Leo wandered through the depths of the Black Market, where the air grew heavier, thick with the smell of damp clay and cut stone. He was looking for substance, something tangible to protect his threshold. That's when he was stopped in his tracks, not by a threat, but by a vision of technical horror.
In front of a stall cluttered with blocks of limestone and pieces of rusty metal, a man with fingers stained with grayish magic ink was drawing on cheap parchment. He was a "Golem Maker," a craftsman whose job was to bring matter to life. But to Leo, the man was nothing more than a butcher of art.
The creator was finalizing the sketch of a gargoyle. But what a disaster! The proportions were insulting: the wings were so small that they could never lift the weight of the stone, the claws were asymmetrical, and the creature's center of gravity seemed completely wrong.
"Look at that..." Leo muttered, his cyan eyes flashing dangerously. "It's a living mistake in perspective."
The vendor, a wizened man with a beard strewn with stone chips, looked up at Leo's massive shadow.
"Hey, new guy! Want some solid defense? My gargoyles are the cheapest in the area. 50 Essence coins apiece. They're 'ready to summon,' no thinking required!"
Leo approached, his scythe grazing the counter with an ominous hiss.
"Fifty coins for this... thing?" Leo thundered. "The joints won't last two minutes against an adventurer, and the aerodynamics are worthy of a brick. You call this design?"
The vendor flushed.
"If you're so smart, go carve one yourself! My models are based on ancient imperial designs!"
Leo ignored the insult. He had noticed something valuable on the scrolls: soul transfer runes. The craftsman was mediocre at drawing, but his technique for binding the spirit to the stone was complex and functional. It was the technical element that was still missing from the Grimoire of Source.
"I'll take all six scrolls," Leo said decisively, throwing the leather purse on the table. The heavy sound of the Essence instantly changed the seller's expression from anger to greed.
"All six? Oh, you have an eye, sir! An excellent deal!"
Leo picked up the scrolls with undisguised contempt.
"Don't get me wrong. I'm not buying your creations. I'm buying them for their magical skeleton. "
He turned to leave, his claws already crumpling the edge of the paper.
"I'm going to erase your scribbles and redraw these guardians as they should have been from the start. I'm going to give them a form that will make adventurers regret ever looking up at the sky. "
He left the stall, leaving the vendor speechless. Leo now had the raw assets. All that remained was to apply his own rigor, his layers, and his ink blood to transform these ridiculous sketches into six masterpieces of gothic destruction. The restructuring of the dungeon began with a complete overhaul of its close guard.