We set a camp in the middle of nowhere, the only landmark being the thick grey wall of mist pressing around us. Esther had already struck a flame onto a pile of dry roots she pulled out of her inventory, and the campfire flickered stubbornly against the gloom.
"I'm amazed you could sense them coming when that's supposed to be my job," I said, taking a sip of water. The cool liquid stung my throat, reminding me how much I'd been panting during the fights.
"All my skills give me temporary stat increases, so… I guess I'm lucky?" She chuckled, twirling a stick lazily into the fire.
Lucky, huh? I thought bitterly. I needed more than luck. Just one more push and I could finally hit level 5… then I could fix my stats before even thinking of unlocking skills under Instant Affinity.
Reaching level 5 meant five skill points to distribute. If I put two into Physical Resistance and two into Magical Resistance, I'd finally climb out of the pathetic -1 values that had been dogging me since the start. That would at least bring me to a survivable "1." Breathing room. A buffer in case I ever got cornered again.
The last point… Immunity or a skill? Immunity would guard me from poison, curse, or bleed effects—slow killers that didn't care how hard you could swing your weapon. But a skill… a single skill could change the way I fought forever.
I stared at the fire, lost in thought.
Esther tilted her head toward me, watching quietly. "You're making a very serious face for someone just deciding stats."
"Because if I make the wrong move, I'll be dead before I get to undo it."
She gave a wry smile, the firelight catching the gold in her chains of hair. "That's true. But… sometimes the system rewards risks, Regina. Playing it safe forever is its own death sentence."
"…Easy for you to say. You're not walking around with negative stats."
She laughed, that same musical chuckle as before, and poked me lightly on the shoulder. "Then all the more reason for you to lean on me for a while, right? Who knows… maybe I'll rub off some of my luck onto you."
I glanced at her, half-exasperated, half… something else.
"Or maybe you're just trying to make me your exp leech."
"Caught me." She winked.
The fire popped between us, throwing sparks into the mist.
"There won't be Mirageu coming now. My stats are returning to their base," Esther said as she stretched, letting out a small yawn.
"Are you really sure resting up in the middle of nowhere?" I asked, still wary of the ever-pressing mist.
"You're here, it'll be fine." She smiled, that infuriatingly relaxed smile, and without a second thought, she sat beside me.
Too close.
Before I could react, she leaned her head against my shoulder.
I froze. Completely, utterly froze.
This wasn't an ambush from an Aberrant, nor a sudden collapse of my stamina—it was somehow worse.
"W-What are you doing?" I stammered, feeling heat crawl up my neck.
"Using you as a pillow. You're warm." Her tone was casual, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
I wanted to say something sharp, like "I'm not a heater," or "Find your own rock to lean on," but my throat locked up. I was acutely aware of the weight of her head, the faint tickle of her hair against my cheek.
I cleared my throat. "You know, this isn't exactly… appropriate."
She chuckled softly, eyes still closed. "Relax, Regina. We're both girls here."
I bit the inside of my cheek. If only you knew.
"…Crazy," I muttered under my breath.
"What was that?" she asked, tilting her head just enough to look up at me with those golden eyes.
"Nothing." I quickly looked away, pretending to be invested in the campfire.
The fire cracked, filling the silence I wished wasn't so heavy.
The fire crackled, its glow barely pushing back the endless veil of mist around us. Esther's breathing had evened out beside me, but my mind refused to rest.
168 days. That's the timer we all share. And yet here I am—already on my fourth day, already clinging to another just to keep from drowning.
The restriction prompt lingered in the back of my mind like a shadow. If it was already tightening its grip on me, then what kind of curse would it become in the days ahead? I didn't know. I only knew I needed to be ready when the system decided to bare its teeth.
The stone beneath us wasn't just stone. I had noticed it ever since Esther pulled me down from the thorns. At first I thought it was erosion, but no—it was deliberate. Etchings stretched across the ground, like scars left by something greater. Some resembled the coiled scales of a serpent. Others looked like claw marks, gouged deep as if by something titanic. Still others took the shape of lines, roads, even branching paths leading nowhere.
It wasn't random. It was language. Or worse, memory.
Each time my eyes traced those designs, my mind thrummed as if recognizing a fragment of something buried deep in me. A whisper. A warning.
And then there was the forest—the so-called trees that stretched tall, empty, lifeless. No signs, no symbols, no echoes of what they once were. Just void. If the ground was trying to speak, then the forest was silencing it.
They always told us realms were fabricated. The system's illusion, built to immerse interlinkers with elaborate backdrops and meaningless set dressing. Stories written into the dirt just to make us feel like we mattered.
But this didn't feel like a stage.
This felt like something had happened here. Something real, something carved into the bones of the world.
Level 10 was supposed to be survival. The Beast's Den was supposed to be optional. And yet, compared to the weight that seemed to hum under my feet, the numbers, the skills, the "objectives" all felt meaningless.
Something was unbalanced. And the system was lying to us.
My eyes snapped open.
…The pings wouldn't stop.
[Map][Scan]
Both were running on their own—cycling like alarms. But I never triggered them.
