Fangs in the Mist
A cold wind blew softly. Kain stood in the middle of a silent, barren, and silent plain. The ground beneath his feet was brittle, like bone dust. In the distance, giant bones towered, forming the framework of buildings or perhaps… the bodies of long-dead gods.
[Location: Domain of the Dead Gods]
[Status: Out of range of the main system. High level of energy interference.]
[Advice: Endure. Do not pray.]
Kain walked slowly. His steps felt heavy, not because of injuries, but because the atmosphere of the place was pressing on his mind. Faint voices reached the tips of his ears, like whispers that did not come from living creatures.
"This is not an ordinary world," he murmured. "This is… a prison."
Suddenly, the system flashed dimly.
[Ancient Book Notification]
[Suitable Location Found: Remnant of Consciousness – God of Silence]
[Interaction Recommended.]
Kain followed the system's direction. Behind a towering pillar of bone, he found a stone throne, and upon it sat a barely living figure: a human-sized skeleton of a god, clad in a grayish robe, and on its chest, a piece of blue crystal pulsed faintly.
[Passive Entity: Soul Fragment – God of Silence]
[Status: Nearly Vanished | Safe Interaction]
Without a word, the crystal slowly lit up. A wave of energy touched Kain's mind. He heard no voice, but he felt a message.
"You… hold the First Book. You were banished to this land. Then you may learn from our deaths."
Kain stepped forward. "What can you teach me?"
"Silence. Absorb. Endure. Before power… you need stillness."
[New Skill Offered: Meditation of Emptiness – Passive]
[Effect: Accelerates mental and energy recovery under high-pressure conditions.]
[Accept?]
Kain nodded. "Accept."
[Skill Acquired.]
The moment he touched the crystal, his vision blurred.
In an instant, Kain stood in the middle of a giant battlefield. The gods were killing each other. Light, darkness, lightning, time—all the elements exploded in chaos. And in the middle of it all, five books shone like shooting stars.
A voice echoed in his mind.
"We didn't lose because we were weak. But because we were too noisy. No one wanted to hear."
Kain regained consciousness. The crystal on the skeleton's chest slowly shattered, turning to dust.
He stood up, his body lighter. His energy returned faster.
But in the distance, the mist began to move. And this time… it wasn't the wind that carried him. It was legs. Many legs.
[Enemy Detection: Nameless Creature x 4 | God Energy Remains Mutation]
[Status: Aggressive | Level ??? | Attacking Within 00:37]
Kain took a breath.
"Haven't had a chance to rest, huh?"
His hands began to draw glyphs.
It was time to fight. Again.
The mist moved like a living creature. Flowing, slithering, then still… before suddenly attacking. Kain stood tall among the cracked bone pillars, his eyes glued to the four figures that began to emerge one by one from the mist.
Their forms were indistinct. Bodies like a thick, gray liquid, with blood-red glowing eyes and teeth that should not belong to living creatures.
[Identified Enemy: Corruption Fragment – Dead God Mutation]
[Number: 4 | Level: Unclassified | Status: Detecting Active Inheritance]
Kain took two steps back.
"So they came because I touched the inheritance of the God of Silence."
He touched the ground and drew three stacked glyphs.
[Active Glyph: Ray Trapping Zone]
[Effect: Slows and weakens entities based on high spiritual energy.]
The first creature charged. The mist around it lifted like a wet blanket. Kain waited, then triggered the glyph.
BOOM!
A blue beam shot up from the ground, striking the creature's body. He roared loudly, the mist exploding in part.
The other three surrounded him from the sides.
Kain gritted his teeth.
"I'm not ready for this."
But he couldn't retreat.
In his left hand, the faint light of the Ancient Book appeared.
[Emergency Access: Book of the God of Silence – Fragment of Chapter I]
[Available Skills: Mental Snare Lv.1]
[Effect: Restrains the target's mind for 2 seconds | Cost: Mental Focus]
"Two seconds is enough."
Kain waited for the second creature to jump. Just before its claws hit him, he activated the skill.
[Mental Snare – Active!]
The creature froze.
Kain immediately jumped, plunging a sharp bone fragment into its red eye.
SCHRAAK!
The creature squeaked and shattered into a foul mist. Two remained.
But Kain's energy was drained. His breath was labored. The new skill was draining his mind like a snare.
"If this continues, I'll die of mind before blood."
A third creature attacked from behind. Kain ducked—too late. His shoulder was deeply cut. Blood flowed.
But before the creature could strike again—
Something shot down from the sky.
A large black spear stabbed into the creature, destroying it instantly.
Kain turned his head.
A figure stood atop the giant's bones. Robed in a long robe, its face hidden behind a stone mask.
A deep voice came from the figure:
"The Holder of the Book must not die so soon. You still… have not passed the selection."
[New Entity Appears: Guardian of the Legacy – "Ankhar"]
[Status: Neutral | Task: Assess the Holder of the Book]
The fourth creature fled, but Ankhar jumped down and crushed it with a single-handed blow.
Kain stared at it, full of suspicion.
"Who are you?"
Ankhar answered quietly.
"I am… the guardian of this place. And you have only just begun your journey. If you survive the next three days, then I will allow you to open the Second Chapter."
Kain wiped the blood from his cheek.
"And if I fail?"
Ankhar's mask turned to face him.
"Then this place will consume you. Like hundreds of others before you."