In the quiet Mist, Reg sat comfortably by the warm Bonfire, clutching his sword, surrounded by several unfamiliar adventurers who had all been drawn here by the fire.
From time to time, the sharp screeches of monsters echoed around them, but no one panicked.
After more than three hours of exploring, and marking many trees along the way, everyone discovered a pattern: monsters wouldn’t come near the Bonfire— the Bonfire was an absolute safe zone within the Mist.
“Feels like I’m about to reach Level 17…”
Reg thought to himself. He had already taken down over a dozen monsters during this time; his sword was nearly dulled, but he still hadn’t found a way out. For now, he could only keep following the Bonfires along the path.
But there were so many Bonfires, so everyone had to use a process of elimination to slowly find the right way forward. For some reason, Reg had a hunch that the Mist’s changes were Truth’s doing…
His guess was quickly confirmed.
The Black Magic Mark on the back of his hand stirred again, and Truth’s message flooded into Reg’s mind:
“Suna has entered the Mist too. Take her along and grind to Tier Two. Do it well and there’s a reward. Mess it up and there’ll be punishment.”
Immediately after, a special Sign appeared in Reg’s field of vision, with “503m” displayed beneath it.
Anyone who played video games would know that this sort of Sign usually guided you to do main quests— but unfortunately, there were no video games in this other world.
What… kind of skill is this?!
As a true native, Reg was utterly shocked by the Sign before his eyes. He started shaking his head left and right, only to find that the Sign always pointed precisely in one direction. How magical…
Is this skill working in my mind, or is it on my eyes? Well, whichever it is, the precision of this skill is just too high! I can’t even imagine how it’s done.
And it even displays distance— this difficulty must be mid-tier, maybe even high-tier. Just how strong is Truth, really?
After resting a bit more, Reg picked up his weapon and left the Bonfire. Behind him, the other adventurers called out:
“You’re leaving already? The meat isn’t even done roasting.”
Several skewers of Wolf Leg Meat were set over the Bonfire, one of which belonged to Reg.
“I’ll leave it for you guys. I just heard monster cries up ahead. I’m going to see if anyone needs help.”
With that, Reg left behind a reliable figure disappearing into the Mist, causing the other adventurers to sigh in admiration:
“No wonder he’s the most talented warrior at the Academy— even his sense of responsibility is so strong!”
Actually, Reg was worried that staying at the Bonfire doing nothing would anger Truth, and who knows, maybe some Thunderstrike would come and zap him…
So it was better to be proactive. Besides, Truth’s rewards were genuinely tempting.
Meanwhile, at the Edge of Mist, Truth was sitting on an Outdoor Bench, manipulating the Mist. Around her, a group of adventurers hesitated, unsure whether to venture into the Mist.
If there’s a change in the Dungeon, it must mean something big is happening— like a Treasure appearing, or a BOSS descending.
The braver adventurers had already rushed in, eager to be the first to “eat the crab,” but the ones left behind…
“So timid, seriously. I even took the initiative to lower the monster count to make it easier for you, and yet just the Direction-Losing Trait is enough to scare you off.”
Can’t you hurry up and get inside and generate energy for me?!
Truth looked exasperated, then continued using God’s Perspective to constantly check Suna’s status in case she wiped while soloing. After all, traditional Mages were famous for being Glass Cannons.
Tsk tsk, just a pair of Panties and you’ve earned the attention of this Demon Lord— lucky you!
Truth summoned another Stump Spider to attack Suna, keeping her in a constant state of high-intensity, yet safe, battle. At this rate, she’d probably reach Tier Two in just a few days.
But being called “Demon Lord” all the time feels so low-class… I really need to think of a better title for myself. What should I choose…
Just as she looked up in thought, a conspicuous big bird suddenly flew over Truth’s head, then dove straight into the Mist before everyone’s eyes, causing a chorus of exclamations:
“What was that just now? So fast!”
Truth quickly pulled up the landing spot of that bird and discovered it was the Mid-Tier Birdman she’d just seen at the Enforcer Bureau entrance. What was she doing here—looking for me?
Inside the Mist, Gadelia coldly surveyed her surroundings. Apart from the dense Mist, it seemed to be just Ancient Forest here, with only a well-hidden Tree Demon nearby, ready to pounce.
“Heh. So this is why rookie human adventurers love diving into the Mist— the monsters here are so weak!”
To avoid damaging her black robe, Gadelia took it off, revealing the sky-blue Light Armor beneath. Her posture was sharp and heroic.
This was her exclusive gear as Princess Wilona’s shadow guard. Though called Light Armor, its defense rivaled excellent-grade Heavy Armor, and it was even adorned with Anti-Magic Runes, able to withstand most magical attacks.
“This Mist covers a pretty wide area, but I only need to spend a little time to drag the culprit out!”
With that, Gadelia beat her ethereal wings at full strength, turning into a streak of Blue Gale that rampaged through the Mist.
The violent wind pressure instantly killed the Tree Demon that had just tried to extend its vines to attack.
All the trees and monsters along her path were destroyed by the shockwaves, and the Mist was briefly torn open wherever she passed— not a blade of grass left standing!
All of this was captured by Truth’s God’s Perspective…
“Dammit! Are you looking down on me?!”
Truth shot up from the bench in anger, startling the adventurers nearby. What’s with this kid—throwing a tantrum?
Just as they were about to comfort her, Truth puffed up and strode angrily toward the Mist’s entrance.
I just finished readjusting the Mist, and now, right after opening, you’re here to cause trouble?!
Because the Mist was still only at Tier One, its conversion efficiency for massive energy wasn’t high. So every spot Gadelia destroyed and every small monster she killed was a net loss for the Mist.
Coupled with the Mist’s ability to make people lose their way, when Gadelia sensed something was wrong, she began rampaging even more.
Truth quickly calculated: each time that Birdman crashed through, the Mist only gained 2 points of energy.
But the losses reached 7 points of energy— those destroyed trees and terrain, and all those dead little monsters, were pure wasted energy…
Can’t take it anymore!.
“Miss Adventurer, please wait! There’s something in today’s Mist…”
“Get lost!”
The Enforcers guarding the Mist’s entrance had just tried to warn her, but Truth’s words left them speechless.
They hadn’t expected such a small girl to have such a big temper— whose young lady was this?
Forget it, there were plenty of people wanting to die in the Mist anyway. The Enforcers didn’t ask further; after all, they didn’t have the authority to stop adventurers from entering.
But then, when they saw Truth walk into the Mist without a moment’s hesitation, the adventurers who’d been lingering near the entrance stared in disbelief.
What’s going on? Even a little girl has the courage to walk into the Mist— doesn’t that make us look cowardly?
We adventurers from Deya City are famous for our daring spirit, and yet now, we can’t even muster the courage to step into the Mist…
If word got out that Deya City’s adventurers were too scared to enter the Mist, people elsewhere would laugh their heads off.
So, after seeing Truth stride confidently into the Mist, the adventurers’ competitiveness was instantly ignited. They nodded to each other and stood up, heading for the Mist as well.
“You guys…”
The Enforcers were stunned— what was happening now?
“We can’t just sit here and let others snatch the treasures inside.”
One of the adventurers said this to the Enforcers, then followed the crowd into the Mist.
Ten minutes later, the number of adventurers in the Mist had soared to 103.
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