Ep. 5 — Chapter 19: Forest of Mist (2)

[You have activated a Trigger Quest!]

What's this?

Both me and Leon briefly halted out movements, staring ahead at the huge system screen ahead of us. It was a new quest. And this place, as it says, is the 'Forest of Mist'. The only thing missing were the trees.

Seriously. What's with this game of fogs? First it was the Outbreak purple fumes, and now a sea of haze in the middle of a city.

Either way,

[Trigger Quest, 'Passing Through Blind', is being converted to the current outgoing Main Quest.]

[Conditions for the quest, 'Passing Through Blind' will be automatically updated to your current Main Quest in progress, 'Survival in the Wild'.]

Me and Leon shared a confused glance, both of which were mixed with uncertainty and slight determination. Unexpectedly, it was Leon who took a step first and entered into the fog ahead of us. It was like a wall there that divided the world with a new world of empty white clouds. The moment he went inside the fog, his entire figure disappeared.

Soon after he entered, I went in as well. The moment my foot stepped inside the fog, a screen appeared before me like a wall, stopping my movement and forcing me to read it before entering.

—

Main Quest: [Survival in the Wild]

≪Subsidiary Quest: [Passing Through Blind]≫

Difficulty: ★★ (A subsidiary quest has increased the current Main Quest's difficulty. ★★ ≫ ★★★

Requirements: Survive in the city against hordes of monsters until reaching a designated safezone. (Sub Quest: Pass through the Forest of Mist in given time while protecting against 'Wanderers' Prolonged exposure to the 'mist' will result in death…)

Time Limit: (Sub Quest: 3 hours)

Compensation: (Sub Quest: 4,000P, possible drop, Boss drop chance…

Failure: Death

—

Damn, this is new. A sub-quest being mixed in together with a Main Quest. It was certainly something I didn't expect. And it isn't a Trigger Quest either, which would have made a lot more sense.

I could barely see a few metres ahead of me. My entire field of vision had been obscured by the mist all around. I had only taken a single step into the sea of clouds, but it felt like I was completely enveloped in the fog from all directions. It felt nauseating, everything didn't feel right. My sense of direction was thrown off, and I could be upside down right now, and I doubt I'd notice.

It was all too much. My sense of equilibrium was failing me now.

I took a few steps back, barely containing myself. Damn, maybe this quest isn't worth the gamble. I turned around and ran out, only to be met with more mist.

Hold on…

…

Something wasn't quite right. I had only taken a step inside the fog. So if I went back, I would be out again. However, I only found myself being surrounded by mist from all directions. I walked further towards the direction I came from, and the mist didn't subside.

"Leon?"

My voice echoed. But no reply came. He was only a few metres ahead of me. I was sure of that. Yet, it felt suffocating and deathly silent. Other than the sounds of my own hard breathing, there was nothing else that I could hear. Not even my footsteps could be heard. I yelled again, raising my voice a bit more this time. "Leon?! Where the hell are you?!"

As I expected, he wouldn't answer. Though it was an unfavourable situation, I had expected as such. That didn't mean I was so easily accepting of it. I wasn't only worried about myself, but also Leon. Is that guy going to be able to get out alone? I suppose I could also ask myself that question as well…

I continued to walk, even faster now, towards the direction I had thought I came from. I wasn't sure how long I've been running, but the clouds of haze never seemed to subside. In fact, it was only growing more and more thicker. Shit, my eyes were getting weird. The lack of anything else beside white clouds made me lose balance a bit. A sharp pain struck my head and I staggered about. I barely caught myself from falling. The panging inside my head made my vision blur for a few moments.

​​​​

[You have been exposed to the 'Fog'. Prolonged exposure to the 'Fog' will damage your physical state.]

[Time remaining: 3 hours.]

Three hours, is it? Screw that, I'd probably die before I even reach the first hour mark. If not the fog itself, this damned head pain is sure to kill me.

"Son of a…making me go around with this crazy level of pain. In my head of all places too. Urgh, I'll kill whichever bastard made this Game later. I swear…" I huffed out in a strained voice. Every small movement was dizzying. Like I might fall over and pass out at any moment. I wasn't sure how this messed up system expected me to pass this 'forest' like this.

Even thinking was hard. It seems that whatever fog this was, it's causing disruption with my mentality. I could barely think straight. Wave of panic continued to rush into my head, making it nearly impossible to focus.

[Your Skill, 'Lightweight Lv. 6' is activated!]

The activation of 'Lightweight' reduced the heaviness I felt on my body by a significant amount. It still felt like I was dragging twice as much as my body weight, but it was much more manageable now.

