Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

The students got a card enchanted with a tracking spell. The first group had already left the city and were going wild in the Forbidden Forest– of course, only in the clear area.

Hitori's group was third in the queue. While they waited, he noticed everyone gave them strange stares but no one dared to speak to them. The guy that taught them the basics was with his group.

The first conquest's students were the first ones to leave the city. They had their cards from the last time. They were sent to the dense part of the forest, never near the foggy area.

The second conquest's students were sent next, following the first conquest students. Twenty-five and twenty-five, a total of fifty students were clearing the dense part of the forest.

It was now the turn of Hitori's group to enter the Forbidden Forest. He found the guild master, Atama, and Senso at the entrance.

"I request the students to stick to the guidelines. Complete your assigned task and bring the required materials, for you will receive the passing grade," Atama said, looking at the group of five.

The door opened. It revealed the dusty dry land covered with a little snow on the side. It was a dark morning, so when Hitori looked into the distance, he found lamps hanging in the woods and torches on the side of the Ministry building.

He could feel the dangerous monsters lurking in the dark woods on the other side. The sun did not help at all today, the dark clouds had covered the sun's light.

"Do not even think of going over deeper, we will know in an instant if you enter the dense part. You might lose your chance to be promoted to third-year, or you will be suspended for a semester."

"Sir!" A boy from the crowd raised his hand. "Just what lies in the fog? A dino or a dragon? Why are you scaring us so much?"

Atama looked at the boy. "In the fog lies your death," he said. Enough to silence the boy and anyone with the same question in mind.

'The forest-loving dragon,' Hitori thought. They entered the Forbidden Forest.

"Be careful!" He heard someone behind, he tried to turn and take a look but the door closed and covered the man who called them.

"Alright, you two go that side, we will go this side. Let us meet in an hour," said a guy from the group, "I hope an hour will be enough to hunt the listed items."

He waved at them and took off with his two other friends– among them was the girl who conspired the two boys against them.

Hitori glanced at Kamiya. Kamiya moved his eyes away from Hitori. "Let us go," he said, almost a whisper.

Hitori followed him quietly. They had no idea where they would get the branch of this high-protein tree. They knew where to find a minotaur's horns, a wolf's core, and a Goblin's knife. But what about the herbs on the list?

No one spoke anything. They held their heads down and continued walking straight, circling in the clear path. Hitori took a peek at Kamiya, then continued walking.

That continued for ten minutes before Hitori decided it was too awkward and he needed to speak up. "What is the problem?" he asked.

Kamiya lifted his head at Hitori. "I want to apologize."

Hitori was taken aback by Kamiya's reply. He held a smile from spreading on his face. "I, I have to say something, too."

"Go ahead then."

"You go ahead, you were thinking about it for ten minutes."

Kamiya took a deep breath and continued walking. "It all started because I was stubborn."

"We both were. That time in the Vr-cade, we both acted like… like…"

"Like teens, like kids. And that is what we are. But, that is not what we can stay. We need to change that part of ours."

"Change?"

"We may be sixteen, but the responsibilities on us and the threat to our lives is not that of a sixteen-year-old. If we continue to act sixteen, we will lose everything. I mean, have not you seen the kids in the dormitory? T-They are so…"

"Carefree, stupid, idiotic, and are laughing all the time for no reason." Hitori chuckled. "Yeah. I know. They live like they have no problem in their lives."

"They may, but not something like: You will die no matter what and you can not tell it to anybody."

"Uh-huh. So what were you saying about the Vr-cade?"

"I should not have used a spell on you… I should not have. Now that I have calmed down and thought about it… it was stupid. I knew it would hurt you, yet I tried to hurt you. I cast a spell."

"T-That is okay. I am fine, I was not hurt."

"You would have if the counter lady– Eya-nee– had not jumped in." Hitori nodded. "I am sorry for that."

Hitori nodded again and continued walking without lifting his head. "I am, too," he said under his breath.

"I realized how irrational I was being. If you did not want to stream, it was okay, that was your decision. But as you said, I was blinded by the money, perhaps, I did earn a lot of money that way, I did, but I found this… emptiness somewhere in me. I can not explain it—"

"You had your favorite dishes in front of you but did not feel like even taking a bite. You wanted someone else to share your favorite food with. You have money but you want someone to spend it on. You are busy with the work you live but you wanted someone to celebrate your success with."

Kamiya clapped once. "Yes!" He pointed his finger at Hitori and pursed his lips. "Yes, exactly!"

"I know, I know that feeling. That is the problem with passion," Hitori said. "You would have told Akemi-san, but then you thought what would you tell her? I dumbed Hitori to stream alone and earn some extra cash for you. I dumbed my partner for you Something like that?"

Kamiya giggled. "It sounds weird."

"What has happened of us…" Hitori looked at the dark sky.

"Yeah…" Kamiya looked down. "What indeed."

They talked about their first battle. When they beat the Phoenix on top of the Hogosha dungeon. They had met just a few hours ago and yet their partnership was a perfect fit for beating the boss.

In the Ministry building, in a corner of the building was the surveillance room where three people kept their eyes on the people in the Forbidden forest who exceeded a thousand at the present.

A man whose job was to look out for adventurers entering the fog area, their cards would start blinking and report it to the man, he would then contact them and tell them to step back.

The man turned to the man by his right side and said, "Look out for any trouble, I will be back."

