Global Fog Survival

The outer ruins of the “High Court.”

A flaming figure crashed into the area like a comet, tumbling and knocking down several already unstable buildings along the way. It was none other than “Terbidard,” who had just taken the brunt of the explosion.

At this moment, flames engulfed its body, charred black flesh writhing and expanding as if regenerating. Without sustained attacks from enemies, these injuries would take only about ten minutes for it to recover to roughly ninety percent. In less than a few seconds, bits of smoking, fire-spewing burnt skin began to peel away, revealing tender, regenerating flesh beneath.

“Terbidard” planted its limbs on the ground, shaking off the flames like a wet dog. It braced itself on its hind legs, seemingly about to stand up and let out a roar of fury. But just as it opened its massive maw, the roar still unsounded, and its enormous body suddenly trembled violently. All its subsequent actions were abruptly halted.

A black longsword had mysteriously pierced through its back, the blade passing through its abdomen, protruding from the front. The sword, a long, pitch-black blade, was nearly two meters long and entwined with the thorns of suffering. Though its length was enough to pierce through “Terbidard,” the sword still appeared feeble compared to the colossal creature, seemingly on the brink of snapping under the immense muscle pressure.

Yet, strangely, this did not happen. The sword possessed an eerie power, steadily draining its life force, paralyzing “Terbidad” in place, trembling and unable to move.

“Pity, still can’t sleep, huh…”

“Don’t resist. You know only I can put you to rest…”

“I’m sorry. This might hurt a bit…”

Whispered words filled the air, and the area grew darker, with indescribable translucent shapes occasionally flitting past.

“Terbidard’s” flesh quickly began to rot, emitting a noxious stench, festering, and oozing yellowish pus. Suddenly, chunks of its decaying, putrid flesh began falling off its bones.

Plop, plop, plop…

Within moments, the antlered beast was reduced to a bare, pale skeleton, standing like a dinosaur exhibit in a natural history museum. The blood-streaked bones still shivered, seemingly not completely dead, but within seconds, all remaining blood evaporated, leaving only white bones, which then began to disassemble and fall to the ground.

Strangely, as the bones hit the ground, they sank through as if falling into water, vanishing completely.

Simultaneously…

[Quest Completed: “The Sleepless Terbidard”!]

“…Well, this is…”

Colin stood in the “dueling ground,” looking at the quest list on the parchment scroll, unsure whether to feel surprised or pleased. The battle was over in under three minutes.

It was clear that whatever killed it, it wasn’t their doing.

According to the plan, if it charged directly, the team would have to continue their assault after the first explosion, luring it into the bomb pit they’d prepared, even if it cost them some lives. If it had teleported along with Russell, there would have been a high chance of minimizing casualties and detonating explosives as it rushed forward. At that point, with its mental interference weakened, Colin would release the manhole cover, allowing Number One to commence suppressive fire.

But now…

It just died suddenly.

[You know that “Terbidard” is now dead.]

And that was it—just similar vague messages. This indicated its death involved some unknown factor. Colin didn’t dwell on it. He completed the task but didn’t immediately check the items. The sound of the duel starting echoed in their minds.

Instead of having Russell surrender right away, Colin used the hint ability to assess whether the outside was safe.

[Apart from being a bit hot, the outside is currently safe.]

Frowning, Colin checked multiple times to ensure that exiting wouldn’t lead to sudden death before deactivating “The Shield of The Just Knight”

The moment they returned to the outside world, they felt the ground give way beneath them, a sudden sensation of falling that stopped just as quickly as it started. The ground had been altered by the blast, creating a half-meter-deep crater, with some patches of scorched, molten soil still glowing faintly.

Colin immediately scanned the surroundings, confirming that Sanna and the others hadn’t initiated the subsequent phase of the plan. This proved that “Terbidard’s” death had nothing to do with their actions.

“What the… this is unbelievable!”

Colin took a deep breath, quickly surveying the scene and gathering information. “Let’s retreat for now…”

With that, he dashed back to the hillside, utilizing the “Hunting Time” effect. Sanna and the others regrouped at his call.

“Did that monster just get blown up?” Sanna asked curiously as she approached.

Colin shook his head. “Not sure. I just confirmed it died at the outskirts of the High Court ruins, but I have no idea how.”

That wasn’t the main issue. The main issue was…

“Did the hint just say the outskirts are safe?”

Could that statement really be trusted?

Colin shared this suspicion, leaving the group silent, unsure how to respond. Even Colin himself started wondering if his hint ability had malfunctioned from overuse.

It was then that Li Chou, who had been silent in thought, raised a chilling possibility.

“What if the monster that tampered with the High Court ruins already escaped and is approaching us? That would explain why it’s considered safe.”

Startled by this, everyone immediately heightened their vigilance. Colin quickly utilized the hint ability to reassess the surroundings.

Shortly after…

[The area is currently safe.]

Colin paused, then simply said, “Let’s wait and see.”

While the hint didn’t always provide precise answers, Colin trusted it implicitly. For now, however, he kept that trust in check.

After ten minutes passed without incident, the group let out a collective sigh of relief. Colin opened his backpack to inspect the items he had acquired earlier.

“Time to figure out some upgrades. Now that we have the ‘Light Mark,’ we’ve also got Sanna’s promotion material…”