Chapter Eighty-Six: Thick Fog

In the level-twenty monster zone, among a pack of predatory wolves, Ulysses roared aloud in midair. Then little ice phoenix Saya opened her beak and breathed out a slender stream of cold wind. In an instant, the wind spread into a broad sweep of snow and frost, freezing the predatory wolves below into one ice statue after another.

At that moment, Ulysses would dive straight down and tear through the frozen figures with his bare claws.

These two exceptionally promising pets had both already reached level fifteen. Three days had passed since the temporary disbanding of the World’s End guild party.

Since the party now consisted only of Zhao Nan and Finina, their monster-clearing speed meant that, when the experience was split between the two pets, each actually received more than they had when the full eight-person party was together.

After reaching level fifteen, the two pets had gained some means of attack. Their bloodlines were inherently terrifying; with a single circuit through the air above the level-twenty monster zone, they could nearly wipe out a wide swath of enemies.

Finina looked with satisfaction at the monster death rate before her, never even needing to lift a finger. Not far away, Zhao Nan was leaning against a great boulder, focusing intently on controlling his bracelet.

“Nan, what are you fiddling with?”

“Mm. I made a trade with the information broker not long ago. I owed quite a debt, so now I’m using the commission system to have other people help collect fire plum tree seeds.” Zhao Nan answered carelessly.

The commission system had only appeared in this update.

“All right, the amount is enough.”

Zhao Nan smiled faintly and used the commission system to gather all the fire plum tree seeds. Then he posted a delivery commission. In this way, the debt owed to Avanti was considered repaid.

“Have Saya come back a little. If she flies into the thick fog, it’ll be troublesome.”

Seeing the little ice phoenix growing ever more exuberant in the air, Zhao Nan could not help reminding her.

Pets and their masters shared a very strong bond. As long as Finina concentrated slightly, she could usually call the little ice phoenix back to her side.

At that moment, however, Finina’s expression suddenly changed. She sensed a surge of agitation from Saya.

“Saya! Come back!”

She could not help calling out loudly, but the little ice phoenix seemed to have been lured by something, sending Finina wave after wave of excitement as it plunged headlong into the thick fog.

Zhao Nan was startled, immediately summoning Ulysses to his side. Without another word, he pulled Finina up onto the dragon’s back and rode straight into the fog.

“Quick, you have a bond between you. Before you lose her, call Saya back as fast as you can!”

As he spoke urgently, Zhao Nan drew out the predatory spider web and shot a thread toward the nearest great tree bordering the fog. The white silk was quickly swallowed by the mist, and they too had already entered it.

Measuring the spider silk’s length, Zhao Nan said anxiously, “Point out the direction directly.”

“Over there, hurry!”

“Ulysses, Dragon Might!”

Zhao Nan hastily drove the sky dragon to unleash a roar.

Although the fog region did not forbid players from entering, the dangers within made everyone too afraid to cross the line carelessly.

The thick fog was not merely a concealed extension of the already open map. Inside, it was a place of utter confusion. Perhaps one step would bring simple level-twenty monsters, but the next might well lead into the territory of higher-level creatures.

In history, there had once been a world-ranked powerhouse who, overconfident in his equipment, pets, and so on, charged into the fog zone. Within less than half an hour, he emerged covered in wounds, his health bar nearly empty. It was said he had not even gone far into the fog, yet the monsters he faced were a full twenty levels above him...

Within the fog zone, the terrain was like a series of chaotic puzzle pieces. Before the map was open, no one knew which piece they would encounter.

Ulysses’s Dragon Might might yet prove useful. After all, there were far more ground monsters than flying ones.

“Saya has stopped!” Finina cried softly.

Zhao Nan let out a breath at once. The predatory spider silk had nearly reached its limit of extension. Once it did, he would have no way to tell direction in the fog.

Moreover, the temperature around them had suddenly dropped. Even with his current constitution, Zhao Nan could not help but feel gooseflesh rise all over him.

The white mist in the fog zone could not be dispersed. It was only when Ulysses flew to the little ice phoenix’s side that the two of them could vaguely make out what the little phoenix was doing.

