The stone path was almost pitch-black; Faust could barely see his own hands. After taking a few steps, he decided to probe how far this path extended. He felt the ground with his feet, searching for something to throw.
After a few seconds, he found a small rock. He threw it down the dark pathway with all his strength and listened. The sound didn't go very far. He wasn't sure how big this cave was. He could barely see, his left leg injury was worsening with every passing second. He couldn't risk moving forward recklessly.
"The cave is too dark. If I simply go ahead, I will probably trip and make my injury even worse. I will take my time with it." Faust thought.
He went back to the small patch of light, looking up at the opening in the ceiling. He drank from the deep water basin beside him. His thirst was quenched in one go. Now, his hunger was the problem.
He looked at the illuminated ground. There was nothing besides the wet and damp stone floor. He turned to the stone walls; they had no moss neither sprouts or plants. He started trying to focus on anything unusual that could be his food. He found something—dozens of minuscule holes, barely visible because of the dim lighting. He sat down and stared at them, waiting.
When night fell, his gaze was caught by the movement of something. Worms—dozens of them—began to crawl out of the holes.
"…"
Faust didn't know what to say. He suspected there was something inside these holes, maybe even something he could eat. He had already steeled his mind to eat whatever he could find, pushing aside his manners or pride. But now that he saw them, he felt a weak wave of disgust.
These worms were not normal. Their skin was covered in small glowing blotches, and they were long—at least twenty to thirty centimeters. As they wriggled out of their holes, a foul odor filled the air, putried and vicious. Faust instinctively recoiled, his eyes almost watering from the stench.
He thought for a while. "If there is not anything else, i don't think I really have a choice. But for now, even though my body will weaken, I can survive on water alone for some time. I won't be able to move around the cave properly. But what if these worms are poisonous? I can't risk it."
For now, he dismissed the idea of eating them. He wouldn't do that unless he had no other choice.
Faust hadn't slept since he entered the cave. His body was exhausted. He sat against the wall opposite the worms and closed his eyes.
Soon, he fell asleep.
Faust was looking at a desk. On it, there were papers—hundreds of them. They contained geometrical figures. He didn't know what they meant, but they were similar to the ones in the book he had read a few days before, though much simpler.
His fingers tapped the desk impatiently, while his other hand held a feathered pen. Apparently, he was the one drawing those symbols.
"Are you done?" A woman's voice echoed through the room.
Faust looked at a wooden door, it was reinforced with metal plates.
"Almost. I need a few more days."
The voice remained silent for a moment, before replying.
"Sure, but don't take too long."
When he looked back at the desk, he closed his eyes. Upon opening them again, he found himself in a dark, damp place—the cave.
Faust looked at the hole in the ceiling, it was still night. Faust remained still for a while, deep in thought.
"These dreams… It's already the third weird dream I've had. Did they start after i read that book? I will think more about it later. Right now, the priority is—"
Before he could finish his thoughts, a sharp, excruciating headache struck him. If the previous pain had felt like his skull was being split open, now it was as if his brain was being torn apart and reconstructed over and over. The pain was so overwhelming that his voice couldn't even make way to his mouth and out of his body. He was silent. He clenched his fists, his nails piercing his palms. He collapsed onto the ground, his head tilted back toward the ceiling and his back arched. A stream of blood started leaving his nose.
At that moment, waves of information forcibly entered his mind.
The geometrical figures on the table were known as runes. Runes were formations activated by mana. They were divided into four levels: Basic, Intermediate, Advanced and Transcendent. Basic were the weaker ones, while Trascendent were obviously the strongest. Their mana cost was also equivalent to their level, with basic ones needing way less mana than the others.
After over two minutes, his body finally began to stabilize, his breathing gradually evening out as the pain subsided.
At the same time, two geometric formations—runes—became imprinted in his mind.
Still breathing heavily, Faust's thoughts raced. "Detonation and Obedience. The first can store mana and release it all at once when activated or the rune formation is broken. The second can restrict the mind of a weak living being with a simple consciousness. Detonation can be draw on paper, the ground, or almost any surface. Obedience is more restricted, needing to be inscribed directly onto the flesh of a creature. Both are basic runes."
