Chapter 36: Mind Hax W-What... What’s this situation? Nightingale thought inwardly, wondering why the masked woman in front of him had suddenly frozen in place.
Did something happen? He didn’t understand.
For that matter, what was he supposed to do in this kind of situation?
Not knowing what to do, Nightingale could only stand there and stare at her in dumbfoundment.
Moments passed, then minutes but still, nothing changed.
𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶 The woman remained completely still and unmoving.
’Alright... what’s your deal here?’
Frowning, he called out.
"Hello? Um... Flaming Rose?"
"..."
"Hello? Ms. Rose?"
"..."
"Hello? Hello?!"
Despite how many times he called out, the woman did not respond. It was as if she had entered a state of complete shock.
Or had she entered some kind of trance?
Nightingale’s frown deepened. Something about this didn’t feel right.
Growing irritated, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers in front of her face to get her attention.
That seemed to do the trick.
The eyes behind the white sockets of the pristine mask blinked rapidly, as though her thoughts had finally been pulled back into reality. In her utter confusion, she only muttered:
"Huh?"
Nightingale replied,
"What happened? You suddenly spaced out out of nowhere. Are you one of those people that just zone out for no reason?"
The masked woman tilted her head slightly, still looking disoriented.
"I... what? What did you just say?"
"I said you spaced out. You were standing there like a statue. I thought you’d died standing up or something."
"Ah, that... I was just... surprised. You weren’t what I expected."
’Eh? Eh? Eh? What does she mean by that? Is she trying to say I’m ugly!? I mean, I’m not exactly a celebrity or some pretty boy, but isn’t that a bit harsh?!’ Lu Song thought in despair.
He felt like a man who had just been blindsided on a Tinder date.
A small, awkward silence followed. The woman didn’t say anything further, and Nightingale could feel the air between them growing heavier by the second.
’How lovely. First mission together and we’re already off to an amazing start. At this rate, she’ll probably think I’m a total joke before we even make it inside.’
Resigning himself, he forced a wry smile and gestured toward the looming structure ahead.
"Alright then. Let’s just... get this over with. The Tower isn’t going to wait for us."
He motioned for her to move first, though part of him couldn’t shake the uneasy thought that this strange woman might prove far more troublesome than he’d anticipated.
Just like that, the two of them passed the checkpoint and entered the Tower’s entrance resembling the gaping maws of a forgotten beast.
† †
The First Floor.
Climbers who had once passed through this place often described it as a vast and miserable swamp with a particular terrible stench.
A thick mist blanketed everything making it hard to see more than a few meters ahead. The stench of decay hung in the air like the breath of something that had been dead for centuries. Beneath their feet, the ground was soft and uneven dominated by a mix of mud, moss, and half-submerged roots that squelched unpleasantly everytime they moved.
Twisted trees rose from the murky waters, their bark blackened and their branches warped into monstrous silhouettes. The few that still bore leaves had them in dull shades of brown and green, clearly drained of life. The fog trembled with the faint buzz of unseen insects, their droning hum weaving eerily through the still air.
Occasionally, the water rippled too wide and suddendy to have been caused by mere wind.
Most Climbers referred to this floor as the "Swamp of Beginnings", or something along those lines.
Nightingale swept his gaze across the endless expanse of murky bog, his expression twisting into one of disgust. The floor was just as repulsive as he remembered, but something about it felt... off.
Why was it so quiet?
’The last time I came here, I was getting jumped left and right by all kinds of monstrous abominations. Now... none of them are anywhere to be found. How suspicious. Did the other parties wipe them out already?’
From his observations, that seemed to be the case. They were not the only Espers who had entered the Mire.
Quite frankly, all Climbers were bound to follow the same path. Everyone would descend the same steps and face the same monsters. In such a scenario, it was inevitable that the frontrunners would slaughter the present Chaos Creatures and continue downward, leaving little for anyone else.
But that didn’t make the situation completely hopeless.
The Black Mire, after all, constantly spat out Chaos Creatures like an endless, dripping fountain of nightmares. Even if the frontrunners had cleared a path, new abominations would inevitably emerge from the murky waters, the twisted roots, or the fog itself. And they weren’t regular monsters either. They were unpredictable, grotesque amalgamations of flesh and decay, the forces of corruption.
Cautiously, he continued scanning the surroundings, ready to confront any lurking monstrosity.
One could never be too sure what was hiding in the depths.
However, after remaining silent the entire time, Flaming Rose suddenly spoke, breaking his concentration. She appeared to have fully regained her composure.
"You don’t have to be so tense. No monsters will attack us here."
Nightingale arched a brow.
"Are you certain? Wouldn’t it be unwise to drop our guard, especially when we’re trudging through a bloody swamp covered in grey mist? I’d say that alone is enough reason to stay on edge, wouldn’t you agree?"
The masked woman spoke in an even, measured tone as she continued her stride, eyes fixed ahead, not sparing him so much as a glance.
"Guess you wouldn’t know much about the First Floor’s mechanics, so I won’t hold it against you. It’s simple enough. Most Climbers call it the Swamp of Beginnings because of its unique property; the Grey Mist that blankets the entire worldscape. In truth, that mist is a kind of mental interference, or more precisely, a mind hax that distorts one’s perception and causes them to wander endlessly. If you’re unaware of its effects, escaping it is practically impossible."
Her explanation was calm and professional, though her voice carried a faint coldness that surpised him. Nightingale didn’t mind her tone and instead focused on the critical part of her words.
’Mind hax? A mental attack? So that’s what it was!?’
No wonder he hadn’t been able to locate the gateway to the Second Floor before. He’d been ensnared by a power he hadn’t even known existed!
More importantly, the young man had come to another critical realization. His Perception attribute granted him the ability to "read" details and instinctively resist illusions that tampered with his senses. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, he had completely failed to detect the subtle brainwashing effects of the Grey Fog.
Why? What was the reason behind this?
Could it be that his Perception attribute was incapable of resisting phenomena that targeted the mind directly?
Come to think of it... could the mind even be considered a sense?
Humans possessed five primary senses — sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch — all of which relied on physical organs to detect external stimuli.
The mind, however, functioned differently. It didn’t receive sensory input; it interpreted it. In essence, the mind was not a sensor, but rather a processor that organized and gave meaning to the information gathered by the senses.
Simply put, if something could seize control of the mind, it could also manipulate the five senses by extension. After all, everything one perceived was filtered through the brain. Once that was compromised, even an individual’s personal reality could be rewritten.
His body shivered.
’Note to self, make sure to purchase a Mind protection Mystery!’
Suppressing the unease creeping up his back, Nightingale prepared to ask a few more questions. But it seemed Flaming Rose had no intention of elaborating further; she remained silent, lost in her own thoughts.
In the end, there was no point in pressing her. After nearly thirty minutes of trudging through the solitary, fog-draped path, they finally arrived at their destination.