Damn, I Awakened With A Horror System!

Ding!

"I actually... level up!" Leo exclaimed excitedly inside his mind as he watched his exp fluctuate slightly before increasing again by amount every second.

Moreover, the increase of stats after leveling up...

Swish!

Boom!

Leo's thought was interrupted when a huge figure flew past them, hitting the wall behind the group.

Grrr... Roarr!

The beast roared angrily, shaking the dust and stone on its body before again rushing toward the demon vine in the distance, not giving a glance toward the human's meters away from it... However, before it could move forward, a swift black arrow hit its head, penetrating its skull before falling to the ground lifelessly.

Thud!

This...

The group exclaimed before looking at Jake questioningly.

"What? There is chaos at the front, even if we shout here, they probably wouldn't notice it," He reasoned as he again raised his arrow, waiting for another wounded beast to enter their sight.

With how chaotic the battle in the distance was, in addition to the allure and scent of Vitality Ginseng, and the ability of the fog to weaken the beast's senses and conceal their presence...

The probability of the beasts noticing/finding them is almost null, making him believe that it's quite safe to reap exp in the process.

Moreover, if the battle ends and the beasts don't find any more targets in the surrounding area, there is a good probability that they will hunt them...

Since that is the case, Jake decided to lower their number before it happened and increase his exp in the process.

"I see, hehe," Kristine giggled weakly, hiding the uncomfortable feeling inside her as she raised her hand toward the fog, toward the sounds of the battle, summoning dozens of wind blades before shooting/firing indiscriminately.

...

Swish!

With the loud clash happening in the distance, the beast didn't hear nor notice the sound of the approaching wind blades on their back as they continued attacking the demon vine with all their might... Causing their body to suddenly receive a slashing wound on their backs without them noticing it.

Slash!

Slash!

Ding!

[ Congratulations... ]

"Indeed, they didn't notice it..." Kristine finally slightly at ease, continued to release wind blades toward the distance...

***

Boom!

In the distance, the Demon vine continued trashing its thick vines, causing the area to turn into a seemingly wasteland.

Every time it thrashed its vines, wide and deep crevasses formed, followed by the blood of dozens of beasts filling the crevasses with crimson thick blood...

On the seemingly artificial river, blood unceasingly flowed, carcasses and flesh parts swept away by waves created by windblast caused by battle...

Gulped.

Leo, who could see clearly beyond the green-gray fog couldn't help but gulp in fright, feeling slight chills creeping on his back upon seeing the sight unfolding in the distance.

It's just what I expected on the battlefield and in the war...

Ding!

[ Congratulations upon assisting in killing 100 beasts!

+1,000 horror points!

+2 free attribute points!

+1 Medallion of Forceful upgrade! ]

Bloody and sweet...

...

Leo mumbled under his breath as he opened his character panel, upgrading his "Mist of Illusion" skill to the next level...

Ding!

[ Congratulations upon successfully upgrading the "Mist of Illusion" skill to level 6! ]

Ding!

[ Mist of Illusion (Lvl 6): Release a thick stream of fog in the surrounding area that obstructs the vision and senses of beings within the area of effects.

Effect: Beings who inhale the fog for a set period of time (depending on the difference in life level) would start hallucinating. In addition the higher the soul power of the caster, the easier it is to affect the being who inhales the fog!

Activation: 0.5 Qi. An additional 0.1 Qi would be consumed every 10 seconds if the skill is still activated.

Cost of Upgrade: 2 Medallion of Forceful Upgrade!

Note: The user could partially control the illusion based on what the user wants, but it would cost extra Qi! ]

Rumble...

In an instant, at the same time the upgrade finishes...

The surrounding void issued a slight instability followed by a loud rumble and weak quaking of the ground... Next, a wave of thick white fog akin to water breaking through the dam instantly swallowed every corner of the cavern, making every beast except the Demon Vine halt in their attacks...

A single inhale of fog caused the beasts in the cavern to suffer from mild hallucinations, causing their sight to blur and create mistakes due to the fusion of reality and unreality.

This...

Leo mumbled under his breath upon seeing the strange sight that unfolded in front of his eyes... The feeling of the fog gave him was natural as if he could control it at ease.

Compared to the past when he would often encounter difficulties in manipulating the fog... After upgrading, Leo could control the fog as if it were an extension of his hand.

"This feeling... Don't tell me that I could now manipulate their hallucination much more easily!?"

Leo thought excitedly before trying to feel and manipulate the things they were seeing within their head.

...

"Let's give it a try..."

Slowly, Leo closed his eyes before mentally manipulating the fog inside those who inhaled the fog...

"It was extremely taxing to mind..." he thought, feeling a slight headache as he gave them a simple order.

Unfortunately, I couldn't manipulate the fog to destroy their brain since it was just a fog... It doesn't have a physical capability and is quite close to nothing but a gas with color...

RROaarr!!

In an instant, after planting a cue inside their brain, the eyes of practically all the beasts within the cavern turned bloodshot as they stared at the Demon Vine with dense killing intent!

Unlike previously when their only goal was to find where the scent originated and consume it if fate allowed them... Now, with the help of the fog inside their brain, Leo silently changes it a little into something strange.

"Killing the Vine Beasts that were preventing them from getting the divine fruit even in exchange for their lives!"

(Of course, there is no divine fruit. Leo just let them hallucinate that beyond the Demon Vine, there was a fruit that instantly allowed them to become invincible after consuming it!)

...