Faust prepared himself, removing the lamp and placing it aside for a while. He didn't want to risk the miasma or the artifact itself, interfering with the ritual. Even if such interference could possibly be beneficial, it wasn't something he would risk blindly. There was no need.
In the first ritual he did back in the forest, he had used multiple stones engraved with the "consume" rune. This time, however, he had to inscribe the runes directly into the ground. He had used the stones before on Red's recommendation, to stabilize the ritual and purposely reduce its efficiency, since Faust wouldn't have been able to endure its full effects back then.
Now, however, he was going all in.
If he couldn't endure it, it would kill him. But if the risk was worth it—and in this case, it was—then he would take it.
Faust stepped into the large pit at the center of the circular formation, now engraved with numerous "consume" ritual runes. Closing his eyes, he injected his mana into the formation. Within seconds, he could feel every rune across the camp activate as 80% of his mana was instantly consumed, it was less than he had anticipated.
He had prepared to spend around 90%, so the result was actually a pleasant surprise, the ritual would consume mana based on the amount of corpses, after all.
At that point, Faust was completely linked to the ritual. He could feel everything within its bounds, including the corpses. With a bit more focus, he began to activate the runes beneath the skeletons.
The bones started to liquefy into a dark, grayish substance, flowing through the ritual circle. In mere seconds, all the skeletons had been broken down and channeled into the pit, filling it and submerging Faust entirely.
Second by second, the level of the bone liquid rose, seeping into his body through every pore. The pain tightened with it. Yet instead of crying out or sweating, Faust smiled. A confident, resolute smile.
What was pain compared to his goal?
To reach the Absolute—that was far greater than any pain the world could offer.
Much greater than anything the world could offer. Reaching the Absolute wasn't about becoming greater, it was about becoming the greatest.
To stand above all. To bow to none. To cut through the heavens. To drink the oceans. To walk, unrivaled, above everything.
Faust simply endured the pain as he felt his body strengthening. However, his mental strength or better saying, Will, was untouched. That was likely the role of blood and flesh. Bones, it seemed, were meant to strengthen the body alone.
Seconds passed. The vast pool of bone liquid slowly receded as Faust absorbed it completely. Of course, the pain worsened—but that was irrelevant.
Because what came next was far more important.
Where the skeletons had once lain, small glowing spheres now floated, formed from the mana remaining within them.
Faust guided the spheres toward himself; more than forty in total. They would greatly enhance his mana reserves and improve his control and absorption rate.
The spheres drifted toward him slowly. But just as they neared his body, the miasma abruptly merged with some of them. In an instant, nearly half of the spheres darkened.
Too late!
With the mana already so close, Faust couldn't cancel the absorption and he had no choice but to take it all in.
Normally, absorbing mana was the one painless part of the ritual. But now, the miasma-infused mana tore through him with agony so intense, it felt as if his blood and organs were melting from within.
Mana flowed through every part of the body—though less so than in the heart—and now, so did the pain.
"Ahhhck!"
Gritting his teeth and slamming his fists into the ritual wall, he endured.
Minutes dragged on. The pain only worsened—until, finally, it began to dwindle.
Faust exhaled a shaky, relieved breath as he collapsed, sitting back on the hole's ground.
"Damn… what was that? The miasma fusing with mana… That didn't happen during the early tests… Maybe because it was so concentrated this time? Or some bodies were already corrupted by the miasma? These are the only variables I can think of."
Grabbing the edge of the pit, Faust pulled himself out and rolled onto the sand.
The moment he exited, something surged through his body—a strong tingling sensation radiating from the artifact… and from the miasma surrounding the area.
Surprised, Faust took only a few seconds to regain his composure before analyzing the strange reaction.
"Apparently… the miasma-laced mana strengthened my connection to the miasma itself. Interesting, really interesting! Is it a type of mana?" He closed his eyes, trying to sense the particles unique to each mana type. "No… I can't feel them. But… I can't feel other types either, so maybe it is. The old guy's Will didn't mention anything about it, so maybe he couldn't identify it either or left it out on purpose."
Then, a memory surfaced.
"Wait! When I detonated the mana pouch, the particles became so concentrated even I could see them… Maybe this is a similar situation?"
The idea of being surrounded by a new type of mana intrigued him. Ever since he'd learned about the multiple types of mana weeks ago, he'd been eager to discover which one was his. But so far, he'd had no success.
He walked over to the lamp, picked it up from the ground, and strapped it to his waist once more.
"Maybe if I fully connect with this, I'll understand more about it. But I should try other methods too… Even if it's unlikely, considering not even the old man figured it out."
Faust started injecting mana into the artifact. This time, however, he changed his approach.
Instead of meditating to recover mana as Red had taught him, he attempted to do so while moving. Normally, mana replenished at all times, but focused meditation sped the process up significantly.
If he could reach a state where he recovered mana efficiently while active, it would be a major breakthrough.
Though he had a few ideas based on the Old Rat Prince's memories… they were too vague to provide a proper technique, only being partial theories.
******
In the Grand Desert City, Snake was walking through a temple. The area was dimly lit, and four busts had been carved into the sandstone.
Each bust had a writing beneath it, but the language was strange—far different from any he knew and as so he couldn't make sense of the them.
Snake began searching every part of the temple—between bricks, along the ground, on the ceiling… everywhere he could think of.
After more than two hours, he sighed and began to walk away.
"It's not here either… How many damn temples does this place have?! I can't waste too much time either… The Light Order has probably tracked me by now."
His green eyes gleamed with frustration and caution as he exited the temple.
Walking through the narrow alleyways, he eventually reached a house and slipped inside. It was empty—he had been using it as a base for the past few days. It was far better than sleeping on the streets.
He sat on the ground near a wall and leaned against it, pulling a scroll from the waist bag he carried.
The, he unrolled the scroll into his other hand, it was a map of the city. Snake marked the temple he had just explored with an X using an ink pen, then returned the scroll to his bag.
"Still… it wouldn't be all bad if I could get some information from them. If I can find out what happened to him… that would be something."
Snake's face was cold, expressionless, just like the beast of same name, as he quietly contemplated how to get the advantage from this situation.