This chapter is equivalent to Chapter 3 of Volume 2.
For the Volume 1: The Awakening of The legendary King, it is polished and completed in Amazon: https://a.co/d/0f0nCyAq
********
It was the night before the challenge.
Dreamy drifted behind Long. It was obvious how frustrated Long was—he hadn't said a single word. He just kept walking with no real destination, lingering along the edge of the forest.
Dreamy let out a long, lazy yawn.
"You don't need to be so upset. Nguyen possesses a very unusual power—something tied to the Eye of Eris. From what I've learned, in your current state… you're no match for him."
Long suddenly slammed his fist into a nearby tree, making Dreamy flinch.
"I mean, you do still have a chance—but not right now… Calm down, will you?"
Long didn't seem to hear him. His gaze drifted toward the distant mountain range—the direction of his hometown, Hope Village. After a moment, he spoke, his voice hesitant.
"AI King Witch… could you guide me? Help me become stronger, please, I beg you…?"
Mid-yawn, Dreamy blinked.
"Huh? What was that? I didn't catch it…"
Long clenched his fists and shouted:
"I want to become stronger—even without those EN coins! I want to grow stronger with my own strength, to prove myself, to make Mrs. Huong proud, and to fulfill my dream. Please—help me. Teach me how to become stronger!"
Dreamy watched him in silence for a long moment, then smiled faintly, resting both paws behind his head as he gazed up at the starry sky, thoughtful.
"You know… if you become the strongest, it can get very lonely."
Long answered without hesitation.
"I don't care. I just want to grow stronger with my own power and achieve my goal. You've learned so much about magic and strength—I believe you can help me."
Dreamy burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! You really are interesting. Fine—I'll help you."
Then, he floated behind Long, looking him up and down. Long glanced back.
"Do you know what your weakness is?" Dreamy asked.
"I'm poor—uh, I mean… I don't have enough EN coins to use AI Witch magic," Long said awkwardly.
"Only partly true. The real problem is that you haven't fully tapped into your own potential—you've been too quick to rely on those EN coins."
Long frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"There's a special kind of energy within humans," Dreamy explained. "What sets witches and mages apart is their ability to transform that energy into spiritual power—similar to the EN you use."
Dreamy continued,
"As for where modern technology extracts EN from, even I'm not entirely sure. But you've all taken shortcuts—avoiding study and training yourself—and become dependent on it."
Long's eyes widened as he tried to process it all. He lowered his head briefly, then looked up.
"So… what should I do now?"
Dreamy spun in the air. A magic circle—formed from interlocking blue shields—appeared.
Long gasped.
"You don't have EN—how are you casting magic?"
Dreamy smirked, clearly pleased with himself.
"Hah! I draw energy from heaven and earth to perform basic spells. My consciousness core contains data from millions of spells—but in this tiny body, I can only use a fraction of them. Now—step into the circle."
Long hesitated for a moment, then gathered his courage and stepped in.
The world around him shifted.
A deep violet sky stretched above him, filled with glittering stars and a sweeping band of the Milky Way. He floated in the vastness of space, surrounded by planets of every color. Every so often, when he lost momentum, he would drift down and land lightly on a star; with just a small bend of his knees, he could launch himself soaring upward again. The wind rushed past his ears in a steady whoosh. His body felt weightless, as if gravity no longer existed. Everything was hazy, unreal—like a dream.
A strange mix of awe and unease filled his chest.
"Where…are we? It's… beautiful…"
Dreamy smiled.
"This is a world of consciousness, created by my core. Here, you'll train in magic and learn to use magical constructs, even AI Witch."
They landed on a stretch of blue terrain. Long tried to float again—but he couldn't.
"Aha," Dreamy said. "This is it. Your color of power."
Before Long could respond, Dreamy continued:
"Sit down and clear your mind. Soon, some objects will appear and pass through. Your task is to catch the 'color' of your power. Don't worry—you won't die. I'll revive you if needed. Within this realm, my consciousness core is absolute."
Then, just like that, Dreamy vanished suddenly.
