Desert

The landscape stretches out like an endless expanse of barren, lifeless earth, a desolate desert under a pitch-black sky devoid of stars. The ground is flat, as if the floor itself had been leveled by some ancient, unforgiving force. There are no hills, no rocks, nothing to break the monotony of the terrain—just an infinite, flat wasteland. The air is thick with dust, whipped into furious storms by the howling wind, which howls like a beast as it tears through the empty land. The dust swirls in chaotic patterns, creating a murky haze that reduces visibility to almost nothing. The wind is relentless, carrying sharp grains of sand that sting Kael's skin as they pelt him from all directions, forcing him to squint despite the darkness.

"A desert, huh?" Kael mutters, stretching his arms as he surveys the barren wasteland around him. 'I can't see a damn thing with all this dust. How should I handle this?' he muses, yawning as he reaches into his pouch. With a flick of his wrist, he tosses his TSI into the air. Mid-air, the device transforms into a sleek pair of shades, which Kael catches and slips on with a practiced ease.

"Eira, I don't know what I'd do without you," he mumbles, tapping the side of the shades to adjust their size until they fit comfortably. The world around him shifts slightly, the lenses filtering out the worst of the dust storm, allowing him to see through the swirling chaos. 'Time to find that damn elf. If anyone knows anything about this dungeon, it's gonna be him.'

Kael sighs heavily, the weight of exhaustion pressing down on him as he trudges through the windy desert. The relentless storm seems to mirror his own weariness. "I didn't think I'd be here this long," he groans, rubbing his forehead as the wind howls around him, kicking up more dust. The endless expanse of nothingness offers no respite, no shelter from the storm. "I was hoping I could rest before the festival. Once it's over... things are going to get real fucking messy. Dammit, I just want to sleep for one week straight. Is that too much to ask?" His voice is tinged with frustration as he trudges forward.

Suddenly, five monstrous figures emerge from the swirling dust, their twisted forms barely visible through the haze. Their grotesque shapes are a stark contrast to the barren landscape, their presence an unwelcome intrusion in this desolate place.

"Damn, you're all ugly," Kael remarks, nodding his head left and right as he sizes them up. 'Mirelith, whatever he is, can control these things. This means these things aren't simple creatures,' he thinks, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Taking a deep breath, he mutters, "I don't have time to play with you."

With a swift motion, he pulls out his baby, a sleek, polished weapon that gleams even in the dim light. "Bye," he says nonchalantly, pulling the trigger. The gun roars, and in the blink of an eye, the monsters fall to the ground, their lifeless bodies crumpling in the dust.

Kael grins as he walks past them, the wind whipping his coat around him as the dust storm continues its relentless assault. 'This is why guns will rule,' he thinks to himself, his steps steady as he moves through the dark, endless desert, leaving the fallen creatures behind without a second thought.

'Out of all the bullets, holy bullets are the most expensive to produce,' Kael thinks to himself as he walks, the wind whipping around him. 'Each bullet has its own unique production method, but holy ammo needs either a blessing from a priest or holy water. Holy water is expensive, but we have no choice. Zeke sucks at dealing with priests and ends up killing them before any negotiation is done.' He stops in his tracks, a smirk curling at the edge of his lips as a thought crosses his mind. "Wait a minute... I completely forgot about her," he mutters. "She's someone Zeke won't be able to kill... She's crazy though... should I?" He ponders, glancing around the dusty wasteland as if seeking an answer in the swirling storm.

Before he can settle on a decision, the ground beneath him suddenly gives way. "Fuck," Kael exhales, rubbing his head as the earth crumbles beneath him, sending him plummeting into darkness. 'I'm guessing the prince is down here,' he muses while falling, his body relaxed as he casually looks up at the ceiling receding above him.

The descent takes him through layers of the underground, the environment shifting as he falls. At first, the walls around him are made of dry, hard earth, the color a muted orange, resembling the desert above. Holes punctuate the ground, clearly tunnels that spread through the desert's underbelly. As he falls deeper, the earth and rocks begin to change. The orange hue fades, replaced by a darker, more ominous tone. The rocks turn a deep grey, the texture rough and cold. Moss starts to appear, clinging to the walls, the vibrant green a stark contrast to the dark stone.

The further he falls, the more the landscape around him transforms. The ravine is massive, an immense chasm that stretches down into the abyss. What's even more striking is the sheer number of tunnels that honeycomb the walls, branching off in every direction like the roots of a twisted tree. Kael flips his body in midair, looking down to see a waterfall cascading from a ledge below. The water flows with an unusual mossy green color, the river it feeds teeming with life. Strange plants grow around the water's edge, their tendrils reaching out like fingers grasping for light.

"Strange, these tunnels aren't natural, but I don't see any creatures here," Kael mumbles, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. He lifts his hand, creating a thin string of mana that shoots out and latches onto a wall. With a swift motion, he swings himself down further into the ravine. 

'The mana here is really dense,' Kael thinks, licking his lips with a hint of excitement. 'I can't absorb it myself, but I can save it for later.' He lifts his arm, casting a magic circle in the air. 'Not many people know this technique.' As he closes his eyes, the mana in the ravine begins to move violently, drawn toward the magic circle like a moth to a flame. The air around him hums with energy, the force of the circulating mana growing stronger and stronger until it resembles a swirling tornado above him.

After hours of intense concentration, the mana circulating within the magic circle becomes so dense that it starts to erode the surroundings, causing rocks to crack and debris to shatter. Kael smirks, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "Now I just use Umbra," he murmurs, lifting his other hand. Like a powerful vacuum, his glove begins to suck in every last drop of the concentrated mana.

With a pleased stretch, Kael examines his hand, feeling the raw power now stored within. 'Perfect. I'll use all that mana to help me get halfway through rank five.' He looks up, his gaze piercing through the shadows. "How long do you plan on hiding?"

A voice echoes back, dripping with mockery. "Hmm? How did your little brain notice me? I'm surprised you're not dead." The prince grins as he leaps out from one of the tunnels, landing gracefully in front of Kael. He circles Kael like a predator sizing up its prey. "You've got an interesting artifact there," he says, his eyes gleaming with greed. "Hey, why don't you give it to someone who'll use it properly?" He reaches for Kael's hand, his fingers twitching with anticipation.

Kael pushes him away with a calm, dismissive motion, exhaling in mild annoyance. "You're really good at being an annoying piece of shit, you know that?" he mutters, his voice laced with sarcasm.

The prince chuckles, unfazed by the insult. "You wound me, kid. But you'll find that I'm very hard to get rid of." His eyes narrow as he continues to circle, clearly undeterred by Kael's hostility.