On the other side.
Not even half a day after Silas left the town, he encountered the "Mist."
With the high-quality flint Fiona provided, he had made improvements, turning it into a makeshift lighter.
And this time, he kept a slow-burning ember prepared, making fire-starting much easier.
At most, he was a bit tired, but everything was resolved without any major setbacks.
[Continue Regular Simulation or Free Simulation?]
[You chose Regular Simulation]
Even this triggers an important choice?
Is this garbage game looking down on me?
[You spent a day studying the diffusion speed of the Mist.]
[You discovered that the monsters only act within the Mist, and the diffusion speed is actually quite slow. It might only advance a few meters in a day.]
[And you, in half a day, can push the 'Mist' back dozens or hundreds of meters with fire.]
In that case, there was no need to worry about going too far. He wouldn't waste so much time that the nun would be attacked back at the convent again.
Speaking of which, the fact that all the survivors were women actually helped Silas.
After all, in chaotic times, as time passed, the nun's beauty would eventually draw someone's lust.
[...]
[With your previous experience, the route map from Fiona, and the magnet you found to distinguish directions, your progress is significantly faster now that you are well-prepared.]
[...]
[Day 6: You spent half the time it took last time to find the female corpse in the wooden cabin.]
[Her breasts have completely softened since before, emitting a foul stench.]
[This time, you didn't wait to be attacked by the monsters in the mist. You chose to give the female corpse a decent cremation, lighting the entire cabin on fire.]
[...]
[As expected, the 'tentacles' hiding in the mist, along with creatures whose limbs were larger than the cabin itself, arrived. You smelled a very strong scent of roasting meat.]
[...]
[Night: Although you burned many monsters to death...]
[You found that the Mist in this area showed no signs of thinning. You suspect the Mist covers too vast an area. Burning part of the monsters here isn't enough.]
His goal wasn't to defeat any specific monster, nor was it to kill all of them now that he knew fire attracted them.
The former didn't provide XP, so it was meaningless. The latter was a project of unknown scale. Even if the time ratio between the simulator and reality was generous, he might still be at it for days in the real world. By the time he killed all the monsters, his real self would have starved to death.
[You thought that perhaps you could set up fire points.]
[You could establish bonfires at intervals that could be lit at any time, used for resting and keeping monsters at bay.]
[You began collecting flammable materials along the road—clothing or other fuel that wouldn't be easily blown out were your priorities.]
[When you found places to store flammable materials, you filled them. If the distance was too great or there was no storage area, you personally built crude tents to store them.]
Exactly; as long as the fuel had a "house," things would be much simpler.
If luck was really bad—like taking the women out during what looked like good weather only for it to rain for days—Silas would have to rely on simulation attempts to compensate.
[Day 10.]
[During this time, you encountered one or two situations every day, but all were resolved. The bonfires were set along the route as planned. To prevent anyone from getting lost later, you even set up road signs along the way.]
It wasn't just to keep them from getting lost.
Silas needed them too; otherwise, finding the bonfires in the dark would be a nightmare. As long as this Mist didn't dissipate, everyone was at risk of getting lost.
A pity—if this were modern society, an infrared thermal imager would solve everything.
[Day 13: You have reached a location much further than where you went last time. According to Fiona's map, you've reached a new town.]
[You found that the Mist in this town is starting to thin. According to Fiona, this place should have a larger population than the previous big town. But you didn't see many walking dead.]
[You investigated and found many homes were messy, as if people had taken their valuables before fleeing. The streets were littered with chaotic goods, lost shoes, and knocked-over stalls.]
Was the mutation here mild?
Did most people escape?
[You pressed forward along the main road without stopping. There were some corpses on the road, but they didn't seem to be killed by monsters; they were killed by living people using blunt or sharp weapons.]
Is this the way out?
If it's safe here... why haven't any knight orders or regular armies come?
[You continued forward along the road, and sure enough, you saw human remains torn into fragmented pieces. That definitely wasn't the work of a normal person.]
[But you have reached the official road leading to the Royal Capital that Fiona mentioned. The Mist is getting thicker. Yet, you haven't encountered anything inside.]
Could you just walk through it?
Is it that simple?
[You stumbled upon a corpse. Looking closer, he wore heavy armor and gripped a short sword tightly. The armor was covered in cracks left by something biting it. It seemed because he couldn't be chewed, he wasn't eaten. You can feel he was no ordinary knight. Perhaps he was the Knight Commander Fiona mentioned.]
[You suppressed your fear and continued forward.]
[You clearly felt the ground vibrating, guessing it was a massive creature. You quickly set fire to several abandoned transport carriages.]
Will fire work?
[But this time you guessed wrong. The big guy in the mist is not attracted to fire.]
[It charged toward you with world-shattering momentum.]
[You decided...]
[Important Choice Triggered]
[Option 1: Run immediately! Can't touch this!]
[Option 2: Try to find a way to slip past it!]
[Perform Free Simulation.]
Dammit!
I knew it wouldn't be that easy!
[You chose Option 2]
"So, uh, have you eaten yet?"
"..."
Ten minutes later.
Silas was eaten. But he discovered one thing.
[You failed to get out, but fortunately, you discovered it is extremely sensitive to fresh blood. A few times you smeared blood on the knight's corpse, and it even abandoned its attack on you for a moment to chew on the heavy armor knight. Clearly, it became very irritable because you were toyed with it.]
[...]
[You chose to load your save]
[It charged toward you with world-shattering momentum.]
[You decided...]
[Option 1: Run immediately!]
[Option 2: Use your blood as bait and find a way to take it out!]
[Perform Free Simulation]
Silas's goal wasn't to kill monsters.
[You chose Option 1]
Who would fight this thing for fun? Knowing it's interested in blood is enough. The real clear is after bringing the nun here.
[You drew some blood, smeared it on the heavy knight's corpse, and immediately ran back.]
[You heard its violent movements; the ground was shaking. The Mist grew thick. Just when you thought you were safe...]
[You felt your body begin to weaken. Starting from the wound on your wrist where you drew blood, terrifying patterns appeared. You have been contaminated by toxic mist.]
Huh?
Could that thing be the mother body? Did the mutation start because some woodsman got injured while chopping wood here?
Shit.
I spent all my time hunting sexy walking dead, and now the tables have turned. It feels like it's my turn to be hunted. I hope whoever comes is at least as pretty as the nun, but please, no more troublesome nuns. It's the Middle Ages; give me an E-cup Princess.
[You feel the toxin spreading faster and faster.]
[You decided...]
[Important Choice Triggered]
[Option 1: Can't run anymore. Accept fate and engage in tentacle play with it.]
[Option 2: Scraping the bone to heal the wound is an ancient cure; I'll drain the blood to purge the poison. I'm a hard man!]
[Perform Free Simulation]
"..."
Are you kidding me?!
[You chose Option 2]
Who would actually want to be hunted and turned into a sex toy by an E-cup Princess?! I'm the one who turns others into sex toys!
Squelch!
Silas sliced his knife through the contaminated part of his arm, his eyes determined.
If I can't even take this pain, how can I rise to the top in reality and find my own true E-cup, snake-waisted woman?! I am a stableman with supreme ambition!