The masked person, Noir, was stunned upon seeing the view before him. Speechless. His grin disappeared, now turned into gritting like everyone else.
The once vibrant world now lay in ruins, a stark contrast to the order and prosperity he knew within the walls.
The sky, once a canvas of blue, was now tinged with hues of gray, and heavy clouds lingered like ominous reminders of a forgotten era.
Skeletal remains of towering buildings had been forbidden to reach heaven, their jagged edges silhouetted against the dim light. Nature relentlessly reclaimed its land and had woven a tapestry of overgrown vines.
Sniffing the air, Noir could taste the different, thick scent of decay and abandonment.
'I didn't expect it to be this heart-wrenching to see and experience it myself...'
Even for Noir, who was a fan of the ruined world theme, experiencing a life in that very world was suffocating.
'Maybe because it's the first time... I mean second.'
Noir was always living in a city filled with technology and facilities. Never had he experienced the post-apocalyptic world until that day, so it was to be expected he was like that when the view reminded him of the state of Earthium after the storm.
Even so, the Earthium's situation was inferior compared to this wasteland.
The truck's engine noises echoed in the desolate silence, the passenger's city-bred senses overwhelmed by the eerie stillness that enveloped the wasteland. Broken echoes of a past civilization whispered in the breeze, telling tales of a time long lost.
As they traversed the crumbling remnants of what was once a bustling street a century ago, they couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy even though they were not born yet at that time.
The ruins stood as haunting evidence of the temporality of human endeavors in front of greater powers.
Their silent travel beyond the wall revealed a world that had weathered the storm of time, its scars etched into every decaying structure and shattered window.
Noir glanced at the 5 people who rode with him. Their expressions were not too exaggerated, but they still had that grief in them.
He guessed it was not their first outing.
"You guys don't look that surprised. Is this your second time being here?"
One of them came to his senses.
"Ah, no. Actually, this is our third time. But no matter how many times I see this ruined world, I still can't imagine how chaotic the Nightingale Terror was and how the older generation could survive this ordeal."
'Third time, huh? Then they must be the academy's fresh graduates since the students of an academy would go outside at least two times.'
Wanting to satisfy his curiosity, Noir asked and confirmed it was true that they were fresh graduates. He also got to know his name was Andre.
"How about you? Uhh..."
"Xue Yu. I'm around your age, maybe a year older, and a senior? But I can't say I'm a fresh graduate."
"Well, if you're a year older academically, then you aren't a fresh graduate anymore, haha."
Noir chuckled.
"That's true. But that's not what I mean."
Andre tilted his head. "???"
"I dropped out after my visit into the rift in the third year. The reason is, well, you already know that."
After Noir finished speaking, somehow, the other four, who were in a blank state, reacted to his words. Their expressions showed pity and sympathy.
The elbowing girl stared at Noir.
"Senior. If I may ask, which academy do you come from?"
Before Noir could answer, the honk sounded, and the driver shouted:
"Hey, lads! Up your guards! We will soon enter the Miasma Zone."
'Miasma Zone?' Noir looked forward. 'If I'm not wrong, that is where monsters are lurking around other than inside the rift.'
Miasma Zone. It was a place where monsters lurked around, just like Noir said. However, it was called the Miasma Zone not for the monsters but for the mist that spread in the area.
The largest Miasma Zone could cover an entire Colorado in a mist.
Fortunately, the one before them was a small zone of 8 square kilometers.
Still, there was nothing wrong with being cautious. Not only did it contain monsters that could ambush them, but it also contained poisonous gas that could tire them out if they inhaled too much of the air inside the mist.
"Everyone, equip your gas mask," Andre instructed his friends.
Noir equipped the gas mask for his lower face. Surprisingly, the design between the two masks fit each other even though the other wasn't of fox style.
As everyone else squinted their eyes because the mist reduced their field of vision, Noir was the only one who had no problem with his vision in this kind of place, thanks to his Curio.
Not that he could squint his eyes when he didn't have one...
Anyways, thanks to the items he bought at the auction. Everything was going well for Noir for now.
The intention in buying the fox mask Curio was for this moment. But after finding out the hidden features, Noir improved his initial plan.
The Elixir of Transformation that he was about to use to disguise himself as a random person without a background was changed into one with a background.
Xue Yu. He was a person who lived in this era. An orphan without a family. After dropping out of the academy, he disappeared without a trace.
However, Noir managed to find out that the guy was already dead by suicide.
Using the fact that he was a lost person and harnessing critical injury, forging an identification of him and Resonant license with a quarter of the Elixir of Transformation, and double checking his relations with other people, Noir transformed into Xue Yu.
'I can't believe this Curio has a secret in it.'
The secret behind the fox mask Curio would be activated if the wearer used it with closed eyes or without vision.
If said person of that state were to wield the Curio. Instead of enhancing their vision and seeing the world as it was, they would see the 'essence.'
They would not see a person as a person but as an essence. A lump of magic energy called mana.
Nothing could hide from their vision. It was as if they used thermal vision, but their vision range wasn't restricted.
And thanks to that, whether fortunate or unfortunate, Noir was able to see the danger that awaited the crew ahead.
'What the hell is that thing?!'
The thing that Noir saw in his vision was a monster. Not just any monster, but a creature of nightmares. It was as tall as a skyscraper, but its presence was hidden in the mist.
As the truck drove carefully, Noir kept looking in the direction of that creature.
It looked like a human, but its figure was more slender, and its head was oval. The body was black as though formed from shadow. And its face... its face was plain. No eyes, no nose, no mouth, and bald.
Despite not being able to perceive its faceless face either, Noir felt like they had been staring at each other since earlier. Sure enough, after 5 minutes of locking eyes, the creature began to move in his direction.
"Shit!"
Hearing Noir's cursing, everyone jolted. They asked what was wrong. And when Noir was about to tell them, the ground shook violently.
"W-what is happening?!"
Taking a last glance at the approaching colossal faceless creature, Noir shouted:
"Driver!! Go full speed!!!"