Sutton's single eye stared intently at the giant golem, his voice carrying an unprecedented gravity:
“I'm afraid this is the real main guardian of this place... Judging by the intensity of its aura, it is already approaching the Fourth-Grade Apprentice level! And...” He paused, a hint of doubt and astonishment creeping into his tone.
“Its energy fluctuations are so abundant and active, seemingly not having diminished much with the passage of time.”
Hearing this, Matthew's heart sank heavily.
Fourth-Grade Apprentice level?
Almost no loss of energy?
How was this possible?
The tomb had been sealed for a long time, and those small golems from earlier had been sluggish due to a lack of energy. Why was this largest guardian able to maintain an almost pristine state instead?
How did it store or replenish its energy?
Could there be some other secret hidden deep within this tomb?
The giant golem before them stood silently on the shattered ground, its eerie red “gaze” slowly sweeping over the intruders. Its majestic mana pressure instantly froze the atmosphere that had just relaxed, making it more tense than at any previous moment.
Everyone was shaken upon hearing this.
Sutton's words, “approaching the Fourth-Grade Apprentice level,” were like a block of ice falling into the air already stagnant with the giant golem's pressure, sending a chill down everyone's spine.
The five Class holders—including the two Silver Rank experts, Rex and Leah—did not fully understand what a “Fourth-Grade Apprentice” truly represented in terms of terrifying power in the wizarding world.
However, their master Sutton's suddenly solemn tone, the fiery sharpness and suspicion in his single eye, and the instantly grim, iron-like expressions of the two wizard apprentices, Matthew and Herbert, in front of them were enough to make them understand:
The threat level of this giant stone creature that had burst from the ground far exceeded that of the sluggish “sandbags” from before.
They were all individuals who had experienced life and death, living on the edge of a blade, and they did not fear death itself all that much. However, what radiated from the giant golem's eerie red crystal eyes at this moment was not simple killing intent or hostility, but a more fundamental, majestic pressure stemming from the difference in their life levels. That heavy pressure descended, not acting on the physical body, but seemingly striking directly at the depths of their souls, bringing a near-instinctive shudder from the depths of their bloodlines and spirituality. Cold sweat seeped from their palms as they gripped their weapons, their muscles tensing like iron, their eyes locked onto the giant golem, yet they could not suppress the chill seeping from their very bones. This was not the tension of facing a wild beast or a powerful enemy, but rather the sense of insignificance and helplessness of an ant looking up at a collapsing mountain.
In the instant after Sutton's voice fell, Herbert's expression underwent several subtle changes. When he first heard “Fourth-Grade Apprentice,” a trace of hard-to-conceal astonishment and shock indeed flashed across his sharp brows, an instinctive reaction to a severe error in his estimation.
A Fourth-Grade Apprentice, even if only “approaching,” meant that this puppet's core energy level, rune complexity, and the earth elemental power it could mobilize had all stepped across a new threshold, completely different from the defective Third-Grade level products from earlier.
This was by no means the “slightly valuable ancient artifact” he had anticipated.
However, this astonishment and shock did not last long.
Almost simultaneously, another more intense, more fundamental emotion, like lava suddenly erupting from beneath a layer of ice, quickly swallowed that bit of shock. It ignited two deep, dark flames in his eyes—unabashed greed mixed with burning calculation.
Fourth-Grade... a stone puppet close to the energy level of a Fourth-Grade Apprentice!
After the shock, Herbert's thoughts raced, becoming exceptionally clear and even excited.
This thing... even in the academy, it would be considered an extremely rare treasure! How could an ordinary Third-Grade Apprentice easily possess one? No, the key lies in—
His gaze was like a knife, as if wanting to dissect that thick rock shell to look directly at its internal core structure and energy circuits.
The driving principle of a puppet is different from that of a living apprentice.
A Fourth-Grade Apprentice needs to possess the corresponding level of Spirit, mana reserves, and understanding of rules to exert Fourth-Grade power. But a puppet... it is a creation!
It is a construct with pre-engraved runes and pre-constructed energy circuits!
The “source mana” required to activate it might be immense, but it does not necessarily require a real Fourth-Grade Apprentice to constantly infuse it with full strength to maintain it.
It can completely rely on pre-stored energy, leyline extraction, or highly efficient magic-magnetic arrays to assist in power supply!
Theoretically, as long as there are enough resources and the design is exquisite, a Third-Grade Apprentice, or even... a wealthy Second-Grade Apprentice who has mastered specific control runes, could potentially drive this Fourth-Grade puppet to a certain extent!
This realization made his heart leap violently.
What does this mean? It means this thing is not just an ancient artifact or a research specimen... It is a top-tier war construct of astonishing power that has the potential to be “downgraded for use”!
Using it to guard important laboratories or warehouses, as a vanguard meat shield in dangerous explorations, or even as a deterrent in situations where it is inconvenient to act personally... its value is inestimable! Moreover, looking at its current state, with its energy fluctuations so abundant, its power supply system is clearly extremely well-preserved, or... there is another secret deep within this tomb replenishing its energy. In any case, this puppet itself is a mobile treasure trove!
His gaze swept over Sutton beside him, Matthew behind him, and the Class holders who stood ready.
It hasn't reached the true Fourth-Grade yet; it's only “approaching” it. It is full of energy, but that also means we can wear it down or find the weakness in its control core. With the joint efforts of Sutton and me, two Third-Grade Apprentices, plus Sutton's well-trained and quite capable lackeys, and Matthew, who comes from the Fire Vortex Tower and might be hiding a trick or two... the probability of taking it down is definitely not small!
The flames of greed burned fiercely in his heart, nearly overpowering the sense of pressure brought by the giant golem.
There were risks, of course, but the returns... were too massive!
Sutton's single eye did not linger entirely on that terrifying giant golem at this moment.
While Herbert's expression was shifting, his peripheral vision, like a highly precise scanner, rapidly swept across the faces of everyone around him.
He took in the shock and gravity on Matthew's face. He felt no surprise at this, even finding it perfectly natural.
For a Second-Grade Apprentice to suddenly face an existence with pressure close to the Fourth-Grade, it would be strange if his face didn't change. If I had been in such a situation back then, my mind would probably have been even more shaken.
Matthew's reaction was within his expectations and nothing to worry about.
...
...
Rate on N.U.
