Fourth Grade!

Herbert’s tone then became steady, carrying a sense of both reassurance and command. He spoke to Sutton while simultaneously announcing to everyone behind him:

“There is no need for excessive concern. First, these things are not spellcasters; their methods of attack are bound to be singular and clumsy. Second, after so many years, their core power supply must be on the verge of depletion, meaning their stamina is limited. Finally, they are slow, and their movements are easy to predict. We only need to fight steadily, exhaust their remaining energy, and gradually weaken their defenses.”

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over Matthew and the five adventurers who stood ready. His orders were clear and decisive: “Strike together to distract them. Look for opportunities to attack non-core vitals like the joints. Remember—do not damage the energy core in the chest area! That is one of our primary objectives for this trip.”

Hearing this, Matthew understood. Although these golems were low on energy and moved sluggishly due to the passage of time, their bodies were forged to be exceptionally sturdy. They were like giants whose blood had been drained but whose hard skeletons remained. They possessed thick defensive shells, even if their insides were nearly hollow. Their greatest threat was not their attack, but the “hard shell” that was difficult to break quickly. They essentially became “sandbags” designed to stall for time and drain the strength of intruders.

It seemed troublesome, but it really wasn’t. However, a trace of doubt rose in Matthew’s heart.

After all, if this was the case, it could only deceive those who didn’t know better. If any random wizard apprentice came along and spent a little time and effort after seeing through it, they could pass through without hindrance...

Then the arrangements of this Fifth-Grade Apprentice would be a bit too trivial...

The process of clearing them was not dangerous, but it did take some effort. Herbert’s judgment was indeed precise. Because their energy had been depleted for a long time, these golems were quite sluggish, their every movement carrying a stiffness as if they had been out of repair for ages. However, their defense was surprisingly strong. Whether it was the faint yellowish glow naturally surfacing on their rocky torsos or the hard material mixed with special minerals, every attack was significantly less effective.

Fortunately, there were no weaklings in the team. Sutton and Herbert went without saying; their continuous spell attacks constantly wore down the golems’ defenses. As for the five adventurers, the lowest among them were skilled Brass Rankers. What Matthew noted privately was that two of them had condensed and heavy auras, clearly having stepped into the Silver Rank. One was a burly man wielding a heavy warhammer named Rex; the other was a red-haired woman named Leah, who moved as lithely as a leopard and held twin shortswords. Their attacks were powerful and heavy, specifically targeting the joints and weak points in the energy flow, making them quite efficient.

Under the collective effort of the group, these “sandbag-like” golems were dismantled and defeated one by one, turning into piles of motionless rubble and metal remains on the ground. For a moment, the hall fell silent, with only a bit of dust slowly drifting down.

With the battle over, the atmosphere naturally relaxed a bit. A sense of ease also crossed Matthew’s mind. After all, the start was smooth, and they hadn’t encountered any real danger. He had also witnessed the methods of a high-grade apprentice and the characteristics of these ancient creations, which was quite a harvest. He was secretly summarizing and reflecting, evaluating the strength and cooperation shown by everyone just now, gaining a clearer understanding of his companions’ capabilities.

During this brief moment of relaxation—

“Watch out!” Sutton’s low, urgent voice suddenly rang out, his sharp eye staring toward a certain direction deep within the hall. “A strong surge of mana is approaching!”

Matthew’s heart tightened. Almost instinctively, he turned his gaze toward the strongest person in the team—Herbert. However, he saw that Herbert only turned slightly, his figure under the grey robe still upright, his face showing no surprise and even carrying a hint of expected indifference. He hadn't given an early warning; only after Sutton pointed it out did he cast his gaze toward the direction of the surge, as if he had only just confirmed it.

Matthew understood in an instant, and the relaxation he had felt from clearing the minor enemies vanished completely. He had misjudged Herbert’s personality. This Third-Grade Apprentice’s “sharing” and “analysis” were likely not out of concern for the team. He had been willing to explain the golems’ characteristics earlier, firstly out of arrogant pride—his casual Water Bullet had failed to do damage, so he needed to show his knowledge to maintain his authority and not be looked down upon. Secondly, and perhaps more practically, he realized that resolving these thick-skinned creatures by himself would take a lot of effort. Letting others share the burden of attacking was the more efficient and labor-saving choice.

“Selfish, efficient, and skilled at maintaining his image...” Matthew quietly revised his evaluation of Herbert, and his vigilance rose again. He completely suppressed his previous ease and focused all his attention ahead.

That surge of mana became clearer and stronger, and... it was coming from beneath their feet!

“Rumble...”

A dull vibration came from deep underground, faint at first, then becoming obvious. The floor of the entire hall began to tremble slightly, and rubble and dust fell from the ceiling. The vibration carried a rhythmic roar, as if some gargantuan creature was being awakened from its slumber, breaking free from its shackles deep within the tomb and rising upward.

Immediately after, a section of the stone floor toward the front-center of the hall suddenly bulged upward and shattered! Amidst flying earth and stone, an incredibly massive shadow burst from the ground.

As the dust settled slightly, the object’s true form was revealed under the illumination of the cold-light stones.

It was a giant golem nearly five meters tall. Its entire body was composed of a dense, dark brown rock that was nearly black, its surface covered in rugged and mysterious natural patterns, as if it had endured ten thousand years of wind and frost.

Its physique was several times more burly than the previous golems, its limbs as thick as palace pillars, and its torso as heavy as a mountain.

Most terrifying were the two eerie red crystal “eyes” embedded in its head, which were emitting a light far brighter and more stable than the previous golems. A heavy and surging earth-attribute mana fluctuation radiated from it as the center, spreading outward like a tide and pressing against the surrounding air.

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