Chapter 11: Affliction
The rain was relentless.
However, thanks to the lord’s initiative to increase personnel, the burden we faced wasn’t as overwhelming as it could have been.
The addition of personnel and supplies was implemented the day after Anon informed us. Of course, it wasn’t possible to do everything at once, but I was pleasantly surprised that after the announcement of “We will begin personnel replenishment,” the lengthy procedures and contracts took less time than I had anticipated.
Unlike my original world, the organizational structure here, from top to bottom, was remarkably streamlined, and the overwhelming power of the leaders played a significant role in this efficiency.
There are certainly pros and cons to this system, but in this instance, it worked in our favor.
“When will it stop raining?”
Deete murmured as we made our way back. We had been diligently hunting the Fog, but both Miro and Deete were exhausted from the continuous downpour. Upon returning to the mansion, Anon delivered some troubling news.
“Ichiro, the Fog has finally appeared in Arrogance and Virtuous as well.”
I couldn’t help but worry about the knights of the Arcana Kingdom in Arrogance and Virtuous, as well as Siesta and Pulmy. No matter how much I aimed to conquer the Newly Constructed Ultimate Labyrinth, I was just one person, and my capabilities were limited. It was only natural to question myself, feeling a bit ashamed for even thinking such thoughts.
Yet, despite understanding this, I couldn’t help but wish for their safety.
It had been over a week since the rain began. With the increase in personnel, I thought we could manage somehow, but that was a naive assumption.
Every time we set out, we returned drenched. The unchanging situation, coupled with the ever-growing Fog, was gradually wearing us down both physically and mentally.
Deete, especially as a Mage, looked increasingly haggard, to the point where it made me anxious just watching her. Miro and I urged her to take a few days off, and together with Miro, who possessed the Presence Detection Skill, we set out to hunt the Fog.
Several days passed, and an unusual phenomenon occurred with the Fog’s emergence. Reports began to surface about different monsters appearing.
Previously, our targets had been a combination of Fog, Corpse Persons, and Bone Warriors. This time, however, a new type of liquid monster had emerged.
Once the reports started coming in, it didn’t take long for this liquid monster to be spotted at nearly every base, and our party was no exception.
I wanted to refer to this liquid monster as the Liquid Lifeform (Fog Slime).
This creature was particularly troublesome. Being liquid, reckless sword strikes and blows had no effect whatsoever. Unless we destroyed its core or dispelled it with magic, it would repeatedly regenerate and split apart.
In the incessant rain, visibility was poor for the hunting party, making it quite a hassle to aim for the core. Additionally, the rain severely diminished the power of fire-based magic. Since fire magic often had high damage potential, many Mages specialized in it, so its restriction was a significant setback.
The limitation on fire magic due to the rain became a considerable burden for everyone involved in the hunt.
At this point, the tide of the Fog hunt began to change. It was as if the emergence of the Liquid Lifeform (Fog Slime) was proportional to our growing sense of dread.
Finally, we received a very concerning report from the hunters at Saga’s location.
According to the report, a Corpse Person that had been cut in half transformed into a liquid state and, as if splitting, morphed into two separate Corpse Persons.
A similar occurrence was noted with the Bone Warriors.
In other words, Corpse Persons and Bone Warriors exhibiting the properties of the Liquid Lifeform (Fog Slime) had been discovered.
While it was fortunate that magic was still effective against them, the fact that the monsters appearing during the Fog hunt had gained the ability to nearly nullify simple physical attacks meant our burden had grown even heavier.
“What in the world is going on… This is far too different from the last Sealed Domain…”
Sensei’s words echoed in my mind, leaving a lingering unease.