Chapter 0035: Testing the Demon Puppet

This was a humanoid earth golem, standing 1.7 meters tall and weighing a full 200 pounds. Its body, a coarse, yellow-brown mass, was formed from loose, damp soil, with a clearly defined torso, limbs, and head. Yet every surface was rough, lacking the intricate joints and deft form of a true human body.

Its lower half consisted of two thick pillars of earth, the bases showing signs of merging with the ground beneath. Both arms flexed and twisted with ease, ending in broad, fan-like hands capable of a powerful grip. The features of its head were vague at best; had Grim not communicated mentally to etch a semblance of brow and eyes, the golem would surely have shaped its head into nothing more than a nondescript lump.

From a distance, it resembled a bald, burly man clad in yellow hide armor. Cloaked in a robe, it might well deceive an enemy for a time.

Grim summoned the golem before him. True to its earthen nature, it moved across the soft, damp ground in utter silence—more lightly than an agile mountain cat—leaving no trace behind, save for a faint intensification of the surrounding earth element.

When Grim captured Simba’s core, he had also, incidentally, sealed its soul within. The result was a high-quality magical core, and thus the golem before him now possessed intermediate intelligence, no longer the dull, mechanical construct of lesser golems. Through the rune of consciousness imprinted upon it, Grim needed only to give a vague command for the golem to carry it out with precision.

He reached out and ran his hand over the golem’s surface. Its skin was rough and hard, not at all as fragile as one might expect of a creature made of earth. Grim drew a dagger and stabbed several times at its waist; each thrust slid off the body, leaving only shallow, pale marks that soon faded beneath a faint yellow glow.

Yes, the golem possessed basic defenses—enough to resist small arms and piercing attacks—and even a modest capacity for self-repair. All in all, its defenses were on par with a human warrior clad in full leather armor. It could not compare to a stone golem or an iron guardian in raw resilience, but its ability to heal itself was a notable advantage.

Circling the earth golem, Grim couldn’t help but feel that its 1.7-meter stature lacked the imposing presence needed to overawe his foes. He ordered the golem to grow larger.

In response, the golem began to expand, growing taller and broader; yet as it did so, the once-solid mass of its body became diffuse and misty. By the time it had swelled to over four meters, its entire form was a gray, vaporous cloud of earth element.

What was happening? After consulting with the chip, Grim understood: the magical creature used to forge the golem possessed only the power of a high-level apprentice. It could manipulate just 200 pounds of earth element—any more exceeded its capacity.

The 1.7-meter height was the optimal size, as determined by the chip’s calculations. At that size, the density of earth element was maximized, granting the greatest possible defense. If stretched taller, the golem’s defenses dropped sharply even as its mass remained unchanged. A larger form meant a weaker body—and less protection for the core embedded within.

Resigned, Grim ordered the golem to return to its default form.

It was time to test its basic abilities.

Its first skill was a weakened form of Quake, an active ability. When triggered, the ground surrounding the golem trembled gently as it moved. Grim found that this tremor greatly affected small creatures, rendering them unable to stand, let alone attack. It also had a noticeable impact on medium-sized foes, though it was ineffective against larger adversaries.

The second active skill was Earth Hurl. To test it, Grim commanded the golem to draw out three lurking banshees from a nearby mud pit. What followed was a pitched battle before Grim’s eyes.

To speak plainly, this semi-summoned elemental golem was the perfect counter to the banshees—creatures feeble in both offense and defense. No matter how the three banshees clawed and bit at its dense, earthen body, their marks faded in moments. The golem’s heavy fists, on the other hand, left deep dents in their spectral forms.

At Grim’s signal, the golem seized one banshee, squeezing it until its bones creaked, then hurled it through the air. While it was still airborne, the golem conjured a long spear of earth, over a meter in length.

With a whoosh, the spear flew straight and true, piercing the banshee’s brittle body and pinning it to a crooked, ghostly tree by the pond. Banshees were tenacious, their vitality monstrous; even skewered, the first banshee struggled fiercely.

