Chapter 240 - Lost Sense of Reason 2

"D-don't!!"

The other Candidate pushed Rynold down. He had to. Rynold wouldn't stop squirming, struggling to move. It was as though something had taken over Rynold, something that made him lose his sense of self.

Standing not too far away, the Mech God turned and looked over the two of them. Rynold was on the ground, fighting desperately to move, while the other Candidate pinned him down.

Hanging on for dear life, the Candidate limited Rynold's actions as best he could. He pushed down on Rynold's body with much more force than necessary. But, containing Rynold's immense Attributes was a task in itself. He wouldn't last very long unless he took an extra step further.

Luckily, the Mech God walked over just in time, watching the two Candidates fight each other. After taking two seconds to gloss over the situation, the Mech God quickly realized what was happening.

"Move, I'll handle it," he said commandingly, his voice dead serious.

"B-but," the Candidate struggled to respond as he pushed Rynold down once more, "If I let go, he's going to do something, ugh, really, really stupid."

"All the more reason you should let me handle it, boy," the Mech God's eyes narrowed, indicating how serious he really was. It was as if he knew that this matter was no joke. Taking it lightly would be a big mistake for everyone here.

"Fine."

The Candidate had about enough of Rynold's struggling anyway. He quickly rolled to the side, instantly releasing Rynold from his grip. To which, Rynold staggered and stood up.

Turning to the edge of the platform again, Rynold didn't hesitate to jump into the open sea. He didn't even bother looking down and jumped. Rynold had no regard for his safety whatsoever, and the sight of which caused the Candidate to gasp and reach out.

Fortunately, the Mech God wouldn't let Rynold do such a thing. He calmly extended his hand and closed his fist, all the while pointing directly at Rynold.

Clink!

A claw formed out of thin air and gripped Rynold tightly. Doing so prevented Rynold from getting into the sea with the Kraken. It was a simple move but effective nonetheless. Not only that, but the Mech God also chose to shock Rynold. He forced bolts of electricity to snap Rynold out of his daze.

But it didn't work. Rynold's mental state remained the same, much to the other two's dismay.

"What happened to him?" the Candidate approached the Mech God respectfully, acknowledging full well the god's powers. He wasn't like Rynold, who had gotten so shameless with the Mech God.

"I don't know," the Mech God eyebrows furrowed as he stared intensely at Rynold, "But, I can find out. For now, he's going to have to stay like that. We'll have to wait until we're over with the challenge. You did good work. And, I trust that you won't say a word of this to the others, yeah?"

The Candidate nodded profusely, respecting the Mech God's wishes. But, even so, nothing stopped him from thinking about what had happened. A completely sane and sensible person to lose his marbles like that; there must be an explanation for this— one that the Mech God knew.

"What's your name, by the way?" the Mech God asked, taking the focus of the Candidate from Rynold. Doing so took the Candidate by surprise. He didn't expect he would ask such a question.

"Uh...," the Candidate hesitated as if he didn't know what his name was.

"It's just a name, human," the Mech God raised a brow in suspicion, "It's not that difficult. What am I supposed to do with your name, huh? Curse you? I don't roll like that."

"No, it's not that, uh, sir," the Candidate hesitated, "It's just that I don't... really... have a name."

"Oh?" the Mech God let out a syllable, curious. "I chose you for your qualifications. I certainly didn't expect you didn't have anything to identify yourself with, not even a name."

"Unfortunately not, sir. Where I'm from, we don't really use names," the Candidate offered his apologies through his tone of voice, "But, I do like the word crimson, sir."

"Alright," the Mech God faced another direction, "Crimson it is, then." The Mech God then walked back to the spot he was standing.

Crimson, turning back to Rynold, watched as the metal claw that wrapped Rynold suddenly disappeared. From there, Rynold's dead-eyed body flew towards the platform Crimson stood on.

By the looks of things, Rynold didn't seem to be able to move. He just stood before Crimson, arms to his side and eyes unblinking. Crimson sighed a breath of relief as he realized he didn't have to do anything to deal with Rynold's situation.

Even then, Crimson found it curious how Rynold was tied. He carefully approached Rynold's body, with hands extended forward. He then felt something solid a few inches from Rynold.

'It's invisible! Cool!' Crimson nodded and tapped his hands on the metal claw that held Rynold. It was interesting, to say the least, as there were no mechanisms attached to the machine that made it invisible. It was all in one, something the Mech God would create.

While Crimson played around, the Mech God fell deep in thought. He couldn't tell what had happened to Rynold. Not entirely, anyway. But, he could definitely guess and, on the off chance he was right, things weren't looking bright for Rynold.

The Mech God found himself perplexed.

Even though he had a plethora of Candidates to choose from, Rynold was one that stood out. He wasn't the best of the lot, but he certainly had qualities the Mech God could use to have.

