In an instant, he found himself in a place that was simultaneously familiar and alien. The air was thick with the scent of exotic spices and unfamiliar flora, and the sounds of strange creatures filled his ears. Yet, there was a sense of nostalgia that permeated the air, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of homesickness for a place he had never been.

A particularly plain environment especially for a portal, in fact had he not felt the intense waves of mana coming from his surroundings he may have thought he was still on the other side of the portal.

Luckily, he was able to quickly come to his senses after a quick glance around, it seemed that in the few moments that he had waited before had given the group before him time to move forward and start taking space in the portal.

With only a brief scan of the area Tian was able to instantly know by the markings on the trees, the small footprints, and the rotten stench in the air…

‘Goblins’.

A F+ rank monster that typically were found in E rank dungeons, often called forest rats.

Tian didn’t particularly like goblins, but really, who did like them? They would use guerilla tactics and any method they could that could give them a chance of winning. You can’t really blame them though. Given their small size and little strength the only thing they can do is fight using pack tactics or with ambushes.

‘Please work hard!’ Tian thought as he looked toward where the strike squad had gone, he definitely did not want to deal with the goblins himself in his current state.

He looked around cautiously, keeping his senses on high alert. He could hear the faint sounds of battle in the distance, and he knew that the other rankers were already engaging with the monsters in this portal, he wasn’t in too much of a hurry to make it to them. But if they failed the attack then he may be stuck in the portal.

Although it was entirely unlikely they would ever fail the attack, if they do he would be stuck inside the portal exposed to the unfiltered mana for days before the portal break set him free. By that time, he would have already turned into a mindless berserker.

Tian felt relatively comfortable in this portal, the guild that had entered before had cleared out every goblin in their path very effectively. Had they not and decided to leave the portal after killing the boss then it was possible for another boss to spawn, creating more danger than before and inviting a portal break to occur.

‘They’re very efficient.’ Tian nodded, finally letting his alerted senses drop while sitting against a tree. Although it had been an entire day since the first attack from the savage beast he had not recovered in the slightest.

Given the sudden rush out of the fake crisis center and the mana drain from his summon being destroyed he needed time to calm down. He didn’t have any healing salves or tonics on him, so he had to tough it out for the time being.

‘Status’

Tian Gias

Physical: C- | Mental: B | Magic: E-

Class: Summoner (Compounding)

Skills: Golemancy Novice (F): Allows the creation of basic golems made of stone or earth.

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He had only glanced at it before because of his situation however now looking at it, the class perplexed him, especially since he'd lost his former "Weapon Master" class after his skill was stolen. The notion of a second awakening was rare, so rare that Tian himself hadn’t heard about.

‘I’ve never seen this before.’

Pondering the class information on his status screen further. Tapping on the word "Compounding" next to his class, "Summoner," intrigued him. It was a term he had never encountered before, despite his extensive experience with classes and skills. He had spent a considerable amount of time among rankers, often learning from them and trading knowledge, yet the concept of "compounding" remained a mystery.

He furrowed his brow, mulling over the possibilities. "Compounding... what does that mean?" Tian whispered to himself. He wondered if it was a unique aspect of his newfound class, something that set him apart from other summoners or rankers.

As he contemplated this, the sounds of combat in the distance faded. They had made substantial progress in the hour he'd spent under the tree. Tian couldn't help but classify the guild as a lower-ranked one, despite their efficient progress. Their mismatched equipment suggested they weren't among the top guilds in their country, typically equipping raid members based on their ranks. Many wore gear of a lower rank, which, in his experience, was less than ideal, but so was wearing gear of a higher rank.

‘I have time.’

His guard dropped a bit, however as dungeons like this typically took a few days to clear. He knew he would be fine before the ‘Burn Squad’ is sent in. He hoped he wouldn’t have to deal with anyone else coming in, especially those arrogant people who do nothing but clear the last remnants of whatever portal they step into, thinking highly of themselves even when only dealing with less than 5% of the monsters most rankers fight.

Putting his hand against the tree he was resting on, he decided to test his abilities. He focused his thoughts on the tree's massive trunk and channeled his magic into an attempt to create a golem from it. As he concentrated, he expected the tree to transform into a golem-like figure, but nothing happened. His brow furrowed in confusion.

Just as he was about to try again, his status screen displayed new information:

‘Golemancy Novice (F) cannot produce a golem. Skill failed.’

He blinked in surprise as the screen provided a small list of suitable materials for his "Golemancy Novice (F)" skill. The screen listed materials like "stone" and "earth." It became clear that the massive tree before him didn't fall within these categories.

Tian sighed and muttered to himself, "So, I can't just create a golem from anything." He needed to find materials that aligned with the skill's requirements if he wanted to summon any golems.

Tian lowered his hand to the ground, his fingers sinking into the earth as he focused his magical energy. The connection between his mana and the materials around him began to form, and he gradually molded the elements that aligned with his "Golemancy Novice (F)" skill.

‘Skill activated.’

Before him, a small, rudimentary golem took shape, resembling those he had seen in some B-rank portals from his past. It stood more than eight feet tall, its massive frame towering over him. The golem was a bulky and formidable figure, its stony exterior adorned with intricate etchings and runes that gleamed a bright blue.

As he gazed at the golem, a wave of nostalgia washed over him, reminding him of his old team. They were the ‘Primary Strike’ team of his old guild, unfortunately all of his memories of them were tainted as he thought of what had happened.

‘Goblins aren’t the only rats.’ Tian scoffed while thinking such.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Tian decided to check the golem's stats. He was eager to understand the creature he had summoned. With a simple command, his status screen displayed the following information:

Golem:

Physical: D- | Mental: N/A | Magic: F-

Skills: N/A

‘They’re surprisingly decent…’

The stats confirmed that the golem possessed D-rank physical abilities, making it a formidable force in battle. However, it lacked mental attributes, which meant it operated solely based on Tian's commands. He nodded and ordered the golem to trail further behind him as it was not able to be particularly stealthy while moving.

Tian trailed behind the strike squad for hours, his steps cautious and deliberate as he maintained a safe distance. He was determined not to reveal his presence to the somewhat inexperienced group, even though they seemed to move forward with unwavering confidence.