Hall of Nightmare

His vision began to collapse. Get a grip, Wein. You'll be fine, even though his vision pulsed like his heartbeat. He braced himself.

The corridor grew longer, and the same sound echoed in Wein's ears, growing clearer over time until it finally shrieked, forcing a reflexive gesture to cover his ears no matter what.

"We meet again, Duke's child!" a hoarse and terrifying voice declared.

The predator who once hunted had now become the hunted. The fog thickened around Wein Arcveil, making him aware of the sharp scent of blood and gunpowder that stung his nose.

"Last time, you lost, didn't you?" The voice was intimidating, and Wein knew how deeply it damaged his mental state. He struggled to endure it.

Last time, Wein had lost because his mind was shattered and his body kept getting struck without knowing what was attacking him.

"What do you want this time?" He opened his mouth, knowing he would lose again if he wasn't careful, so now he tried to manage himself better. "Are you not satisfied with the result from last time?" Wein emphasized.

A low laugh echoed—not as intimidating as usual. Wein began to sense something was off. "That's not my goal," it paused. "There's something more important than that."

Until now, no one knew who was behind the mysterious fog. Even Wein Arcveil, who had encountered it twice, had yet to find any answers.

This raised some questions in Wein's mind: Why did it come without attacking me?

"What's your purpose for coming here?" Wein asked firmly. He knew the figure was trying to act more friendly toward him, but this was the same being that nearly killed him.

The figure didn't answer, instead responding with a rumble that echoed throughout the room, slowly spreading from one end to the other until it reached Wein.

He coughed hoarsely, suppressing what he wanted to say for a moment because it was quite embarrassing for him. "I came to ask for your help, Duke Arcveil."

Wein widened his eyes, his mouth opening slightly. His pounding heart began to calm as he realized this wasn't a threat.

But soon after, he furrowed his brows and asked, "For what?" Wein took a breath. "Even from someone you deemed a failure," he emphasized again.

"Really? You still think of yourself as truly fallen?"

Wein was a little more relaxed now. "Who wouldn't think that way? That thing even tried to kill me." His tone was irritated; he was on the verge of releasing his emotions.

"I know you're upset about my previous impudence, sir, but this is a problem that even the Sperum can't handle."

After successfully calming himself, Wein Arcveil was finally able to give his time to speak with this mysterious figure.

He sacrificed his rest time for this. Wein took a deep breath and softened his expression slightly. "What do you want to say?"

Finally, a pleased voice came from the figure after it took a deep breath and then spoke. "This fog is not my doing. I know you suspect me, but I don't want to use it to torture living beings."

Nonetheless, Wein immediately highlighted the figure's last few words about not liking torture. He muttered, "Then why did it try to kill me?" grumbling in the lowest tone possible.

After that, he repeated what the mysterious figure had said—over and over again—until he could digest that it wasn't the figure's doing, which meant someone else was involved.

Wein frowned. "Then who?" He felt calm again now and began walking toward the corridor wall before leaning his back against it.

"Someone stronger than me, obviously."

Wein looked up at the corridor ceiling, assuming the figure was somewhere nearby. "Then how do we stop this?"

"It'll take time, but we must deal with it soon, right? Unfortunately, I still don't know exactly how."

Wein closed his eyes. He was getting closer to this figure, although he still hadn't fully placed his trust in them. Then something crossed his mind.

Wein had two options: the first was to identify the perpetrator, and the second was to directly handle the issue. To him, the first option—finding the perpetrator amidst the chaos—was difficult and a waste of time, while the second was not something he could do alone.

"But I suspect someone," the figure cut through the silence, immediately pulling Wein Arcveil out of his trance.

"Who is it?" Without hesitation, Wein asked. He'd been here long enough and wanted to return to his room.

The figure paused before answering, "Lucas Walltz Joke."

Upon hearing that, Wein immediately pushed off the wall. He became slightly tense after hearing the name Walltz, a natural rival of the Arcveil family.

Still, the figure surely had a hidden agenda behind this. "What do you want me to do?" Wein asked firmly.

"Excellent." The figure chuckled lowly and continued, "Such mature thinking is expected from the Arcveil family." A pause followed the compliment.

Then the figure continued after another short silence. "I want you to gather information about him and monitor Lucas for any odd behavior."

It was a predictable request.

Of course, Wein thought. I knew he'd ask me to do that. He's always hanging around like someone who needs answers. Wein agreed.

"If it's to stop this, I'll do it," Wein replied firmly and politely. But before anything else, he didn't forget the question he'd been meaning to ask since the beginning.

The fog thinned, and the scent of flowers began to spread, signaling that he had exited the fog realm. He realized the figure was about to leave and immediately posed his question before it was too late.

"What's your name?"

A chuckle followed. Wein then heard a voice unfamiliar to him, coming from a direction that moved unpredictably.

A deep female voice—neither too old nor too young—emerged before she finally spoke.

Is this… the real voice of the mysterious figure forcing me to cooperate?

"You may call me Persephone." The fog vanished completely after she introduced that name—undoubtedly just a pseudonym.

The corridor fell completely silent after that. Wein could feel that something was different now—terror had disappeared from his mind.

So she's pretending to be the queen of the underworld? I can't even believe what I just felt moments ago.

---

Several strange thoughts emerged in his mind. Like why she destroyed Wein's mental state during their first encounter, and how the voice he'd been hearing wasn't even her real voice.

Then came another thought—if this was about voices, which one was real? If the old man's voice wasn't hers, then was the female voice the real one? Her use of the underworld queen's name further confirmed her identity as a woman.

Wein lay down and was already tied to his bed, feeling extremely exhausted from today's events. He couldn't stay awake once his body hit the bed.

Lucas Walltz Joke… Right. Now I have to really think through why this person is a target. What has he done?

Earlier, Persephone said the culprit was stronger than her, which meant Lucas Walltz Joke was supposedly better than her. That couldn't be right, considering Wein's fragmented memories of Lucas—he was just an arrogant noble brat.

That meant it wasn't Lucas Walltz Joke, but someone else behind him, someone acting under the direct orders of Gregor Walltz Joke, Lucas's father.

That would have to be investigated. Now let's move on to another question—why did Persephone trust him more? She thought he lacked knowledge, but who would believe that? Who even knew he was someone who transmigrated?

A wolf's howl echoed—a sound that initially startled Wein Arcveil before he realized what it was.

> Note: A wolf's howl is believed to be the beginning of something terrifying in the Realm of Arcane.