Almost the exact moment the four of them broke from the treeline, the humanoid creatures atop the scrap wall took notice of them. Ten immediately leapt from its top and down onto the barren ground before charging towards them.

"They don't have a lot of armour," Adam told Hahn, and the archer seemed to immediately understand what he meant, because he reequipped his Fiendbarb.

Gladwyn moved out in front, with James close behind him and Adam just a few paces after.

The enemies were like hairless baboons that walked upright and wielded simple weapons and clothes. Their pale skin was stretched tight over their emaciated frames and their heads had protruding snouts full of blocky teeth. While the Goblins and Lesser Demons had been quite haunting to look at, these creatures were by far the scariest Adam had encountered. They fell into a category of 'not quite right' owing to their uncanny resemblance to humans and it was deeply unsettling.

[These are Alepheria's Wildlings,] the Eye announced after Adam prompted it.

Before the first of them could reach Gladwyn, six lay dead from Hahn's arrows which he sent skipping along the ground. Fifteen more were already leaping from the wall to reinforce their numbers.

Gladwyn bashed his large shield into a wildling, producing a sickening crunch and killing it. James followed right behind him with a wide slash that decapitated another. He wasn't using any magic, since these enemies were quite weak.

As they died, soul essences flew into Adam's Wraith Lantern.

< < Relic > >

< Wraith Lantern (Rare) — When an enemy is slain nearby, their Soul Essence is absorbed | When the Relic is fully charged with sufficient Soul Essence, a Winter Wraith is summoned >

Two loud shrieks filled the air and his teammates froze as the ghosts flew away from Adam and through Gladwyn's defence. The pair were far more coherent than he had ever seen them before, and it was clear that the Bone Creeper's soul, as well as the souls of the Wildlings, were more potent than those of the past enemies he'd fought.

An orange flaming aura emanated off the wraiths, thanks to the fire effect of his crown, and they quickly tore through the closest set of wildlings. The moment their first slashes had torn the creatures to ribbons, they both turned red from triggering Last Stand's Fervour, flying off with renewed speed as they aimed for the rest of the enemies coming from the wall.

"It's a Weapon Relic of mine," Adam told them before they could ask.

Hahn lent his barrage of arrows to the two wraiths and the wildling reinforcements were shredded before more of them could bolster their numbers.

Gladwyn, James, and Adam were able to calmly approach the barricade while the archer and wraiths went to town. Every fifth kill two more wraiths joined in on the slaughter, and before long six ghosts were summoned simultaneously.

"Your Relic is overpowered," Gladwyn muttered.

Adam grinned.

When they made it to the wall, they had to climb over the heaps of dead wildlings that lay scattered around it. The wraiths had dissipated once no more enemies were in sight. They had contributed to half of the kills, with Hahn making up almost all of the rest. Gladwyn and James had both just gotten one each.

"That wasn't so bad," Hahn commented after he caught up.

"Don't let your guard down," Gladwyn told him.

"I'll open the way," James said.

He took a step towards the wall and lifted his gem-studded sword up in front of himself. Adam couldn't tell what was happening, but he got the sense that the guy was seeing something the rest of them couldn't, because suddenly one of the gems lit up bright-red. Then the edge of the sword glowed hot, and a haze warped the air around the blade.

With three efficient swings, an opening was made in the scrap wall, and the magic of his weapon died down. Somehow, the hole remained open despite the shoddy craftsmanship keeping the wall together. They didn't waste a moment and hurried through.

Directly on the other side of the scrap barricade was something akin to a slum, and a few more wildlings roamed about, though they had seemingly killed most of them already. The houses here were simple shelters and huts made in the same way as the wall, and it seemed like the strange creatures had lived here until their arrival. Past the slum was a large mound of discarded bodies, though they somehow hadn't rotted in the sun. Beyond that was a large gate set into the tower itself.

Gladwyn looked around. "I don't see any golems," he said.

Hahn was staring at the large mound of bodies. "Guys, that thing is… a monster."

"That's impossible," James remarked.

"Let's not rule anything out here," Adam said.

"My appraisal skill says it's called Alepheria's Discarded Golem," Hahn said. "Should we avoid it? It looks like it's inactive."

"No," Adam said. "It might have treasure."

Gladwyn gave him a look.

They both knew it had a Relic Chest inside it, thanks to Emelia, but they couldn't outright say that without making the others suspicious.

"Let's first deal with the stragglers," James advised, and they spent the next few minutes killing the remaining wildlings hanging around the slum.

Given that the gate to Alepheria's tower was right behind the mound of bodies, Adam doubted they'd even be able to get in without dealing with the golem first.

Although they defeated nine more wildlings, the wraiths summoned by Adam's lantern did not fly off to engage with the golem. It seemed that until they 'activated' the enemy, it wasn't considered a target.

Emelia had mentioned that golems and other monstrosities roamed the area beyond the tower, but had also made a point of saying that it was always slightly different, even within her own world. The thing that was guaranteed, however, was that there'd be one boss guarding the tower and that killing it would give a Relic Chest.