Another spear flew, nailing the banshee through the head. At last, the hapless spirit fell limp, motionless.

The remaining two banshees clung to the golem’s body like rabid dogs. Unperturbed, the golem pried them off and smashed them to the ground. As they writhed, it raised both hands high; a surge of earth energy erupted, and a forest of earthen spikes burst from the ground, impaling both banshees like meat on a skewer.

In an instant, all three banshees were destroyed, while the golem remained unscathed.

Throughout the battle, Grim observed in silence as the chip recorded every detail, gathering data to further optimize the golem’s combat tactics and capabilities.

Soon, detailed combat statistics flooded Grim’s mind:

Earth Golem.
Combat-Type Semi-Summoned Puppet.
Power Rating: High Apprentice (Lower Tier)
Base Attributes: Strength 12, Agility 4, Constitution 14, Spirit 7
Innate Skills (Active):
Quake—area effect
Earth Hurl (Single Target): Earth-element piercing spell, 12 points physical damage (scales with Strength), 7 points earth-element damage (scales with Spirit). Range: 5–80 meters. Cooldown: 3 seconds.
Earth Spikes (Area): Earth-element piercing AoE spell, 7 points physical, 5 points earth-element damage. Area of effect: 10 by 8 meters. Cooldown: 11 seconds.
Innate Skills (Passive):

Earthly Regeneration: A triggered passive, enabling the golem to draw earth element from the ground to repair itself. Restores 7% of its body each minute.

Armed with this data, Grim finally understood the true nature of his creation.

On paper, the golem’s stats were those of a mid-level apprentice. Yet with the advantages of self-repair and fearless assault, it could perform at the standard of a high apprentice.

From Grim’s knowledge, a high-level apprentice’s witchcraft attack dealt roughly 20–30 points of damage, fluctuating with the caster’s spirit strength. Defensive witchcraft at that level typically absorbed 30–40 points, rarely surviving two direct hits from a peer.

Thus, the golem’s offensive power was still somewhat lacking. Against a high apprentice, it would need Grim’s own spells to secure victory. Grim’s Flaming Arrow, after all, could deal 13–18 points of physical and 6–7 points of fire damage—enough, when combined with the golem, to shatter a high apprentice’s defenses in one volley.

Once those defenses fell, any apprentice not specialized in body refinement would be easy prey, no more than lambs awaiting slaughter. As long as he did not encounter monsters like Entik the Worm or the terrifying little Alice, Grim and his golem would stand a fighting chance against any high apprentice.

Alas, the mission to explore the Shadowy Catacombs was beyond the reach of apprentices; the adversaries present would likely be quasi-sorcerers or worse. A single earth golem would not suffice.

According to the mission’s schedule, they would have to depart in half a month to reach their destination. Grim therefore had just fifteen days left to prepare. With so little time, improving his own magical abilities was not feasible; he would have to further unlock the potential of his alchemical puppet, seeking a rapid surge in power.

He stood in contemplation for a long time, then finally turned his gaze toward a distant, fog-shrouded stretch of swamp.

That was the lair of the swamp crocodiles—earth-element magical beasts, by all accounts.

If he could slay the crocodile king, he might obtain a suitable earth-element core. As for a water-element core, Grim thought long and hard but could not recall any creature in the magic swamp that would fit the bill.

Very well—these next few days would be spent contending with the swamp crocodiles!

A fierce glint flashed in Grim’s eyes as he gazed into the distant marsh and spoke with grim determination.

With that, he gestured to the earth golem, which instantly collapsed with a clatter. Robbed of the power binding it, the mass of earth fell in a heap, forming a small mound.

Grim retrieved the summoning core from the pile and examined it. Of the two energy nodes formerly aglow, one had already begun to dim. Judging by this rate of consumption, a golem with all four nodes active could fight at full strength for three quarters of an hour. Less intense battles would allow for longer deployment.

But the golem’s reserves were already depleted; today was not the time to hunt the crocodile king. Grim pocketed the core, conjured flames to incinerate the twisted remains of the three banshees, pulled his hood low, and slipped quietly into the mists of the swamp.