"Thanks…" I muttered, tugging at the furred tunic.
Even while talking with her, I kept spamming [Map] and [Scan], but… nothing. Nothing but this endless wall of gray. Was it the mist itself?
"Right, Esther… when did you get here? How did you even traverse an area where everything is covered in mist?"
She tapped her chin with one gloved finger, then snapped her fingers. A small flame sparked to life on her palm. "Simple. I used this. Fire illuminates the mist just enough to see outlines. You may be wondering why you can't seem to scan, right?"
"Ye—"
"The mist itself debuffs any skills or functions related to navigation," she cut me off smoothly, like a teacher who enjoyed catching students mid-sentence.
"No wonder…" I groaned.
Esther smiled with a bit of pride. "I managed to find some Mirageu here, so I'm close to hitting level 5. How about you?"
"I fought one on my first day here…" I admitted, lowering my eyes. "But I'm still far from reaching level 5."
Her golden eyes narrowed slightly, studying me. "You're an Owler class, right?"
I froze. "Wha—how'd you…?"
She smirked. "The way you rely on scans and maps instead of your own senses—it screams Owler. Plus, you've got that 'scout's paranoia' vibe."
"…Yep," I said sheepishly. "But I'm not much of a fighter."
"I see. Well," she said as she stood, brushing dust off her robe, "I'm a mage swordwoman."
"A hybrid class…" I sighed, trying not to sound jealous. "Good for you."
She twirled a finger through her chain-tangled hair, giving me a teasing grin. "Don't worry, Regina. Not everyone has to swing a sword and cast a fireball at the same time." She leaned closer, voice playful. "Some of us just… look pretty and let others handle the fighting."
I nearly choked. "That's not—!"
Esther only laughed, clearly enjoying herself.
"So what can we do here?" I asked, still tugging the tunic tighter around me.
"Let's reach level 10 as fast as possible," Esther answered without hesitation. Then her sharp golden eyes scanned me up and down. "And judging from you… you barely reached level 2, right?"
I winced. "…You're right."
She gave a small laugh and patted my shoulder. "Don't worry. We can hunt Mirageu and maybe some spawnling-type Aberrants too. They're easier to farm."
"How though?" I raised a brow, already regretting asking.
Her smile widened. "Explore the mist around us."
I groaned, dragging a palm down my face. "Shouldn't have asked."
"Don't worry, don't worry." She waved her hand, her golden chains clinking faintly with the motion. "I'll do most of the fighting, and you can land the last hit. The system will still recognize the kill as yours."
"Wait—you're just offering me free EXP like that?" I asked, suspicious.
"Of course." She leaned closer, her grin annoyingly playful. "Think of it as charity for a cute lost scout girl."
"Oi—!" My face heated instantly.
She laughed, clearly entertained by my reaction. "Relax, Regina. Consider it… a partnership. I fight, you poke, we both win. Easy, right?"
Easy for her to say.
Esther conjured a flame on her sword, the golden fire licking along the blade as she waved it around like a torch. The mist glowed faintly with every sweep, shadows dancing unnaturally against the gray.
"How are we supposed to hunt an Aberrant that's invisible?" I asked, keeping my voice low, eyes darting at every flicker.
"Well, you killed one, right? You should know how." She answered so casually, like she was asking me how to boil rice.
I frowned. "I was lucky to kill one. One more hit from it and I'd be dead."
That made her pause, turning her golden eyes on me. "That's surprising. Shouldn't Owlers have at least the same resistance stats as a priest?"
I hesitated, then admitted, "I have mine both at negative one."
She stopped in her tracks, her expression softening into a look of almost comical pity. "…You're kidding."
"I wish I was."
Her lips tightened as if she were holding back laughter, but the pity in her eyes was genuine. "Then if you're facing anything above spawnling-tier, like even a knight Aberrant, you'd have to do a no-hit fight."
"Right…" I muttered, shoulders sinking.
"Then your best bet is spawnlings." She lifted her sword again, the flame rippling brighter. "Even civilians could kill them. Us students would have no problem, even if they came in packs."
"The only problem then," I sighed, "is my progression being slower."
Esther shot me a sly grin. "Then let's just make it faster by me killing most of them and you stabbing them in the butt at the end. Sound fair?"
"Not funny," I grumbled, though a part of me knew she wasn't joking at all.
A shriek pierced through the mist, so sudden it rattled the air around us.
"It's a distressed Mirageu. Careful," Esther warned, her tone firm but steady.
I pressed my back against hers, drawing the Veilpiercer from my inventory. My grip tightened, sweat slipping down my palm.
"Stay close to me," she said.
The shriek grew sharper, the crunch of deliberate steps pressing into the cold ground. Each sound clawed closer, louder, heavier.
