Chapter 102
Chapter 102
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: Poison Fog (1)
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Poison Fog (1) It seemed the time had finally come.
Thud!
The world of tropical forest shook.
I stealthily lifted my head.
The sky visible through the dense leaves was already tinged gray.
This is kinda creepy?
The thought crossed my mind just then.
- Kieeeaaaaa!
A roar that could shake heaven and earth engulfed the entire space.
The horrific, vicious bellow of a monster packed with all sorts of grudges and resentments!
[Warning! Warning! Warning!]
['Poison Fog' has appeared in the central region.]
['Poison Fog' is a fog of poison. A monster that harbors the essence of all poisons in the world.]
[Participants must now survive for one week while evading this monster.]
[Success: Advance to Theme 2!]
[Failure: Death!]
[Wishing all participants good fortune.]
“…….”
At the brutal warning message.
I instinctively climbed the tallest tree nearby.
There it was—a thick green mass of pollution.
It was so enormous that even from afar, it looked gigantic.
“Fuck.”
I couldn’t help but curse.
Because I vividly felt the tremendous pressure of the air surging in like it was clamping my mouth shut.
From the screams of [Argh!] and curses like [Shit!] around me.
It seemed most participants were as flustered as I was.
‘Honestly.’
We have to go into something like that?
Setting aside the poison, it was terrifying just to look at?
My adventurous spirit from just minutes ago shriveled up completely.
“Ugh! This is insane.”
A few minutes earlier.
The old man I’d summoned was shaking his head beside me.
“How can they create a monster like that? Is the dungeon maker who designed this place sane?”
“……Elder?”
“Honestly, if it were that thing back in my day, even I would’ve hesitated to charge in. Growth has its stages, after all, but that’s way too far ahead. It’s like they just want everyone dead. Tsk tsk tsk.”
No, this old man.
You’ve been pumping me up this whole time, and now this?
“If even you feel that way…… does that mean you’d have died even at your peak? Aren’t you the Invulnerable to Ten Thousand Poisons?”
“Tch, as if. I’m just saying that back when I had my Invulnerable to a Thousand Poisons body, I would’ve bolted without looking back.”
“Oh.”
Rumble!
It was then that the ghost-like clustered poison fog abruptly rose into the air.
And then.
It began charging toward the nearest high ground.
‘Probably where the most participants are gathered.’
But that wasn’t the problem.
No matter how vicious the poison was.
Every tree, rock, and patch of ground in its path turned pitch black, corroding or melting away.
“This is…….”
I wore a stunned expression.
“Isn’t this just a poison tsunami? It’s practically a natural disaster.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. What are you doing, kid? Hurry up and run. We can’t lose the last hope of the Ten Thousand Arts like this.”
“Run?”
“Look at that. It’s not spreading in a circular fog pattern, right? It feels like it’s hunting down participants one by one. It’s already a stroke of heaven’s luck that it’s not coming this way. You really are lucky, kid. So pray to the heavens and bolt.”
“Hmm.”
The old man had a point.
If the dungeon maker designed it for survival over a week.
Then playing it safe would be the way to go.
But.
Why wasn’t my heart telling me that?
Why was it craving that poison?
It was an instinctive sense.
Like when I’d recklessly charged into the dungeon toward the old man in the past.
Like when I’d faced the Sun Spear with my bare body.
The feeling that sweet rewards follow great trials?
“Elder.”
“What, kid? You’re not thinking something stupid right now, are you?”
As expected of the elder.
Being a ghost makes him sharp as a tack.
“You said it yourself, Elder. If there’s poison, run toward it laughing. I’m starting to get that mindset a bit.”
I tensed my legs.
“No, kid! That’s not poison, it’s a monster—a monster!”
“Besides, you already know, don’t you, Elder?”
Then I kicked off the tree trunk and dashed forward.
Toward the Poison Fog.
The old man followed, furrowing his brow.
“Know what?”
“That Poison Fog. It’s ridiculously fast, right? Unless you bought info rights and bolted far away from the start, dodging it for a week is damn near impossible.”
“…….”
“Better to strike first, as they say. If it’s gonna happen anyway, might as well meet it head-on.”
“Crazy bastard. You really are insane no matter how I look at it. Even crazier than me. Now I get why that Berserker likes you.”
“Thanks for the compliment!”
I ran.
And as I ran, I had some confidence deep down.
The elder was by my side to check my meridians for an hour.
Plus, I had another plan in mind.
* * *At that moment.
In the direction the Poison Fog was charging, toward the high ground.
Thirteen people in total had gathered.
“Wh-what the fuck is that?”
“What’s Poison Fog? How the hell are we supposed to deal with that shit? They’re changing the trial like this out of nowhere? Della Yira, you bitch, I’ll rip you apart!”
“Just kill us all? Judge! Hey, judge! You there? I forfeit!”
The agitated group consisted of a team of ten and a team of three.
They had climbed to the high ground from nearby the moment they heard about the Poison Fog monster appearing.
The two teams’ encounter.
Normally, they’d clash, but not now.
- Kieeeaaaaa!
Because an insane monster.
Was barreling toward this high ground at an unbelievable speed.
“W-we gotta do something, right?”
