"Sweet dreams... nightmares..."
Mu You frowned at what he saw.
Generally speaking, fixed drops like these worked on the same principle as the Dark Powder in the Dark Grotto and the Bitter Pollen in the Bitter Forest: they dropped from monsters because the surrounding environment was saturated with the substance.
"So what does this environment have to do with dreaming?" Mu You pondered, but could not reach any conclusion for the moment.
Everyone continued exploring on their own.
[...You vaguely feel your body growing heavy, as though you are moving with a waterlogged sponge on your back. Every movement becomes laborious.] [You pull back your sleeve and discover green spots on your skin. Like moss, they are quietly spreading...] [You try to remove the spots, only to discover that they seem to be growing beneath your skin and cannot be eradicated...] [Under the influence of these unknown spots, your body feels increasingly heavy, and your movements grow slower...]
These "spots" seemed to be the same thing as the green algae that had contaminated the Fog-Breaking Mirror.
Mu You had not expected this stuff to affect people as well as items.
He glanced at the group chat. The others were all encountering similar problems.
"Damn, this place really is creepy. I'm practically rusting over!"
"Same here..."
"Could the air here be poisonous? Breathe in too much and you start growing spores or something..."
"What happens in the end, then? Will we get covered in mold and turn into vegetables?"
"No idea..."
Their complaints did not slow their progress in the slightest.
The spots looked strange, but they had little effect at first beyond slowing them down somewhat. No one took them too seriously, and they continued exploring.
``` [As you advance, you suddenly feel yourself collide with a