Chapter 52 Ignis Fatuus Fog Cave (1)

Chapter 52 Ignis Fatuus Fog Cave (1)

The Ignis Fatuus Fog Cave was like an endless maze, seemingly with no end in sight. It was like a vast dungeon.

The elusive fog covered the entire cave, within its inner depths, it gave off a helpless ambiance of hopelessness.

Despite this concern, Rain continued to run deeper into the cave.

With a skill that helped resist any kind of mental influence, the ignis fatuus fog was nothing threatening to him—uncomfortable, perhaps, but not dangerous.

That skill was called [Transcendence].

The most mysterious and unfathomable skill he possessed even among his wide arsenal of strong skills.

Even to him, he didn't understand it very well. But that skill was what helped him stay calm through many situations and be in control of his own mind.

[Transcendence] gave him an edge over the exploration of unknowns and dangerous lands, making him immune to mental attacks.

However, Lance on the other hand...

Rain furrowed his brows. Now, Lance—he wasn't so sure. He knew Lance was strong, call it an instinct. But he was not sure if the nobleman had some resistance to such mental influence.

'I hope you're okay.'

Despite just meeting Lance, Rain felt obligated to save him. He acknowledges it as foolish, but he would never let another person die in front of him again.

After a while of running, he finally caught sight of a blonde-haired man slightly standing in a daze, looking at some place distantly.

"Lance! Are you alright?"

Seeing him, Rain immediately called out with a relieved expression.

Snapping out of his daze, Lance turned to look at Rain with an irate expression, clearly unappreciative of his presence.

"... It's you again, commoner. Why are you here? I told you not to follow me anymore."

Rain smiled sheepishly.

"I was worried. You suddenly disappeared before me, I thought you were affected by the cave fog and were lured inside."

Lance showed an expression of disdain towards his words. He looked all over the cave before shaking his head.

"This thin fog affecting me? I've had worse,"

Without bothering to explain that vague statement, he suddenly turned around and strolled across the foggy cave like it was nothing.

Rain was left confused but didn't think about it any further. If it was important, then it was probably something he shouldn't know about.

He quickly followed after Lance, both of them walking unaffectedly in the elusive and mysterious foggy cave.

With no one talking among them, a strange creepy silence erupted.

This silence was preserved for quite some while. Before Lance, unexpectedly, spoke and asked a question.

"Did you meet someone after coming here?"

"Besides you? No. Not at all."

Rain frowned and shook his head. He wanted to ask what it was about—but out of nowhere, a dragon cry suddenly echoed throughout the fog cave.

RAAAAA!

It was a cry of fury in its highest form. Rain immediately realized it was the dream wyvern's cry of anger.

The dream wyvern was furious, making the entire fog cave tremble. The silent calm fog was like a raging whirlwind, turning harsh and unrestrained as it made everything blurry and strange.

Lance, as though realizing something, snickered.

"It seems my hunch was true. Someone was here other than us,"

"Really? I couldn't sense very well due to the cave fog's obstruction,"

"Even I couldn't sense anything, much less you. I saw a moving figure earlier, but you suddenly took me by surprise so I lost sight of them."

Lance admitted bluntly. He looked in the direction where the dream wyvern's cry came from before suddenly sprinting in that direction.

"Hey! Wait!"

Rain widened his eyes and shouted. He immediately followed after Lance, chasing behind his figure with both of them sprinting away.

***

In the depths of Ignis Fatuus Fog Cave, a large crystalline den was situated.

Crystal rock shone on the walls, shimmering brightly. The den was beautiful and mesmerizing. The fog of Ignis Fatuus roamed the place, adding to the place's mystery and wonderment.

The sheen of crystalline walls and ores reflected an extraordinarily large nest in the middle of the den.

Upon closer inspection, the nest was absent of any eggs.

