The Golem Mage

*** Before the attack ***

Alec approached his group, discreetly tapping them on the shoulders as if offering a friendly greeting.

Despite his cheerful demeanor, his true intentions remained well-hidden.

Having been together for a long time, the Gordons clan’s group was well-versed in recognizing different signs.

They swiftly set up their large tent, positioning it to face each other as if preparing for an important gathering.

Opting to stay separate from the Wild adventurer group and their bonfire, they gradually filtered into Alec’s tent.

Once everyone had assembled, Alec cleared his throat and began silently mouthing his words, careful not to make a sound.

Thankfully, the group managed to decipher Alec’s intended message.

Some of them even engaged in unrelated conversations to divert any suspicion.

”I apologize for the circumstances, but it seems we may be facing an attack tonight, I already have a plan in place, but going forward, we must avoid discussing important information openly”

”Let’s remain cautious, just in case our adversaries have a mage with acute hearing,” Alec mumbled each word attentively.

Though it proved challenging initially, the group soon grasped Alec’s meaning.

Their strategy mainly revolved around Knight, After everyone had returned to their respective tents, Knight discreetly moved from tent to tent, utilizing his shadow travel skill.

Transporting them to a nearby tree, selected by Alec as an advantageous spot, they promptly concealed their mana fluctuations upon arrival.

Knight faced a difficult challenge as he had to wait for his mana to recover before undertaking the process again.

He felt the urge to complain about being overworked, but he quickly realized that given the circumstances, there was no choice but to fulfill his duties.

If he made a mistake and disrupted Alec’s plan, everything could go terribly wrong, Thus, they remained hidden in the trees, observing Kethra’s actions and witnessing the events unfold, including James being locked up in a strange orb that expanded into a transparent dome.

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*** Back in the present ***

Alec spoke up, wondering about the excessive stress they were under, He smirked, taunting the mages from the Wild adventurer group, ”So, you want the treasures I possess, right? If that’s the case, come and get them.”

Alec said as his hands began moving towards the iron bracers on his wrists, the mages of the Wild group looked uneasy upon seeing them.

Unfamiliar with such items, they couldn’t discern their purpose.

Mages typically focused solely on honing their spellcasting abilities, aiming to unleash devastating destruction.

Alec’s use of these unknown iron bracers left them perplexed.

With a snide laugh, Kethra tried to undermine Alec’s advantage, sarcastically asking if the bracers were meant to restrain his powers.

Confident in his own strength, Kethra doubted anyone among their group would stand a chance against him.

”Well, technically, you’re not entirely wrong,”

Alec replied, his voice carrying from the tree branch he stood upon, He let the iron bracers fall freely from his hands, creating a loud bang as they hit the ground, causing the mages to feel a slight trembling beneath their feet.

Unexpectedly, Alec received a system notification:

[Endurance +2].

Although surprised, Alec set aside checking the system for later, as he had more pressing matters at hand.

The mages within Kethra’s group exchanged glances, realization dawning upon them, They now understood the purpose of the iron bracers that encased Alec’s body.

If they still couldn’t comprehend their significance, they knew they would be complete fools.

”Iron Bracers, and four of them at that,”

one of the attackers whispered, a shiver creeping down his spine at the mere thought of carrying such weight all day.

”Don’t any of you dare step back on me now, We’ve already overcome this hurdle together, They’re just a group of tier 2 mages, Once we deplete his Mana reserve, he won’t be able to summon those golems of his.”

”This is an easy win for us, and you all might even have a chance to command such strong golems,”

Kethra said, doing his best to convince them to change their minds, He saw their wavering after witnessing Alec’s display of strength.

Suddenly, Kethra took another approach as he figured out that his first approach was not working

”What? Do you all think he’ll let you off the hook if you step back now?, Don’t forget that you all tried to kill him just to get your hands on his treasures, Judging by what he’s shown, it’s clear he has some sort of background in the academy.”

Kethra continued, sowing doubt in the mages’ minds.

”Can you guarantee your safety when you return to the academy?, Believe me when I say this, you will all be at his mercy, I may still have the protection of being a Great Instructor disciple , but you all can forget about backing down now.”

Kethra’s words manipulated their wavering determination, rekindling their resolve.

Those who had begun to step back quickly stood their ground, deciding to face Alec no matter the outcome.

A smile curled Kethra’s lips as he witnessed the shift in their collective will.

He had been terrified when they seemed on the verge of abandoning him earlier.

The claims he made about Alec’s background had been nothing but empty words, even he didn’t believe them.

But he knew that losing the support of these mages would likely lead to his death.

After all, Kethra was well aware that Alec’s group possessed the power to defeat a peak Tier 3 lifeform like the Orc Shaman.

This knowledge served as a chilling reminder that Alec and his companions had some formidable tricks up their sleeves.

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However, Kethra’s calculations had one major oversight—he had underestimated the presence of a member named Knight within Alec’s group.

Knight possessed the rare ability to manipulate shadows and teleport people in short distances.

Alec’s strategy revolved entirely around using Earth-element spells and low-tier spells like Earth Bullet during the group’s initial attacks.

This intentional focus on Earth magic lulled Kethra into a false sense of security, leaving him unaware of any other elemental abilities they might possess.

The assumption that Alec’s group consisted solely of Earth Elementalists further reduced Kethra’s vigilance towards them, providing Alec with the element of surprise, and a way to escape the boom that was prepared for them.

Growing impatient with Kethra’s hesitation, Alec gracefully leapt down from the tree branch, landing on the ground with an air of veteran expertise.

As he touched the ground, his blood-red tattoo began to glow, materializing into his armor set.

With his right hand resting on his blood Changdao and his left hand holding onto his bone Katana, Alec exuded a formidable aura.

His falling stance alone showcased the depth of his combat prowess to all who watched.

Little did the onlookers realize that Alec’s acquired experience extended beyond his training, drawing from the blade proficiency he shared with his golems like sword saint.

Both Titan and Legion followed suit, jumping down from the branches alongside Alec.

As Kethra witnessed Alec already summoning two golems, he cursed himself for forgetting the main plan to prevent Alec from calling forth his small golem army.

In a desperate attempt to hinder Alec, Kethra took something out from his space ring and hurled it toward him.

Alec’s eyes narrowed in suspicion as he observed a stylish crown sailing towards him.

Though unaware of its effects, Alec knew he didn’t want anything thrown by Kethra to touch him.

Reacting swiftly, he unsheathed his katana and swiped at the crown, To his surprise, his attack passed through as if the crown itself was nothing but an illusion.

Alec’s eyes widened as he watched the crown inexplicably redirect its path, gliding straight onto his head as though pulled by a powerful magnet.

The moment the crown settled atop his head, Alec realized with a sinking feeling that his connection to his mana pool had vanished.

It was as if a veil had been lifted, and Alec’s connection to his mana dissipated like a fleeting dream.

Even his Red Salamander armor set appeared to flicker and retract, returning to its tattoo form.

The vibrant red glow remained, but the physical manifestation was no more.

[ Error!!!]

[ Connection to Mana Pool severed temporarily]

As he reached up to touch the crown adorning his head, Alec realized that it was immovable, not yielding even a fraction of an inch.

A Frown crept across his face as he grasped the gravity of his predicament he had been thrust into battle without the aid of his mana.

The ramifications of this became painfully clear, Without access to his mana, Alec found himself unable to summon the remaining golems from his space pouch.