I breathed in deeply… until my lungs were filled with that heavy air, then whispered in a faint but firm voice:
"Golden Card… Manifest."
Not a moment passed before a transparent window emerged in front of me, shimmering with faint golden edges as if it were a living entity watching me.
The words appeared clearly:
[ Rank: D ]
[ Ability: Wrestling ]
[ Description:
Grip: Controlling the opponent's body by the hands or neck.
Takedown: Bringing the opponent to the ground and gaining control.
Ground Control: Pinning the opponent and preventing movement.
Escape: Breaking free from an opponent's grip quickly.
Reversal: Turning a losing position into dominance. ]
[ Usage: Self-Defense ]
[ Conditions: Training (Condition will fade after initial mastery) ]
I contemplated the words in silence…
"Wrestling…?"
I whispered it as if testing the weight of it on my tongue.
I ran my hand over my face and exhaled slowly, as if trying to push an invisible weight out of my chest.
"And I actually have to train for it, too…"
Unlike Karate… which had come to me as if it were knowledge planted deep within me without effort.
I smiled with light irony.
"At this rate… I won't get a superpower as long as I live."
I raised my hand and closed the status window; it vanished just as it had appeared, without a trace… as if it had never been.
"I'll train later…"
I muttered, then relaxed my body a little.
I closed my eyes... a moment of silence.
Then I opened them and stopped.
Something… wasn't normal.
The air—
It was heavier, denser.
As if the world around me had begun to slowly suffocate.
"Fog...?"
I raised my head slowly and looked around… The fog began to creep in, faintly at first, then it grew suspiciously thick until it began to hide the features of my surroundings.
"This is… strange."
I whispered to myself.
"In this heat…?"
I froze for a moment; my brows furrowed, and my pulse quickened.
Then…
A sudden strike of realization.
"No…"
My eyes widened.
"...Could it be poisonous gas?!"
I didn't wait.
I grabbed my sword quickly and rushed out of the tent.
But—
As soon as I stepped out, it felt as if I had entered another world.
The fog was thick… so thick that visibility did not exceed a few steps.
The light itself seemed to fracture within it.
And the silence… was heavy.
"Don't shout…"
I muttered to myself.
If there were an enemy behind this… the sound might be the end of me.
I took a slow breath, then summoned what I knew.
The tents were lined up alongside the fire.
"If I keep moving forward… I'll reach it."
I began to walk.
One step…
Then another…
With extreme caution, as if the ground might betray me at any moment. Every movement was calculated, every breath monitored.
Until—
"Ah!"
I collided with something solid.
I recoiled half a step and raised my head quickly.
A person with their back facing me.
I froze.
"An enemy…?"
Without thinking, I reached for my sword—
But before I could draw it—
"P-Please… have mercy on me!"
Everything stopped.
That voice... it was familiar.
I reached out and turned him toward me quickly.
"Marcus...?"
His eyes widened, then he exhaled with visible relief:
"Hah... it's you, Nilot!"
I felt the tension that was gripping my body begin to fade slightly.
"Yes..."
I said, catching my breath.
"But... why did you come out?"
He scratched his head lightly and said:
"The fog... it's very strange. I wasn't comfortable with it, so I came out to check the situation."
I nodded slowly.
"I had the same thought."
He went silent for a moment, then said in a low tone:
"But… haven't you noticed?"
"Noticed what?"
"The silence…"
He paused, then added:
"It's as if… no one is here."
I felt a shiver run down my spine.
"We must go to Knox and Tyros."
I said quickly.
"I don't think this is just fog."
He nodded without hesitation.
"You're right."
We walked together through that suffocating whiteness…
Until—
A faint light began to seep through from a distance, an orange flicker… fire.
"There."
I said, pointing.
"Let's go."
We approached gradually... until shadows began to take shape... then faces.
"Finally..."
Knox and Tyros were there, near the fire.
Knox noticed us immediately and said in a sharp tone:
"What are you two doing here?"
I took a step forward.
"The fog... it's unnatural. Its presence like this... in this weather... is suspicious."
Tyros nodded and said:
"I was saying the same thing a moment ago."
Knox crossed his arms and said calmly:
"Likely… poisonous gas."
"What?!"
Marcus said impulsively.
"And if it is, why do you look so calm?!"
Knox looked at him steadily:
"Just a possibility."
Then he added:
"I checked the area… and found no one."
He paused for a moment, then said:
"And some time has passed… without any effect."
Tyros said:
"True."
