Chapter 46: Mistbound Resolve

The turtle moved forward slowly.

With each step it took, the ground trembled, and a massive reverberation followed.

Despite its name and appearance, the turtle held immense power within it.

The countless monsters in its path couldn’t stop its advance.

They were crushed underfoot, leaving nothing behind.

‘Where does the professor find these creatures?’

It was always a mystery.

No one had ever seen her leave the tower, yet she always managed to summon the creatures necessary for her lessons.

The appearance of these monsters was strikingly familiar.

Red eyes and white fur—they were the same mist monkeys encountered during the entrance exam.

During that exam, the turtle had been defeated by them.

Its legs had been torn apart by their claws, and it barely escaped the mist by rolling its shell.

The memory remained vivid to this day.

But this time was different.

The turtle didn’t even glance at the charging monkeys.

It passed through the horde with its larger, heavier body, crushing them effortlessly.

Those monkeys, once terrifying, were no longer a threat.

***

Three years into university, I had already changed this much.

‘No wonder all wizards are so obsessed with this place,’ I thought.

Even I couldn’t believe how far I’d come.

When I first saw those monkeys, I immediately understood the professor’s intention in sending them my way.

It was her way of gauging my progress—a gesture of acknowledgment, though admittedly excessive.

Ten hours had passed since the creatures first began swarming me.

The charging monkeys made no sounds, and their eyes lacked the malice and intelligence they once held.

They moved like puppets, devoid of will.

This was still such a strange and unsettling place.

The turtle surveyed the surroundings.

As always, the view remained the same—everything was blanketed in mist.

No sounds could be heard.

All noises seemed to vanish into the fog.

Even the turtle’s heavy footsteps only sent tremors through the ground; they produced no audible sound. The silence was suffocating.

It was a peculiar effect of the treasure we sought.

***

There had been ten treasure hunts so far, and today marked the eleventh.

From experience, we knew the professor had a clear rule: every dungeon she designed was intricately tied to the treasure within.

The maze, the desert, and the underwater city—all were reflections of the treasure they contained.

Sometimes, the treasure itself created the environment; other times, it lay hidden within.

The professor’s confidence in this pattern was evident.

She believed that even if we discovered the treasure’s location, we could never claim it.

That confidence was justified—since the first lesson, no one had ever succeeded in obtaining the treasure.

This time, the treasure was an enormous heart composed entirely of white.

The professor claimed it was extracted from a bizarre monster and casually named it the “Mist Heart.”

Its effect was clear in the surroundings.

Every time the heart pulsed, mist flowed out, growing denser with each beat.

Over the past ten hours, the mist had thickened to the point where visibility was nearly zero.

I reinforced the protective magic around my workshop.

The mist that had seeped into my domain dissipated under the magic’s protection, but soon began to melt through again.

This mist was no ordinary fog.

Anything within it would gradually lose everything—soul, memories, mind, and emotions—until the body became a puppet controlled by the heart.

Just like the creatures the turtle was currently trampling.

If those monkeys had retained their former intelligence, progress wouldn’t have been this easy.

Their ability to strategize and exploit weaknesses was their greatest strength.

Unfortunately, their endless resurrection ability remained intact.

That alone had caused us relentless trouble so far.

I sighed deeply.

***

Oblivious to my frustrations, the turtle stomped around gleefully.

It seemed to enjoy crushing the monkeys, even rolling its shell in delight.

My tree swayed along with the turtle’s mood.

Partially merged with the turtle’s consciousness, it showed signs of recovery—though still far from its former state.

I couldn’t blame the turtle for its excitement.

Since gaining its self-awareness, it hadn’t been able to move freely, spending nearly two months clinging to my chest.

Ten hours of rampaging hardly seemed enough to satisfy it.

But more pressing was the lack of people this time.

In the past ten hours, I had encountered fewer than twenty individuals—a grave issue.

Despite hauling plenty of goods to sell, I hadn’t made a single transaction.

My plans were starting to fall apart.

‘Damn it,’ I thought. ‘I needed those points to pay off the interest.’

But the mist made it nearly impossible for anyone to find one another.

A single step apart, and people would vanish from sight.

The mist carried an eerie intent—to keep us from grouping together.

Clearly, the professor disapproved of students forming teams to hunt for treasures.

She must have grown bored of the same scenes playing out repeatedly.

Lately, she hadn’t even bothered watching the tower’s disputes.

***

Suddenly, the turtle came to a halt.

I followed its gaze to see a massive wall looming ahead, formed from solidified mist.

Even when the turtle charged into it, the wall didn’t budge.

I smirked bitterly.

‘Just like always.’

It was time to turn back.

