Global Fog Survival

[“Fog Explorer”]

[Quest Description: National exploration of the mist region reaches 10% to settle the mission.]

[Quest Requirements: Use the lantern in your hand to explore untraveled paths. Exploring difficult and important areas will earn higher evaluations.]

[Current Global Exploration Progress: Approximately 2%.]

[Current Personal Exploration Progress: …]

[Global Quest Rewards: Explorer Armband *1, hardened black bread *9, fog points *30, all-attribute enhancement potion *1 (permanent).]

[Personal Mission Rewards: Rewards will be issued based on circumstances.]

[Hint: You vaguely feel that this mission will have some unknown impact, the nature of which is indiscernible…]

[However, it is clear that this mission can enhance the combat levels of all players.]

Colin read it several times, finding that the hint provided almost no useful information, and dismissed it.

“This ‘Civilization Investigator’ mission… I was already curious about what happened in this world. With it, I can be more proactive…”

“…However, this mission does have a huge advantage for me. I can obtain information through the hint that others find hard to get…”

“As for ‘Fog Explorer’… it aligns perfectly with what I plan to do next… No, both missions align well. After all, the underground areas I plan to explore are not only extremely dangerous but also hold many historical secrets…”

Thinking about this, Colin’s expression turned a bit strange. Was it an illusion, or did it really feel like these missions were tailor-made for him?

At this moment, Colin suddenly sensed something and looked up to meet several hopeful gazes. The survivors present were all looking at him with shining eyes.

After a moment’s thought, Colin didn’t even need a hint to understand their intentions.

“Rest assured, regarding these two missions, aside from collecting the black bread and fog points, I won’t take any of your other items.”

Colin assured them.

While he could take these items and equip his absolutely loyal subordinates, it was unnecessary.

“Great!”

“Thank you, Colin!”

“You’re such a good person!”

They visibly relaxed, smiles spreading across their faces, without a shred of doubt. The name “Colin” represented trust, without question. Moreover, after their interactions, they had come to understand Colin somewhat, knowing he wasn’t a deceitful person.

But watching them, Colin felt a bit… strange. Like he had eaten their food, left the dishes for them to clean, and intended to come back to eat again…

“By the way, Li Hang, spread this news to everyone else.”

“Yes!”

Then, Colin once again took out the “Twisted Soul” of the lord-level mutant and placed it in his right palm. Like other souls, the pale blue flame burned quietly without any heat. However, its color and the distorted human figure within were clearer. Accepting this mission required an inspiration value of more than 15.

[You think there is no life-threatening danger in accepting this mission.]

[You think your inspiration value is greater than 15…]

After asking Sanna to keep an eye on him, Colin cautiously took out the “Meditation Headscarf” and wrapped it around himself. Instantly, his brain began operating at an extremely fast pace, isolating all unnecessary external “noise.”

Boom.

His right hand clenched into a fist, and the blue flame erupted in his palm. Colin’s previously serious expression turned into one of bewilderment.

“…boom…”

“…boom!”

“…boom…”

In a deeper, dreamlike state than before, everything was silent, with only the occasional heavy footsteps breaking the stillness. In a dimly lit, enclosed space, a tall figure clad in golden ritual robes, wearing a black headscarf and a silent mask, wandered.

Unlike when Colin had seen him before, he now walks upright like a normal human. He wore a fitted white outfit, no longer bare. Even as a normal person, he stood over five meters tall, with a hunched back and an extremely muscular physique, like a legendary giant.

Only the sound of his heavy footsteps and occasional dull thuds, possibly from killing some creature in the darkness, echoed. He seemed to be guarding something silently.

During this “long” guardianship, Colin witnessed the giant’s height slowly increase, his body becoming bloated and harder to look at. He grew so tall that he had to crouch in the dark space. His clothes were corroded by the pus from his deformed body, leaving him as “bare” as Colin had first seen him.

It was an extremely painful and long process, but he remained silent, fulfilling his duty and blocking something from coming through. This determination reminded Colin of the priest he had encountered before, evoking a sense of pity.

Finally, with a thud, his will completely dissipated, and he fully succumbed to becoming a terrifying mutant, falling before the “gate” he was guarding…

The vision was about to end.

However, Colin’s body suddenly trembled, an intense sense of dread washing over him.

Something went wrong!

Instantly, mysterious forces from the dream-like state surged, overwhelming him. What terrified Colin more was that the scene before him was rapidly changing, dragging him into a dreadful abyss!

“No, this is…”

Colin’s dream consciousness suddenly realized that he seemed to have returned to the “battlefield” from not long ago! He was in the same spot, with a female figure beside him, but everything was infinitely blurry.

The only “clear” thing in this world was the three-meter-tall, charred, and twisted “Mourning Watcher” standing before him! It was looking down at him!

At this moment…

Colin suddenly remembered the watcher’s slight bow of the head before it died. Now, he looked up, meeting the gaze of the terrifying entity, unable to move.

This was exactly his posture back then.

History seemed to be repeating itself in another form.

What to do?

As Colin quickly thought of how to deal with this situation, he heard a strange voice. It seemed to come from a terrifying entity that had never spoken before.

It said only one sentence…

“Outsiders, you will all die here.”