Olivia stepped through the portal first before I followed behind her.
The first thing I noticed when I stepped into the portal was the smell. It wasn't a particularly bad smell but it smelt really stale… Like the air here hadn't moved for years or something.
The second thing I noticed was that it looked like we were in the middle of a plains of sort with hills popping up from the ground from time to time.
There were still some patches of grass and trees around but pretty much all of them were either withered husks or looked like corrupt versions of their original selves.
Good news was that there weren't any Anomalies guarding the portal so this looked like a safezone for now.
The others also started stepping through behind us and all of them were definitely veterans seeing how they immediately were on guard and checking their surroundings.
Ok… I have to protect them from the miasma… So there should be some kind of aura around me right?
Last time, when I summoned that Jade Book, I felt some kind of sensation in my chest before I pulled it out. Maybe that sensation had something to do with my divinity?
I reached my senses into myself again to try and find the same feeling I had when I was summoning the Jade Book and imagined it turning into some kind of aura around me.
I felt a similar pull from deep inside me and it felt like something was being dragged out from my body before the Jade Book appeared again, this time simply materialising out of thin air instead of manifesting as a ball of light first.
Damn… That's not what I wanted to do…
Come on… I need an aura… Some kind of aura… Think, think…
I tried to imagine an aura forming again and another pull came from within me once again.
This time, it felt like something even bigger was being pulled out of me.
It was similar to the feeling of squeezing the pus out from a wound but the opening was too small and it was just stuck behind the hole.
I tried to squeeze it out a little more, believing that this was what I needed to protect everyone from the miasma since without this, they might mutate into Anomalies despite me being here.
Then, I heard a 'pop' sound go off in my mind and a purple coloured fog suddenly gushed out around me.
It hovered on the ground for a moment before it wrapped itself around my body and clung to me like some sort of cloak.
"Woah… What's this?"
"I feel… Stronger?"
"It feels like my mana also increased in capacity…"
"Is this his ability?"
"Do we even know what myth he is from?"
"So he's a support type then… No wonder they got so many people out here."
So I'm assuming that this purple fog around me is some kind of AOE buff of some sort… Which must also be something tied to the myth that I have awakened.
What mythological figure do I even know that exhales out purple smoke to strengthen people?
…
Yeah, I have no idea.
But I'm guessing this is also my aura which prevents the people around me from being mutated by the miasma.
I wonder how does my buff compare to the Guardian I accompanied before since she was also a support type?
"My Lord? How were you able to do that?" Olivia asked in a low voice, making sure no one overheard.
"I was thinking about the aura that I'm supposed to have to protect everyone from the miasma… So I tried to activate something like that and this came out."
She blinked at me before a small smile appeared on her lips, "My Lord… Your presence is the aura itself. There is nothing you need to do to protect us. It is literally your existence. If you didn't have it, we would have felt the effects of the miasma quite quickly. Which is further proof that you are indeed a Mortal God. Not that there was any doubt to begin with."
Ah… So I basically did something extra then.
Well… At least I have a new clue on what myth I might have awakened with this. The clues I have so far being the Jade Book and this purple smoke.
I know that it's definitely from Chinese mythology since there's the Yin and Yang symbol as well but there's too many for me to even start to guess who it might be.
Olivia straightened herself and clenched her fists, "But I have to say, my Lord… This buff of yours feels pretty substantial. I think I'm feeling at least two or three times stronger than normal. I may need some time to get used to this."
She then turned to the rest of the crowd behind us, "Everyone! Remember where you are! We are here for recon! Split up into your groups and we will start the expedition!"
The Vanguards and potential Guardian candidates quickly shook themselves out of their stupor and did as she asked.
I've participated in recon expeditions before so I already know what to expect.
We're pretty much here just to scout the location and figure out what kind of Anomalies we are dealing with.
With the results of our scouting, we would have a better idea of whether the initial classification of the rift's Danger Level needs to be changed.
Usually, recon expeditions are only done for higher levels and rifts levels four and below would usually just be cleared without a recon expedition.
But since they were taking this chance to test the Guardian candidates and also let me get used to my own abilities, we would be doing some recon expeditions for this rift.
Even though a Danger Class three rift was still relatively safe, it doesn't mean we can let down our guards though.
The Vanguards arranged themselves into small groups with Olivia and myself located in the centre of the formation before we began to move.
The first thing we needed to do is to make sure that the area around the portal was safe, so we would be doing a loop around the area to make sure there weren't any Anomalies hiding in the area.
We only just crested the first hill and we were met with a small group of Anomalies that were at the very bottom of said hill.
These ones in particular… Well… I suppose there was no other way to say it. They look like zombies.
Parts of their face seemed to have melted off and there were even places where you could see the bone underneath the muscles. Some of them looked human while others were monstrous in size and looked like hulking masses of flesh and bone.
Those Anomalies turned and looked at us through their hollow eye sockets before they started trudging up the hill towards us.
They were the slow kind of zombies it seems.
Olivia turned to me, "My Lord… Your orders…"
Ah, right… I'm supposed to be the leader here.
"Everyone! Clear them out! Melee Vanguards maintain the Frontline! Rangers, fire at will!"
There was a battle cry as the people at the front started their attack.
The ranged attackers fired their guns and bows at the crowd of charging Anomalies, which would not have been something that was weird since this would be the standard tactic.
But when the bullets and arrows made contact with the Anomalies, explosions wrecked through their entire group like it was missiles being launched at them instead of just arrows and bullets.
The Vanguards at the front quickly skidded to a stop as the unexpected explosions quickly rendered the small group of Anomalies into pieces of flesh scattered around the bottom of the hill, leaving nothing behind.
Everything became quiet before they all turned back to look at me.
What? I'm just as surprised as you are… I guess that purple mist buff did more than just attack power of everyone here? I dunno man…
I cleared my throat, "Ahem… Good work. Let's continue to the next location…"
The Vanguards didn't protest and merely formed up again.
Of course, some of them could not help but start to whisper amongst themselves.
"Damn… What was that…"
"Must be some kind of special ability of that Mortal God's…"
"Turning all the projectiles into explosive types? Or what?"
"Probably just increasing the area of impact or something."
"This is bad… If I get used to this strength… I may not be able to continue working as a Vanguard anymore since the normal me is going to be weak in comparison…"
"Just go sign up as a Guardian then."
"Like as if they're going to just accept anyone as a Guardian… I'm just a D Rank Vanguard bro…"
I ignored the whispers and merely directed the group to continue forward again, pushing through the plains of the rift.
We would need to find some Anomalies to fight as the ones who were hoping to be chosen as Guardians need a fight to show off their capabilities so hopefully… There's going to be a larger group this time.