The Golem Mage

Alec finally stepped into the Third Level of the beast forest, this time brimming with confidence that things would be entirely different from his last two hunts.

He slipped through the portal and, as always, found himself plummeting from the sky, but unlike before, there was no panic, he was already used to this descent.

Calmly, his sharp gaze swept across the vast expanse, searching for the unique region that housed demonic beasts with rare special abilities.

It didn’t take long before he located it , in mid-air, Alec twisted his body, adjusting his fall until he aligned with the direction of the special region.

Then bright crimson flames burst forth beneath his feet, stabilizing his dive and propelling him forward with explosive force.

Bang!

Every demonic beast in the central region turned its head skyward, as they saw the blazing fire streaking across the skies, tearing toward one of the special zones.

Many sneered inwardly, as they thought of who would be so reckless as to flaunt their presence like that in the skies of the central region? To them, such arrogance could only lead to misfortune.

And indeed, it didn’t take long before Alec’s bold flight attracted an avian demonic beast, with its colossal wingspan, the bird screeched furiously, challenged by his audacity.

Among avian-type beasts, the skies were sacred territory, ever since they divided the central region among themselves, no other beast dared to soar so brazenly without being ripped apart by the sky’s overlords.

The bird’s appearance reminded Alec of his first entry into the second level, but unlike then, hesitation didn’t cross his mind.

He simply raised his right hand like he was swinging out his blade and unleashed a savage Blade Qi that tore through the sky with ruthless precision.

The avian beast was cleaved in an instant, its massive body split apart as Alec’s blazing figure streaked onward, cutting across the skies undisturbed.

Just that one move had already exposed his aura, making countless demonic beasts in the central region realize exactly who was passing.

Alec had long earned a name here—the Human Demon, it wasn’t a title given lightly. To the demonic beast in the central region he was the strange human who always descended from the skies, cutting through the air with merciless intent before heading straight toward the special regions to challenge high-rank demonic beasts.

What unsettled them most was that, despite their expectations, he never stayed confined to one place.

Normally, when a beast reached the high rank, it would migrate into the special region aligned with its affinity or ability, there, it could cultivate and grow stronger.

Yet Alec was different, he reappeared again and again in the central region as though no region could truly contain him, and that inconsistency terrified them.

None dared to cross his path, they only prayed he would continue on peacefully as he always had.

Alec, however, only smiled at the way they avoided him, as he realised that perhaps releasing his aura outright wasn’t a bad tactic after all—it certainly saved him the stress of unnecessary interruptions.

Normally, he had no desire to provoke the sky’s predators or intrude into the no-fly zones jealously guarded by the avian overlords.

But today he was pressed for time, and his terrible sense of direction in the Third Level didn’t help matters which was why he was flying towards the special region.

He knew that all the special regions revolved slowly around the central region, yet he still didn’t trust himself to navigate properly at the ground level.

This time, however, he was determined he would claim a new soul demonic beast, that conviction burned within him stronger than ever.

After about fifteen minutes of flight, Alec finally reached the edge of the central region from the point where he had first dropped.

He had briefly hoped that the system would spawn him directly near the unique special region, however even with that he was still far off the exact location of the special region, this only goes to confirm how massive the central expanse truly was.

Still, that meant little to Alec. None of it mattered—not the distance, not the vastness of the forest.

What mattered was that he now stood firmly on solid ground, gazing at the bridge that marked the way into the special region. His next step was clear.

Alec passed through the shimmering bubbles and immediately felt the mana currents in the air triple compared to the central region. This was one of the greatest advantages of stepping into a special region, the density of mana here was far greater, and the deeper one ventured into the special region the more intense it became.

But this richness came with danger, the deeper levels of the special region were being guarded by demonic beasts with higher realms who considered these places their sacred training grounds, allowing no intruder they deemed unworthy to pass.

Without hesitation, Alec summoned all his golems.

Each spread out in different directions, scanning their surroundings, alert for ambushes.

He hadn’t forgotten the last time he was nearly caught off guard by fighting demonic beasts, this time, he wasn’t taking chances.

Still, now that he had arrived, he was at a loss on how to locate the blood-controlling beast he sought.

“Master, there’s a mana frequency in that direction, it feels like two demonic beasts are clashing,” Legion reported, perched atop a tree, his spear pointing toward the disturbance.

Alec frowned, deep in thought. Should he continue searching for his true target, or investigate this battle? After a brief five seconds of deliberation, he chose to move toward the signal.

He wasn’t arrogant enough to think of himself as an untouchable hunter who could roam freely without caution.

Stealth was key and besides, he couldn’t just wait idly for the blood beast to appear, he still needed to hunt Tier 7 demonic beasts regardless.

Within a minute, Alec and his golems crouched behind a barricade of massive tree roots, their eyes fixed on the clash unfolding ahead.

A pack of five white-furred demonic wolves was surrounding and attacking a colossal bull beast, though the bull was a Mid-Tier 7 lifeform and should have held the advantage, the wolves fought in perfect synchronization.

Their movements were calculated, relentless, and cunning, clearly aiming to grind the bull down in a battle of endurance rather than brute force.

Alec crouched in his hiding spot, suppressing every trace of his Qi and mana, he was the only one radiating life force, his golems, perfectly still and silent, blended seamlessly into the surroundings.

Unless they released mana, no mage’s probing sense would ever distinguish them from mere inanimate statues.

Yet, despite his concealment, unease gnawed at him as he watched the five white wolves circle their prey.

Closing his eyes, he slipped into that familiar inner void.

Darkness stretched endlessly around him, and there, his Shadow Wolf manifested in soul form ,a shape of drifting, living smoke.

The beast let out guttural sounds, raw and animalistic, but somehow Alec understood them as though they were words carved directly into his mind.

“Light wolf… soul compatible… kill.”

Alec’s eyes snapped open, his thoughts rattled by the message, he had already learned that his soul beasts needed to consume the soul of their own kind in higher realms to break through after reaching their peak in a current rank.

However his original plan had been simple, once he secured the blood-controlling beast, he would eventually venture into the shadow-specialized region and hunt down a stronger Shadow Wolf to fuel Midnight’s next evolution.

But this was different. His Shadow Wolf wasn’t asking for another of its own kind, it wanted the Light Wolves—its elemental opposite.

The revelation unsettled him, he had never considered this path, never imagined that compatibility could extend beyond affinity, across elements, within the same beast type.

The idea of fusing darkness with light, predator with its mirror image, sent a shiver through his mind, what would happen if he gave Midnight the Light Wolf’s soul? What new evolution would it trigger?

The thought ref

used to leave him, clouding his mind with possibilities both dangerous and thrilling.