Side Story: Losing Their Way

Are we sure we haven't gone to the wrong place?

Galan stopped and looked at Clinton ahead. He trusted his intuition, but he also couldn't believe that Clinton couldn't even do something like this right.

No matter what, I know my own strength. If he couldn't even lead the way properly, I wouldn't have let him lead the group in the first place.

But the surrounding environment now seems to be getting increasingly strange. When they first came in, the Dense Fog limited their vision, but at least they could still move normally. But now, if the group hadn't repeatedly tightened their formation and stayed together, they probably would have gotten separated on the way.

The white mist seemed to come alive, gradually closing in on them, not only compressing their vision to its limit but also causing them great psychological pressure.

This is something that has never happened before. If they were to encounter Copy or something else in this environment, they would have very little time to react.

Even Galan was feeling a sense of unease and oppression. If he were to encounter his own Copy at this moment, it wouldn't be a cause for optimism.

"This place is too eerie; I don't remember ever being here before."

"Lucina, is your previous location alright?"

As if he had discovered some blind spot, Galan asked Lucina.

"Bully... this..."

9

The sudden problem caught her off guard. She and Lia should have stayed on the original route the whole time... That's how it should have been, after that battle!

She finally remembered that during the battle with her Copy, she had been habitually moving around, constantly shifting her position backward or to the left according to the direction in her field of vision. In reality, she had deviated from the route from the very beginning, so when Galan and the others found her and Lia, they were no longer in the original place.

If we follow this line of thinking, then what path is Clinton leading everyone down now?

Where does this road lead?

"We seem to be... completely lost in this Dungeon..."

Although he had a general understanding of his current situation, Galan only frowned slightly and did not show any particular emotional fluctuation.

In contrast, Clinton's face clearly showed remorse after realizing he had led everyone to an unknown area.

Although it's understandable to have such feelings under these circumstances.

"Be careful, while Galan is still pondering what to do next."

Clinton, who was standing at the front of the group, suddenly shouted and drew his sword, slashing at the Dense Fog beside Lucina.

Just now, he suddenly noticed that a patch of mist around Lucina was gradually turning into a ball and then rapidly attacking her.

That was definitely not normal. The moment he noticed this abnormality, his brain was filled with dangerous signals.

Therefore, they launched a counterattack without hesitation.

The moment the sharp blade struck the misty mass, the feedback was not like light, floating air, but rather like striking a hard block of iron, producing a muffled thud.

But then, the attacked fog block, like an octopus whose tentacles had been touched, quickly retracted its arms. But Clinton wouldn't give it that chance. Without any unnecessary movements, he swiftly slashed down with his sword again. This time, with experience, he easily cleaved it in two.

The protruding section of fog lost contact with the surrounding fog, drifting aimlessly into the air before quickly disappearing from its original spot, leaving Clinton standing there blankly, wondering what had happened.

Galan, who witnessed the entire event, also had some thoughts forming in his mind at this moment:

"This fog doesn't seem to have formed naturally here; it's more like something has been controlling it from behind the scenes."

1

Monsters? That seems like a very likely explanation. If so, they must have gotten close to something that the monster perceived as threatening, which is why they were attacked...

Having deduced this, and combining it with everything he had seen and heard along the way, Galan became increasingly convinced that things were as he had thought.

If their own ideas are wrong, then the current situation everyone is facing will be impossible to explain.

But... are there monsters capable of generating and controlling fog?

I'd never heard of this before...

Have you ever heard of any monsters that can generate or control fog?

Realizing his own limited knowledge, he decided to ask the others for advice.

They are experienced and seasoned adventurers, and their experience in this area is certainly more extensive than mine.

Having just experienced the attack, the three in front were on high alert, closely observing the surroundings for fear of being caught off guard again.

However, after having eaten there once, the other party clearly didn't want to make a move so casually again.

There has been no further action to date.

"A monster capable of generating or controlling fog?"

Upon hearing his question, Clinton and Pass shook their heads, clearly just as puzzled as he was.

However, after hearing this, Lucina seemed to confirm it, turning to look at herself with surprise. Seeing the other's reaction, Galan also looked at her expectantly.

"Galan, do you also think this environment might have been created by monsters?"

"Well, at least for now, I think it's more likely to be a monster. After all, fog under normal circumstances isn't this eerie, is it?"

After hearing his explanation, Lucina simply smiled knowingly. Galan was also somewhat surprised by her reaction; it seemed that this girl was indeed very astute, and that she had already guessed what was going on beforehand.

"Do you know that kind of monster?" he continued. "Well, although I don't know the specifics, I remember reading about it in an ancient book a long, long time ago. There was a similar monster in the North that released mist to confuse humans, but compared to other monsters, it was much less aggressive."

That's true...

If it really is that kind of monster, Galan doesn't think the fog itself poses much of a threat; at least so far, he hasn't felt any discomfort.

The only problem it caused was that it limited everyone's vision and Mana perception within the Dungeon.

Aside from the attacks initiated against those individuals, there was no other substantial damage.