He hummed back in response. The man in charge of surveillance of the adventurers trying to enter the fog area got up from his seat.

"We have mages from Mahoutokoro, they are a pain in the ass."

"Teens, yes," his junior said, "I bet they would enter the fog for a DARE."

"Stupid shits, they do not know what danger lurks in the fog," he said and then left the room. He went to the washroom at the end of the hallway.

Kamiya and Hitori talked about the good old times for a few more minutes.

"And we let that happen. We watched as we ruined our partnership because of stupid ego and pride," Hitori said.

"We never tried to correct things… did we?"

They were not trying right now, either. They should.

In the room, suddenly an alarm went off. The junior and the man on the right turned their heads and took a look at the magic screen that displayed two card numbers glowing in red.

"Oi, get Jiyara, fetch him right now!" the man on the right shouted at his junior.

He got up on his instincts and ran to the washroom.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," he muttered as he jumped out of his chair and jumped in Jiyara's chair.

He navigated the screen and looked at the card numbers, then at the card's location: Entering the Fog, currently at the border.

He tried to use the bird's eyes as cameras flying over but the dark clouds and thin fog blurred his vision. He could not get a clear view of the two students who were entering the fog.

He heard loud footsteps, he jumped out of the chair and grabbed the door. Jiyara and his junior invaded the cabin.

"What little shit is…" He took a seat and moved his fingers through the magic keyboard. "The second-years. Fuck them."

"Stop them, Jiyara-san, do something!"

He reached to his side in search of his wand but when he touched the cold metal scabbard and could not touch the wood, his eyes widened.

He jerked his eyes to the side, pushing the piece of cloth back. "Where the fuck is my wand?" The metal scabbard was empty.

"W-What?" the man on the right frowned. "Where is your wand?!"

He turned to the junior. "Fetch Atama-sensei, inform the wizards in charge, we may have a situation here."

Junior nodded and left the cabin.

He opened the map on the magic screen, then he turned on the mana radar, the radar which detected any dangerous monster. Dangerous monsters have more mana than any normal monsters, hence they were a threat in the fog.

"Get my wand from the washroom. I came in a hurry, I forgot it."

"Fuck…" He went to the washroom anyway.

He heard footsteps approaching him from the other end, then suddenly disappeared. Behind him, he sensed someone, then saw his junior and Atama's reflection on the glass.

Atama leaned over Jiyara and said, "Show me, Jiyara."

"Some students have entered the fog, why do they never listen?"

"Teens. Your friends were once like that, too."

"That is the reason why I am here today, I would not be if that had never happened. It still makes me sad, you know."

"It was never your fault."

"Only if I had…" He tried to zoom in again, but the vision was blurred.

"Where are your guards?"

"With so many teachers around, we sent them to D and C-grades adventurers. Where are your teachers?"

"I have sent Senso-sensei, you will need to guide him, though."

"Only if I can see him– there he is." He saw the bright blue mana glow on the radar.

The man returned from the washroom and threw Jiyara his wand. "Jiyara, take this!"

He grabbed it and pulled it to his mouth. "I am speaking from the surveillance room, I want the two students near the fog to step away. I need them to step away right now. I repeat…"

Kamiya and Hitori raised their heads. "They do not listen do they…"

"They do not…" Hitori repeated. "There are troublemakers everywhere…" his voice faded as he turned his head to take a look around him.

His heart skipped a beat.

"Yeah, so I was saying Hitori… would you like us to go back to how we were?" Kamiya mustered the courage to say it but was disappointed when he received no reply.

He lifted his head and found Hitori staring straight ahead.

"Are you listening, Hitori?" he asked.

" Fuck, Kamiya…" he said. "F-Fuck, Kamiya… look—" Hitori lifted his finger to point at the thin fog in front of him. "Look around…" He moved his finger in a circle.

There was fog all over. The dark fog covered them in a thin layer of fog. Kamiya adjusted his eyes, he refused from believing it. But now, the fog had blocked their view for real.

Atama asked, "Can you track the students' names?"

He worked on, tracked the cards, and found the names of the students.

Senso lifted his wand and called out to Atama, "Where are they? I am standing at the fog's border, I can see nothing ahead, sir, come in, where can I find them? I need help with navigation."

He raised his head to Atama. "Here are the names. Kamiya Jigoku and Saibai Hitori. Are they the shitty troublemakers?"

Atama refused to believe it, too. They were the last students he hoped– heck, he did not even hope to see them there– but they were the last students to enter the fog.

"W-What are they doing there?" He lifted his wand and contacted Senso. "It is Hitori and Kamiya. Those two have entered the fog."

Senso's mouth dropped. "You must be kidding… sir… w-why would they…"

"Just go straight and take a turn near the first big tree you see."

"Monsters?"

"Not yet. But one can appear out of the blue, you know it."

Senso pulled down his wand and advanced into the fog.

Atama grabbed Jiyara's wand. "Hitori and Kamiya, I want you two to step out of the fog."

They felt a chill run down their spine. They both drew their wands when they realized they were in the fog, and a way out was not visible.

"Only if we know the way, Atama-sensei," Hitori muttered, then he bit his lip.

"Look out for monsters, we need to get out ourselves."

"Just how did we…" Then Hitori realized they were too immersed in talking about the old times with their heads held down they did not realize where they were headed.