Chapter 239 - Lost Sense of Reason 1

'Will this work?'

Rynold wasn't sure. He didn't have any confirmation whatsoever as he ventured into his new creation. He doubted the very idea as his finger found the handle of his hammer.

But then, Rynold's hands started to move on their own. He lifted up his hammer and started banging it against the piece of iron ore he had on hand. His idea, on its own, had yet to be complete. But, with each ding of the hammer, Rynold's mind started to focus on one clear goal.

It was as if he was possessed.

Rynold didn't realize it, but his focus became unparalleled at this very moment. He had let his subconscious take over and let his body move on its own. Rynold found the need to create something more prevalent than any actual idea or plan.

That said, Rynold's impulses started to take shape. Each strike on the iron ore refined it to some degree. He then threw it into the fire, pulled it out, hammered the impurities out, and reheated it again. Rynold did so methodically and consistently as if he was born to do just that.

Half an hour later, Rynold produced a finished product. It was far from what he thought it would be like, but it still felt nice for Rynold to make something for once.

'This should work. In theory, at least.'

Setting the device down the table with the utmost care, Rynold studied his handiwork. Unfortunately, Rynold couldn't test his finished product. But he could damn well picture the devastating damage if he did.

'It's a grenade, is what it is,' Rynold thought to himself as he picked the device up, 'the small iron cage is keeping the plant root inside. Once I put Mana into it, the magic array will commence a countdown. Once the countdown ends..., Boom.'

Rynold smiled. Even with the crude craftsmanship and the uninspired design, Rynold smiled. He wasn't proud, not even a shred of pride for his new creation. But, Rynold was pleased. He was glad that his hands had made something once more.

Riding this high, Rynold proceeded to make new bombs. In terms of variation, there wasn't much to it. Rynold had essentially made the same thing over and over. Rynold continued making them until he nearly ran out of plant roots. He had only stopped when the sound of the Mech God's voice echoed in his room.

"Candidates, report to the main hall in five minutes."

Rynold hadn't realized how much time passed by as he finished his twentieth one. He placed his hammer on his workbench as he hurriedly readied himself for the assembly.

After a quick shower, change of clothes, and cleanup of the workbench later, Rynold made his way to the main hall. From there, he saw all of the Candidates standing in the middle of the room. The skylight was still dark as the nighttime sky.

'It's still dark out?' Rynold thought to himself as he made his way towards the rest of the Candidates. 'Why did he bother calling us here so late?'

After a quick look around the area, Rynold sensed the tension among the other Candidates. It was as though their doom was in front of them. He understood where they were coming from, of course, as the previous meeting here showed a threat that even Rynold didn't know.

That said, it shouldn't be a cause for this much concern. Even if this were some unfathomable threat, Rynold knew that the Mech God would be reasonable. He wouldn't assign them some impossible task that would lead the Candidates to die.

The only thing now was Rynold had to hear it for himself.

Standing in front of everyone, the Mech God stood tall and proud. Much like any other time Rynold saw him, the Mech God's consistency was worthy of Rynold's respect. Or, well, annoyance would also work.

Regardless, the Mech God proceeded to address the crowd. And, consequently, made the entire room's tension multiple times worse.

"Candidates! I appreciate all of you being here so late. I assume you're ready for your next challenge, yes?"

Rynold looked down and realized that he didn't have a lick of rest throughout the entire time. He spent it all making Mana Bombs. Rynold wasn't tired, but he wasn't well-rested either.

"No matter! Your next challenge will be simple," the Mech God added, enjoying his theatrics. He snapped his finger, and the screen lit up once again, revealing the same image as before, "You're going in that." The Mech God calmly pointed up as if the whole thing wasn't some big ordeal.

But it clearly was.

The screen flashed and showed the same image as before. At least, that was how it seemed at first glance. Rynold studied the screen, paying close attention to all the details.

'It's tired..?' Rynold wasn't quite sure that he had guessed right. But, based on the subtle changes to the Kraken's attack pattern, indicated so.

Nevertheless, Rynold knew he couldn't really help out with the creature's exhaustion and predicament. He wasn't strong enough for that yet. Rynold knew he severely lacked what it takes to help out a mythical creature of that size. So, Rynold didn't fully understand what the Mech God had meant by the word 'simple.'

Hearing the Mech God's announcement, the crowd's displeasure increased in volume. They held back, of course, and didn't directly express their complaints. However, the Mech God still understood his Candidates' sentiments.

"Settle down," the Mech God's calm voice echoed throughout the main hall and shut the noises down. "Your current task is to intercept the intruder's ship and apprehend whoever caused this. The first one to complete the challenge wins. I encourage all kinds of competition, camaraderie, and advantages you may use to your advantage. Good luck."

Finishing his explanation, the Mech God instantly took off. He didn't bother waiting for his Candidates to acknowledge his commands. The guy just straight up left.

