Chapter 26 - Approach

 Jason accepted the challenge without thinking twice, but he was surprised to notice that his Perception wasn't helping him that much there. He could see every single obstacle on his path, but he couldn't find anyone or anything hiding behind the trees, above them, inside bushes, or anywhere else.

 He couldn't help but wonder if he should burn down some trees to make his point… Fireball had reached a level where it could knock down an entire tree if Jason hit them in their base, after all. 

"No… let's keep hiding what I can do properly in order to surprise everyone and everything that tries to screw with me," Jason thought.

 As Jason crossed the area, he noticed that the smell of death was getting pretty intense. It was still raining a bit, but that wasn't enough to dissipate the smell… At the same time, the mist seemed to be hiding only some spots in the area and the residential area ahead.

 In any case, before long, Jason began to hear some weird sounds around him. It seemed like the sound of something clacking at a particular pace. All of a sudden, Jason felt something behind him, the sound of fire burning. When he turned around, he saw a fireball flying toward his head.

 Jason quickly aimed his already-nocked arrow in the same direction and then fired. The projectile easily destroyed the fireball, but while he had planned to kill alongside the thing that fired that, Jason didn't hit anything.

"Whatever the hell cast that, it is beyond the range of my Perception… unless they make a sound, I won't be able to find them," Jason thought.

 Jason was surprised to see monsters that could be that sneaky. All of the ones he faced until now tried to kill him directly. They weren't that bright, but that showed that they had the upperhand in all aspects. That didn't seem to be the case now…

 Jason began to move again, but soon, two more Fireballs were shot, this time from the opposite direction. Jason lowered his posture and then looked in the direction the attacks were coming from and saw two shadows hiding behind two trees. He avoided the projectiles and then dashed toward them.

 The creatures noticed and then moved to face him. They were covered in a dark cloak, but they had humanoid forms and sizes… they weren't supposed to be that tough. Still, before Jason could get carried away, the enemies began to fire Fireballs at an insane pace.

 Jason ran to the side to dodge and then felt the sound of numerous attacks being fired from all distances. The enemies finally revealed themselves… in the next moment, the fireballs hit each other in the place where Jason was supposed to be. The sound of explosions echoed in the area, and some smoke covered the place. The attacks stopped coming since the enemies couldn't see Jason… However, the enemies were suddenly hit again and again by a storm of Mana arrows. Even though he couldn't see them, Jason memorized the position of the enemies.

(You obtained 55 experience points.)

(You obtained 55 experience points.)

…

 Jason was surprised to see that creatures that could use so much magic could only give him so much experience… in any case, Jason endured the barrage by using the shield. It got so hot, though, that Jason could barely hold it. Regardless, the weird atmosphere began to dissipate, and Jason soon confirmed that he had dealt with all the enemies.

 He approached the closest two of them… while Jason hit their faces, he was still surprised to recognize some humans there.

"What the hell…" Jason furrowed his eyebrows.

 Although they were definitely humans, there was something wrong with them… they smelled like death, way too much considering that they just died. Jason checked their bodies and confirmed that they had a bunch of other wounds. They weren't that fresh, and their bodies were completely cold and grey… like they had been dead for several hours already.

"They can't be monsters of dungeons…" Jason thought while looking around. "They were turned into something like zombies that could use magic… necromancy?" 

 Someone controlled them and tried to stop Jason from approaching the area. That someone was probably still nearby… or maybe not, since they stopped attacking once they saw what Jason could do.

"I also have to worry about this kind of enemy, huh… what a pain," Jason thought, furrowing his eyebrows.

 Jason wondered if Helena approached the area with her Jeep. Probably not, since the vehicle would be unable to cross that dense forest. Regardless, it didn't matter to him all that much.

As he approached the residential area shrouded in a thick blanket of mist, a surreal ambiance enveloping the surroundings enveloping the familiar neighborhood into an ethereal landscape. The mist was like a delicate veil of translucent gray, casting an air of mystery and intrigue over the houses, trees, and streets.

Silent and hushed, the atmosphere was permeated with a sense of tranquility. The muffled sounds of footsteps on damp pavements and the distant sound of the wind created a serene atmosphere.