I need that chest and the Legendary Relic from this Stage!

The Lucky Stone that he'd gotten all the way back in Stage Two was burning a hole in his pocket, begging for him to finally use it.

< < Secret Relic > >

< Lucky Stone (Rare) — Flip to increase the rarity for the next reward options. 1 use >

Given that his Luck was over 25, which guaranteed Rare quality or higher, he had a real shot of getting the Legendary that Emelia had told him about if he used this Relic.

Adam looked at the others. They had moved past the wildlings' huts and in the open space before them was the large mound of corpses. If they went left or right around the tower, following the scrap wall, it seemed like they might encounter other creatures, but the tower only had the one entrance before them.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Hit it with an arrow first," Gladwyn told Hahn. "I want to know if I should even attempt to guard against this thing."

He had a point. The mound of bodies was probably eight metres tall and twelve wide, so if it was one connected monstrosity, it would be way too big to make sense to fight normally. Even with Gladwyn's shield, a single hit might be fatal if it was big enough.

Hahn readied an arrow, his Fiendbarb still equipped. After a nod from James, he fired it towards the top of the heap.

Thwack!

The sound was loud and wet, followed shortly after by the crunch of the crystals created by the Fiendbarb. However, the Blood Burst effect was localised to the corpse he had hit, not spreading to its neighbours.

The ground rumbled and the mound shifted.

"Oh fuck," Adam muttered as the entire thing lifted itself up from the ground.

The corpses shifted and writhed as though pulled by strings, rising into the air and gaining five extra metres in height. Four thick legs made of overlapping and interlocked bodies held up the giant, and its body was like a ball of flesh with five arms sprouting from around it like a pinwheel. There was no head, but it was clear that the main body was the egg they needed to crack.

Adam spun up the lance barrier and fired it into the front right leg. At the same time Gladwyn and James got in close to the left leg and started hacking away. Hahn was doing the most damage due to his Fiendbarb, and the main body was quickly crystallising thanks to him spreading his shots all over its round body.

"Watch out!" Gladwyn yelled and got in front of James as the golem swung an arm down at them.

Adam unfolded his barrier and exploded the right leg, sending the golem's attack off-course. Its arm struck the dirt five metres away from Gladwyn and shook the ground with enough force to make them all stumble, even Hahn who was standing quite far back.

"Shit, that would've killed me," Gladwyn muttered.

As the right leg detached fully from the golem, eight soul essences flew into Adam's lantern, filling it enough to trigger it twice.

The corpses all count as individual kills!

Shrieks filled the air as four wraiths flew out from the lantern, tearing into the enormous golem.

It swung for Gladwyn and James again, but this time they were prepared for it and got out of the way.

The large arms swung with enough force to create a buffet of wind that sent Hahn's arrows flying back towards the wall behind them, but none of them were hit.

Almost as soon as they got back into it, Gladwyn and James were able to cut through the front left leg. The moment it detached, Adam's lantern was filled up with seven souls and another pair of wraiths was summoned.

The golem collapsed in his direction and he hurried out of the way as it struck the ground with a loud crash, sending a cascade of earth out in all directions.

With six pissed off wraiths tearing into it, and Hahn and Adam focusing their attacks on the main body, the golem very quickly popped open to reveal a large brain-like glob inside its round body. It was connected with synapse-like cables to the corpses, and a single well-placed arrow from Hahn sent a cascade of the Blood Burst effect through those connections. Within seconds, its entire body was riddled with internal crystallisation that poked through the skin of the pale corpses it was made from.

A soul essence the size of a beach ball flew into Adam's lantern and the Discarded Golem's body unravelled, leaving behind a pink and fleshy treasure chest.

[Elite enemy defeated.]

"Good job," Gladwyn said, clapping Hahn on the back.

"The Fiendbarb really came in handy," Adam agreed.

"I'm glad it wasn't a waste," the archer replied.

"It seems we have a well-rounded team," James remarked.

They shared a few glances between each other and the treasure chest in awkward silence.

Adam pulled out the Lucky Stone from his pocket and approached the chest. "Trust me on this one," he told them.

Gladwyn was clearly on board, but James and Hahn still looked sceptical. However, they did not stop him. Granted, it might also have been because the corpses strewn around it were rapidly decomposing into dust, producing a foul stench.

Here goes nothing.

Adam flipped the Lucky Stone.

< < Lucky Stone Activated > >

< The rarity of options in the next reward has been raised by one level >

He reached down and grabbed the lid of the Relic Chest. It felt like warm chewing gum that someone had just spat out, but the gross sensation didn't stop him in the slightest.

Golden light spilled out from under the lid of the chest as it slowly opened. Then it suddenly popped all the way open, making Adam stumble back a step in surprise.

The breath died in his throat as he saw the colours of the options. Purple, purple, orange.

Holy fuck!

It was a brown hood with golden stitching, a wing of bone and sewn-together skin, and an obsidian hand with pearl-white nails.

