Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 462 Good Disciple

The Shadow Steel Golem, also from the Ancient Tomb Sect, coincidentally reached the pinnacle of his life, directly transforming into a one-armed swordsman.

If an ordinary person were to suddenly suffer such pain as losing an arm, it would be common for them to faint, let alone be able to fight back. However, as a construct, the golem is a killing machine without emotion, and emotions such as pain, fear, and despair can hardly affect its will.

The moment its arm was severed, the Shadowsteel Golem did not hesitate to pick up the severed arm. Taking advantage of the gap left when the enemy was using all its strength, it twisted and thrust the arm into the Shadow Golem's smoky and fiery body, as if the limb in its hand was not its former limb, but merely a weapon picked up from the roadside.

The sharp tip of the arm pierced through the Shadow Demon's energy body. Not known for his physical defense, he did not dodge or parry, but allowed it to pierce through his chest.

Physical damage is also quite limited to the Shadow Fiend's body, and the shadow damage from Shadowsteel is ignored as if it were just a tickle.

The severed arm that pierced Nevinmore's chest was engulfed by flames. Seeing that its counterattack had little effect, the Shadowsteel Golem decisively let go and tried to leave, but all it saw was a golden-red scene.

The Shadow Demon, having used itself as bait to catch a big fish, was not about to give up easily. It opened its arms wide, taking the blow head-on, and then its claws, like hooks, suddenly gripped the golem's body. Flames, like lava, erupted from the cracked earth's core, engulfing its prey.

No matter how hard the Shadowsteel Golem struggled in the vortex of gloom and blazing fire after exhausting all its trump cards, it was all in vain.

The ruthless Shadow Demon wasn't satisfied with just severing one of his opponent's arms; under the cover of flames, he also left several penetrating wounds on the joints of the remaining three limbs, almost completely paralyzing his mobility.

Now both golems were defeated, and the two unfortunate creatures collapsed one after another on the ground not far away, looking as pathetic as large quantities of scrap metal in a junkyard.

The Word Bearers finally arrived at the scene, panting heavily. They had just seen the Soul Splitter's body disappear from their sight and appear on the distant battlefield. They immediately realized that the situation was far from critical. If they didn't go and show their loyalty now, would they be waiting to be punished later?
Seeing them rushing over, Zhang Yuan didn't say much, but simply gave them a cold look and calmly spoke:
"It's really impressive that you can keep such a neat formation at such a critical moment."

The drow and gray dwarves kept their heads down obediently, not daring to breathe loudly.

Instructing the wilted eggplants to guard the surrounding area, the mage, along with the tinker, began their brutal attack on the Shadowsteel golems.

The golem, lying on the ground and unable to resist, was no longer as imposing as before. Its attempts to twist its limbs were violently suppressed by the Shadow Fiend and Soulbreaker guarding it.

Now that things had reached this point, and most of what needed to be damaged had been damaged, the mage was no longer so hesitant about gains and losses, and began to deal with the spoils of this battle with great decisiveness.

Now that we have two prototypes of the Shadowsteel Golem, even though they are still precious, we can be a little bolder in our actions.

With the mage's extensive knowledge of constructs and Old Bosh's expertise in engineering, the two golems were disassembled without much effort.

As the Shadow Core, which served as the source of power and the core of thought, was removed, the light in the eyes of the two golems faded, and they entered a dormant, shutdown state.

The mage and the repairman stopped there, ceasing further disassembly. Although their curiosity and desire to study were high, the current situation was not a safe place, and such a major project should be left for later to ensure a safe outcome. Zhang Yuan had already made up his mind. Relying solely on his knowledge of construction and research resources, trying to monopolize the technology and craftsmanship contained in this gift package was like a snake trying to swallow an elephant—his appetite was too big.

With the need to both improve one's own spellcasting level and coordinate the development and construction of the territory, how much time and energy is left? By the time results are achieved, it might be too late.

Fortunately, Master Zhang was not a stingy person. He naturally could not keep such a gratifying harvest to himself. The first thing he thought of was his respected teacher, Tyrantir, who was wealthy and had a great deal of knowledge in construction and alchemy.

With the wealth and skill of a great mage, researching a Shadowsteel Golem is a piece of cake. Moreover, his teacher would certainly have a great interest in such a rare and special golem.

Make the best use of everything... no, I mean make the best use of everyone's talents. It's definitely much better for the teacher to help than for you to rack your brains. Besides, if you really make a breakthrough, how could you not get your share of the credit?
At that time, we will directly share the benefits of the teacher's reverse engineering. If you don't understand something, you can ask for help. You can even become an assistant and have the master guide you through the practical process so that you can truly master it. You can receive the benefits while lying down. Isn't that wonderful?

Besides, as the provider of the sample materials, the teacher couldn't possibly ignore my filial piety, could he?
After several consecutive battles, their small stockpile of scrolls was nearly depleted, and during their exploration of the Shadow Realm, they discovered that some magical items to combat negative energy were also quite necessary.

Making and accumulating these good things yourself would take forever; it's nowhere near as satisfying as going directly to the teacher's house to ask for them.

The thought that all the scrolls and strange objects the Grand Master had accumulated and created could only gather dust in the storeroom filled Master Zhang with sympathy for their lack of use and indignation at the wastefulness of such treasures.

Since it's useless anyway, wouldn't it be perfect to use it to reward my capable and meritorious disciple?

Of course, the archmage who obtained the Shadowsteel Golem as a research sample certainly didn't lose out, but for someone else, it was a huge windfall.

He got free labor to do his research and development, took the opportunity to squeeze some money out of his teacher, and even managed to curry favor with the teacher. It was a perfect win.

With this in mind, Zhang Yuan reorganized his team and cautiously advanced.

The journey was unimpeded, as if the fierce battle just now was the final battle of defense, and the tomb hall was now completely silent.

Illuminated by the light spell and the dim glow of the Spirit Lamp, the expedition team, advancing steadily, surveyed their surroundings. The vanguard had already cleared away the few traps and mechanisms already in place, so there was no need to worry about their safety.

"This is the end of our exploration so far. We need to search carefully if we go any further."

The priestess Eirima approached the mage and offered a reminder, to which the mage nodded and then strolled closer to the statue in front of him.

The statue, which had appeared quite large from a distance, now seemed even taller, at least ten meters away. The short-handled staff in the mage's hand, which had caught the mage's attention, was now clearly visible up close. It was over two meters long and as thick as a bowl, big enough to be used as an armor-piercing hammer.

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(End of this chapter)