เข้าสู่ระบบThe mist rolled like a tide.Beneath that giant "Sacred Tree" made of flesh and tentacles, the atmosphere was eerie in the extreme.Standing on the high slope, Jake could see everything below clearly through the Pale Eye's all-seeing vision.The believers kneeling on the ground were actually beginning to melt, bit by bit.Their skin softened and ran like candle wax, merging with the soil and the tree roots on the ground.Countless tiny red tendrils burrowed up from underground and stabbed into their bodies, greedily sucking up their flesh and souls.Yet, the believers still wore those eerie smiles. They didn't seem to feel any pain at all. If anything, they looked blissful."Mother Root that pierces the earth,"Withered Forest that shrouds the stars,"Wherever there is soil, there lies your dominion,"Wherever there are trees, your name is spoken."Awaken, Seranoth,"Let the world return to your silence."Waves of low prayer rose from the hundreds of mouths that hadn't yet
Even the powerful Evelyn standing before him wasn't very confident she could put an end to all this.Jake drew a light breath and asked another crucial question, "How strong are you?"If they were going to team up for a raid, he needed to know his teammate's capabilities.Evelyn touched the silver ring on her finger and answered frankly, hiding nothing, "I don't have Tier 7 rank, but I can exert Tier 7 strength."No Tier 7 rank?But Tier 7 strength?Something stirred in Jake's mind. Was it the power granted by a god's grace?"Besides, I haven't spent all these years without preparing..."Evelyn looked at Jake, a trace of hope in her eyes. "Well? Will you make this deal with me? I don't have much time left. If you hadn't shown up, I would have made an attempt on my own soon."Jake smiled. "Do I have any better options?"Evelyn nodded, and a gratified smile appeared on her face.She gathered her thoughts and was about to explain her battle plan to Jake in detail.But just t
Jake let out a long breath and drew his consciousness back from the subspace.He looked at Evelyn and asked, "Does the town's curse also come from this being called 'Seranoth'?"Evelyn shook her head, her expression grave. "No. That's a higher rule. Even 'Seranoth' is affected by the curse."The Sacred Fruit can dispel the curse because it contains Seranoth's power. For low-tier humans, that power is enough to hold on to their memories for a while."The stronger the being, the stronger the curse it suffers."Seranoth is affected by the town's curse too. It's powerful, but it has existed in the Mist Town for countless ages. Under the erosion of that rule-level curse, its consciousness has long since grown muddled, and it's in a dormant state."At this, Evelyn took a deep breath and put forward a startling theory. "I suspect the forgetting curse once existed throughout the Mistlands as well. That would explain why most of the high-tier monsters we've encountered in the Mistlands
Was that the boss's name?"Do you see now? The Sacred Tree by day is only an illusion. Only at a time like this is it real."Evelyn's voice drifted over, faint and somber. "Eat the Sacred Fruit, and a seed is planted inside you. In the early stages, the seed provides power. It helps you resist the mist's erosion, lets you hold on to your memories for a while, and makes you a devout believer..."But whenever the Sacred Tree wishes, the seed will sprout at once. It devours its host's flesh and soul until, in the end... the host becomes a new Tree Fiend."She looked at the fanatical crowd, her eyes full of sorrow. "By the time I discovered this, it was already too late. My husband, Ryan, and my child, Anne, had both eaten the Sacred Fruit to fight the town's curse."Jake drew back his gaze, looked at Evelyn, and asked, "And you? You didn't eat the Sacred Fruit, yet you've kept your memories for more than twenty years?"Evelyn nodded and stroked the kerosene lantern in her hand,
Thank goodness Evelyn was an ally.If she'd been an enemy, he probably wouldn't even have had the chance to activate Mirror Leap just now.Evelyn paid no mind to Jake's wariness.Lantern in hand, she walked slowly ahead, her voice drifting through the mist, "The Mist Town's exit is hidden somewhere in the Mist Wall."Evelyn explained as she walked."After more than twenty years of exploring, I've learned of two ways out so far."First, your own life level needs to reach Tier 8 or higher. A life-form of that level can resist the mist's domain, see through the mist, and simply walk out of here."The corner of Jake's mouth twitched.Tier 8?At this stage, even Tier 2 players were few and far between. That path was a complete dead end."Second," Evelyn continued, "is to make the mist disappear temporarily, or weaken it."You've already guessed it. This mist isn't the town's rule. It's a 'domain' that a high-tier being gives off unconsciously."Only by severely wounding the bein
She lifted her head, looked at Jake, and said slowly, "My name is... Evelyn. I'm Anne and Lilith's... mother."'Just as I thought...'Jake's pupils contracted slightly, and his heart gave a hard thump, but his face didn't show much surprise.He instinctively turned his head toward the "Evelyn" Tree Fiend not far off in the mist, which was still reassembling itself.No wonder it had been so much weaker than he'd expected.Evelyn seemed to notice where Jake was looking.She turned and looked at that disfigured "self" covered in tentacles and human faces, and deep pain flashed in her eyes."That's my... shell."Evelyn's voice sounded distant, "Ryan and I really were contaminated back then... but because my ability is rather special, before I fully turned into a demon, I stole most of my own power and memories and sealed them inside this body. That was the only way I barely escaped."'A Specialization that steals?' Jake's eyes flickered as he remembered how his own thoughts had be