Either way, whether I could move or not, I should get the hell out of this place. If I stay here for too long, I won't make it by the time the three-hour mark passes. Since I don't know a lot about this damned forest of mist, I should go with the most obvious route. Continue running until I get to the end of this fog.

.

.

.

I wasn't entirely sure if there is an end to this damned fog. I had been running for a while, almost reaching the one hour mark. The clouds showed no sign of dispersing, in fact, they only got thicker by the passing second. I was barely able to see the tip of my shoes now, and the parts below my knees were hazy.

I glanced at the timer on my screen. There is only a little over an hour left by now. No matter how far I went, the clouds didn't seem to die down.

Other than that, I haven't seen Leon at all throughout the time here either. The moment he entered, he was long gone. There was no way for me to know where he is at now. I wondered if he had passed yet. If he did, would he be waiting on the other side? There is also the possibility that he's waiting at a different place than I will come out from, if I do manage to get out, that is.

No matter. I should worry about myself first.

[54% of your system has been affected by the 'Fog'.]

Damn. The only reason I was able to keep going was because I kept on investing Points whenever the percentage count went too high. If I counted correctly, I had already spent over 1,500P now. Not that it worries me much. I wouldn't have done that if I wasn't loaded in the beginning.

[You currently possess: 43,245P]

I could do this a few more times before my Points become endangered. Though, I shouldn't be too careless with my spendings but place them in more strategic areas. My physicality should have levelled up plenty by now. Most of the Points I spent went into agility and durability, extending my stamina capacity and movement speed. After all, I need to get out of here as soon as possible.

​​

There is something that is still bothering me. The quest requirement said something about 'Wanderers', but I haven't seen anything of the sort at all. I suppose they are a type of monster that roams within this fog, but not only did I not see them, I haven't even felt their presence at all.

There is also the Boss drop mentioned as well. Perhaps, to leave this place would require me to fight the Boss? Shit, but I haven't made any progress at all.

I stopped running eventually. I slowed down my pace and began unfurling the chains wrapped around my arm. Slowly, I placed the end of it down, and continued walking forward. I've been thinking about something earlier and managed to test out the theory now. I continued to walk and kept letting my chains be placed on the ground. Finally, I placed the other end of the chains down and continued walking forward.

It was either that this is a realm that defied physics and is acting on its own accord, or that there is something else playing a factor in it.

And if this is a Game, it is definitely way too early for something like that to be introduced. This forest of mist, without a doubt, exists within the city. There is definitely a trick to this endless clouds of haze.

And as I expected.

The opposite end of the chains was now beneath my feet. I slowly bent down and picked it up, continuing to walk forward with it and picking up the rest of the chains as I passed them.

[Something is germinating within your character…]

An unexpected message appeared as well.

I started to spin the chain at a medium speed, collecting the last of it back up. The fog started to become drawn towards it. Little by little, I increased the speed of the chains. It had reached a speed where the chains left afterimages, and groups of fog began to be drawn towards the spinning chains.

With the mists clearing out of the way, I took one more step forward.

The fog beneath my feet moved about, and that's when I saw them lifting me, just slightly, and rotating my body.

"Gotcha!" I cried out, spinning both ends of the chains with a wide grin on my face. I raised both spinning ends above my head and started moving them around, collecting all of the fog along the ends of my chains. This time, I ran forward at full speed. The chains were spinning around me as I continued running. Thanks to my 'Chain Mastery' Skill, I was able to run ahead without worrying too much about hitting myself, as my body automatically spun the chains with extreme proficiency.

I couldn't get rid of the grin on my face. After two hours of wandering in circles, being tricked by this damned fog, I was able to crack the code.

I understood why I wasn't able to hear my own footsteps now. It was because the moment we entered, we moved on the fog itself. It redirected us around as it wished, like some sneaky bastards. Now, I was sure that there's definitely someone controlling these mists.

And it is most likely the Boss of this place.

I continued to run forward. With the fog clearing around me, I was able to see that I was approaching an overpass. I was now under the bridge. I realised that the fog made it utterly impossible to differentiate between morning and night. The density was so great that I couldn't even realise that it was dark. It made no difference whether I was outside or under the overpass, the colour of the fog remained the same.

I glanced up, still running.

[Time remaining: 56:33]

There is less than an hour left. I wasn't sure if Leon had made it out. However, as long as I manage to defeat the Boss of this place, I'm sure that the fog will disperse immediately.

Though it is worrying that I haven't encountered any Wanderer, I suppose it is for the better.

I reached the other end of the overpass and was finally out of the mist. But it wasn't the end, however. In fact, I was exactly in the middle. The fog was set in a way that resembled a typhoon.

And here I am, in the eye of the storm.