Chương 9: Titan tamer

The battlefield filled with water, hindering movement. The guards stopped fighting entirely, trying to balance as the current slammed them into the walls. Both the muscular behemoth and the rock golem continued tearing each other down. Eric dropped onto the golem's shoulders. His blade flashed white just before impact, and he stabbed below the creature's skull using everything he had. The knife he wielded transformed into a thin sword moments before contact.

The same purple sludge erupted from the wound and sprayed across Eric's arms. He forced the giant forward like a puppet, driving it into the charging brute. The guards clung to the walls, struggling to keep afloat.

"Stop the water!" One of the Shattered yelled to the group. Everyone tried to channel their energy and seal the hole in the wall above. This plan worked until Eric steered the earth sentinel he controlled into the opening. Its head wedged itself into the tunnel. Water no longer filled the arena. The remaining liquid in the room solidified instantly. Eric, balancing on the head of the immobilized golem, wasn't bothered by the water turning into concrete.

The guards tried to get out, but the sticky substance made their escape impossible.

"Idiots! Morons! We'll suffer and burn if we survive." With a bellowing roar, the muscular brute ripped himself free. Everything below his waist stayed buried in the concrete, and thick blood poured from his torso. Eric recognized the severed hand that had been floating earlier in the water. It was now stuck in one place from the hardening of the surface. That looks like the fiery arm Grim showed me earlier. The stone golem transformed into a statue and embedded itself in the hard floor.

Eric jumped down and landed near the guards. He cut down the nearest guard, absorbing more yellow experience orbs. Small explosions followed seconds later, with armor pieces flying from the ground.

"You killed the previous golem!" Crawling on the ground from a puddle of blood, the muscular foe found the strength to speak. Eric grabbed the blade and took a fighting stance. He was prepared for any sudden movement because his enemy was still alive, even if barely functioning. Some leftover human features of the dragging corpse made him uneasy. Whatever was done to this thing, it suffered long before reaching this room.

"They promised us… no judgment, no sentence…" Blood dripped from the brute's mouth.

"Trust no one." The dying Shattered reached over to Eric, but he knocked the hand aside and smashed his weapon into the oversized head of the freak. Absorbing experience gave a stinging sensation, almost similar to being electrocuted. Looking around, Eric noticed the abundance of yellow orbs on the battlefield. Dozens of precious experience dropped from the guards and the golem. He ran over and took all of them. For the first time since entering Purgatory, he saw the level-up screen.

It surfaced right above his head, and if it wasn't for the notification sound, he would've discovered it upon meeting The Reaper. /————————————————————————————\ Level Up! Level 1 Reaper Acolyte -> Level 2 Reaper Acolyte Base stats increased with values suitable for your level and class. Rolling temporary buff, please wait… …. Temporary buff applied. \————————————————————————————/ Finally! I can't wait to tell Grim about this. Wait… what was that temporary buff thing?

Eric almost opened his stat screen, but the severed hand stuck into the concrete caught his eye again. Walking over, he was careful not to trigger the flames somehow. The memories from Death's projections stopped him from using force. With extreme precision, he picked up the hand and stored it in his inventory. The familiar achievement window popped up after absorbing the experience from the rock giant. /———————————————\ Achievement unlocked! Titan Tamer Ride a golem more than once.

Reward: Golemite Scroll x 3 A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. \———————————————/ Everything was quiet. Having space and time to think felt great. The golem had sealed the hole earlier, trapping Eric inside the treasury. He sat on the floor and opened his stats.

/——————————————————————\ Character Information Level 2 Name: Eric Graham Age: 24 Class: Reaper Acolyte Statistics: Strength: 5 + 3 Vitality: 4 + 1 Stamina: 4 + 2 Insight: 10 Willpower: 6 Awareness: 2 + 1 Bonuses: Working Out! - Increased Strength. 2 Battles Remaining.

Inventory: The Eternal Flame, Acid Potion, Golemite Scroll Achievements: Iron Stomach, Essence Room Wanderer, Titan Tamer \——————————————————————/ Before reading the scroll from the achievement, Eric wanted to see the item that could grant him passage to the next floor of the tower. Surprised by the missing description and information, he double-checked to see if his vision was correct. Closing his inventory and opening it again to select the item a second time had no effect.

Instead of the meticulous report he was used to, a cryptic riddle was presented to him. /————————————\ Pain is the spark. \————————————/ Great! Nobody asked for low-quality literature, but here we are. What does this even mean? The proposed puzzle from the severed hand wasn't the key problem Eric had to face. With the stone golem blocking the way back, he needed to find a new one. Moving closer to the corpse, he saw the purple liquid seeping from the wound, still fresh.

My strength is bigger with the temporary buff. Could I crack the head and return to the Elegy Vault? Eric climbed the rock plates that had earlier lodged his knife. Reaching the skull that blocked the hole, he summoned his weapon and got to work. The increased power from the level up and bonus gave him more energy to hack at the crumbling wall. His weapon enlarged and transformed into a pickaxe built for demolition.

