Chapter 533: Chapter 532 – Physical Training.

Roland took a deep breath as the Storm Eagle screeched, the piercing sound causing the very air around him to vibrate. He steadied his stance, his hammer glowing faintly as it drew upon his mana. The weapon had been designed not only to channel his mana for spellcasting but also to function as a conventional weapon - something he had neglected to use it as. This was one of his weaknesses: his heavy reliance on his creations and the magical damage they could inflict. But what if he found himself unable to use them? Would he still be able to survive?

“Let’s see how well I do without my gear…”

His voice was barely audible over the roaring winds as he approached the monster, holding a heavy tower shield in his left hand and his hammer-staff in his right. The creature was close to level two hundred - not much of a threat compared to the tier-3 class holders he had faced before. Even the weakest Knight Commander he had defeated would have been stronger.

His goal was to grow stronger, and relying solely on his runic equipment could sometimes put his life at risk. While his mana pool was vast, it wasn’t infinite. He could already envision himself faltering in a prolonged battle. The more powerful his creations became, the more mana they consumed, and he needed to prepare for the possibility of encountering an enemy capable of nullifying his magical tools or draining his energy.

While dispelling anti-magical dust was feasible, he needed to plan for opponents employing entirely different methods. His level wasn’t that high so battling these types of enemies would allow him to level up his previously ignored battle skills more easily. Thus he raised his shield and got ready as the bird monster was getting ready to pounce.

The eagle lunged first, its massive wings whipping up a gale-force wind that sent debris tumbling from the temple walls. Roland crouched, bracing himself as the gust slammed into him. He put all his weight behind his shield, taking the charge head-on. The black mithril barrier absorbed the impact of the monster’s talons. A normal person would have had their arm shattered, but thanks to his enhanced body - strengthened by the Overlord class - Roland managed to hold firm under the immense pressure.

‘ I barely managed to defend myself…’

He hadn’t activated any buffing spells or Overlord’s Might to enhance his power. This was his base physical strength, bolstered only by his tier-3 multiplier, which allowed him to stand toe-to-toe with the boss monster. Still, he felt the strain in his wrist and knew that staying rooted in place would be a mistake.

The creature’s talons slashed downward, crackling with lightning-like energy. The surge rippled through Roland’s frame but was mostly absorbed by his armor. However, he noticed a glaring weakness - the red mithril, while excellent at mitigating fire-based attacks, was far less effective against wind and lightning. A sharp pain shot through his body, but he gritted his teeth and pressed forward.

Seizing the moment as the creature overcommitted to its attack on his shield, Roland swung his hammer at its exposed side, the weapon increasing in speed as he activated one of his attacking skills. The hammer crackled with raw energy as it connected with the Storm Eagle's flank, the force of the blow sending a shockwave through the air. The creature let out a deafening screech, the impact throwing it off balance. Roland capitalized on the opening, stepping forward and striking again, this time aiming for the creature's wing joint.

Instantly, his system chimed with a notification: one of his previously unused skills had leveled up. It was a tier-2 skill he had acquired long ago but rarely trained. The system had boosted it by two levels almost immediately, rewarding him for engaging in true combat with a monster near his level which seemed to exceed training on immobilized undead. He made a mental note of this before turning his attention back to the airborne beast.

The eagle recoiled, one wing folding awkwardly as it struggled to stay aloft. Green wind energy erupted from its body, forming miniature tornadoes that spiraled across the chamber. The swirling winds threatened to throw Roland off his feet, but he crouched low, driving his shield into the stone floor to anchor himself against the relentless gale.

‘It changed tactics…’

Roland observed the monster carefully. After taking a few solid hits, it had disengaged, flying higher to gain distance and a better vantage point. The strategy was simple yet effective - securing the high ground to regain control of the battle. Normally, he would use his own range spells to counter this issue but this was a test of his physical skills, so he needed to adapt in other ways.

Roland took a moment to analyze the Storm Eagle's movement, observing how it used its massive wings to channel mana into its surroundings, creating those chaotic tornadoes. The air was thick with raw elemental power, and the gusts made it hard to focus. He could feel his body straining under the constant pressure, but he wasn’t about to back down now.

‘Something is coming.’

Though he wasn’t actively using his runic skills, Roland relied on his mana sense to monitor the situation. A massive amount of energy was converging in the monster’s abdomen, gathering for something big. The energy surged upward through the creature’s neck as it reared its head back, clearly preparing to unleash an attack. He assessed his options: use his shield to block the impending strike, attempt to dodge, or go on the offensive and attack before the monster could complete its move.

