Chapter 534: Chapter 533 – Aura.

“...”

“Awooo?”

“I’m fine Agni, just give me a minute.”

Roland replied as Agni’s nose poked him. He was panting and leaning up against one of the remaining walls. His body was drenched with water, his armor clinking with every heaving breath. Thanks to the Carp's relentless water attacks, the once-pristine temple floor now resembled a shallow pond. Agni, dripping as well, shook his body with an exaggerated swish, spraying droplets everywhere - mainly onto Roland.

“Agni!”

Roland shouted, holding up a hand to shield himself.

“Do you have to do that?”

Agni cocked his head innocently, his ears twitching.

“Awooo?”

Roland sighed.

“I swear, you’re doing this on purpose. I’ll remember this next time you’re hungry.”

Agni responded by plopping onto the wet ground with an audible splat, his fiery fur sizzling as it met the damp floor. The wolf gave Roland a half-lidded look, his tail lazily swishing through the puddles.

Roland groaned as he trudged through the waterlogged chamber, gathering the spoils left by the High Spirit Carp. Among them was a glossy blue orb that pulsed faintly with water mana and a pile of shimmering scale-like fragments. He eyed the orb warily.

"Let me guess, you want to eat this one too?"

Agni perked up instantly, his tail wagging. Roland waved a finger.

“How about no?”

Agni gave an indignant huff, clearly displeased at being refused the chance to eat the mana-rich crystals dropped by the creatures. Roland, on the other hand, wasn’t sure what everything was useful for, so it seemed wiser to assess their worth after consulting Rastix and others like Brylvia. For all he knew, some of these items could be components for advanced weaponry or golemic creations.

“Stop being a drama queen, Agni. Let’s go - we still have two more temples to conquer, and then there’s that last door.”

With the loot secured, Roland and Agni pressed on toward the Earth Temple. Along with the one aligned to the darkness element, it was one of the two remaining. Once he secured all five elemental blocks, Roland assumed he would be able to unlock the closed door.

He had previously let his golems analyze the door, revealing its considerable magical defenses. While it was possible to attempt forcing his way through, he was certain that such an approach would trigger traps. It seemed far better to assemble more defensive turrets and set up a generator before attempting to test the door’s defenses.

Soon the two made their way towards the Earth Temple. Their progress was steady as it only took them four hours to clear the previous two temples. Roland paused before the sealed door, noting the faint indentation that matched the water elemental block in his possession. The magic symbols around the entrance shimmered briefly before the heavy stone doors groaned open, revealing a dimly lit passageway that stretched into the depths of rocky temple.

Stone Sentinels that resemble rock golems but were in truth earth elementals blocked their path. This temple was similar to the other three he already cleared so going through it proved simple. The monsters here were on the same levels as the other elementals and he also noticed undead with rocky armors lumbering about. Once defeated he was given earth elemental crystals from the rocky monsters and Terranite, a solid, earthy ore, quite dense and resistant.

“These things are hard…”

He had reached the final chamber where the next elemental block awaited. His hand trembled slightly, a testament to the strain he had endured. He had been relentlessly training his physical skills, smashing monsters with his hammer. Though the weapon was effective at breaking through their defenses, the resulting vibrations had taken a toll on his hands. He was also out of breath; unlike casting runic spells, which didn’t rely on stamina, his regular battle skills demanded it.

“Stamina, huh…”

As he pondered this issue, his thoughts veered in another direction. His primary goal was to strengthen himself for moments when mana wasn’t an option, or when he lacked access to runes. Stamina, like mana, was another vital resource in this world, influenced by general stats and bolstered by passive skills or traits. There were likely methods to increase his stamina, but a question lingered in his mind: was it possible to use stamina in conjunction with runes?

With his mind churning, Roland stepped into the area, this time with Agni by his side. While Agni’s flames hadn’t been particularly effective against the other monsters, he could provide valuable ranged support against this next foe - a formidable matchup for a physical fighter. As expected, it was a golem-type creature, one crafted from pitch-dark obsidian.

The golem was far larger than the previous monsters Roland had faced and also much slower. It resembled a colossal stone giant, towering close to seven meters high. Its body was a fusion of jagged rocks, with glowing veins of energy coursing through its chest and limbs. Its eyes burned with a fiery amber light, and each of its thunderous steps sent tremors rippling across the temple floor.

Through his visor, Roland carefully studied the colossus, analyzing its movements and attack patterns. The creature wielded no weapon, but its massive arms were lined with sharp, spiked protrusions, each as long as a dagger. One solid hit from those arms would undoubtedly send him flying against the temple walls - or worse, tumbling off the structure entirely.

“Agni, keep your distance, and focus on its joints - try to slow it down.”

