Chương 24: Testing Everything

Through his many experiments the previous night, Alex had achieved an incredible array of discoveries, new skills, abilities, and above all, powerful allies. Using his Alchemy along with his growing knowledge of his own skills, he manipulated the various energies flowing within his body, soul, and physical form. In doing so, he successfully forged four powerful Bone Golems. He crafted their custom-made bodies with great care, reinforcing them with both soul muscle fibers and flesh muscle fibers fused together.

Each golem possessed three powerful cores and stronger, evolved, and mutated souls that were slowly beginning to adapt and be reborn into their new vessels. Using the power of his newly obtained Soul Puppeteer Skill, which he had gained right after creating these incredible inventions, he made the golems even stronger. He granted them individual names and bound them to his soul with an even greater and purer connection.

Because they possessed their own independent souls, they did not technically count as Undead but rather as true Golems. This allowed them to function as automatic, intelligent relics that could move and fight far more effectively than the average soulless alchemy-made golem. As Alex checked the information on his Soul Puppeteer Skill while his Bone Golems ran ahead of him and Gryg, he reminded himself of their specific abilities and roles.

[Soul Puppeteer – Tier 1] A Skill granted to those skilled in controlling the souls of other beings and infusing them into inert vessels, transforming them into powerful Soul Puppets that will always obey their master. By naming a Puppet after creating a sufficiently powerful vessel, it is possible for the assigned Puppet to gain Personality Traits and Abilities related to its given role. These traits and abilities correlate directly with the quality of the materials used to construct the soul's vessel.

Bound Soul Puppets: [Improved Spectral Nether Bone Golem: Zero One: Blade – C+ Rank] {Abilities}: [Nether Sword Flame Aura] [Umbral Slash] [Phantom Blade] [Improved Spectral Nether Bone Golem: Zero Two: Hammer – C+ Rank] {Abilities}: [Nether Flame Armor Aura] [Abyssal Smite] [Soul Drain] [Improved Spectral Nether Bone Golem: Zero Three: Arachne – C+ Rank] {Abilities}: [Nether Soul Spiderweb] [Soul Thread Weaving] [Abyssal Nether Venom] [Improved Spectral Nether Bone Golem: Zero Four: Wing – C+ Rank] {Abilities}: [Spectral Wings] [Soul Flight] [Nether Flame Breath] Blade had been created as the swift and agile frontliner of the group.

Armed with a large sword, all of his skills specialized in rapid, lethal attacks that could overwhelm enemies with speed and precision. Hammer served as the physical and magical damage sponge, functioning as the tank of the team while still packing a devastating hit whenever he could connect with a close-range foe. His Soul Drain ability also allowed him to sustain himself even while taking heavy injuries.

Arachne acted as an all-rounder support golem. Shaped like a giant, agile spider, she could traverse all kinds of terrain with ease, avoid attacks fluidly, and use her skills to restrain, slow down, and strike enemies from a distance. These qualities made her an incredibly valuable member in any fight. Finally, Wing functioned as the aerial attacker and supporter.

Capable of staying aloft above the battlefield, Wing could provide crucial support from the skies, unleash destructive flames to disrupt large groups of foes, and easily evade damage while keeping a constant eye on the entire battlefield and sharing that vision directly with Alex.

"Gotta say, your golems are incredible, Alex…!" Now Gryg herself was witnessing their true capabilities firsthand. The group entered a large hall filled with roughly thirty golem guardians. Behind the guardians stood a larger red door, most likely the entrance to the boss room. Right before their eyes, the four mighty Bone Golems fought bravely and in perfect coordination. Following Alex's precise commands and specific orders, they moved together as a highly effective team.

"You will not… pass!" The enemy golems roared in unison as they blocked the way forward. But Blade swiftly swung his sword, unleashing a wave of shadows. He disappeared in an instant and reappeared behind one of the guardians, slashing its weapon and armor into pieces with devastating force. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

At the same time, Hammer slammed his hammer and shield into the other two golems beside the one Blade had targeted, smashing them down hard onto the floor. Blade quickly finished them off with precise follow-up strikes from his sword. Three more golems charged forward — two archers and one magician. A barrage of magic and arrows rained down, but they were swiftly caught in a ghostly spiderweb that weakened their souls, courtesy of Arachne.

Stone-melting venom sprayed from her jaws while Wing dove from the skies above, smashing directly into one golem before unleashing a breath of ghostly flames that burned the souls of the surrounding enemies.

"Do we even need to do anything?" Gryg wondered aloud, feeling as though she should have invested more in golem-making magic after seeing their impressive performance.

