Chapter 16: Yerin’s Journey (6)

The [Kim Sera Expedition Team], which had been dispatched to investigate the recent abnormal phenomenon, was now

facing a major crisis.

More precisely, Kim Sera herself was facing it. Maybe this was an even greater crisis for her than any she had experienced

so far.

Just a little while ago, the fog suddenly cleared, and they found the senior scholar. After that, Kim Sera led the team back

along the road and gathered the scattered expedition members. That part went well. At first, they were awkward around

each other, but soon they shared the joy of reunion.

The crisis began when they returned to base camp, reorganized their equipment, and set out again to continue the

investigation.

All the phenomena they had experienced seemed to vanish like illusions—there were no signs or movements detected on

any of their scanners or measuring instruments.

Nothing was picked up by the detectors. Because of that, they couldn’t pinpoint the location of the concept.

And the numbers from the measuring devices?

[Abnormal Phenomenon Measurement]

• Value: 14, 13

• Stage: 0

The values had dropped down to stage 0.

If they had even once exceeded stage 4, that would have meant something. But the highest they’d ever gone was stage 3,

and from then on, the values kept falling.

Kim Sera didn’t give up. She carried the detector on her back and ran around herself, checking for any changes in the

numbers.

“In the end, I couldn’t find any unusual phenomena.”

It didn’t make sense as the “Mist” concept she had claimed earlier. This concept was known to be a strange creature that,

once it claimed an area as its own, would never move until it had consumed everything in it.

So why would such a concept suddenly regurgitate the human it had captured, clear the fog, and then disappear without a

trace?

“What, did it suddenly get bored of humans because something better came along?”

Kim Sera brushed the thought away. Even to her, it sounded ridiculous.

So she quickly switched her thinking.

“Fine, let’s say that’s not the issue.”

Even if there was no physical evidence, and they couldn’t use electronics due to interference—there were still credible

eyewitnesses here, right?

It wasn’t just Parang and the expedition who experienced the phenomenon. There was even a government agent. His

testimony alone could serve as evidence.

Even if he had ignored her warning and stepped off the path, only to get sucked into the ground, at least he was still alive.

If he just added a few words to support her, the government would have to take notice.

Kim Sera immediately approached the man in the black suit and asked for help.

The agent scratched his head and awkwardly looked away.

“…Well… actually… I just went to use the bathroom and… I don’t really remember anything after that… but if you need

help… I could maybe…”

Kim Sera still didn’t give up. She organized all the events into her notebook and sent a report to her superiors.

It was likely the Korean Integrated Phenomena Surveillance Center—a.k.a. HanJongSen—had already recorded the

incident.

That center manages not just one area but the entire country 24/7. There was no way they missed something like this in

JeonDo City.

Even if she lacked credibility, she could rely on the power of higher-ranking institutions. If needed, she would even lean

on the weight of her own titles—Senior Scholar, Center Director.

It was overkill to use that here, but she was confident.

“If I fall here, it’s really over.”

Kim Sera requested data from HanJongSen and sent the report to a higher authority, then waited quietly.

Though anxiety surged inside, she pushed it away.

If this was resolved well—even if they couldn’t capture the concept—the data alone could become a significant

achievement.

The “sea-drifting fog,” commonly called Mist, was still an uncharted existence.

Humanity had no solid information on this phenomenon.

Almost everything was speculation.

Ten years ago, the Alliance had already banned direct research inside the Mist, having deemed it useless and too risky.

Still, if humanity had learned anything from all the sacrifices, it was that the Mist’s “rules” were overwhelmingly unfair to

humans.

Even Kim Sera couldn’t access detailed intel. It was classified—available only to those with high enough contributions or

ranks within the Alliance, and she wasn’t quite there yet.

But with her position, she could at least see the partially unredacted data.

1. It’s a being that has existed for countless years—at least, as far as humans can tell.

2. It hasn’t yet transitioned from a concept to a defined idea.

3. Its unique ability is the “Dream Maze.”

Even if just a small part of the body entered the fog, people couldn’t find their way back—even though all they had to do

was turn around. That’s why it was called a dream maze—because those who entered wandered endlessly, as if trapped in

a dream.

There was more: the danger rating.

The Mist tends to linger in one spot for a long time.

[Danger Level: Low (Potential: Extreme)]

It hadn’t yet emerged from the sea to harm anyone, so it was officially rated low, but the potential danger was set

extremely high.

That’s because it was nearly impossible to detect its approach beforehand.

Its essence didn’t clump like regular fog but dispersed faintly into the air, leaving behind only a subtle trace. Unless one

looked very closely, they wouldn’t even know it was there.

That applied to its eerie, uncanny aura too—people couldn’t notice it without mechanical help.

So once the Mist claimed an area as its territory, no one could escape. They became prey.

“So… that’s why the info I found is so valuable. It’s not just scraps of data—it’s real. Maybe the Alliance will

recognize my achievement and raise my contribution score. Maybe the data I found will even be classified as

confidential.”

Kim Sera chuckled to herself and stood up at the sound of the fax machine.

No one else would be contacting this place—so this had to be the reply to the report she sent.

As expected, the paper sliding out of the fax machine bore the logo of the Korean government, which had dispatched this

expedition.

She took the report and sat at her desk.

[Government]

She wiped her sweaty hands on her white lab coat and flipped the page.

Now it was time for her efforts to be rewarded. The fact they sent a reply meant they weren’t ignoring her.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

[Report from Interim Team Leader Kim Sera – Abnormal Phenomenon Investigation Team]

• Assessment of the report

• Based on Team Leader Kim Sera’s position, she determined the power and danger of the mentioned concept required urgent attention.

• Consultation was requested with a scholar affiliated with the Alliance.
  [The following is their response]

Just reading that much, Kim Sera could already guess the rest.

Soon, the name “Kim Sera” would be known throughout Korea. She’d prove the ones who dismissed her had no eye for

talent.

She eagerly continued reading the next part.

“After reviewing the attached measurement data, we confirm that an unusual occurrence was detected.”

“Yes!”

The paper trembled in her hands with excitement. And then—her hands shook even more when she reached the next part.

But for a very different reason

“However, since the data did not exceed level 4 and stopped at around level 3, and since it dropped back to level 0 shortly

after—

we conclude that this incident was a natural phenomenon, more specifically, a rare ‘couple event’.”

“A couple event is when naturally occurring energy clumps together once and then, by extreme coincidence,

clumps again.

There are three recorded cases:

• England, March 2013

• New Jersey, USA, April 2001

• Texas, USA, May 1992”

“Therefore, we conclude that your report of [Mist] movement is unreliable.

Your request to register the data as Level 1 classified information has been denied.”

The trembling in her hands spread through her whole body as she read the final line.

“Determined to be a case of mass hallucination.”

The government judged that the team had not been of sound mind, and promptly disbanded the Kim Sera Expedition

Team, replacing them with another.

Kim Sera returned, defeated, to her desk at the JeonDo Research Center headquarters.

She bowed her head and made a quiet, personal vow never to join another expedition team request like that again.

A spark reignited in her heart.

“It’s because this place is in the countryside… I really must not be cut out for rural areas…”

Her determination to move to Seoul was now firm.

“But more importantly… what am I going to say to the team? I talked big like I was sure about everything…

and now they’re calling it mass hallucination—”

Before she could finish, her phone vibrated on the table.

A glance told her the caller was Kim Won-jae.

Silently, Kim Sera pressed the power button to turn the phone off.

“…I didn’t see anything. Oh! I had something to take care of! Right. Work, I should work!”

She looked away.

This wasn’t giving up.

It was just… a tactical retreat.