Chapter 32: The Lost Sea Fog

The vast deck stretched out under the open sky, yet only two figures stood upon it—Hutson and Dino.

The rhythmic crash of waves against the hull echoed into the night, a hypnotic lullaby that could easily lull one into slumber.

But Hutson remained alert. Meditating. Watching. Waiting.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed when AI chip sent an alert—someone was approaching.

Opening his eyes, he found Dino standing directly before him, studying him with his usual unreadable gaze.

The seasoned wizard finally spoke. "Your mental power is stable, and your mana is of excellent quality. It shows that you've been diligently practicing your meditation technique."

Hutson stood, offering a respectful nod. "Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Dino."

For once, Dino seemed in a talkative mood. He turned, leaning against the ship's railing, his gaze distant.

"Your approach to cultivation—building your foundation step by step—is the correct way."****"Never be tempted by shortcuts."

His eyes darkened slightly. "Look at Figar. His mental power is high, yes—but utterly unstable. Relying on extreme methods to gain strength always comes at a cost. Sooner or later, it will consume him."

"I appreciate the guidance, Mr. Dino," Hutson replied earnestly.

Dino then gestured toward the sky. "Your meditation method—it's connected to the stars, isn't it?"

"That's right."

Dino nodded. "I figured as much. Such techniques are never simple. Keep at it, boy."

For the next few nights, Hutson continued to meditate on the deck, often asking Dino various questions. The wizard, despite his usually detached nature, answered them without hesitation.

Through their conversations, Hutson learned something astounding—

Dino had been sailing these waters for over eighty years.

The very ship beneath their feet was already the sixth vessel he had captained.

The previous five?

Destroyed.

Lost to storms, monsters, or worse.

Each time, Dino had returned, ferrying new wizard apprentices toward Karag Continent.

But the ocean was never predictable.

He recounted numerous incidents where entire crews had vanished, ships swallowed whole by the mysteries of the deep.

And no one ever knew when the next disaster would strike.

A Change in the Wind

Two weeks later, Karag Continent was only a month away.

Sitting at the bow of the ship, Hutson basked in the salty sea breeze, feeling an unusual sense of peace.

Then—

Dino stiffened.

His nostrils flared slightly, his brow furrowing as he sniffed at the wind.

"Something's wrong."

Hutson immediately sat up. "What is it?"

Dino's expression darkened. "The air has changed."

Before Hutson could ask further, the sky itself began to shift.

The brilliant expanse of stars that had lit the night was suddenly blotted out by heavy clouds.

And then, before they even realized it—

They were no longer under the open sky.

A thick gray fog had descended upon the sea, swallowing the ship in an oppressive haze.

The temperature dropped. The air thickened.

Visibility shrank to mere meters.

The world beyond the ship's rails ceased to exist.

"Stop the ship."

Dino's sharp command cut through the eerie silence.

The sailors obeyed without question, bringing the ship to a slow, grinding halt.

Hutson took a careful step forward, relying on memory to navigate toward the bow, where Dino stood gripping an unfamiliar device—

A compass-like instrument, but its needle spun erratically, as if refusing to obey any logical direction.

"Mr. Dino… what is this?"

The wizard let out a slow breath, his voice grim.

"We've entered the Lost Sea Fog."

"Lost Sea Fog?" Hutson repeated, his gut tightening.

Dino nodded. "A rare and treacherous phenomenon. Once a ship is trapped inside, all sense of direction is lost."

His grip on the compass tightened. "The space within the fog is… distorted. If we sail blindly, we could end up anywhere. Or nowhere at all."

A cold dread settled in Hutson's stomach. "So what do we do?"

Dino's jaw clenched. "We wait."

Hutson frowned. "How long?"

Dino exhaled. "It varies. Some fogs clear in a few days. Others… can last for decades."

Decades.

Hutson's breath caught.

No ship could carry enough food and water for decades.

With the ship at a standstill, the rest of the crew and apprentices soon took notice.

One by one, they emerged from their cabins, faces pale with unease.

Dino explained the situation briefly. The sailors took the news with remarkable calm—they had absolute faith in Dino.

But the wizard apprentices?

They were not as composed.

Three days passed.

The fog remained unchanged, thick and unrelenting.

Five days.

By now, the unease had turned into full-blown anxiety.

Whispers of doubt spread. The apprentices grew restless.

And then—the fights began.

Tension broke into violence.

Disputes erupted almost daily.

One apprentice had already been severely injured by Figar—the twisted Second-Class Apprentice who seemed to thrive in chaos.

