Mysterious Fog World: Eldritch Nexus

After defeating the monsters, Drake’s followers were divided into two groups. One group stayed behind to clean the battlefield and collect the loot. The second group ventured into the fog zones to gather anything of value.

The fog zones from where the dwarves had emerged contained many different ores. Glittering veins of mortal ores and even extraordinary ores threaded through the rocky terrain. However, due to time limitations, they couldn’t mine the ores themselves. Instead, they collected the ores already mined by the dwarves.

Tons of ores were transported back to the territory on multiple trips. It was fortunate they had many vehicles designed for traversing the fog. These vehicles, loaded with ores, made the transport process much easier. The collected ores glinted under the sunlight, promising new possibilities for weapon and armor crafting.

In addition to ores, they found many weapons created by the dwarves. Most were axes and shields, heavy and meticulously crafted. Each weapon bore intricate designs, showcasing the dwarves’ craftsmanship. These were packed up and brought back to the tribe, adding to their growing arsenal.

After collecting everything of value, they recorded the fog zone in a fog compass, allowing them to use the newly formed zone compass to locate the territory later for further mining expeditions.

The fog zone of the evil eyes was the most barren. The landscape was desolate. However, after some searching, they discovered underground caverns where the evil eyes had lived. Inside the caverns, they found a few plants with flowers that glowed in the dark, casting an eerie luminescence. These plants were carefully collected, their bioluminescence a potential new resource for lighting their caves and structures.

As they were feeling that the trip to the evil eyes’ fog zone was a waste, they stumbled upon some vines deep in the cavern. When they saw the fruits hanging on the vines, their excitement soared. The fruits glowed with an otherworldly light, hinting at their magical properties. They eagerly collected every single vine along with all the fruits.

The fog zone of the lava giants consisted of numerous volcanic craters, with lava flowing like rivers everywhere. The intense heat made it a harsh environment, with very little vegetation. They managed to gather a few fire-type herbs, their leaves flickering with tiny flames.

As they approached one of the craters, they spotted a red lotus flower blooming amidst the magma. Its petals were a vibrant crimson, and it seemed to radiate an aura of power. Just one look at the lotus, and they knew it was a treasure of immense value.

They quickly returned to the territory to gather materials for a makeshift bridge. Using their fox fire to protect themselves from the intense heat, they carefully crossed the bridge and reached the lotus. With delicate precision, they picked it up and stored it in an appropriate container.

Surveying the territory, they discovered that among all the craters, only fifteen contained such lotuses. They meticulously collected each one, ensuring they preserved the flowers’ integrity.

When Drake reviewed the different treasures brought by his followers, he was impressed by their resourcefulness. Among the various finds, two stood out as the most valuable. One was the vine from the evil eyes’ fog zone.

The vine was dark and twisted, with glowing fruits that seemed to pulse with energy.

Name: Mindbloom Vine

Level: Sequence 9, Peak-Stage

Description: Eating the Mindbloom Fruit will increase Psychic mastery to level 1, advanced stage, if below it, or increase by one level if in the advanced stage. No effect above the advanced stage. The vine produces fruits every three months, 10-15 per harvest.

Drake was excited about the vine. His subordinates had collected twenty vines, yielding more than three hundred fruits. The Mindbloom Fruits, each glowing with a faint, eerie light, were carefully stored in the warehouse, while the vines were planted in a secure area.

Since no one in the territory currently had psychic mastery, the fruits were unusable for now. However, Drake saw their potential. ‘These fruits will be invaluable for increasing our mental strength and defenses in the future,’ he thought.

Unlike the vines, the lotus brought back from the lava giants’ fog zone was immediately usable.

Name: Lava Lotus

Level: Sequence 9, Peak-Stage

Description: Eating its petal will raise Fire mastery to level 1, advanced stage, if below it, or increase by one level if in the advanced stage. No effect above the advanced stage.

Each Lava Lotus had hundreds of petals. Unlike the fruits from the vines, the lotus was consumable. While the fruits would grow back, the petals would not. Fortunately, they also found many lotus seeds that could be used to grow new Lava Lotus flowers. However, the lotus required extremely harsh conditions to grow, conditions not available in the territory. Until they could replicate these conditions, the lotuses had to be used sparingly.

With the ninth wave approaching, Drake ordered all the fox women with fire mastery to eat one petal each. The petals were vibrant crimson, delicate yet radiating intense heat. As the fox women consumed them, they felt a searing heat spread through their bodies.

The burning sensation was intense as if their insides were ablaze. A few minutes later, the heat subsided, replaced by a fiery aura that enveloped each of them. The ground near them scorched under the intense heat, a visible manifestation of the fire aura they had comprehended upon reaching the advanced stage of fire mastery.

Soon, the time for the ninth wave arrived. Drake accepted the challenge, and ten minutes later, the familiar vibrations in the ground signaled the approaching horde. Other than Samantha, everyone left to intercept the horde. The air was thick with anticipation, the ground trembling under the weight of the approaching monsters.

