After four grueling hours of Kieran, Alice, and Lux combatting the dangerous environmental obstacle that arose before them, the caravan finally made it past the Desert of Treacherous Sand's most dangerous stretch.
The result seemed to be a small oasis compared to the disastrous setting behind them.
"This is a bit… anti-climatic, no? Did we pass through all that only to arrive in some heavenly place? I can't believe it," Nemean muttered after peeking his head from behind Alice and the others.
Large desert-flourishing trees sprouted from small sand dunes. A water supply, whether natural or unnatural, sat between the trees. Aside from this oasis, Kieran noticed a few statues positioned a few meters before this scene.
However, because of their position, Kieran felt there was more to their presence than just heightening the surrounding aesthetic.
"Be careful. This area is still part of the Desert of Treacherous Sands, so the peaceful scenery could all be an elaborate ruse," Kieran commented.
He jumped down from the caravan's top a moment later and proceeded to scan his surroundings further. 'Focus should make it possible, at least I hope.'
Kieran narrowed his eyes and pooled large amounts of Mana into them, hoping to reach a new level of vision enhancement. However, Kieran sighed after reading the system message.
〈System: «Vision Refinement» has failed due to the user's lack of proper visual skills. Searching for other alternatives…〉
〈System: The user's «Constitution» is too low to conduct «Innate Vision Refinement». Searching for other alternatives…〉
〈System: Error. Zero alternatives were found. The user's vision increase will be capped at a 100% increase.〉
Although it wasn't the outcome he hoped for, increasing his vision by 100% was a decent start. With his vision's effectiveness doubled, given enough time, he could spot inconsistencies he had overlooked.
At the same time, Kieran received another notification.
〈System: Enter the «Desert of Treacherous Sands». 1/1〉
Kieran found it odd that the system didn't complete this objective back when they entered the Desert of Treacherous Sand's territorial line. But, after sparing the matter further thought, he arrived at an answer.
'I suppose there'd be no point in marking an objective complete if we failed to make it past the most dangerous part. Still… there's something about this place.'
Kieran couldn't help but feel like he was missing something. "Fan out and observe everything but remain vigilant."
"May I come with you?" Alice suddenly asked.
Kieran paused and ultimately nodded, not minding the company. "You may."
Alice revealed a charming smile. "I wouldn't be much help regardless. My senses are attuned to Mana, so they aren't as keen as, let's say, a Hunter or Scout."
"Then… have you awakened any visual skills yet?" Kieran questioned. If Alice's senses were attuned to Mana, there should be a reason why.
"Yeah, it's just a simple skill called Mana Vision. It's not amazing, but I can see where Mana is dense or thin."
"You can't differentiate between the different elements of Mana?"
"No," Alice shook her head. "They all appear as white light. Do you think that's bad?"
"Not really. Generally speaking, we are all still very weak. I might seem strong in your guys' perspective, but I'd be defeated in less than five strikes if I were to fight against a high-level NPC seriously," Kieran admitted.
He seemed indifferent as he spoke because voicing the truth didn't affect him. Part of being strong was knowing your weakness and devising ways to supplement or strengthen them.
Alice leaned forward while walking beside Kieran and met his gaze with a light smile. "Doesn't matter. You're strong and will become stronger regardless. You have the heart and charisma to do so."
Kieran stopped walking all of a sudden. "You seem… more lighthearted than usual. Since when did the reserved Alice start smiling?"
"It's because of you. Or rather, because of how everyone warms up to you. It inspired me to try and be more open. I'm a work in progress, but I hope I become confident enough to be an asset to our team," Alice said.
Kieran poked her nose after listening to her genuine feelings. "You already are."
"But I can still be better if we're to form a guild. Many people are stronger and more qualified to take those top roles. But, I've come to like this party very much, so I won't let that happen," Alice stopped walking and looked at Kieran resolutely.
"I will become one of the best mages Zenith Online has ever seen," Alice vowed, astonishing Kieran in the process.
Kieran's gaze softened. "For some reason, I don't doubt you."
"Also, there's something strange about those sand statues," Alice added.
Kieran glanced at the statues once more. "So it wasn't my imagination then. What's strange in your eyes?"
"There's a gap in each of their Mana density, like—
"A keyhole?" Something registered in Kieran's mind.
