Climbing over a few hilltops, Yvette lowered her head and gazed down at a desolate forest area.

This was a basin located within the Ish Mountain Range, the site of the Corrupted Forest. Possibly due to the dense aberrant factors, some of the dead trees had sprouted tender shoots, exhibiting an eerie deep purple hue. One could only wonder if this would eventually lead to the emergence of the first plant-type aberration.

“Teacher, look!” Rosalyn suddenly exclaimed, pointing in the direction of the deep Corrupted Forest. There, a patch of grayish-white mist was spreading outward.

This was clearly not ordinary dream fog; it had a strange, grimy hue, lacking the pure, cloud-like transparency that dream fog typically possessed. The two quickly turned to the Dual Blade Demon, awaiting its explanation of the current situation.

“Why are you looking at me? Am I supposed to know everything?” the Dual Blade Demon retorted.

It seemed it didn’t know anything after all… After hesitating for a moment, Yvette pulled out a small mask from her waist pouch.

This was a homemade gas mask, constructed from a filter, a low-level spell unit, and an elemental capacitor. The spell unit contained a small-sized air purification spell, which could last about an hour, specifically designed for situations involving toxic fog.

Additionally, she carried several explosives, which had minimal damage capabilities but were primarily intended to provide position signals—effectively serving as simple signal flares.

Besides that, the only other items they carried were their alloy blades, which in Yvette’s case, were seldom used for melee combat, but she brought it along just in case.

Once Rosalyn had donned her gas mask, the three cautiously approached the fog-enshrouded Corrupted Forest, hesitating for a moment before stowing away their magitek skateboards and proceeding on foot.

After walking a few paces, Rosalyn suddenly noticed that the Dual Blade Demon had vanished.

“Hey… Mr. Demon? Where are you, Dual Blade Demon?” Rosalyn called out, clutching her teacher’s clothing tightly to avoid getting lost herself.

After no response, her voice trembled slightly as she asked, “Teacher, do you think it slipped away? Are we walking into a trap?”

“No, this fog feels wrong; it contains some kind of… spell,” Yvette said, frowning. The runic rings on her right hand flickered intermittently.

Minutes passed, and she finally removed her gas mask, confidently stating, “This isn’t toxic fog, but it’s unusual; it contains a complex spell array resembling a massive… magical circle. Its effect likely leads to disorientation and somewhat isolates sound interactions.”

“Can you break it, teacher?” Rosalyn removed her mask as well, inhaling gently. The air felt similar to that of the mountains, slightly more humid than usual.

“No… Its runes are dynamic, and there are many unknown symbols I’ve never seen before,” Yvette shook her head, a terrible suspicion arising in her mind.

Regarding the Origin Civilization, there were no unfamiliar runes on the Origin Star. Although the known basic runes exceeded 10,000, the Origin Civilization had definitively cataloged them all; they had been named, even if their properties were not fully understood. Discover more novels at n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net

Now this spell enveloping the Corrupted Forest was laced with many new runes, ones she couldn’t recognize…

Could it truly originate from beyond the universe? The apocalypse, and the truth behind the aberrations, could it be some terrifying cosmic contagion invading?

No, it could also be the result of encrypted packaging, akin to what she experienced while using the Black Tower medical encryption services in her dreams…

In a moment, a myriad of thoughts swirled in Yvette’s mind, yet her expression remained unchanged, as calm as ever. After all, at such a crucial time, as the teacher, she had to maintain her composure so that Rosalyn too could remain steady.

“What do we do next?” Rosalyn instinctively inched closer to her teacher.

“We continue forward. The fog, while disorienting, doesn’t cause harm. Although I can’t modify or hijack this magical array, I’ve found some clues; as long as we follow the correct path, we can reach the core of the spell without being led astray,” Yvette instructed.

They proceeded onward, the surrounding fog thickening further, visibility dwindling from several meters to just a few. Looking up, all they could see was a grayish-white haze, obscuring the sunlight.

Flying above would allow them to escape, but it would only reveal a forest shrouded in fog, preventing them from identifying the location of the Mother Nest — which could also be on the move, albeit slowly.

Instead, advancing through the fog while following the clues deciphered from the spells offered a better chance of locating the source of the fog.

After moving for a while, heavy footsteps reverberated from ahead. Sensing the looming threat within the fog, Yvette halted, preparing to cast a fire column to pierce through the mist when suddenly, Rosalyn drew her blade and swung toward a flickering shadow in the fog.

A round object, slick with congealed blood, fell to the ground, trailing a short, twitching, bloody tendril from its severed end.

“Is that a… human head? The Shepherd Sheep?” Upon seeing this, Yvette quickly identified the attacking aberration among the fog. Of all the Mother Nest’s guardians, only this one was capable of assaulting with human heads.

The heavy footsteps echoed closer around them, but instead of approaching directly, they circled the area, and before long, another horrific face lunged out from the fog, only to be met with Rosalyn’s blade.

