While Erus was still distracted by thoughts of the scepter's owner, a sudden, piercing chill swept through the air. Sensing danger, he nimbly leaped into the canopy, landing on the high branch of a towering tree. From his vantage point, he watched as thick plumes of black mist began to swirl below. The mist was predatory; it fed on every living monster it touched, dissolving them instantly. He could feel the sheer pressure radiating from the vapor—this was no laughing matter.
He recognized them, the Dark Mists, familiars from the Underworld, but were these the same creatures from the legends? These entities were physically invincible and only divine power or holy artifacts could destroy them. He possessed neither of it.
Worse yet, the creatures reeked of rot and decay. The stench was so foul that a weaker warrior would have vomited the instant they encountered it.
Why are these things being used for a trial? Erus wondered. Did the kingdom intend for there to be no winner at all?
The mists began to accelerate, devouring even the high-level monsters with terrifying ease. They were essentially "farming" the forest for food. Then, a voice echoed through the trees—a sound like a corpse rising from a tomb, hollow and deep.
"M-O-R-T-A-L! M-O-R-T-A-L!"
It was bone-chilling. But as Erus watched, he became confused. The mists were racing toward the direction he had just come from, ignoring his current position entirely. He was perched right above them, yet they seemed blind to his presence.
How could they be so stupid?
But he had it all wrong.
He immediately remembered the passage from the 98th floor. Horror crawled over him as he realized the truth about those rotten mists: they were after the gate.
Instead of overthinking how they would find the passage, his instincts told him to move before it was too late. He didn't even know why he cared so much when he had no idea what the outcome would be, but he couldn't just stand there.
He easily caught up with the Dark Mists, keeping his distance so they wouldn't notice him.
"M-O-R-T-A-L! M-O-R-T-A-L!"
The raspiness in those voices was like a nightmare ready to haunt him.
They were encircling the very spot where Erus had emerged from floor 98. The door wasn't there. He was about to breathe a sigh of relief when his eyes caught a familiar shimmering line.
Oh, shoot! Why now? He grunted. That was definitely a gap in the passage; if those creatures noticed it, they would definitely climb out.
But what would happen if they actually made it out? Where would it take them—back to the 98th floor?
Erus felt his "Zen" slip again and he nearly cursed out loud.
These creatures were too real to be part of a trial. He had a gut feeling they shouldn't even be in this place. It was no joke! They could literally break out of this dungeon and hunt for mortals. Beyond that, every contender was now in grave danger.
The people involved now weren't like the mere crystals from the 97th floor. These were lives.
Aren't those old fossils going to cancel this trial? He scoffed. Tch. Fat chance, asking those stupid mutts for help.
But why should he even care if these creatures were lurking around? One thing was for sure, they weren't here by accident. Someone was controlling them, and he had a pretty good guess who. There was only one mortal he knew with a direct line to the Underworld, the man who had formed a pact with the Queen of the Mermaids of Death, the King of Northland, Leomar.
Erus could have easily ignored these rotten creatures. He could have just walked away. But then he remembered the few people who actually trusted and cared for him, even when the rest of the world hated him just for being born.
He let out another sigh, shaking his head a little. He felt disappointed in himself because, despite his reputation, he still couldn't stand the thought of those people's lives being tossed away like trash.
He couldn't think of any other way to stop what the Dark Mists were planning. It was do-or-die. Whether he moved or stayed put, death was going to find him anyway if he didn't end this turmoil now.
Without a single weapon capable of defeating those damned humidifiers, he made his move.
Erus whistled sharply, the sound cutting through the forest and forcing the Dark Mists to stop their chaos. They looked stupid for a second, just hovering there and trying to sense their surroundings.
"Oh, my bad. I forgot," Erus taunted. He realized he had been hiding his presence while the mists were busy tearing apart the other monsters in the forest.
This time, he let his aura flare out completely.
"M-O-R-T-A-L!"
The Dark Mists became agitated, erupting into a riot the moment they felt his presence. They were starving and completely chaotic as they finally spotted him perched on top of a tree.
Erus gave the hungry creatures a cheeky wave before leaping to another tree. He even looked back just to make sure they were following, and he wasn't disappointed. Seeing them scramble like that, they looked less like a threat and more like black smoke from overgrilled meat.
There was no turning back now.
He kept leaping from tree to tree, as this was the safest way to avoid being touched by the Dark Mists. They were fast on the ground but struggled on elevated terrain because the wind made it hard for them to maintain their forms. A normal mortal would have been caught in no time, but Erus wasn't exactly normal.
His natural speed was triple that of a regular person, so this was basically just light exercise. He could buy plenty of time for the Elders to realize what was actually happening on the 99th floor. But even if they did figure it out, would those old fossils do the right thing? Or would they just see this as the perfect chance to finally get rid of him?
In the arena, the viewers were confused by Erus' actions. Most thought it was just part of the trial, a performance meant to impress the Elders or the King.
On the other hand, the atmosphere among Erus' team turned grim. Even Kyla, the announcer, had stopped speaking while her eyes were glued to the floor where their leader was fighting. They knew exactly how Erus usually fought, and his current behavior was bizarre. If those Dark Mists were just part of the trial, why did it look like Erus was sending a hidden message while he escaped? The way he leaped between the trees followed a specific pattern.