< < Relics Available > >

< Mage Aspirant's Cowl (Epic) — Allows you to see Mana and absorb it >

< Grafted Wing (Epic) — Grows a wing on your body >

< Alepheria's Mandate (Legendary) — Evolves all Summons | Allows for all Summons to be commanded >

"Is that Legendary!?" Hahn asked excitedly, coming over to Adam's side in a hurry.

He started to reach out for it, but Gladwyn blocked him with his shield.

"Hey!" he protested.

"Adam has the Choice Ring," Gladwyn said. "He can pick two Relics."

"I want the Cowl," James said. "If you pick that one as the second option, then I will give you my Choice Ring. You can then pick two things for the next chest that Gladwyn and Hahn can have."

Even though Hahn had done the most in this fight, Adam didn't wait for his approval and grabbed the Legendary. The orange stone on his Choice Ring glowed brightly and he reached out to grab the Cowl as well. With his choices confirmed, the last option vanished and the light in the ring disappeared, not even a glow left behind.

Emelia told me to fight anyone for this if it showed up. And she was right. There's no way this isn't super powerful!

< < Relics Selected > >

< Alepheria's Mandate (Legendary) >

< Mage Aspirant's Cowl (Epic) >

The two Relics landed in his arms. The black hand was cold and hard like glass, and the Cowl was folded neatly.

[You are already wearing a Relic on your available ring glove slot. Would you like to unequip Choice Ring and replace it with Alepheria's Mandate?]

"Yes," he said and a cold jab shot up through his right arm like a spike of ice injected through his palm.

Adam could somehow still feel his hand and its fingers, even though it had been entirely replaced. The Choice Ring appeared in his left palm on top of the Cowl.

James took both and gave Adam his own ring in return.

"What does it do?" Hahn asked, clearly very curious.

Adam flexed the fingers of his new hand. Even though he could still feel everything like normal, there was something off about it, but he couldn't tell what it was.

He put the Choice Ring into his pocket and pulled out his spell-tome, summoning his two barriers. They were completely different from before, having turned a midnight-blue colour and losing most of their transparency. Even though he couldn't see their stats, he knew they had to be stronger.

I almost want to use the Fetish of Sloth to see what on Earth the imps would evolve into.

"Your spell is a different colour?" Hahn asked. "That's it?"

Without needing to use his manipulation, he exercised the power inherent in Alepheria's Mandate. The two barriers turned into tubes that danced through a pattern in the air in front of him, moving with a kind of precision that would be impossible for him to replicate with one, let alone two simultaneously.

"That's cool," James said, already wearing the Cowl. It was clear he was very interested in anything that allowed him to get Mana, but Adam had the sense that there was a lot unsaid in the Cowl's brief description.

With another thought, Adam made the barriers orbit him while shaping into shields similar to Gladwyn's. Their movements were quite a lot faster now, before even being fused together, but he couldn't tell if they had doubled in their stats or gone up by 50% or what.

He had the barriers unfurl and go horizontal.

"Try to sit on them," Adam said.

Hahn was the first to try it, and to Adam's glee the barrier held without breaking, meaning it had gained a lot more health.

If I fuse them together now, they should be truly powerful.

Gladwyn and James sat on the other one and it immediately cracked, triggering Last Stand's Fervour. Unsurprisingly, both of them quickly got off again.

"Does the Relic do anything else?" Gladwyn asked, coming closer to look at Adam's new hand.

"I'm not sure yet," he replied.

"This Cowl is quite something," James said, looking at the red-glowing barrier that was about to expire.

Before it vanished, he reached out and did a grasping gesture.

The barrier was immediately absorbed into him, and his sheathed gem-studded sword suddenly glowed with the Fervour effect, as well as the fire from Adam's crown.

James pulled the sword out to look at it.

"Fascinating," he said.

That Cowl is incredibly powerful if it can absorb effects like that, Adam thought to himself. If it wasn't for my crown, then I'd want to take it from him.

"You should be careful with that Cowl," Gladwyn told James.

He nodded. "I was just thinking it may have unintended side-effects. I'll try not to absorb anything clearly volatile."

The Last Stand's Fervour vanished from his blade, but the flame effect was still there.

Ahead of them awaited the gate to the tower, but already it seemed that the power of their team had gone up a lot, all thanks to the Lucky Stone and Adam's high Luck.

"Just so we're clear, I'm next on the rewards list and then Hahn, right?" Gladwyn asked.

"Why do you get to go before me?" the archer protested.

"He saved us from the Bone Creeper," Adam reminded him.

"Oh, right… But after him, it's my turn. Right?"

"Of course," Adam replied.

"With Adam's Luck, I think it's a good idea to have him open all the Relic Chests," James said. "The Choice Ring will also let him pick two options again next time."

Hahn nodded, easily satisfied with James' solution.

"I wonder what that Grafted Wing was about," Gladwyn said.

James looked up at the tower. "Seems like body modifications are pretty on theme for this place," he commented.

"I wouldn't mind a tail or something," Hahn said, sounding quite serious.

"Maybe it's possible to get extra limbs to hold more Relics," Adam speculated.

"Let's keep going," Gladwyn said. "I'm excited to see what else lies in wait for us."

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