"Should we fight now?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Nope. Let it come to us," she replied with a strange confidence.
I forced myself to breathe slowly, straining my ears, waiting for the right moment.
Crunch.
My heart skipped. It's close?!
Then, without warning, a fiery emblem blazed to life at our feet—etched in golden lines like a living sigil. Esther's spell.
A burst of golden flames erupted outward in a shockwave, lighting the mist in a violent shimmer. The blast struck something invisible—then its form twisted into view, thrashing as fire clung to its body.
The Mirageu screamed, its distorted outline wrapped in burning chains of light, the fire devouring its cloak of invisibility.
"Now," Esther muttered.
Before I could even move, she lunged forward. Her sword, wrapped in golden fire, cut through the air in a single, clean arc.
The Mirageu split open, flames spilling through the wound as its shriek died into silence.
It was terrifying—yet beautiful. Like watching death in its most graceful form.
I stood frozen for a moment, still staring at the golden blaze cutting apart the mist.
She's a better fighter than me… maybe even someone who could rival some of the number ones in the university.
"Are you in awe of my beauty?" Esther smirked over her shoulder.
"I was just surprised," I shot back.
"Ohh… don't worry, I'll let you kill the others coming now."
"Coming?"
"That skill raises my Sense to 7 temporarily. I can detect enemies approaching."
"That's amazing."
"Thanks for the compliment." She smiled—then her eyes sharpened. With a single upward slash, her blade erupted in flame, slicing the mist apart. For a fleeting moment, the world opened wide—shapes flickering in the haze.
"Be fast! The mist will return in seconds!" she barked, her voice switching to a stern command.
"Sure," I muttered, molding the Veilpiercer into a long spear, its edge humming in my hands.
The Mirageu screeched as golden fire clung to their distorted bodies, trying and failing to suppress the burning that made them visible.
Esther was already moving. She dashed forward, her sword flaring bright like a sunbeam tearing through the fog. Her swings were sharp, precise, each one leaving trails of fire across the enemies. Mirageu howled as her blade cut deep, their outlines breaking apart under the pressure of her strikes.
I forced my feet to move, keeping my spear low. The first Mirageu staggered backward from her slash, flames engulfing its midsection. Esther kicked it toward me.
"Now!"
I thrust the spear forward, the Veilpiercer piercing its core. The creature shrieked and shattered into sparks of black dust.
[+600 EXP]
Another one tried to flank her from the side. She twisted gracefully, her sword arcing in a wide blaze, severing its arm. The Mirageu screamed, stumbling half-invisible.
I darted in, heart hammering, and drove the spear down into its skull.
[+600 EXP]
The air was thick with smoke, fire, and the stench of burning aberrant flesh. Esther spun through the chaos like a dancer, carving down three at once. She knocked them toward me, deliberately leaving the final blow in my hands.
"Don't freeze, Regina! Take them!"
Her voice cracked like a whip, snapping me back. I tightened my grip, speared through one throat, then ripped the weapon sideways into the second. The third lunged at me—but Esther's blade intercepted, cutting it clean in half and tossing the remains my way.
Panting, I plunged the Veilpiercer into the twitching core.
[+600 EXP][+600 EXP]
The mist began to close again, swallowing the battlefield.
I staggered back, chest rising and falling in sharp gasps. Esther stood firm, her sword resting against her shoulder, flames slowly dimming.
"You did good," she said, smirking. "See? You can fight… as long as you have me around to hold your hand."
[Congratulations][Level up!][Level 2: 1000/2000]
"I need more…" I whispered under my breath, clutching the Veilpiercer tightly.
"Don't worry," Esther said calmly, her golden eyes glinting. "I think a flock of them are coming our way now."
She glanced at her window and smirked.
"I got the skill tree unlocked."
"So you're level five now?" I asked, wiping sweat off my forehead.
"I've been grinding for three days straight."
"Well, I've been lost in a dense forest for three days straight."
Her lips curled into a grin. "Then let's make up for your little vacation."
The ground began to rumble, a chorus of shrieks cutting through the mist. Multiple Mirageu were rushing in—more than before, their faint outlines flickering like distortions in glass.
"Here they come!" Esther raised her sword, the flame around it shifting colors—now a golden-white blaze instead of red.
"What skill is that?!" I shouted over the noise.
"Radiant Bind. First in the flame tree. Watch closely."
She slammed her sword into the ground. A magic circle bloomed beneath us, chains of molten light bursting upward. The flock of Mirageu screeched as the chains lashed around them, pinning several in place. Their cloaked bodies writhed, unable to vanish into invisibility.
"That's your cue, Regina!" Esther's voice was sharp, commanding.