Thick brain matter and black blood splattered across the cold alloy blade as she flicked the blood off. “Teacher, you keep moving; I’ll handle this guy.”

Though the initial plan had her target as the Night Stalker Demon, she was adaptable to the situation. Besides, it was crucial for her to remain behind to deal with the disturbing presence, while her teacher needed to advance; otherwise, who would clear this pesky fog?

“Fight only if you can win; there’s no need to become reckless,” Yvette advised.

In this operation, delegating part of the enemies to Rosalyn was a strategic decision. It wasn’t just because Rosalyn had shown the willingness and capability to support her teacher, but also because Yvette needed to manage her own reserve of magic—currently totaling 644 points—keeping as much strength as possible before confronting the Nest Master.

As for the Dual Blade Demon… who knows where it vanished to? It could have slipped away unnoticed, but Yvette hadn’t expected it to contribute much anyway; that was almost within the realm of her expectations.

“Okay, I won’t overexert myself,” Rosalyn nodded lightly, her tone obedient but serious in her gaze.

Thus, ignoring the incessant harassment by the Shepherd Sheep and not slowing down to care for her student, Yvette swiftly took to her magitek skateboard, gliding toward the decrypted path they had identified.

…

Meanwhile, in the fog-enshrouded Corrupted Forest, the Dual Blade Demon darted through the thick mist at an almost imperceptible speed, kicking up gusts of wind as it did so.

Moments later, a massive shadow emerged amidst the fog, forcing it to come to a rapid halt. It twisted mid-air, veering in several directions until it regained control.

As it gazed upon the approaching colossal figure, emanating an overwhelming sense of oppression, it noticed the enormous bat-like wings gradually revealing themselves from the mist. The Dual Blade Demon slowly smirked, its expression turning to one of contempt and mockery.

…

Five minutes passed, away from the area guarded by the Shepherd Sheep, and Yvette felt the fog thickening imperceptibly. However, the wind magic still held some effect, pushing the fog aside and temporarily granting them a brief glimpse of clear visibility.

Suddenly, a red point of light flared up in the thick mist, awakening her senses.

In an instant, the Crimson Armor activated, covering her body and attire. Almost immediately, a bolt of elemental energy, a chaotic blend of fire and lightning, shot out from the fog and struck toward her face. Yvette raised her arm to shield herself.

In the next second, the tumultuous magical elements erupted in her alabaster palm, dissipating the energy without leaving anything behind.

Shaking off the slight sting in her hand, Yvette maintained a stoic expression as she turned her gaze toward the source of the attack, where a half-mechanical aberration towering three stories high and covered in purplish-red flesh emerged from the fog.

Undoubtedly, this was the “Mechanical Tyrant.” Yet, unable to glean its make or model, she couldn’t determine which manufacturer produced this magitek soldier. Judging from its structure, it appeared to be artillery-type, moving on two legs with mechanical arms hosting two magical cannons capable of firing elemental bullets.

Almost instinctively, Yvette attempted to hack into it, but her efforts proved futile, indicating that the creature had not activated its data reception port.

I hope I can take it down within 150 mana points… Yvette thought silently, preparing to launch a lightning strike. However, she abruptly noticed another shadow darting from the fog nearby.

Narrowing her focus, she saw the Dual Blade Demon tumbling out of the mist, yelping as it crashed awkwardly to the ground.

“Hey… I-I have two of them! Hurry… help me…” it stammered while scrambling upright.

From the mist behind it, two immense figures soon emerged: a massive three-headed vulture and a grotesque creature with bat wings and a gray-black, rotund body, whose face featured just a gaping mouth.

“The Corrupted Beak Griffin and the Night Stalker Demon…” Yvette murmured, recalling the names Rosalyn had given them. She then glanced at the Dual Blade Demon, which was lying on the ground in a pitiful state.

Without saying a word, the look in her ruby-like eyes conveyed confusion, as if to ask why it was so pathetic and if it truly classified as a comparable aberration.

The stinging gaze struck the Dual Blade Demon hard. “W-What are you staring at? It’s only normal to struggle when facing two opponents… They are incredibly fierce! I suggest we circle around together and look for a chance to isolate one, using wit to handle the situation…”

With that, it took to the sky again, trying to regain its composure. If it weren’t for the armored face obscuring its features, one could imagine its discomfort vividly.

Yet perhaps due to the enemy’s strength exceeding expectations, it could be clearly sensed that the creature’s confidence wavered, indicating a growing doubt in Yvette’s abilities.

Without saying a word, Yvette rose into the air, multiple red and blue-white rune rings igniting around her, radiating a power that deeply unsettled the Dual Blade Demon.

Then, amid the intertwining flames and lightning, the Corrupted Beak Griffin rushed in first. The moment it got close, it let out a piercing shriek as Yvette unleashed her spell, sending it crashing backward, losing one of its heads in the process, and collapsing to the ground as it wailed.

“Holy… it’s that powerful?” The Dual Blade Demon stood there dumbfounded, but it quickly reacted, saying, “Wait, wasn’t that the target I picked…?”