Chapter 238 - Unforeseen Circumstances

Rynold wasn't sure what was going to happen.

The crashing waves on the shoreline became more violent by the second. It soon became so violent that the waves threw Rynold back. Even if he stood his ground, Rynold couldn't stay in one place.

'What?!'

He didn't understand what was happening. To him, this was just one weird situation. At this point, Rynold was at the mercy of the waves.

The loud cry called out once more not long after the first one. Rynold's eyes narrowed as he watched a storm form overhead. It seemed concentrated at one point, making Rynold turn his attention to there.

'Definitely not good.'

From where he stood, Rynold could see a giant whirlpool form directly below the eye of the storm. That said, Rynold wasn't all that thrilled seeing something like this. The scene unfolded much like that of a horror movie set at sea.

At this moment, Rynold secretly hoped that the situation would relieve itself. But, things going his way would be unlikely as the storm rumbled.

Soon, the cries became even louder, and a sizable tentacle appeared from the ocean. No matter how ignorant Rynold was to mythological creatures, he knew a tentacle of that size could only belong to one monster. One that spelled doom to any sailor in the way.

'Why the hell is that thing here?!'

Rynold held out hope that he wasn't the one who had triggered the appearance of the Kraken. But, the series of events only ever originated from his seemingly harmless stone throw.

He couldn't die. That was the only thing in his mind as the wave pushed him further into the island. Rynold faced his mortality. He felt as though everything about his life, down to this very moment, was unfair. He was going to die as another victim of the Kraken. Rynold could see his tombstone already.

That said, the Kraken didn't seem to be interested in Rynold at all. The creature was rampaging in a single direction. And, that direction quite so happened to be away from the island.

Rynold wasn't sure if he was out of the clear yet as the creature's tentacles lashed forward. From where Rynold stood, he couldn't see what the Kraken was trying to do. The tentacles would land at nothing but air. Rynold didn't know what was happening here, but he was at least safe.

Nevertheless, the Kraken seemed enraged at this invisible target. Rynold couldn't really find any words to describe what was happening. He just knew that this whole situation became more confusing by the second. Rynold couldn't do anything right now but get away from the shoreline.

Running into the forest, Rynold didn't dare look back. At least, he wouldn't do so until he found himself far enough away.

Rynold climbed a tree and used it as a vantage point once he deemed he was relatively far away. Following which, Rynold looked back at the open sea, looking as to what really was going down.

'It seems... so angry.'

Rynold couldn't really see what was going on. He admitted that he was too far away to see anything worthwhile. But, for some reason, a part of him empathized with the Kraken's rage. The tentacles lashed out in a fury, making Rynold think what was there to cause it to act that way.

But, no matter how much Rynold looked, he couldn't make anything out. Rynold was just there, watching from a distance. The Kraken continued to lash out, causing waves of increasing proportions to crash at the shore. It seemed angry. Upset over something Rynold couldn't see.

Questions piled on Rynold's head. Questions that needed answers, but Rynold couldn't really think of any. He felt the seconds go by as the battle moved forward.

'I need to help.'

As stupid as it may sound, Rynold felt the need to extend his hand. He felt the need to fight. But, be that as it might, Rynold knew that he wouldn't be able to do anything in a battle of that scale. Still, Rynold got this insisting feeling of helping out, no matter how illogical it sounded.

Without thinking, Rynold took a step forward. He had forgotten that he was on a treetop, prompting him to fall several feet towards the ground. Rynold didn't even realize what had happened until he landed.

"Good, everyone's here," the Mech God's voice echoed throughout the room.

Despite the Mech God's announcement, Rynold was the center of attention. It was much like the first time he stepped foot in this hall. His face was on the ground yet again. It wasn't to his liking, of course. It was just by sheer dumb luck that Rynold landed like this again.

Nonetheless, Rynold wasn't sure what he was doing here. He was outside, in the forest. Even if the Mech God had teleported the Candidates back here, it didn't explain why he did it so early. By Rynold's count, there should at least be a few more hours before the scheduled time.

Rynold pushed himself off the ground as the Mech God soon addressed the concerns. The Candidates all turned to the Mech God as he soon spoke. It was as though every Candidate in the room had the same idea.

"My dear Candidates!" the Mech God announced with a big smile on his face, "I'm sure all of you are confused as to why I brought you back so early. Unfortunately, certain unforeseen circumstances had been brought to us. Therefore, I have no choice but to up the timetable!"

The same screen as before descended from the ceiling. Following which, the screen lit up and displayed the battle Rynold had just recently seen. And, by the looks of it, nothing much had changed. The Kraken was still battling an invisible entity, much to everyone's confusion.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I forgot you people don't have a high enough Mana Core yet."

The Mech God snapped his fingers, and the screen flashed multiple colors. It switched between multiple instances until it reverted back to the initial display. Only this time around, the Kraken's invisible entity was now visible.