I dashed forward, transforming the Veilpiercer into twin blades. The pinned Mirageu thrashed, but their movement was slow and bound. I slashed at the nearest one, cutting deep into its torso, then spun to stab the next.
[+600 EXP][+600 EXP]
The bindings shattered on one of the stronger ones—it lunged for Esther, teeth bared.
"Esther!" I shouted.
She twisted her body smoothly, her sword igniting with another skill. Blazing Counter. With a single step, she deflected the strike, her flame flaring upward and igniting the Mirageu's core.
It screamed, stumbling.
"Finish it!" she barked.
I charged in, leaping high, and drove both blades into its head. The body erupted into black dust.
[+600 EXP]
The others broke free, swarming from every angle. Esther swung her sword in a wide arc, a Radiant Wave of fire sweeping through them like a blazing tide. Their outlines flickered violently, staggered by the sheer force.
"NOW!" she shouted.
Heart racing, I slashed and stabbed through the weakened bodies one by one, the Veilpiercer flashing purple with every hit. The synergy was terrifying—her power softened the prey, mine delivered the killing blow.
[+600 EXP][+600 EXP][+600 EXP]
The last one roared and lunged straight at me—too fast. I froze for a moment—then Esther appeared in front of me, her sword crashing down like lightning. She cleaved the Mirageu clean in half.
"You froze up," she teased, flicking the black dust off her blade. "Good thing I'm cute enough to cover for you."
I panted, chest burning, as more notifications flashed across my vision.
[Level up!][Level 3: 800/3000]
I exhaled in relief. "Two more levels…"
Esther grinned, resting her sword on her shoulder. "Don't worry. With me here, you'll hit five in no time. Just don't trip over your own feet again."
"Here, drink this." Esther tossed a flask filled with faintly glowing blue liquid.
"What is this?" I asked, catching it midair.
"A stamina recovery vial. Our stamina stats are hidden for some reason, but looking at you, you're about to hit your limit. Hurry."
She was right. Other than stamina, plenty of other stats were hidden too. Energy, for example—we had no way of knowing how much fuel we had left after activating skills. For an Owler, it didn't matter much since most of our features were system functions. But in prolonged combat like this? It mattered.
I uncorked the flask and took a sharp gulp. The liquid burned my throat, but almost instantly, my aching limbs stopped trembling. My breath steadied.
"Better."
"Good." Esther's gaze flicked past me, and her smile sharpened. "Looks like we have two dozen coming our way now."
"…That's a terrible number," I muttered.
"Ready up."
The mist split with guttural shrieks. Distorted outlines swirled all around us—twenty-four Mirageu, some weaker spawnlings, but most were Deviant-class. Enough to bury us.
Esther's sword blazed to life, golden fire rippling outward. "Radiant Bind!"
Chains of molten light erupted from the ground, ensnaring the first wave. Mirageu screeched, pinned midair like beasts in a net.
I dashed forward, forming Veilpiercer into a long glaive. With the extra reach, I spun low, slicing through the first immobilized Mirageu. Black dust scattered into the air.
[+600 EXP]
Esther stepped in beside me, her sword crackling. She cleaved two in a single overhead arc, her flames splintering into smaller sparks that latched onto nearby enemies, igniting them like kindling.
The second wave broke through the mist, rushing from the flanks.
"Left side!" I warned.
Esther didn't hesitate—she extended her free hand, golden chains snaking outward. "Bind!"
Four more were caught, but two slipped through, dashing for me.
I braced, stabbing my glaive forward into empty air. Ping. The blade connected—one Mirageu screeched as it was skewered. The other lunged low.
"Got you!" Esther's boot slammed down, crushing its head into the stone.
Another shriek—this one behind me. My radar pinged late. I twisted just as a claw grazed my arm, pain shooting up.
"Regina!" Esther slashed through it in one motion, sparks flying as her blade sang.
"Don't babysit me—just fight!" I snapped, trying to shake off the sting.
She grinned through the chaos. "That's the spirit!"
More rushed in—a dozen now, surrounding us in a circle.
Esther planted her blade into the ground. A massive sigil erupted around us, golden fire flaring skyward. Radiant Nova. The explosion hurled several Mirageu back, revealing their forms long enough for me to dash forward.
I transformed Veilpiercer back into twin short swords, weaving through the stunned enemies. I slashed across their necks, stabbed their chests, one after another.
[+600 EXP][+600 EXP][+600 EXP]
The mist closed in again. From above, three Mirageu dropped like shadows.
I barely had time to react—until golden chains shot past me, wrapping all three mid-descent.
"Your turn!" Esther called.
I leapt, both blades glowing faintly purple. With a cross-slash, I tore them apart midair.
