Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Arrival at the Island of Fog
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We arrived at a port in Gangwon Province via the portal gate.
Since the destination for the special class training was an uninhabited island in the Pacific, we had to take a boat to get there.
Of course, if it were a typical island close to the mainland, we could have installed a portal gate for easy access, but the "Island of Fog," the setting for this special class training, was too far from land, so no portal gate had been set up.
"Everyone, board the ship."
We got on the boat.
Some students were buzzing with excitement at the idea of riding a boat.
Since the ship ran on mana as its power source, the travel time wouldn't be too long. Still, given the distance, it would take at least an hour.
The boat kept moving.
Everyone inside was leisurely chatting or sleeping to rest.
But I was alone, leaning on the railing on deck, breathing in the sea air.
"Feels refreshing."
I stared blankly at the blue waves.
Doing this reminded me of one of the exams back in my previous life: the marine monster subjugation test.
Monsters didn't just exist on land—they were in the ocean too. The most famous was the disaster-class marine monster, the Kraken.
The evil dragon Cruasga, which had driven Lee Seo-jun to the brink of death before my regression, was a similar case.
The hidden dangers in this world weren't just demons like Ja-un.
When I thought about unknown beasts like disaster-class monsters, I wondered if I could keep navigating everything ahead.
"Sigh."
I let out a deep sigh and gazed back at the distant horizon.
Far off, an island began to reveal itself.
At its edge, I could see a faint trace of gray mist. That was the "Island of Fog," the training ground for this special class.
I looked up at the sky over the Island of Fog.
It was tinged with a subtle gray, shrouded in clouds.
This was foreshadowing for the events to come.
Others might not pay much attention, but since I knew the original story to some extent, I understood the meaning behind every little detail like this.
Then, I sensed someone on the deck. Small footsteps approached, and someone staggered over, leaning against the railing next to me.
"Ugh... urk."
I looked down at the cascade of long brown hair.
The woman heaved, breathing painfully.
"Choi Seo-yoon."
"S-Sunbae-nim. You're here... urk."
I went over to her and silently patted her back.
"We've arrived."
After about an hour's journey, we finally set foot on land.
A vast coastline stretched out.
The students looked thrilled, as if they were on a beach vacation.
At times like this, they really seemed like typical teenagers.
"Sunbae-nim, thank you. I survived thanks to you."
Choi Seo-yoon approached me with hollow eyes and spoke.
I'd patted her back on the boat earlier and given her some motion sickness pills I'd prepared in my subspace pocket. She seemed fine now.
"You okay now?"
"Yes, much better thanks to you, Sunbae-nim."
"Good to hear."
"Hehe."
Choi Seo-yoon smiled quietly.
"Alright! Now we'll head to the lodgings. Follow me."
We walked for about ten minutes behind Park Jung-wan and arrived at a set of three wooden villas.
The three identical villas stood side by side, covered in dust from disuse.
"We're staying here overnight?"
"It's not bad, is it?"
"Still, look at all that dust."
"I wonder if there are beds."
As the students murmured, Park Jung-wan spoke up.
"Okay, go inside, unpack, and settle in. I'll give you about twenty minutes. Rest freely during that time, then gather back here."
We split into groups of about twenty per villa: one for boys, one for girls, and one mixed.
I went into the mixed one, and after some discussion, we decided girls would use the second floor and boys the third.
After a short break, we gathered in front of the villa again.
"Now I'll explain today's training schedule and what kind of training we'll be doing. Oh, before that, I need to go over some important rules you must follow."
The words "important rules that must be followed" brought tension to the students' faces.
"As you all know, this Island of Fog got its name from the mana disaster in the center of the island: the 'Nightmare Fog.'"
The students nodded, indicating they knew to some extent.
"You've probably heard the rumors about what the Nightmare Fog does. True to its name, it shows anyone it touches their worst possible nightmare."
The students' faces grew tense.
"So, absolutely do not approach the fog. Got it?"
"Yes!"
Park Jung-wan smiled at the enthusiastic responses from some students.
"Good. Now, about the schedule. It's currently 2 p.m. From now until around 6, we'll do physical training and mana adaptation training. After 6, dinner. Then starting at 8, night monster hunting training."
The most important event in this Island of Fog episode was the night monster hunting training at 8 p.m.
Nothing major happens before then, so I could relax.
"Let's begin the training!"
"Huff! Huff!"
I'd thought I could relax, but the 2 p.m. training hit harder than expected.
The relentless regimen left everyone on the verge of collapse, and a few students with low stamina actually passed out.
"Whew."
Still, armed with various stamina recovery traits, I managed to endure.
I'd been doing extreme training steadily for a while and had adapted somewhat.
Park Jung-wan seemed intrigued by me, glancing over several times.
And it wasn't just her.
The reinforcement wizards training with us stared at me in disbelief, as if wondering why a manifestation wizard had such stamina.
Time passed, and by 6 p.m., the long first adaptation training finally ended.
The sky had turned red, and it was time for dinner.
"Whoa! Meat!"
Whoosh. Flames roared up.
Students with fire magic lit the firewood.
Park Jung-wan placed the pre-prepared meat on the griddle over it. Fresh off training and starving, the aroma felt sweeter than usual.
"Sunbae-nim! I saw you during stamina training earlier! You didn't tire no matter how much you ran. What's the secret? Some special routine?"
Jeon Min-gi, eating from the same grill as me, asked with sparkling eyes.
In the original, he was a huge Lee Seo-jun fan. Why was he fawning over me instead?
I glanced at Lee Seo-jun and Shin Young-jun eating at another grill. They'd piled rice mountain-high in their bowls—like food fighters.
"Uh, Sunbae-nim?"
"Oh, sorry. What'd you ask?"
"About the secret to not getting tired."
