"I choose the golem that resembles me and the one wielding an axe," Brandon eagerly declared, seizing the opportunity to be the first to make his selection.
The sight of the six-armed and crystal golem sent shivers down his spine.
He preferred facing opponents who used conventional weapons, prompting him to choose those two golems before Arthur hastily realized his intentions.
"Oh, look at you suddenly becoming articulate and expressing your desires, You cheeky bastard; you picked the ones that seem easier to fight," Arthur grumbled after realizing he lost to Brandon in this round.
"No need to complain now; after all, they aren't even Tier 1 golems yet; come, Arthur, you should watch Brandon take on the golems and see if you can learn anything,"
Alec interjected, beckoning Arthur to join him in watching from a distance.
"Go!" Alec commanded his golems to attack independently, curious to witness if these new variants he had crafted possessed any distinct qualities compared to other golems.
When the golems received Alec's order, they immediately rushed toward Brandon, the golem wielding the two-handed sword leading the charge as he clashed against Brandon with reckless abandon.
A small shockwave erupted as Brandon clashed his great sword against the golem's weapon, sending it backward.
However, he faced a colossal axe descending straight toward his head before he could regain his composure.
"F*ck this!" Brandon blurted out after being caught off guard by the surprise attack.
Arthur stood with his mouth agape while Alec was taken aback at the sneak attack of the axe golem.
Nonetheless, he found himself admiring the intensity of the unfolding battle.
Although the Axe golem's strike had caught Brandon off guard, he quickly reacted by using his large sword as a shield, hoping to endure the blow and retaliate.
However, Brandon soon realized the grave mistake he made by underestimating the strength of this particular golem compared to the one with the great sword.
After the impact, Brandon was forced back a few steps, his hand trembling from the sheer force of the Axe golem's strike.
Realizing his error, Alec chimed in,
"Even if you enjoy combat, for God's sake, you're a mage! Try countering their attack with earth, at least with a magic spell. You have mana; don't be stingy with it."
In an unexpectedly unconventional manner, Alec offered his advice to Brandon.
He cursed himself for not realizing sooner that someone with such incredible Affinity like Brandon only had a low level in his elemental spells cause he never embraced his true potential as a mage. Still, instead, he had been relying solely on physical combat strength.
Brandon finally acknowledged that he would need to be more versatile to emerge victorious against these formidable golems.
"Stone Bullet," Brandon exclaimed,
diverting a barrage of stone projectiles toward the axe-wielding golem, aiming to disrupt its combo attack, as it was planning on striking him again.
The axe golem tried evading. However, he was abruptly halted by the rain of bullets that punctured its body, causing it to freeze in its tracks momentarily.
Just as Brandon's attention was fixed on the Axe golem, he sensed a tingling sensation running down his spine.
Ever since the encounter with the zombies that fateful day, he had developed a heightened sensitivity to his surroundings, constantly feeling a subtle connection with the earth elements swirling around him like an invisible force field, aiding in threat detection.
It was one of his advantages as someone with a peak Affinity.
Without turning back, he instinctively moved his left hand backward and silently chanted a spell, preparing to face the approaching second golem.
"Earth Wall!" Brandon commanded, Sending his mana into the ground.
In an instant, a small but sturdy wall shot up from the earth, serving as an obstacle to momentarily halt the golem's advance.
Brandon smirked, pleased that his plan had worked.
The purpose of the wall was not to completely stop the golem but to buy him a precious few moments to gather momentum for a well-executed strike.
To his surprise, Brandon heard the sound of something shattering the stones, causing him to duck quickly.
The tingling feeling returned, and he could hardly believe his luck as he realized he had narrowly escaped certain death.
Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, a testament to the close call.
Legion's eerie laughter echoed in the air while Titan stared at Brandon with an unsettling indifference as they watched the battle from the sidelines, too.
The sight sent shivers down his spine, but Brandon knew he couldn't let his focus waver.
As the Axe golem witnessed its target evading its attack, it released its grip on the axe, allowing it to crash to the ground.
In a swift motion, the golem withdrew a small axe from its back and slashed at Brandon, catching him off guard.
The golem fought relentlessly, following its designated role perfectly without needing any commands from Alec.
Wasting no time, Brandon quickly chanted another spell to turn the tides.
[]
Brandon unleashed a Tier spell for his realm, pouring all his remaining mana into it.
A massive spear composed of earth elements soared through the air, striking the golem square in the chest.
The impact was powerful, but Brandon's triumph was short-lived.
In the blink of an eye, a chilling sensation engulfed Brandon as he felt the cold blade of the second golem's stone weapon pressed against his neck.
Panic filled his eyes as he quickly realized that it was the golem that seemed to possess the same characteristics as him that got him; he had totally forgotten about him and focused on the Axe Golem instead.
"I... I surrender," Brandon admitted, his embarrassment evident.
He couldn't believe two unclassified golems had bested him.
It was a defeat that stung worse than fighting Tier 1 zombies.
Alec's applause filled the air as a satisfied smile formed on his lips.
He observed with great interest how Brandon's status he was looking at had visibly changed after the intense battle.
After a few minutes of struggle against his golems, he had slightly improved Brandon's abilities.
"I knew it!" Alec exclaimed, his voice filled with excitement.
' By pushing them to experience near-death moments, they proliferate and tap into their untapped potentials much quicker.'
Deep in thought, he placed his hands on his chin as he considered how much more pressure to add to their fights.
"Why are you smiling so mischievously again?" Arthur questioned, his curiosity piqued.
"No, I'm not," Alec denied, trying to hide his wicked grin.
"You know, you don't have a lot of expressions, so I can always tell when you're plotting something evil; I just hope whatever you're thinking about, you won't include me in it," Arthur pleaded, a hint of fear in his voice.
"Well, I feel like you're just scared to face the challenge; instead of trying to talk your way out of it, why don't you go down there and stop wasting time?" Alec responded, his tone filled with a mix of annoyance and determination.
Arthur let out a resigned sigh as he reluctantly made his way towards the center of the courtyard, where the remaining two imposing golems awaited him, ready for their upcoming spar.
Meanwhile, Alec took a moment to check his notifications, hoping to see the progress of his golems.
[Axe Wielding Golem]
> Skills Learned:
■ Axe Mastery Level 1
□ Dash Level 1
[Destroyer Golem]
> Skills Learned:
□ Dash Level 1
Alec couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction as he saw that the Axe golem had successfully learned its primary weapon mastery.
However, the Sword-Wielding golem, which had been given the name "Destroyer Golem" by the system, had yet to acquire its weapon mastery.
But Alec believed it was close to achieving it, and with a few more fights, it might finally unlock its weapon mastery.