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As the name suggested, the Smog Plains were thick with fog, making it difficult to see far ahead. What was even more terrifying was that the only structures here were the fences surrounding the plains, making it nearly impossible to estimate distance using the surrounding area.
‘The lack of landscape features is a bit risky.’
Cadel looked around the plains and clicked his tongue briefly. If the environment was like this, there was no choice but to compete with skills. It was considerably burdensome for Cadel, who was not confident in his skills.
Van approached Cadel from the side, perhaps because he was concerned about his worried expression.
“I’ll be on the lookout, Commander. In the meantime, get some rest.”
“Hmm? No, it’s okay. If there’s an open plain like this, you can see everything just by turning your head.”
He had only known Van for less than a day, but he had a tendency to overprotect Cadel. Van usually didn’t rely on him for anything.
‘...But. I have to show my reliable side to build that kind of trust.’
Cadel, who was not optimistic about it, summoned Ron and Babil, who were looking around anxiously.
“There is still time before the moon rises, so let’s take a break. After that, how about taking one shift per person and monitoring the monsters’ direction of approach?”
“Tha, that’s fine. Let’s do that.”
“Damn, I don’t know if I’ll be able to relax because my heart is pounding.”
They sat as close to the fence as possible and began to unpack the luggage. Cadel invited Van to eat, but was vehemently rejected, so in the end he ate half the beef jerky. I hadn’t eaten properly all day, so I continued eating the jerky that tasted like I was chewing paper.
‘If Cadel Laitos dies
 will I die too?’
Looking up at the hazy sky covered in mist, Cadel was deep in thought. He had possessed the main character in the game, so he didn’t know whether ‘save points’ or ‘resurrection’ would be possible. But he couldn’t test it out either. No sane person would risk their life on a risky gamble.
‘I must survive. And
’
His gaze, which captured the increasingly dark blue sky, moved slowly. In his dark brown eyes, the face of Van, who was occupying the seat next to him, was reflected.
‘You must not fail.’
Getting a chance to survive after being hit by a truck was so lucky. Naturally, such a fortune couldn’t be given twice. So, I had no choice but to do my best every moment.
Cadel, who had strengthened his will, tilted the water bottle and wet his mouth. At the same time, Ron’s terrified voice resounded.
“Everyone, the moon has risen!”
The fence only bordered three sides.
In a way, it was reasonable, but then this operation would be ruined. Not only could someone be surrounded, but the escape routes would also be blocked, and if the fence broke during battle, the trapped monsters would scatter in all directions. If that happened, Bills Village would be the first to suffer damage, it would be impossible to avoid taking responsibility from Viscount Straw.
That was the reason why, on the night of the new moon, they made their way through the disturbing mix of darkness and fog towards the center, as far away from the fence as possible.
“Didn’t you say you were a mage? I think it would be a lot more comfortable if you made something like a tent.”
Babil, who was in charge of east out of the four directions, spoke in a tense voice. Cadel watched the north, which he was assigned, and responded indifferently.
“There’s no need to waste my magic to comfort you. Don’t worry. When the time comes, I will figure it out.”
Of course, it was a lie. Cadel didn’t know how to make embers, let alone a tent. It was because Van had stuck next to him for the rest of the break, and he couldn’t possibly practice making a fire next to his subordinates. A commander with neither money nor skills would be abandoned.
‘If monsters appear, I’ll leave the fighting to Van first. I guess I can try pretending to be a rear supporter and attack from there.’
After all, a mage was in a position to support knights from the back. No one would find it strange.
Cadel, who had made a quick plan, managed to catch his breath. Since birth, he had obviously never seen anything called a monster, not even once. How would he have seen a nonexistent being? At most, seeing monsters appearing in fictional worlds like movies or cartoons left impressions like ‘it looks disgusting’ and ‘lost my appetite’.
‘Let’s be careful not to pass out in an unsightly manner.’
He swallowed dryly.
The plain, where no grass was growing, was nothing but dry soil and broken pieces of stone. The thick fog that covered the disorganized and rough floor had a gloomy atmosphere. Even the slight moonlight was just enough to illuminate the mist faintly. The limited vision, harsh breathing, and moist air affected their senses with unpleasant tension.
Cadel narrowed his eyes and looked carefully at the path they were taking.
