A pitch-black darkness.
A voice filled with hatred echoed. It was a familiar voice she had heard in the past.
Hatred toward her father. And fury directed at his child.
She saw people shedding tears of suffering. They were familiar faces. People who had once attacked her father, consumed by intense hatred and deep resentment.
Whenever Choi Seo-yoon recalled memories of her childhood with her father, only such moments came to mind.
Walking down the road together, only to be ambushed by someone. Facing harsh criticism from strangers. She had lived in constant anxiety, never knowing when another attack or condemnation would come.
Yet, Choi Seo-yoon could not feel anger or hostility toward those who attacked the Choi family.
Because their faces were always filled with sorrow and agony.
― I will live my entire life with hatred.
― Bring them back to life!
Choi Seo-yoon took a step back. Countless people, their faces filled with tears, advanced toward her like zombies.
Their voices gradually grew rough. Overwhelmed by fear, she instinctively cast a spell in panic.
Instead of her usual sharp, vividly formed ice spear, she conjured a crude chunk of ice.
This magic reflected her mental state.
It was proof that she had expended too much imagination and mental energy, both essential for spellcasting.
Choi Seo-yoon stretched out her hand and released the magic.
Shuuu! Thud!
A person was struck by the magic and collapsed. Since the attack lacked the sharpness of a spear, it only left a bruise.
“……!”
At that moment, the people suddenly began gathering in one spot.
Flesh mixed together, slowly forming a single grotesque shape.
A body composed of multiple faces, numerous arms, and legs.
At the horrifying sight, Choi Seo-yoon trembled in terror and stepped back again.
― ……Choi Seo-yoon!
Just then, a voice came from somewhere. It resonated as if spoken directly into her head.
But lost in panic, Choi Seo-yoon did not hear it.
She could think of nothing, faced with the horrific entity before her.
― ……Hey! Snap out of it!
― ……Everything you see is an illusion. A nightmare!
The voice called out again. And this time, Choi Seo-yoon managed to regain a sliver of composure.
An illusion.
What she was seeing was nothing but an illusion. It was a manifestation of her fears, brought forth by the magical disaster known as the ‘Nightmare Fog.’
Only then did Choi Seo-yoon realize it.
Strength returned to her trembling fingertips.
She took a deep breath, regaining her composure. The fear that had filled her eyes just moments ago was gone.
Above her head, a new spell took form.
The air turned icy cold. A surge of powerful magical energy. A razor-sharp spear tip.
Her magic had returned to its usual, precise state.
― ……Hit it with everything you’ve got!
Choi Seo-yoon stretched out her hand. She swallowed hard and unleashed her spell.
Swoooosh!
A heavy rainstorm thundered loudly in her ears.
“Are you okay?”
When she opened her eyes, a familiar man’s face, wet from the rain, came into view.
It was a face she had been seeing almost as often as her close friend, Song Seung-ah.
The voice that had called out to her in the nightmare must have belonged to him.
Her voice trembled with emotion as she answered.
“……Y-Yes. I-I’m okay.”
At her words, Kim Sunwoo gave a faint smile.
“You overcame it well. Good job.”
His voice was unusually gentle.
She found it somewhat embarrassing to hear him speak like that.
As she absentmindedly touched her damp hair, she tried to stand, but her legs gave out, and she slumped back down.
“My legs… they won’t hold me up.”
“Just rest for a bit. Your body is still shaken from the mist’s fear.”
Kim Sunwoo’s voice was calm.
His reassurance gave Choi Seo-yoon a sense of stability, even in this unsettling situation.
Kim Sunwoo then stood up and surveyed their surroundings.
He was likely staying on guard in case of another monster attack.
Choi Seo-yoon blankly gazed up at him before speaking.
“……Did you see it too, Sunbae?”
“See what?”
“The nightmare.”
“I saw it.”
Kim Sunwoo answered plainly.
