It was a morning when the mist was relatively thin.
As usual, Ian crawled out from a concealed crack in the rocks, drank the small amount of morning dew he had collected, and prepared to continue his journey.
He suddenly stopped.
The wind still carried the chill of the mountains, but the ever-present chaotic currents of magic in the air seemed to have weakened.
It was not an illusion.
He closed his eyes and sensed carefully, his spiritual force extending outward like the sharpest of feelers.
Indeed, the resistance that had felt like wading through water had lessened.
He opened his eyes and looked around. There were fewer twisted, gnarled trees, replaced by trees that still looked unusual but could at least be considered normal species.
The moss that seemed ready to come alive at any moment had vanished from the ground as well, leaving only ordinary slippery rocks and sparse grass.
Even the whispers that had constantly lingered in his ears, waxing and waning in intensity, had become incredibly faint—almost imperceptible.
Ian's heart began to race.
He did not dare lower his guard at once. Keeping the [Eye of Vigilance] at its maximum sensory range, he observed the surroundings carefully for a long while.
There were no lurking mutated beasts, no abnormal energy fluctuations, and none of the malice that seemed inherent to the environment itself.
"Could it be... I'm finally about to get out?"
An irrepressible surge of excitement ignited within his cold, exhausted heart.
He forcibly suppressed the urge to sprint away immediately. Years of caution made him choose to verify it first, and he began exploring carefully...
One hour, then two...
The changes in the environment became increasingly obvious. The chaotic magical currents weakened further, returning to the level they had been at when he first