The fox women, now bolstered by their enhanced fire mastery, moved with confidence. Their fiery auras illuminated the battlefield, casting flickering shadows as they prepared to face the oncoming threat.

The difficulty of the horde increased once again. There were almost no mortal monsters weaker than veterans. Among the extraordinary monsters, there were more than a thousand rank 1s, over a hundred rank 2s, and three rank 3s serving as bosses.

As with previous waves, the horde was divided into three major groups. The first group consisted of insects, both small and large, led by a rank 3 mantis monster. The second group was made up of undead creatures, including skeletons, zombies, and ghouls, led by a rank 3 lich. The third group comprised deep divers, led by a rank 3 deep diver.

The deep diver was an aquatic humanoid monster with blue-green skin, capable of surviving on land. Its head was elongated and fish-like, with a gaping maw filled with razor-sharp teeth. Its large, lidless eyes glowed with an eerie, pale light, capable of seeing in the deepest depths of the sea. Its arms, resembling human arms but ending in webbed-clawed hands, and its back fins and eel-like tail aided in swift, silent movement through the water.

These deep divers were unlike normal fog monsters. They were chaotic but had a semblance of civilization. They mostly served Ythrl’Zhul, the Whispering Reef, and Qoth-Naal, the Leviathan of Forgotten Echoes, among a few other minor gods.

The battlefield was filled with the sounds of buzzing insects, the clattering of undead bones, and the eerie, cries of the deep divers. The ground shook under the weight of the advancing horde, and the air was thick with tension.

Drake was curious when he found out about the deep divers. Unlike normal monsters, these creatures were capable of causing spiritual pollution, which could erode their foes' sanity. The thought intrigued him; he wanted to observe or even fight one. However, he knew that if he went to the battlefield, he would only get in the way of his followers, so he controlled his curiosity.

Samantha informed him about the other major monster forces. When he learned about the three rank 3 monsters, he became solemn. Even with the recent power-ups of his followers, fighting rank 3 monsters would be a daunting challenge. The sheer number of extraordinary monsters compared to previous waves made the situation even more precarious.

‘If it were a one-on-one match, they could test their skills against those monsters,’ he thought. ‘But in a war, where ambushes can happen anytime, anywhere, we have no such leeway. A sneak attack by a rank 3 monster could result in fatal injuries or worse.’

“Take down all the rank 3 monsters as fast as possible,” Drake ordered, his voice resolute.

“But, my lord, I can’t leave you alone. It could be dangerous,” Samantha said worriedly, her eyes filled with concern.

“That’s why you have to do the job as quickly as possible. I can take care of myself until then,” Drake replied in a tone that brooked no argument.

Samantha sighed, knowing she had no choice. “As you wish, my lord. I will quickly come back after killing those vermin,” she agreed, her voice tinged with determination. She melded into the shadows and disappeared, her presence leaving a brief chill in the air.

Drake watched her go, his mind racing with thoughts of the impending battle. The air was thick with tension, the ground trembling under the weight of the approaching horde. The eerie glow of the deep divers’ eyes and the relentless march of the undead and insect forces painted a grim picture.

Her first target was the rank 3 lich. It was guarded by four rank 2 bone knights and four rank 2 zombies. The lich, with its skeletal frame and glowing eyes, was reviving undead monsters from time to time, to cope with the loss of the undead monsters, though its speed of reviving the monsters was no match to the speed by which those monsters were defeated.

As the lich chanted in the middle of a spell, Samantha moved through the shadows with deadly precision. Her first strike was swift and silent, decapitating a zombie guard. The heads of the remaining zombies followed, falling one by one so quickly that by the time the lich noticed something was off, the last zombie was already dead.

“Who dares to strike from the shadows? Show yourself, coward, and face the wrath of Krognar the Eternal! Do you not know the fate that befalls those who challenge me?” the lich, Krognar, roared in anger, his skeletal hands gripping his staff tightly.

But Samantha had no interest in engaging in small talk. She moved with lethal efficiency, shattering the skull of one of the bone knights who stood vigilantly. As the remaining knights focused on the place where their comrade fell, another bone knight’s skull was shattered by her swift strike.

Krognar, sensing the presence of an unseen enemy, quickly reacted. Just as the second bone knight fell, he fired a beam of black light from his staff toward the shadows behind the downed knight.

“There you are! Die, wretched insect!” Krognar roared triumphantly, confident his attack would hit the hidden assailant.

But the attack hit nothing but the ground. Samantha easily dodged the attack and quickly disposed of the last two bone knights, their skulls shattering under her swift strikes.

“Impossible! How dare you evade my power? Show yourself and face your doom, coward!” Krognar yelled, his voice a mixture of anger and frustration.

He fired black beams haphazardly, the dark energy crackling through the air but hitting nothing. Suddenly, he sensed a presence behind him but was too late to respond. His head was separated from his body by a swift, lethal blade.

“Foolish insect, do you not know that a lich is immortal? Do you think separating my head can kill me?” Krognar gloated as his head fell to the ground.