How long had they been active? Three hours? Four? My body ached as if I'd barely shut my eyes.
At first, I thought it was a glitch. My restriction flaring up again, maybe. But then I saw it.
Twelve red dots. Closing in.
"…Shit." I shot up, dirt clinging to my arms.
The movement jolted Esther awake. She blinked once, then immediately conjured her longsword, golden flame hissing down its edge. The easy warmth she had earlier was gone—her eyes sharp, voice low.
"You saw them too?" she asked.
"Yeah. And they're already moving fast."
The mist around us churned like it had a pulse of its own, curling tighter with every second. My veilpiercer slid into my hand as if pulled by instinct.
Twelve.
That wasn't a hunt. That was a pack.
"It doesn't seem to be mirageu but regardless let's do it like we did before, got it," Esther said, a faint breath of flame leaking past her lips.
"Sure… the sooner I get the skill tree, the better." I shifted my veilpiercer into a spear, its weight balancing in my hands.
We waited.
Through the mist, shapes crawled into view. The first broke through—a hunting hound, or what was left of one. Its skin hung loose over bone, white mist leaking from the gaps as if it was rotting alive. Its dead eyes glowed faintly, jaws gnashing in silence. Then more followed, padding low, mist curling from their maws.
[Outline]
[Fog Hound][Hounds wrapped in mist with decaying bodies][Spawnlings]
"Thankfully it's just a spawnling," I muttered.
"Then you can handle some on your own," Esther said with a sharp grin.
"Fine. Let's make it quick… and maybe follow those symbols after." I glanced down at the carved stone—patterns like roads, etched deliberately, glowing faintly as if guiding somewhere.
The pack growled as one. Their claws scraped against stone, twelve pale eyes locking onto us.
I braced my spear. Esther lifted her blazing sword.
And then the hounds charged.
The hounds broke into a sprint, claws scraping stone, mist trailing behind like tethered smoke.
"Take the flank!" Esther barked, flames surging along her blade.
I tightened my grip on the spear. Focus. One hit at a time.
The first hound lunged at me, jaws snapping for my arm. I sidestepped, driving the veilpiercer straight into its throat. The spear tore through brittle bone, scattering mist as the beast collapsed.
[+75 EXP][Level 4: 2975/4000]
Another came low from the side. My radar pinged it a second too late. Its fangs grazed my shoulder—I hissed—but before it could clamp down, Esther's sword cleaved it in half, the body igniting into ash.
"Eyes up, Regina!" she snapped, voice sharp but not unkind.
Two more hounds closed in. I spun my spear, slashing wide—barely grazing the first, but enough to shove it back. Esther's fire burst carved through the second, leaving me the staggering one. I lunged, driving the blade through its skull.
[+75 EXP][Level 4: 3050/4000]
Three more circled. Esther unleashed a fiery arc, scattering flames that forced them back. "Finish the one on the right!" she shouted.
I didn't hesitate—I dashed, thrusting my spear straight into its chest. The hound writhed, mist hissing as the veilpiercer burned through.
[+75 EXP][Level 4: 3125/4000]
The fight blurred—fangs snapping, fire blazing, my spear flashing in and out. My arms ached, but each kill surged through me like fuel.
Another hound—my spear pierced its ribcage.
[+75 EXP][Level 4: 3200/4000]
Another—Esther cut it down, but pushed it my way for the final blow.
[+75 EXP][Level 4: 3275/4000]
Sweat stung my eyes. My chest burned. But one after another, the spawnlings fell.
By the time I skewered my sixth, the mist hissed violently—thicker, coiling into a larger form. My radar pinged red, heavier than the others.
The Alpha emerged.
Its body was massive, a beast of jagged ribs and stretched hide. Mist poured from its eyes like bleeding smoke, its fangs sharper, its howl ripping through the fog and rattling my bones.
"Alpha's mine—no, ours!" Esther grinned fiercely, fire coating her entire blade.
I steadied my spear. My hands trembled, but I planted my feet.
The Alpha lunged first, faster than its bulk suggested. Esther met it head-on, her flaming slash colliding with its jaws, forcing it back. "Now, Regina!"
I darted to the side, circling, waiting for the opening. The beast reared, its mist surging as claws scraped down at Esther. She blocked, sparks flying.
I dashed in and drove the veilpiercer deep into its exposed side. The Alpha howled, twisting violently. I nearly lost my grip, but Esther's fire exploded at its neck, scorching it open.
One last chance. I raised the spear high, then plunged it down into its skull. The Alpha convulsed, body breaking apart into smoke and ash before collapsing.
[+200 EXP][Level 4: 3475/4000]
The pack was gone. The mist settled. My arms dangled, too heavy to lift.
Esther kicked the ash aside and let her blade vanish in sparks. She flashed me a wide smile. "See? Not bad at all."
I slumped onto the stone ground, panting. "…Not bad? I feel like I just wrestled death twelve times."
She laughed, patting my back—harder than necessary. "That's what makes it fun!"
The map pulsed again, red dots clustering on the road ahead.
"…four spawnlings and four alphas," I muttered. My grip on the veilpiercer tightened.
