The Golem Mage

Evolution Continues

“Wait, quick question—can I upgrade more than one golem at a time?” Alec asked the system.

[ ×: You’d better be prepared for the massive mana loss. I hope you haven’t forgotten what happened the first time you evolved a golem.]

“Oh, right... I completely forgot about that,” Alec muttered internally, recalling the splitting headache he got after using 100 mana to evolve Legion back when he was still a low-tier Tier 1 mage.

[ ×: Well, those are the kinds of things you shouldn’t forget, especially since I’m deducting another 40 mana for answering yet another one of your questions.]

“You sure know how to keep a guy humble,” Alec said while opening his status tab to check his mana.

[Status Tab]

Name: Alec Gordons

Race: Human

Level: 6

Tier: 1 [Mid-tier]

Exp till next level: 325/1000

[Attributes]

Strength: 14+

Agility: 16+

Endurance: 13+

Mana: (259/500)

Affinity: Earth (High)+, Fire (High)+

Available Points: 12

System Points: 689

Opening his status tab made Alec realize he hadn’t touched his free attribute points in a while.

“I should probably push one of my basic stats to 20... maybe something new will unlock,” he thought, rubbing his chin.

He swiftly opened the menu of another golem, as he wanted to attempt evolving two at once.

“Who do you think I should evolve next?” Alec asked, turning to Arthur, whose advice rarely missed the mark.

“I’d say the multiple-hands golem. I’m curious to see what it becomes as a Tier 1 golem,” Arthur replied, without delay, Alec brought up the evolution menu of the six-armed golem.

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

-Six-Arms Golem – Tier 1 Golem (Cost: 50 mana)

-Asura Gegenees Golem – Tier 1 Golem (Cost: 100 mana)

Surprisingly, it only had two options, one less than usual. Alec instinctively leaned toward the more advanced one.

“What’s an Asura Gegenees?” he asked.

[ ×: I’d love to scam another 40 mana out of you, but maybe try using your Inspect skill on that option.]

Alec immediately activated Inspect on the evolution path, he was especially concerned because this golem only had two evolution paths, and Alec didn’t want it to lose its uniqueness.

He hoped the golem would retain its six arms, so he focused on understanding the second option before making a choice, from experience, Alec believed the final option offered by the system was always the best.

[Inspect]

Asura Gegenees Golem – A remarkable fusion of ancient Greek mythology and dark sword demon lore.

Gegenees, a legendary six-armed giant with immense strength, served as the core inspiration for this golem.

Its body structure mirrors that of the ancient creature—combining raw, brutal strength with the cruelty and precision of a sword demon.

Reading this reassured Alec that the golem would keep its six arms, which made the choice easier.

“Start the evolution of both the sword-wielding and the six-armed golem now,” Alec commanded, bracing himself for the inevitable headache, however when the mana left his body, it didn’t hurt like before.

[ ×: Of course, it didn’t hurt, dummy. With a mana pool of 500, do you really think losing 200 would give you a headache? You should’ve figured this out by now. Your physical strength, body, and even mental capacity have improved. Handling this kind of load is nothing for you anymore.]

“If you say so,” Alec muttered as another transformation began.

“What kind of sorcery is this?” Brandon asked.

“I just can’t wait to see what walks out of that tornado of mana,” Arthur added, his eyes locked on the two golems levitating mid-air, their forms hidden by the swirling energy.

By now, he understood that whenever Alec manipulated his mana like that, it meant the golems were evolving into a higher realm.

After about a minute, the process concluded.

The first golem to catch Alec’s attention was the sword-wielding one. It looked far more humanoid than any he had created before, it stood at average human height, and when Alec looked at its face, he froze, shocked by what he saw.

If not for its lack of a nose and the glowing red eyes, Alec might have mistaken this golem for a real humanoid, its body was carved with defined abs and muscles, and the signature mark of a man was etched onto its frame using magic.

A massive great sword rested sheathed on its back, and its arms were wrapped in black gauntlets, each fingertip ending in a small, sharp claw.

It now stood taller than Brandon, so there was no mistaking the two, except perhaps by their shared preference for swordsmanship.

Alec immediately opened its status tab to inspect the changes.

[Destruction Great Swordsman Golem]

Level: 1 [Upgradeable]

Realm: (Low) Tier 1

Rank: Elite

[Stats]

Strength: 14

Agility: 14

Endurance: 14

[Description]

A rare golem forged from pure mana and Earth essence, honed through countless battles. With every fight, it has evolved—refining its form and mastering the Destruction Sword Style. A true masterpiece when wielding a great sword.

[Basic Martial Gauntlet]

Level: 6 (...)

Power: 12

Agility: 6

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

Durability: (30/30)

[Basic Martial Boots]

Level: 6 (...)

Agility: 13

Endurance: 5

Set Bonus: +Power 5, +Agility 5, +Endurance 5

Durability: (30/30)

[Destruction Great Sword]

Level: 6 (...)

Power: 18

Set Bonus: +Power 5, +Agility 5, +Endurance 5

Durability: (30/30)

[Full Martial Destroyer Set Equipped]

Set Bonus Applied:

Power: 5

Agility: 5

Endurance: 5

Despite its gear being relatively simple compared to Alec’s higher-grade creations, the golem’s sheer destructive potential was undeniable. Its mastery of sword techniques alone compensated for any apparent shortcomings.

After admiring the first golem, Alec turned to the second—and froze.

From the looks on his siblings’ faces, it was clear they were just as stunned. The new golem radiated a chilling aura of both wickedness and elegance, each of its six hands now held a different blade—some curved, some broad.

While their shapes varied, all six weapons shared a single trait: jet-black hilts that hinted at unity in chaos.

Alec was certain of one thing, those weapons were all meant for s*******r.

“When does a golem need to wear a mask?” Arthur asked, surprised to see the new golem’s face covered and its entire body forged from what looked like polished black stone.

No matter how Alec looked at it, he could tell the golem had taken on the form of a Japanese samurai.

Its six arms were now positioned at its sides, even the rear pair shifting forward, and the mask it wore made it resemble something possessed by an Oni—a demon from Japanese folklore.

Alec couldn’t shake the thought. The mask looked exactly like the Oni masks he’d once searched for online in his past life.

And the aura the golem emitted didn’t help; it was heavy, oppressive, and made even the air feel sharp.

Though he couldn’t see its face beneath the mask, Alec swore it was smiling at him.

“I’m naming you

Oni,” Alec said, not bothering to ask Arthur for suggestions this time, he just knew, that no other name could suit this golem better.