Unlike her, whose heart was still pounding, he appeared completely composed.
She grew curious.
What had he seen? Judging by his calm demeanor, had his nightmare been nothing significant?
“What did you see, Sunbae?”
Kim Sunwoo fell silent. His face was expressionless.
For a moment, it seemed like he was deep in thought before he finally spoke.
“……You don’t need to know.”
It was the answer she had expected.
She always felt that this senior of hers had many secrets.
Still, the fact that he refused to share it—perhaps that meant he had also witnessed something truly horrifying.
“What is this, though?”
Choi Seo-yoon noticed a glowing circular mark on the back of her hand.
Kim Sunwoo stared at it for a moment, then held up his own hand.
“I have one too.”
“Huh? Really? What do you think this is?”
“Maybe it’s something like an entry qualification for a field dungeon.”
“Huh?”
Choi Seo-yoon looked puzzled at his sudden remark.
“There are times when dungeons aren’t just open to anyone. Some require specific conditions to be met before you can enter.”
“Oh, I think I get what you mean. So this mark is the qualification?”
“It’s possible. The Nightmare Fog could actually be the entry condition for a hidden field dungeon on this island.”
That made sense.
No, the more she thought about it, the more convinced she was that Kim Sunwoo was right.
His insight was impressive.
No wonder he always aced theoretical exams.
“So, there’s probably a dungeon somewhere on this island?”
“There’s a high chance.”
“……That’s fascinating.”
Choi Seo-yoon murmured to herself as she studied the glowing mark on her hand.
At that moment, Kim Sunwoo spoke.
“Since things have come to this, want to try conquering the dungeon?”
“The dungeon? Just the two of us?”
“Yeah. It’s not impossible.”
His confident words made Choi Seo-yoon hesitate for a moment.
Conquering a dungeon.
Entering a dungeon without knowing its difficulty level was risky.
But with Kim Sunwoo’s skills, maybe they could make it to the final stage.
Besides, he wouldn’t suggest it if it were truly impossible.
“But my legs aren’t moving right now.”
“That’s fine. We don’t have to go immediately. We’ll wait until you recover, then try.”
“……Alright. But if the dungeon is too difficult, we leave immediately, okay?”
“Of course.”
Whooosh.
Just then, a cold wind brushed against her body.
Her rain-soaked clothes stole her warmth.
Though she had been taking shelter under a massive tree, the relentless downpour couldn’t be fully avoided.
Choi Seo-yoon shivered slightly from the chill.
“Are you cold?”
“……I can manage for now. But I might catch a cold tomorrow.”
At her words, Kim Sunwoo seemed to consider something before speaking.
“That won’t do. We need to move. If we stay here, I’ll end up catching a cold too. Not to mention, we’re vulnerable to monster attacks.”
“But my legs…”
“Get on my back.”
“Huh?”
I was running swiftly through the fog with Choi Seo-yoon on my back.
To minimize the time spent in the rain, I enhanced my body with magic and ran at full speed.
The ground was wet and squelching from the rain, and the wind was growing stronger, making it dangerous.
But since I had been training my body consistently, I didn’t lose my balance.
“Am I not heavy?”
While I was still running, Choi Seo-yoon asked cautiously from behind me.
“You’re damn heavy.”
“Ugh. Put me down.”
“Be quiet. You’re noisy.”
“…….”
At my irritated response, Choi Seo-yoon fell silent for a moment.
“But where are we going right now?”
“Somewhere to take shelter from the rain.”
After running for about three minutes, I found a small cave on the mountainside.
I entered the cave and carefully set her down on the ground.
“Let’s rest here for a bit.”
I conjured a magic orb to illuminate the cave.
Then, I picked up some dry firewood that had fallen on the ground and gathered them together.
After placing the wood in front of her, I took out a match that I had prepared in advance in case of a storm and lit a fire.
“When did you even bring matches?”
Whoosh.
As the campfire flared up, warmth spread through the air.
