The Mist Zone was drowned in pale fog. Thick mana clouds rolled endlessly, turning the air into a ghostly haze where sight itself beca uncertain.
A lone figure walked through it, steady and silent.
Evan Windstone.
He'd leapt straight into the mist before Arven could even finish his lecture—and now, that lecture was echoing right inside his head.
"You really are reckless to your core," Arven's voice rumbled, carrying a tone of eternal disapproval.
"Jumping into unknown mist without preparation—what were you thinking? What if that had been a trap? Then I'd be stuck looking for another host again. Hah, and my last intelligent one died in an uncharted plane… I really have the worst luck."
Evan kept walking.
He used a summoned bone pole as a guide, planting it ahead like a blind man's staff to keep his path straight and avoid circling in the fog.
Arven, of course, didn't stop talking.
"This place holds multiple-layered laws ant to disorient and imprison. You just strolled right in. I swear, sotis I wonder if you even—"
"Arven," Evan muttered under his breath, "I've apologised sixteen tis already. I'll make it seventeen—sorry, alright? Sorry. Now, can we get through this, oh great Eye of the Soul Ruler?"
The flattering tone worked—barely.
Arven huffed. "Hmph. Fine. Just follow my lead this ti. Don't make rash moves, and you might survive. Also…" His voice dropped low, too faint to catch. "You're not completely hopeless."
Evan frowned. "Did you say sothing?"
"No. Now crouch down when I say so. Keep walking."
Minutes passed. The fog felt endless.
Then Arven's voice bood sharply—"Stop! Down! As low as you can!"
Evan imdiately threw himself flat on the ground, peering around for threats. "What is it? A monster?"
"No, it's a trap. And why are you lying down like a corpse? I said duck, not die."
Evan gave an awkward laugh and shifted into a crouch. "So what kind of trap?"
"A deadly one," Arven murmured. "You can't see it, but I can. Even soone at the peak of this realm would die instantly."
Evan's gaze darkened. "Then how did Sylven get through here? If he survived, that ans—"
"Stop assuming," Arven cut in. "I've seen other traps nearby, so already destroyed by sword patterns. Soone broke through intentionally—clean strikes. That's Sylven's doing."
Evan nodded slowly. "So he made it in… and left them untouched afterwards. Typical. Why clear the path for others when he could make this place his advantage?"
"Exactly," Arven agreed. "The outer traps are broken, but the inner ones remain. Either he spared them to reduce competition or to guard sothing deeper."
Evan exhaled quietly. "Then we move faster. If the treasure's still here, I'm not letting him claim it."
With Arven's guidance, he passed through more than fifty intricate traps—each deadlier than the last. Pressure plates, mana distortions, silent barriers… all unseen by human eyes.
Curiosity got the better of him when they reached the final one.
"Let's see how deadly this really is," he muttered.
He summoned a skeleton warrior, commanding it forward. The summon trembled but obeyed, stepping into the marked range.
The air whistled—then erupted.
A storm of stone-like shards launched from every direction, shredding the skeleton into unrecognisable dust. Not broken.
Destroyed.
Evan froze. Even the bones couldn't reform.
"Well," he muttered, "guess I'll take your word for it from now on."
"Good choice," Arven replied dryly.
When the last trap was cleared, Evan stepped into a vast clearing—the heart of the Mist Zone.
Here, the fog thinned completely. The air was still. The sky above was clear and bright, as though this space rejected the cursed mist around it.
A sacred calm within a forsaken world.
At the center stood a levitating stone monolith, suspended above a crystalline altar that pulsed with mana so dense it distorted the air.
Evan approached carefully, every sense on alert.
The mont he crossed ten ters, his Nexus System flickered to life—then spiralled out of control.
Dozens of translucent panels burst open in front of him, blocking his vision. He tried to swipe them away, but they wouldn't move.
Each one flashed the sa ssage: Danger. Death. Leave.
Then a final notification appeared.
[???> Host's connection with the system has been temporarily suspended.]
[All system functions are offline.]
[Host has entered an unidentified plane.
Imdiate evacuation is advised.]
[The plane is classified as extrely dangerous.]
Evan's brow furrowed.
'Offline? In here? There's no living thing around except .'
He smirked faintly. "Maybe the system's acting up. Guess it's as nervous as Arven."
Ignoring the warnings, he stepped forward—toward the waiting monolith.
The air around the monolith began to hum.
A low vibration pulsed through the mist, and suddenly—
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
Lines of glowing text flared before Evan's eyes as his Omni System activated on its own.
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