"Is that 'trap-pattern' some kind of technique to escape those polluted smokes?" Nick blurted out.
The group was startled to see Nick standing right next to them. He had been far away in the bleachers just moments ago, and his sudden appearance caught them off guard.
"Trap-pattern?" Verna asked, confused.
"Yeah. He's been moving in a trap-trap-trap pattern while leaping through the trees," Nick explained, his hands moving animatedly as he followed Erus's every move. "T-R-A-P. Do you see it?"
The group looked again and nodded in unison. They had been trying to analyze Erus's movements, but he was moving too fast for them to keep up.
"Oh, that's smart—I mean, you've got keen eyes, Guild Master," Akiro said hesitantly. He had clear eyesight, but he wasn't quite fast enough to piece it together. He shook his head, trying to process his leader's strategy.
Nick nodded proudly with a grin.
"Guild Master, do you know what those black clouds chasing Solari are?" Glecy asked. She assumed they were high-level monsters, but they should have been easy for Erus to crush.
"Hmm. Those polluted smokes resemble the Dark Mists of the Underworld. It would be incredibly risky if they're the real deal. Luckily, none of the Elders have enough energy to summon those."
Hearing that, the group grew even more worried for their leader's safety. They stared intently at Nick, who was casually watching the projection, seemingly unaware of the true danger Erus was facing.
Then, realization hit him.
"Wait! Why does it look like he's just trying to save his own butt?" Nick's head tilted. "Oh, fuck!" He slammed his hand down on a front seat, terrifying the person sitting in it. He didn't have time to apologize.
Nick sprinted toward the stairs and climbed until he reached the balcony where the Elders were stationed. It was three floors up from the arena floor, and any conversation from there was notaudible to the rest of the audience. He looked at them with pure disappointment.
"Guild Master!" Kyla approached him, confused by his expression and sudden arrival. The Elders looked at him with confusion, though they had a feeling they knew why he was there.
"If he gets severely hurt or killed, I promise you—I'll stop hunting monsters and start hunting mortals!" Nick barked at the Elders through gritted teeth.
Then, he turned his gaze to King Leomar, who was sitting on an elevated, exclusive chair meters away. "King Leomar, I suggest you wash your hands at the Spring of Purity after this," he said without a hint of fear.
They definitely knew who he was referring to.
The King grimaced, clearly controlling the urge to cut Nick's throat. He may be the King of Northland, but Nick was a legendary figure—a hero from the Great Battle twenty years ago. The Castle of Lions guild held more influence than almost any other clan too, making Nick Sabatican practically untouchable. Consequently, this made it just as hard for the King to lay a finger on Erus.
After an hour of leaping between trees, Erus grew annoyed rather than tired. Had no one realized what he was doing yet, not even his own team? It was frustrating.
When he glanced back, he noticed the number of Dark Mists tailing him had decreased. Far below, he saw the other groups crawling like worms on the ground, hunting lower-level monsters. They were probably trying to replenish their lost energy.
But Erus wasn't happy.
As long as there were monsters in the forest, this chasing game wouldn't end. Even if he burned the entire forest down, the Dark Mists would just feed on his fire energy.
"Pains in the ass!" He hissed.
What was the best way to end this chaos? Was there any other way aside from using holy items? Not all truths were written in the books. There had to be another way.
"Your shield," a woman whispered. Her voice sounded like it came from a great distance, but it felt identical to the owners of the scepter and the infinity ring.
He remembered his shield. It was his innate ability—the very first power his mother had discovered when he was still a baby. It had shielded him from the assassins the King sent to kill him when he was just an infant.
But what about the shield? Was it holy because it emitted the same...? It was golden, just like the scepter and the ring!
Erus stopped running and boldly faced the Dark Mists. This was the real do-or-die challenge for him.
The creatures tailing him abruptly stopped. They seemed to think he was about to launch an attack.
"What's the problem? Aren't you going to devour me?" Erus challenged.
"M-O-R-T-A-L!" the Dark Mists roared in unison, lunging at him with doubled speed.
Erus didn't flinch. He didn't even try to evade or resist. Instead, he simply enveloped himself in his golden shield, which expanded on its own without his guidance.
"M-O-R-ta—"
The roaring voices faded instantly as the Dark Mists entered the area affected by the shield's aura. They were turned into ashes on the spot.
Erus blinked twice. He was astonished that his shield could actually did it.
Did his shield just wiped out those Dark Mists that fast? He had no idea or his mother if how he obtained his shield but now he started to doubt if the shield was of ordinary origin.
Even King Leomar was astonished to witness how those Underworld creatures were so easily wiped out by a single shield. It made him deeply curious. They had seen Erus use the shield before, but they never imagined it was this powerful.
So those fools weren't lying at all, the King thought, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his armrests.
He wanted to smash everything in sight. He had failed yet again to get rid of the witch's son. But then, he remembered the show wasn't over yet.
A malicious smirk spread across his face. He wouldn't let this slide. The King was determined to finally accomplish his long-time goal.