'This damn fog is annoying to the bone.'
Vio took several steps forward, eyes darting everywhere. Still, no sound reached him, no instinct screamed at him.
He even activated his skill.
Adaptive Scan:
Scans the surroundings, allowing the hero to perceive objects as 3D models, even with closed eyes
Range: 10 meters.
EP Cost: 2 EP per minute.
But even that couldn't reveal what the layers of fog were hiding.
'Ugh, wasted energy on nothing.'
[EP: 179/200]
The fog's properties were strange. It didn't just block vision—it also dulled the senses.
'It's dense.'
It reached up to his knees, enough for anyone to crouch and hide.
Two odd things stood out about this trap. First, how were they planning to detect him while hiding in fog that blinded them as well? This didn't affect just Vio—it blinded them too.
Second, the sky.
The sky was covered in clouds. Adding to the strangeness, it didn't look like it was about to rain or anything.
Vio kept walking, steps cautious, ready for anything. Time had already passed with nothing happening. He glanced at the map and saw he had covered nearly half the passage.
'Any moment now.'
He heightened his alertness. Silence spread unnaturally across the passage, as if it were abandoned.
In that silence, Vio felt movement and looked up, catching sight of heads—several heads—soldiers lying flat on their stomachs peeking from behind high walls. About four on each side.
'A good way to stop me from aiming at them… but why would I even need to target them…'
"Shing"
The moment his instincts screamed, a strike landed on his back.
[Shield Durability: 1980/2000]
Vio turned around to see a soldier retreating after a successful sword strike. Vio advanced, but the soldier ducked. Still, Vio threw a punch that hit only the ground.
He stood up again, face darkening. Not even the sound of his punch reached his ears. It didn't even feel like he hit anything.
'Damn, this fog is more trouble than I thought…'
"Shing"
[Shield Durability: 1960/2000]
Again.
Vio turned to find the attacker smirking and retreating. Vio didn't follow—just watched as the soldier melted into the fog covering the wall.
The moment he entered the fog, Vio could no longer sense him.
'Alright. Can't detect movement while they're in the fog. And by the time they come out, the attack's already landed. By the time I feel them, it's too late to respond.'
Vio kept walking as if nothing had happened. The same scene repeated itself several times.
"Shing, shing, shing"
[Shield Durability: 1900/2000]
After the last attack, Vio straightened up and gave the attackers a cold look as they slipped back into their foggy positions.
'Is that all? Do you really think I'll bleed out?'
Smirking, Vio gave up walking and switched to running—full speed.
He shot forward like an arrow. Several soldiers tried the same strategy, but failed because Vio never stayed in one place. One of them, desperate, took a risk and raised his body just before Vio reached him, trying to use the momentum of Vio's charge to bring down his sword—only to be surprised by a punch that reached him even before the thought did.
"Boom"
His head exploded.
A grin spread on Vio's face. The fight with the bear, and later with Hamim, made him lose faith in his punches. Seeing someone's head burst gave him satisfaction—but didn't distract him. He kept running.
He even picked up speed, using "Dash" and "Jump" simultaneously. Several sneak attacks failed. Vio's speed was simply beyond them.
'But what's this feeling now…?'
Wind. Strange wind.
Not the usual breeze, but like a living creature thrashing in every direction. Wild gusts crashed against his body, then suddenly bounced away, like they'd changed their minds. For a moment, it felt like the laws of motion had abandoned this place.
Between one dash and the next, his eyes widened. Dug his heels into the ground, forcing himself to stop. The moment he did, he jumped backward—just in time to dodge an arrow that came from above.
"Whoosh"
"Boom"
It wasn't an arrow—it was a spear that slammed into the ground. Because of its length, Vio could see it clearly even though the fog covered half of it. Then it began to glow… and exploded, releasing a freezing, icy smoke. Luckily, Vio had moved far enough away.
'Where did that come from…?'
He looked up at the cloud-covered sky.
'You've got to be kidding me. Is there someone "up there"…?'
From both sides, two soldiers appeared, pointing their swords at him.
"Shing, shing"
[Shield Durability: 1860/2000]
Their blades scraped against Vio's Shield. Before he could respond, they pulled back, vanishing into the fog again, leaving Vio helpless.
He looked around, and at that moment, shards of ice shot from every direction.
'F*ck.'
He ducked, dodging some, then threw a Vio punch to break the others. After that, he resumed running.
The shards were different. No attackers appeared, and that planted doubt in Vio's heart.
While running, he denied the sword users any chance to strike, so the ice shards started raining down on him like a storm. But his constant movement gave him a chance to see them coming and dodge. However, the moment he crossed a certain point—the same one as before—
"Shing"
A spear dropped on him from the clouds. Luckily, Vio could stop and jump back just in time to avoid it. But that only brought him back to square one.
If he stopped, sword strikes would rain down. If he moved, ice shards would chase him. If he reached a certain point, a deadly spear would fall on him.
He was truly trapped. But all of it watered the seed of doubt inside him even more.
'The fog is supposed to block them just like it blocks me… so how the hell are they tracking my position?'
Only one option remained—above.
'From above. The clouds. They stop me from moving forward. The ground keeps me from stopping to analyze. The walls stop me from resting. What about the tops of the walls?'
The only thing suspicious was the soldiers lying flat on their stomachs.
'Why not climb up and find out?'
He stopped. Before the next attack could come, he turned and jumped into the fog covering the wall, grabbing a rock and climbing.
"He's entered the fog," one whispered.
"He's entered the fog," another whispered.
"He's entered the fog," came another voice.
Whispers spread from the soldiers on the tops of the walls, carried by the wind, sending their words up… toward the one in the sky. The one hidden in the clouds.
"Hive," a mocking hum came from the uncle above, followed by a whisper:
"Dispel the fog."
"Dispel the fog, southeast," came a whisper.
"Dispel the fog, southeast," another repeated.
The whispers traveled on waves of wind, reaching the ones they were meant for.
While Vio climbed the stone wall, the fog around him suddenly disappeared, revealing five soldiers standing on layers of ice stuck to the wall.
'So that's how you're doing it.'
His senses screamed.
'F*ck.'
He pushed off with both hands, flying back just as a spear pierced the wall.
"Boom"
The spear exploded, creating pressure strong enough to knock Vio back into the fog on the opposite wall.
His back slammed into the wall. Before he could hit the ground, an icy hammer smashed into his chest.
"Boom "
[Shield Durability: 1810/2000]
Ignoring the pain, he dug his nails into the wall behind him and turned toward where the hammer had come from. Nothing appeared—but now, he understood.
He punched the wall beside him with enough strength to shake the unshakable.
"Boom"
The stone cracked, breaking the icy platform holding the soldier with the hammer.
"Damn it!" the soldier yelled as he crashed down, landing on all fours.
He quickly tried to scramble back into the fog, only to find Vio standing next to him.
His eyes widened. Before he could say a word—
"Boom"
His head exploded.
"Bastard," Vio muttered, dashing forward, unaware that he had just killed the one soldier responsible for helping him survive this long—the poor soldier.
That was the story of the poor soldier. And that's how he died, too.
Truly, do good… and evil follows.
[Skill Level Ups]
Knockout Mastery – Level 4
Increases damage by 4% when the hero uses punch-type attacks.
Running – Level 2
Increases the hero's running speed by 20%.
Dash – Level 2
Increases the hero's speed during a dash by 20%.
Jumping – Level 2
Increases the hero's jumping effectiveness by 20%.