I rolled up part of my shirt and wrung out the water.
Seeing me, Choi Seo-yoon hesitated before turning around and doing the same.
I looked at the rain pouring outside the cave.
The rain would last for quite some time. At least three days.
Although the special training was planned for two days and one night, the storm would prevent any boats from setting sail, so we would be stuck on this foggy island for more than three days.
That meant there was plenty of time.
My goal was to conquer the Nightmare Fog Dungeon, after all.
Time passed.
Absentmindedly, I checked the newly acquired messages.
[‘Overcoming the Nightmare Fog’ achievement has been unlocked.]
[Reward: 5,000 points.]
[Character ‘Choi Seo-yoon’ has increased her interest in you.]
[Choi Seo-yoon’s interest level in you: Lv. 3.]
[Reward: 3,000 points.]
What the heck.
Earning 5,000 points from the achievement made sense, but her interest level had risen again.
“Hmm.”
I wasn’t sure exactly why her interest level had gone up, but since I earned points, I should just take it as a good thing.
Or maybe…
At that moment, Choi Seo-yoon broke the silence and spoke to me.
“When do you think the rain will stop?”
“The rain? In about three days.”
“Three days?”
“Yeah. Even if we return to the villa, we won’t be able to set sail because of the weather.”
“This typhoon came without any warning…”
Choi Seo-yoon sighed and tapped her leg with a troubled expression.
The next morning.
After waking up, Choi Seo-yoon and I ventured deep into the fog.
We didn’t know the dungeon’s exact location, but as long as we kept walking deeper into the fog, it would eventually guide us there.
—Krrrhhh…
A bizarre wailing sound echoed through the mist.
Choi Seo-yoon flinched but quickly steeled her expression and pressed forward.
Before long, the fog became so thick that we could barely see ahead.
At that moment, a message appeared before my eyes.
[You have entered the ‘Nightmare Fog.’]
[‘Entering a Field Dungeon’ achievement unlocked.]
[Reward: 5,000 points.]
“Finally, we made it.”
The method to clear this field dungeon was simple.
Direction, location, destination—none of those mattered.
All we had to do was walk through the fog and keep defeating monsters until we eventually reached the dungeon’s final destination.
“Be careful. Monsters could ambush us at any time.”
“Got it.”
—Kraaaak!
Suddenly, a massive monster bear leaped out from the fog.
It charged at me, swinging its front paw.
Whoosh!
I barely dodged its attack.
Just as I was about to counterattack, I felt a surge of powerful magic energy behind me.
At the same time, a huge ice spear shot forward, piercing the bear’s back.
—Kruuugh!
The monster bear collapsed to the ground.
“Oh.”
A clean strike.
It was even more precise than her usual magic skills.
Noticing the difference herself, Choi Seo-yoon stared at the magic forming in her hand and muttered.
“That’s strange. It feels like my magic is working better today.”
“Probably because of the fog and rain. The terrain matches well with ice attributes.”
Magic attributes interact with the environment.
In icy regions, ice magic becomes more powerful.
Likewise, when it rains, water magic strengthens.
Since water and ice are closely related, the fog and rain likely enhanced her magic.
“Oh, that makes sense. No wonder it’s easier to cast.”
Choi Seo-yoon murmured as if realizing something.
We continued walking through the fog.
Endless monster ambushes.
Illusions and traps appearing along the way.
We kept advancing, dealing with each obstacle as it came.
“I wonder what the others are doing.”
Choi Seo-yoon suddenly spoke, lost in thought.
“Who knows. Most of them have probably returned to the villa by now.”
“You think so?”
For a moment, Lee Seo-jun crossed my mind.
What was he doing right now?
Originally, he should have been in my position.
Would this change create an unforeseen variable?
I felt a slight sense of concern.
…Well, it probably didn’t matter.
In the original story, this dungeon’s rewards were meant for Choi Seo-yoon anyway.
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