Black dust rained down.
[+600 EXP][+600 EXP][+600 EXP]
The last survivors screeched in desperation, lunging from the fog. Esther's sword flared once more, and with a sweeping horizontal strike, she sent a radiant flame wave tearing through them.
Silence.
The battlefield was covered in black ash and burning embers.
[Congratulations][Level up!][Level 4: 500/4000]
I staggered back, panting. "…We survived."
Esther tilted her head, wiping blood from her cheek with the back of her hand. Her smile was fierce, wild.
"Barely. But you're almost there now."
I stared at the glowing system window again, stunned.
[Level 4: 500/4000]
"Wait… why is my quota increasing? It should stay at 2000 until level 10."
Esther, who was sharpening her blade with her thumb, looked up at me. "What's wrong?"
"My level quota—it jumped. I need 4000 exp now just to hit level five."
She blinked, tilting her head. "…You mean double the quota?"
"Yeah."
For a moment, she frowned, her expression rare and thoughtful. "Have you ever heard of an Interlinker's restriction debuff?"
I froze. Restriction debuff? Of course I'd read about it—it was one of the stranger mechanics of the Nexus Protocol. A condition in the real body could sometimes reflect on the avatar, enforcing hidden penalties. Other times, it was a punishment for tampering with system functions. And in the rarest cases, it was something the Protocol itself branded as invasive.
"Yeah, I studied a bit. But shouldn't that only trigger if my body in the real world had a condition… or if I fought an Aberrant with debuff traits? Those only exist starting from Ravager-tier. Deviants shouldn't have it."
"True," Esther said, tapping her chin. "So that leaves… a special case."
My throat tightened. Special case. That didn't sound promising.
"Then regardless of the reason, it looks like your restriction is tied to leveling efficiency. A steeper exp curve each time."
"…So, I'm screwed."
"At least it's not damaging, like losing HP regen or stat lock." She shrugged it off with an easy smile, though the pity in her eyes lingered.
I sighed, feeling the weight settle in my chest. "I guess so."
"Ready up!" Esther suddenly barked, her voice turning sharp again. "Another dozen incoming—and it feels like the last wave."
I clenched Veilpiercer in my hand, the dagger shifting into glaive form. "…Fine. Let's finish this."
The mist swirled violently, echoing with shrieks. Esther planted her sword into the ground, golden chains erupting outward like serpents. Three Mirageu were caught instantly, writhing against their binds.
I lunged, slashing through one, twisting the glaive in a follow-through to cleave the second. Esther burst forward, flames trailing from her boots as she vaulted high, bringing her sword down in a flaming arc that split the third.
[+600 EXP][+600 EXP][+600 EXP]
The ground quaked as four more Mirageu burst from beneath the mist, lunging simultaneously. Esther's blade flared. "Radiant Ward!" A golden dome pulsed around us, deflecting claws, though the impact rattled my bones.
Two slipped past the ward, one at my left, one at my right. I twisted Veilpiercer into twin daggers, ducking low as claws slashed overhead. With a double spin, I slashed both in the gut.
[+600 EXP][+600 EXP]
"Behind you!" Esther shouted.
I turned too late—a Mirageu's claw raked across my side. My knees buckled, pain searing. Just as it raised its arm for the killing blow, Esther's chain lashed around its neck and yanked.
"Strike!" she yelled.
I plunged both daggers into its skull, dust exploding in my face.
[+600 EXP]
Three left. They circled us, snarling. Esther was panting, sweat dripping down her jaw, but her eyes still burned bright.
She smirked. "Let's sync this one."
"Sync? How?"
She twirled her blade, flames roaring to life. "Just follow my lead!"
The three Mirageu lunged at once. Esther surged forward, cleaving the air with a fiery slash. The mist split wide, revealing their silhouettes. I dashed into the gap, stabbing one through the chest with all my strength.
Esther caught the second with her chain, yanking it toward me. I pivoted, slicing its throat open in one clean stroke.
The third leapt high, shrieking, aiming for Esther's blind spot. She shouted, "Finish it!"
Veilpiercer shifted into a spear in my hands. I thrust upward, the purple flames igniting just in time. The Mirageu's body impaled midair, dissolving into black ash.
[+600 EXP]
Silence.
I fell to my knees, chest heaving, the system window blinking in front of me.
[Level 4: 2900/4000]
I still wasn't level five.
"…That's unfair," I muttered bitterly.
Esther wiped her blade clean on her boot and grinned at me, though her own shoulders sagged with exhaustion.
"Restriction debuff or not, you're still alive. That's what matters. Now…" she pointed at the settling ashes. "Let's set up camp before the mist spits out something nastier."
Atleast this would be a great exp farm.