Liam looked at the sword in his hands as he was unsure what had happened. He had no idea if the ore chunk actually got absorbed or not. Maybe they ran out of time? He took another look at the sword and noticed that a certain rune had lit up in the sword. His knowledge in rune forging was next to nothing but even a fool could see that the sword had at least managed to partially absorb something.
"Well, that's that." Liam did not want to linger on it and stood up, taking a look at the surroundings. Once again, he was all alone and no one else was near him. This time even Luna and the other beasts were missing. However, the sword in his hand remained.
He wanted to think that the black dragon sword did something and entered the floor using a cheat method but the reality was probably the Spire allowed a weapon on this floor. Either way, to help his team, he needed to clear the floor as quickly as possible. That still remained the main goal.
Liam looked around the bustling marketplace. He was in either a city or town from the looks of it. He scanned the marketplace, taking in the sights and sounds of the environment. The atmosphere was lively, with vendors calling out to attract customers and the chatter of people negotiating deals. The air was filled with the smells of spices, cooking food, and the occasional whiff of herbs and flowers.
Liam felt that something was amiss and the moment he smelled the herbs he knew what it was. This place was completely devoid of mana or for that matter any other energy. It was just like Earth when the apocalypse hadn't started.
He observed the people around him; they seemed like ordinary cityfolk, going about their daily business. However, he knew that in the Spire, appearances could be deceiving.
He began to navigate through the marketplace, his senses alert for any clues or signs of what the challenge might entail. Once again no one else had been teleported with him.
He approached a nearby stall, casually glancing at the items displayed. He struck up a conversation with the vendor, trying to gather information about the city and any unusual happenings or challenges that might be relevant to the Spire's test.
He also kept an eye out for any signs of his team members. However, nothing seemed to be off. The city was having a festival soon because of the city Lord's son's birthday. Other than that, there was nothing special going on.
"Hmmm?" Liam pondered silently. This was also good. This would give them some time to regroup. He had only just finished thinking about it when suddenly loud sirens started blaring throughout the city, causing a stir among the city folk. The lively atmosphere of the marketplace quickly shifted to one of confusion and concern. The vendors and customers started looking around, trying to understand the source of the alarm. As the sirens blared, a crier hurried through the marketplace, shouting an announcement that immediately caught Liam's attention: "Emergency! Emergency! All able-bodied individuals are to report to the city square immediately! The city is under threat!"
This was definitely the challenge he was looking for. Without hesitation, he followed the flow of the crowd toward the city square. The entire area was bustling with activity.
Guards were organizing the people into groups, handing out basic weapons like swords and spears to those who could wield them. It was clear that the city was preparing for some kind of imminent threat.
The crowd that had gathered was also enormous. Apart from the general public who was practically being forced to participate, the army the city could muster at a moment's notice was quite impressive.
In this huge mess, without mana or any of his enhanced senses, it was nigh impossible to locate the others. The only consolation was that Liam had his cheat black dragon sword in his possession to get through any potential curve balls the Spire might throw at him. With that advantage, he could try to end the trial sooner rather than later.
If he continued clearing the floors , on one floor or the other the Spire had to regroup them for some challenge. If not, then he was simply doing his best and gaining as much as he could in the limited amount of days he had.
After all, inside a place , there was only so much Liam could do to help out. He approached one of the guards, inquiring about the situation. "What's happening? Why the sudden call to arms?"
The guard, looking harried but determined, quickly briefed him. "The enemy has been spotted heading towards the city. They're coming fast. We need every fighter we can get to defend the city."
Liam nodded and stepped back. He had already expected something . He had no mana or magic. Only his weapon so this trial was something related to fighting in an actual war.
The city's preparations continued, with barricades being set up and archers taking positions on rooftops. Liam positioned himself at the front lines. With his sword, he wanted to take out as many enemies as possible and end this thing fast.
This was a bit risky, considering that he did not know the strength of the so-called enemy but seeing the strength of the city's army, he could vaguely make a guess. There shouldn't be anything like an atom bomb or nuclear bomb to cause him concern. Nevertheless, he stood a little at the back, leaving some cannon fodder in front of him in case something unexpected happened.
And then, the first wave of enemy soldiers appeared on the horizon, moving towards the city with alarming speed. Except that, these were no soldiers. They were creatures or more specifically demons!
Liam's eyes widened in shock. The enemy army consisted of demons? Now this was something he hadn't expected. How was a human army without mana going to fare against demons?