The decision was made in an instant, his hammer clicked as a sharp spear-like head emerged from the top, turning it into something that resembled a pole-axe. He gripped the transformed weapon tightly, his muscles coiling as he prepared to throw. The Storm Eagle's throat glowed with green and yellow light as the gathered mana surged upward, a telltale sign of an imminent breath attack. Roland had seen enough dragons and elemental monsters to know how devastating such an attack could be, especially in an enclosed space like this.

With a deep exhale, he hurled the poleaxe with all his might, activating another stamina-based skill. The weapon streaked through the air like a lightning bolt, slicing through the chaotic winds as if it were nothing. The Storm Eagle didn’t even have time to react; the poleaxe embedded itself deeply into its stomach, just as the creature opened its beak to release its attack.

The impact was immediate and catastrophic. The sudden disruption to the mana flow caused the gathered energy to explode prematurely. A deafening boom shook the entire temple as a violent surge of wind and lightning energy erupted from the Storm Eagle’s body. The blast obliterated parts of the temple's interior and sent cracks racing across the dungeon ceiling above. Chunks of stone tumbled down, some narrowly missing Roland as he scrambled for cover.

Agni, positioned at the chamber’s entrance, howled in alarm but held his ground. His fiery aura flared brighter, deflecting smaller debris. Roland crouched behind his shield and took cover as the monster’s energies ran wild. When the dust settled, the once-majestic Storm Eagle lay crumpled on the ground, its body twitching as residual sparks of lightning danced across its feathers. The creature let out a weak, rasping cry before its form disintegrated into motes of green and yellow light, leaving behind a cluster of high-quality wind crystals along with an orb that was its core.

Another of his skills leveled up - one he had acquired alongside the previous but had rarely used. With the mini-boss defeated, Roland strode over to retrieve his weapon from where it lay on the ground. The battle had gone exceptionally well, but the victory was owed entirely to his calculated tactics and the versatility of his multipurpose weapon, which misled his opponent into thinking he lacked ranged capabilities.

Still, he couldn’t ignore the risks he had taken. A misjudgment of even a millisecond or a millimeter could have resulted in a missed strike, leaving him without a weapon to continue the fight. Even though he had emerged victorious, fatigue began to set in. Using only his physical stats was something he wasn’t accustomed to, but if he wanted to address his weaknesses, it was an aspect of himself that needed strengthening.

With the battle over, Roland reactivated his runic spells, summoning his hammer back into the palm of his hand. His gaze then shifted to the spoils left behind by the monster.

‘More wind crystals like those from the wind elementals, some strange feathers, and a core…’

At first glance, the monster appeared to be a genuine bird, but upon closer inspection, it was more of a magical golem, created from condensed mana and elemental energy. Once its core had been damaged by his hammer, the stored mana within had gone berserk, leading to its destruction. He knew that understanding an enemy’s weaknesses was half the battle. Targeting the core directly had been a calculated gamble - and it had paid off.

The dropped feathers caught his attention. They pulsed faintly with wind mana, their surface shimmering in shades of green and silver. Despite their delicate, almost ethereal appearance, the feathers were surprisingly resilient.

After picking one up, Roland examined it closely. The feather seemed to both absorb and emit wind mana along with electricity, similar to the wind crystals he had collected earlier, but in a far more concentrated form. He turned it over in his hand and considered its potential uses.

Though his runesmithing skills were advanced, he wasn’t certain he could create anything practical from these materials. This particular drop might serve Rastix better or fetch a good price at the auction house. While his knowledge was extensive, he didn’t know every alchemical recipe or the myriad uses of monster parts scattered across this world.

“... Hey, what are you doing? Spit that out!”

Agni froze mid-chew, his fiery maw clamped around the high-quality wind core. His eyes darted guiltily to Roland, ears flattening as if he knew he'd been caught. The monsters core still glowed faintly, pulsating with energy, though now slightly covered in Agni's fiery drool.

“Agni, we talked about this! You can’t just go chomping on everything we find!”

“aWooo…”

He marched toward his flaming companion, who had the decency to whimper softly, letting the core drop to the ground with a muted thud. The wolf's flames flickered lower, a clear sign of his remorse, but Roland wasn’t letting this slide. He crouched to inspect the core, carefully wiping it off with a cloth from his satchel.

“You’re lucky this didn’t crack but just for this… you’re not getting any mana crystals for a whole week!”

Agni let out a pitiful whimper, his fiery tail drooping low as he pawed at the ground in protest. Roland, however, remained firm, his expression unyielding as he tucked the cleaned core into his storage.

