Lord Of The Lost

William couldn't shake the growing feeling that, sooner or later, the players would discover powers far beyond what anyone had imagined.

"Warrior-type combat skills? Those I can understand," he thought. "But what about magic?"

Magic, especially in the Age of Magic, had always been regarded as something ominous, lurking just beyond the grasp of common understanding. But even that paled in comparison to the sinister aura surrounding black magic. It was an art not just strange, but downright unnerving, and William had no doubt that this dark force would soon ripple into the real world.

The legal system? It would be rendered obsolete.

"When someone gains control over the power of gods and devils, the only force capable of stopping them will be their own conscience or lack thereof," he mused. William foresaw a time when the rules and laws that governed society would be torn apart, trampled by those who wielded unimaginable power. It was only a matter of time.

This is why he felt such urgency. He needed to maintain his edge, or he would find himself caught up in the chaos, dragged down by others' ambitions. And he knew all too well that getting swept up in someone else's mess could be disastrous.

"I hate violence, but sometimes it's the only way to protect yourself," William thought grimly. This wasn't just a new game, it was an unprecedented shift, a world on the brink of transformation. And players like him? They had to seize the moment. Miss the opportunity, and you'd live with regret forever.

At present, William's level stood near the top compared to most other players, and he was determined to stay ahead. He couldn't help but wonder, though, about the ultimate goal behind this series of games. What were they really training the players for?

As this thought lingered in his mind, William reconnected to the game.

He materialized back into the Misty Forest, the same shrouded, eerie woods he had been navigating before. The forest stretched endlessly, and the deeper you ventured, the thicker the fog grew, making it nearly impossible to find your way. Even the most seasoned hunters avoided it, for once you were lost in the Misty Forest, there was no guarantee you'd make it out.

The air of mystery surrounding the place was only heightened by rumors of a witch dwelling deep within. Her presence had turned the forest into a place of legend and fear, where locals refused to tread.

"It's said that anyone who enters the Misty Forest never returns," the villagers had whispered.

But players? They rarely feared mere rumors. In fact, the first day the game launched, a few brave souls had already identified the Misty Forest as the perfect place to grind levels. The players weren't put off by ghost stories or talk of witches, they had come for the challenge.

Still, witches in this world had a dark reputation, and for good reason. They possessed powers that were both strange and terrifying. Their hobbies were equally unsettling: they enjoyed breathing life into objects, imbuing them with a kind of wisdom that felt unnatural.

William reached into his pouch and pulled out a four-leaf clover bookmark, one of the few items in his possession that had genuine magical power. It was no ordinary charm; this small object was imbued with the power of luck itself, seemingly able to bend fate in William's favor. Its effects were unbelievable.

Falling off a cliff only to survive unscathed, or picking up a piece of worthless junk that turned out to be a magical artifact; these were the sorts of miracles that happened when the bookmark was in play.

Of course, such fortune had to be used wisely.

In reality, the foundation for everything William needed was already in place. The power was there; waiting to be tapped into. Now, it was just a matter of using it properly.

He clutched the four-leaf clover bookmark tightly, feeling its delicate form in his palm, and whispered to himself, "I hope to meet the witch and find the Fountain of Life on this journey. But along the way, I'll encounter challenges that will make me stronger."

William repeated this mantra three times, as if speaking the words would solidify the destiny he sought. Each time, his voice grew steadier, more certain of the path he was carving out. As the final syllables left his lips, the fourth leaf of the clover flickered with a soft, ethereal glow; just for a moment.

It was the kind of glow that hinted at something ancient and powerful stirring beneath the surface, but just as quickly as it appeared, the light faded, leaving the clover looking as normal as ever.

Thanks to Calcifer's guidance and the game's cryptic prompts, William knew exactly how to use the four-leaf clover. It was no ordinary good luck charm; its power had rules. If you made a wish that was too specific, fate would exhaust the luck needed to guide you, making it harder to achieve your goal. Too much precision, too many conditions, these only invited failure.

The secret was subtlety. You had to blur your desires, leave room for fate to work its magic. For example, wishing for something ridiculously detailed like, "I want to meet a delicate little girl with blonde hair, red eyes, tiger teeth, and an animal tail" was setting yourself up for disappointment. Sure, you might meet her, but maybe she'd have a temper that could burn down villages.

A wish as simple as "I want to meet a little girl" left fate more freedom to bring about a better outcome. The less you demanded, the more fate would be kind.

William chuckled at the thought. "Greed," he muttered. "Fate despises greed." He had heard stories of players making foolishly extravagant wishes, like asking the Moonlight Goddess to become their wife and had seen firsthand how fate took revenge on them. If they were lucky, the Moonlight Goddess simply ignored them. If they weren't, divine punishment followed swiftly.

But William's goals were clear, and he wasn't making any reckless demands. He wanted two things: to meet the witch and to obtain the fabled Fountain of Life. Simple, direct, and achievable, at least with the help of his four-leaf clover. Fate would guide him toward his goal, and anything that happened along the way would be a bonus.

