So, I couldn't figure out the second one... it requires using some 2 magic spells... I got stuck for a month... and then I stopped playing. Now I want to play again.
I recently completed the Puzzle Box for the 3rd time. There are so many non-obvious possibilities at first glance! On Hypha, I followed the principles of genocide and killed everyone except the cyclops (he left on his own) and 2 dragons. Yes, 13 golems (one of them yields a diamond that can be sold for 1,050,000) and the unpoisoned queen (and then again, a poisoned one), but it was easy, just to get the armor to 49 instead of 150. In the end, you get 146,000+ experience. On Ingus, I killed everyone (even hordes of unicorns and forest sprites from the Green Clan, I just don't like them) and didn't use the gained experience at all, only before the Canyon of Death, I leveled up Backstab. On Suslangar, the same picture: everyone (and the cyclops with 150 armor too) for experience, even the guard in the Canyon (with a falchion!) and the old harpy in the Cave (the last 2 were easy). It turned out to be not a character, but a walking vengeance, thanks to the fact that I DIDN'T level up Backstab. IT'S NOT NEEDED. For example, in the Portal of Zak mission, he proudly entered the main gate, 10 guards attacked him, and he didn't even flinch, quickly killing them all. And if Curse hadn't levitated, he would have killed him on hard mode, but alas. Although, maybe someone knows a method. In multiplayer, even tougher creatures are killed. :)