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The expedition was split into 10 teams, each supervised by an academy elder, while the teams were further separated into 5 man cells, under the command of an inner disciple.
A raid would definitely be quite dangerous, so I also made hundreds of talismans and gave one of each type to every participant.
Barrier TalismanItem Class:TalismanQuality:OrdinaryPower:B-FRemaining Uses:1A simple talisman,activation will create a protective barrier around the user for a single breath's time
Gust TalismanItem Class:TalismanQuality:OrdinaryPower:B-FRemaining Uses:1A simple talisman,activation will create a strong but non-damaging gust of wind that can be utilized to escape
Those were quite basic and as such didnt have their own energy storage - they consumed the user’s mana reserves and were one-time use...their utility was unquestionable though.
The siege weapons were also protected by their own, slightly more advanced [Barrier Talismans] that drew power from mana crystals...it could only reliably protect against a single hit of a [Shadow Golem] but it was better than nothing.
Previously,I only met monsters when i went quite deep into the caverns,but I could take no risks, which meant I was going to scout ahead of the main force…
There was always a danger of something lurking in the shadows and remaining unnoticed so I also brought a few dozen [Light Talismans] - those were essentially torches,altough they were much brighter and had an additional effect of emmitting small amounts of light mana.
It would essentially prevent any darkness-type creatures from accidentally wandering into the already-explored area though,and even if they did,we would immediately know.
With all the preparations finished,I entered the dungeon…
[Some time later]
I should be near now...nothing unexpected happened but that is probably about to change as I’m nearing the room where I previously met the golem.
The dwarven corpse was no longer here,which was bad news for me...it essentially meant that something could have changed here recently and surprises are bad,especially in a dungeon…
I could only plant the last two [Light Talismans] near the room’s entrance while waiting for the main force to arrive.The corridor I was in was quite large,but not wide enough for more than a single siege engine to fit in a line.
The expedition slowly entered the room...the golem didnt appear yet-
Suddenly sensing something, I looked over...I could faintly see two glowing flames...are those eyes?
Perhaps somewhat cautious due to our numbers, the construct did not move...maybe it thought it wasnt noticed yet but in the end it didnt matter as I ordered the troops to prepare to fire the catapults.
I was going to make use of both of the golem’s weaknesses -
1.It was highly vulnerable to light, and the projectiles were enchanted
2.It was huge and slow...at least compared to its strength,which meant it’d have difficulty dodging the slow but powerful stones.
Five machines let the boulders loose, simultanously with a hundred or so arrows and bolts.
It was only now that the golem awoke from its stillness...with dexterity unfit of its size,it dove down and charged towards us…
One boulder flew above the creature’s head,while another two were smashed to bits by it’s fists...it was not without effect though,as it’s charge was stopped.The remaining two boulders heavily struck the construct’s body,emitting blinding light and smashing the golem onto the wall.
It looked damaged,altough not critically...if it was me,a single boulder could probably be lethal if it hit head-on,yet surprisingly the monster didnt die after being hit by two, along with countless other projectiles…
I quickly checked its HP...2372/3600
So...it only took roughly one third of it’s health!? I returned to my senses as the golem already freed itself...before it could do anything though, several ballistas pierced its metallic body,causing it to fall down onto the ground, nearly dead.
...I almost forgot to check my own damaging capabilities... I used [Brilliant Step] to close the distance and pierced at the golem’s head...it tried to cover it with it’s hands but ultimately couldnt…
412!
The [Shadow Golem]’s HP bar finally depleted and it fell down onto the ground,just like th-
Or...well,I expected it to...even though it died,it still punched me into the cavern’s roof with its last effort...It didnt hurt that much though...upon checking,I realized that I only lost around 150 HP...enchanting the armor was not for naught i guess…
I glanced at the corpse...its dark aura began to slowly dissipate,leaving behind a glowing ball of dark flames…
Shadow CoreItem Class:Mana CoreGrade:A-AAn energy core containing shadow mana,used to belong to a rather powerful shadow golem.
This…
A mana core was essentially a cultivation resource and absorbing its energy could greatly improve one’s mana reserves....a pity its element is incompatible…
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
The corridor behind us collapsed...but that was not all!
A large quantiity of shadow mana started moving around,gradually forming into dozens of humanoid shapes…
...I guess its a trap?
Shadow WraithGrade 3,41Health:635/635Mana:800/800Stamina:N/AVitality: N/AStrength: 46Agility: 46Intelligence: 46Magic Affinities:Darkness (70%), Wind (30%)Resistances:Physical:ImmuneElemental:0Poison:0Mind:0Innate Traits:Light Weakness (Light-based damage taken x2)Corporeal Body (Physical Immunity)
Upon seeing the ghost’s stats, I realized every single one was pretty much equal to me in strength...and there were around 50 of them...good thing we have magic,otherwise we would be done for…
The wraiths gradually moved closer,while the troops were shooting at them...some got hit despite their rather high agility but all it did was push them back a little before shadow mana gathered around them and they reformed…
Not good!Someone or something is healing them,which means we have to kill them in one go or it’ll just be a battle of attrition...with all the dark mana around,there’s no chance of winning this that way…
I’ll have to use it after all...Cleansing Winds of Light]
The whole room shined and the wraiths screamed, franctically running away from the light….they were too fast though and I only got a few of them before i was forced to stop the spell...just now I used half my mana…
The ghosts stopped and after a while, reluctantly started moving,again.They were visibly scared of the light but whatever or whoever is controlling them urged them to attack us…
At this rate...wait,dont we have [Light Talismans]?
I began throwing them in a cricle around us,and told everyone to do the same…
The wraiths stopped.
[Three Hours Later]
Maintaining the sanctuary used up far too many talismans and for some time it wasnt certain what would end first - items or ghosts...luckily,ballistas could directly destroy the wraiths without giving them time to reform but, as they no longer tried to advance,hitting them was quite difficult.
It ultimately turned into me using spells and then waiting for my mana to recover...but after all this time,the enemy numbers reduced considerably, with only around 20 ghosts alive…
I waited for the all the talismans to run out of energy...just as the last one stopped working, before I had time to do anything, all the remaining wraiths were sucked up into a swirling mana vortex...
[DING]
[Boss-class monster,Shiwyu the Shadow Lord has appeared]
Shiwyu, The Shadow Lord (CPR Rating 657)Grade 4,18Health:26795/16000 (Empowered)Mana:24000/24000Stamina:N/AVitality: 250Strength: 160Agility: 300Intelligence: 450Magic Affinities:Darkness (70%), Wind (30%)Resistances:Physical:150Elemental:200Poison:200Mind:300Innate Traits:Light Weakness (Light-based damage taken x2)Champion's Body ((VIT/STR/AGI/INT x2)
-I have to admit, your little game with my pets was quite entertaining...now, DIE!
Just as the boss finished speaking, magic circles lit on the ground and 4 [Shadow Golems] emerged…
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Eldrith Status:
Eldrith(3,57) (CPR Rating 45)Race:HumanClass:Chosen of Divine WindTitles:Chosen of Divine Wind , LordCapabilties:Physical:Defensive:Magical:VIT (Growth): 39 (150%)Physical Resistance: 67Affinities:STR (Growth): 38 (145%)Elemental Resistance: 70Wind(13%),Light(13%)AGI (Growth): 55 (155%)Mind Resistance: N/AMana Capacity:INT (Growth): 45 (130%)Poison Resistance: 65MP (Growth): 1856 (340%)