Several days passed, or the equivalent amount of time.
Sami managed to escape the tunnels. He began to adapt more to this world, comprehending the nature of the city dwellers' lives and uncovering some of its secrets. No one noticed Lam's and the other man's absence, or at least, no one showed any significant concern—there was hardly anyone around in the first place. The situation was under control.
In a small stone room with a roof made of dilapidated palm trunks, a blind old woman sat silently grinding grains. She wore tattered cloth, dirtied by desert sand, covering almost her entire body. She continued grinding the grains, pouring what she had ground onto a wooden plank beside her, then taking a new handful from a nearby sack, repeating the cycle without pause.
In a corner of the room, a young man sat leaning against the wall. His hair was black, disheveled, and dirty, his eyes bore extreme exhaustion, with dark circles beneath them. He wasn't in his best state; his clothes were stained with blood, but his gaze remained composed, carrying a clear seriousness.
He moved quietly towards the ground grains, took a large handful with his hands, then returned to his spot and began eating them. Suddenly, faint sparks flew between his fingers, and a clay jug appeared in his hand. He removed its lid and began drinking from it while continuing to eat, his gaze focused on empty space.
Before him, a transparent screen with a pale blue color appeared:
---
Name: Sami
Race: Human
Age: 16
Rank: Unbound
Acquired Creatures: 47
[Skills]
(Skull Venom): Resistance to all poisons of Rank Three and below, and the ability to generate an infinite amount of venom.
[Possessions]:
[Skullcrusher Sickle]
[Desert Armor]
[Unfathomable Well]
[Moon Key]
---
Sami focused on his possessions list, and their details appeared before him:
[Skullcrusher Sickle]:
Rank: Third
Type: Weapon
Description: A sickle made from the bones of thousands of skulls...
Feature: Increases the user's speed and power with each successful strike to a skull.
[Desert Armor]:
Rank: First
Type: Armor/Weapon
Description: "The giants that lived under the moonlight will wait for its return forever."
Features: Resistant to rock; conceals the user in the desert as long as their awareness is present; grants the ability to heal all wounds after spending one hundred hours without removing it.
[Unfathomable Well]:
Rank: First
Type: Item
Description: "In the dark well, the snakes lived in fear of the sunlight and an unending thirst."
Feature: Provides an infinite amount of water as long as the user has sufficient energy.
[Moon Key]:
Rank: ????
Type: Item
Description: "Moon... ke... y...."
---
Sami lifted the jug to his mouth and took a large gulp of water. Then he went back to reading from the beginning, trying to understand things more clearly. After a few moments, he moved his lips in a barely audible voice:
"I have interesting things... and maybe I've survived so far thanks to luck, but... is this enough to compete with that Demon?"
During the past days, Sami realized several truths:
The men he met at the lake weren't mere travelers as Lam had claimed, but were a party specifically directed towards it. They were searching for a particular item, which he now possessed, which is why Lam wanted to check his corpse.
The abilities of the humans here don't differ from a normal human's by a large margin.
The play he knew wasn't an accurate reflection of reality but seemed like a distorted version of it. He wondered to himself about the idiot who wrote that lie, then decided that when he returned, he would make sure to punch him.
The city's people remained in the temple and never left it. He wasn't entirely sure of the reason, but he speculated they did so by their own will. And after spending the days wandering, he discovered the sun's effect on them was utterly terrifying, which made him understand Senn and Lam's initial reactions upon seeing him.
By the way, Senn had completely disappeared. He hadn't seen her anywhere and assumed she had gone to that Demon.
Sami visited the house they were in previously but found only the old woman. This made him completely distance himself, utilizing his armor's concealment ability.
Speaking of the old woman, it seems Sami discovered something strange about the desert dwellers: they never count their ages in years.
The only method they rely on to measure time is the nights that come once every twenty years. Therefore, the ages of most city inhabitants range from just one night to four nights.
Most of the information he obtained wasn't useful, but he was sure of one thing:
The Demon lives inside that temple.
And although he wasn't ready to face it yet, he knew with certainty that the only way to return to his world... was to kill it.
He sighed slowly and rose from his spot, moving silently towards the room's door. He passed by the old woman, who continued grinding, unaware of his presence.
He wasn't sure if she was extremely old or if the sun had completely destroyed her senses. The only thing she did all the time was grinding... and only grinding.
He opened the dilapidated stone door and stepped out to face the unknown.
To be continued...
---