Novel Full Chapter 474: The gray mist
Chapter 474: The gray mist
The farm owner stared at the scene in front of him, completely stunned.
His mouth slowly fell open as he watched the massive body of the corrupted beast collapse onto the field. For several long seconds he could not move, and his mind struggled to process what he had just witnessed.
Three days ago, when that corrupted wolf had entered his farm, he had nearly lost his life trying to drive it away. He had gathered everything he owned that could be used as a weapon. Torches, spears, iron tools, even the rusted hunting traps he had stored away for years had been dragged out in desperation. The entire night had been a struggle just to survive and protect his animals.
And even then, he had not been able to kill the creature.
At best, he had managed to frighten it away after suffering injuries and exhausting all of his strength.
But this adventurer had arrived and ended one of the corrupted beasts with a single effortless strike.
The blade had flashed once.
That was all it took.
The monster had been sliced cleanly in half before it even understood what had happened.
The two halves of the corrupted animal slammed heavily into the ground, sending a dull vibration through the soil. Dark blood slowly soaked into the grass as the lifeless body twitched once and then went still.
The old man’s lips trembled slightly as he stared at the young adventurer standing calmly in the field.
Hope slowly began to ignite inside his eyes.
This was a real adventurer.
Someone powerful.
Someone capable of dealing with the nightmare that had taken over his farm.
Perhaps… perhaps his land could truly be saved.
Ethan lowered his sword slowly.
The glowing blade dissolved into faint cosmic particles and disappeared from his hand as if it had never existed.
“Yumiko,” he said calmly.
[Yes, Master.]
“Did I get any evolution points from that?”
For a brief moment there was silence inside his mind.
[No.]
Ethan blinked in mild surprise.
“No?”
[You have not connected to the system yet.]
Her voice remained calm and analytical.
[Because of that, the world system cannot recognize your actions and therefore cannot reward you with evolution points.]
Ethan rubbed the back of his neck slightly as he looked at the corpse of the beast lying in the grass.
“So killing monsters doesn’t give me anything yet.”
He sighed quietly.
“Great.”
But Yumiko spoke again before he could say anything else.
[However…]
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
“However?”
[You did receive something.]
“What did I get?”
[A single strand of faith.]
Ethan tilted his head slightly, clearly confused by the answer.
“A strand of faith?”
[Yes.]
Yumiko replied.
[The farm owner witnessed your actions and developed genuine admiration and belief toward you. That emotional energy condensed into a strand of faith and was absorbed by your existence.]
Ethan stared at the old man in the distance for a moment before sighing again.
“So I have to wait before I can start leveling up properly, huh?”
[Correct.]
Ethan stretched his arms lazily as if loosening his muscles after a warm-up exercise.
“Well, that’s a little disappointing.”
As he moved, he suddenly paused.
Something felt different.
His body felt… lighter.
Not dramatically different, but the subtle change was noticeable.
He slowly raised his hand and moved it through the air. The motion felt smoother than before, as if the invisible resistance that had been slowing him down earlier was gradually weakening.
“I see.”
A small smirk appeared on his face.
“My body is getting used to the atmosphere of this world.”
Earlier, every movement had felt heavy, like he was moving through thick liquid. But now that strange pressure was slowly fading as his body adapted.
“Well,” he muttered quietly, “at least I gained something.”
He shifted his attention back to the field.
Two corrupted beasts still remained.
The creatures had finally reacted to the death of their companion. Their red glowing eyes turned toward Ethan, and a low, distorted growl echoed from their throats.
Then both beasts charged.
Their hooves tore through the soil as they rushed forward with terrifying force.
But Ethan did not move in panic.
He simply stepped forward.
The Sword of Infinity appeared again in his hand.
Two flashes of silver light cut through the air.
The charging beasts did not even have time to react.
Both creatures collapsed instantly as their bodies were sliced apart with perfect precision.
Two corpses hit the ground almost simultaneously.
The entire fight lasted less than two seconds.
However, Ethan did not relax.
Instead, his eyes slowly narrowed.
“I can feel more of them.”
His senses spread outward like invisible waves scanning the surrounding land.
The world might be suppressing his power, but his perception was still far beyond anything normal.
Soon he detected them.
Eight additional life signatures.
Hidden.
Watching from different directions within the fields.
“My power may be suppressed,” Ethan murmured quietly, “but it isn’t gone.”
A faint smile appeared on his face.
He slowly raised his hand.
“Eye of Oblivion.”
The moment the words left his mouth, the world itself seemed to distort.
For an instant, space fractured like cracked glass.
Then the hidden creatures disintegrated.
There were no screams.
No struggle.
The eight corrupted beasts scattered throughout the farm were erased instantly, their bodies collapsing into gray dust before they even realized they had been attacked.
Silence returned to the fields.
But something strange happened next.
From the remains of the destroyed monsters, thin strands of gray mist slowly began to emerge.
The mist floated into the air like smoke rising from burning wood.
Ethan frowned slightly as he watched the phenomenon.
The mist twisted and drifted gently through the air as if it possessed a strange will of its own.
Then suddenly…
Ethan felt something inside his mind.
It was an instinct.
Without realizing it, he slowly raised his hand toward the floating mist.
His fingers reached out.
The gray mist touched his skin.
[MASTER WAIT—!]
Yumiko’s voice exploded in panic inside his mind.
But it was already too late.
The mist surged forward like a living thing.
It rushed directly into Ethan’s body.
The gray energy shot through his arm and moved toward his brain at terrifying speed.
For a split second, the situation looked extremely dangerous.
But before the mist could reach its destination, something inside Ethan reacted.
The strand of Infinity within his body awakened.
A powerful suction force erupted from the law fragment.
The invading gray mist was instantly dragged away from Ethan’s brain and pulled directly into the Infinity strand.
The corrupted energy was swallowed completely.
Consumed.
Ethan froze for a moment as the strange sensation passed through his body.
Then he snapped out of his daze.
“What the hell just happened?!”
[Master, please give me a moment.]
Yumiko’s voice sounded tense.
Several seconds passed in silence as she analyzed the situation.
Then suddenly her tone changed.
Excitement filled her voice.
[Master.]
[We just hit a jackpot.]
Ethan blinked in confusion.
“What do you mean by jackpot?”
[The gray mist you just absorbed originates from broken fragments of the Law of Infinity.]
Ethan frowned.
[But it is the opposite of that. It is negative infinity.]
Yumiko continued explaining.
[When these gray fragments encounter other broken infinity laws, they attempt to devour them in order to stabilize themselves.]
[They will not stop until the other fragment is completely erased.]
Ethan crossed his arms thoughtfully.
“And?”
Yumiko’s tone became slightly triumphant.
[Your infinity law strand is not broken.]
[It is a true infinity.]
[Perfect.]
[Absolute.]
[Because of that, when the gray mist entered your body, your law fragment treated it like food.]
Ethan looked down at his hand slowly.
“So you’re saying my infinity law just ate it.”
[Exactly.]
“Did it grow?”
[Yes.]
[Only slightly.]
[But it definitely grew.]