NOVEL NEXT Chapter 46
The turtle moved slowly forward.
With each step it took, the ground shook, producing a massive rumble. Within its name and appearance was a power that truly matched its size.
Countless monsters standing in its path couldn’t stop its advance. They were squished right beneath its feet.
Where on earth did these monsters come from? I had never seen them leave the tower, so how did they gather up so many monsters for the lectures? That was a question that always puzzled me.
They looked very familiar—red eyes, white fur, and yes, those were the Mist Monkeys I encountered during the entrance exam.
Back during the entrance exam, the turtle was defeated by them. It was torn apart by their claws; its four legs had crumbled. It barely escaped from the mist, rolling its shell. That memory was still vivid.
This time, however, it was different. The turtle didn’t even glance at the charging monsters. It passed through the swarm of monkeys with its bigger, heavier body.
With each light movement it made, the monkeys were trampled underfoot. These terrifying creatures didn’t pose a threat anymore.
It had been less than three years since I entered the university, but I had already changed this much. No wonder every mage was so keen on attending the university. I could hardly believe my own transformation.
When I first saw those creatures, I realized that the professor had intentionally thrown them in front of me. It was a sort of courtesy to confirm how far I had come. Though, honestly, it felt a bit excessive.
It had been ten hours since the endless stream of monsters began. I couldn’t hear any sounds from the ones charging at me. The ferocity and intelligence that should have been in their eyes were gone. They moved like mere puppets.
This place still felt strange and disorienting. I surveyed the surroundings with the turtle’s eyes. The scenery was still the same—everything was cloaked in mist.
I heard no sounds at all. All sounds had vanished into this mist. Even the turtle’s steps were just causing the ground to tremble without making a sound. The surroundings were engulfed in silence.
It was the characteristic of the treasure this time.
So far, there had been ten treasure hunts. Today marked the eleventh. From our experience, we had discerned one strict rule that the professor imposed.
The dungeons created by the professor always took a form related to treasures. The labyrinth was one, the desert another, and the underwater city too. Sometimes the treasure formed the environment, and sometimes it hid within it.
From that consistency, I could also sense the professor’s confidence. Even if we figured out the location of the treasure, there was an unwavering certainty that we would never obtain it. Excluding the first lecture, no one had managed to get any treasure yet.
This time, the treasure prepared by the professor was a massive heart, completely white. It was said to have been extracted from a peculiar monster. She casually referred to it as the Mist Heart.
The effect was just as visible as what surrounded me. When the heart pulsed, mist flowed out. For the past ten hours, this mist had continued to thicken, making it impossible to see even a little ahead.
I layered defensive magic once more. The mist that had seeped into the workshop was concealed and dissipated by the magic. But the mist began to melt it away, drawing closer.
This mist wasn’t just any mist. The beings inside it gradually lost everything to the fog—soul and memory, mind and emotion turned into puppets controlled by the heart.
Just like the monsters the turtle was crushing. If they had retained their previous intelligence, they wouldn’t be able to advance so easily. That intelligence, capable of setting traps and identifying weaknesses, was the Mist Monkeys’ greatest asset.
But their endless resurrection ability still remained intact. That was what had been tormenting me all this time. I let out a sigh.
The turtle seemed oblivious to my thoughts and happily stomped its feet. Perhaps it enjoyed bursting the monkeys, even rolling around in delight.
My wooden companion swayed in tune with its mood. Having merged partially with the turtle’s essence, it appeared to be recovering quite well, even if not as well as before.
The turtle had every right to be this excited. Since its essence had emerged, it had never been able to move properly. After nearly a month, just ten hours of running around wouldn’t be enough to satisfy it.
Still, I hadn’t met a single person this time either.
In the last ten hours, I had encountered barely twenty individuals. It was a serious issue. I had brought all sorts of things but hadn’t sold a single one. My plans were falling apart.
Damn, I was hoping to score some points here to handle my debt.
Little did I know it would be so hard even to meet people. This mist made it impossible to see others even at a short distance. It had an intent to keep people dispersed.
It was clear that the professor didn’t like students banding together to hunt for treasures. If the same scenes kept repeating, it would become dull for her. Oddly enough, she hadn’t even been watching the fights happening in the tower recently.
Just then, the turtle suddenly halted. I looked around to see a huge wall standing in front of it. A wall made solid by the mist.
Even when the turtle charged into it, it didn’t budge an inch. I forced a smile. So, this place was the same. It was time to turn back.
