Chapter 533 – Aura.

“…”

“Awooo?”

“I’m fine Agni, just give me a minute.”

Roland replied as Agni’s nose poked him. He was panting and leaning up against one of the remaining walls. His body was drenched with water, his armor clinking with every heaving breath. Thanks to the Carp’s relentless water attacks, the once-pristine temple floor now resembled a shallow pond. Agni, dripping as well, shook his body with an exaggerated swish, spraying droplets everywhere – mainly onto Roland.

“Agni!”

Roland shouted, holding up a hand to shield himself.

“Do you have to do that?”

Agni cocked his head innocently, his ears twitching.

“Awooo?”

Roland sighed.

“I swear, you’re doing this on purpose. I’ll remember this next time you’re hungry.”

Agni responded by plopping onto the wet ground with an audible splat, his fiery fur sizzling as it met the damp floor. The wolf gave Roland a half-lidded look, his tail lazily swishing through the puddles.

Roland groaned as he trudged through the waterlogged chamber, gathering the spoils left by the High Spirit Carp. Among them was a glossy blue orb that pulsed faintly with water mana and a pile of shimmering scale-like fragments. He eyed the orb warily.

“Let me guess, you want to eat this one too?”

Agni perked up instantly, his tail wagging. Roland waved a finger.

“How about no?”

Agni gave an indignant huff, clearly displeased at being refused the chance to eat the mana-rich crystals dropped by the creatures. Roland, on the other hand, wasn’t sure what everything was useful for, so it seemed wiser to assess their worth after consulting Rastix and others like Brylvia. For all he knew, some of these items could be components for advanced weaponry or golemic creations.

“Stop being a drama queen, Agni. Let’s go – we still have two more temples to conquer, and then there’s that last door.”

With the loot secured, Roland and Agni pressed on toward the Earth Temple. Along with the one aligned to the darkness element, it was one of the two remaining. Once he secured all five elemental blocks, Roland assumed he would be able to unlock the closed door.

He had previously let his golems analyze the door, revealing its considerable magical defenses. While it was possible to attempt forcing his way through, he was certain that such an approach would trigger traps. It seemed far better to assemble more defensive turrets and set up a generator before attempting to test the door’s defenses.

Soon the two made their way towards the Earth Temple. Their progress was steady as it only took them four hours to clear the previous two temples. Roland paused before the sealed door, noting the faint indentation that matched the water elemental block in his possession. The magic symbols around the entrance shimmered briefly before the heavy stone doors groaned open, revealing a dimly lit passageway that stretched into the depths of rocky temple.

Stone Sentinels that resemble rock golems but were in truth earth elementals blocked their path. This temple was similar to the other three he already cleared so going through it proved simple. The monsters here were on the same levels as the other elementals and he also noticed undead with rocky armors lumbering about. Once defeated he was given earth elemental crystals from the rocky monsters and Terranite, a solid, earthy ore, quite dense and resistant.

“These things are hard…”

He had reached the final chamber where the next elemental block awaited. His hand trembled slightly, a testament to the strain he had endured. He had been relentlessly training his physical skills, smashing monsters with his hammer. Though the weapon was effective at breaking through their defenses, the resulting vibrations had taken a toll on his hands. He was also out of breath; unlike casting runic spells, which didn’t rely on stamina, his regular battle skills demanded it.

“Stamina, huh…”

As he pondered this issue, his thoughts veered in another direction. His primary goal was to strengthen himself for moments when mana wasn’t an option, or when he lacked access to runes. Stamina, like mana, was another vital resource in this world, influenced by general stats and bolstered by passive skills or traits. There were likely methods to increase his stamina, but a question lingered in his mind: was it possible to use stamina in conjunction with runes?

With his mind churning, Roland stepped into the area, this time with Agni by his side. While Agni’s flames hadn’t been particularly effective against the other monsters, he could provide valuable ranged support against this next foe – a formidable matchup for a physical fighter. As expected, it was a golem-type creature, one crafted from pitch-dark obsidian.

The golem was far larger than the previous monsters Roland had faced and also much slower. It resembled a colossal stone giant, towering close to seven meters high. Its body was a fusion of jagged rocks, with glowing veins of energy coursing through its chest and limbs. Its eyes burned with a fiery amber light, and each of its thunderous steps sent tremors rippling across the temple floor.

Through his visor, Roland carefully studied the colossus, analyzing its movements and attack patterns. The creature wielded no weapon, but its massive arms were lined with sharp, spiked protrusions, each as long as a dagger. One solid hit from those arms would undoubtedly send him flying against the temple walls – or worse, tumbling off the structure entirely.

“Agni, keep your distance, and focus on its joints – try to slow it down.”

Roland issued a command to his wolf partner. Agni’s task was simple: to pester the golem with light fire attacks while Roland moved in for the offensive. It was a straightforward tactic that worked well against mindless monsters like this one. However, an issue quickly arose.

As expected, the golem reacted to Agni’s flames, immediately shifting its focus to the wolf. Agni, with his superior agility, had no trouble keeping out of the creature’s reach. This distraction gave Roland the perfect opening to strike. He aimed for the monster’s joints, swinging his hammer with precision and channeling one of his skills to enhance the impact.

The hammer collided with the golem’s obsidian surface, but instead of bringing the massive creature down to its knees, the strike only managed to chip the stone slightly.

“He’s tougher than I thought…”

Roland muttered under his breath. Before he could formulate his next move, the golem turned toward him, its glowing amber eyes locking onto him once more. Reacting quickly, Roland leaped back, narrowly avoiding a devastating counterattack. As before, Agni immediately resumed pestering the creature, drawing its attention away and giving Roland another opening.

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These types of monsters had been studied extensively by adventurers over the years. Their weaknesses were well-documented: targeting the leg joints was key. Once a leg was damaged enough, the monster would collapse under its own weight, exposing its core. Striking the core would deliver the finishing blow.

In theory, it sounded straightforward. In practice, it was anything but. The core’s location was a challenge as it was encased deep within the monster’s dense obsidian body. Reaching it required delivering a devastatingly precise blow, all while avoiding the creature’s powerful counterattacks. Though Roland knew the core’s exact location, his physical skills, which had yet to reach tier 3, were insufficient to deal the necessary damage.

‘Perhaps runes are the only option here.’

He thought to himself, considering a shift back to mana-based attacks. Then, a sudden thought crossed his mind.