The massive blue portal of the rating 9 dungeon hummed with stable energy, having swallowed the last of Leon's hundred people mere moments ago. Leon stood in the aftermath of silence, the scattered equipment from the beaten guards still littering the ground around them, while Seraphine waited patiently by his side. The portal's glow cast long shadows across the barren landscape, a constant reminder that somewhere within that otherworldly space, his people were undergoing their awakening.

Leon's mind calculated the time frames with practiced efficiency. A dungeon of this magnitude and complexity wouldn't release its challengers quickly. The 9 classification meant intricate trials, multiple chambers, and awakening processes that could last anywhere from twelve hours to a full day, possibly even longer if complications arose. The giant man with abyssal affinity and the blue-haired girl who held his hand so tenderly – they would need every minute of that time to properly awaken their potential.

This waiting period presented an opportunity, and Leon was not one to waste time on idle observation. His duty here was complete – all his people were now distributed across the three dungeons, each undergoing their transformation from ordinary refugees to awakened warriors. But Leon's ambitions stretched far beyond simply awakening a few hundred people.

Turning to face Seraphine fully, his expression shifted from contemplative to decisive. The purple-haired commander recognized that look immediately – Leon had made a decision, and knowing him, it would be something that others might consider impossible or reckless.

"Tell me about the Forbidden Mist," Leon said directly, his voice cutting through the ambient hum of the dungeon portal. "The barrier that separates the Lower Domain from the Middle Domain. I want to know everything about it."

Seraphine's eyebrows rose slightly at the unexpected question. The Forbidden Mist was something most people in the Lower Domain spoke of in hushed whispers, if at all. It was the ultimate boundary of their world, the edge beyond which lay realms of power and danger that dwarfed anything found in their limited sphere.

Leon's mind was already racing through his accumulated resources and future plans. He had amassed so many casualties recently – wealth, weapons, artifacts, and treasures from multiple kingdoms. His dimensional space held enough resources to fund a small army for years. Initially, his strategy had involved systematic expansion throughout the Lower Domain. He had considered claiming more people for his dimensional space, methodically looting the treasuries of additional kingdoms, building a power base that would be unassailable within this realm.

But the more he analyzed the situation, the more apparent the limitations became. The Lower Domain was like a shallow pond when what he needed was an ocean. The treasures here, while valuable to local inhabitants, were ultimately beneath his requirements.

A kingdom's entire treasury in the Lower Domain might equal a single decent artifact from the Middle Domain. It was a matter of quality over quantity, and he was wasting time collecting copper when he should be mining gold.

More critically, finding individuals with genuine talent was proving increasingly difficult. The Lower Domain's limited mana density meant that even those with potential were stunted in their growth. It was like trying to grow mighty oaks in soil that could barely support saplings. He could spend months, even years, scouring every corner of the Lower Domain for hidden talents, and the results would still pale in comparison to what he could find in a single city of the Middle Domain.

The mathematics were undeniable and straightforward. Every day spent in the Lower Domain was a day not spent growing stronger in realms where true power resided. He needed to level up, to push his own boundaries, and the Lower Domain could no longer provide the challenges or resources necessary for his advancement.

His people still needed time to complete their awakening and consolidate their newfound powers. He couldn't simply abandon them or rush the process. But that didn't mean he had to remain idle. He could scout ahead, test the waters of what awaited them beyond the mist, and gather intelligence that would prove invaluable when they eventually made their transition to the Middle Domain.

Seraphine gathered her thoughts, understanding the weight of what Leon was asking. When she spoke, her voice carried the careful precision of someone who had personally experienced what she was describing.

"The Forbidden Mist is absolute in its presence," she began, her purple eyes distant as she recalled her own harrowing encounter with the barrier. "It surrounds the entire Lower Domain in a perfect circle, an unbroken wall of supernatural fog that rises from the ground to heights beyond measurement. No one knows how high it extends – some say it reaches the heavens themselves."

She gestured broadly, her hands describing the massive scale of what she spoke about. "To reach it from any point in the Lower Domain, you simply need to travel in a straight line outward, away from the center. No matter which direction you choose, maintain that bearing long enough, and you'll eventually encounter the mist. It's remarkably consistent – the same distance from the center at every point along its circumference."