From the corner, Rain Violetstar and Lance Schultz walked out with varying expressions as they looked above them. n0vεluSb.C0m

Above the crystalline den, an enthralling wyvern with soft white scales and furious red eyes flapped its wings in anger.

With a glance, both Rain and Lance recognized it as the dragon silhouette they had seen prior to entering.

"A beast emperor... the dream wyvern..."

Seeing its furious appearance, Rain let out a sigh of mixed feelings. It appeared he had no choice but to use his power again.

No matter how much he was used to it, the pain within him never reduced. Instead, he felt more and more terror and pain as he wielded his sword.

At this moment, he felt his eyes go slightly vacant.

Thud!

"If you're going to hesitate and act afraid right now, you shouldn't have followed me in the first place. Are you a clown?"

Before Rain could react, Lance suddenly pushed him away and stood in front of him. He faced the dream wyvern on his own, taking out his spear.

Seeing his back, Rain felt a mix of bitterness and anger towards his words but couldn't muster a response.

Lance was right. What was the point of being here if he was going to act like a coward and be lost in his hesitation?

'How can I save anyone with how I act...?'

Rain thought for a moment. After a few seconds, he let out a deep breath and stood up to walk beside Lance.

Thump! Thump...

"Don't try to handle something above your level. Stay away. I'll handle this. I'd appreciate it more if you run and leave me by."

Seeing him stand up, Lance said in an unamused tone. He clenched the handle of his spear tightly before landing it on the ground.

"Lance, has anyone told you that you're irritating?"

Rain shook his head and muttered, much to Lance's surprise. He looked at the dream wyvern before turning to Lance with a kind smile.

"I insist that I should help you. I don't think you stand much of a chance without me, as a matter of fact, perhaps you should take a step back and let me handle it."

Rain spoke with a 'kind' and 'truthful' expression.

Seeing his irritating face, Lance smiled unkindly. He felt his hands clench the spear more tightly, as though utterly furious.

"Clown, has anyone told you that you speak too much?"

"Hm? That's funny. Schultz, has anyone told you that you complain too much?"

Rain tilted his head and looked at him in confusion, much to Lance growing irritation and fury.

While they were taking jabs against each other, the dream wyvern was trembling in anger and roared furiously.

"ROAAAAAAR—!"

Woosh—! Crack—!

The crystalline den rumbled strongly, turning the surrounding fog sharp and harsh whilst the crystal walls shattered.

Rain and Lance suddenly fell silent. They looked at each other and silently communicated with their gazes.

Rain reached out to his sword, flinching before forcing his hands to hold it. He took a deep breath and turned to look above the den.

However, at that moment, an unexpected scene unfolded.

Woosh!

At that moment, a whirring sound resounded. Under their gaze, a translucent arrow with mesmerizing features shot out.

Unable to react in time, the dream wyvern could only slightly move its body before it was hit by the translucent arrow.

Boom!

The arrow pierced through its eyes and exploded upon contact. The dream wyvern cried out in pain and suddenly fell to the ground.

On its descent, the crystalline ground suddenly morphed into thorny spikes. The dream wyvern couldn't move its body and fell towards the spikes!

Screech—!

With a loud screech, the dream wyvern's body was pierced by the crystalline thorns, impaled to the ground with a pained expression.

Rain and Lance couldn't believe what they saw. At that moment, they heard footsteps from the corner and turned to look.

From the corner—a beautiful young woman with short black hair and ethereal green eyes walked out slowly, holding a bow and arrow.

She had an icy cold demeanor, looking towards the dream wyvern with an expression of indifference and callousness. Her eyes flashed an emotion of disappointment.

"Weak, inaccurate and slow, unrefined and without grace. I missed my mark slightly. It's still far from perfection..."

Hearing her words, Lance snapped out of his daze and turned wary. He looked at her and asked.

"Who are you?"

With a bow and arrow in her hand, the young woman turned to look at both of them with an aloof and cold gaze.

"...Sumi Aethereal."