After emerging from the spring, Midiya drew his Knight Sword and scanned his surroundings. Everything was gray and hazy as he cautiously explored the area.
After walking several hundred meters, the fog gradually thinned. Midiya raised his vigilance to its peak, carefully sensing his surroundings with every step. His heartbeat pounded like a drum, especially clear in the silent environment.
With unease in his heart, he did not know how much time had passed before Midiya left the fog-shrouded area and arrived in an uninhabited wilderness.
As far as the eye could see, there was not a trace of any living creature, as though this place were a forbidden land of life.
Seeing this, Midiya crouched down and grabbed a handful of soil. It was rich in mana, yet there was not the slightest fluctuation of life, which meant there were no creatures such as insects in the dirt.
He took several more samples in succession, but the results remained the same.
Midiya was certain that no insects existed in this region. At least, he could not sense any signs of life in the area where he stood.
"Mana is abundant, but there is no aura of life."
Filled with doubts, Midiya decided to explore a little farther before heading back to report his findings.
Silently estimating the time, he walked for an hour. As he repeated his previous examinations, he still found no fluctuations of life.
When he looked back, the tree he had used as a marker had already become indistinct, like a lonely giant beast silently guarding the wilderness.
"It's time to go back."
Midiya set off for the return journey. Less than ten minutes later, a grayish-white creature suddenly burrowed out of the ground and attacked him without warning.
Facing an unfamiliar creature that was only