Two weeks passed.
Faust returned to the start of the left pathway a few more times to collect food. Now, he had enough to last at least six months. Since the moss didn't seem to spoil, time was not a concern. During this period, his injuries healed enough for him to resume his full training—this time with even greater difficulty. With the left pathway blocked by the black creature, he decided to explore the right one instead.
During these two weeks, he had no strange dreams. In fact, he had no dreams at all. Red also spoke rarely, even when asked a question.
Faust's vision had improved. He could now see in the dark almost as well as in light.
The right pathway was different from the left—it was plain and featureless. It stretched on for a little over eight kilometers before gradually inclining upward.
On the third day of his exploration on the right pathway, he found something—but it did not bring him joy. It was light. Not from a natural source, but from a campfire.
He moved closer, keeping a safe distance in case he needed to flee.
A decently sized structure stood near the campfire. Short wooden walls surrounded the area, and a few huts made from yellow cloth were scattered within. But the worst part—goblins.
Goblins were common creatures. The hunters in Faust's village had killed some, bringing their bodies back to be sold. They were neither strong nor intelligent, but had strength in numbers. Their appearance was ugly, their face was disheveled, yellow and rotting teeth poked from their mouth. Short and slim, they stood no taller than a meter. However, their arms were long, nearly reaching the ground even when standing upright.
Their bodies held little value, though some were sold as decorations for nobles or as test subjects for mages.
From his position, Faust could not see inside the goblin camp clearly, but he counted at least eleven of them. As far as he could tell, they hadn't noticed him.
"Eleven… just one or two could probably kill me with ease. Eleven is too much." He thought to himself as he silently retreated to the main area.
"Amazing. The left path is blocked by that black thing, while the right is blocked by goblins. I'm basically trapped here." He muttered. "Apparently, learning mana truly is the only way for me to have a chance to escape."
Red remained silent.
Faust decided against rushing out recklessly, but he couldn't help but worry—this could take too long. He had been in the cave for nearly two months, and with the recent discovery of two major obstacles—the black creature and the goblins—he wasn't sure how much longer he would be stuck or what other unexpected things awaited him. Being surprised was not something he was into, especially now.
"Well… It is what it is," He thought. Worrying wouldn't help after all.
He resolved to train even harder. His routine was simple: when moonlight shone through the hole, he slept. He usually woke with the sunrise. He ate, then trained for almost the entire day before eating again and observing the worm-wall until he fell asleep. He spent some days attempting to dive deeper into the water basin, but it was far too deep for him to reach the bottom. He gave, focusing on too many things at once was a recipe for failure.
Another month passed.
Faust's body had transformed. Previously, he had been slim and frail, barely acceptable for a child his age. Now, his physique was well-developed. Though still lean, his strength had increased considerably, He could do forty to fifty push-ups and nearly a hundred sit-ups. His stamina had also improved—he could jog for over two hours without reaching total exhaustion.
"It's time." He said in a low voice.
"Yes. Sit." Red finally responded.
Faust sat on the ground, relaxing his body.
"Alright. Learn."
Red spent over two hours explaining the mana-awakening process.
In theory, it was simple; in practice, it was incredibily difficult. First, he had to sense the mana particiles in the air—a process that usually took two to three days. Next came gathering, where he would guide the particles into his body and absorb them into his heart. Finally, the hardest part—accumulating and stabilizing them. If he failed to hold the mana, it would disperse back into the surroundings, making him restart the whole process. The last two steps typically took about fifteen days.
The entire process was meant to be completed in under twenty days.
Faust closed his eyes and tried to sense the particles.
The first day—nothing. The second—nothing. The third—still nothing.
Does it really take just three days?" Faust felt a growing sense of concern. He had yet to sense even a trace.
"Yes… continue…" Red's was indifferent.
Faust did not give up. He had no other choice anyway, he was trapped here.
He devoted himself entirely to sensing mana, replacing his physical training with meditation.
On the seventh day—
"Huh…" He blinked in surprised, rapidly closing his eyes again. "Wait… what is that?"
At last, he felt something. The sensation was almost magical—he could perceive color, texture, and even a faint visual of the particles. They were scarce in the air, but he could finally see them. They looked like tiny specks of blue ash.
"I did it! I DID IT!" Faust jumped up, grinning. "Hahaha, I did it!" His heart raced with excitement.
"First step. Now second." Red's words quickly reminded him of the bigger task ahead.
"Oh… right." His expression shifted back to one of focus.
