Chapter Five: The Battle of the Golems
This is a legendary event that occurred early in the Saint’s Cataclysm, triggered by an unknown group of adventurers who delved deep into a certain ruin near the Gobi Desert. There exist a vast number of ancient ruins in the Material Plane, and normally exploring ruins wouldn’t pose a problem. However, for some unknown reason, this particular ruin was remarkably well-preserved. After this group of adventurers entered, they inadvertently activated the internal defense mechanisms, causing numerous buried golem puppets to awaken and attack any nearby creatures for various reasons.
Soren does not have many memories of the Battle of the Golems.
He had not personally participated in the Battle of the Golems; at that time, he was only a Profession Level capable of barely fighting werewolves. Only the top-tier adventurers could engage in it, and they were involved in the more peripheral battles. Soren remembers that over six hundred people died at that time, and eventually, they managed to pile onto and defeat one of the Diamond Golems, marking it as the highest-level creature slain by the early adventurers during the Saint’s Cataclysm.
The battle broke out in the neighboring region.
Soren is not quite clear on the specific location, but he knows it was once the periphery of the Arcane Empire, meaning this underground ruin was not formed from a fallen Floating City, but was a normal city buried due to a disaster.
A legendary Sword Saint appeared during this battle.
Soren vaguely remembers that this legendary Sword Saint did not seem to be from the south, but rather a practitioner from the Eastern Kingdom.
Sword Saints share many similarities with monks.
Casters from the Eastern Kingdom are significantly fewer than those on this side of the continent; however, other professionists are plentiful. The ascended Sword Saints, which are quite rare in this part of the continent, are significantly more numerous in the Eastern Kingdom. In fact, Sword Saints trained in the southern regions often choose to travel to the Eastern Kingdom after reaching a certain level of mastery.
—”High-level Teleportation Spell!”
Accompanied by a surge of Spell Light, Soren’s figure appeared in the city known as the Pearl of the Desert.
The advantages of spellcasters on the move are much stronger than those of other professionists, especially now that Soren’s casting abilities have significantly improved. Thanks to a certain goddess opening a backdoor for him, his Wizard and Archmage Profession Levels allow him to calculate spell slots based on a total Profession Level of 15.
In simple terms.
This means Soren now has an 8th-level spell slot in terms of basic profession abilities.
However.
His total number of spell slots is naturally more than just this amount; if not for his insufficient abilities to control legendary-level spells, Soren’s one legendary spell slot could come in handy.
“The blessing of the Goddess of Magic [Innate Ability]: As a spellcaster, you are exceptionally lucky; the Goddess of Magic has bestowed upon you her favor, opening a door within the Magic Network, allowing you to utilize its powers more easily. Your understanding of the Magic Network surpasses that of other spellcasters, and the mysteries of the inner Magic Network are fully open to you. All spell slots +1, automatically granting you the abilities of Spell Mastery, Spell Penetration, and Arcane Proficiency.”
Soren possesses several special feats.
These include the blessings of the Goddess of Misfortune and the Ocean Goddess. However, both of these blessings are of a lower degree.
The gifts bestowed by the Goddess of Magic far exceed the range of these two divine blessings; to some extent, Soren has gained part of the abilities of a magic elect, and the all spell slots +1 is just one powerful capability. The three additional feats of Spell Mastery, Spell Penetration, and Arcane Proficiency truly enhance his abilities, essentially boosting Soren’s spellcasting effectiveness by over fifty percent.
Spell Mastery can enhance the caster’s control over their spells.
Spell Penetration can increase the destructive power and effectiveness of all the caster’s spells.
Arcane Proficiency directly speeds up casting. Furthermore, it improves the mastery of any spell. Generally speaking, Arcane Proficiency is a very difficult special feat to master.
……………
Unlike his previous visit here, Soren quickly noticed that the city in the desert has significantly deteriorated.
The terrifying weather changes in the d*ath Desert have severely impacted the Eastern trade routes, and currently, it is rare to see any merchant caravans. Naturally, there are not many transient populations either. The streets look somewhat deserted, with over thirty percent of the shops closed. Even the patrolling guards appear a bit lethargic.
Soren did not linger here; after confirming a direction, he headed towards the location where the Battle of the Golems had erupted.
How to deal with the Battle of the Golems poses a problem.
One option is to wait until the time arrives and observe the situation after the Battle of the Golems begins. The other option is to resolve the issue before the Battle of the Golems breaks out.
The latter carries the challenge that Soren only knows the general direction but not the specific location.
The desert region has many ancient ruins.
The core territory of the Arcane Empire is this desolate desert, and although Soren has a map provided by a Paladin, he still lacks sufficient information.
……………
“Master!”
“Is what we are looking for here?”
Amidst the swirling yellow sands, a team gradually approached the dune ahead; this area connects with the desolate Gobi, to the west lies the territory of the orcs, and to the south is the border between the human and elf kingdoms. Due to the effects of energy radiation, this land has been unsuitable for plant growth for thousands of years, and only occasionally can one see resilient vegetation.
“It should be nearby.”
The man at the front of the team stopped in his tracks; his clothing clearly bears characteristics of the Eastern Kingdom, though it appears more aligned with the Northern people’s physique.
He is tall and robust, with relatively fair skin and large pores.
The members of this team seem to come from various regions; although they are closeted in attire resembling Easterners, several among them are Northern people, and a couple appear to be like wanderers from the Eastern coast.
The one who spoke was a veiled Eastern woman, dressed like a dance maiden. Although she wore a cloak over her attire, her profession can still be discerned. Beside her stands a very tall woman with the unique delicate skin, black hair, long legs, exquisite features, slender and resilient physique, wearing gauntlets on her hands, and her hair tied with a ribbon, adorned with some unique trinkets strapped to her legs.
A monk.
Or possibly an advanced Master of Fist.
Due to cultural differences, it is rare to see female monks in the south, and one could say it is nearly nonexistent, but such individuals do exist in the Eastern Kingdom, although their numbers remain very scarce.
The training method of monks is not particularly suitable for women.
“It is right around here.”
The team leader halted his steps and said slowly, “The item the Eastern Empress wants should be here. If we can find it, there may be a way to k*ll that ancient evil artifact.”
“Many seals are starting to weaken now; the monastery cannot waste too much energy on that cursed thing.”
…………… (To be continued ~^~)
