Amid Tang Mian’s effusive praise, Karl’s energy and spirits visibly improved.

“By the way, Karl.” Tang Mian clenched his fists and rested them under his chin, asking eagerly, “Do you think the fog is still thick?”

Karl paused for a moment and looked around. “The fog has suddenly thinned out a lot.”

“Actually, to me, the density of the mist hasn’t really changed at all—it’s basically always been this kind of light mist.”

Karl looked at Tang Mian in astonishment: “How is that possible?”

“Karl, don’t you think the density of the fog might be related to our Sanity value and emotions? The more afraid and panicked we are, the thicker the fog is. When panic reaches a certain level, you might even see hallucinations, just like you did.”

Karl thought for a moment. “It’s kind of like this. But Tang Mian, aren’t you… aren’t you scared?”

How could an ordinary villager not be scared when faced with something like this? But Tang Mian… Tang Mian curled the corners of his lips, his dimples faintly visible: “With Karl here, I feel totally at ease~”

“So please don’t put too much pressure on yourself, Karl. I’ve always believed that you are the best hunter in our whole village!”

That faint hint of suspicion and doubt that had yet to surface vanished completely in that moment. Karl’s heart felt like it was on fire, beating so fast—faster even than when he’d encountered the mist monsters. Yet the fog before his eyes had completely dissipated, leaving only Tang Mian’s face in sharp relief.

“Thank you, Tang Mian. After the holy protection decree was damaged, I had already planned to give up. But now—whether for you, for our village, or for myself, I’m determined to give it another try,” Karl promised. His voice was soft, yet every word was spoken with unwavering resolve.

Tang Mian blinked. “Try what?”

“Legend has it that deep within the mist forest lies a formation left behind by the angels long ago. As long as we place the holy protection decree inside it, the formation will reactivate and trap the mist monsters.”

“Once you pass through that small patch of woods, you’ll see the path back to our village. I won’t be able to walk you any further from here.” After saying this, Karl turned and walked back into the mist.

Tang Mian stood obediently where he was, watching Karl walk away.

System: 【Aren’t you going to follow him and fight side by side?】 

Tang Mian: 【?】

Tang Mian said in a tone reminiscent of a child muttering to himself: 【Wouldn’t that just be getting in the way? He’s already struggling enough as an injured person—and now he has to drag me, this dead weight, along with him. That’d be such a hassle.】

On the way here, it had actually been Karl who’d been adjusting his pace to accommodate Tang Mian, walking relatively slowly. Now that he was on his own, his strides were wider.

System: 【…As long as you know what you’re doing, that’s fine】

System: 【You don’t have to call yourself a “burden.” I didn’t expect you to figure out that Sanity value is related to the mist. When did you realize that?】

For once, it actually had a slightly better impression of Tang Mian. 

Tang Mian: 【Before we entered the dungeon, I think.】

System: 【?】 I just complimented you a little, and you’re already getting all worked up? 

Tang Mian: 【Didn’t you forget the description in the Battle Angel’s card log? “Your heart is like a melancholic forest shrouded in thick mist.”* I’ve read a lot of the Battle Angel’s card logs, and I don’t think he’s the kind of artsy guy who spouts nonsense for no reason, so the answer was practically staring me in the face—】

System: 【?】

Tang Mian: 【Fog, Heart, Sanity—clearly, fog is related to Sanity】

System: 【……….. 】Where’s the “obvious” part?! How on earth did these two end up searching for kindred spirits in the mountains and stinking waters? 

Tang Mian: 【So, sweetie, stop worrying. The reason I chose this dungeon is because even though my combat value is only 1, I have a powerful, beautiful, kind, warm, cute, and fun heart ~】

As he spoke, Tang Mian gave a little wink and casually formed a tiny heart shape with his index finger and thumb. 

System: 【….】This is so painful.

Tang Mian walked cheerfully forward and, sure enough, spotted a small path not far ahead. Someone seemed to be standing at the end of the path.

Tang Mian raised his hand and waved.

Mid-wave, Tang Mian suddenly realized something—

Why was that “person” waving at exactly the same rhythm as him?

In an instant, a chilling, clammy sensation of being watched—like an impenetrable fog—enveloped Tang Mian, sending shivers down his exposed skin.

……

【Your friend · Battle Angel has requested to watch your match】 

Battle Angel: “That N card guy is running dungeons with you? Relying solely on images and voice chat, it’s easy to misjudge things. In spectator mode, I’ll be able to see a lot more. On the battlefield, we’re opponents, but when it comes to love, as your good brother, I’ll be your strongest support.” 

The Demon King was deeply moved: “That’s so Silverwing, bro! I appreciate your gesture, but I’ll pass on the spectator mode.”

Damn it! He’d been searching for that Mist Monster for ages and hadn’t even found a trace of it. If that bird-man saw this, where would his lifelong reputation go?!

Battle Angel: “You aren’t secretly acting as that N card’s lackey, are you?”

Demon King:“?!”

The Demon King roared in fury: “What the hell is that nonsense?! Does that even make sense?! Do I look like the kind of card that would do that?!”

