Chapter 145: Azure Engraved Golem (Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!)
Chapter 145: Azure Engraved Golem (Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!)
By mid-November, the weather had grown increasingly cold. If you ventured out before sunrise, you could already see a thin layer of white frost on the withered grass along the streets.
Rod had recently installed a new bathing system in his home, finally giving him access to hot water 24/7.
As the weather turned colder, the layers of clothing he needed to wear when going out gradually increased. Additionally, he found himself increasingly fond of carrying Worm with him.
The little creature was warm and cuddly, like a portable heater.
Worm's popularity in the guild had also grown significantly. Whoever held him couldn't bear to let go.
They even wished Rod would summon more Poro, ideally one for each of them.
Unfortunately, Rod could only summon Worm, and no others, despite his willingness to help. While other monsters could be summoned multiple times, Poro was a unique exception.
Landlord Goodman's business had suddenly picked up.
According to him, his father had been inspired by the wooden carvings Rod had given him, leading to improvements in his carving techniques. As a result, their crafts had become particularly popular recently.
Moreover, Mrs. Molly was studying the fabric Rod had given her, hoping to learn from it.
In gratitude, Goodman reduced Rod's rent by 20,000 J, making it 60,000 J per month.
For a house of the same size and quality in Magnolia, it was nearly impossible to find a lower price.
Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction, except for the guild master, who looked increasingly worried about Rod's reluctance to venture out.
If this continued, his retirement plans would be delayed even further. When would Rod finally become an S-Class mage?
"Master."
"Oh?" Makarov perked up. "Are you ready to take on a mission?"
"Not exactly, I need your help with something." Rod pointed to the backyard.
"Ah, you're looking to take on a new target, I see?" Makarov nodded, thinking it might be a good opportunity to boost his strength.
"Not quite. That target... I need some more time to mentally prepare."
Truthfully, Rod wasn't eager to absorb the Magic Bog Frog. The creature was hideous, and there was no telling what he might look like afterward.
However, he did want the frog's poison attribute. It would be useful in desperate situations, adding a menacing "If you kill me, I'll poison you" quality to his arsenal.
But if he ended up covered in warts... While he could remove the magic to revert to his normal form, he still needed to think it through carefully.
"Today, I want to summon something big," Rod said.
"I see. Let's go, then."
Makarov recalled the tree monster and the peculiar additional magic from a while back, a smile tugging at his lips.
After discovering that the "Crown of Ember" additional magic had healing properties, Rod had even suggested using it daily to "extend his lifespan."
Although it was later proven ineffective, Makarov was still touched by the gesture.
For him, the concern and care from his children were the best elixir for a long life.
The guild hall was as lively as ever, though not as noisy as usual. This was likely because a certain troublemaker was dozing off on the table.
Rod glanced at him curiously. Aside from the period when Natsu was dealing with the aftereffects of eating lightning, he rarely saw him so lethargic. "Did he eat something strange again?"
Makarov shook his head. "Don't worry about him."
With a bit of confusion, Rod followed the guild master to the backyard and quickly focused on casting his magic.
"I am..."
"Azure Engraved Golem!"
Rod recited the incantation with utmost seriousness, and as he called out the name, a brilliant blue light erupted from the ground.
Chunks of stone emerged and rapidly assembled into a stone giant, standing about four to five meters tall.
While not as massive as the giant created by Makarov's magic, it was still an imposing sight.
At the center of the stone giant's body was a large blue orb, emitting a distinctly different aura from the red orb on the back of the Crimson Marked Treant.
The Azure Engraved Golem, also known as the Blue Buff, Blue Orb, or Blue Dominance, was the counterpart to the Crimson Marked Treant, which was often referred to as the Red Buff. Both were highly sought-after monsters in the game, often the source of fierce competition.
The stone golem standing before Rod, with its two feet firmly planted on the ground, appeared taller and more imposing than the four-legged treant.
It just looked a bit clumsy.
Makarov, as always, was protective of Rod. He waited for Rod to confirm the golem's obedience before introducing it to the others.
Rod felt the mana within him: "It consumes about the same amount of mana as summoning a treant, and it has an additional magic ability."
Rod pointed at himself: "Crown of Insight!"
A blue 'light bulb' inside the golem flickered, emitting a blue light that scanned over Rod.
Three translucent blue light patterns appeared around Rod, rotating once before diving into his body.
A moment later, three more light patterns reappeared, rotating once again and diving into Rod's body.
Each time these light patterns were absorbed, Rod could feel his mana recovering slightly. This was the primary function of the Crown of Insight: mana restoration.
However, maintaining the golem's existence still consumed a significant amount of mana. Currently, the recovery rate was slightly slower than the consumption rate.
Rod frowned, finding this unreasonable.
He had a suspicion: "Master, would you like to try it?"
Makarov nodded: "Sure, go ahead."
"Crown of Insight!" Rod pointed at Makarov, and the blue light scanned over him, causing similar blue light patterns to appear around the Guild Master.
However, these light patterns only circled around Makarov and did not enter his body.
Makarov, sensing no change, asked: "Is it ineffective on me?"
Rod shook his head: "No, it might need you to expend a bit of mana first to see the effect."
"Oh?" Makarov extended his hand and casually released a light magic spell into the sky.
The blue light patterns immediately dove into his body and reappeared.
"This is a spell that instantly restores all mana?"
Makarov's face showed a brief moment of panic. He knew only one method capable of such an effect, and it was Fairy Tail's greatest secret.
No, that's not right, it shouldn't be that extreme.
Makarov calmed down and quickly cast several very mana-intensive defensive spells.
When the blue light patterns entered his body again, Makarov sighed in relief. It wasn't an unlimited restoration.
The recovery speed was not as fast as he had imagined.
But there was something off. Why was Rod's mana still slowly decreasing at this recovery rate?
Rod grimaced: "Maybe because I'm too weak."
It seemed this ability worked similarly to the game, restoring mana as a percentage.
For someone as powerful as Makarov, wearing the Crown of Insight and using magic reasonably could almost simulate a pseudo-infinite mana state.
For Rod, with his limited mana reserves, it simply extended the golem's existence time.
However, Rod wasn't discouraged. This constant cycle of consumption and restoration allowed him to maintain the golem for a fight, unlike the treant, which could only be used as a trump card.
If he could boost his mana a bit more, he could achieve a balance between consumption and recovery. With a bit more effort, it would be like having a powerful wild creature for free in every battle!
The golem's size and strength meant that a single punch would likely cause more damage than Rod fighting in close combat.
Rod estimated his remaining mana: "In a few days, I might be able to try absorbing it."
Makarov asked: "Are you sure? I remember you saying that absorbing consumes much more mana than summoning."
"Right... I might need to lie down after absorbing it, but for the second absorption, I won't need to summon it first. I'll gain a transformation form."
Rod pondered, "I can wait a few more days to be more certain."
Wishing everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival, even though the author has to keep writing without a break.
(End of Chapter)
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