SWNOVELXO Chapter 5: The zone’s rules could be deadly
Meanwhile, inside White Mist Zone No. 22, Anthony was wandering aimlessly, having already shed his thick winter coat.
Seven years ago, when the White Mist Zone first appeared, everything was shrouded in mist. It took Anthony more than half a day to find his way out of the mist.
At that time, the zone had not yet started to change. It was said that once the White Mist Zone stabilized, a separate ecosystem would develop inside.
Although Anthony had read about it in books, seeing it with his own eyes left him deeply shocked.
Anthony originally thought the White Mist Zone was a terrifying death trap, but once inside, he realized he might have misunderstood it.
Looking ahead, there was a vast, endless grassland!
The temperature was over twenty degrees Celsius, the climate was comfortable, and the air was fresh.
The landscape was completely different from the outside world—it felt like a whole new world!
If not for the rules of the zone and the terrifying monsters, this place might be called a paradise.
But where were the monsters?
At this point, Anthony had been walking inside for almost an hour. For the first half-hour, he was cautious and moved slowly, but he encountered nothing.
Wasn't the White Mist Zone supposed to be crawling with monsters? Why hadn't he seen a single one?
Along the way, he did find a lot of monster carcasses and remains, and he even stumbled upon a freshly killed monster, its body still warm.
Clearly, there were monsters here, but for some reason, they had all disappeared.
Following the logic that "even a little is better than nothing," Anthony collected everything he found.
As for the zone's rules—well, either due to good luck or something else—Anthony hadn't triggered any.
He had gone from being tense at the start to gradually becoming more relaxed.
At this point, he didn't feel like he was on an expedition, but rather on a sightseeing tour.
Finally, tired of walking, Anthony sat down on the grass to rest.
He had thought the things he prepared would be unnecessary, but it turned out they came in handy.
Taking out the box of stew, Anthony found that although it had cooled down, he didn't mind.
He picked up a piece and was about to take a bite when his world suddenly plunged into darkness again.
Intermittent blindness had struck once more.
Anthony's expression didn't change. Fortunately, there were no monsters attacking at the moment, or things would have gotten dangerous.
As he quietly waited, something unexpected happened.
When his world was completely enveloped in darkness, a few points of white light suddenly appeared, forming a series of special messages:
[Zone Rules:]
[1: Do not attack your own kind]
[2: Do not cry]
[3: If someone calls you, you must respond]
[4: Do not insult others]
[5: Wash your hands before eating]
...
The white lights formed a dense array of rules, totaling dozens.
The sight made Anthony's head spin.
These bizarre rules gave off the vibe of a primary school conduct code.
Before he could finish reading all of them, his blindness suddenly lifted.
Anthony blinked. "What was that just now? The rules of the zone?"
Reflecting on those odd rules, Anthony couldn't help but twitch at the corners of his mouth.
No wonder humanity hadn't fully deciphered the rules of the White Mist Zone after two hundred years.
No wonder the survival rate within the zone was so low.
With rules as strange as those, who could have guessed them?
Moreover, Anthony found it odd. Although he didn't catch all of them, he did notice a few.
For instance, needing to respond when someone calls your name or having to wash your hands before eating.
These rules seemed tailored specifically for humans.
He had never heard of other creatures washing their hands before eating.
Wait a minute, if that's the case, shouldn't the creatures in the White Mist Zone have been wiped out by the rules long ago?
Does this mean the zone's rules apply only to humans, or do different creatures have different rules, and he can only see the human rules?
Anthony wasn't sure, but regardless of which it was, he had a strong feeling that the appearance of the White Mist Zone was closely tied to humanity.
However, now wasn't the time to delve into this.
More important than being able to see the zone's rules was the fact that he saw them during his episodes of blindness!
Anthony had originally thought his intermittent blindness was some sort of illness, but now it was clear that wasn't the case.
Maybe this so-called blindness was an espers ability that he hadn't fully Espers yet!
The thought nearly brought Anthony to tears.
At the same time, another idea struck him—if his blindness was an espers ability, could the invisible wall that blocked him also be an ability?
In that moment, Anthony saw hope for leaving the zone.
As for how to awaken his espers ability, Anthony didn't know, but from what he'd read, consuming monster flesh could enhance espers powers.
Thinking back, his sudden increase in blindness episodes and duration seemed to have started after he ate the oxtail yesterday.
With that in mind, Anthony instinctively moved to continue eating, but just as he was about to take a bite, he froze.
He remembered one of the rules: wash your hands before eating!
Anthony shivered, nearly dropping the meat.
The zone's rules could be deadly!
So, the most urgent task now was to find a way to record all the White Mist Zone's rules.
Once he knew the rules, the danger would be greatly reduced.
Looking at the lush green grassland around him, Anthony smiled slightly. This place seemed like the perfect spot to awaken his ability.
...
Time passed quickly.
In White Mist Zone No. 22, the sky was already dimming.
Although there was no sun within the zone, day and night still alternated just like on Blue Star.
Boom!
The ground exploded with a loud bang as four figures raced through the forest, their faces covered in dust, their bodies bearing various injuries.
However, the black cloaks they wore remained intact, fluttering in the wind, with the dark red character "(Demon)" embroidered on them.
A blood-red skull mark hovered above their heads, as bright as blood. Captain Irvin's mark was so dark it was nearly black.
Behind the four, dozens of monsters were in hot pursuit, launching various attacks with their powers.
Blocking another wave of attacks, Irvin handed a glowing blue crystal to Bob beside him. "This isn't going to work. Bob, you take the artifact and get out of here; we'll cover the rear."
Bob nodded heavily, taking the artifact. He let out a low shout as energy surged through his legs.
In the next moment, Bob shot forward like a cannonball, leaving afterimages in the air.
Several of the pursuing monsters roared and used some unknown ability to accelerate, while two flying monsters in the sky screeched, ignoring Irvin and the others, and headed straight for Bob.
"George!"
"Got it!"