I cautiously inspected the surroundings. Such walls usually housed powerful monsters. Last time, a gigantic fish had been soaring in the sky. Seeing that, I had no choice but to run for my life.
I quickly distanced myself from the wall. Luckily, there was no reaction at all. The monster seemed to have temporarily vacated the area.
I focused my mind within my chest. The vast shadow beneath the tree responded to my will. The countless twinkling stars that had been there were all gone, leaving only two lonely stars shining.
If I excluded the turtle I was riding, there was only one star left. The entire sixth floor had become a separate realm, severing connections with the outside world. I concentrated my will on that lone star.
It emitted a faint light. It must be quite far away. The turtle began to walk slowly in the direction where that light was growing stronger.
When the turtle had been running around here for the first time, I thought this place was a vast plain. It felt endless, even for the turtle’s body.
But that wasn’t the case. I was just wandering in circles. The signal it was sending became slightly dimmer. I was sure I lost my direction again.
I turned the turtle’s body. After carefully rotating around, I found the direction where the light was glowing stronger again, and set off once more.
This mist was twisting all the senses. What I thought was an endless run was just me circling the same spot.
After repeating this a few times, I found myself quite close to it. I could see a faint mass of shadow in the distance. Someone was clearly battling monsters. The signal was emanating right from there.
I slowly followed the signal toward that place. As the monsters rushing toward it spotted the turtle, they pounced, only to be crushed beneath its feet. In the end, I caught sight of the piles of monster corpses.
There was a circle floating in the air. The monsters were rushing to enter that circle. The moment they crossed the line, they split into pieces.
Even the mist dared not invade the circle.
I directed my will toward the inner star. It received the signal and twinkled. Gradually, the circle in front of me morphed and opened a door toward my direction.
I moved the turtle and headed inside. The first thing I noticed was a Bear Doll, a sight that seemed out of place in this spot, prompting a wry smile.
The Bear Doll was carrying a person on its back. When that person swung a sword in the air once, the previously dim circle became clear again.
The approaching monsters were sliced apart, collapsing onto the ground. It was a bizarre magic that defied understanding no matter how many times I saw it.
As I got closer, I began to see the person more clearly. A blank-faced woman was carried on the Bear Doll’s back. It was Kashian.
Getting down from the turtle, I cautiously stepped toward her. She waved her hand, welcoming me.
“You’ve come again. I’m glad to see you’re okay.”
“Thanks to you, Kashian.”
In this spot, I could feel at ease. Smiling, I pulled out a table from my spatial pouch. Along with it, the Bear Doll prepared a chair. It started setting up a tea party on the table.
Kashian hopped off the Bear Doll and quickly sat down in the chair. She picked up a teacup placed in front of her and inhaled its aroma. Then she took a sip. I observed her closely as she initially smiled, but then promptly pouted.
“Mr. Bear Doll, you really can’t handle this tea?”
“Unfortunately, it’s impossible. Due to its body structure, it can’t manage tea delicately.”
At that, the Bear Doll looked down at its hands. It fidgeted for a moment before plopping down in place. Kashian sighed as she watched it.
“Well, we can’t help it then.”
“In its stead, I will show you the map I’ve managed to gather thus far.”
I took out a scroll from my possession and began to unfold it. Thanks to the previous search, I could roughly sketch this mist-filled area.
The reason I was so eager to show it to her stemmed from a promise we made back when we first met in this area. If she stayed in one spot, I would explore the surroundings completely, a simple promise.
Because she had held her position, I could use her Bear Doll as a sort of beacon. Wandering through the fog, I continued to assess the area based on the doll’s location.
I repeated the process of moving to the end and checking the wall before returning. This was the tenth time I had visited.
As I marked the walls I had confirmed so far and connected the points, a swirling pattern emerged. We were positioned beneath that whirlpool.
“So, what’s in the center of this whirlpool?”
She pointed at the convergence of the whirlpool as she spoke. I shook my head.
“No, I’ve been there already; nothing special was found.”
That was a place I had confirmed long ago. It was just a bit denser in mist, but there was nothing exceptional. I couldn’t figure out where the treasure was at all.
That didn’t mean I could seek help from others. All the people I encountered, excluding Kashian, were soaked in fatigue and suspicion.
They viewed me with wariness and hostility. If they reacted like that toward me, they surely bore an even stronger animosity toward others.
In a situation where everyone was suspicious of each other, it was a very unfavorable scenario for my points—regardless of the treasure. I needed to shift this situation. I had been steadily searching through this mist for the past ten hours, hoping for that change.