God of Destruction: Living Among Mortals

Nova was prepared to enter the misty gray fog again, as he had successfully proven that he was able to withstand the pressure of the fog and the fatigue, and the side effects that may come with it, as a B-rank Adventurer.

He entered the portal again, landing in the same spot he was, but this time, through his peripheral vision, he was Kai. He wasn't expecting Kai to be there, but thought about it for a second.

He should technically be in the Pride trial, though he is here, which means also temporarily substituted as the leader to one of his other nine guild members. I'm guessing he voluntarily wanted to be in the same line as me, considering how he might have overheard us talking.

In fact, Nova was correct; Kai overheard the American Guild talk about their positions and how they were going to distribute themselves. Accordingly, he wanted to test how Nova would fare in the Sloth trial, since that one was considered the hardest, as it might current death if the Adventurer wasn't able to focus on their breathing.

Nova felt a strange ache in his heart, realizing that the fog he had absorbed might have fatigued his heart much more than he previously thought. Though he pushed the heartache aside, not having any time to play the fool, since he needed this victory just to put his team in a good position for the Sloth trial.

Every trial win accounted for, and he wouldn't let that spirit go down. As the fog slowly crept towards them, he gulped shallowly. He felt afraid that if any more of the smoke were to enter his body, his body might change for good.

Kai approached him, walking slowly, as if the incoming fog meant nothing to him but some trivial trouble. Nova turned his gaze towards Kai, who smiled, then said, standing in front of him: "I want you to make it to the top two for this trial as well, even though the fatigue from the previous trial will put your body into chaos."

"No," Nova replied, which shocked Kai. "I'm not going to be second. I'm gonna win this. I need to."

Kai nodded at Nova's courage, as the fog was only a couple of meters away from the front line of Adventurers. Nova turned his gaze to the fog, his mouth open, his brows narrowed, as if he was annoyed, but he was just afraid.

"I see you have inhaled some of the fog, so now you think the fog might change you, and potentially even kill you," Kai said, deducing the way Nova appeared.

"How did you know?" Nova inquired.

"It's written on your body. The fog is, I'm supposing, very cold, and the way your skin is looking, all pale and tearing itself apart, I'm guessing you inhaled it, thus your body is functioning slightly differently."

"Damn," Nova didn't realize Kai was this smart. "Well, I guess you're about to experience what I have to experience once again, but this time it might be worse."

The fog deftly covered the entire arena, and the Adventurers went silent. One by one, they sat down, closing their eyes, falling into meditation to connect with their Abulity Chambers.

Nova settled into position, lowering himself carefully to the ground. His legs already trembled from the fatigue of the first trial, but he ignored it. He had done this before. He knew how to survive the fog.

The moment he closed his eyes, his bpdu reacted to the familiar chill. It felt as if the fog had recognized him or maybe even remembered him. His breathing turned shallow, his heart rate went up and up, and that small dull ache returned to his chest, sharp this time. But he pushed through it.

Then, out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed something strange. Kai wasn't meditating. He was just standing still, his arms crossed, breathing as if the fog wasn't even here.

His expression was calm, relaxed, and even. The fog swirled around him, but never seemed to touch him. It parted slightly in his presence, thinning the air, bending as if afraid of him.

Nova opened one eye, disbelief flashing across his face. "You're not even... how are you still standing?" he managed to say, his voice stammering.

Kai looked over, smiling faintly. "The fog can't hurt you if it can't reach your mind. It feeds on fear and exhaustion. Once you stop fighting it, it loses interest. And then you win."

Nova's breathing grew shallower. He wanted to respond, but couldn't. His limbs were shaking now, sweat rolling down his neck despite the freezing air. He was barely keeping himself upright.

"Don't fight it," Kai said again, stepping closer. "Just breathe with it. You're trying too hard."

"That's kind of my thing." Nova forced a weak smile.

His body tilted forward, almost collapsing. Kai reached out, grabbing Nova's arms to keep him steady. The warmth of his grip cut through the cold immediately, and Nova looked up at him, surprised by how stable Kai was.

"You need to let go of the fear that the fog's going to change you," Kai said quietly, his voice almost drowned by the muffled wind. "It already has. You survived once. Now you just need to live with it."

Nova's breathing steadied slightly, though his whole body still trembled. "Easier said than done," he whispered.

Kai nodded. "Always is."

Nova tried to push himself up. His legs resisted at first, but Kai didn't move. He simply watched. The effort looked impossible, yet Nova gritted his teeth, forcing his body to stand. Inch by inch, he rose, shaking violently, until he was upright, finally meeting Kai eye to eye.

Neither spoke.

The fog wrapped around them, curling, whispering, testing. The rest of the Adventurers had already fallen one after another, fading out of the arena in dull flashes of light. Soon, there were only two left, Nova and Kai.

Minutes passed. Then ten. Then twenty. They stood there, silent, unmoving. The fog thickened around them, pressing harder, but neither gave in.

Nova's breathing was heavy. His eyes, however, were burning, bright, sharp, filled with the spark of fire that kept him alive. It was as if his will alone kept him standing.

Kai noticed it. He saw the spark, the same look he had seen in battle, the same one that broke through walls of doubt. And he knew then that Nova wasn't doing this to win anymore. He was doing it because he had to.

Kai let out a quiet sigh, lowering his gaze. "You're ridiculous, you know that?" he said softly.

Nova didn't answer. He couldn't.

Kai smiled, almost proudly. "Fine. You win."

Nova remained standing, alone in the gray. His breathing echoed through the silence. The fog swirled one last time, then began to thin and fade, rising away like smoke from a dying fire.

He exhaled deeply, his body finally giving in, dropping to one knee. His chest ached, his vision blurred, but there was a faint smile on his face.

He had won again.