This was only the first step—the easiest one. And it had taken him nearly twice the expected time.
"Trash talent."
Red's neutral tone carried a faint hint of mockery—or at least, Faust thought so.
Gritting his teeth, he sat down again and began the second step. Moving the particles.
It was far harder than the first step. No matter how hard he tried, the particles refused to obey.
Days passed.
On the fifth day, Faust sat drenched in sweat, his black hair clinging to his forehead.
"Finally…i moved one. Now what, Red?" Faust asked, a half-smile of confidence forming.
"…"
Red didn't answer immediately.
"Move dozens, at least."
"…" Faust fell silent. His smile faded. He had struggled for five days just to move a single particle—now he had to control dozens.
Three more weeks passed before he finally managed to move a handful at once. Now, the hardest stage came—gathering and accumulating mana in his heart.
Red offered some advice, suggesting he start with a single particle and gradually increase the amount. Though he rarely spoke, his guidance was invaluable. Perhaps he pitied Faust for his poor aptitude.
A few days later, Faust sat on the stone floor, his eyes shut tightly, body drenched in sweat. Inside him, mana particles drifted towards his heart. First one, then two, then three. Slowly and methodically, he controlled them.
An hour later, he had gathered sixteen particles.
"Alright… alright…take it slow…"
His body trembled. His breathing was ragged. The strain was immense.
At the seventeenth particle, something went wrong.
The others began to move on their own, jumping wildly inside Faust's heart.
Faust struggled to regain control.
The particles moved faster.
Then—
They burst out of his heart, scattering throughout his body.
Faust's eyes shot open, blood dripping from his seven facial orifices.
"That is already the third time I've failed…"
Each failed attempt had a huge backlash. It took two days to recover before he could try again.
Two months passed.
Then—
Faust's body was sweating, his palid face flushed red, eyes shut tight. He was on his eightieth particle.
His mental strength had grown immensely during this time.
He gathered more particles, one by one.
His breathing was unstable, his body trembling. The process was exhausting.
On the ninetieth particle, a change occurred.
"Careful," Red warned.
The particles inside his body began forming a single massive circle. It was as if they had their own gravity, pulling toward one another. Faust's expression twisted—this was at least twice as hard as gathering them.
They moved left and right, up and down—one combining another, two fusing with two more. They quickly increased in size. His heart pounded. All of his mental strength focused on stabilizing them.
"Almost! Just a little more!" The thoughts echoed in his mind.
And then—
All the particles formed a baby fist-sized circle.
Faust smiled.
And then passed out.
Hours later, he awoke. His eyes opened slowly, staring at the ceiling.
"…"
He shut his eyes and focused inward. In his heart floated a large circle, far bigger than the particles. The first mana circle.
"I did it… I did it…" he whispered. A rare smile crept onto Faust's face. Even his usually cold self couldn't suppress the joy—after nearly four months, he had finally succeeded, he awakened his first mana circle.
Mana circles were divided into six basic levels—from one to six. One was the most basic, just barely enough to be usable. Six was the level where a man could become an army.
According to Red, a level beyond six might exist, but he had no knowledge of it.
Faust stood up, concentrating. He focused mana into his hand.
A faint, flickering blue ball appeared. Weak and unstable. But Faust was thrilled.
As a commoner, he had actually used mana. That was an incredibly rare event.
"Now, i can finally use them." He wasn't referring to mana.
He picked up one of his sharp rocks and began scraping the floor. After several minutes, a small rune was drawn. It was about the size of his hand.
He touched it and tried injecting mana. Nothing happened. He tried again. And again.
On the third attempt, the rune glowed faintly. He stepped back and willed, "Detonate."
The light intensified—and a small explosion followed. Moss near the rune flew away.
"So drawing them is really just like I thought. I just need to follow the steps and do the correct pattern." He thought, as he stared at the aftermath of the explosion.
What steps was Faust referring to?
When Faust previously made staring at the worm wall his routine, he hadn't just been looking—he was mentally connecting the dozens of holes, like a game of dots. He imagined a rune, planned how best to draw it, tried dozens of variations, and chose the simplest, most efficient way to go. He had been doing that since the first moment he learned about runes.
It wasn't difficult for him. He was a logical person—maybe that was seen as cold by others—but when he was alone, his mind operated at full capacity. After all, a man can only be truly himself when alone, when no one is there to judge or obstruct his thought. A free turtle will always go farther than a trapped hare.
"The black creature will come later. The goblins come first. I need to test what I can do now, they will be the perfect target."
Faust began his preparations.