CHAPTER 179: CHAPTER 179 BLACK MIST ORGANIZATION

The teleportation platform of the [Giant Wood Forest] dungeon.

A group of explorers revealed themselves. Judging from their attire, they seemed to have just finished exploring the dungeon and looked a bit disheveled.

This group of explorers consisted entirely of various non-human races. Upon leaving the Mist Watch Station, they all pulled out pitch-black cloaks from their space equipment and put them on.

The pitch-black night was the best camouflage for them.

They slowly walked along the stone road leading away from the Mist Watch Station.

When the station was no longer in sight and after confirming no one else was around, they darted swiftly into the nearby forest.

They moved swiftly through the forest, trying to make no sound and leave no trace.

Some time passed.

Not far from where they were moving, a dilapidated wooden cabin finally appeared.

This was the hunter’s cabin where Kane had stayed in the evening.

The black-robed beings gathered around the cabin, with the leader seeming to confirm a direction.

Finally, after determining the desired direction, he turned to his companions and said, "This way, follow me."

After speaking, the group of explorers in black robes swiftly moved in the same direction, disappearing from sight with a few leaps.

Yet behind them, at a distance, a shadow trailed, then disappeared again.

It could only be vaguely seen that something seemed to be closely following the group, appearing and disappearing, indistinct.

Relying on the [Forest’s Son] skill, Kane had sensed something approaching from a kilometer away.

Soon after, the few strands of spider silk trap devices he had set up beside the hunter’s cabin were triggered, informing him someone had arrived.

As for why he set up alert devices around the hunter’s cabin, it was due to traces from the day raising his suspicions, so he casually set one up for peace of mind.

He never thought he would actually catch something with it.

Switching to the [Night Travel] skill grid, he closely followed the group, eager to know what in Laka Forest required people to come in and out so frequently.

With his familiarity with Laka Forest, it was merely an ordinary small forest with only abundant medicinal herbs around, nothing special.

Yet in this small forest, nearly two teams of explorers had been active over the past week or two, their tracks covering the entire forest.

Following the group of explorers, winding through the forest multiple times, they finally stopped.

Seeing them stop, Kane also climbed onto a well-concealed branch with a good view.

The leading explorer took off his hood, revealing a bird-like head.

Extending his hand from under the cloak, he revealed a four-fingered bird-like hand with sharp hooked claws at the fingertips.

With the hooked claws, he scratched at some ordinary-looking bark, revealing a faintly glowing rune that soon vanished.

"It’s here. Let’s wait for a while."

Before long, Kane sensed another group approaching from a distance.

Looking in that direction revealed another team of explorers with magic power reactions at the copper bottleneck level.

They should be the ones the black-robed people were waiting for.

After revealing themselves, their black robes were exactly like those of the group Kane followed, indicating they belonged to the same faction.

Both groups merged swiftly, and another leader removed his hood.

Revealing a humanoid figure, but with 4 eyes, all with vertical pupils, a race.

Everyone then removed their hoods, revealing a variety of alien races, some of which Kane had never seen before.

They tapped a few times on their chests, chanting, "White mist shapeless, black mist remains forever."

Upon hearing their words, Kane instantly knew their identity.

Explorers’ careers often came with life-threatening risks, encompassing all kinds of people. Among them were many who were unscrupulous, treacherous, evil, greedy, and lecherous, yet even these people still believed in the mist.

However, there are some who are different, mostly originating from world fragments absorbed by the mist and transformed into part of it.

Many world fragments contain not only surviving environments from previous worlds but also many native intelligent races struggling to survive within.

When world fragments are captured by the mist, a series of unknown actions occur, forming dungeons.

Intelligent races originally living on the fragments are generally sealed in the dungeons, their lives halted to create energy replicas of the more powerful beings among them that fight for the dungeon.

Council research indicated that having the real body of the replica in the dungeon conserves energy and enhances their power.

When the dungeon is completely traversed and assimilated into the mist, these beings regain freedom, placed within the mist at the world border.

When these world fragments accumulate to sufficient numbers and sizes, they form the World Ring.

Subsequently truly merging into the world, becoming a part of it.

But this also births an issue. These intelligent beings retain their past memories. Most are grateful for the mist’s acceptance.

Yet some races lack much rationality, believing the mist harmed their world and destroyed their birthplace.

As these people grow in number and find others who think alike, they quickly form a united whole.

Named Black Mist.

Continuously wreaking havoc among explorers and across the world, venting hatred and disdain.

They hope one day to destroy the world and, most importantly, the mist.

However, under persecution and suppression from the Mist Council and various world forces, their influence repeatedly wanes.

Their news is increasingly rare.

Still, nobody believes they’ll vanish entirely, as fools like these, though not numerous, always emerge in droves whenever a World Ring appears.

Now, the Black Mist, previously only mentioned in passing, emerged before Kane.

So when Kane heard they were Black Mist, his anxiety surged, as they were too close to Kara Town.

Most of his friends and important people were there.

Humans, once among the world’s original races, were prime targets for Black Mist’s intelligent life hatred.

To such a terrorist organization, it doesn’t matter if you’re a civilian or an explorer; they kill indiscriminately.