Chapter Fifteen


    “If you want the claw, you must assault the Redscale clan and take it.”


    Ambrose raised an eyebrow,


    “That simple?”


    Lizella shrugged,


    “No, they will resist of course. The claw is their sacred artifact. You don’t have much choice; they will not give it to you, even in barter.”


    “Are these Redscales your enemies?”


    Lizella flicked a claw in the affirmative.


    “Convenient then. It just so happens that the item I need is held by your foes, who I will likely have to wipe out if I have any hope of getting the item I need to progress.”


    “Nonetheless, if you want the claw, that is your only course of action. You would have had to take it regardless of whether or not I pointed you in that direction.”


    He grunted. Truth was, he suspected there was more to this. More than that, he had to wonder why it even mattered to begin with.


    “Why do you bother with these Redscales? The dungeon will just reset, no matter what progress you make.”


    Lizella sighed again,


    “It is because I do not have any choice. I would end the xsioul conflict if I could. The System demands it as a part of the dungeon. The System commands my spirit, so I have no choice but to obey.”


    “Why, though? What is the purpose of it?”


    “Many have asked that question. The purpose of the System. It is a question that is beyond me. Perhaps the answer is out there, and there are certainly many theories. Some say the System desires to strengthen users and thus engineers dungeons to assist with that. Others say the System is a cruel, capricious god, and the dungeon is its torture chambers. Frankly, I care not.”


    He sighed, running a hand through his hair.


    “Fine. I guess I’ll go after the claw now. What direction do I head?”


    “Beyond the city where you fought the monster from earlier. The redscales will be impossible to miss.”


    Ambrose nodded. Turning around, he strode out of the temple.


    It was time to retrieve the claw.


    ___________________


    A fist crashed into Ambrose’s shield of flame. With a hiss and popping flare, the stone fist burned molten orange as he gritted his teeth, setting his stance.


    [Stone Golem Level 148]: A stone statue animated with mana, usually meant to guard places. Some have been lost in dark places.]


    It has a spiritual skill! The golem was having no trouble countering the pressure of Ambrose’s spirit. Its own spirit felt glacial and old. Like an unmovable wall, it didn’t try to overwhelm him; it was merely a shield to prevent his own spirit from overwhelming it.


    Sadly for the golem, he wasn’t alone.


    Noelle manifested, the cloak morphing into the arcane white tiger, her roar echoing from stone to stone. Lightning arched over her claws, and she slashed a paw outward.Stolen novel; please report.


    Lightning the color of fresh ice blasted a chunk out of the golem. Ambrose had expected its spirit to vanish at that attack, but it didn’t. In a way, that made sense. The golem wasn’t human; it didn’t feel pain. It had a single-minded focus, and Ambrose doubted the spirit he felt was even the golems. It might have been built in with the spell animating it, somehow.


    Summoning an axe of hellfire, Ambrose slammed it down onto its shoulder. It did nothing. Nothing that mattered anyway, except for the stone heating to molten gold. Grinding stone rumbled throughout the cave as the golem brought its fist down upon him like an oversized hammer.


    His shield brightened, succeeding in repelling the attack. However, for the first time in a long time, Ambrose felt the shield of fire waver.


    Is this thing going to break through? It hadn’t been a concern for a long time. His shield, at a far lower rank than it was now, had repelled a lake of lava. Yet the stone monstrosity was punching with the full power of a falling building, maybe even greater.


    Luckily, he had a plan. He sent that plan to Noelle, who flicked an ear in acknowledgment. Once again, he tapped [Hellfire Manipulation] and summoned a portal.


    Right beneath Noelle. As the white tiger fell through the portal, the golem rocked another punch into his shield, the rock and stone of the cave around him vibrating from its force. Ambrose pulled on his core, pouring more mana into his skill.


    Good thing, too, since the fire of his shield flickered, sputtered, and nearly died. The moment he used more mana, it rekindled in force, protecting him again.


    At that very moment, Noelle fell upon the stone golem’s head. She roared, her tail swished, and she placed her two front paws on the side of the monster’s head, her back legs bunching inward, those claws digging into the golem.


    Lightning crackled, sparked, and flared violently into the stone golem’s head. Stone split, veins of lightning glowed, pulsing, and the monster’s head exploded in a detonation of black and gray stone shards with a destructive crack like booming thunder.


    The golem crashed into the ground, shaking the very earth.


    [You have defeated a Stone Golem Level 148! For defeating a foe beyond your level, you have earned increased experience and advanced to level 143!]


    Noelle fell on her feet with effortless grace. She licked her paw with a satisfied chuff.


    He strode over and scratched her ears.


    “Thank you, girl.”


    A blue eye regarded him, and she sent him a wave of self-satisfaction.


    He chuckled. After that, he turned his attention to his progression. It had been an age since he had looked at his full character sheet, so he brought it up now.


    Name: Ambrose Severen


    Level: 143


    Race: Human (D-Grade)


    Traits: Ruthless(Uncommon), Giant Slayer(Uncommon), Reforged-Legendary, Infernal(Mythic)


    Class: Infernal Paladin (Epic)


    Profession: Knight Of Avalon (Level 35)


    Skills: [Hellfire Manipulation-Mythic], [Retributions Gaze-Epic], [Infernal Sanctuary-Legendary], [Infernal Aegis-Legendary(Spiritual Skill)], [Infernal Recall-Rare], [Infernal Dimension-Epic]


    Constitution: 223


    Strength: 242


    Intellect: 254


    Wisdom: 258


    Willpower: 284


    SC: 0


    Attribute Points: 8


    He scratched his beard, studying the screen. His progression had slowed quite a bit. He remembered when he was flying through the levels. The System seemed to reward defeating higher-level foes the most.


    Once again, he had to admit that made sense, especially with his class, spiritual skill, and power. Defeating foes his level or below wasn’t doing it. Also, it highlighted the danger of the System and the multiverse as a whole. You needed to seek out ever greater dangers to grow in power.


    You had to grow in power if you didn’t want to end up under someone else''s rule or thumb. Or maybe many choose that life anyway. It was safer that way, and you could progress with a profession.


    For a moment, Ambrose studied the stone as if it were the most exciting thing in the world. What if it had been different? It could have been. He and Alice could have gone to one of the other forerunners, he could have found a profession, relative peace. It wouldn’t have been as good as his life might have been before the System, but it wouldn’t have mattered as long as he had Alice.


    Alice. Who had been taken from him by Eric, who was in another world doing who knew what. He blew out a breath. Quickly, he assigned his eight points to constitution since it was falling behind.


    There was nothing to do but move forward.


    He had claw to obtain and a bounty to claim.