Journey to Become the Zenith

Trapped Beneath the Veil of the Mystery Woodland

Footsteps crunching leaves, Victor moved farther into the Mystery Woodland following words exchanged with Diana.

Trees stretched on without a clear edge in sight.

Up ahead, ancient trees rose into the mist, arms bent and tangled overhead - like bones left behind by something long gone. Light slipped down in weak patches, yet never made it far, choked out before reaching soil. Down below, everything sat hushed under a half-dark stillness.

Forward he went, one foot after another, each boot pressing deep into wet ground. Cold hung on his arms and neck, slow and thick, hard to shake off. Each stride brought more fog, twisting close like breath given form, hiding what lay ahead, muffling footsteps, blurring which way was left or right.

Thirty minutes almost passed while he kept moving on foot.

And yet...

It felt as though he had made no progress at all.

His golden eyes narrowed slightly, scanning the surroundings again, slower this time. Careful. Calculated.

No broken branches.

No disturbed soil.

No scent. No presence.

Nothing.

Not a single demonic beast had appeared.

That alone was wrong.

Even the weakest forests had life—movement, breathing, something. But here?

No movement.

No sound.

Just silence.

Not the natural kind either. Not the quiet of a resting world.

This silence felt... deliberate.

Victor exhaled slowly, the sound faint against the oppressive stillness. His hand hovered near the hilt of his weapon, not out of fear—but instinct. His body had already sensed it, even if his mind hadn’t fully grasped it yet.

Something here didn’t want to be found.

Based on the information Isabella had gathered before he left Fantom City, the last recorded expedition into this forest had taken place more than a hundred years ago.

He remembered the report clearly. Fragmented. Incomplete.

But even that information was unreliable.

Everyone who had entered back then had died.

No survivors. No witnesses.

What remained were only rumors.

Victor clicked his tongue softly under his breath. ”Convenient,” he muttered, voice low, almost swallowed by the mist itself. ”No survivors means no truth.”

A faint breeze stirred—if it could even be called that. The fog shifted slightly, brushing past him like a whisper that never quite formed words.

His steps slowed.

Then stopped.

Victor stood still, listening.

Not just with his ears—but with everything.

The forest did not respond.

”This place is strange...”

He muttered quietly.

Even the air felt wrong.

He suddenly leapt upward, landing lightly on a thick branch of a nearby tree.

From there he jumped again, climbing higher through the canopy.

He wanted to see the forest from above.

But the fog clung to the treetops like a living thing.

Even at that height, his vision barely extended more than a few meters.

Victor clicked his tongue.

”Still nothing...”

So he jumped again.

This time aiming higher than the treetops.

But the moment he broke through the upper layer of branches—

BOOM.

His body slammed violently into something invisible.

It felt like hitting solid steel.

A burst of force threw him backward.

Victor’s body plummeted toward the ground.

Branches rushed past him.

He reached out instinctively, grabbing onto several limbs in an attempt to slow his fall.

Crack.

Snap.

One after another, the branches broke beneath his weight.

Then—

Thud.

His back hit the ground.

Victor lay there for a moment, staring up into the swirling fog.

”...Well.”

He exhaled slowly.

”That hurt.”

He stood up, rolling his shoulders and rubbing the back of his neck.

His golden eyes lifted toward the sky.

But all he could see was white fog.

Not even sunlight pierced through it.

”What was that?” he murmured.

Then came Diana’s voice, steady and clear.

”I believe there is a barrier covering the entire airspace of this forest.”

A flicker of surprise lifted one of Victor’s brows.

A sudden stillness marked her arrival, Diana standing at his side like a shadow given form. Wind tugged at the edges of her dark robe, making it ripple with quiet motion. Behind her, strands of ink-black hair drifted like smoke caught in air. As she moved ahead, the opening in her garment showed legs shaped by discipline - firm, unyielding. She did not pause.

Thoughts drifted behind her crimson gaze as clouds passed above.

”I cannot confirm it perfectly,” she continued, ”because the mana flow here is unstable.”

Victor folded his arms.

”So there’s a barrier above us.”

He thought for a moment.

”What if we attack it?”

”Do you think we could break it?”

Diana glanced at him.

Then she shook her head slowly.

”No.”

”Not with your current strength.”

Victor frowned slightly.

”If you were able to wield even twenty percent of the scythe’s power,” Diana continued, ”there would be several ways to destroy the barrier or escape this forest.”

Her gaze softened slightly.

”But right now... you cannot even use a tenth of its true power.”

Victor didn’t respond immediately.

He already knew this.

But hearing it spoken out loud still stung a little.

He exhaled slowly.

”So...”

He looked around the fog-filled forest again.

”The fog disrupts our senses.”

”We can’t tell which direction we’re moving.”

”It prevents us from retreating...”

”And now we can’t escape upward either.”

Victor scratched the back of his head.

”Well then, Diana.”

”What would you suggest we do?”

Diana remained silent for a moment.

Then she answered thoughtfully.

”This might actually be a good opportunity.”

Victor tilted his head.

”Oh?”

”This forest is filled with extremely dense mana,” Diana explained.

”Especially water and earth elemental mana.”

She looked around the forest.

”Elemental spirits gather here naturally.”

”If you train here, you could increase both your mana capacity and your affinity with those elements.”

Victor thought about it.

His mind was still a little foggy from the strange energy of the forest.

But she was right.

At the moment, there was nothing else he could do.

He nodded slowly.

”Alright.”

He stepped forward and found a clear patch of ground beneath a large tree.

”Diana.”

”Yes, Master?”

”Guard my body.”

Victor lowered himself to the ground.

”I’m going to try absorbing the mana in this area.”

Diana’s figure materialized fully beside him.

Her red eyes glowed softly as she bowed her head slightly.

”As you wish, my Master.”

Victor nodded once.

Then he crossed his legs and settled into a lotus position.

Slowly...

He closed his eyes.

His breathing became calm.

Steady.

The world around him began to fade.

Within moments, his body started to emit a faint blue glow.

The surrounding mana stirred.

Water and earth elemental energy began drifting toward him like invisible currents drawn to a whirlpool.

Victor’s consciousness sank deeper into meditation.

His body gradually synchronized with the forest itself.

The mana around him responded eagerly.

Diana stood quietly nearby.

Her gaze rested on him.

For a long moment, she simply watched.

Then a soft smile appeared beneath her veil.

”No matter which incarnation...”

Her voice was gentle.

”...your ability to grow stronger never ceases to amaze me.”

And the Mystery Woodland quietly began feeding its power to the man sitting at its center.