Chapter 174: Obsidian Golem
For more than 10 days.
In addition to working on modifying golems, Matthew spent most of his time studying third-circle spells.
What intrigued Matthew was that during the process of learning third-circle spells...
He discovered that the use of Fate Energy often proved most effective at critical moments.
Take Fireball for example, a mid-level spell.
If Matthew wanted to learn it from scratch and "master" it outright...
It would cost him 10,000 points of Fate Energy!
Consuming the fate of 10,000 commoners!
However, if Matthew first learned the mana model of Fireball, thoroughly understood all arcane knowledge and its structure...
Then built the Fireball mana model in his soul, laying a solid foundation and using Fate Energy only to overcome the hardest parts...
The Fate Energy cost would drop from 10,000 to just 1,000 points!
This was an entirely acceptable range for Matthew.
If Matthew went even further in his studies, breaking down and mastering the hardest parts bit by bit, only using Fate Energy for flashes of insight...
The Fate Energy cost could drop from 1,000 to 100 points.
In this way, one day of studying plus 100 Fate Energy points would achieve the same effect as using 10,000 Fate Energy points.
This was a real example of "knowledge changing fate!"
Armed with this newfound understanding...
Matthew realized that the key to efficiently using Fate Energy was to build a strong foundation, put in the hard work, and only use Fate Energy to push past the final hurdles!
By using this method, Matthew quickly mastered a variety of third-circle spells.
Most of the spells he learned were intended to aid in modifying Mountain.
Returning to the lab...
Mountain, fully prepared, stood quietly in the center, its faintly glowing eyes focused on Matthew.
The flickering light in its eyes revealed that its mind was far from calm.
For golems without consciousness, like the clay ones, Matthew could exploit them without a second thought.
He would assign them tasks non-stop, except for necessary energy recovery time, making the most of their existence.
But for beings like Mountain, which had self-awareness, Matthew wasn't just being merciful—he was also planning for its future.
"Hmm, boosting your power and life level is your reward for being a good tool."
"I get a stronger servant, and you become a more efficient tool."
A win-win!
Even though Matthew was confident, he still proceeded with extreme caution, thoroughly inspecting Mountain inside and out.
What pleasantly surprised Matthew was Mountain's ability to learn and improve on its own, evident in its consciousness and body.
More complex mana models, self-constructed magical circuits.
Matthew knew very well that Mountain did not possess the same modification abilities as an Arcanist.
So what did these things signify?
With Mountain's power growing and its learning progressing, these changes were happening naturally.
Life finds its own way!
This discovery made Matthew quite excited.
He had a strong hunch that if he could fully grasp the secrets in this area...
He would make significant strides in golem modification and arcane model development.
When it came to modifying Mountain, Matthew's ideas weren't overly complicated.
The clay golem's body had become a limitation for Mountain's consciousness.
So giving Mountain a more powerful and potential-filled body would complete Matthew's task.
Initially, Matthew thought about using a stone golem for practice.
But even when applying his experience and techniques from modifying clay golems, the smallest stone golem still stood at least three meters tall.
For an all-purpose servant like Mountain, a large body might offer advantages, but it would hinder tasks like potion-making and precise mana control.
Don't expect rock to have great mana conductivity!
After much consideration, Matthew decided on an obsidian golem as Mountain's new vessel.
As a mid-tier golem, the obsidian golem held an awkward position.
In terms of size, it couldn't compare to the bulky stone golems.
In terms of combat ability, it was outclassed by the pinnacle-tier granite golems.
In terms of cost-efficiency, it was far less economical than the cheap and easy-to-make flesh golems.
It was expensive to make, and its materials were rare.
While its combat strength was impressive, it was easily replaceable.
The obsidian golem was, quite frankly, a bit of a misfit.
The most criticized aspect of the obsidian golem was its extreme durability, which made it impossible to repair using substitute materials like other golems, requiring constant replenishment of obsidian.
That's right, in most people's eyes, golems were ultimately consumables, and the costs of combat wear and tear were simply part of the upkeep.
The high repair costs made the obsidian golem unpopular.
But for Matthew, none of these problems mattered.
Cost?
At most, a few thousand gold coins!
Rare materials?
Beneath the kobold mines, there was an abundant obsidian vein.
Expensive maintenance?
Mountain could repair itself, with the only cost being some free materials.
With his own resources and production, many of these issues became trivial.
So why did Matthew choose the obsidian golem despite its drawbacks?
Because the obsidian golem had two critical advantages:
The first advantage.
The obsidian golem had no size limitations and could easily undergo limb replacements.
Unlike other golems, which had fixed forms...
The obsidian golem could be scaled down to one meter in height or expanded to a four-meter giant.
Moreover, the ability to swap out limbs was crucial for Mountain.
During work, it could use a human-sized body for precise, humanoid operations.
In battle, it could switch to a larger body equipped with heavy-duty weaponry!
This wasn't just Matthew's fancy but an idea developed by many players and Arcanists to deal with more dangerous enemies.
Matthew was simply borrowing the concept, though he didn't yet fully understand the finer details, hence the need for long experimentation and experience.
The second advantage.
The obsidian golem was immune to all spells and effects of advanced level and below!
This was crucial for the upcoming ruin exploration!
After hearing Matthew's explanation about the obsidian golem, Mountain expressed no objections and agreed.
Though Matthew appeared a bit stiff, he was, in reality, holding himself to high standards.
A gentleman must be vigilant in solitude!
For many, boundaries exist to be pushed, and eventually, they lower.
Matthew couldn't guarantee that if he let go of his principles, he wouldn't become one of those lofty individuals who disregarded the lives of common folk.
So even with Mountain, who couldn't and wouldn't resist, he made sure to communicate in advance.
Everything was ready, time to begin.
The process of creating an obsidian golem was similar to that of a clay golem.
The materials were prepared first, though obsidian lacked the malleability of clay. Its construction required carving a solid block of obsidian.
However, Matthew simplified the process by marking lines on the block and summoning Yaya, who returned to her true form.
With her sharp claws, she sliced through the sturdy obsidian like tofu, swiftly eliminating the excess material.
Enter the tool-dragon!