Satisfied with his wish, William set off confidently into the thick fog of the Misty Forest. His steps were sure, as if the unseen forces of fate were already guiding him. He believed wholeheartedly in these mysterious powers; after all, he'd been resurrected once by some unknown magic, so why not believe in the impossible?

The Misty Forest was as foreboding as ever. The sun could not pierce the dense fog that swirled like a living entity around him. The trees, overgrown and unnaturally vibrant, seemed to pulse with life, nourished by something far more mysterious than just soil and water. The air was thick, and the forest held no seasons, no concept of time.

Here, the usual methods of navigation, like following the growth patterns of plants, were utterly useless. It was a place where normal rules didn't apply.

But William wasn't deterred. His focus was fixed on the unknown challenges that fate would throw in his path. What kind of encounters would he stumble upon?

"Perhaps I'll find two high-level monsters locked in a brutal, final battle," he imagined with a smirk, "both on the verge of death, and I'll simply walk in and take the double kill." Or maybe, just maybe, an ancient warrior; lost to time, waiting for a worthy successor, would find him in these woods and bestow upon him incredible skills.

The possibilities were endless.

He moved quickly, every step fueled by the promise of fate's intervention. Ten minutes passed, and the anticipation buzzed within him like an electric current, tingling with the thrill of the unknown. The Misty Forest was waiting, and so was whatever destiny had planned.

William was growing frustrated. His mind, usually sharp and calculating, now drifted into a fog of boredom and confusion.

"How is there nothing here?" he muttered to himself, staring out into the thick mist that surrounded him. He had expected something; anything. A magical beast, a surprise attack, a challenge. But so far, it was as if he were on a leisurely stroll through the park.

No monsters. No danger. It was unnervingly quiet.

The path he had taken seemed to naturally avoid any places where magical creatures might lurk. It was as though the forest itself had cleared the way for him, but not in the way he'd hoped. He wasn't expecting to stumble upon some legendary inheritance or reap endless rewards, but at the very least, he had hoped for some action.

"Monsters should be everywhere," William grumbled. "How am I supposed to level up and get stronger if there's nothing to fight?"

For someone who prided himself on being a skilled combatant, the lack of conflict was infuriating. In a game where every experience point counted, how could he improve without a proper challenge? As a laner in confrontations, missing out on critical experience could leave him vulnerable in future battles.

Just as he was considering turning back, a distant sound broke the silence.

A faint wolf's howl echoed through the mist, far off but distinct.

"Oooouuuch!"

William's brow furrowed. This howl wasn't quite like any he'd heard before. It had a strange, almost familiar ring to it. It didn't match the old wolves he had fought before. Something was off. His instincts flared.

He was about to head in the direction of the sound when another voice called out from the side, stopping him in his tracks.

"Adventurer from afar, turn back. This is not a place for you to tread."

William spun toward the voice, eyes scanning the fog. Slowly, a creature emerged from the mist, a massive toad, easily the size of a millstone, standing on three legs. Its slick, warty skin glistened with moisture, and its dead fish-like eyes stared blankly at him. It flicked out a long, sticky tongue, tasting the air as if sensing his presence. The sight of it was grotesque, unnerving.

A prompt appeared in William's mind: [Hint: You have encountered the Toad Prophet]

William didn't flinch. He had seen stranger things, though the size of this toad was unsettling. He sized up the creature and asked, "Who are you?"

"I am the Prophet," croaked the toad, its voice slow and eerie, as if the words were dragged out of a dark, ancient place.

[Hint: The Toad Prophet is a mysterious being from the Misty Forest. It knows the future of all who enter, yet it never reveals what it sees. Many have searched for it, but none have succeeded. It is said to be everywhere and nowhere at once, a messenger of the mist itself.]

William smirked, unphased. "So, Prophet, I suppose you know why I'm here?"

The toad's eyes glistened, but its face betrayed no emotion. "You seek the witch. But the young witch does not see visitors. You will never meet her."

William's smile didn't falter. "And why is that?"

The toad hesitated, as though considering whether or not to divulge more. Then it croaked again, "If you take another step forward, a bloody disaster awaits."

William raised an eyebrow, intrigued but not alarmed. "What kind of disaster?"

The toad's gaze seemed to deepen, its voice lowering to a gravelly whisper. "Adventurer, the mist does not reject outsiders, just as it does not reject their bodies when they die. Your blood will feed the roots of the forest, and your corpse will nourish the fog that surrounds you. Stay, and you will never leave. You will become one with the mist."

The Prophet's words were heavy, designed to frighten, to send a chill down the spine of anyone who dared step further into the forest's grasp. But unfortunately for the Toad Prophet, its warnings fell on deaf ears.

William chuckled. He was a player, not some hapless adventurer trapped in a fate he couldn't control. His death wasn't final; it wasn't even a true defeat. He'd respawn, reappearing at the starting point outside Moonlight Village, no worse for wear.

"Nice try," he thought. But he wasn't afraid. If anything, this only spurred him forward. He nodded at the Toad Prophet, amused at the creature's ominous predictions, and began to move ahead, deeper into the mist.

Whatever lay ahead; bloody disaster or not, he'd face it head-on. Because in the end, William knew one thing for certain: players don't stay dead.