Chapter 67 - 67 – Walking Back
Kyle walked past the Ore Fiends, and they didn't pay him any mind.
The problem had been solved this easily.
Although, without Theodor's knowledge and without killing the big Ore Fiend inside the spire, the problem couldn't have been solved.
So, maybe it actually wasn't that easy?
As Kyle walked through the silent ruins, he looked around.
"What is this city?" he asked.
"It's mine," Theodor answered. "This used to be the capital of my fiefdom."
"You built your capital inside a cave?" Kyle asked.
"Foolish inheritor, I built it on the surface. But when that fraud Hieronymus refused to give me my Ether Essences, I used a big part of my wealth to teleport my capital to this cave."
"Why?" Kyle asked.
"Why what?" Theodor asked.
Kyle sighed and rephrased the question.
"Because I wanted to create a golem army that would turn the Skysand Kingdom into a realm of despair."
Kyle's eyes widened.
'This guy is a fucking psycho, not just a schizo!' he thought.
'I have a cartoon villain in my fucking head!'
"And did you succeed in turning it into hell?" Kyle asked.
"I tried," Theodor said. "I gathered plenty of ore and made many golems, but I didn't manage to create enough to succeed. In the end, I realized my own powerlessness and decided to leave that tusk up to my inheritor."
"I used all of my power to create the Inheritance Crystal, and I died in the process."
"But all of this will be worth it!"
"I am going to turn you into a Transcendent, and you will make Hieronymus regret ever slighting me!"
"Mhm," Kyle answered.
'You know, I really don't want to become a mass murderer. Hell, I can't even bring myself to renege on the debt I have to Samson.'
'Speaking of, it's been over two weeks since I left. Guy probably thinks I'm dead.'
Kyle sighed. 'Well, this will be difficult to explain. But hey, maybe I can more easily repay my debt.'
'Also, will I still work as a hunter from now on? Probably not.'
As Kyle approached the edge of the city, his instincts alerted him of something.
Three of those scaly spitters were looking at him from a half-collapsed building.
Kyle looked at them without fear.
These scaly Spitters used to be scary, but after killing ten of them, going through an army of Ore Fiends, and killing the Ore Fiend leader, Kyle was no longer intimidated.
If they attacked him, he could kill them, and he knew that.
"They are Mid Beasts," Theodor commented. "Hardly a threat to you."
"Shouldn't I also be a Mid... human?" Kyle asked.
"You are, but you underwent the Aristocrat Ritual," Theodor said.
"What's the Aristocrat Ritual?"
"The very thing I was denied," Theodor answered. "It is the ultimate strengthening of all four Aspects of Power. Your body is as powerful as the body of a beast. Your mind is as powerful as the mind of an Artificer or Sorcerer. You have no weaknesses."
Kyle nodded a bit in positive surprise. "Sounds expensive."
"It is unreasonably expensive," Theodor answered. "The price of turning one mortal into an Aristocrat roughly equates to the resources needed to produce ten Royal Knights."
"Those are Third Realm Knights, right?" Kyle asked.
"Yes," Theodor answered with a bit of annoyance. He didn't like how uneducated his inheritor was.
"Why didn't you use that Aristocrat Ritual on yourself?" Kyle asked.
"Foolish inheritor," Theodor said, using his catchphrase. "Enlarging the base of a small hut is much easier than enlarging the base of a mighty tower. Why do you think I needed three Ether Essences?"
"Huh, makes sense," Kyle said.
"What does?" Theodor asked.
"Nothing."
'This shitty memory of his is really getting on my nerves,' Kyle thought.
'Fucking psycho-ass schizo-ass goldfish.'
Kyle reached the edge of the city and started climbing.
Surprisingly, the scaly Spitters didn't attack him.
Kyle's Aspects of Power had not grown since his last battle with the scaly Spitters, and yet, their attitude towards him had undergone a massive change.
It couldn't be because they had seen him kill the other scaly Spitters. After all, they had all died in isolation inside the tunnel.
These scaly Spitters saw Kyle for the first time, and yet, they didn't dare to attack him.
Something had changed, but it wasn't Kyle's power.
It was his confidence.
He had won every battle during the trial, and he had become confident.
Animals and beasts could sense someone's fear, and Kyle had no fear right now.
After climbing the wall, Kyle went back into the tunnel, which led back to the trials.
He climbed the many holes leading to the city until he arrived in front of a closed wall.
"How do I get past this wall?" Kyle asked.
This was the wall that led back to the pond with all of the fish, and it was far too durable for Kyle to destroy.
"Three quick taps, two long taps, and three quick taps," Theodor answered.
Kyle followed Theodor's instructions, and the wall opened.
'Guess you really have to get the Inheritance Crystal if you ever want to get out of here.'
As the wall opened, Kyle saw the pond again.
"Eh, and how do I get past that?" Kyle asked, seeing a couple of fish.
"The same way you got here, foolish mortal," Theodor answered. "Just use the Spell."
"I didn't use the Spell to get here," Kyle answered.
"What? Then, how did you get past the Crunchers?" Theodor asked.
'Crunchers? Really?'
"I threw some of that explosive ore into the lake and exploded them," Kyle answered.
"That..." Theodor said before falling silent. "I mean, I did create several ways to pass the trials, but I hadn't thought of that."
"So, how do I get past the Crunchers without a Spell?" Kyle asked.
"I can teach you Spell Casting," Theodor answered.
"Nah, mate. I ain't a Sorcerer," Kyle answered.
"Curious way of speaking," Theodor commented. "Well, if you don't have a Spell, you just have to swim."
Kyle grimaced.
"I can barely see any Crunchers," Theodor answered. "It will hurt, but you won't die."
"Sometimes, you just have to jump into the cold water."
"Good joke," Kyle said without any amusement.
"What joke?"