Leon nodded, already calculating distances and travel times as Seraphine continued her explanation.

"We're currently at the edge of the Kingdom of Shampain," she said, orienting herself with their position. "This kingdom shares a border with a smaller realm called Miles. It's not much of a kingdom, really, more of a glorified city-state. Still, it has one notable characteristic – it sits right against the edge of the known world. The Forbidden Mist begins barely fifty kilometers beyond Miles' furthest borders."

"Total distance from here?" Leon asked, though he was already estimating based on his knowledge of the regional geography.

"Approximately thirteen hundred kilometers," Seraphine replied with certainty. "It's a journey that would take a normal traveler weeks, perhaps months if they had to navigate the political boundaries and natural obstacles along the way."

She paused, curiosity finally overcoming her usual reserve. "Why do you ask about this now? The people won't emerge from the dungeons for hours at a minimum, and we can't simply leave them—"

Her words were cut short as Leon moved with sudden, decisive action. In one fluid motion that spoke of incredible strength controlled with perfect precision, he swept Seraphine up into his arms, holding her in a princess carry that left her momentarily speechless. Her purple hair cascaded over his arm as she found herself pressed against his chest, her heart suddenly racing for reasons that had nothing to do with fear.

"We're going there right now," Leon stated, as if announcing they were taking a brief walk rather than embarking on a journey of over a thousand kilometers to face one of the most dangerous phenomena in their world.

For a moment, Seraphine was frozen in shock, her mind struggling to process the sudden shift from tactical discussion to immediate action. But that paralysis lasted only a heartbeat before transforming into genuine, burning excitement. Her purple eyes lit up with an inner fire as memories of her last encounter with the Forbidden Mist flooded back. With this desperate, terrifying experience, she had been nothing more than prey, barely escaping with her life as things beyond her comprehension hunted her through the supernatural fog.

But this time would be completely different. This time, she wouldn't be running in terror, wouldn't be the hunted creature fleeing from predators she couldn't even correctly perceive. With Leon's power supporting her, she would face whatever dwelt within that cursed mist as a warrior, not as prey. The thought sent a thrill through her entire being, a mixture of anticipation and vindication that made her blood sing.

She wanted to see if she was strong enough to take her revenge on the monster who had terrified her the last time.

The distance that seemed so vast when described in numbers suddenly felt trivial. For someone of Leon's capabilities, thirteen hundred kilometers might as well be a casual stroll. It had never even entered her mind that they could... go. Right now. No preparation, no lengthy planning, no gathering of supplies or allies. Just the two of them against whatever mysteries the Forbidden Mist contained.

"Let's go!" she exclaimed, her excitement bubbling over as she wrapped her arms securely around Leon's neck, her warrior's dignity temporarily forgotten in the face of such an adventure.

Leon's figure blurred from their position with explosive force. The ground where he had been standing erupted in a shower of earth and stone, chunks of rock flying in all directions from the sheer force of his departure. Three distinct types of Level One aura immediately wrapped protectively around Seraphine – lightning that crackled in defensive patterns around her body, wind that created a buffer against the tremendous acceleration forces, and ice that formed a final layer of protection against any physical trauma.

His speed was earthly in its raw power, purely physical might that defied comprehension. Each step covered impossible distances, the ground beneath his feet detonating from the pressure as he propelled himself forward through strength alone. The mana he expended was entirely focused on Seraphine's protection, ensuring she could survive the experience of traveling at velocities that would tear an unprotected human apart.

The world transformed into an incomprehensible blur of colors and motion. Seraphine could only hold on tightly, her face pressed against Leon's chest as the landscape rushed past in a stream of visual noise that her mind couldn't properly process. Mountains became momentary shadows, forests flashed by like green smears, and entire villages appeared and vanished before she could register their presence.

Only a minute had passed, barely sixty seconds of this incredible journey, when a practical thought managed to pierce through the overwhelming sensory experience. Despite the chaos of their travel, Seraphine's tactical mind remained sharp, and she remembered something potentially important.

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