As the thoughts finally settled, his breathing slowed, and his mind calmed. He got back to where he was and leaned against the wall once again.
"Runes… This could be useful. If only I knew how to use mana."
Faust had never heard of runes before, yet his reaction to them felt strangely instinctive. Mana, on the other hand, was a concept everyone was familiar with.
Almost everything in the world was composed of mana. Everyone knew what it was, from nobles to beggars. A person who could wield mana was classified as a mage or wizard. Unfortunately, despite its concept being widespread, it was rare for someone from a countryside village to know how to use it. Faust was no exception—he knew of it, but he had no idea how to use it.
Even though countless thoughts swirled in his mind, Faust remained calm. His pale face had a hollow expression, his dark-red eyes resembling an abyss.
In that brief moment, he was thinking about several things.
First, he considered how to explore the cave. After about three days inside, his vision was finally starting to adjust. He could see slightly better in the darkness, but it was still almost impossible to make out his surroundings.
Second, he thought about his food problem. He was wary of the worms he had seen before. They would be easy to catch and eat, but if they were poisonous, it could turn out disastrous. He couldn't afford and wasn't willing to take the risk unless absolutely necessary.
Third, his leg. The pain was getting worse. When he first fell into the hole, it had felt like being constantly pricked by a needle. Now, it burned with a dull, lingering sensation. It wasn't enough to stop him from moving, but there was no doubt it situation was worsening.
And fourth—perhaps the most most troubling issue—what if he wasn't alone in the cave? He was almost certain there were no other humans, but other creatures could be lurking in the darkness: snakes or maybe even goblins. He had no way to defend himself. If he encountered any of them, running would be his only option.
Of course, none of these problems had an easy solution.
The thoughts of "Runes" suddenly ressurfaced in his mind, but he dismissed it just as quickly—it required mana, and he couldn't use it.
For now, he decided to tend his leg. Faust tore a piece from his already tattered white pajama shirt. Since it was in a bad condition, ripping it was quite easy. He washed the cloth with water, then squeezed it until it was no longer dripping, just barely damp. Then, he wrapped it around his leg. It was hardly a proper bandage, but it was the best he could manage under the circumstances.
His stomach growled loudly, but he chose to endure it for a little longer. Even though it was bad, the hunger was still bearable.
After a few more minutes of rest, his mind unconsciously recalled information about runes. Faust realized something—the symbols appeared vividly in his mind every time he thought about them, as if he couldn't forget it even if he wanted to.
"Alright. I've rested enough." He thought.
He got up and headed toward the dark pathway once more.
Even though not much time had passed, his vision had slightly improved. At the very least, his hands were visible now. He walked cautiously, attempting to mentally map the cave, tracing the paths in his mind.
After a few hours, he discovered that the section of the cave he was in wasn't that large. It had a circular shape—if viewed from above, the ground would resemble a circle, a ring. There were two other pathways branching off from this chamber, which Faust decided to not explore yet, as his vision was still not great.
He named the circular room as "main room."
He then returned to the area with the deep water basin and washed his face, trying to push aside his hunger. As he splashed the cold water onto his skin, his figure was reflected alongside the glow of the moon. His cheeks were slightly sunken, and his facial bones became a bit protruded—he had lost a noticeably amount of fat.
He knew that if he refused to eat the worms, then he had to move even faster in his exploration.
Without wasting any more time, he hurried back to the main room and chose one of the pathways—the left one. To avoid getting lost, he gathered some rocks from the ground and began sharpening them, once they were sharp enough, he made a small cut on his hand—just deep enough to draw blood. He would use it to mark the walls, creating a crude guide to find his way back.
He also took one more rock with him in case he lost the other one. They could also serve as a means of protection if necessary, though their effectiveness would be debatable.
After finishing his preparations, he entered the left pathway. It sloped slightly downward, leading to a deeper, darker part of the cave. Although it descended at first, it might eventually curve upward and lead to an exit. Faust had to try.