The Golem Mage

After eating the fish, they found out that not only was it incredibly delicious but also strangely addictive.

Even Alec received a system notification awarding him a small amount of experience points, though negligible but that was enough to spark an idea.

Despite not being a great cook himself, the quality of the fish elevated the meal to something exceptional.

Sensing an opportunity, he called for a meeting, with his father away, he requested the clan elders to help him gather skilled Gordon ladies interested in managing a restaurant in the business district when he returned to the academy.

And so, the Gordon Restaurant was born, with spirit fish as its signature dish.

Alec discovered that the longer the fish stayed in the amulet world, the higher its cultivation realm became( the limit being Tier 5 due to the pools level), and with it, the benefits to anyone who consumed it.

Higher-tier fish weren’t just more nutritious, they were also more flavourful and significantly larger.

Alec even began adjusting prices based on the fish’s tier, the business region, formerly known as the Outer Region, became flooded with customers eager to taste the magical dish and experience its effects after Alec bribed some of his clan’s enforcers to go out and spread rumours about the Gordon’s restaurant, though the rumours were true he just wanted their awareness level to increase without giving out free trials.

With numerous testimonies spreading like wildfire, Alec began brainstorming ways to introduce more aquatic lifeforms to diversify the restaurant’s menu.

Thanks to his recent breakthrough, Alec also unlocked the sixth branch of the Ancient Primordial Tree, upgrading it to level 2 straight.

—

Everyone summoned their gear and ensured they were in peak condition after they appeared in the black space of the amulet world.

Alec had warned them that this time he was going in , his battle would mostly take place in the core of the second level of the Beast Forest.

As he believed he finally had the strength to conquer it, so they should watch out and not get swept up into it if they weren’t confident enough.

“Let’s go,” Alec said, stepping forward toward the second door of the Beast forest, with his team following closely behind.

This time, the portal before the door didn’t shimmered with a single hue, instead, it pulsed with a swirling, rainbow-like radiance.

This was because Alec had wished for everyone to be separated and teleported into different locations.

It wasn’t that he didn’t believe in strength in numbers, he did but if anyone encountered another person inside the second level of the Beast Forest and chose to work together, that would be their own decision, he just didn’t want to make It easy for them.

As they were all Tier 6 mages now, though still at the low rank of the realm, but Alec believed they each had the ability to navigate danger and survive on their own when things got tough.

–

As Alec opened his eyes after awakening from passing through the portal, he squinted, trying to take in his surroundings he was dropping into.

And unlike the rest of the forest, which was full of vibrant green trees, the area he seems to be landing too is filled with twisted black trees that looked as if they’d been scorched by thunder.

Mid-air, Alec twisted his body, adjusting his descent.

As a wave of purple energy pulsed beneath his feet as he neared the ground, cushioning his fall.

He scanned the desolate landscape, but Alec wasn’t a novice hunter in this forest anymore, and he knew very well that appearances were always deceiving here.

So he closed his eyes and spread out his mana sense.

His mental energy hadn’t reached far when a sharp sense of danger jolted through him.

Causing Alec’s eyes to snap open as his Changdao appeared in his hand in a flash, with practiced precision, he drew the blade partially, dragging the flat edge in front of him into a defensive stance, as sparks flew a second later.

All Alec could see was a blur, a brown beast streaking past, with golden lightning crackling across its fur like a living flash sign.

The blur vanished before he could pursue it, but more presences lit up across his expanding mana sense.

“I see,” Alec muttered with a smirk, realizing he was surrounded, about a hundred kangaroo-like beasts stood around him, but what stood out most was the fact that many of them radiated Tier 6 energy.

Alec had encountered many packs of demonic beasts led by stronger ones, but those groups always included Tier 4 and Tier 5 beasts among their ranks.

But this one, however, was entirely composed of Tier 6 demonic beasts, the strongest being a high Tier 6 and that alone piqued Alec’s curiosity.

He didn’t believe they simply moved together without a leader; such order suggested hierarchy, and he was eager to see what type of unique demonic beast that commanded them.

What amused Alec even more was that each of these kangaroo-like beasts appeared to have at least two, if not three, elemental affinities.

Alec had spent a significant amount of time in the second level of the Beast Forest, though he wouldn’t claim to have seen it all, but for an entire group to have dual affinities as a minimum? That was unheard of.

It confirmed for Alec that this kangaroo faction held some kind of secret, something that allowed them to grow stronger at an abnormal rate.

Then he noticed movement on a distant stone outcrop, a kangaroo stood there, upright like a human.

Unlike the others, this one wasn’t hunched or bound by its kind’s usual physiology.

It had seemingly broken past its racial limits, now appearing like a proper humanoid beast, with golden lightning-like symbols streaked across its brown fur, and a shimmering, crown-like formation of water floated above its head as it looked down on Alec with disdain.

Its right leg shifted forward, assuming the posture of a ruler standing atop a mountain.

Alec could practically read the malice in its gaze and he didn’t like it, but something else caught his eye: a long scar ran down its left eye.

“Ohhh, I see, you’re the one my golems reported… the one causing trouble deep in the Beast Forest. If I remember right, I spared you a long time ago when you were much weaker. Seems you mistook my goodwill for weakness and now tried to assassinate me. So, tell me—are you ready to die?” Alec said with a small smirk, letting his Changdao slide back into its scabbard.

“Look around you—who does it really seem is about to die?” the kangaroo replied, hands clasped behind its back as it stared down at Alec.

The fact that it could speak shocked Alec, but he kept a straight face, as he wasn’t about to show a surprised expression in front of so many kangaroos just because one had formed coherent speech.

“When I first saw them, I was wondering what secret was behind their rapid advancement,” Alec said calmly.

“But now, seeing you, I can piece it together, you’ve been devouring the hearts of other beasts before they’re absorbed back into the earth, haven’t you?, that’s the reason you and your group of buddies here have gotten stronger” Alec questioned

The kangaroo’s expression shifted sharply, though it said nothing, but its silence told Alec everything he needed to know.

“Kill him, his heart will be perfect to push me into the High Rank and help me ascend to an even greater realm,” the kangaroo commanded, pointing at Alec.

At once, the surrounding kangaroos began hopping, their fists radiating with all sorts of elemental power.

“Well, when I came here ready to spark an all-out war, I never expected kangaroos to be the enemy, but who cares, you’ll do just fine,” Alec said, a grin tugging at his lips.

“Let me show you why underestimating your enemy can be fatal. Come out.”

With a surge of mana being sent into his space pouch, Alec summoned his main golems, one by one, they appeared around him, each emanating a terrifying aura.

Though Alec had only eight golems, the oppressive force they exuded made them feel more threatening than the hundreds of enemies before them.

“Watch closely, this is how you give a real command,” Alec said, locking eyes with the kangaroo above.

“Kill them all.”

The words had barely left his mouth when the golems sur

ged forward, summoning their own minions as they charged, as a major battle had just begun.