When one was lost in the forest, the most optimal thing to do was to stop.
The mont a person realized they had lost their sense of direction, continuing to move only made things worse.
It widened the distance from the original path and erased whatever traces were left behind.
Lancel didn’t move for a mont, leaning his back against a tree. Panic only distorted judgnt, and in a place like this, where visibility was already compromised, losing clarity ant digging himself deeper into the problem.
Once that was done, the next step was to assess.
Backtracking was always the safest option, but only if the path behind still existed.
Unfortunately, that option wasn’t available for him.
In any case, when dealing with fog, the rules changed since direction beca unreliable and depth perception beca blurred.
Even sound could mislead and echo from the wrong angles, giving false impressions of distance.
Walking straight no longer ant moving in a straight line. Without reference, people naturally ran around in circles without realizing it.
That was why movent had to be limited.
The next option was elevation. Higher ground gave perspective, even in heavy fog, or at the very least, a better sense of space than wandering blindly below.
For that reason, Lancel made his way up the tree. The mont he felt like it was enough height, he assessed the surroundings from above.
"...Did I actually go that far?"
There was no clear boundary or any visible end to the fog.
The forest stretched out in every direction, along with the sa dense white that had been surrounding him from the start.
From what he rembered, he hadn’t gone that deep into the field before encountering the Darkmaw.
And more than that, he was certain he had avoided the trees when he fled.
Yet now, he found himself deep within them.
Lancel didn’t dwell on it for long. Once the inconsistency was clear, his thoughts moved imdiately to the most plausible explanation.
If he tried to rationalize it through normal ans, nothing would line up.
"...Magic."
In the Witch City of Riviere, that was more than enough of an answer. Witches often discarded their failed experints in the wastefield.
And it wouldn’t be strange for sothing like that to leave behind a residue that distorted space or interfered with perception.
Then the only option left was to... power through.
────────────
[Special Objective]
────────────
[Condition:]
∎ Subjugate Fangscale Lizards 0/30
[Rewards:]
∎ Strength 0.3
────────────
────────────
[Special Objective]
────────────
[Condition:]
∎ Subjugate Darkmaws 0/5]
[Rewards:]
∎ Strength 1.0
────────────
Lancel didn’t look away from the interface for long.
"...Thirty and five."
With that amount of stat increase, Lancel was certain that if he completed both objectives, it would be enough to push him forward to level 6.
"Might as well get sothing out of this ss."
But for now, Lancel decided to rest.
He remained seated on the branch.
From this height, it was unlikely anything would reach him easily. At the very least, it gave him a brief window to recover without imdiately being pressured.
"...Should be fine."
Lancel let his eyes close just enough to rest without losing awareness.
Ti passed without much happening.
Rustle——
Then the silence broke.
The sound ca from below. Bushes rustled and leaves crinkled. It was enough to pull him out of sleep instantly, prompting Lancel to open his eyes.
With the dagger in his hand, Lancel observed the situation below.
"Hm?"
A Fangscale Lizard had appeared. It hadn’t noticed him at all, leaving itself completely open while it relieved itself, unaware of anything above or around it.
That was enough.
Lancel moved at once.
Slash——!
Without giving it any ti to react, Lancel sliced its head cleanly off.
∎ Subjugate Fangscale Lizards 1/30
For the next hour, Lancel moved through the fog, committing himself to subjugating every Fangscale Lizard he ca across.
At the sa ti, he carried out the request as required.
Each kill was followed by the sa process, extracting their fangs before moving on to the next.
∎ Subjugate Fangscale Lizards 21/30
"...Just a bit more."
Just as Lancel was about to cut down another Fangscale Lizard, a burst of light struck him straight in the chest.
———!
"Akh...!"
The impact sent him flying, hurling him back, and slamming him into a tree. The force knocked the air out of him as he coughed, clutching his chest as pain flared all over his body.
Lancel forced himself to look up.
"...Who are you?"
A staff was already pointed down at him.
The figure stood close enough that he didn’t need to focus his vision despite the fog. On their head was a pointed brim-hat, her blue hair spilling past it in loose strands as if she hadn’t showered in days.
"A witch—Cough!"
"Obviously. But who are you, and what are you doing here?"
"An... adventurer... I’m here on behalf of a guild request..."
"A guild request? This place has been marked as a danger-zone recently. Who in their right mind would send humans to a place like this?"
"...Recently?"
"That’s right. There’s been a disturbance in this place, and I’m in the midst of an investigation."
"Disturbance...? Hold on. I did notice sothing was strange about this place..."
"Right. For one, the monsters here have been acting irregularly. And more than that, the space itself has been shifting at certain points."
Lancel didn’t need her to explain further. He already understood what she ant.
Everything he had encountered so far lined up with it. And now that a witch had confird it, he knew he wasn’t mistaken.
Lancel coughed once more before pushing himself up.
"...How can I leave this place?"
"You can’t."
"...."
"Even I’m lost. I’ve been here for a day now. I was sent by my master to procure materials, but by the ti I realized it, I was already stuck here. She’s probably looking for , so I’m holding out until then. If you want any chance of getting out, it’s best you stick with ."
There wasn’t much to think about.
With a witch present, his chances of survival rose imdiately. More than that, she was offering cooperation herself. There was no reason to refuse.
"I’m Fiore. An apprentice to Countess Gretelle."
"Lancel. I’m—"
He stopped himself there.
For a mont, he was about to say "research asset."
"—an adventurer. And an acquaintance of Faust Lieber."
"Faust Lieber? You an Faust Lieber, an Erudition?"
"Yes. That Faust..."
"No way... I’m a huge fan! Co, co! I’ve set up a makeshift camp for now!"
As they walked through the fog, the familiar roar of a Darkmaw echoed in the distance.
Lancel imdiately gripped his dagger and dropped into a fighting stance as the massive silhouette lood closer through the mist.
But just as he was about to move, Fiore struck her staff against the ground as Hexencircles materialized around her, and a bolt of lightning crashed down from above.
Crackle——!
In a single second, the Darkmaw was reduced to nothing but ashes.
"...."
"What’s wrong, Lancel?" Fiore said, turning her head around slightly.
"It’s nothing..."
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