Thoren moved through the thick, shifting fog with slow, deliberate steps. Each motion measured as thought the air itself might shatter if disturbed.
He pushed his perception to its limit, forcing his senses outward barely able to see through three meters at a time.
Beyond that, everything dissolved into pale nothingness.
The fog was unnaturally silent, broken only by the dry cracking of skeletons bones and the dull scrape of his boots against the ground.
His breathing sounded too loud in his own ears, each inhale pounding like a muted war drum against his ribs.
His finger tightened around his sword's hilt, knuckles still, gaze flicking endlessly from side to side.
His minions surrounded him. The nearly twenty Level 7 and Level 8 skeletons grant his fragile sense a bit of reassurance.
Still, the fog's suffocating quiet gnawed relentlessly at his mind.
Suddenly, Thoren felt a sharp disturbance ripple through the fog.
His eyes snapped to the left just as a gray shape burst from the mist.
A beast lunged forward with startling speed, pouncing onto one of his skeletons and knocking it several steps back.
A familiar panel flashed into existence before his eyes.
[Mad Dog Mistveil]
[Level: 4]
Looking at the beast's name, Thoren was stunned for a brief moment.
A Level 4 beast?
In a place like this?
But what truly caught his attention was not its level; it was the absence of displayed attributes.
The panel was disturbingly empty, lacking the information he had grown accustomed to relying on.
Although momentarily startled, he did not hesitate to command his skeletons to retaliate.
The Mad Dog Mistveil possessed the body of a wolf but the head of a dog.
Its form was lean yet powerful; muscles coiled tightly beneath pale gray fur.
Wisps of vapor constantly shed from its body, blurring its outline and causing its shape to flicker in and out of clarity.
Compared to an ordinary dog, its head was grotesquely large, jaws wide and filled with jagged teeth.
Its eyes were bloodshot and wild, brimming with madness and unrestrained aggression.
"A befitting name," Thoren muttered under his breath.
Only a mad beast would charge headlong into enemies far stronger than itself.
The skeletons struck swiftly. Bone weapons fell in unison, tearing through flesh.
The Mad Dog Mistveil let out a shrill, distorted howl before collapsing into the fog.
[Experience Gained: None]
Thoren paid the notification no attention. His focus had already shifted as he activated his skill.
[Undead Summoning.]
The corpse twitched briefly before rising once more.
This time, however, Thoren did not strip its skin. He quickly realized that the Mad Dog's ability to blend into the fog was directly linked to its hide.
Removing it would be a waste.
Thus, he left the body intact.
[Mad Dog Skeleton]
Thoren frowned slightly at the name. After a brief pause, he dismissed it and changed its name.
[Veil Dog Skeleton]
Looking at the new name, he nodded in satisfaction. He reached out and placed his hand against its camouflaged body.
The fur felt thick and coarse beneath his fingers, cold with lingering fog.
Before he could reflect further, the fog surged violently.
Tens of shapes burst forth from all directions.
Bang! Bang!
The beasts charged without hesitation.
Gray forms slammed into his skeletal formation, claws flashing as they swung wildly, maws opening wide to bite and tear.
They were fearless, reckless to the point of insanity.
A solemn expression settled over Thoren's face as he issued rapid commands.
His skeletons responded instantly, intercepting the beasts and meeting them head-on.
They were all Mad Dog Mistveils. Among them, the highest-ranked was a Level 5 Elite Beast.
Against his Level 7 and Level 8 skeletons, they posed little direct threat. Bones shattered claws, cleaving through bodies with ruthless efficiency.
One after another, the Mad Dog Mistveils fell.
Yet to Thoren's surprise, more continued to emerge from the fog.
Their howls shattered the strange silence, echoing unnaturally through the mist.
The sound was distorted, overlapping, creating a maddening chorus that sent chills crawling up his spine.
They were relentless.
Fearless.
They bit and tore at anything in their path, even as their kin were slaughtered around them.
Their ferocity surpassed anything Thoren had encountered since arriving in the abyss.
The death of their brethren did nothing to deter them.
They leapt onto skeletons with crazed abandon, claws digging deep, teeth snapping viciously.
Thoren observed the battle with a grave expression. His attention was no longer on the chaos itself, but on the beasts' levels.
At the beginning, there had only been Level 4 and Level 5 Mad Dogs.
Now, he was seeing Level 6… and even Level 7 among their ranks.
Though their numbers were fewer, this development sent a warning signal screaming through his mind.
Suddenly, his breathing faltered.
His chest tightened, and an unexpected weakness crept through his limbs, spreading from the inside out.
His legs felt heavier, as though gravity itself had increased.
"What is going on?!" he exclaimed, eyes widening as he instinctively raised his guard.
Tension seized him.
He scanned his surroundings rapidly but detected no immediate threats.
No beasts.
No attacks.
Only fog.
'Is it possible… that this is the effect of the fog?'
Various thoughts surfaced in his mind, but he did not linger on them. Instinct screamed at him to act.
Without hesitation, he activated his second talent.
Instantly, an illusory floating lantern appeared before him.
Its faint glow pierced the fog, casting eerie shadows that twisted unnaturally across the ground.
With the lantern's appearance, the world seemed to change.
Thoren's pupils contracted as countless glowing orbs revealed themselves within the fog.
They drifted silently through the air, surrounding him from all directions.
A shiver ran down his spine.
Not because of the orbs themselves—but because of what they represented.
[Hollow Breath Leech]
[Level: 7]
The Hollow Breath Leeches were eel-shaped creatures formed entirely from condensed fog.
Their bodies were semi-translucent, barely visible even now.
At their cores, the glowing orbs pulsed faintly—soul cores.
Although the Hollow Breath Leeches did not attack physically, Thoren could feel their effect immediately.
His stamina was being siphoned away at an alarming rate, his strength bleeding out with every passing second.
Without hesitation, he swung his sword.
Bang!
Hiss!
A grating hiss erupted as his blade connected with one of the creatures.
Its camouflage shattered, fog dispersing violently as its soul core flickered.
Thoren raised his sword for the finishing blow but froze.
The Hollow Breath Leech began to regenerate at a visible speed, its form knitting itself back together.
"It can regenerate!" he exclaimed, stunned, his jaw slackening slightly.
"This is going to be troublesome," he muttered grimly.
He struck again…and again.
He did not stop after a single blow, instead unleashing a relentless series of slashes, giving the creature no chance to recover.
[Experience Gained: None]
Thoren ignored the notification.
His gaze locked onto the dense cluster of Hollow Breath Leeches floating above him.
His stamina continued to drain rapidly. If this persisted…
He shook his head sharply, forcing the thought away.
After a brief moment of consideration, he muttered, "Since I can see them, I can try attacking them using Ace Number 1 and the others."
With the plan formed, he immediately summoned Ace Number 1 through Ace Number 5.
He positioned the elite skeletons positioned beneath the floating leeches.
At his command, they struck upward in perfect coordination.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Hissssss!
Shrill hisses echoed throughout the fog as the Hollow Breath Leeches were forced into visibility.
"It's working…" A grin crept across Thoren's face.
Now that the plan had succeeded, the invisible threat lost its advantage.
Bang! Bang!
One by one, the Hollow Breath Leeches were cut down, their forms dissipating into nothingness.
Aside from their stamina-draining ability, they posed little threat to him.
To other awakeners, however, the Hollow Breath Leeches were far more terrifying than the Mad Dog Mistveils.