Chapter Thirteen: The Sage Xu Yang-Monsters Online Worldwide(Bring me another large cigar.)

This narrow passageway was also a safe zone. In the early stages of the game, there were still quite a few such places near the town. Otherwise, low-level players would have no way to survive in regions teeming with monsters.

At the end of the passage, Zhao Nan had been standing for several minutes. Xu Yang silently stood behind him, tearing a small piece from her clothing to carefully wipe the blood from his back.

Zhao Nan paid little attention to her actions, preoccupied instead with the scene before him. Regarding the quest to gather moonlight grass, Duan Tianlang had not revealed much back in the day—only the conditions to unlock the quest.

Yet this same quest, to gather moonlight grass, appeared in Xu Yang’s quest log with golden text—a Divine ranked quest. How could such a quest possibly be completed so easily?

Before them at the end of the passage, there was no road to be seen—only a thick, impenetrable white mist.

“How do we get inside?” Xu Yang, noticing the path ahead, asked anxiously.

“We can only proceed step by step. This area isn’t marked on the map as having any monsters. Maybe it’s just ordinary fog,” Zhao Nan replied, shaking his head.

“What map?”

“The beginner’s map. It’s sold in many places around East Origin City. Let’s get moving—don’t waste time.”

“Wait for me!”

Inside the dense fog, unable to see the way ahead, the two could only move slowly. With every step, Zhao Nan tapped his staff on the ground before him and paused for two seconds, proceeding only when he was sure it was safe.

“Zhao Nan, are you there?”

“Yes.”

“Um… can I hold onto you?” Xu Yang whispered hesitantly, “I’m scared… I can’t see anything…”

A slender wrist grasped his arm in the mist. Zhao Nan said nothing, simply guiding her onward.

There might not be any monsters, but where was the moonlight grass? He couldn’t see his own hand in front of his face, let alone search for anything.

Was he supposed to just rely on luck here? Who knew how vast this area really was?

He had no idea how much time had passed when suddenly, Zhao Nan heard strange noises… the cries of beasts! His heart lurched. The map clearly marked that no monsters appeared here.

Could it be one of those errant monsters—those that didn’t spawn in fixed areas and could roam anywhere outside cities and safe zones?

At that moment, a terrifying roar ripped through the air around him. Zhao Nan was struck by a wave of searing pain as a hideous, monstrous face emerged before his eyes. Its gaping maw opened, filling the air with a nauseating stench.

The creature’s claws slashed across his chest, the agony so intense that Zhao Nan nearly bit through his own tongue.

Fireball!

His staff spat fireballs continuously, but the monster before him seemed completely unfazed!

Impossible—even if he couldn’t break through its defenses, there should at least be a forced minimum of one point of damage! Shocked, Zhao Nan had no time to think, gritting his teeth through the pain and stumbling backward.

“Run!”

But Xu Yang had vanished from behind him.

“Xu Yang?!”

Dropping to the ground, Zhao Nan crawled into the mist, but heard only more and more footsteps. He couldn’t even tell how many monsters there were. Drawing a sharp breath, he realized he had lost all sense of direction within the fog.

Tap, tap—!

It felt as if monsters were closing in from every direction!

Fireball!

When deprived of sight and thrust into danger, a person can quickly lose composure. Even someone as strong-willed as Zhao Nan could hardly withstand the oppressive environment.

Was this really where his journey would end?

A thunderous roar split the air. Another searing pain wracked his body, forcing a scream from his lips. His right arm was bitten off—pain so excruciating he nearly fainted.

“To hell with it!” he roared in desperation. Death without resistance was not in Zhao Nan’s nature. He lunged forward with all his remaining strength—his staff lost with his right arm, all he had left was this desperate, almost laughable struggle.

He seemed to crash into something. Gritting his teeth, Zhao Nan balled his left hand into a fist and aimed it at the monster’s head.

A terrified scream cut through the chaos. A flash of white light flared before his eyes, and Zhao Nan jerked back to his senses—his fist stopping just above the creature’s snout.

The hideous face before him faded, revealing instead Xu Yang’s terror-stricken features.

At the same time, sensation returned to his right arm—his staff was still in his hand.

“Zhao Nan, are you insane?!”

“What’s going on… An illusion!” Zhao Nan gasped. But why had he come to his senses so suddenly?

He noticed Xu Yang’s hands pressed against his chest, faint blue light emanating from her palms.

The glow grew stronger, and with it, the thick fog around them thinned, no longer so dense as to blind them completely.

“Huh?” Zhao Nan raised himself, pulling Xu Yang up as well. He frowned and asked, “What’s your class?”

“Sage!” Xu Yang replied, eyes wide with fright, as if afraid he would descend into madness again.

“I see…” Zhao Nan managed a wry smile and shook his head. “No wonder… Don’t worry, nothing like that will happen again. As long as you keep casting Clarity, we’ll be fine.”

“Really?”

“Look—the mist is already thinning thanks to your skill,” Zhao Nan motioned around them. “We’re lucky. It’s only because of your abilities that we’re safe.”

Inwardly, Zhao Nan felt a surge of relief. If Xu Yang hadn’t happened to be a human Sage, relying on himself alone—or without any items to dispel hallucinations—he would likely have died here, lost to madness and exhaustion.

He breathed out slowly. It seemed that, even with his reincarnation, he could not afford to underestimate this world. It was vast, and there were still many things he had never experienced.

Arrogance would only lead to ruin.

Following Zhao Nan’s instructions, Xu Yang continued to cast Clarity in all directions. The skill’s power steadily dispersed the fog, clearing a space dozens of meters across.

“That’s… moonlight grass!” Xu Yang exclaimed in delight.

On the clearing, the plants were clearly labeled ‘Moonlight Grass’.

Each stalk was wreathed in a thin layer of mist, and it became apparent that the dense fog in the valley was emanating from their very leaves.

Zhao Nan bent down and picked one, examining it closely.

Moonlight Grass: A wondrous herb that only reveals itself under the full moon, said to possess mysterious properties.

Holding the plant in his hand, Zhao Nan finally let out a sigh of relief. He had completed Hadian’s trial at last.