"That's a pack formation," Esther hissed. "We'll cut our way through, but don't stop running."
"Got it." I reshaped the veilpiercer into a katana, something faster for these close quarters.
From the mist, four pairs of dead-white eyes glared. The fog hounds emerged, their bodies half-decayed, fangs snapping as they lunged. Behind them, four larger shadows padded slowly, the Alphas, each one trailing thicker mist from its jaws.
"Go!" Esther barked, flames erupting along her sword.
The first spawnling darted forward. I swung low, cutting its leg, then spun upward and cleaved through its neck.
[+75 EXP][Level 4: 2975/4000]
Another leapt at Esther—she met it midair, sword blazing, cutting it into cinders.
The first Alpha slammed down in front of us, snarling. Esther collided with it head-on, sparks and flames flying as their clash echoed. "Now!"
I darted in, slicing across its hind leg. The beast stumbled, and Esther's fiery strike split its skull.
[+200 EXP][Level 4: 3175/4000]
We sprinted forward. Two more spawnlings bounded from the left. I pivoted, one slash through the chest, then another stab through the throat of the second.
[+75 EXP][Level 4: 3250/4000][+75 EXP][Level 4: 3325/4000]
The second Alpha pounced, mist trailing like smoke. Esther blocked its bite, grunting under the force. I dove low, stabbing my katana into its exposed belly. The Alpha roared, thrashing, but Esther ignited her blade and carved down, splitting its torso apart.
[+200 EXP][Level 4: 3525/4000]
The road symbols flickered faintly as our feet pounded across them.
Two more spawnlings lunged from behind. I turned, slashing the first across the skull, then Esther skewered the second with a flaming thrust and tossed it aside.
[+75 EXP][Level 4: 3600/4000][+75 EXP][Level 4: 3675/4000]
"Another Alpha!" Esther shouted. The third one burst from the mist, jaws wide. I raised my katana just in time, its claw clashing against me with bone-cracking force. My arms trembled, but Esther's flame engulfed its back.
"Move!" she yelled.
I stabbed upward into its maw, the blade carving through its skull. It collapsed in a heap of ash.
[+200 EXP][Level 4: 3875/4000]
The last Alpha emerged, dragging mist with it. It howled, summoning dread into the air. Esther planted her sword into the stone road, glyphs flaring in a circle. Fire erupted, pinning the beast down.
"Regina!"
I dashed in, katana blazing with her flame. With a single thrust, I pierced the Alpha's head clean through. Its body twitched, then dissolved into smoke.
[+200 EXP][Level Up!][Level 5: 75/5000]
I staggered back, panting. "…Finally…"
But as I looked at the window, my chest sank.
"…why is my quota five thousand now?"
Esther, catching her breath, glanced at me. "It increased again?"
I nodded grimly. "…Yes."
Her face hardened. "…Then this isn't a normal restriction, Regina. The system's tightening the leash on you."
[You have leveled up to 5]
[Skill Tree unlocked]
[5 SP Points ready to be allocated]
[Allocate now? Y/N]
At least… I managed to unlock the skill tree.
[Yes]
[Opening Skill Tree]
Two panels unfolded in front of me, translucent yet heavy with meaning.
One window displayed my Stats, clear and blunt. The other branched out like a constellation, my Skill Tree, glowing with the faint emblem of my affinity.
[Instant Affinity]The symbol of four plus-signs encircling a clock ticked faintly in golden light. From it, paths spread outward like veins, each one a skill or upgrade I could tap for description. But not now. I wasn't ready for those yet.
Instead, I turned to the Stats Window.
[Physical Resistance: -1][Allocate 2 SP][Physical Resistance: 1]
A warmth pulsed through my limbs, dulling that frailty I'd carried since the start.
[Magical Resistance: -2][Allocate 2 SP][Magical Resistance: 0]
The aching hollowness in my chest lightened. For once, I didn't feel like a single spell could erase me from existence.
[SP Left: 1]
I paused. Where to put the last point? Health? Energy? No… versatility meant survival.
[Agility: 5][Allocate 1 SP][Agility: 6][Speed and Strength increase by 1][Speed: 3 → 4][Strength: 4 → 5]
The interface dissolved into sparks, leaving me standing with clenched fists. I felt… steadier. Not strong, not yet—but less like brittle glass ready to shatter.
"At least I've fixed my stats a little," I muttered under my breath.
Esther glanced my way, leaning casually on her sword. "You look… less miserable."
I gave her a flat stare. "…Thanks?"
She laughed, brushing strands of hair back as the firelight caught her yellow eyes. "I mean it! Before, you looked like one scratch away from collapsing. Now… maybe two scratches."
I sighed. "…That's not helping."
"Well," she teased, "maybe when you finally unlock your actual skills instead of just patching up your body, you'll stop relying on me to carry the show."
I smirked faintly. "Keep talking. Next fight, I'm taking the lead."
"Then I'll stand back and watch, oh fearless Owler," she said with a mocking bow.
I shook my head, but deep down I couldn't deny the truth—without fixing those weaknesses, I wouldn't have lasted another day in this mist.