Faust was walking toward the Soul Tree, following the slave's guidance, when suddenly they heard a loud sound.
What was that…
Both his and the slave's attention were grabbed by the explosion.
The slave said, in an anxious tone,
"That was the direction of the Soul Tree…"
"Alright, how long does it take to fully absorb the soul fruit?"
Faust asked rapidly, a glisten appearing in his eyes.
"Ahh… I think a few minutes at most. Why?"
Faust threw a soul fruit to him and said, "Eat it, and we will reunite later."
The slave clumsily grabbed the fruit as he observed Faust standing close to him. He wanted to learn what happened when you consumed it.
"Al-alright…"
He ate the fruit and sat on the ground, closing his eyes and waiting. After a around two minutes, a strong light appeared close to his heart, and although it seemed to be underneath his skin, it was strong enough to be seen.
In the next moment, his body was enshrouded by the fog. The fog didn't move for a few seconds, then suddenly dispersed—and his body was not there anymore.
Interesting…
Now he had an idea of how long it took to actually use the fruit and how it worked… more or less.
He ran toward the origin of the explosion sound.
After long minutes, he started to hear sounds—voices screaming at each other, metal clashing, arrows and mana flying through the air. The smell of blood was strong.
He kept walking a little more, and then he finally saw it.
The 'Soul Tree' the slave talked about. There were a lot of people there; he was not even close to the first to arrive. Probably most, if not all, of the survivors were already here.
The tree still had a few fruits, but most had already been taken. Most of its flowers had bloomed and given fruits, so just a few more would grow. Considering some people were holding fruits while fending others off, they were definitely trying to rob the place just like him and the others but were being blocked from leaving.
People were being killed at every moment as the very few flowers left on the soul tree blossomed into new blood-red soul fruits. When someone holding them was killed, someone new picked it up and bore the difficulty of holding the fruit, as they were attacked by those without it.
Faust observed the commotion and sneaked toward the center of it, because of his bloodied body, he merged int the scenery. His fruits were hidden, so people mostly ignored him. They were so focused on the soul fruits that a random young slave was of no concern.
Among the ones fighting, two people in particular caught his attention. Yuser and Rho were still trying to kill each other, but Maya had already left somewhere.
At that moment, Faust knew that if he openly picked one of those fruits, he would have to fight a lot of other people—but maybe there was a way.
He felt that the second trial was nearing its end. Time was short.
Without hesitation, he grabbed a few detonation rune papers and scattered them in hidden positions along the path he had just taken, then rushed toward the battlefield like a shadow.
Reaching the chaotic center, he lay low. His soul fruits were well-hidden; to the frenzied eyes of the others, he was nothing more than a worthless young slave. No one spared him a glance.
He reached a fallen body. Without pause, he grabbed it, slapped detonation runes onto its back, and dropped it once more. Another corpse—another trap. As he slipped through the battlefield, injuries accumulated on his body like marks of passage. But he was prepared; a healing rune in his hand dissolved into nothing, knitting his wounds in real-time.
When the traps were set, Faust crouched low, observing. His small frame melted into the background, invisible among the desperate and maddened figures. All eyes were locked onto the precious fruits and onto the flowers ready to bloom at any moment.
Then he saw it: five men clawing at each other, blood flying, all for a single fruit. It was clutched in the hand of a middle-aged man, his face pale, his stance unsteady.
A decision formed instantly in Faust's mind.
Without warning, he hurled a spear with all his strength. The man, already at his limit, barely twisted aside and dodged it—only for a blade to find his exposed leg. His balance wavered; his eyes darted.
That single moment of distraction spelled doom.
A cold gleam flashed. Another attacker severed the man's arm cleanly. The limb spun through the air, fingers loosening, the fruit slipping free.
All eyes snapped toward the falling treasure.
At that instant, Faust detonated the corpses.
BOOM!
Meat, blood, and torn rags exploded into the air. Shrieks and curses echoed wildly as the battlefield plunged into a momentary but greater chaos.
And that moment was all Faust needed.
He shot forward like a ghost. Leaping into the air, he snatched the fruit from the arm before it hit the ground.
He landed in a roll, immediately springing to his feet. Furious voices roared behind him:
"The slave stole it! Get him!"
His body trembled—not from fear, but exhilaration. His heart thundered, blood surged, and his face twisted into a wild, savage grin.
Five figures lunged after him.
"COME BACK HERE YOU MAGGOT!"
"I WILL KILL YOU DAMNED THIEF!"
"YOUR WHOLE FAMILY WILL BE KILLED!"
They shouted without stopping, their shouts merging into the sounds of the battlefield clashing weapons and flesh being torn.
Without looking back, Faust darted through the clashing battlefield, weaving between desperate fighters. Blades hissed past him. Arrows tore through the air. Death brushed his skin with every step.
But he was faster.
He fled along the trapped path, and as the five chased, he triggered the runes.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Explosions tore apart the ground behind him. Screams filled the air as blood and broken bodies rained down.
Of the five, only three survived—and even they hesitated, faces pale, hearts cold with fear.
"F-FUC...FUCKIN' THIEF! I WILL REMEMBER YOU!"
One of the pursuers shouted, but he had stopped chasing after Faust.
The others were not much different. Unwilling to gamble further, they scattered back to the battlefield.
Faust, on the other hand, didn't stop. He kept running, like a beast after a successful hunt. Until the battlefield and its raging screams were far behind, he kept moving forward.
Only then, deep in the labyrinth, when he was certain no one had followed, did he finally stop running.
"Heh... I did it. Maybe I could've even gotten another... but it was too risky."
Panting heavily, he sat cross-legged on the ground. Without hesitation, he pulled out all three fruits and devoured them.
Minutes later, a powerful surge erupted inside him—deeper than mana, vaster than flesh and thicker than blood.
It was his soul.
A weak white light bloomed from his heart, filling him with a profound warmth.
Then, a gray mist enveloped his vision.
When it cleared, he was no longer in the same place as just before. He had passed the second trial.