From the violet sky above, a cluster of stars began hurtling toward Long.
*Oh no… don't tell me those are the 'objects' he mentioned…
Long quickly dove for cover behind a nearby rock. The stars rained down like a storm—each one blazing with a different color, leaving streaks of fire like falling comets. They slammed into the ground, shattered on impact, and disappeared.
Then—
Silence.
*That damn king… "a few"? This is a meteor shower! How am I supposed to catch my power among all this…
Long observed again. And again. Over and over.
Eventually, he noticed a pattern. The stars fell at regular intervals. And within each wave, there was one star—a bright blue one, shining more brilliantly than the rest. Something about it pulled at him. It felt familiar—like the magic Dreamy and Mrs. Huong once used.
*I'll take the risk and give it a try…
Another wave approached. This time, Long didn't hide.
He focused, raised his hand—
The stars fell.
They struck his body with searing force. Pain shot through him as one pierced his arm—only for it to heal instantly.
*So this is the magic of the AI King Witch…
He pushed through the pain, trying to grab the blue light—but the agony forced him back. Explosions rang out, dust filled his vision, and once—he grabbed the wrong color. It detonated in his hand, doubling the pain.
Breathing hard, he retreated behind the rock. For a moment, he wanted to quit.
*If I give up today… I'll just give up again tomorrow. Then when will I ever become stronger?
He inhaled deeply and made a bold decision.
The next wave came—denser than before. At its center, the blue star burned brighter than ever. Long held his breath.
Then he ran.
He focused with everything he had, pushing through the streaks of falling stars, trying to reach the center—the place where he believed the blue star would land. The stars slammed into his shoulders, drawing blood. He clenched his teeth against the pain and kept running, forcing himself forward. One star struck his finger, bending it backward, leaving it mangled and soaked in blood—so much so that he could barely feel it as his own anymore. Still, he didn't stop. Long gritted his teeth and sprinted with all his might. In his mind, there was only one goal: to seize the "color" of his own power.
The distance left was small. If he didn't make it in time, he would have to wait for another meteor shower. Taking the risk, Long threw his own body forward to intercept the blue star.
A deafening explosion rang out. The star crashed into his abdomen, sending unbearable pain through his body. It burned intensely, and a surge of electricity shot up his spine. The agony overwhelmed him, and he gradually lost consciousness as his body lifted into the air, suspended in a space filled with blue light.
Dreamy suddenly appeared.
"Long, you've done well. From this moment on, you possess a power core of your own!"
Long smiled faintly—then blacked out.
Near dawn the next morning, Long woke up. The scene had returned to the forest's edge, just like the night before. His body ached all over; still half-conscious, he pushed himself up, only to trip over a branch and nearly tumble down the slope.
Seeing this, Dreamy quickly rushed in, using his small body to support him. But carried by momentum, Long ended up grabbing Dreamy, and the two of them rolled down the slope together. Their clothes snagged against branches and scraped against rocks and dirt, leaving them torn and ragged.
Then, Dreamy asked,
"Are you alright…?"
Long let out a light chuckle and replied,
"These injuries are nothing compared to what I went through training in Hope Village. And this pain doesn't even come close to what I felt while training in your mindscape."
Brushing the dust off himself, Long's eyes burned with determination.
"Let's head to the challenge, Sir!"
Dreamy—a Poodle in the form of an AI King Witch—looked at Long with gentle affection. He was beginning to grow fond of this boy: an unfortunate orphan, yet full of resolve, someone who never let go of the chance to become stronger.
"Hey, Long… I think you don't need to call me 'sir' anymore. Just call me Dreamy," Dreamy said, his tone turning slightly haughty as he looked away, though he was still watching Long's reaction.
Long blinked in surprise, then broke into a grin.
"Alright… Drea—Dreamy!"
The two of them burst out laughing and made their way to the riverbank.
Dawn was beginning to break.
They had arrived at the place where Long would face Nguyen.
Mai and Miki were already there. They stood watching him—both astonished and worried—as the boy stepped out from the forest's edge, his clothes in tatters, yet his eyes blazing with a determination they had never seen before.