Global Fog Survival

“Tribute to this unnamed good person!”

“Praise this friend, praise Colin!”

“Wait, I thought all injuries were healed upon entering the game. I had just had my hemorrhoids removed and was in terrible pain, but they were gone when I got here. Regardless, tribute to the unnamed good person…”

“I was disabled when I came in, but now I’m a normal person…”

“Sudden death, who can say for sure…”

… Reading this topic and the comments below, Colin’s gaze turned lifeless. His eyes were fixed on the topic, and he felt a sense of numbness.

Because…

[You realize that when this unnamed good person was inputting the lantern method, his inspiration was above 3…]

[So, he died.]

The hair on his body stood on end. Colin felt a strong unease in his heart. He suddenly noticed a question he had been deliberately or subconsciously ignoring…

How great was his inspiration?

The last time he synthesized a “twisted soul,” he knew his inspiration was above 15… If he asked again, from any angle, he would get the “you believe your inspiration is higher than the average person” hint…

But what truly scared him wasn’t the level of his inspiration. It was the fact that this person trying to convey the lantern method died without even clicking send…

This meant…

As long as your inspiration is above 3 and you input the corresponding information, regardless of whether you send it, you are forced into a will check?

For those of them with inspiration above 3, failing the will check didn’t just mean fear. It meant death upon triggering.

On the first day, when the chat channel wasn’t even active, a group of people had already died in their wooden huts.

So, if, just if…

Colin had considered sharing the lantern method on the first day and unconsciously typed a few words. He might have “suddenly died” too?

After all, his inspiration started above 15… If he thought about sharing the lantern method and typed, he couldn’t believe he wouldn’t be forced into a will check.

In his initial state, how could he have had the resolve to pass the will check?

Colin hadn’t realized that on the first day, when he got up from bed, he had already walked on the edge of a cliff. But ultimately, he hadn’t fallen off the cliff.

Thinking back now, not sending the message immediately might have been due to some subconscious self-preservation instinct…

“Lord Colin?”

Sanna’s voice broke Colin’s somewhat chaotic thoughts. When he came to his senses, he noticed he was drenched in cold sweat.

Everything had happened in less than ten seconds, as if he had just spaced out…

Samma didn’t seem too suspicious.

“Nothing, just saw a touching message…” Colin forced down his inner panic and unease, put away the scroll, and managed a slightly stiff smile, “Let’s keep moving. I just got distracted for a moment.”

No matter what, the incident was over, and he was okay. Continuing to dwell on it would only scare himself. Sharing it would only frighten others…

He wasn’t keen on doing things that would lower morale.

Inevitably, though, Colin’s apprehension about the system increased again. Taking a deep breath, Colin went forward, took down the other lanterns, and led the team to Engracia’s coffin.

[These six olive trees aren’t dead, but they seem unlikely to attack you. Perhaps this is a “gift” from Kimino.]

After ensuring there was no danger, Colin saw that the partially opened coffin lid revealed a downward-sloping space inside. Starting with Number One, they opened the coffin lid like when they first went underground and entered.

The process was uneventful. However, upon descending, Colin realized the black stone coffin’s surroundings were entirely made of wood, specifically tree roots.

The olive tree’s roots covered the entire space, as if it were another miracle. With the lantern’s light, Colin and his team saw the remains of the girl Kimino loved… A woman in a white dress with a gentle face and a serene demeanor.

Her body lay on a couch woven from roots, in a deep sleep. However, Colin noticed her body had completely turned into wood—a “miracle.”

This somewhat eerie root space was probably also due to her “miracle”…

“It seems that during the disaster, her body died completely and turned into a ‘miracle,’ creating this space…” Otherwise, even if she had died, her body would have become a horrifying mutant, not a “wooden sculpture.”

As Colin’s thoughts raced, he took out the scroll from his inventory again. He checked the task list and saw the task was still incomplete.

“Let’s see what’s wrong with you.” Colin was about to use the hint but suddenly heard a sound in his mind—the system’s voice.

[Inspiration check imminent…]

What the hell? What did I do?

Hearing the word “check,” Colin’s mind went blank, then instinctively felt horror and tried to stop it. But by then, it seemed to be over.

[Your inspiration is above 5, check passed. You gain the following information.]

[Engracia’s body lies there, numb and cold, not a natural ‘normal death,’ suggesting something else at play.]

[“Withered Olive Land” (completed).]

…Phew, scared me… Colin breathed a sigh of relief but didn’t complete the task immediately. He used the hint for another investigation.

[You find her body extremely hollow, as if missing something. You guess it might be her ‘soul.’]

“Well, the hint is more reliable. But what does missing ‘soul’ mean?” Colin speculated if her soul was erased, causing her death. He didn’t dwell on it and submitted the task.

Soon, the reward notification sounded again.

*”Congratulations, you have obtained ‘Hardened Black Bread’ *99.”

*”Congratulations, you have obtained ‘ropes’ *3.”

*”Congratulations, you have obtained ‘Level 3 Inventory Expansion Card (108 slots)’ *1.”

[“Ropes”: Handwoven by Engracia, the ropes are made from the clothes of ancient sacrificial figures. Carrying them grants immunity to a lord-level mutant’s mental skill once.]

“Good stuff, but too few.” Colin put the knots in his inventory and discovered, as expected, this was a series of quest.

After submission, a new questwas automatically received.

[“Withered Olive Land II”]

[Quest description: Engracia’s death has hidden reasons, which might be why the ‘Weeping Olive Tree’ doesn’t want to return to death.]

[Quest duration: Unlimited.]

[Questrequirements: Explore ‘Temple of Suffering—Underground Third Level, Room 17,’ to find potential secrets.]

[Quest rewards: ‘Growth Stigmata’ *3, ‘Guilt Stigmata’ 1, Fog Points 2000…]

[Hint: You feel this quest is harder than sending the witch home.]