“No way we can run! It’s too fast!”
“So what then!”
“What the hell can we do against something like that!”
As people stomped around in panic, unable to decide.
The leader of the ten-man team stepped forward.
A man with golden hair and a worn shirt. His name was Chris Larsen.
He had sly, venomous snake eyes, but his charisma was unmatched.
“First, form a defensive line!”
He shouted.
“Use every skill you have to gather nearby obstacles! Dig deep into the ground and pile them up around it!”
“Y-you don’t mean…… evacuating underground……?”
“Shut up. Wanna die? It’s urgent, so questions later—do as I say!”
At Chris Larsen’s command, people started pulling together.
With someone decisively taking charge, they had direction.
Rumble! Rumble!
Someone used superhuman strength to pound the earth.
Whoosh!
Someone else blew tree branches and rocks with wind.
Others cast ‘Shield’ skills or raised barriers.
Everyone did their best to build the defense line.
“…….”
Chris Larsen bit his lip.
‘No time.’
In about a minute, the poison would hit.
Then, this crude defense line wouldn’t hold.
‘No choice?’
He was a born killer.
The underlings he’d gathered had survived the month through murder.
‘Not enough time to dig a pit for thirteen.’
He moved decisively.
Stab!
He plunged his knife into the back of one from the three-man team.
“Guh, guhuk?”
“Good work. Sorry, but die now.”
“Wh-what the……?”
“What the hell are you doing!”
The remaining two squawked, but his movements were ruthless.
He was an S-rank hunter.
An assassin closest to ranker status.
His unique ability stacked power with each kill!
“Become sacrifices for us too.”
Stab! Stab!
He pierced the hearts of the remaining two with his knife.
They were exhausted from building the defense, and his alert underlings helped.
“Heh heh heh, boss. Gonna use that ability?”
“Damn right.”
Chris Larsen closed his eyes.
With three kills, his power amplified.
“Hah!”
He roared.
[Using skill, ‘Absolute Shield’ (S-rank).]
Rumble!
A transparent circular shield enveloped him.
[Using skill, ‘Absolute Shield’ (S-rank).]
[Using skill, ‘Absolute Shield’ (S-rank).]
[Using skill, ‘Absolute Shield’ (S-rank).]
He layered the shield multiple times.
“It won’t hold long. Dig the pit as fast as possible. As deep as you can. Punch right through this high ground!”
“Y-yes, boss!”
“Move! Keep moving!”
His underlings sprang into action.
“…….”
Chris Larsen watched them impassively.
In truth, about two weeks ago.
He’d picked up an info right.
[Opening ‘Theme 2 Info Right’ (S-rank).]
[Region where info cannot yet be confirmed.]
[Only partial info revealed.]
The Theme 2 info right.
Some was obscured by hieroglyphs, unreadable.
But the visible parts.
‘Definitely about forming teams.’
At Theme 2’s start.
Teams form, each leader drafts ten members.
The teams cooperate to find the hidden ‘national treasure.’ That’s the next trial’s rule.
So he’d hidden his killer instincts and led them.
Even now.
The reason he let them live instead of killing.
Rumble!
“It’s coming?”
Chris Larsen lowered his stance.
The horrific Poison Fog was already closing in.
A colossal Poison Fog that seemed to blanket the world surged toward him from above, as if to devour him.
Gulp.
He swallowed hard.
Even he, with countless murders under his belt.
This sight was pants-shittingly terrifying.
Just the faint whiff of poison numbed his body and induced nausea.
What if he went inside?
Probably melt in under ten seconds?
‘Already.’
Everything in the Poison Fog’s path had vanished.
‘Ah.’
In that moment, Chris Larsen realized.
Digging a pit was pointless.
The moment the shield broke.
The high ground itself would melt away—what use was a pit?
“Damn.”
It felt futile.
Was the wall to rankerdom this high and treacherous?
How the hell did Della Yira expect anyone to overcome something like this?
“B-boss?”
“What are you doing! Run! Get in the pit quick!”
His underlings shouted from behind.
But Chris Larsen couldn’t move from the spot.
He was just dazedly feeling the majesty of the enormous poison fog with his whole body when.
“Huff, huff! Hey, you poison blobs. Where you going without me?”
A stranger’s voice rang out.
“……Huh?”
Chris Larsen’s eyes went wide.
Outside the shield.
Right in front of the Poison Fog.
A person standing there tall and proud?
Was that even possible?
‘Ah?’
Come to think of it.
The reason the charging poison had stopped earlier.
The Poison Fog had noticed the stranger too.
“You shitty thing! Come here! Don’t eat those tasteless guys over there—eat me!”
“……!”
Chris Larsen was stunned.
The sudden man leaped toward the Poison Fog.
- Kieeeaaaaa!
With a deafening roar, the Poison Fog halted dead.
‘What the hell.’
A participant?
No, not a participant?
The difficulty was insane—maybe a ranker judge intervening?
‘Anyway.’
I’m alive.
Thanks to that lunatic just now.
So.
“Everyone! Out!”
Chris Larsen dropped the shield and bellowed.
“Run—now!”
The simultaneous escape order.
As expected of soldier Chris Larsen—his judgment was spot-on.