New Adventure, New Journey Chapter 66: The Monster in the Mist

Chen Fan lay in bed, his mind flooded with a myriad of thoughts, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

Beside him, Yang Keli lay in his arms and asked in a low voice, "Can't sleep?"

Chen Fan looked up at the starlit sky and murmured an "hmm."

"Don't think too much, I will always be with you."

Chen Fan stroked her hair, pulled her closer into his arms, and slowly awaited the arrival of dawn amidst a complex swirl of emotions.

...

Early the next morning, the sunlight barely pierced through the clouds, spilling over the partially melted snow and leaving a trace of lingering chill.

Chen Fan got up early, checked his travel pack, and confirmed that all necessary supplies were ready.

Meanwhile, Yang Keli went to the enchantment table to enchant her bow. Lady Luck smiled upon her, rolling a [Durability II].

Immediately afterward, she applied [Infinity I] and [Knockback II] from enchanted books, consuming 28 levels of experience and leaving 10 levels remaining.

At this moment, Rem and the other two were already waiting on the first floor, though Ram's eyes carried a complex expression, as if troubled by a vague anxiety over unknown dangers.

With everything settled, the group embarked on the road toward the Misty Forest west of Goat Village.

Along the way, travelers hurried past, all fully geared up in equipment.

Some wore leather armor sets and wielded stone swords, while others sported refined iron armor sets and carried iron swords.

Just like in martial arts novels, the indigenous inhabitants of this world were also covetous of the rewards hidden within the Nine-Layered Demon Tower.

Along the way, Ram mentioned that every year, countless people journeyed to the Nine-Layered Demon Tower.

Moreover, these individuals came not only from Goat Village, but also from thousands of miles away.

They would arrive well before the severe winter, setting up camp nearby to wait for the tower to open,

all for the chance to claim a share of the treasures inside the Nine-Layered Demon Tower, among whom were quite a few formidable experts.

Amidst the crowd, Chen Fan noticed a man clad in a full set of diamond armor, wielding a diamond sword that emitted a cyan-blue glow.

Flanked by two guards in iron armor, the man cast vigilant glances all around.

"Tsk tsk, look at them rocking a full set of enchanted gear. I'm a bit jealous," Chen Fan muttered, looking at the man.

Yang Keli rolled her eyes. "Chen Fan, how do you even have the face to envy others?"

"Of course I'm envious, that's a whole set right there!" Chen Fan said, a hint of melancholy in his tone. "Look at us, how many enchanted pieces do we even have?"

She didn't even want to expose him. While most survivors were still worrying about basic food supplies, he and the others had already started adventuring to grow stronger.

Well, to be fair, if they were playing standard Minecraft, they would probably be decked out in full enchanted diamond gear by now.

However, not only were minerals scarce in this world, but after mining for diamonds for so long, they had only managed to piece together enough for two sets of diamond equipment—let alone enchantments, which also required factoring in experience levels.

By this time, few stall owners were open for business in the Goat Village market. The cat-girl vendor from before had already displayed her wares.

With only a few centimeters of snow left on the ground, business was completely unaffected for merchants with permanent shops.

The group of five continued their journey toward the west of Goat Village.

At first, the path remained relatively clear.

Yet the closer they got to the forest, the more the sunlight faded and the denser the fog grew, gradually obstructing their vision.

The surrounding trees and villagers flickered in and out of view within the mist.

Just then, a faint, eerie sound echoed from the depths of the thick fog.

It sounded like an old wooden door creaking in the wind, yet interwoven with a sharp, cackling giggle,

resembling the soft whispers of a demon emerging from the gloom.

The sound instantly gave Chen Fan goosebumps. He instinctively halted his steps and carefully surveyed his surroundings.

Terrified, Yang Keli tightly gripped his hand, her body trembling slightly, though she held back her screams.

Chen Fan stroked her head and offered a low whisper of comfort, "Don't be afraid, Keli. I'm here."

Turning to Ram and the others, he instructed, "Stay alert, everyone hold hands so we don't get lost in the fog."

"Understood, Master," Ram and the others replied in unison.

Just as the five of them proceeded with utmost caution, a deafening crack of thunder tore through the air.

Startled, Chen Fan suddenly felt a chill shoot straight from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head, as if a pair of eyes were unblinkingly staring right at them.

He swallowed hard, the sound of his gulping exceptionally loud and clear in the dead silence.

Slowly, Chen Fan turned his head.

Not far away stood a towering dark figure with a pair of glowing red eyes and a gaping maw wide enough to swallow everything in its path.

Chen Fan's heart rate instantly spiked to 180 beats per minute. As if sensing something, the monster slowly turned its head with a rigid, eerie motion.

Suddenly, without any warning, it whipped its entire body around, startling Chen Fan and the others into taking several steps back in panic.

"What the hell!" Chen Fan blurted out.

"Master, don't look at it! Run!" Ram grabbed Chen Fan and the others, turning them around to sprint away.

"Ram, do you know what that thing is?" Chen Fan asked, completely out of breath.

While dragging Chen Fan along at a dead sprint, Ram answered swiftly, "Master, that is a monster spawned in the fog, known as the [Man From The Fog]. It possesses terrifying hearing and vision."

"Furthermore, it's exceptionally fast and deals heavy damage. Given your current equipment, Master, you would be instantly killed."

"However, its sole weakness is that after pursuing a target for a prolonged period, it will summon a bolt of lightning and vanish."

No sooner had she finished speaking than the heavy, rapid thud of footsteps behind them grew increasingly close.

At the critical moment, just as the Man From The Fog's razor-sharp claws were about to brush against Chen Fan's back,

a dazzling bolt of lightning suddenly slashed through the fog, accompanied by a deafening crash right beside their ears.

Immediately afterward, that bone-chilling oppressive aura vanished into thin air without a trace.

Hearing the commotion, no one dared to stop. They ran for a while longer before daring to look back, only to find that the monster, which had been in relentless pursuit, was completely gone.

Phew~

Only then did everyone let out a long breath, though they dared not slack off in the slightest as they pressed deeper into the Misty Forest.

As they ventured further, they found the surrounding environment growing increasingly bizarre. The plants grew into grotesque shapes, emitting a faint, eerie luminescence.

"This place is seriously cursed," Yang Keli said with a frown, gripping her diamond sword even tighter.

After walking for an unknown length of time, at the very edge of the fog, a towering and ominous structure finally came into view—the legendary Nine-Layered Demon Tower.

Slightly different from the Nine-Layered Demon Tower in Minecraft, its exterior resembled a gigantic, dead black tree,

its body spliced together from countless twisted, intertwined black stone pillars overgrown with ghostly green vines.

The eaves of each tier tapered into sharp, jagged points, while a flickering, ghostly blue flame hovered vaguely atop the apex, bathing the entire structure in an aura of decay and deathly stillness.

Chen Fan stood at the massive entrance, looking to both sides. Due to the dense fog, the full width of the Nine-Layered Demon Tower remained entirely concealed.

"Why does this Nine-Layered Demon Tower look so gloomy and terrifying?" Chen Fan murmured as he stared at the tower.

Between the eerie appearance of the Nine-Layered Demon Tower and the ghostly atmosphere hanging thick in the air, Chen Fan felt a chill down his spine and a knot of dread in his stomach,

wondering what awaited them inside and whether it would be even more terrifying.

Seeing Chen Fan's expression, Tohru couldn't help but cover her mouth with a chuckle.

"Master, are you already scared? Let me tell you, every single floor in here has 128 rooms, and every room has 2 monster spawners."

"Coupled with other rival adventurers eyeing everything like tigers watching their prey, the situation inside is going to be far more perilous."