My view was completely blocked by the white fog. Seconds later, when the fog cleared, I found myself again in a plain surrounded by forests, with snow-capped mountains in the distance. The only difference was that we weren't in the same place where we first appeared when we were teleported.
As the fog around me dissipated, other people began to appear. Ellen was relatively close to me, while Noelle, whom I hadn't noticed until recently, was literally clinging to me.
"Noah! Noelle!"
As I was lost in thought, Ellen's voice caught my attention. Looking at her, I saw her coming towards me with a relieved expression on her face. Even though technically we should be used to this by now, it's still a strange feeling to be teleported to another place.
"Thank God you two are okay" Ellen said with a slight smile.
After that, we began to look around. Although it was obvious that there were other people with us, there didn't seem to be anyone we already knew. Leo was also not in sight, which led me to believe that in order to go to the same plane, we should have been together from the beginning.
Anyway, I decided to focus on what was a priority at the moment. With that thought in mind, I opened the mission window. As soon as I did, a translucent screen appeared before me.
Missions
[Main Mission] - Race Against Time (Hunt as many monsters as you can before time runs out, those who don't meet the quota will be eliminated)
Quota: 0/150
Time: 3:00:00:00
Rewards: Skill upgrade card/ Enchanted item of your choice.
[Secondary Mission] - Hunt the golden pig.
Rewards: Passive skill of your choice
The main mission remained the same, which honestly was a relief. Changing so suddenly could cause problems, because like me, almost everyone was brought here with strategies in mind, taking into account the main mission presented to us earlier.
Furthermore, there was a counter with numbers and a deadline set for us to finish this main mission, which honestly put some pressure. This time, it seemed like we were in a race against time. Besides, the main mission itself stated that those who didn't meet the quota would be eliminated. Personally, I didn't want to test to see what they meant by that.
"I don't recognize any faces" Ellen remarked, catching my attention as she looked around.
"There's probably some invisible system at work. People close to each other are sent to the same plane, while the same doesn't happen with those who aren't close to each other. I still don't know exactly how this works, but I think it would be something like that" I replied, pointing to a specific location. "Look, those people seem to know each other. They were probably close to each other when they came here, just like us" I added, to which Ellen nodded.
Anyway, although it was obvious that some people knew each other, considering how they were interacting with each other, there were also some others who seemed to be alone. At the moment, however, I ignored them, as there was something else catching my attention.
The fact that we have to meet a quota makes me think that maybe the number of monsters here is limited. I have no idea how it was in the previous plane, as it seemed that no matter how much we killed, the monsters always ended up coming back somehow. But something tells me that this time will be different.
"Ellen, Noelle, let's hurry. Considering the number of people, I believe there are more than enough monsters for most to pass. However, I don't think there are exactly enough monsters for everyone to pass" I said, looking at both of them.
Ellen and Noelle seemed to quickly understand what I was trying to imply with this. As soon as they both nodded in agreement, we began to move towards the forest.
Some glances started to be directed at us, probably because most were still undecided about what to do. Of course, a group doing something contrary to what everyone else was doing would attract attention.
But honestly, who cares? If we took too long, we would probably regret it later. With that thought in mind, we entered the forest. As we advanced, our postures completely changed: I took the front position, Ellen took the rear, while Noelle stayed between me and Ellen.
My [Ecopulsation] was also activated, but at the moment, no matter how far I sent my signals, it didn't matter. At least for now, there were no monsters around us. Of course, that didn't make me any less anxious. It has happened before that a monster managed to pass through my radar with its ability, and I think it's quite possible that something like that will happen again.
"It's... quiet" Ellen commented in an apprehensive tone.
Just as Ellen said, it was quiet, but the silence hanging in the air was uncomfortable. Or rather, it seemed to be deliberately so, as if something would suddenly jump on us. At least, that was the impression I was getting.
But for now, nothing was really happening. We continued advancing for a few more minutes until finally a positive signal returned to me. My [Ecopulsation] seemed to have detected something. With that in mind, I looked back, towards Ellen and Noelle.
It took just a few glances for both of them to understand what I was trying to say. Ellen quickly stretched her arm, causing a bow to appear. I, on the other hand, drew my scythe, while Noelle held a small wand.
Probably, at this point, everyone should already have their own weapons, even Noelle does, although I honestly wonder what her wand does, more specifically what its stats are.
Putting that aside, shortly after, the three of us were now hidden behind a tree. It was relatively large, which allowed us to hide without needing to be too close to each other.
In front of us, more precisely in a semi-open area, there was a kind of monster similar to an ostrich. The difference was that these had relatively colorful feathers, in addition to a horn on their foreheads. They also seemed to walk in flocks, as there were probably more than 30 just in that area.