I’m in a dangerous position since the guards might return with reinforcement. The ogre has disappeared in a cloud of dark smoke. I unequip my armor and loot the corpse but lose consciousness again. I wake up and remember that using the inventory uses mana as well. All of this feels like a fever dream. I move up the stair I came from and, with immense pain, fail to climb the ladder. I notice a door hidden in a corner. I open it; that’s a storage room. I close the door and hide behind a bunch of barrels. Here, I fall asleep from exhaustion.

I wake up the next day, still hurt. Since my mana pool should have been replenished, I try the healing spell again. I feel better after a good hour of use. However, I am not entirely healed. It turns out that I entered the ogre’s food reserve. I serve myself without remorse. I enjoy fruits, nuts, and dry meat with bread. I look at the ogre’s loot I’ve picked up; a silver flail and a strange pendant. The jewel has a detailed description; “Sensing pendant: allows its user to sense proximity movement.” I equip the trinket but do not sense anything. I also examine a key fragment that I picked up; it resembles the key I found on the Black Knight.

I examine the flail, which is too big for me; I’d probably hit myself with it. I continue to rest and heal my chest for about an hour. Before leaving, I pick up a few groceries from the storage room. I even try to pick up a barrel of nuts, but I am greeted by the message: “Not enough space in inventory.” I head to the door when ready, but I stop right before opening it. The pendant reacts, and I feel a moving mass coming up the stair. I can precisely sense its size and speed. I wait for the guard to pass, and he goes to the roof. I am amazed by the pendant’s ability. It works very well when the target moves, but I can’t tell its position when it’s immobile. After a few minutes, the guard leaves the roof and heads downstairs. I wait for him to be at a reasonable distance before climbing the top myself.

Here I observe the different patrols on the ramparts. I decide not to stay for the night; I equip my armor and wait for an opportunity. I glide down the castle’s wall when no one is watching using my spell. Once I arrive near the ramparts, I make the jump. I repeat the process and end up out of the bastion. I then quickly leave the scene and head for the village. When I arrive, I order lunch at the inn. I go back to my room to nap. After waking up, I spend the afternoon visiting the village and chilling. I take a good look at this floor’s fields; they are truly beautiful. Once the evening arrives, I use some of my savings to order dinner. I plan to attack the second castle tomorrow. I go to bed and get a good night of sleep.

Today is the second raid; I spend the morning and the afternoon preparing myself and resting. I also take some time to review my Exoskeleton spell. The ogre flail did some heavy damage to me, and I think I can protect myself better. I add a new process that monitors incoming masses and applies an opposing force to them. I test it by hitting myself with rocks, and I surprisingly can't hurt myself. I feel dizzy after some time and realize this protection uses a lot of mana. I adjust the spell settings so that only heavy attacks would be blocked.

After an early meal, I depart for the white castle. When I arrive, it is almost night. I wait a few minutes before executing my plan. I climb up the rampart, knock a guard down, climb up the castle wall and enter via the roof’s trap door. But this time, something is different; it is fully dark there. I get my backpack and pull out a flashlight. The place looks exactly like the other castle, except for the torches missing. As I approach the boss’ room, my new pendant alerts me; a significant mass moves inside. I am confident this is an ogre as well. After a short pause to determine its location, I rush through the room. When inside, I direct my flashlight right to its face. The beast is blinded, and I use the opportunity to strike. With one clean attack, I pierce the creature’s chest. It falls dead on the ground. I take a moment to breathe; it seems I have attained its heart.

I look at the doors; luckily, my attack did not make too much noise. I observe my victim; it’s an ogre similar to the black castle’s boss. But its skin is dark instead of white, and it has a different weapon; a massive black sword. The thing is almost my size and seems to be made from the same material as my armor. It has a wide blade, and it weighs a ton. However, I can lift it using my exoskeleton spell. I get pretty excited as I handle the thing; this weapon could be helpful. I loot a second key fragment and another pendant: “Night-vision chain: allows its user to see in the dark.” It seems I can only equip one charm, so I replace my sensing pendant with it. My vision change instantly; I can see as in broad daylight.

As much as I want to test my new sword, I do not want to risk alerting the guards, so I exit the building. Once on the roof, I look at the moon and immediately blind myself. I understand why the ogre was shocked by my flashlight. I take off the pendant to enjoy the night’s sky. I feel all-powerful on this roof.

The next day I assemble the key. As the key fragments merge, an indicator appears and points me to the teleporter’s location. After saying goodbye to the Elves, I head to the plain's center between the two castles. The teleporter is kept under a giant glass bell. I find a keyhole and insert the key. A gate opens, and I can pass. I decide to go back to the station to take a break. However, as I enter the teleporter, I think: “Man, I really want to test that new sword.”