“No, Agni. Don’t give me those puppy eyes. You need to learn to control yourself. I think all that worship from the Solarian believers is getting to your head… Now that I think about it, you do look heavier. Have they been feeding you extra treats?”

Agni turned his head to the side, the very picture of a guilty child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Roland sighed, knowing full well the worshippers were likely spoiling the holy beast with offerings. Narrowing his eyes, he watched as the wolf let out an exaggerated sigh of his own and collapsed onto the stone floor in an overly dramatic heap. His fiery mane dimmed to a faint glow, the very image of resignation. Roland’s lips turned into a smirk at his partner’s antics, though he kept his stern expression intact.

“…maybe I should start rationing your snacks too,”

Roland chuckled aloud, earning another whine from Agni, whose ears flattened even further.

“You’ll survive. Now get up. We still have three more temples to get through.”

After shaking his head, Roland turned his attention back to the now-cleared temple chamber. There were no hidden passages - only the elemental block remained, ready for him to pick up. It was the same shape as the one he had retrieved from the flame temple, but the magic it radiated belonged to the wind element.

He slipped the block into his storage, the artifact instantly dimming as it entered the spatial space. As expected, the temple began to rumble, the dungeon’s mechanisms resetting in preparation for future challengers. The magical winds that had once howled within the temple quieted, leaving behind an eerie stillness.

Roland and Agni continued their quest, venturing further towards the other elemental temples in search of the remaining blocks. After securing the Wind Elemental block from the Green Temple, they proceeded to the Water Temple, where new challenges awaited them.

The Water Temple stood serene yet ominous, its architecture mirroring the fluid and ever-changing nature of its element. Roland cautiously approached the entrance, scanning for traps and hidden runes through the lenses of his visor. As he had expected, the gate required the Wind Elemental block to proceed. With precision, he slotted it into place. The gates shimmered briefly before parting, granting them entry.

Inside, the temple’s atmosphere shifted immediately. The air grew damp and cool, and the sound of trickling water echoed softly through the narrow, winding corridors. Roland and Agni soon encountered elemental monsters once again. Skeletal forms, infused with shimmering water energy, rose to bar their path. Upon being defeated, these creatures dropped resources similar to those found in other temples.

This time, Roland was rewarded with Tidemetal - a fluid-like metal that gleamed with a brilliant blue under light. Its properties resembled mercury, making it more challenging to collect than the solid materials he had encountered before. The serpentine water elementals yielded high-quality water element crystals upon defeat. As they pressed on, Roland and Agni discovered several hidden treasure rooms, their persistence rewarded with rare finds, including a tier 3 trident made with the previously mentioned tidemetal.

While the enemies were no stronger than those encountered in the Flame and Wind Temples, navigating the Water Temple presented far greater challenges. Many of the tunnels were submerged, and Roland and Agni had to contend with multiple flooded chambers dominated by colossal water serpents.

Agni’s flames, typically an asset, proved to be more of a hindrance here. The intense heat generated large amounts of steam, making the air thick and difficult to breathe. Worse still, the flames were largely ineffective against the water elementals. Only the skeletons seemed vulnerable, their defeat aided by the divine energies imbued in Agni’s fire. The frustration led Roland to briefly wonder if it might be wiser to leave Agni outside entirely.

However, just as Roland was striving to overcome his own weaknesses, he felt it was important for Agni to face his as well. The wolf needed to learn how to handle his vulnerability to the water element and contend with enemies that wielded its power. Roland knew he wouldn’t always be there to protect him. Resolute in this belief, they pressed on with their adventure, eventually climbing their way to the lair of the temple’s next mini-boss- a massive, menacing toothy fish.

The upper portion of the temple was saturated with water elemental mana particles, so thick that they formed an ethereal environment where the creature swam with ease. The sight was both fascinating and humbling, serving as a stark reminder to Roland that he was still relatively inexperienced as an adventurer. He could count the number of dungeons he had explored on one hand, and each seemed to present a unique and unexpected challenge.

Defeating the creature proved to be a grueling task. Its erratic movement patterns were difficult to predict, and the relentless waves of water it summoned only added to the chaos. Roland found himself being pushed, not quite to his limit but he was getting there.

‘Perhaps I should do this some other time…’

Roland grumbled under his breath as yet another wave of water crashed into him, drenching his armor completely. Without the use of his mana to form a thin protective barrier, much of the water seeped inside, leaving him with an uncomfortable, damp sensation. It was a new challenge - fighting without his magic, with the relentless water pushing against him, making his attacks weaker and harder to land.

"Come here, you damn fish..."

With a groan, he took off running. This stupid fish wouldn’t get the best of him even without his magic, he would persevere.

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