Roland issued a command to his wolf partner. Agni’s task was simple: to pester the golem with light fire attacks while Roland moved in for the offensive. It was a straightforward tactic that worked well against mindless monsters like this one. However, an issue quickly arose.

As expected, the golem reacted to Agni’s flames, immediately shifting its focus to the wolf. Agni, with his superior agility, had no trouble keeping out of the creature’s reach. This distraction gave Roland the perfect opening to strike. He aimed for the monster’s joints, swinging his hammer with precision and channeling one of his skills to enhance the impact.

The hammer collided with the golem’s obsidian surface, but instead of bringing the massive creature down to its knees, the strike only managed to chip the stone slightly.

“He’s tougher than I thought…”

Roland muttered under his breath. Before he could formulate his next move, the golem turned toward him, its glowing amber eyes locking onto him once more. Reacting quickly, Roland leaped back, narrowly avoiding a devastating counterattack. As before, Agni immediately resumed pestering the creature, drawing its attention away and giving Roland another opening.

These types of monsters had been studied extensively by adventurers over the years. Their weaknesses were well-documented: targeting the leg joints was key. Once a leg was damaged enough, the monster would collapse under its own weight, exposing its core. Striking the core would deliver the finishing blow.

In theory, it sounded straightforward. In practice, it was anything but. The core’s location was a challenge as it was encased deep within the monster’s dense obsidian body. Reaching it required delivering a devastatingly precise blow, all while avoiding the creature’s powerful counterattacks. Though Roland knew the core’s exact location, his physical skills, which had yet to reach tier 3, were insufficient to deal the necessary damage.

‘Perhaps runes are the only option here.’

He thought to himself, considering a shift back to mana-based attacks. Then, a sudden thought crossed his mind.

‘Wait… there’s that type of energy. What if I simulated it instead?’

A bright idea sparked to life. It was a concept he had pondered before, something he had come across in the literature during his time at the Institute. If he could replicate this energy, it might offer the solution he needed. In his time, Roland had successfully replicated obscure energies - like those used by priests and necromancers. The energy he had in mind now, however, didn’t originate from magic, but that wouldn’t stop him.

‘In theory, it shouldn’t be that difficult to recreate’

This new type of energy was different from what he was accustomed to, and he had never seen much reason to replicate it before, as magic had always been the superior option. However, if he wanted to focus on stamina-based attacks, this would be the natural upgrade. The energy he was thinking of was spirit, and its direct upgrade, aura. Aura was used by the more prestigious fighter classes and required vast amounts of stamina to wield, alongside its own unique resource.

‘Well, no reason not to try it…’

He muttered the incantation before holding out his hammer. The weapon shimmered, and the runes etched onto it began to shift as he activated his runesmithing skill. Even without striking the hammer against the weapon, Roland could alter its structure - it just required a copious amount of mana. With his level of expertise, it didn’t take long, and soon he had adjusted the settings to align with his goal.

As before, Agni kept the golem distracted, darting around and evading the monster’s slow, telegraphed attacks. Roland seized this opportunity to strike. Dropping his shield, he gripped his hammer with both hands and sprinted forward. His weapon pulsed with crimson energy, and as he swung it down onto the golem’s back, the resulting impact generated a massive explosion. The shockwave reverberated through the upper temple, sending tremors that rattled the very stone beneath his feet.

The force of the strike cracked the obsidian plating along the golem's back, sending shards of dark stone flying in all directions. The golem let out an inhuman roar as it staggered forward, its movements stopping almost instantly. After the dust had settled it became clear that Roland had created a massive gaping hole in the golem, blasting all the way through.

The obsidian giant wavered for a moment, its massive form swaying precariously. Roland’s hammer clattered to the ground as he dropped to his knees, every muscle in his body screaming in protest. His breaths came in ragged gasps, his stamina almost fully drained just from one attack.

The golem let out a final, echoing groan, its fiery amber eyes dimming. Its enormous frame began to crumble, chunks of obsidian falling away to reveal a cracked core. The core pulsed once, twice and then shattered in a burst of light. The temple fell silent, the tremors that were echoing during the fight now gone.

“Awooo?”

“I’m fine, just tired…”

Agni quickly ran toward Roland, who had dropped to one knee after performing his attack. He had attempted to simulate an Aura attack using rune magic and had been partially successful, but not entirely. The technique had drained him of almost all his stamina and required some mana to activate. After all, it was still a rune, and mana was a necessary component.

‘It’s not quite a failure. I still managed to reduce the mana requirements by a large amount. I could potentially use this in a mana-thin environment; I’d just need a sliver of mana to activate it…’

The main limiting factor was Aura itself, which was a resource of its own. While Roland could emulate the energy using his mana, he didn’t have true Aura within his body. Fighters cultivated Aura through years of training or unlocked it through special means, making it an exclusive and difficult power to wield.