Even if something approached, its outline would be visible from a fairly close distance due to the fog. If you didn’t focus, having to face it at this distance would be a shock.
Cadel, who was concentrating on his five senses to the extreme, put much strength into both eyes. And then, at that very moment

From the north, a very small outline suddenly appeared. It was a small shadow that shook like a candle’s shadow. Whatever its identity, the fact that there was something didn’t change. After making a quick judgement, Cadel opened his mouth to announce the arrival of an enemy.
“Some, something’s here!”
“Here too!”
“Commander, here!”
The ones in charge of the three directions—east, west, and south—shouted at the same time.
“What, what?! Are we under siege?”
While shouting, the terrified Ron hesitated and began retreating. There was no time to panic. Cadel turned back and pushed Ron and Babil in Van’s direction.
“Start the battle! We’ll break through from the south with Van leading the way! You guys, watch the rear and support Van!”
It was bad enough that this place was a plain, but Cadel hadn’t expected them to come from all directions like this at the start. Fortunately, he had an excellent knight.
As soon as Cadel’s command was given, Van pulled out a heavy sword and held it in his hand. As soon as he gathered his energy without delaying, a sharp red aura began wrapping around the wide blade.
In an instant, Van’s eyes were dyed bright red.
He rushed forward, leaving the tense others behind. His heavy sword pierced the front and rushed in.
Swish—
The movements were accompanied by wind. A powerful blow pushed the fog away, revealing the landscape beyond.
“Undead!”
Ron cried sharply. Babil also hurriedly drew his sword and ran after Van. But Cadel couldn’t follow them. It was because his legs were as stiff as wood.
‘Wh, what’s that
?’
The appearance of the monster that the fog had been covering was revealed, and Cadel became shocked. Simply put, it was a zombie.
But more specifically, first of all, they didn’t have a neck. Instead, they held their heads, which should’ve been on their necks, preciously. There were no eyes in the head, and no nose bones, so only two holes were pierced shallowly. The lips had melted hideously and were sparsely attached to the top and bottom of the mouth hole, as if spiderwebs had been spread there.
Secondly, they were completely naked, covered with blue mold and black holes. It was disgusting enough to make you feel nauseous just looking at it.
‘Things like that are coming from all the directions?’
It was terrible!
Legs shaking all over and not daring to look around, Cadel managed to get up the courage to run to Van. He decided that it would be safer to stick with him.
It was not a wrong decision.
Van fired off a red sword at such speed that it was hard to believe he was wielding a greatsword. A crescent-shaped sword pierced the upper body of the undead along with the mist.
His red eyes moved around like an animal’s, grasping the enemy’s movements. The undead was slow and dull, but it wasn’t an easy race to attack. Rather, it belonged to the annoying side.
“Commander! They’re ‘Head Pitchers’! You need to create a cloak!”
Van, who was slashing monsters constantly, shouted. Cadel, terrified by the powerful cry, was startled and groaned.
Right.
They were horrendous monsters and he was trying to resist vomiting, but they were all targets he had to kill. Even if he hadn’t planned on giving rear support a little while ago.
‘Fuck fuck fuck, you can do this
’
Cadel, who cursed a mouthful inwardly, bowed his head and clenched his teeth. It seemed like it would be better to not see the monsters.
‘Magic come out, come out magic, please come out
!’
He exerted strength from head to toe. His face burned red as if it was about to explode, and his muscles contracted tightly, accompanied by bitter pain.
The magic cloak was a skill that all attribute magic had, basically. Simply put, it was a shield. Cadel gave strength to his body desperately, recalling the image of the cloak he had seen in the game.
“The heads fly! Don’t touch them!”
“Mage! Unfold the cloak!”
Ron and Babil shouted loudly, but Cadel didn’t hear them. Inside him, the extreme concentration drawn from the conflict of ‘survival’ and ‘fear’ was slowly eroding his mind.
In an instant, Cadel felt a strange sensation of something hot running through his body. It wasn’t blood. It was hotter faster, and closer to a kind of innate energy.
‘Draw on this energy.’
Only by drawing out this energy could the cloak be created. Cadel, who instinctively realized the truth, twisted the flow of energy with all his might. Then, he felt a surge of intense heat that couldn’t be compared to before.
***
TL:
I was busy reading Throne of Magical Arcana and totally forgot about this lol