Round 2: Riddles!

The fox girl looked at Eli with a horrified and disgusted expression. She stared at her hand, feeling an intense need to wash it with acid to forget the sensation.

"YUCCKKKK!!" she exclaimed, her stomach churning as she tried to vomit, her face contorting with revulsion.

Ignoring her turmoil, Eli said, "We need to act fast." The pitchfork's wooden handle was starting to bend, and at any moment it might snap under their combined weight.

The fox girl snapped out of her thoughts and immediately scanned the walls. A little farther away, she noticed a red key hovering on the wall, its metallic glint catching her eye.

Pointing it out to Eli, he nodded.

"Good. I'll push you to the side, and you can grab that key and escape." He glanced up, calculating the distance to the higher surface. Eli, who had spent his life navigating the rugged villages and mountains, could climb up, but it would take time and effort.

The fox girl was taken aback, 'I-Is he really going to sacrifice himself for me?' She never thought Eli, who seemed like a hardcore pervert, would do something so selfless. Her heart melted slightly, a confusing warmth spreading through her chest.

However,

Eli, who was planning to throw this damn fox towards the key, noticed her expression and realized she had misunderstood his intentions. But he didn't clarify anything; no way in hell would he sacrifice himself for someone he just met. He was simply repaying the favour for the food she had given him.

That's all!!

The fox girl hesitantly nodded, her mind racing. She vowed to repay this favour along with some punishment!

She would never forgive him for taking advantage of her!

Never!!

Just as Eli was about to swing her and throw her to the side, the fox girl suddenly noticed something.

"There is another key!!" she shouted, her voice echoing off the cliffs.

Hearing her, Eli halted and looked to the other side where a small, slightly visible red object was shining. It was farther away compared to the other key, embedded in the rock.

"I have a plan!" she said, determination hardening her features.

They looked at each other before nodding. The fox girl climbed up his body, her soft fur brushing against his skin, and caught the pitchfork handle, her heart pounding in her ears.

"..."

"..."

Their bodies were almost glued to each other, the tension between them palpable.

The fox girl suddenly averted her gaze from his intense crimson eyes that stared at her without hesitation, 'D-Does he ever feel shy?' she screamed inwardly.

She could see he was really shameless, a sly smirk playing on his lips.

Soon, they positioned their feet. The fox girl's legs suddenly bulged and morphed into powerful, fox-like limbs before,

BOOOM!

She kicked him, and they both propelled each other in opposite directions. She aimed for the farther key, using her fox powers to move faster and more agilely.

Tffckk

The pitchfork loosened and fell down, tumbling into below.

Eli grabbed his key, his muscles straining with the effort, while the fox girl used her enhanced legs to propel herself a little farther and caught the other key.

"IT'S FUN!!" she screamed, exhilaration and terror mingling in her voice as she ran down the vertical wall.

This was a new experience for her—running down a sheer surface. It was exhilarating, her fox tails and ears twitching in both excitement and fear.

"YOU GOT THE KEY?" Eli shouted, his voice tinged with excitement as he continued running down the wall, a broad smile plastered across his face.

The adrenaline surged through him, making the impossible feel exhilarating.

"YEAH!" the fox girl replied, her own voice echoing with excitement.

"NOW WHAT?" Eli asked, gripping the red key tightly. He couldn't believe he was running on a vertical surface, his heart pounding with the thrill of it all.

"POUR YOUR MANA INTO THE KEY!!" the fox girl shouted. She demonstrated by pouring her mana into the key, and her body started to shine brightly, "LIKE THIS AND..." Her face lit up with a happy, enjoying smile, "SEE YOU IN THE.... BLOCK... MY..... IS..." And then, she disappeared.

Eli nodded, understanding her instructions. "I see... Mana...ah Okay!" He then tightly gripped the key and tried to pour his mana into it.

But suddenly, his eyes widened in surprise and shock. "Wait... Mana?" Realization struck him hard.

"FUCK!! I AM FUCKING SOULLESS!!" He screamed, the panic setting in. He couldn't believe what was happening. He had no mana to activate the key.

There was no time to think. As he continued running down, he could see the ground rapidly approaching. His heart raced, increasing its pace. Desperately, he glanced around for something to grab onto... and then he noticed his weapon, the pitchfork, falling just ahead of him.

He clenched his lungs, letting out a hissing sound as he stomped down harder, increasing his speed. Just as he was about to reach it, his hand caught something unexpected.

"A key?" Eli frowned, perplexed, 'What the fuck? Who the hell placed these keys in a near-death wall?'

He shrugged and kept the key. Just as he was about to grab his weapon, he noticed another key and caught it as well. "WHAT THE FUCK!" he screamed in disbelief.

Meanwhile, in the control room...

"..."

Everyone stared at Vito, who awkwardly scratched his head, "C-Come on... I thought it would be fun to place those keys..."

"..."

The room fell into a stern silence. Vito avoided looking at anyone.

Rock sighed, understanding that each of the three blocks was created by these individuals, allowing them to do anything as long as it wasn't cheating.

Aadya watched Eli, who had almost caught 10 keys, 'Not bad, he's using that old technique, but something is wrong about his technique...' she thought, before glancing at her father, who nodded in understanding. He then addressed the next block creator, Macro.

"Macro, help him out. He got not just one key but 10. I think he's worthy to enter the second block," Rock's voice hinted with amusement.

Macro's lips twitched he pondered before he nodded and snapped his fingers.

Eli, who was still running down, was suddenly wrapped in a portal along with his weapon.

Thud

He landed on solid ground and patted his clothes. Picking up his pitchfork, he looked around and saw that the entire surrounding was filled with a dark void.

Before him stood a small wooden door with a knob.

Just as he was about to touch the doorknob, a mechanical sound echoed around him,

"Congratulations on passing the first block, Mr. Eli!

For this block, you need to answer the riddles in order to open the doors. There will be three doors, and when you clear the answers, the door will open"

"Okay," Eli nodded, focusing his mind on the task at hand.

"First Riddle: I am 1+1, but not 2. What am I?"

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[Author's Note: Any guess!!!😜]