There was a structured approach to acquiring this sought-after resource, which primarily came down to training, perseverance, and a bit of luck. Arthur had managed to unlock it, but he was a fencer, not a runesmith. Roland, on the other hand, was a runesmith, and while he lacked true Aura, he could still emulate some of its power. Judging by the damage he had caused, this rune was undeniably powerful. However, its major drawback was that it consumed most of his stamina, leaving him vulnerable after use.

‘I suppose it could be useful under certain circumstances’

He stood up, nodding to himself. While this technique wasn’t ideal for direct combat, it was another tool in his arsenal. Spell-nullifying techniques typically focused on disrupting spells during their formation, rather than the mana that mages had already gathered. Even if his standard runic spells were countered, he could still likely activate this Aura rune. Some additional testing would be necessary, but this experiment appeared to be a success.

“Good, let's get the block and move on to the next one.”

After gathering up the obsidian parts from the defeated golem and its core, the two left the dormant Earth Temple. Four of the five elemental blocks were now in his possession, and only the Darkness Temple remained. Though the trials weren’t that difficult, he still exhausted himself by limiting his use of mana.

The path to the Darkness Temple was cloaked in an unsettling stillness. Dead trees with skeletal branches stretched out like gnarled fingers, casting eerie shadows over the desolate trail. A chill wind swept through the barren landscape, carrying an unnatural silence that seemed to consume all sound. Even Agni, normally brimming with playful energy, stayed close to Roland. His fiery mane, usually a vibrant blaze, dimmed as they approached the temple's imposing silhouette.

The temple bore an aesthetic reminiscent of Aztec architecture, yet it stood apart with its own distinct features. Its structure was composed of pure black stone, jagged and forbidding, absorbing all light in the area and making it difficult to see clearly. Tendrils of shadow coiled and writhed around its base as if alive, exuding an aura of malevolence that even made Roland feel uneasy.

“Stay close, Agni. I have a bad feeling about this one.”

The earth block activated the entrance and as they stepped inside the temperature dropped further. The air was heavy, suffused with a dark, oppressive energy. Unlike the previous temples, which had been alive with elemental activity, this one felt... empty. Or rather, it felt as though something was watching, waiting.

The first chamber was vast and cloaked in near-total darkness. Roland activated his runic visor, revealing faint outlines of jagged pillars and broken statues. As he moved cautiously forward, shadowy figures began to materialize around him. They were formless at first, but as they approached, they took on humanoid shapes, their bodies composed entirely of swirling darkness. Pale, glowing eyes locked onto Roland and Agni.

Roland swung his hammer as the first creature lunged at him, the weapon passing harmlessly through its body. The shade reformed instantly, hissing as it struck back with an unnervingly sharp claw that almost raked across Roland’s armor. Though the blow didn’t connect, the chill it left behind somehow started seeping away his strength.

“Physical attacks don’t work… These are shade creatures.”

Agni let out a low growl and leaped forward, his flames roaring to life as he sank his teeth into one of the shades. The creature recoiled, part of its shadowy form consumed by the searing divine fire. Roland observed the effect and quickly realized that his training session would have to end sooner than planned. These creatures were immune to conventional attacks; magic was the only means of survival against them.

“Well, I had a good run but I’m also working on a schedule…”

Suddenly, as if unleashed by an unseen force, a massive surge of light erupted from Roland’s body. The runes shifted, transforming his crimson armor into a radiant, luminescent display of gold. The glowing energy pulsed, and Roland could feel his mana flowing through the runes, filling him with power. The golden light illuminated the entire area, revealing several more shade creatures hiding in the shadows.

“Let’s speed this up, Agni. I’m starting to get hungry. After this one, let’s take a break and have a bite.”

“Woof?”

“Yeah, sure. If you do well, I’ll give you some crystals to munch on.”

“WOOF!”

Agni, clearly reinvigorated, perked up with his tail wagging and flames erupting around his body. The temple walls and the shades fought to absorb the overwhelming light, but there was simply too much of it for them to handle. The dark entities recoiled in the face of his newfound aura. The light pulsed brighter and brighter, filling the entire room with a radiance so powerful it almost erased the monsters instantly.

With his mana amplifying his runes, the fight turned into a cakewalk. The monsters didn’t stand a chance, and even when they drew near, they were repelled by a mana shield of their opposite element - light.

“That about does it for this one…”

Within moments, all the shades had been destroyed, and the light surrounding Roland began to fade.

“Umbrium, this time, huh?”

His reward was a shadowy crystal that radiated the essence of darkness, another addition to his growing elemental collection. With that taken care of, all that remained was to retrieve the final elemental block and move on to whatever lay hidden behind the massive door.

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