It was perched on a branch of a small tree as thick as a wrist, pecking at a blue fruit on the branch, each fruit no larger than a fingernail.

“What a glutton! Is your rations not enough for you to eat?”

Finina did not know whether to laugh or cry. To think the little thing had such courage, all for the sake of food.

Zhao Nan shook his head and casually plucked one of the fruits from the tree, bringing it close to his eyes for a careful look. The fruit that could attract this super pet was likely no ordinary thing.

Ice Crystal Bodhi Fruit.

That was the full name of the fruit. Zhao Nan’s hand suddenly trembled, and the fruit slipped from his palm to the ground. It struck the earth like glass, instantly cracking apart. The juice splashed out as well, falling onto the ground and immediately coating a small patch of soil with frost.

The reason for his trembling was not the fruit’s own chilling nature... but the fact that Zhao Nan had suddenly remembered its origin.

The Forest of Frost and Snow...

A level-forty-five monster map!

“Finina, quickly call Saya back. We need to leave this place as soon as possible!” Zhao Nan said, his expression changing.

Finina’s face also changed. Since she had known Zhao Nan, she had never once seen that uneasy look on him.

At this point, she no longer cared that the little ice phoenix was happily eating and simply recalled it at once. The two of them hurried onto the dragon’s back. Zhao Nan slapped Ulysses on the head, and they retraced their path along the predatory spider silk.

Ulysses was only level fifteen now. Zhao Nan could only hope that Dragon Might would still have some effect on level-forty-five monsters.

Then the taut spider silk suddenly went slack. Zhao Nan instantly felt that loss, and at that very moment Ulysses let out an unprecedented roar toward the front.

In the fog ahead, several black shadows drifted through the white mist, drawing nearer and nearer.

Wind of Listening!

Within a hundred meters, sounds slammed into his ears all at once. A buzzing, droning noise stabbed painfully at Zhao Nan’s eardrums, as though a swarm of cicadas were beating their wings.

Before him, a giant gray-white creature as large as a bull flew out into the open.

Level 45 Twin-Blade Frost Mantis!

The Twin-Blade Frost Mantis swung its enormous scythe-like forelimbs in the air and, with those razor-sharp blades, cut the spider silk clean through!

Flame Dragon Strike x2!

A flaming dragon head exploded upon the body of that Twin-Blade Frost Mantis. The force of the impact made its airborne body veer slightly off course, but the damage dealt was pitifully small.

Zhao Nan drew a deep breath, then drove Ulysses madly to charge past from the side.

To kill an ordinary level-forty-five monster was not impossible. Given time, with his and Finina’s coordination, they could grind one down to death. The problem was that the appearance of a Twin-Blade Frost Mantis meant there were more mantises nearby.

The shapes heard by Wind of Listening numbered well over ten, all rushing toward his position.

Within the fog, direction could not be known. Having lost the pull of the predatory spider silk, Zhao Nan could only rely on instinct to fly toward where they had originally come from.

By now, quite a few Twin-Blade Frost Mantises had gathered behind Ulysses, clinging tightly to their trail.

Though Ulysses, as a sky dragon, was extremely fast, he was still low-leveled. Even if his speed surpassed that of most level-twenty flying monsters, he was clearly no match for these level-forty-five mantises.

In the sky, Zhao Nan did not have the advantage.

“If this is the mantis territory, there shouldn’t be any other monsters on the ground...”

Zhao Nan gritted his teeth. If his sense of direction was not mistaken, they should already have flown out of the fog zone by now. Yet along this stretch of flight, no end was still in sight.

There was only one possibility: the direction he had chosen had already deviated. Even the slightest deviation in the fog zone would lead to a terrifying gap.

Lost.

Though he did not want to admit it, based simply on the time for a one-way journey, this was clearly the true situation.

“For now there’s no choice. We can only go on foot... Finina, hold tight. We’re going down!”

Zhao Nan pulled a spare staff from his backpack, filled it with mana, and hurled it forcefully backward. The staff exploded instantly, but the sound was swallowed by the fog and did not carry far.

Taking advantage of this opening, Ulysses dove straight down toward the ground.

………………

PS: Happy Winter Solstice.