“Hey, hey, hey! Wait, wait!”

  “What the hell was that?! You can’t just poof like that!”

  “A third one?!” I ask hopelessly, knowing that I’m alone here already.

  Who? When?

  It was him! Definitely him! Maybe the old man after all, not just Mike. But these are the good outcomes, what if there is someone or something else evil having temporary power that could really shake things up for all of us.

  Damnit! My concentration on my goal is broken as I need to comprehend what the spirit just suddenly revealed.

  *Heavy breathing*

  You’ll deal with this later, now, you have more than enough info you need!

  The hammer head makes a satisfying metallic sound over the sandstone floor while I pick it up with a slight drag.

  “This should hold me right?”

  I keep talking to myself, while I pat the marble basin, testing how strong is the connection to the wall itself and if it can support my weight.

  By slightly leaning over it with both of my arms I am assured that it’s solid, more than enough.

  Helping myself up I put one foot inside the basin and the other on the edge. Positioning myself a bit here and there I lean over the wall with the left side of my back and raise the hammer.

  Few dummy swings before the real deal to test the angle and I start activating my Focus.

  My shoulders are bloating and I focus on my muscles, trying to find out which part I should use Hardening on to be able to squeeze the most out of it.

  “Okay.”

  “One, two...”

  *Swoosh*

  *Bang*

  “Ahh, fuck!”

  “Pffft”

  I barely balance my steps as I step down from the basin tediously. Crumbled pieces of ceiling and dust in my eyes, hair and over my face.

  “Pffft”

  I wipe it all out and check the damage on the ceiling.

  “Ugh, it ain’t bad, but this will take some time.” I need to make a hole big enough to squeeze myself through the upper floor.

  *Thud*

  Opening my inventory I pull out the massive wooden armchair and place it near the basin.

  Already thinking of a way I will hook it with my hammer and pull it up or store it before climbing up as I think that the items left here won’t be automatically transported with me.

  Now, round two.

  With my one foot inside the basin and the other on the massive heavy piece of furniture I prepare for another strike. I think that the most used body part while making that swing was indeed my right shoulder. I decide to use Hardening on it just at the right moment, to save up energy and not fall asleep, who knows what awaits me up there.

  “Safety goggles are on.” I giggle while squinting my eyes that I can barely see.

  “Focus!”

  “One, two..”

  “Harden!”

  *Bang*

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  Pieces of sand rock are falling down with a lot of fine gravel and sand.

  I dust off my hair and look at the creation.

  “Nice, good. Good.” I keep nodding while checking the new forming hole. Using both of my powers with ease, as I’m mostly calm and do not fear for my life, only pressure is the time and curiosity about what is happening back there and how brutal it might be.

  *Bang*

  The strong bash resonates across the whole room, radiating from the point of impact on the ceiling.

  *Bang*

  I smash the center of the hole again, trying to get to the other side as soon as possible, learning how thick the layer is.

  A dozen minutes pass, exhausted and completely covered in dust because the area is so windless that there’s no way to ventilate the room filled with dust.

  Not big enough yet, but the hole exists, at least, I’m surprised I was able to get through so easily. The sandstone or some kind of a slab or whatever this is, is thick like four bricks laid on top of each other and wide like a kitchen table.

  As the panels were getting smashed the dust in between them got loose and I understood quickly how this was built then. Luckily I was smashing in between and thus avoided getting killed by one huge slab falling on my head. The structure still seems holding well together.

  No time for rest and my body can go to hell, it will get restored anyway soon. Releasing Focus relentlessly and volatilely, the blood starts to pour from underneath my fingernails as long before. Ignoring the pain I focus on my goal only, and because I miss my own acid bottle as I forgot to ask Harald for.

  *Bang* *Bang*

  *Bang* *Grunt*

  *Bang*

  Finally, it's done and my chair needs some deep cleaning after I stomped the fine dust into the old possibly linen pads also on the arm rests.