"Yeah, they will be overwhelmed pretty soon. Look," Alex replied. He knew his golems were not flawless or invincible. The enemy golems quickly flanked them and attacked from all sides. Arachne was constantly forced to run and evade incoming damage, while Wing found herself targeted by arrows from multiple directions. Meanwhile, Blade and Hammer were pushed together and surrounded, struggling to overcome so many foes at once.

"They still managed to break through the enemy lines and buy us enough time. Let's move!" Alex urged Gryg forward. Both of them charged into the middle of the chaotic battle and quickly supported Blade and Hammer. Using his enhanced and reinforced body, Alex darted forward at incredible speeds. He spread his wings to avoid a sword swinging down from above, leaped cleanly over the head of another golem, and then swung the broadsword he had obtained as a quest reward.

Silver-colored energy gathered along the blade as the power of sword energy manifested. With a single, powerful horizontal slash, a devastating attack was unleashed. SLASH! Silver light pierced through the golems below him. Their bodies cracked and shattered into pieces while the ground beneath them was also slashed apart. Enormous boulders flew everywhere as a massive explosion of phantasmal flames erupted a second later. BOOOM!

"?!"

"!!!" The golems lost their composure and balance. They stumbled on their feet and began falling one after another. Gryg immediately took advantage of the opening. She knew her regular magic was not enough to defeat them, but Earth Magic proved highly effective. She touched their bodies and used her magic to generate sharp boulders from within them, forcing the golems to destroy one another with their own materials.

"This is much easier!" As she laughed with satisfaction, Alex spotted a large knight general charging directly at her. He swiftly descended using Dive Bombing. His entire body became enveloped in flames as his broadsword transformed, gaining a dark color and bone-like motif. Nether flames manifested around him, while three laughing skulls surged from his Nether Aura. At the same time, Alex swung his blade downward, which gained a deep black shadowy aura.

"Umbral Slash." He transformed into a descending dark sword that pierced straight through the golem's body and split it apart. An explosion of dark flames erupted outward. Alex freely manipulated the cursed flames, enveloping them with Nether Sword Flame Aura to fire burning black swords in all directions. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! Several golems were struck by the exploding swords and lost large chunks of their bodies. His own golems quickly moved in to finish them off, while Gryg handled another group by herself.

It did not take long for the battle to conclude. Although the enemy golems were tough, they now felt significantly weaker in comparison to Alex's constant evolution and growth. Gryg had also grown stronger. Her relentless efforts to level up and discover new ways to use her spells had granted her greater flexibility in combat. This progress allowed her to better develop the innate battle instinct that all trolls possessed, an instinct she, as a queen, had not fully cultivated until now. Ding!

[You have slain [Stone General – Level 30] x4 – Bonus experience earned for killing enemies above your level. 100 TP earned.] [You have slain [Stone Knight – Level 26] x10 – Bonus experience earned for killing enemies above your level. 100 TP earned.] [You have slain [Stone Mage – Level 26] x8 – Bonus experience earned for killing enemies above your level. 80 TP earned.] [You have slain [Stone Archer – Level 25] x8 – Bonus experience earned for killing enemies above your level. 60 TP earned.] [Class: Soulweaver Necromancer (F+) has reached Level 14 – Stat points allocated. +1 free points.] [Race: Undead Skeleton (F) has reached Level 16 – Stat points allocated. +2 free points.] Alex rested on a pile of broken golem stones, still holding his great broadsword as the effects of his Alchemical Nether faded and the weapon returned to normal.

He then grabbed the simple sword he had been carrying, the one he had taken from a coworker after accidentally hurting them, and imbued it with Alchemical Nether Flames. [You have used [Alchemical Nether – Tier 1] into the [Common Great Sword (E Grade)]!] [The [Common Great Sword (E Grade)] has absorbed the Alchemical Nether and temporarily evolved into the [Obsidian Nether Sword (D Grade)]!] [The [Obsidian Nether Sword (D Grade)] has gained the following new Abilities: [Nether Sword Flame Aura] [Umbral Slash] [Phantom Blade] [Duration: 10 Minutes.]"Ten minutes, while the broadsword only lasts around six minutes. I guess the weaker the recipient, the longer the buff can last," he thought, clenching his teeth slightly." Well, I can always use both anyway, but this sword will do for now."" Hey skeleton, are we going or what?" Gryg asked, pointing toward the door." Let's take down the boss already!"" Right," Alex replied as he stood up." Before that, I am going to repair and reinforce my golems a little more."" Eeeeh?! Aw come on, you're way too careful with everything!" Gryg complained." You can never be too careful," Alex said calmly.