That said, Rynold's future seemed bleak. The Mech God heavily contemplated the repercussions of losing someone like Rynold, especially to something so archaic. He could undoubtedly do something about his condition, but the Mech God wasn't sure if that would help.

As he waited for the Candidates to complete the challenge, the Mech God formed a plan. He took his time, actively deliberating with himself to come up with the best solution. Of which, the eventual conclusion was a bit of a problematic one.

But, he left that for another time as one team of Candidates succeeded with the challenge.

The Candidates received a message stating the completion of the challenge. After which, the Mech God asked all of them to reconvene on the platform. Of which, the Candidates left the ship in droves. The Mech God then waited for everyone and soon addressed the crowd.

"My Candidates! You've successfully completed this challenge. Congratulations are in order! When we head back to the building, feel free to take the two nights off! But, I do advise you to use that time wisely. For the next challenge, we will have some fun!"

As soon as he finished the sentiment, the Mech God tapped his toes twice, which resulted in the platform flying back to the building. It zoomed through the air, with the Mech God at the helm.

Some of the Candidates looked over the edge, seeing the island in its entirety. Others chose to look back, watching as the Kraken swallowed the ship whole.

Aside from that, the journey back to the building they were staying in was uneventful. Sure, some sights were magnificent looking from the sky. But, the Mech God had other things in mind.

Once the platform descended into the main hall, the Candidates went about their ways. Some chose to talk about what had happened. Others went back to their quarters for some rest. But, none of the other Candidates ever gave any attention to Crimson or Rynold. That was until the Mech God decided to approach them.

"You did good," the Mech God softly spoke as he acknowledged Crimson's efforts, "But, I'll be taking him away now."

Without waiting for a response, the Mech God lifted Rynold's trapped body up to the sky, levitating him. The Mech God then flew next to Rynold, carrying him away. However, Crimson suddenly spoke up before the Mech God had left.

"I'm coming with you," Crimson showed his concern.

"You're loyalty is misguided, Crimson. I can take this idiot from here. You can stay here along with the others. There's no need for you to come along with this asshole right here. In fact, you shouldn't even identify with him. Stay here."

The Mech God didn't even glimpse at Crimson, but he knew that the kid was dead serious. He wanted to go with Rynold for some misguided, absolutely naive reason. It caused some headaches for the Mech God, but Crimson didn't seem to want to budge.

One second passed. The gazes on the three of them became increasingly tenser. Rynold couldn't tell, of course, and the Mech God was above any of these mortals' impressions of him. What's impressive, though, was that Crimson didn't care either. No, he lacked the social perception to understanding the whole situation had become awkward.

"Fine," the Mech God gave in, knowing full well that Crimson wasn't going to change his mind, "Keep close and don't say a word."

Descending, the ground beneath the Mech God's feet turned to a small platform big enough for the three of them. Rynold didn't take much space, anyway, as he was all tied up. Nevertheless, Crimson hopped on and left with the Mech God.

Ignoring the other Candidates' gazes, the Mech God, Crimson, and Rynold left the main hall. Their destination was unknown to the latter two, but the Mech God seemed to know what he was doing.

"Where are we going?" Crimson asked, forgetting the last thing the Mech God had said to him.

"Didn't I say not to say a word?" the Mech God clicked his tongue as he turned to Crimson, "We're going to ask for some help for this guy. That's the best way for me to say it. Remember to keep close, and you will not, under any circumstance, say anything when we get there."

"Yes, sir," Crimson nodded, realizing that he might have been pushing the Mech God's buttons.

After the brief conversation, the group journeyed through unknown waters. At least, neither Crimson nor Rynold recognized their location. The Mech God, however, knew exactly what he was doing. He stared off into the distance, deep in thought.

And soon enough...,

"We're here," the Mech God calm voice caught Crimson's attention as the platform they stood on crawled to a stop. Crimson, on the other hand, looked around — to a whole lot of nothing.

"Are you —"

All of a sudden, the Mech God spread his hands out. It was excessive, Crimson thought, as he wondered what the Mech God was doing. He hadn't realized until half a second later.

The calm ocean beneath their feet started to turn into a violent oceanic calamity. Fortunately, the three of them were well above the ocean. Otherwise, it would've been a whole other mess.

That said, a silhouette formed from beneath the ocean surface. It got larger as each second passed. Crimson felt awe when he looked at the entire thing, while Rynold didn't care for any of it at all.

In a few more moments, the silhouette revealed itself to them. It was none other than a massive temple, which the Mech God sunk to the underground.

"Remember what I said, alright? This is no place for kids to play around. If you don't want to die, stick with me and me alone. Nothing or no one else. Are we clear?"

The Mech God's voice turned serious all of a sudden which had even caught Crimson by surprise. Whatever was in there, the Mech God didn't seem to take so lightly. It startled Crimson, so much so that he could only nod in response.

"Good," the Mech God nodded as he reached for something to his side. There was nothing there. But when the Mech God pulled his arm back, a sizable battle hammer appeared.