27: Misty Miasma

The beam soon dissolved into nothingness, and behold, inside was empty. There was nothing to be seen but clear dust and three crates in the corner covered in cloths, the expression on Sage's face dimmed with disappointment. His high expectation for this mission was evaporating swiftly, yet he remained for his prize. Soon after, the notification arrived.

[*Ping*]

[*Mission completed*]

[*Reward> Key to Paradise*]

[*You have now obtained the key to "Paradise", now it is time to find the entryway*]

Sage was fuming in rage. He couldn't endure the manipulative behaviour of the system. So he began to lash out sarcastic remarks at it.

"Are you kidding me?!! Is this a joke to you, you dummy?! I'm sorry, I meant to call you Marco 2.0. Seriously, Logia disappears for only a few minutes. Here you are assuming the position of an administrator."

As Sage continued his heedless statements, the system decided to reply for the first time.

[*ping*]

[*I only do this for your sake, master. As I am unable to control the whole mechanism by lonesome, I require assistance from my creator, who is currently in a hibernating status*]

Sage, who was astonished by the system's reply, began to take interest by asking it questions while digging for information. The system replied in an automated and precise manner.

"Marco can utter speech now?! That is incredible! When did you get this feature?"

[* It was all thanks to you master that I can apply this feature now. Your recent battles have levelled you up at an incredible speed and rate. with the power that you had received, I was able to increase my level and my abilities.*]

"That's amazing! Then do you know why the system you operate gave me an ominous reward?"

[* As I cannot entirely control the system, I am not permitted to make decisions such as giving out strictly confidential information.*]

Sage was quite disappointed by the fact that he couldn't receive any information from Marco. He was still pleased that the system had evolved. He let out a long sigh as to express his frustration. Soon after, he went back to examining the space.

"Where could this door be? Well, I did anticipate this mission to be mysterious, so I'll have to think outside the box once again. I'll start by looking around the crates."

And so Sage explored crates and their surroundings until he found a loose plank beneath his foot.

"Oh? What's this? The floor in this area seems to be less stable than the others, very suspicious."

Sage had discovered the entryway which led to the door of paradise. He lifted the plank away from its place and found a tunnel. Sage dropped down into the underground tunnel and marched forward until he reached the exit.

"The door is opening! I can finally see what this paradise is all about."

A bright light appeared once again, restricting Sage's sight. Eventually, the lights settled down. Sage looked up to see what was beyond the entrance. He was shocked at what he had discovered.

The place was coated with an unidentified dark-purple mist, which looked like poison. The smell of Iron was thick enough to make one think that they were surrounded by rusting metal. And the soil was painted in red.

Sage became engulfed with rage and began to complain. He was so confused and frustrated at his current situation.

"Is this the so-called "Paradise" the system rewarded me with!!?? What type of system are you? Where is this place supposed to be? Marco, answer me!"

[*Ping*]

[* As I cannot entirely control the system, I am not permitted to make decisions such as giving out strictly confidential information.*]

Marco's reply was very unsatisfactory to Sage's ears. But he had to remain calm, seeing as the circumstances were not in his favour. He stepped onto the red soil, but there was no reaction to his movements. This was a good sign.

Sage released a great sigh of relief, but the mist was poisonous as he expected. Lucky his resistance to poison was high. However, this was no ordinary poison. A red screen warning appeared before Sage to notify him of the type of poison it was.

[*Ping*]

[Name: Misty Miasma ]

[ Ability: Specializes in mental incursion>Uses illusions to entrap a person in their nightmares for eternity. ]

[ *Do not inhale this substance* ]

Sage did heed to the warning of the system, but it was too late for countermeasures the moment he opened the door.

Sage became mentally unstable. His mind was already contaminated by the mist as it began its attack on Sage's subconscious. Sage was pulled back to the days of his nightmares, the days he never wanted to recall.

"Damn it! Why can't I control my mind! This stupid mist is it trying to take over!?"

Sage screamed in pain as his head began to pound. He fell onto the red dirt as he passed out and was driven to his subconsciousness by the mist. Memories of the past began to surface, memories that Sage wanted to forget.

The memories of his past with his family began to emerge to the surface. The laughter of both his father and mother became a familiar sound. It was the day they went for a picnic, the last day he ever saw his beloved father.

It was like any other day in young Sage's life. A family visiting the park, the sun embraced the fields, butterflies fluttered their wings. But soon after it began to pour, the atmosphere within the family became dull.

Young Sage did not know what was occurring at the time. He found his mother reposing on the ground with a pained and heartbroken expression while his father coldly strolled away. That was the last thing young Sage ever his father. Due to that, he came to hate him.

"Do you think you'll be able to break my spirits with such flimsy dreams!? this hurts my pride!?"

But Sage was not about to sub-come to such a nightmare as they were not as intimidating as reality. He was able to fight off this mist that tried to imprison him in his own memory. Due to Sage's efforts of repelling the purple fog, he fainted from exhaustion.

A screen appeared to notify Sage of his new resistance, yet suddenly, footsteps could be heard. A shadowed figure appeared to be lurking in the mist.

[*Ping*]

[* You have gain resistance to mental manipulation*].

<End of Chapter>