"What is that?" one of the Candidates asked, obviously perplexed. Following the first person, the other Candidates all shared the same confused sentiment. Even Rynold wasn't excused from this as he stood up and furrowed his eyebrows.

'That's...'

Rynold's mind ran unhindered, wondering what it was. He could tell there was something familiar about it. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't quite figure it out.

"Ehem!" the Mech God cleared his throat, completely suppressing everyone's voice in the main hall. From there, he continued. "It doesn't matter what it is. What you should be worried about, my Candidates, is your next challenge!"

Shaking his head, Rynold was sure that the next challenge would be something as convoluted as the last one. Wherein, Rynold wasn't quite the fan of dealing with something like that. He didn't want to go through hoops and walk on fire for the Mech God's amusement.

"But, before that! You guys deserve a break! Get back to your rooms, and I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

Rynold rolled his eyes somewhat begrudgingly. From how things were going, Rynold didn't like it. He didn't want to deal with whatever theatrical scenario the guy had planned. Nor was he looking forward to fighting the entity he saw at the screen.

That said, the Candidates moved to the quarters one by one. Others opted to converse with the other Candidates. Some decided to approach the Mech God. There were also others who clearly had malintent, but Rynold wasn't one to stop them from doing whatever they wanted.

Rynold, on the other hand, stood there in the main hall. He observed the others, all the while not attracting attention to himself. Then again, Rynold didn't bother to stay there for long. After he looked around once or twice, Rynold left for his room.

"You stink."

One of the other Candidates threw an insult at Rynold. Rynold didn't care, of course, nor did the insult warrant a response. He kept going his way, soon reaching the corridor of the quarters.

"I'm serious. You really stink."

It was the same voice ringing inside his head. Rynold quickly turned around. He made sure that he wasn't being followed. But, by the looks of things, he was alone. There was no one within earshot.

"Who — No, what are you?"

Rynold was sure that no other Candidate could do something like this. No current Magic User can access telepathy like this. It was even more difficult to direct it at someone and speak so clearly. Rynold was skeptical. He wasn't about to let his guard down against someone who could be messing with his head.

"Relax," the voice emphasized, "I'm a friend."

Having heard that, Rynold stopped in the middle of the corridor. Then, he responded with a more hostile than average tone.

"An invasion of privacy? Telling me insults? You honestly think that I consider you a friend after all that? Get out of my head and talk to me in person. Don't pull this kind of stunt on me."

No matter what the other party would say, Rynold wouldn't go along with what it said. Rynold wasn't stupid, nor was he careless enough to jump at every opportunity. He remained skeptical, completely wary of the voice's intentions.

"You can't afford to ignore me, human," the voice warned, "You're going to heed my advice in the coming battles. But, for now, at least, I suggest you take a shower. You smell of Sprite Dust."

Rynold clicked his tongue, annoyed at what had just happened. But, when he tried to find out more, it appeared as though the voice had left him alone. He kept trying multiple times, talking to the air. But, there was no answer. The voice had come and gone just like that.

That said, Rynold moved back to his room. He opened the door and closed it soon behind him. It was the same as he had last left it. Nothing seemed to have changed, which Rynold found to be quite pleasing. He looked around the room and stopped when his gaze landed on the shower.

"Do I really stink?"

Asking himself that question, Rynold thought that giving a sniff wouldn't hurt. He raised his right arm and directed his nose to his armpit. From there, he whiffed.

"There's no smell at all," Rynold convinced himself as he walked to the center of the room, "Sprite Dust? Is there even such a thing?"

Shaking his head in denial, Rynold took his shirt off and swapped it for a new one from the dresser. Weirdly enough, the shirt fit him perfectly well. After which, Rynold then grabbed the apron set on the workbench and proceeded to get some work done.

'How long has it been?'

Rynold asked himself a stood before the workbench. He pulled his hammer from his inventory and placed it on the desk.

'Feels like forever.'

Pulling whatever materials Rynold had left, he took this chance to rebuild a lot of his previously held items. But, that didn't even seem all that possible as he lacked the necessary resources to rebuild his arsenal. At best, Rynold could make something new. But, even then, Rynold had no ideas at all.

That said, Rynold placed all of the items he had in his inventory in front of him. He looked at every item, thinking of whatever might inspire him. But, then again, that doesn't seem likely.

'Maybe if I...'

Grabbing one of the plant roots he harvested, Rynold infused Mana to his fingertip. From there, he carved out a magic array as best he could. With each careful stroke, Rynold paid every ounce of attention he had to make the magic array.

In a few minutes, Rynold finished. The magic array exuded some Mana once it completed, but stopped immediately after. Rynold then grabbed the plant root by its entirety and set it aside, choosing then to focus on his new creation.