If not for Dino's intervention, the ship could have descended into full-scale conflict.

Hutson and Lilian chose to remain together, understanding that being alone was far too dangerous in an environment like this.

Even worse—

The fog was not just blocking their vision.

It was interfering with their very senses.

Mana itself felt sluggish, its flow muddied, resisting control.

The Lost Sea Fog was not just a natural phenomenon.

It was something far more sinister.

The tiny cabin felt cramped with both Hutson and Lilian inside, but neither of them needed sleep—not anymore.

Instead, they meditated, using their training to replace rest, letting the rhythm of mana and thought sustain them.

Even within the gray abyss of the fog, Hutson discovered something remarkable—

He could still sense the stars.

Even though the dense mist had severed normal visibility, the celestial bodies above remained clear to him. He could orient himself, recognizing true directions despite the fog's attempts to warp the space around them.

Naturally, he reported this to Dino, but the wizard remained cautious.

"We wait." Dino insisted. "Even if you can sense the stars, navigating the fog is still too dangerous. Space itself shifts within it—what is east one second could become west the next. If we can wait for it to clear, that would be safest."

Hutson understood.

The Lost Sea Fog was not merely an obstruction—it was a labyrinth of shifting reality.

If they could avoid tempting fate, they would.

Tension suffocated the ship.

Fifteen days trapped in the gray abyss had begun to erode sanity.

The crew—normally disciplined and composed—were on edge.

The wizard apprentices, isolated in their own cabins, had started crumbling under the strain. The infinite gray pressing against their walls, the unfathomable unknown lurking beyond, the sheer uncertainty—it was enough to fracture even the strongest minds.

For Hutson and Lilian, however, things were different.

They had each other.

Their conversations, their jokes, their arguments—as insignificant as they seemed—kept them grounded.

But the others?

Alone. Silent. Trapped.

It was only a matter of time before someone snapped.

And Dino knew it too.

On the sixteenth day, Dino came to the fourth deck, his expression grim.

"Hutson. Come with me."

Hutson stood immediately.

"What's happening?"

"We're setting sail. Any longer, and we're inviting disaster."

Hutson nodded, then turned to Lilian.

"You're coming too."

Leaving her alone on the fourth deck was not an option.

The fog disrupted mana flow—if something happened, she wouldn't even be able to react in time.

Lilian simply nodded and followed.

As they ascended, Hutson felt the weight of the ship's silence.

The other apprentices were deteriorating, locked inside their own minds, waiting for something—anything—to break the endless gray.

Some had stopped speaking entirely.

Others had started muttering to themselves.

And then there was Figar, lurking somewhere like a shadow waiting for its moment.

It was only a matter of time before one of them made a fatal mistake.

Inside the captain's cabin, Hutson closed his eyes, allowing his mind to align with the heavens above.

Even within the suffocating fog, the stars remained untouched.

"That way. Northwest."

He pointed, and Dino adjusted the wheel without hesitation.

The ship moved forward, slowly, cutting through the unseen void.

Hutson remained focused, sensing the four stars he had aligned with, tracking their subtle shifts, recalibrating at every moment.

Minutes stretched into hours.

The fog twisted around them, but Hutson kept correcting their course, again and again.

"The direction shifted. Northwest is now to the left."

Dino immediately adjusted, steering the ship as smoothly as possible.

Time became meaningless.

The fog remained endless.

Until—

Light.

The gray veil thinned, then vanished entirely.

Hutson blinked.

The sky was clear again.

And behind them—

The Lost Sea Fog was gone.

Dino clapped Hutson on the shoulder, his gruff voice breaking into a rare chuckle.

"Well done!"

Hutson slumped onto the floor, finally allowing himself to relax.

For over ten hours, he had been locked in absolute focus, constantly adjusting, constantly correcting their heading.

Now, with the ship free, exhaustion crashed into him like a wave.

Dino, however, was already working.

He unfurled a map, his fingers tracing lines, cross-referencing with a strange compass-like device.

Moments later, he sighed in relief.

"We're still in the same place."

He turned to them, satisfied. "We never strayed from where we first encountered the fog. That means we didn't drift into some unknown, godforsaken place."

A true miracle.

Hutson exhaled, closing his eyes for a moment.

They had made it through.

But in the back of his mind, a single thought remained—

The Lost Sea Fog was not a mere natural phenomenon.

Something had been inside it. Watching. Waiting.

And whatever lurked beyond the mist…

They had only barely escaped it.