The Golem Mage

Different Paths Among Golems

Alec gasped as he watched the transformation unfold, curiosity lighting up his features, even though he’d witnessed Legion’s evolution before, the anticipation of seeing a new golem ascend never lost its thrill.

Mana surged into the Axe-wielding golem, as its body began to shift and expand rapidly.

Arthur and Brandon stood slack-jawed as the golem grew taller, matching Legion in height.

“Why do I feel like we’re witnessing the birth of another monster like Legion?” Arthur muttered, not expecting a response.

“Probably because its aura is just as suffocating,” Brandon replied, shuddering at the memory of Legion’s rise, the thought of facing another such opponent sent chills down his spine, before they could comment further, the transformation was complete.

The golem now stood as tall and imposing as Legion, resembling a battle-hardened gladiator, the right shoulder pad bristled with jagged spikes, and its stone armour, though slightly slimmer than Legion’s, exuded raw power.

But the most striking change was the axe, its once earthy brown hue had vanished, replaced by a striking combination of black and blood red, the blade radiated a savage aura, and the two smaller, curved axes strapped to its back gleamed a solid black.

“Those are definitely for throwing,” Alec mused silently.

The golem emanated a faint, chilling killing intent, despite never having taken a life in recent time.

“I guess this must be one of its passive traits of being a berserk-class golem,” Alec said to himself.

Caught up in the moment, he blurted out,

“Now let’s check this baby’s stats!” completely forgetting Arthur and Brandon were still beside him, not that it mattered much, as both clansmen were too mesmerized by the golem to care about the gibberish they felt Alec was speaking about.

[Berserk Axeman Golem]

Level: 1 [Upgradeable]

Realm: (Low) Tier One

Rank: Elite

Stats:

• Strength: 20

• Agility: 15

• Endurance: 7

[A rare golem crafted purely from mana. Forged through relentless battle, it has evolved into a masterpiece of destruction. When enraged, all stats temporarily increase by +5. However, after this burst of power, it becomes unusable in combat for five hours. This golem possesses high evolutionary potential.]

[Gladiator Helmet]

Level: 6 (...)

Power: 12

Agility: 6

Set Bonus (when full set is equipped): + Power 5, + Agility 5, + Endurance 5

Durability: (30/30)

[Gladiator Armour]

Level: 6 (...)

Endurance: 10

Agility: 8

Set Bonus (when full set is equipped): + Power 5, + Agility 5, + Endurance 5

Durability: (30/30)

[Gladiator Boots]

Level: 6 (...)

Agility: 10

Power: 8

Set Bonus (when full set is equipped): + Power 5, + Agility 5, + Endurance 5

Durability: (30/30)

[Gladiator Blood Axe]

Level: 6 (...)

Power: 12

Endurance: 6

Set Bonus (when full set is equipped): + Power 5, + Agility 5, + Endurance 5

Durability: (30/30)

[Gladiator Dual Short Axes]

Level: 6 (...)

Power: 5

Agility: 7

Endurance: 6

Set Bonus (when full set is equipped): + Power 5, + Agility 5, + Endurance 5

Durability: (30/30)

→ Full Gladiator Punisher Set Equipped

Set Bonus Active:

Power: 5

Agility: 5

Endurance: 5

Alec finally recognized the similarities between Legion and this newly evolved golem, aside from the unique two-handed blood axe and the dual short axes, their overall gear and build mirrored one another perfectly.

“What the heck is going on?” Alec questioned silently, directing the thought to the system in his mind.

[x:] Simple, they both chose the same path—Gladiator, let me clarify something. I, the system, do not choose paths for your golems. I merely present them with options their class can branch into. Ever since you created them, they’ve had the ability to think. From that point onward, it’s up to them to decide what they want to become. In this case, Legion’s influence nudged the new golem to follow in his footsteps.

“You’re confusing me, be more specific, would you?” Alec asked again, his patience wearing thin.

[x:] I believe your golem chose the Gladiator path because it wanted to imitate its senior, Legion. But don’t worry, there are other evolutionary routes besides Gladiator, not all your golems will walk the same path. I know how much you desire each one to be unique.

“Is it really that obvious?” Alec muttered.

[x] : Oh, absolutely. You made each of them change their weapons from spears to other types right after Legion became a Tier 1 spearman, that alone says a lot about how badly you want variety among your golems.

“Can you blame me? After reading just the first volume of the book my grandfather gave me, I’d be a fool to create a whole army of spearman golems. My dream is way bigger than that,” Alec replied firmly.

[x] : That’s 120 mana for the answers.

The system let out a mischievous laugh, its tone ambiguous, neither distinctly male nor female.

“You swindler. You answered one question in three different parts!” Alec accused.

[x] : I simply made sure you stayed curious enough to keep asking. That’s strategy.

The system’s smug explanation made Alec grit his teeth. No matter how cautious he was, it always found a way to outwit him, just then, the newly evolved golem dropped to one knee, mirroring Legion’s posture after its promotion. Alec immediately understood what it wanted.

“Na...me? Más...ter,” it said in a deep, gravelly voice.

“Oh! Boss, let me name this one,” Arthur said, leaping forward. He wasn’t about to let Alec butcher another name.

‘Over to you,” Alec replied lazily, too disinterested to argue. Naming wasn’t his strength.

“We shall name you... Axe Demon,” Arthur declared with dramatic flair, however the golem still remained kneeling, awaiting confirmation from its master.

“You shall be named Axe Demon,” Alec echoed, sealing the name.

“Thanks,” the Axe Demon said simply as it rose to its feet.

[Berserk Axeman Golem]

Name: Axe Demon

Level: 1 [Upgradeable]

Realm: (Low) Tier 1

Rank: Elite

Strength: 20

Agility: 15

Endurance: 7

And then the name updated instantly as Alec gave the final word.

“That’s unfair!” Arthur started ranting at the golem, but it paid him no attention, it simply walked over to Legion and extended its arm.

“Brother,” the Axe Demon said.

Legion responded by shaking its arm and echoing, “Brother.”

Alec watched the odd exchange with mild amusement before turning his attention to the next golem, the one wielding a great sword.

“It’s time we had our swordsman,” Alec muttered as he opened the evolution options.

[One of your golems has reached maximum value and can evolve into a Tier 1 golem. Choose its path:]

-Ordinary Tier 1 Golem (Cost: 25 mana)

-Swordsman Golem – Tier 1 Golem (Cost: 50 mana)

-Destruction Great swordsman Golem – Tier 1 Golem (Cost: 100 mana)

“I’m choosing the Destruction Great swordsman

Golem. You better not pick the Gladiator path again, or I swear I might faint,” Alec said, clicking on the third option without hesitation.