Rynold found it confusing as some of the other Candidates lost their composure. They didn't seem to find the Mech God's new challenge to be all that endearing. Some of the Candidates even audibly complained, saying how they weren't prepared for something like this.

While a small group of Candidates felt this way, the others sought to team up and fight against this threat. Rynold remained solitary, though, as he wasn't one to depend on any other person for a fight. He'd much rather take care of this threat on his own. But, doing so would garner unwanted attention to him.

Even so, Rynold considered his options, some of which were more lucrative done others.

'I could team up with one of them, but that just seems too much work. Remember, I'm not here to win, although I still would like to help out. But, where exactly do I do that?'

Turning to the screen, Rynold watched as the Kraken attacked. He hoped that he would get some inkling of an idea there. However, no matter how much Rynold tried to force it, nothing popped into his head. He was in a slump.

As the voice of the other Candidates melded into one big loud noise, Rynold stood still. He focused and tuned out the background, opting to focus on what he could do.

Not long after that, though, a bright light suddenly wrapped around everyone in the main hall. It took all of them by surprise, knowing full well what this light was. The Candidates were being teleported to someplace, no doubt done by the Mech God.

"Where are we?"

One of the Candidates asked, but all of them were thinking the same thing. With that in mind, the Mech God didn't seem to care for his Candidates' confusion. He instead chose to focus on what was in front of everyone, for that matter.

Thunder rumbled across the sky. Rain fell down on the Candidates' shoulders like they were heaving drops of mercury. The Mech God stood out front, looking down over the platform they were standing on. It didn't take long for Rynold to realize where they were.

A loud cry bellowed from below his feet. Rynold walked to the edge as the other Candidates remained where they stood. Directly below them was the Kraken fighting an invisible enemy. Rynold, of course, knew better.

"Alright, everyone!" the Mech God addressed the crowd, which Rynold ignored entirely. "I'm going to lower the platform and open a hatch to the side of the ship. You know what to do from there! My drones will keep track of your movements and make sure no serious harm comes to you! It's time for you people to let loose!"

The Candidates had different responses to the Mech God's call. Others were reluctant, while some seemed excited. There were groups of Candidates that remained level-headed, of course. Rynold, though, remained focused on the battle below.

Raising his hand, the Mech God commanded the platform they stood on and moved closer to the opposing ship's location. Along the way, the Candidates geared up, all except Rynold, who still watched over the edge of the platform. He was unmoving, completely focused.

As they got closer, the Mech God threw his other arm out. He opened his palm, and an immensely complicated magic array appeared. He then threw it at the enemy, causing the invisibility to shatter. From there, the Mech God snapped his fingers, and an explosion rocked the hull of the ship.

Awestruck, the Candidates realized the Mech God capabilities. He was a god, after all. But, it wasn't until now that he demonstrated his strength.

Nevertheless, the Mech God had brought the Candidates to their destination. They quickly recovered from their shock and hurriedly rushed towards the hole at the ship's portside.

"Hey! Aren't you going in?"

One of the Candidates tapped Rynold on the shoulder, trying to grab his attention. But, Rynold willfully ignored him. Most of the other Candidates seemed to have left for the ship already, but Rynold and this one other guy stayed. Both of them and the Mech God, of course.

The Mech God caught sight of Rynold's insubordination once more. He hadn't expected Rynold to be so stubborn and thought that he would've at least agreed to participate.

"Hey, asshole!" the Mech God approached Rynold, calling for his attention, "Get in there now. Both of you."

Rynold turned his head slightly and matched the Mech God in the eye. His gaze was cold, for reasons not so clear, but Rynold didn't seem like he was in the mood to play around.

"You honestly think I'm that stupid?" Rynold asked, mockingly, "If the Kraken can't do anything to this thing, why do you think we'd make much of a difference? Why bother sending us inside if you can take it down on your own? This whole ordeal may well be a test, but there's no way I'm joining."

Dismissing him entirely, the Mech God turned to the other Candidate there. He gave him the stink eye, but the Candidate seemed to acknowledge Rynold's side. Instead, the Candidate chose to stand firm alongside Rynold.

"Tsk. Fine. Just know that this'll hurt your chances for becoming my Chosen."

"And," Rynold mocked, "I told you I have no interest in any of that nonsense."

Rynold sat at the edge of the platform, feet dangling over it. He watched as the Kraken continue its rampage, but entirely missed the intruding ship.

The same thing kept happening, so much so that Rynold couldn't stand it anymore. The compulsive need to help the creature only grew with each second passed. It was as though the desire took control of Rynold's sense of reason. The situation had gotten to the point where Rynold nearly jumped into the open sea.

"The hell are you doing?" the Candidate stopped Rynold from doing anything he might regret. He did so in a way that even caught the Mech God's attention. The Candidate held down on Rynold's shoulder with much more force than necessary.