Chapter 31: The Lich and the Leyline Puzzle

Chapter 31: The Lich and the Leyline Puzzle As soon as Karl pressed [▶️ Enter Trial] on the Mana Flow Challenge, his vision darkened for a quick second. Outside, in the dungeon core room, his skeletal form slumped in wall, motionless, as if unconscious. Then, his vision changed, the familiar stone walls of the core room dissolving into a vast, dark space. In front of him, suspended in the void, was a massive ball of glowing blue lines, tangled and chaotic. It pulsed with a soft, ethereal light, resembling a colossal ball of glowing yarn, impossibly knotted. Above it, a System panel floated, displaying a single, stark description: [ Find the Mana Ends, Untangle the leylines and reform your mana flow. ] [ Start ] [ Exit Trial ] And above all, a huge, unforgiving 40-second timer glowing digits a stark reminder of the challenge’s urgency. "Ahhh... shit," Karl muttered, a dry, exasperated rasp. "A 40-second window? That’s it? Even when I sew my ripped pants, it takes me like five minutes to find that fucking single end of a thread. This is ridiculous." He sighed, a phantom puff of air. "Let’s get this over with." He pressed "Start." He moved forward, or rather, he willed himself forward. The dark space rushed past him, the glowing blue lines of the mana ball growing larger, closer. "Wh-what?" he stammered, surprised by the sudden, effortless movement. "How did that...?" Then, comprehension dawned. "Ohhh... so I have to move with my mind. I can move with my mind. I thought I had to walk." With 35 seconds already ticking off the clock, he cursed. "Oh shit, I gotta hurry!" He plunged into the glowing blue tangle, weaving through the impossibly dense network of lines, his mental form moving at impossible speeds, desperately searching for that single, elusive end. "It really does feel like I’m trying to look for that fucking end," he muttered, frustration mounting. "Where the fuck is it?" The timer above him blinked, then vanished. 40 seconds passed. Karl just stood there, suspended in the dark void, staring at the panel that had reappeared. [ The time has run out. ] [ Try Again? ] [ Yes ] [ Exit Trial ] "Yes, of course!" Karl snapped, his voice tight with irritation. The timer started again. He plunged back into the glowing tangle, weaving around, through it, his mental gaze sweeping every inch of the glowing yarn ball. "Where are you, you little bastard?" 40 seconds. Nothing. He stared at the panel, utterly stunned. "What the fuck?! How is this so hard?!" he roared, his voice echoing in the void. The panel reappeared. [ The time has run out. ] [ Try Again? ] [ Yes ] [ Exit Trial ]. He pressed "Yes" again, fuming, his misery growing. He failed again. He started again. He failed again. He started again. He failed again. 33 fails later. He found it. A single, glowing end, tucked away in a hidden crevice of the tangle. "Found ya, you fucking bastard!" Karl gasped, a dry, triumphant breath. "I looked around and you were just at the center, hiding in plain sight!" He grabbed the end, a surge of satisfaction. But as he did, the timer ran out. This time, he pressed "Yes" with grim determination. He moved instantly towards the center of the mana ball, his mental form a blur, and found the end in just under two seconds. "Okay, now what?" he muttered, holding the glowing thread. "Now where do I untangle you?" He started tracing it back, attempting to follow the line, to unravel the knot. He pulled, he twisted, he tried to visualize the path. The timer ran out. He wasn’t even 5% done. "Are you fucking serious?!" he shouted, his voice cracking with disbelief. "This is ridiculous! This is beyond stupid!" He stared at the panel again, his empty eye sockets burning with frustration. No, no. Calm down. Don’t overthink this. Just do it. He pressed "Yes." He failed. He pressed "Yes" again, fuming, his frustration boiling over. He failed again. He started again. He failed again. He started again. He failed again. After 141 fails. He was much calmer now, a strange, Zen-like focus settling over him. He weaved through the untangled lines, his mental movements fluid, precise. The timer ran. He didn’t say anything for the first time, his entire being focused on the task. He was close. So close. He could almost see the end of the knot. Then, a sudden, primal scream tore through his internal void. FUUUUUUUUUUUUCKKKKKKK! FUCK THIS GAME!! I’M NOT GONNA LOSE TO THIS STUPID FUCKING GAME, NOT THIS GAME! ONLY DARK SOULS HAS THE RIGHT TO RAGEQUIT ME! BRING IT ON, YOU FUCKING GAME DEVELOPER, OR WHOEVER MADE THIS SHIT! He smashed his hand on the "Yes" button, his fury a cold, burning fire. He found the ends. He weaved through the tangled corners, holding the ends, memorizing the route, imagining himself playing a rally tour racing game, navigating a complex track. He gulped, a phantom sensation, as he looked at the time. He was about to reach the corner where all of it wasn’t that complexly tangled anymore, the final stretch of the knot. Then, the timer ran out. He didn’t say anything for 30 seconds. The silence in the void was deafening, broken only by the phantom sound of his own ragged, non-existent breathing. Then, a torrent of pure, unadulterated rage erupted. "FU- !#! !#^@$#%@!!$^#$@#!#@%@%@#%@#@^@%@^!%!^*#%#%##&&#%**^ %^#@# !#! !#^@$#%@!!$^#$@#!#@%@%@#%@#@^@%@^!%!^*#%#%##&&#%**^ %^#@# !#! !#^@$#%@!!$^#@#!#@%@%@#%@#@^@%@^!%!^*#%#%##&&#%**^ %^#@#" he screamed, the curses echoing into the dark. He breathed hard, a phantom smoke flowing through his nose, like a damn bull. "Shut up, you !$!%ing author, you’re enjoying my fucking misery, huh?" A/N: LMAO, yes I am. Suffer for me! KEKEKEKEKE. "I’m gonna show you, a pro-gamer move, this is just a simple stupid fucking game." Karl snarled, his pride wounded, his determination absolute. 251 fails later. He was much calmer now, a chilling, almost detached focus. He expertly wove through the tangled corners, his mental movements fluid, precise, like a master weaver. He found the ends, traced the lines, untangled every knot, every twist. All of it. He finished it in 25 seconds. "YESS!!! I’VE DONE IT! FUCK YOU, AUTHOR!" he roared, his triumph echoing. He mentally flipped off the unseen author, a gesture of ultimate defiance. A/N: You forgot that you have to reform your mana flow. "What??!" Karl shrieked, his triumph instantly turning to disbelief and then pure, unadulterated fury. The panel reappeared. [ The time has run out. ] [ Try Again? ] [ Yes ] [ Exit Trial ]. "What do you mean reform?!" Karl screamed into the air, his voice cracking with outrage. "Don’t you say that to me! I’m not talking in the air, I’m talking to you! What reform?!" He rubbed his face, a skeletal hand scraping against bone. "How the hell do I do reform?! I’m not a fucking tailor! I don’t even know how to sew my fucking pants, much less reform a mana flow!" Karl complained, his rage now a cold, simmering fury, a challenge accepted.