Samantha smirked, hearing the lich’s words. She reached into her cloak and pulled out a beating heart, showing it to the lich. Its skeletal face twisted in horror as it recognized its phylactery.

“No, you can’t. How dare you?” Krognar yelled in fear as Samantha raised her dagger and punctured the heart.

The lich's head disintegrated, its gloating turning into a scream of terror before it crumbled to dust.

Samantha already knew that to kill a lich, it was necessary to destroy its phylactery. She had deduced that Krognar wouldn’t bring it to the battlefield. Using her ability to move through shadows, she quickly found the fog zone from which Krognar had come and located the phylactery shortly after. The ease and speed with which she moved through the shadows significantly reduced her search time.

The phylactery had been hidden in a dark, foreboding cavern filled with remnants of dark rituals and ancient, decaying tomes. The heart pulsed weakly in her hand, the last vestige of Krognar’s life force. With a swift, decisive motion, she destroyed it, ensuring the lich's permanent death.

After dealing with the lich, Samantha moved towards the deep diver leader. The creature stood alone, overseeing the battle with an air of authority. It was not much larger than its brethren, but its presence was commanding. It held a trident, as tall as it was, in its webbed hands.

Samantha appeared behind it, emerging from its shadow. Just as she was about to stab it in the back, the deep diver slammed its trident into the ground. Waves of water, several meters high, erupted around it. Samantha quickly dodged, melding into the shadows of nearby trees.

She moved silently and struck its knee with a swift, powerful blow. The deep diver was not fast enough to react, and its kneecap shattered from the attack. It roared in pain, using a mental attack in retaliation. Samantha’s strong mental fortitude allowed her to resist most of the effect, but she felt slightly dizzy. This momentary lapse was enough for the deep diver to strike her with its trident.

She parried the trident with her dagger and vanished into the shadows again. The battle continued with both fighters trading blows. The deep diver was soon covered in cuts, some deep enough to reveal bone. Samantha, on the other hand, showed no signs of injury.

In its anger and pain, the deep diver roared in an unknown language. Samantha felt as if unseen entities were assaulting her brain. Her sanity began to waver, but her strong will slowed the decline.

She held on, disappearing into the shadows once more. The deep diver continued its frenzied roaring. The sound was so intense that any monsters other than deep divers perished shortly after hearing it. Only the strongest monsters managed to hold on a bit longer, but they too eventually succumbed.

Using the cover of shadows, Samantha approached the deep diver from behind. She emerged from its shadow and delivered a decisive stab to its back. The roaring ceased immediately. Without hesitation, she clutched its face and stabbed its throat, ensuring its death.

The deep diver leader fell, its body collapsing in a heap. Samantha stood over it, breathing heavily but victorious. The intense combat had tested her skills and resilience, but she had emerged unscathed and triumphant.

She took a moment to survey the battlefield. With the deep diver leader defeated, the morale of the remaining deep divers would surely falter. ‘One more down,’ she thought, her eyes narrowing with determination. ‘Time to deal with the mantis.’

She moved to her last target: a two-meter-tall mantis monster, the rank 3 leader of the insect horde. The creature’s body was covered in a hard exoskeleton, its eyes gleaming with a predatory intelligence. Its bladed arms, coated in a grey aura, signaled its advanced sword mastery.

The mantis parried her strike with one of its blades as Samantha attacked. Sparks flew as their weapons clashed. The mantis’s movements were swift and precise, showcasing its mastery. Samantha quickly retreated into the shadows, watching as the mantis scanned the area, unable to detect her when she was hidden.

Realizing that direct attacks wouldn’t work, she decided to change tactics. She had been practicing with throwing weapons, though she wasn’t yet proficient. Still, it was her best option. Moving through the shadows, she threw small blades at the mantis from different locations, constantly changing her position.

The mantis blocked many of her attacks, its blades moving in a blur. However, Samantha’s random and rapid strikes from multiple directions often caught it off guard, resulting in several hits. Despite her increased strength from the acorns, she found that the mantis’s defenses were formidable, and her attacks only caused minor injuries.

She continued her assault, throwing blades with relentless precision. The mantis's reaction time slowed as its injuries accumulated, making it increasingly vulnerable. Seeing an opening, Samantha emerged from the shadows and swiftly severed one of its bladed arms.

The mantis screeched in pain, its remaining arm lashing out wildly. Samantha dodged and retreated into the shadows again. She threw more blades, targeting the mantis’s remaining weaknesses. When the moment was right, she cut off its other arm, leaving it defenseless.

With a final, decisive move, she appeared behind the mantis and beheaded it. The creature’s head fell to the ground with a thud, its body collapsing shortly after.

Breathing heavily, Samantha surveyed the fallen monster. She felt a surge of satisfaction but knew there was no time to rest. She quickly returned to Drake’s side, ready to guard him and ensure his safety.

As she returned, she found Drake still focused on the battlefield, his expression one of determination. “All targets eliminated,” she reported, her voice steady despite the adrenaline still coursing through her veins.

Drake nodded, his eyes showing a brief flicker of relief. “Good work.”