Faust began to explore the remaining tunnels he hadn't yet ventured into. Perhaps the exit lay within one of them... if not, he'd have to force his way out using the mana bomb technique he had learned. It might work, but first, he would finish exploring.
He didn't want to leave any potential loot behind. It could prove useful… maybe.
This time, his exploration was much more efficient than when he had first fallen into this place. He used the miasma rat to assist him while also testing its range, something he hadn't been able to determine before.
His method was simple: he would go down one tunnel while sending the rat into another. If the rat couldn't advance further, he'd make it return and try a different tunnel. Due to the structure of the area, however, determining the exact range was difficult.
Still, Faust managed to send the miasma rat about five kilometers away before their connection began to weaken. He planned to test the true limit once he was outside.
After a few days, he had explored every tunnel he hadn't previously entered. As he suspected, it was merely a complex labyrinth with no real exit, the only way out was the same way he had come in.
He also found no valuable items, so he decided it was time to force his way out.
His plan was simple: fire mana spikes beneath one of the whirlpools and chip away at it step by step. He hadn't been able to scratch it with metal before, but an explosion might do the trick.
Speaking of metal, Faust had yet to remove his shackles. He had a potential plan involving them, but that was for later. With his ruined armor, he certainly looked the part of a slave now.
Back to the plan—there were a few downsides. It would consume a lot of mana. Each explosive mana spike consumed roughly ten percent of his mana, meaning he could only fire ten before being completely depleted.
There was also the risk that a large amount of sand would fall through the opening and bury him alive. For that, he had a countermeasure involving mana barriers.
Before detonating anything, he searched for a whirlpool that was close to ground level. He remembered passing a few already, and it didn't take long to find one around ten meters above him, relatively low compared to the others.
He fired five mana spikes. They detonated the moment they struck the whirlpool from below, and a few fragments of the hardened material fell near Faust. They were so small as to be almost meaningless.
Faust sighed as he stared at the debris.
"This will take a while…"
His plan was to shoot, recover his mana, then shoot again—repeating the cycle until he broke through. In the meantime, he would also train his ability to absorb mana without needing to meditate. That would be a useful skill.
And so, his explosive shooting session began.
******
In the Grand Desert City,
A guard wearing a bucket-like helmet was patrolling not far from the castle, though the area was empty.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of glass breaking coming from an alleyway.
He immediately readied his spear and walked toward the sound. The alley was dark—not that it mattered much, considering his head was fully covered.
Still, the guard pressed forward until he suddenly felt something on his chest. He touched it—
A blade.
In the next instant, the blade was pulled free, and he collapsed to the ground.
From the darkness, a pair of glowing blue eyes watched him fall. The figure approached.
It was Cloud, accompanied closely by a few natives.
They had killed the guard and swiftly removed his helmet, revealing a pale face that looked like it had been dead long before the attack.
With the corpse in their arms, they carried it to an empty house. Once inside, Cloud ordered the natives to strip the body and dispose of it, and they obeyed.
First, they carefully removed the damaged body armor and set it aside. Then, using a few knives, they cut the body into small square chunks and stored the pieces in a barrel that had even more meat chunks.
Cloud picked up the armor and nodded to his followers. He ascended the stairs, opened a door, and entered a room already filled with a pile of armor—over thirty sets, along with numerous weapons.
It's almost enough. Only a dozen more should suffice. A curious eighth trial I've received… probably far more difficult than the ones those other mongrels face. Yet I'm almost done.
Though he only thought it, the arrogance in his eyes was clear as he squinted and left the room.
In the few weeks since his arrival, he had gathered an army of over one thousand natives and assumed the role of their leader.
They hunted guards, stole their armor and weapons, and equipped themselves... but the helmets were useless to them.
His eighth trial was: "Sit on the Crimson Throne."
Since arriving, the first thing he did was learn the local language, something he managed in a single day. Then he began gathering allies. He wanted to ensure he completed his trial alive.
Cloud's strength didn't lie in combat. In fact, he had yet to kill anyone directly inside the trials.
He couldn't use aura and was only mildly proficient with mana, though he knew a few spells.
Downstairs, he sat on an empty chair as a few natives approached him.
"Sir," one of them said, "the Fifth and Fourth Division leaders are asking if we could provide them with more weapons…"
Cloud sighed, "Give them a few weapons. Also, tell them I want to speak with them—I've come up with a new plan." He turned in the chair and looked out the window at the scarlet moon. "First Division Leader."
"Yes, sir," replied a muscular man, his voice filled with respect and loyalty.
"You've been very helpful. Thank you," Cloud said, his voice almost sympathetic, touched with happiness.
"N-no, sir. I thank you! If not for you, I would've died already. Even though you're an outsider, you bothered to help us dethrone the Mad King…"
"Haha, well… it's also for my own benefit. I'm very selfish," he said, his tone tinged with sadness.
"Everyone acts for their own benefit, sir, but you helped us. I don't think you're selfish at all."
"Well… thank you, First Division Leader. I hope you'll live up to what I expect of you. Grab some armor for your men and prepare to further dwindle the guards' numbers. Our siege is starting soon."
The First Division Leader bowed and quickly left.
Then, cloud continued, "The rest of you, take food for the third division… they've been needing it."
Two of the natives grabbed the barrel filled with the meat from the guard and took it away, presumably taking it to the third division area.
Cloud then thought to himself:
These guys are so weak… at least they'll serve as cannon fodder. I just need to open the castle so other adventurers can get inside and fight the king in my place… I don't need to kill him, after all, just sit on the throne.
As he looked outside, he noticed there were more guards patrolling the streets than when he first arrived. His handiwork, over two hundred guards killed, had made them far more active, now they searched in groups for the culprit behind this event.
Each group numbered no more than ten, yet, among a few of them a different armored soldier could be spotted, as they were taller than regular guards, raeching a little over two meters.
Different from regular guards, their armor was not rusty, instead were big and burly, their helmets was not like a bucket either, having dozens of small holes that permited whoever used it to see.
In their hands, they held a flail with three spiked heads and a retangular shield that could cover their whole bodies.
The only thing that remained the same was that all of their equipment was made of a dark metal.
Cloud hadn't yet fought one of these, so he wondered how strong they are but at the same time didn't want to test, there wasn't much left for the completion of his plan, just one or two more weeks and he would be ready to attack.