Demeter studied Dio for a long moment, her amber eyes sharp and searching, as though she were trying to see straight through him.
Eventually, she asked, “What exactly do you plan to do with [Dreamwalker]?”
Her expression immediately turned suspicious, and she looked at him as though he were already beyond saving.
“You aren’t seriously planning to use it for nothing but fooling around in dreams, are you?
Because if that’s all you can think of, I’ll lose all respect for you.”
Dio rolled his eyes.
“Come on.
Do you honestly think sex is the only thing on my mind?
I’ve already thought of plenty of ways to make this Magic useful.”
He folded his arms and assumed a deliberately mysterious expression.
“On the surface, [Dreamwalker] only has two functions: weaving dreams and entering the dreams of others.
In practice, though, it could be incredibly versatile.”
“I’m not denying that dream creation can be used for pleasure.
I have [Slaanesh], so it would be stupid not to take advantage of it.”
Dio admitted that without the slightest embarrassment before continuing.
“But weaving dreams has a far more practical application.
I can use it to simulate battles and build combat experience.”
Demeter had been about to nod, but his next point made her frown instead.
“Simulating battles in dreams?
I understand the theory, but can a monster created in a dream truly compare to a real one?
Even if you die there, you know you’ll wake up unharmed.
Training without any genuine fear of death would be much less effective.”
“That is a problem,” Dio agreed.
“But I think the key lies in how real I can make the dream feel.
If I can accurately recreate pain, fear, and the rush of adrenaline, then my mind may process those experiences as though they truly happened.”
A focused gleam entered his eyes.
“The body’s reactions are controlled by the brain.
If the illusion is convincing enough, the mind may not be able to distinguish between real danger and a perfect imitation of it.
By creating realistic combat situations, I could train my reflexes, instincts, and ability to make decisions under pressure.”
Demeter’s expression gradually became more serious as she listened.
She had lived for countless years.
Although she had never personally entered the Dungeon, she had witnessed the growth of more adventurers than she could remember and understood just how important experience was.
Many new Level One adventurers possessed respectable Basic Abilities, yet still ended up being chased around the upper floors by goblins because they had no idea how to handle themselves in a real fight.
Dio’s method could potentially give a novice the one thing they usually lacked most—practical experience.
“You make a good point,” Demeter said slowly.
“If you can recreate combat convincingly enough, then you could gain a great deal of experience without entering the Dungeon.
By the time you finally went inside, your reactions and instincts would be far beyond those of most adventurers at your level.”
“Exactly.”
Dio raised an eyebrow with a satisfied grin.
“And that’s only one use.
I have an even better idea.”
“Oh?”
Now genuinely interested, Demeter leaned closer.
“Let’s hear it.”
“Dream creation could also be used for tactical exercises and planning,” Dio explained.
“Suppose I wanted to explore a particular floor of the Dungeon.
Once I had maps, reports, and enough information about its terrain and monsters, I could reconstruct it inside a dream.”
“I could then test different routes and strategies over and over until I found the safest and most efficient approach.”
“That way, before I ever set foot on the floor itself, I would already be familiar with every mapped turn and every place where monsters were likely to appear.
It would be like rehearsing the expedition countless times in advance.”
Demeter’s eyes lit up.
“You could even simulate emergencies,” she added.
“An injured companion, an irregular monster outbreak, a collapsed passage…
If you practiced responding to every likely disaster beforehand, you wouldn’t panic when one actually occurred.”
“As expected of a goddess—you understood immediately!”
Dio raised a thumb in sincere approval.
“That’s exactly what I mean.
It would increase my chances of survival enormously, while also saving a ridiculous amount of time.”
“Exploring terrain and testing strategies in reality could take days or even weeks, and every mistake might cost someone their life.
But inside a dream, I may be able to control the passage of time.
I could gain months of preparation in a single night.”
Demeter regarded Dio in silence.
For the first time, something new entered her gaze—genuine recognition, perhaps even a trace of admiration.
His body might have been pitifully weak, and [Slaanesh] was certainly not a Skill any respectable person would proudly display, but his way of thinking was remarkably clear and efficient.
He had not allowed the absurd combination of [Dreamwalker] and [Slaanesh] to go to his head.
Instead, he was calmly considering how to extract the greatest possible benefit from both abilities.
That kind of restraint and rationality was rare among young mortals.
“And what about entering other people’s dreams?” Demeter asked.
“You mentioned using it to uncover secrets and gather information.
What exactly did you have in mind?”
“That part is even more interesting.”
Dio grinned, a crafty glint appearing in his eyes.
“Think about it.
Orario is filled with adventurers and Familias.
How many of them can honestly claim to have no secrets?
Everyone has thoughts they would rather keep hidden.”
“If I could enter their dreams, I might see their true desires, their deepest fears, and the schemes they would never reveal while awake.”
“For example, I could enter the dream of a Familia executive and learn about their upcoming plans.
I could enter an adventurer’s dream and discover information about something unusual they encountered in the Dungeon.
I might even be able to enter a god’s dream and uncover what they’re truly trying to accomplish.”
“All of that is valuable intelligence.
In this world, information can be even more important than raw power.
A strong adventurer without reliable information might die in a seemingly harmless trap, while a weaker adventurer with the right knowledge can avoid danger and choose the safest path toward becoming stronger.”
Demeter fell silent.
The room grew quiet enough that they could hear leaves rustling outside the window and the distant murmur of Orario’s streets.
After a long while, she finally spoke, her voice carrying a complicated mixture of surprise and respect.
“You may be far more talented than I first believed.”
The teasing amusement had disappeared from her eyes, replaced by genuine seriousness.
“I admit that I underestimated you.
I thought you had merely been fortunate enough to awaken an unusually powerful Magic.
But your understanding of [Dreamwalker], and the ways you intend to use it, have already surpassed my own initial expectations.”
“Physically, you may very well be the weakest person in Orario.
There’s no denying that.”
A small smile appeared on Demeter’s lips.
“But when it comes to knowledge and the way you think…
you may be unmatched!”
Coming from a goddess, those words carried considerable weight.