  My arms are covered in sweat, blood and dust. My hammer disappears in my inventory and I take last breaths before reaching up while standing on the tiptoes on my massive throne.

  I believe I could squeeze through if I slightly press my shoulders.

  My right hand grabs the rough edge and my focus knows right away what to do, pulling myself up by one arm. I can’t wait to see what the room looks like up in there.

  *Grunts*

  My muscles are shaking a bit as I grab the floor with my whole left arm now, touching the sharp rubble with my naked armpit. The head follows right away sticking from the hole checking for any danger first.

  “Hmph.”

  My mouth curves downward as I appreciate the cat's description. As I pull the rest of my body up, the room reveals itself to be almost a perfect copy of the one beneath me, just as the cat had confirmed, with the basin in roughly the same position.

  “Now, let’s see what type of liquid is this one.” I talk to myself and fear starts to show off with slight goosebumps as I remember how painful the experience last time was and how I was saved by flatheads acid, and so that this cannot repeat as I lack the painkiller acid.

  Opening my inventory I take out the silver pitcher with black berries, clean my hand over the cleanest part of my weathered turquoise shirt, or more what’s left of it and pour the berries in my hand. I store them afterwards in my inventory, and they group together.

  “Ahh, I almost forgot.”

  Putting the silver pitcher on the edge of a basin I take out my hammer again and I grasp it tightly.

  *Bang*

  Hitting the floor around the hole from above, a large portion of it collapses, nearly destroying my armchair. I jump back immediately to avoid the risk of the entire floor giving way beneath me.

  Nothing happens and I kneel down catching the chair with ym hammer pulling it up.

  *Fwoosh*

  Both of my precious items disappear in my inventory and I go near the basin to test the waters.

  Inhaling nervously I reach with the pitcher carefully avoiding touching the transparent liquid with even the slightest portion of my skin.

  *Sniff*

  Sigh. Peeking at the archway I plan my escape already.

  If I start to melt and experience horrendous pain I’m gonna jump straight down. No way I will endure this crap again!

  Exhaling nervously.

  *Gulp, gulp, gulp*

  Fear in my eyes, and I can’t even say how the liquid tasted like. Phantom pain in my throat, as I imagine possible outcomes, but nothing is happening.

  “Okay, calm down Mark.”

  I reach for the second dose and repeat the process.

  *Gulp, gulp, gulp* And again!

  My third drawing with the pitcher drains about half of the basin.

  “Good, halfway through and nothing so far.”

  *Gulp, gulp, gulp*

  My head starts to spin and a black cloud appears in front of my eyes.

  *Clang*

  The last thing I can remember is my pitcher hitting the floor.

  “Gaaah!” I gasp sharply, as if I had been holding my breath for an eternity. My eyes snap open, and the familiar scenery comes into focus immediately.

  “What the heck?!“

  A shiver runs down my spine while I’m laying on the dusty marble, afraid for a moment that I’m imprisoned here, thinking of all the possibilities.

  “Did I do something wrong?” I ask myself.

  Hopping back on my feet I check my inventory and my stats, no change.

  My instinct kicks right in and I repeat the process.

  A slightly larger amount of Focus in my thighs and I launch myself up in the air grabbing the edge now with my hardened fingers only, no need for the hammer.

  Pulling myself up with a grunt I don’t hesitate before another move.

  *Swoosh*

  Jumping straight up I barely grab the leftover bricks on the sides of an archway.

  Pulling myself up I relocate right under the hole in the upper floor.

  *Swoosh*

  My hands clasped together above my head I jump straight up, quickly spreading my legs apart to avoid falling into the hole. I’m glad I did the calculation of Focus right, as I was almost hitting the ceiling of the second room with my head.

  “Now what?” I whisper, chaotically turning around, collecting my silver pitcher from the ground.

  The liquid level is exactly the same as it was as I check the basin.

  “Maybe I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  Repeating the process I gulp almost the entire basin.

  With my last filled pitcher and the basin basically empty I count from three before gulping it.

  *Clang*