Although he didn’t know why before, every time he saw Tang Mian’s face, the Demon King felt that he was the purest, cutest, kindest, most fragile, and most helpless card in the whole world—one that made him want to wag his tail the moment he laid eyes on him.

And all that analysis the Battle Angel had given earlier was utter nonsense—not a single word was to his liking.

But when Tang Mian pulled up his hood, covering most of his beautiful face, the Demon King felt his sanity return, and his common sense regained the upper hand.

Demon King: “I’m currently exploring the mist forest, just wandering around. Earlier, as soon as I arrived, I set the whole place ablaze, so I haven’t had a chance to take a good look at the scenery yet. I have to say, it really is quite beautiful.”

“Ding-dong~”

【Party Chat】

【Tang Mian: Boss, save me! A Mist Monster is lying in wait for me, aaaah!!!】

Demon King: “Damn! Bro, I’ve got something urgent to take care of—I’m outta here—”

【The Demon King has declined your request to spectate.】 

Meanwhile.

【Mist Forest · NPC Karl is inviting you to join the dungeon】

Tang Mian raised his other hand to wave, and the “person” across from him raised their other hand almost simultaneously. 

System: 【Current Sanity value: 85/100】

Tang Mian maintained his raised-hand “surrender” pose and took an awkward yet polite step backward. His feet crunched through the soft leaves, producing a faint rustling sound.

The sound was faint, but it rang out particularly jarringly in the deathly silent forest.

The figure slowly lowered its hand, then began walking rapidly toward Tang Mian, step by step. 

Tang Mian: “….”

As Tang Mian turned and ran away as fast as he could, he ranted furiously at the system: 【Aaaahhhhh! Next time, I’m definitely going to make Karl take me all the way home! Aaaahhhhh!】

The sound of rustling footsteps grew louder as they closed in; within a few breaths, they were right behind Tang Mian. A surging chill swept over her, and as far as the eye could see, everything was thick gray fog.

Rustle. Rustle.

The footsteps were so close they seemed to be right by Tang Mian’s ear; the spine-chilling scraping sound exploded against his back. It was too late…

No matter how fast he ran, he couldn’t outrun the speed of sound.

The headwind blew the hood off his head, sweeping his golden hair back from his forehead and revealing his slightly widened green eyes— During a general knowledge class at Card Academy, Tang Mian had once heard his teacher say that the speed of light is approximately 880,000 times the speed of sound.

Back then, he hadn’t really grasped the concept; it was only on thunderstorm days, when he saw the lightning arrive before the thunder, that he would occasionally recall this fact he’d learned long ago.

Until this very moment.

Amid the gray, murky fog blanketing the entire sky, silvery-white cracks appeared in utter silence—like a dense network of lightning, or the outlines of wings.

Everything fell silent—so silent that Tang Mian could hear nothing but his own breathing. He instinctively reached for his all-in-one card to capture the scene. 

【Your teammate SSR·Demon King is now online】 

A cold, mechanical voice rang out.

Immediately afterward, the silvery-white patterns vanished like a flash of lightning.

A series of clicks echoed.

As if space itself were shattering, a spiderweb-like crack glowed in the darkness. A dark red light seeped through the fissure, and as the glow intensified, a hand with sharply defined knuckles emerged from the crack.

Accompanied by a tearing sound, the cracks expanded in an instant, spreading from the sky before Tang Mian’s eyes to cover the entire ground; the dim red glow within the fissures also turned into a scorching, blinding red at that moment.

As the temperature rose, Tang Mian saw crimson… lava? oozing out of the cracks. 

Tang Mian: “?”

Tang Mian: “!!!” Aaaaaaah It’s lava!!!!

Tang Mian frantically tapped his all-in-one card twice, then turned and ran. He’d much rather run into the cold gray mist than come into contact with lava, for heaven’s sake! 

The lava that Tang Mian had narrowly avoided pooled at the Demon King’s feet, tracing the fiery patterns on his skin all the way up, converging like a stream flowing into the sea at the fiery pattern at the corner of his eye.

His blood-red eyes opened.

The tiniest flame patterns were densely scattered across the red iris, now swirling at the back of his eyes like flowing magma.

Useless thing—instead of killing Karl, you’re chasing after Tang Mian? Picking on the weak and cowering from the strong?! So close… just so close!

That monster was about to harm Tang Mian! Given how fragile this N card is…

The Demon’s Claw swiftly seized the mist monster, which, for some reason, had frozen in place and was unable to escape.

As the palm clenched viciously, the grayish-white mist transformed into a tiny ghost that met a gruesome end, then vanished into thin air.

【Dungeon Quest Completed】

“Boss! Look over here!” 

The demon, still in a rage, turned his head and locked eyes with a pair of green eyes as moist as water. 

For a moment there, he thought Tang Mian had been scared into tears.

A pair of green eyes suddenly gave him a playful wink; her thick, curled lashes fluttered like butterfly wings, and her pale pink lips moved as she said cheerfully:

“The screenshot’s up!” 

【Congratulations, N card·Tang Mian, you have successfully cleared the C-Rank Dungeon: Mist Forest】