Chapter 277 - Unnecessary Complications

"This is pointless!"

Yelling in frustration, Rynold couldn't believe that he was going through all this trouble. He then looked towards the Mech God, searching for some indication that his approach was correct.

But, unless the god changed his ways in the last few seconds, Rynold didn't get any indication whatsoever. The Mech God just stood to the side, disdainfully observing Rynold and Crimson. To which Rynold could only sigh and proceed with what he was doing.

For the most part, Rynold thought this so-called test was pointless. He had declared it multiple times before now with close to nothing to change his mind.

And that was because Rynold had no idea what he needed to look for, much to his frustration. All the Mech God said was to use their Mana to sense the immediate surroundings. Apparently, the Mech God wanted to test whether or not they saw a particular object. Whatever it was, the Mech God did not mention or describe it in further detail.

So, what the two were doing at this moment was akin to finding a needle in a haystack. Except, the haystack was an open area. And the thing was invisible to the naked eye.

Rynold didn't appreciate not knowing things, making this whole experience a lot more frustrating than it should. He couldn't necessarily figure out what the Mech God was trying to convey with this test. However, it had better be worth it, considering how much time they're wasting on this crap.

With a defeated sigh, Rynold quickly focused his senses once more. Complaining about his frustrations wouldn't do him any good, after all. And, in order to move on from this hell, Rynold might as well give it his best.

Closing his eyes, Rynold started by circulating his Mana all over. Through deep breaths, Rynold could feel the Mana coursing through his body. Rynold felt calm. His mind was clear of any distraction, only ever focusing on the Mana surging through his veins.

"Damn it!"

As soon as he tried to release his Mana into the atmosphere, Rynold cursed. Loudly. No matter what he did, the Mana coursing through his veins dissipated and turned to nothing when Rynold tried to expand his sphere of influence. It was a theory that Rynold thought up. And unfortunately, that theory failed several times over now.

'Let's take a step back,' Rynold thought to himself as he started pacing with his hand on his chin. 'If expanding my Mana into a spider trap doesn't work, there's gotta be another way. Let's think for a second. Maybe there's a way that's a lot simpler than what I was trying to pull off.'

If one method didn't work, look for another. It was a trial-and-error process. Most of the things that Rynold did were just that. He walked to and fro, trying to concoct some new method. It was easier said than done, though, but it was much better than nothing.

'Huh.'

Like a stroke of genius, Rynold suddenly came to realize something. The term 'sense' had a more conventional meaning to it. Putting Rynold's instincts and sixth sense aside, the word 'sense' was near synonymous with the five senses: touch, smell, taste, hearing, and sight. And these five senses had a corresponding organ dedicated to their function.

'Why was I overcomplicating things?'

Rynold felt embarrassed that it took him this long to figure out. He was thinking of making a dome where he could sense everything, but, really, it was the more complicated of the solutions. And as soon as he figured out what he needed to do, Rynold immediately got to work.

'Don't fail me now.'

Closing his eyes once more, Rynold started by circulating his Mana. The beginning was no different than his previous attempts. And, with deep, consistent breaths, Rynold got to a comfortable rhythm.

As his Mana coursed through his body, Rynold concentrated on putting his plan into action. Theoretically, the whole thing wouldn't take very long. He breathed as he focused all his Mana into one particular area. Rynold knew what he had to do, even though the idea alone seemed farfetched enough to fail.

In moments, Rynold soon opened his eyes to a new world. Or, at least, that was what it seemed.

The immediate surroundings were black and white, with no colors whatsoever. The previously pristine and metallic-looking buildings around Rynold suddenly turned dull. It was like everything around him turned into an old film. Well, apart from the other things, that was.

'That wasn't there before... Neither were those things.'

Rynold took in the changed surroundings, even though he hadn't moved from the same spot. While the buildings turned black and white, the ground suddenly had blue-colored lines. The lines had a sense of order to them, as far as Rynold could tell. And, at that moment, Rynold knew his plan had worked.

"Hah!"

Rynold had a smile on his face as he looked to the Mech God. As soon as Rynold faced the god, though, an overwhelming feeling took over, making Rynold instinctively close his eyes and retreat. The best way for Rynold to describe the feeling was like he was looking directly at the sun. The brightness coming from the Mech God's figure had nearly blinded him.

Suffice it to say, Rynold was never doing that again.

That said, however, Rynold still had no idea what he was finding. He looked around the place, avoiding the Mech God altogether, and tried to find a thing that stood out. But, as far as he could tell, there really wasn't much of anything around him.

Although, to be fair, Rynold couldn't bother looking into things. He just glanced at his surroundings, not in the mood to pay any more attention than he had already had.

Nevertheless, Rynold had gained a new perspective and quite literally at that. He could see the Mana like never before. While he could feel the Mana coming off of something, it certainly was different from seeing it with his own eyes.

But then, Rynold came to realize something.

'Was this what the Mech God had meant? That the other Candidates could already do something like this?'

Rynold had confidence in his abilities, more so than anyone he knew. And while he had the talent for grasping obscure theories and making them to reality, it hurt his pride, knowing other people figured it out before he did. Rynold didn't break down from something like that, of course, but it still caused some concern.

"I still don't know what we're looking for," Crimson spoke out of the blue, his expression looking down. "Do you have any idea?"

"No clue," Rynold shrugged, answering honestly, "I wished that someone would at least make it clear! Geez. Talk about a waste of time."

With a hearty sigh, Rynold proceeded to look around. His enhanced sense of sight helped spot out other things that radiated Mana, objects that would be normally overlooked. Fortunately, Rynold's motivation returned as soon a Crimson expressed his frustration as well.

So, with that, Rynold proceeded to look at things carefully. With each passing second, Rynold looked at the most nondescript of things. Tiles, walls, and even the pavement on the ground. Rynold left no stone unturned, even going as far as putting his hand on the pavement.

In a few minutes, though, Rynold didn't have to look any further as something caught his eye. It had a faint tone of white to it, brightness pulsating. He walked over and grabbed the tile off the pavement. It slipped right off as if it wasn't plastered to the ground.

"Is this it?" Rynold asked as he raised the tile. And, as soon as he did, the Mana infused to his eyes dissipated. After all, Rynold didn't want to blind himself as he approached the Mech God.

"Huh," the Mech God acknowledged with a grunt, grabbing the tile off of Rynold's hands, "Can't believe you actually had it in you. It still took a lot of time, though."

"It would've been much faster if you actually told me what I was looking for and how," Rynold scoffed as he expressed his disappointment, "Believe me. I didn't want to spend that much time on doing something so simple."

Rynold didn't care for going through all that trouble just to pick something off the ground. While instructions were something the Mech God kept vague, Rynold would've had a much easier time if the guy said something. Even as little as an obscure clue would have helped.

"So, what now?" Rynold sighed as he asked, knowing that he'd regret whatever the Mech God would answer, "Can we leave?"

"There are a few more things I'd like to say. But, yeah. There aren't any of my tests left," the Mech God answered, much to Rynold's surprise. "Better call Crimson back so that we can get going."

That said, Rynold looked over to Crimson and sighed. Whatever the crap the Mech God wants to discuss, Rynold wasn't looking forward to it.

"Fine."