Kieran quickly approached the sand statues and noticed something odd about the eyes of each status. They were like lusterless gems, but Kieran could tell they were Magic Stones at a glance.
However, a Magic Stone could only lose its luster by having all of its Mana extracted. Usually, this wouldn't trigger Kieran's suspicions, but it was odd that every Magic Stone was devoid of Mana when this oasis-like setting possessed decent quantities.
Only one explanation surfaced in Kieran's mind: The Mana in these Magic Stones were extracted for a specific purpose and kept this way by an unknown restriction. Otherwise, Mana would naturally pour into these dead Magic Stones and revive their worth.
This was only possible if Magic Stones were saturated in an area of agreeable Mana.
To confirm his suspicions, Kieran turned to Altair. "Altair, come with me for a moment."
Altair looked in his direction quickly, like a young dog who heard a squirrel pass by. "Have you found something?"
"Possibly, but I won't be sure until you confirm it," Kieran stated.
"I'll be right there!" Altair walked briskly until he arrived next to Alice and Kieran and listened to their findings.
"So something is amiss with these Magic Stones, which, if I'm hearing you right, is a crystallized accumulation of a specific Mana type?" Altair recounted the information delivered to him.
"Yes, and I think your weapon is the key to confirming my suspicions. That Sand Manipulation ability attached to your Sand Emperor Thorns isn't restricted to combat, right?"
"I don't believe so. It wasn't stated in the description. Let me check."
Altair brandished his Sand Emperor Thorns, and lo and behold, the sand within a small radius swirled around Altair, manipulated by the gem embedded into his weapons.
Kieran's expression brightened after discovering the practicality of Altair's weapon. "Excellent. Channel that Mana-infused sand into the Magic Stones and see if there's any reaction."
Compared to simply activating Sand Manipulation, controlling the sand's flow to do his bidding was challenging. It was no different from Kieran's first unsuccessful tries at controlling the Sanguinem Tempests.
"No rush. Take your time and focus. Think of the sand as an extension of your limbs and try to increase your cognizance of its presence," Kieran guided Altair through understanding how to wield manipulation-type skills.
It was difficult at first, but after many unsuccessful tries, Altair grasped the essence of Kieran's guidance. A thin stream of sand flowed into the eyes of the giant sand statue of a lion with an open maw.
The color of the lusterless Magic Stones brightened, gradually regaining its former brilliance.
A soft rumble spread throughout the oasis after illuminating one eye, but there were two identical statues, so it would have to happen three more times before the true results showed.
"Take it easy," Kieran cautioned. Altair breathed heavily after lighting up one eye, so three more would be a hefty strain.
However, Altair paced his actions per Kieran's directions. A steady trickle of Mana was more effective than controlling as much as possible. Magic Stones were delicate items, too much force, and the entire thing could shatter.
After 15 minutes of continuously channeling Mana through the use of Sand Manipulation, Altair finished revitalizing each of the gems.
The moment he finished, however, the entire oasis area erupted with robust tremors. The floor shifted as the area between the two lion statues receded, revealing stone steps that led below.
〈System: Locate the Desertborn Brigand's main hideout. 0/1〉
"Well, we found it…." Altair said.
"We might have found it, but how we found it begs the question of what awaits. Are we in for a warm welcome because those tremors alarmed the brigands?" Kieran commented.
Bastion smiled wryly. "I can't stress enough how much I dislike how you phrased that sentence. What do you mean warm welcome?"
"There's only one way to find out, right?" Kieran looked at the others and took a step below. After everyone entered, the entrance above was quickly sealed off above.
Gulp!
"A sealed entrance is never a good sign. My PTSD from dark dungeons is flaring up. It's a repeat of the Underground Labyrinth all over again!"
Pow!
Nemean slapped Bastion in the face. "Get it together, you wimp! What happened to you and your vigor from earlier?"
Bastion coughed shamelessly. "It was a joke. I was joking! Now, onward to victory."
Bastion sped down the stairs, but after taking slightly more than ten steps, he turned around and approached the others. "On second thought, Aatrox, you're welcome to go first. You are the main quest holder after all."
"Wimp!"
"Wimp!"
"Wimp!"
Kieran, Altair, and Nemean simultaneously berated Bastion, but he ignored their comments and traveled in the middle of the team.