I looked between them.
"So… what do we do?"
A short silence followed, then Nox said:
"We wait."
And before I could answer—
Tyros suddenly said:
"There are two people... behind you, Nilot!"
We all turned; two shadows... were moving slowly within the fog.
Knox immediately raised his hand:
"Shhh."
And he drew his sword.
In the next moment—
We all had our weapons ready.
The air grew heavier, the seconds... longer, and heartbeats… louder.
Until—
"Why are you holding your swords like that?"
A familiar voice.
I lowered my weapon slowly.
The two shadows approached... and their features were revealed.
Vesper… and the Employer.
I breathed a sigh of relief, and knox said:
"We thought you were enemies."
The employer replied:
"I checked the area… and found no one."
Vesper added:
"I came out for the same reason… then I ran into him."
And before the conversation could conclude—
I felt something. A movement... behind Knox. My eyes widened.
"There...!"
I said quickly.
"There are many people behind you!"
Everyone turned instantly.
The employer raised his weapon.
"Stay calm."
He said firmly.
We stood... waiting, watching, and the fog… slowly parted.
...
And suddenly—
The silence cracked.
"Is this really… fog?"
A familiar voice… emerged from the depth of the thick whiteness, as if slowly tearing through the silence.
We all froze.
The voice was followed by another, more cautious and more skeptical:
"I doubt it."
We exchanged looks.
Then—
The employer lowered his weapon slowly, as if something within him had decided the matter before the vision became clear.
And the shadows… began to take shape.
Human features emerged from the fog, one after another, until the truth was revealed.
They weren't enemies.
Rather, they were…
Sirion, with his usual calmness, as if the fog meant nothing to him.
Zairos, standing with artificial steadiness, hiding a subtle disturbance behind him.
Reagan… but this time, he wasn't his usual self; his features were tight, and his eyes were uncomfortably alert.
Doctor Velor, his expressions hidden behind those glasses, but his presence suggesting he was monitoring everything.
Melissa, trying to keep her composure… but the trembling of her hand betrayed her anxiety.
Liana, a frightened little girl, clinging to her mother's hand as if she feared disappearing into this whiteness.
Cairo, his gaze troubled, as if searching for an explanation he couldn't find.
Calstier, calm… as if the chaos couldn't reach him.
And Luxian—
Yawning.
Half-awake… half-absent… as if what was happening wasn't worth his attention.
We all exhaled, as if a massive weight had been lifted from our chests.
Luxian took a step forward and said in a confused tone:
"Why is… everyone here?"
Cairo replied:
"It seems we came out… for the same reason."
Reagan added, in a low voice:
"The fog..."
The employer crossed his arms and said:
"Though its presence is suspicious... nothing has happened so far."
Luxian yawned again and said indifferently:
"As long as that's the case... let's go back to sleep. I can barely stand."
But Reagan wasn't convinced.
"No..."
He said it slowly.
"This fog... I don't like it."
Cairo intervened:
"But nothing has happened... we can go back now."
The employer nodded:
"Everyone return to their tent."
A light silence followed; it seemed as if the matter… was over.
I yawned, too.
"Maybe… just ordinary fog."
But—
In the next moment—
Everything changed. My vision began… to weaken, not just gradually… but as if the world were being pulled away from my eyes.
"Wait…"
I whispered.
"What is this…?"
I looked around—
And I saw Knox.
His eyes were half-closed, his body swaying—
Then... he fell.
He hit the ground without resistance.
"Hah…?!"
I froze in my place.
And before I could process it—
Vesper fell.
Then Luxian, without even finishing his yawn.
"W-what is happening…?!"
My breathing quickened, I took a step back, but the scene didn't stop.
Marcus.
Tyros.
Doctor Velor.
Melissa.
Liana.
Cairo.
Calstier.
And the Employer—
One by one… they fell, like leaves that had lost their life.
"No… this isn't—"
I didn't finish.
Reagan moved suddenly, with sharp speed, as if he were the only one who realized the truth early.
I rushed with him without thinking.
I bent down, grabbing Tyros's body—
But… my strength began to fade. My hands… no longer responded; my head became heavy.
And the fog… was no longer just outside my body, it seemed to be… inside me.
"Hold on!"
Reagan shouted.
His voice was distant…
Very distant.
"Hold on, Nilot!"
I tried.
But—
My body was no longer mine.
And my eyes... betrayed me. They closed... against my will, and the world…
Disappeared.
And suddenly—
I could no longer see…
Anything.