Hidden in the dense fog, the colossal silhouette that Jacob saw that day was actually a floating island, the origin of the fog surrounding the plain below and in the air.
This floating island was probably the only one in the entire Unique Plains and a wonder of nature, but no one had ever been able to see it, and those who did were never able to live to tell the tale.
Because this No Return Zone was one of the most dangerous zones in the entire Unique Plains, known as the Vicious Calamity Fog Zone, not even Inspection Legend Rank experts dared venture into its depth.
As for why was this name given? Rumor has it that there is a strange Fog somewhere in this zone that can devour anything and everything. No one knows the origin of that fog.
At this moment, above the ice plains, the phantom island drifted through the swirling mists. This, however, was a horrific illusion. It was no ordinary landmass; it was a churning, undulating carpet of what appeared to be pristine snow.
The 'snow' was a grotesque mockery of winter's gentle touch. It writhed and pulsed with a faint, bluish luminescence, a colony of countless insects!
These monstrous insects were no larger than a man's hand, but their forms were a nightmare amalgamation of locust and spider. Their bodies, segmented and obsidian black, were encased in a carapace of translucent ice. Eight spindly legs, tipped with razor-sharp claws, twitched incessantly. Two pairs of iridescent wings, membranous and skeletal, hung limp at their sides, capable of unleashing a hurricane when unleashed.
The most chilling feature, however, was their face. It was dominated by a single, multifaceted eye the color of a glacier, devoid of warmth or life yet filled with a cold, calculating intelligence.
At the island's heart, nestled in a caldera of volcanic ice, resided the Mother of these insects. Unlike its brethren, it was colossal, its form dwarfing the surrounding swarm. Its carapace was a mesmerizing swirl of blues and whites, reflecting the spectral glow of its children.
Its singular eye, however, was different. It pulsed with a fiery crimson, a beacon of malevolent intelligence. It had slumbered for who knows how long, its vast treasure of stolen starlight fueling its dreams. However, this slumber was abruptly shattered at this moment.
"The Frigid Soul Saxifrage is gone!?" A guttural screech, like glaciers scraping against bedrock, erupted from its maw, a sound that resonated through the island and sent shivers down the very spine of the world.
Seemingly, an unseen hand had pilfered its hoard, leaving the Mother Insect enraged. The Ice Fiend Locusts stirred, a collective tremor rippling through their mass. At this moment, their wings unfolded, catching the dim light and transforming the island into a shimmering shroud of death.
"Go, my children, spare no one. Bring me back the thief's body!"
With a final, ear-splitting shriek from the Mother Insect, the swarm surged forth, a tide of ravenous insects descending upon the unsuspecting ice plains below, ready to unleash their frigid fury and reclaim this Frigid Soul Saxifrage!
---
At this moment, Jacob started to feel extremely uneasy, as if a calamity was about to befall him. He abruptly looked behind and opened the Eyes of the Judge and was horrified.
Despite the distance, he saw a huge storm of purple particles rising from the horizon like angry flames.
'What the hell is that?' His heart palpitated.
Although he couldn't tell what it was because he was still hundreds of miles away, he was sure that it was most likely the reason behind this sense of deadly crisis.
Without hesitation, he darted at full speed in the direction of the legendary key. He wanted to leave this ghastly place quickly, especially before strange phenomena caught up to him.
Like a streak of lightning, Jacob's speed reached Mach-10 as he used his full power to bolt in the direction of the legendary key. He didn't dare to save any more energy.
Jacob also noticed that within this mist, powerful magic fluctuations were hidden, and their power might not be any lesser than that of wolf and fox, if not stronger. Not only that but within a few minutes, those calm fluctuations started to stir as if they also sensed the incoming crisis.
A few powerful roars rang in the vicinity before the ground began to shake, and a stampede occurred.
Jacob was now even more sure that whatever had awakened back in the snow mountain was nothing but bad news. He avoided all the obstructions, and within half an hour, Jacob reached a cliff at the end of this thick mist!
He quickly followed the map because the final location of the legendary key was nearby. Thereupon, he reached a tree that was just like the other trees in this place, and without hesitation, he used his Eyes of Judge to scan through it.
'Finally!' Jacob felt relief and dread at the same time as the incoming crisis was getting closer.
He directly punched through the tree routes, where a grove was hidden and protected by an array. But against his full strength, that array shattered, and he finally grabbed the hidden box within this grove.
"Buzzz…"
At this moment, powering buzzing sounds filled with air, sending powerful vibrations that had a powerful effect on the mind.
Jacob finally turned around, paled with fright, when he saw those locust-like insects swarming towards him like a giant dark cloud. Furthermore, their numbers were probably in the tens of millions, and the ghost insect swarm that he encountered in the Dead Faction was nothing but a speck of dust in front of this one.
Those locusts were leaving behind nothing but a trail of desolated ice layer, for anything, whether it was a tree or a living being, would vanish without a trace.
Without hesitation, Jacob stowed away the box and immediately jumped off the click, for the ocean was right below it. He knew if he stayed here, even if he launched an atomic bomb, those insects would be simply too many, and he would be affected as well.
So, since he had the option to flee within the ocean, he was not going to take meaningless risks.
But Jacob had overestimated the tenacity of those insects!