"That’s right! The pollutant in Mia’s body is quite severe; only a Magus-level potion can remove the corrosion of her spiritual energy!"
I affirmed with conviction. "These are the only two methods I can think of, but I’ll also ask my mentor later!"
These two methods were the best options provided by the virtual laboratory, and I believed that not even Mentor Miguel could come up with something better.
"An Official Mage? 1000 magic crystals? I’ll get them!" Mia’s eyes filled with determination as she clenched her fists.
I gave a little sigh, and started to get dressed. Well.. By this time, everyone in the room was naked, and still covered in cum.
I picked up a damaged vial and handed it to Mia.
"How did you know that?" She looked clearly shocked.
"From your body’s reactions. It seems that energy particles react more at midnight, which is also when you feel the most pain!"
I explained calmly.
"Mia! Why didn’t you tell me this?" Olivia’s eyes filled with rage once again.
R𝑒ad lat𝒆st chapt𝒆rs at free𝑤ebnovel.com Only.
"You’ve done enough!" Mia replied.
The three girls left behind remained in absolute silence.
"And now?" Sophia was the first to speak.
"An Official Mage? That’s completely out of reach for us because of our low aptitudes. Acquiring magic crystals to buy a bone marrow purifying tonic is more realistic!"
Olivia pondered. "If the three of us pooled our resources and asked some of the others for help, we would have…"
She doubted her own words. Acolytes spent any magic crystals they had on knowledge or items to strengthen their own powers. No one would simply waste them.
"No! I wish to fully advance to an Official Mage!"
Mia declared slowly, her words filled with determination.
"With my mentor’s blessings, the defense of this doll body is far greater than that of an ordinary person. My magical resistance isn’t that bad. I should accept more missions and earn the resources needed to advance! I can’t hold them back any longer…"
She forced a smile.
"Why? Why did it turn out this way?" Olivia cried out.
Sophia quickly embraced her. It seemed the two had been close friends for a long time.
"Following the plots of novels from my previous world, shouldn’t I be rushing to sell some devices to earn enough money to pay for Mia’s treatment? And at the same time, advance to Mage and seek revenge for her and things like that?"
I let my imagination run wild as I walked.
Too bad this is the reality! Mia and I can’t even be considered friends, just strangers who occasionally had sex and saw each other a few times. Giving her a small, damaged cure vial was already my limit, and that was only because I raped her a few times.
As for magic crystals, I don’t even have enough for myself, so how could I give any to them? You must always pay the price for your own actions!"
My gaze turned cold as I left the dormitory area.
I would do nothing more for Mia. From now on, she would have to rely on herself.
I walked toward my engineering laboratory, my mind buzzing with thoughts about everything that had happened recently. As soon as I crossed the door, I closed it behind me, isolating myself from the rest of the world. I needed a moment to organize my thoughts and focus on what truly mattered: getting stronger.
I went to the central table, where I picked up the book I had bought from Victor earlier.
["Automaton Golem Construction Manual"]
I placed it on the table, but before opening it, I sat in my chair and sighed. My head was full. Shaking it slightly, I tried to calm myself. Too many things were happening at once, and I needed to stay focused. This crazy world of magic and war did not forgive the weak.
Besides the book on automatons, my eyes landed on the mechanical armor suspended on the stand nearby. There were several upgrades I needed to implement on it. An integrated jetpack would be essential, as well as improvements to allow it to operate in deep waters. These were ambitious projects, but absolutely necessary.
I let out another sigh before turning my gaze back to the golem book. Without wasting any more time, I issued a mental command to the virtual lab.
"Begin extracting information..."
Instantly, my eyes gleamed as the virtual lab’s light activated in my mind. I scanned the book, capturing every letter, absorbing every fragment of knowledge.
["Titan, a physical construct with powerful magic at its core. It is a magical automaton. It is made using mystical materials, such as Magic-Repelling Steel from the Universe’s Master Materialist. Its primary feature is resistance to elemental attacks."]
["Golems are artificial, self-moving objects created by mages. The Titan was the most powerful among these golems. The most defining characteristic of these Titans was their resistance to elemental attacks. In other words, only golems with elemental damage resistance could be called Titans. Because of the great strength of mages, this resistance made Titans incredibly powerful."]
["However, being able to resist elemental damage didn’t mean the Titan was the best weapon for a mage. This ability only made Titans immune to spells directly targeting their bodies. For example, casting a fireball at the ceiling above a Titan to collapse it onto them, or using an Acid Pool spell to make the Titan fall into it. Both were highly effective against Titans. Not to mention that all Titans had only basic intelligence. They could follow only simple commands, which was their greatest weakness when facing intelligent life forms."]
["Furthermore, Titans weren’t completely immune to elemental damage, as using a specific elemental spell could have a unique effect on certain types of Titans. By properly understanding their weaknesses, it was quite simple to fight a Titan (Note: Basically, they are not immune to all elements, just some)."]
["Thus, golems were mechanical living organisms with immense strength, created through magic. The most significant difference between them and other golems was their power, which made them seem full of vitality. Golems received their magical life force from an elemental soul, which was usually of the mud element. The process of creating a golem involved capturing a soul and binding it to an artificial body. Then, it would merge with this specially prepared vessel and obey the will of its creator."]
["Golems had no minds of their own, and they wouldn’t do anything unless their creator specifically commanded them. They followed simple and precise commands and could not execute complex strategies or tactics. The creator could only control a golem within a 60-meter radius and had to be able to see or hear it. If no new command was given, the golem would usually do its best to carry out the last command it had received. Of course, it would fight if attacked."]
["If the creator wasn’t near the golem, they could give it a simple pre-set command to guide its movement or allow it to follow someone else’s orders. However, as the golem’s creator, they could always override the other person’s control at any moment."]
Somehow, once I started reading the book, I became instantly captivated by its content, barely able to pull myself away, and so I finished reading it in one sitting.
Golems were truly incredible!
Leaving aside the advanced steel golems, even the lowest-level mud golem could challenge a peak-level Rank 2 acolyte and an early Rank 3. In other words, only a well-coordinated group of high-level combat professionals had a chance of defeating a mud golem. (Of course, that was if those acolytes weren’t monsters with extremely powerful affinities, like Lity, who could manipulate space.)
As guards for mages, Titans and other golems were far more reliable than human guards because they were absolutely loyal. On the downside, the cost of a Titan—or any other golem—left me speechless.
Take the lowest mud golem as an example: a mud golem, without any additional magical equipment, weighed 600 pounds (Note: 272.15 kg), stood 8 feet (Note: 2.43 m) tall when fully upright, and was almost entirely made of soft clay. This type of mud golem wouldn’t take any damage from sharp weapons, but some heavy weapons could inflict physical damage on it.
The base cost for this type of Level 1 golem was in the hundreds of magic crystals. As for a Level 2 golem, which was one rank higher than the mud golem, its base cost reached thousands of crystals. And the Level 3 golem was an astronomical sum in magic crystals.
This was just the base cost before factoring in market supply and demand. If it were a time of war, these golems—highly suitable for battlefield use—would have their prices doubled, and people would still pay for them. If a minor lord purchased three to five mud golems, which were Level 1 golems, and placed them in their army, they could gain a significant advantage when fighting rival lords.
Therefore, if I could become a golem creator, money would no longer be a problem for me!
Unfortunately, creating a golem required not only a vast amount of unique materials but also extraordinary craftsmanship and the ability to forge soul receptacles.
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