SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL

"F**K, what the hell is that thing?"

"Sh*t!!! There are monsters! There are monsters here!!"

"Tom, save me, take me out…"

Within the thick fog, various screams and monstrous roars erupted.

Ben and Leo, both possessing high mental attributes and keen hearing, were near the city gate and could hear everything clearly.

Ben suddenly remembered that two teams had chosen to remain outside earlier rather than enter the city.

Now, judging from the sounds of agony and fear, those teams were being slaughtered.

The thick fog was filled with monsters.

This meant Leo's earlier analysis was spot on: staying in the fog meant certain death!

Ben frowned. The monsters in the fog seemed endless, and their roars alone carried an overwhelming sense of dread.

This suggested these creatures were immensely powerful.

Even with his current strength, charging into that fog would be suicide.

"There are terrifying monsters in the thick fog!" Leo's voice was low, her pretty face solemn.

Ben scowled. "Could this be the 'horror' we're supposed to deal with?" He gritted his teeth. "Didn't they say the early stages of the Spirit Realm were supposed to be relatively simple? This doesn't seem simple at all!"

If the monsters in the thick fog were their mission target, every transcendent in their batch was being sent straight to their deaths.

Hearing Ben's frustration, Leo furrowed her brows and fell into deep thought.

"That's not right… The difficulty of the first layer of the Spirit Realm shouldn't be this high."

She stepped to the window, peering outside through a crack.

After observing for a moment, she suddenly said, "Ben, look. The thick fog doesn't seem to be able to enter the city. The monsters in the fog are staying outside too."

Ben had already noticed this.

"So, Leo, what you're saying is…"

"The 'horror' isn't the monsters in the fog!"

Although she used the word "should," her tone was filled with certainty.

At that moment, something unexpected happened.

The landlady's corpse lying on the floor suddenly twitched.

Ben and Leo's gazes snapped to the body.

Then, before their eyes, something horrifying unfolded.

The landlady, who had clearly been dead, suddenly stood up.

Her bones, which had been broken apart by Ben's earlier attack, reassembled with a grotesque "crack crack" sound.

When she finally stood upright, her appearance had completely changed.

Her face and neck were covered in countless black lines, like an intricate web of veins. Her scarlet eyes gleamed with a sinister, predatory light.

She looked inhuman.

Ben narrowed his eyes.

If someone weak-willed saw this, they'd probably collapse in fear.

But he wasn't easily shaken. His mental attributes were strong, granting him ironclad willpower.

"Roar!"

The landlady released a guttural, beast-like growl.

Then, she lunged at them.

At this moment, she was no longer human. She was a monster.

A pungent, rancid stench filled the air as she moved.

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, a fierce flame burst forth.

Leo had attacked.

Her fireball struck the landlady squarely in the face, blasting her backward.

The monster's head was instantly incinerated, and with a final agonized shriek, she collapsed to the floor, motionless.

Leo had one-shot killed the monster.

And yet, she remained unshaken.

Her expression was calm, her pretty face showing no fear or disgust.

This wasn't just because of her high mental attributes—it showed how composed she was, even in terrifying situations.

"Its weakness seems to be in the head…" Leo murmured.

Then, as if sensing something, her expression changed.

"Ben, I just got a mission update. The 'Kill the Horror' task now shows 1."

Ben's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"In that case… the real 'horror' isn't in the fog. It's the people in this town?"

His gaze flickered to the sleazy man from earlier.

Ben had obliterated him in a fit of anger, turning him into an unrecognizable pulp. There was no way he could stand up again.

But…

"I didn't get a mission update when I killed that guy earlier… Does that mean they have to mutate first?"

Ben's frown deepened.

Leo suddenly spoke. "We can't call them humans. They're monsters in human skin. This entire city is full of them, and they're our real mission targets—the 'horrors.'"

As she analyzed further, clarity filled her eyes.

"During the day, they disguise themselves as humans. Their actions, their speech, even their biology is identical to real humans."

"Maybe… even they believe they're humans?"

Ben inhaled sharply.

That thought was terrifying.

Leo continued, "Killing them in their human form isn't recognized by the Spirit Realm. Only when they transform into their true monster state do they count as 'horrors.'"

"And… the scarlet moonlight outside must be the trigger for their transformation."

She paused, then added another chilling thought.

"When we first arrived, the townspeople mentioned something about a 'tribute.'"

"The true meaning of that word is related to sacrifice, offerings, and worship."

"For these monsters… we transcendents are nothing but sacrifices."

Ben's eyes darkened.

Every year, new transcendents entered this Spirit Realm. Many never returned.

Leo's theory made too much sense.

"The reason this city continues to exist despite having no agriculture, no livestock, no supply chain…"

"It's because they trade us—the sacrifices—for resources."

Ben clenched his fists.

They'd walked straight into a nightmare.

Leo's voice was steady. "Actually, this Spirit Realm isn't that difficult. The thick fog monsters can't enter the city, and these horrors—though terrifying—aren't strong. As long as we don't let fear consume us, we can kill them."

"What we really need to be wary of are traps."

She glanced at the food on the ground.

"As long as we don't consume anything or fall for tricks, we'll be fine."

Ben nodded.

According to Leo's analysis, this mission was indeed manageable.

Suddenly, a realization hit him.

"Haitang—" He caught himself. "Leo, according to your theory, the Earl's Mansion must be a huge trap."

Leo nodded.

"Exactly."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Even without the sheriff's persuasion, if new transcendents asked anyone in town for shelter, they'd all point them to the Earl's Mansion."

Ben felt a chill.

"It's a setup."

Leo's expression hardened. "Those who entered the Earl's Mansion… are in serious trouble."

Just as she finished speaking—

A commotion erupted outside.

A new wave of terror was beginning.

The climax of the first layer of the Spirit Realm was approaching.

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