I carefully surveyed the surroundings.

In places like this, powerful monsters often lurked nearby.

Last time, there was a massive fish swimming through the sky—I barely managed to flee with my life.

Fortunately, this time there was no reaction.

It seemed the monster had temporarily vacated.

Focusing my mind, I reached into the shadows sprawling beneath my tree.

The countless stars that once sparkled within had vanished, leaving only two faintly flickering lights.

Excluding the turtle I was riding, only a single star remained visible.

The entire sixth floor had been transformed into a separate realm, severing all connection to the outside world.

I focused my will on that lone star.

It emitted a faint light, suggesting it was still somewhat far away.

Following the direction where the light grew stronger, the turtle began moving slowly.

When I first entered this place with the turtle, I assumed it was an expansive plain.

Even with the turtle’s body and speed, its end seemed unreachable.

But that wasn’t the case.

I was simply wandering in circles.

The signal from the star weakened momentarily—it must have been distorted again.

I redirected the turtle, slowly circling until the light strengthened once more.

Then we resumed our path.

The mist twisted all senses.

My sense of endless running had been nothing more than moving in the same spot repeatedly.

After several more adjustments, the turtle and I finally approached the star.

In the distance, a vague shadowy mass came into view.

Someone was clearly fighting off monsters there.

The signal originated from that direction.

The turtle advanced steadily toward it.

As we neared, the monsters charging toward the destination turned and lunged at the turtle, only to be crushed under its feet.

Eventually, I saw a pile of monster corpses stacked high.

Above them, a glowing circle hovered in the air.

The monsters seemed compelled to reach it, charging forward relentlessly.

The moment they crossed the circle’s boundary, their bodies were sliced apart.

Even the mist dared not encroach within the circle.

I reached out with my will toward the inner star.

It flickered in response to my intent, and soon the circle ahead shimmered and opened a passage in my direction.

I guided the turtle inside.

The first thing I noticed was a stuffed bear.

Its adorable appearance seemed absurdly out of place here.

I chuckled bitterly at the sight.

The bear carried a person on its back.

As the person swung a sword through the air, the faint circle became sharp and clear again.

The approaching monsters were instantly cleaved apart and collapsed to the ground.

No matter how many times I saw it, the strange magic left me baffled.

As we drew closer, the person’s figure became clearer—a dazed-looking woman perched atop the bear’s back.

It was Cassian.

I dismounted the turtle and cautiously approached her.

She waved to me in greeting.

“You’re back. I’m glad to see you’re unharmed.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Cassian,” I replied.

Here, within the circle, I felt safe.

Smiling, I retrieved a table from my spatial pouch and set it up.

A doll sprang out alongside it and began preparing chairs.

It then moved to arrange tea and snacks on the table.

Cassian dismounted the bear and promptly seated herself.

She picked up the teacup in front of her, inhaling its aroma before taking a sip.

I watched her closely.

After a brief smile, she pouted.

“Can’t you really install this in my bear?” she asked.

“Unfortunately, that’s impossible. Its body structure simply isn’t suited for handling delicate tasks like brewing tea,” I explained.

At my words, the stuffed bear glanced at its hands, wiggling its stubby fingers before plopping onto the ground in apparent defeat.

Cassian sighed as she watched the scene unfold.

“Well, I guess there’s no helping it.”

“As a substitute—though it may not be much—I’ll show you the map I’ve been working on,” I offered.

I retrieved a scroll from my pouch and unfurled it, then began marking the map with a pen.

My recent explorations had given me a rough outline of the misty expanse.

The reason I freely shared this with her was the agreement we made after our first meeting in this place.

I promised to map the surroundings while she stayed in one spot.

Thanks to her remaining here, I was able to use her bear as a kind of lighthouse, navigating the mist by tracking its position.

I had repeatedly scouted the area, confirmed the edges of the walls, and returned.

This was my tenth time visiting her here.

The walls I had mapped formed a spiral-like pattern.

We were currently stationed near its lower end.

“What do you think is at the center?” she asked, pointing to the spiral’s core.

I shook my head.

“I’ve already been there. There’s nothing remarkable about it.”

I had checked that spot long ago.

The mist was slightly denser there, but nothing else stood out.

I still had no clue where the treasure could be.

Collaborating with others was out of the question.

Aside from Cassian, nearly everyone I’d encountered was consumed by fatigue and suspicion.

They distrusted me and were openly hostile.

If they acted this way toward me, their animosity toward others was likely even greater.

This pervasive distrust was problematic—not just for the treasure hunt, but for my score as well.

I needed to change the situation.

For the past ten hours, I’d been methodically exploring the mist to find a solution.