrecognizable, chopped into several pieces scattered across the steps.

……

……

Huff! Huff! Huff!!

William Clark suddenly opened his eyes, feeling an indescribable pain all over his body.

He was lying on his back in bed, his neck still throbbing with the agony of being decapitated.

“I... died??”

That rapidly approaching figure was like some kind of terrifying monster, slashing down with twisted, frenzied abandon.

William Clark hadn’t even had time to see what the other looked like.