The Mist Vol 5 Chapter 4

Vol 5 Chapter 4

"It's the flower of death. There's a slum in Bistale called Rezul. It's a legendary flower said to exist in a forbidden area that the people there never dare to approach, but in fact, I've actually seen it."

The man, who didn't seem to need Kapros's response, paused as if lost in thought for a moment before continuing in a casual murmur.

"I barely escaped, but if I had gone in deeper, I probably wouldn't be here now."

What on earth was this Flower of Rezul that was said to be similar to Aiagas?

Just as Kapros was about to step forward and open his mouth to ask more, suddenly the door right in front of the masked man burst open and another man entered. Without even looking at Kapros, he went straight to the masked man and whispered something in a very low voice. He seemed somehow urgent.

The masked man listened quietly until he finished speaking, and Kapros saw him respond by barely moving his lips. Only after a few more inaudible exchanges did the masked man shake his head and turn to look at Kapros.

"Oh dear. A problem has arisen. It seems I must go right away. I apologize for leaving before seeing our guest out."

"It's alright."

"Yes. Well then, I hope we'll meet again someday."

The masked man continued speaking while giving instructions with his hand to one of the waiting men.

"The one who guided you here will also guide you out. If you have any more questions, you can ask him. Farewell."

The masked man, who seemed to be truly in a hurry, quickly said goodbye and left, with the others following behind him. As Kapros was watching this, the man who had first brought him here approached.

"I'll lead the way. Follow me."

As Kapros followed the guide who immediately opened the back door and went out without further ado, he thought about the Flower of Rezul he had briefly heard about. Rezul, the slum of Bistale, and the legendary flower said to exist in its forbidden area.

He wasn't sure if it really resembled Aiagas or not, but given the circumstances, it seemed certain that it was greatly related to his quest.

However, there was actually one more thing lingering in his mind along with that.

'They said Caesar's Lord Piece resembled my Aiagas...'

He had seen Caesar three times so far, but he had never seen his Lord Piece. However, while he hadn't seen it directly, he remembered seeing something that could be presumed to be it once before.

The second quest video of Caesar that had been uploaded to THE MIST's official homepage. In that video where a dark, crumbling building transformed in an instant as if regaining its former glory, and an unidentifiable evil voice urged Caesar to become its limb, there was a strange object glowing in Caesar's hand that he had glimpsed briefly.

"..."

At the time, he hadn't properly registered the surrounding scenery because he was focused on Caesar, so his memory was hazy, but that was certainly the only thing that could be guessed to be Caesar's Lord Piece.

'I should watch that again first when I log out.'

After deciding to confirm the matter of Caesar's Lord Piece that way, Kapros addressed the man who had started guiding him out.

"May I ask one question?"

Perhaps because Kapros, who had been quiet until now, suddenly spoke, the man's response was a bit delayed.

"The vice-leader ordered it, so you have the right. Speak."

"Do you know whereabouts in Bistale Rezul is located?"

"It's a dirty neighborhood in the most remote southwestern outskirts of Bistale."

"Have you also heard about the Flower of Rezul?"

The guide stopped in his tracks at Kapros's question and turned around. Just as Kapros felt puzzled by his somewhat reluctant gaze, the guide narrowed his eyes and turned his gaze away.

"All of our organization members have their roots in Bistale. And there's not a single beggar born in Bistale who grew up without hearing a story about that cursed flower."

The subtle tone mixed in his manner of speaking definitely made Kapros feel that there was something unusual about the Flower of Rezul. He wanted to probe further, but it seemed the man didn't want to talk much about it.

'But if it's related to the quest, it would be advantageous to find out even a little more preliminary information...'

Once he had started something, it would be better to push through decisively. Feeling the tension of dealing with NPCs after a long time, Kapros subtly posed a question.

"Isn't it just a superstition? I'm very curious that even people like you believe in such a story."

"Don't take it lightly."

The guide frowned slightly and shook his head.

"It's not just a superstition. Didn't you hear the vice-leader? If you carelessly set foot in that cursed forbidden area of Rezul, you can never come out alive. The vice-leader was an exceptional case for surviving after falling in there. If you're that curious, I'll guide you, so go and see for yourself. I can do that much for you."

Ding!

At that moment, a notification window appeared before Kapros's eyes again.

'Another notification window...'

And they were all about determining guidelines for his actions.

In THE MIST, where individual user play freedom was very high, such notification windows were not something to be taken lightly. This meant that just choosing would change something. It seemed that there was really something important behind this.

Feeling his interest rising more and more, Kapros decided to see where this unexpectedly found opportunity would lead.

< Go now >

"Alright. If you'll just guide me, I'll go now."

After pressing <Go now> and speaking nonchalantly, the man nodded with a strange smile.

"Very well. Just remember that you won't have the right to hold me responsible later. All I'm doing is showing you the way."

For Kapros, it was actually helpful as it saved him the trouble of going to Bistale and asking people again about what the Flower of Rezul was. However, due to the guide's attitude that seemed to imply something, he couldn't feel entirely pleased.