"It's nothing special. Just train to your limits every day."
As always, I gave a vague answer. It wasn't entirely wrong, though.
Jeon Min-gi muttered, "I see..." and sank into thought. He was uniquely serious in various ways.
"You not eating?"
I said to Choi Seo-yoon, who was sitting quietly in front of me. She looked at me and smiled.
"I like mine well-done."
"...Okay."
"You not eating, Sunbae-nim?"
"About to."
I picked up a piece of meat and put it in my mouth.
It was ordinary meat, but post-training, the bursting juices tasted sweeter than anything in the world.
Ah, could go for some booze.
After about an hour of dinner.
And another hour of rest, the 8 p.m. night monster hunt began.
In pairs, two per team.
They'd award special prizes to the top five based on number of monsters hunted and their strength.
Maybe that's why Choi Seo-yoon, my partner, was full of energy.
We'd already taken down six monsters.
"That way!"
Choi Seo-yoon took the lead, heading deep into the island's center.
Deeper in the monster field meant higher chances of stronger monsters.
Of course, we had to avoid the "Nightmare Fog" in the center, so we were careful.
"Ah, why so slow? Might as well aim for top five."
"Hey, rankings don't matter here."
"What do you mean? Who knows what prizes they'll give."
Sadly, rankings and prizes truly meant nothing in this training.
Something unexpected would happen today, halting it all.
In the original, this event featured Lee Seo-jun and Choi Seo-yoon as partners, but with my interference, who knows how it'll play out.
"Sunbae-nim?"
Lost in thought, Choi Seo-yoon called me. I turned to see her staring intently.
"Yeah? What's up?"
"Nothing. You just spaced out suddenly. Wondered what you were thinking."
Whoosh.
A fierce gust swept past us. Choi Seo-yoon shivered slightly and hugged her arms.
"Ugh, the wind's getting weirdly strong. Because it's night?"
I raised a hand to feel the wind. It definitely felt stronger than before.
Looking up, the clouds were much thicker now.
It was about to start.
Plip plip.
Drops fell from the sky.
"...Rain?"
Rain began to fall.
It quickly intensified into a downpour.
I spoke to Choi Seo-yoon, who looked flustered by the sudden weather shift.
"Let's find shelter from the rain first."
"Okay!"
I led Choi Seo-yoon and ran somewhere.
Monster cries echoed occasionally, heightening tension, but I ignored them and kept going.
We arrived under a massive tree somewhere on the island—one I'd spotted earlier.
Whoooosh!
The wind grew fiercer. A nearby tree groaned, unable to withstand it, and toppled.
"...A typhoon?"
Choi Seo-yoon muttered to herself.
"Yeah. A typhoon."
"Why a typhoon today of all days..."
Whoooosh.
Another strong gust. The rain worsened, and fog began creeping up through the forest.
The "Nightmare Fog" from the island's center was being swept outward by the typhoon.
"Huh? Fog?"
Choi Seo-yoon, sensing the gravity, whispered.
The Nightmare Fog we'd been told never to approach was rushing toward us.
"S-Sunbae-nim! We have to avoid this, right?!"
She shouted urgently. But it was too late.
The fog spread too fast to outrun. Soon, it would engulf us.
In the original, it swallowed 80% of the island.
Now, my job was to help her mentally prepare for what was coming.
Whoooosh!
In the howling wind and rain, I looked into Choi Seo-yoon's eyes.
"Choi Seo-yoon. Listen well."
At my suddenly serious tone, she looked up at me with a puzzled face.
"The fog's about to hit us. And it'll show you your worst nightmare."
"...Pardon?"
"No matter what nightmare appears, don't let it shake you. Close your eyes tight and unleash one solid spell."
This Nightmare Fog was a type of "natural mana disaster," but not just any disaster.
It had a hidden secret.
The fog itself was part of a "field dungeon."
The Nightmare Fog was the entry condition for the field dungeon on this island.
Others fled in terror after their nightmares, but having seen the original events, I knew to overcome the fog's nightmare and enter the hidden dungeon.
That's why I didn't avoid the fog despite knowing it was coming.
To enter the field dungeon within the Nightmare Fog.
Choi Seo-yoon stared into my eyes, then nodded with resolve.
"Got it."
"Good. See you on the other side."
At that moment, the fog engulfed us.
My vision shifted. Complete darkness—nothing visible.
The Nightmare Fog shows the deepest fear buried in one's heart.
For Lee Seo-jun, it was Jin Cheon-woo. For Yoo Ah-ra, Ja-un. For Choi Seo-yoon, victims harmed by the Choi family appeared.
What nightmare would come for me?
Tension rose, and the mental magic made my mind hazy.
But thanks to my adaptive trait for mental magic resistance, I stayed somewhat clear-headed.
Then, someone approached from the darkness.
That must be what I feared most.
What would it be?
And the moment I saw it.
I couldn't believe my eyes. An utterly unexpected figure stood there.
"...Lee Seo-jun?"
"Kim Sun-woo."
Lee Seo-jun called my name.
Why was this guy here?
...No. This wasn't the real Lee Seo-jun. It was the Nightmare Fog manifesting my fear.
But a question arose.
I didn't fear Lee Seo-jun?
No, that wasn't the issue.
To escape the Nightmare Fog, one had to fight and defeat their nightmare.
Which meant I had to face Lee Seo-jun's illusion.
"Tsk."
Fighting Lee Seo-jun's illusion? What kind of ridiculous difficulty was this...
Of course, this wasn't the real one, so it wouldn't be as strong. But that didn't make the situation any better.
Shing.
Lee Seo-jun drew his sword from his waist.
I lowered my stance, gathered mana, and focused.
The mental magic prevented me from forming a perfect spell orb like usual.
Still, this was enough for combat.