All the water from the other side surged through a crack, but the pressure wasn't high enough to break the stone. Delivering one last powerful hit, Eric destroyed the skull of the golem and returned to the arena with the Elegy Vault. The old stony battlefield showed signs of vegetation. Water had transformed the ruined chamber into a green jungle. Vines and flowers sprouted from the broken stone pillars. Some rocks and wood had moss on them, but others that were higher in the air showed no signs of greenery.

Loud cackles and shrieks filled the air, and Eric entered stealth mode. Several flying minions with small wings zipped around in the air. Huge swinging ears and legs followed behind their small bodies. All of them had jagged, protruding teeth from their mouths, ready to feast on any unsuspecting prey. The vegetation served as a playground for the minions. Two of them tore some vines and strangled a third minion that was out of luck today.

Screaming and thrashing in the air, the dying creature exploded into a blob of blood, showering its killers. Eric watched the barbaric style of entertainment these hideous fiends had. Their tiny wings flapped less and less as the minions collapsed to the ground from laughter. The death of their own kind served as amusement and food. That could've been me. The essence running through Eric's body was getting low. His camouflage flashed twice before disappearing.

Flying through the garden-like landscape, the small minions weaved between pillars and vines. They flew over Eric's head and made a U-turn the moment they noticed him. He ran over to the Elegy Vault, but the fiends were faster. As the creatures closed in, the familiar sensation returned in Eric's body. He wanted to move before thinking. This wasn't the first time his instincts screamed. His mind had to battle the urge to act.

Grim had already warned about his low Awareness stat, and Eric didn't want to risk surrendering to what lurked inside him. He feared that something could go wrong. Just as one minion caught up to him, Eric turned around and let go of his prejudice. The dagger in his hand moved fast, but missed the incoming minion. It was closer than he expected, and the hit turned more into a push to the right. The second minion crashed into him. They fell to the ground and the long legs pinned Death's apprentice.

Hovering inches from his face, the monster's teeth smelled of rotten flesh and blood. The creature Eric had knocked back earlier came screaming back from above and tackled its friend. Both minions tore into each other and fought who would get the kill. Eric watched the unexpected bloodbath with both fear and curiosity. He knew that if they went after him, the situation would escalate, but he had a burning desire to see the gruesome ego match. Soon, the legs hanging in the air lashed with fury and precision.

Teeth gnawed at wings and body as the two minions entered a death match. Eric used the chance to sprint to the Elegy Vault and leave the flying menaces behind. He escaped dying in Purgatory by mere chance, if it wasn't for the greed and pride of his pursuers. I'm never doing that again. Those things almost chewed my head off. In this realm, regular human cravings like hunger were nonexistent. The only real thing Eric could feel besides pain was exhaustion.

A cozy bed sat beside one bookshelf, suspiciously looking like the one Grim made from the assembly instructions. Dragging himself onto it, Eric sat down when the entrance to the Elegy Vault slammed open.

"Do you want some snacks? Two of these freaky chickens battled outside," Grim held up a pair of bloody wings, and his apprentice vomited on the floor.

"Just get in. We need to talk," Eric blurted, wiping his mouth.

"Okay, okay! Let me get rid of these fellas," Death flung the appendages outside and closed the door with a bang.

"Listen! I almost died, but I also leveled up. I had this strange temporary buff thing happen, and it's related to working out."

"Hm, I suppose you were near some kind of enemy with high strength. The system in Purgatory likes to make these little jokes where you get something related to the enemies you faced or your misadventures."

"Really?! I passed one of the last trap areas in the Essence Room using my shoes and I got these goofy cowboy boots." Eric took off the rodeo footwear and placed them near the bed.

"I have to say… they look quite bizarre. If you'd worn them to the interview, I might've promoted you immediately," Grim chuckled. Ha, ha. Very funny…

"Speaking of strange rewards…" Eric summoned the severed hand and passed it to Grim.

"Is this the severed hand you told me about earlier?"

"It looks like it. It's just a bit worn out and… why is it covered in concrete?" The Reaper cleaned the spots from his robe. He dropped the arm on the floor, and sparks crackled briefly across the fingertips.

"Do you know something about the riddle? This item has no description, no stats, just this strange riddle." Eric yawned and stretched out on the bed, looking at the endless ceiling. The bookshelves extended into the void above.

"Knotty questions, eh? Some of these cockroaches locked the item. In order to use it, you have to solve the teaser, and it will return to normal," Grim wanted to continue his sermon, but saw Eric was fast asleep. The Reaper shot a small wisp that cleaned the cowboy leathers and restored their previous shine. Before leaving for Earth, he pulled out a small note which was empty. When he placed it on the boots, the note emitted a faint glow, and a set of instructions appeared.