“As fast as the Shen prince… and more skilled.” Gilgamesh’s expression grew grim.

  Gilgamesh selected Hard Mode again and chose a different strategy. He wielded his Shifting Sand as his shield and the Boulder Ape as his vanguard in order to withstand a blitz.

  The Training Dummy burst forward again at a speed he could scarcely track as a blur. Mystical sharpness coated its blade, and with a single slash, it carved clean through the Shifting Sand shield. Despite its durability. Despite its resistance to mana. As the golem broke down, it killed Gilgamesh with the next.

  The duel reset again, and Gilgamesh's eyes jolted to the side, but his agitation settled as soon as he saw that his broken golems had been restored as well.

  With that, Gilgamesh did not hesitate. He prepared the same strategy, but this time, he took advantage of the Shifting Sand's intelligence.

  "Take the form of a shield that can withstand that slash."

  Gilgamesh commanded and the Shifting Sand morphed into a thick buckler.

  The Training Dummy attacked right away as it always did, but this time Gilgamesh managed to block its severing slash before it reached the core. Boulder Ape attacked in the opening, but the Training Dummy pulled out its sword and casually stabbed through the ape’s core before its giant fist even came close to landing.

  It slashed down on the buckler again, but pulled the strike back at the last moment and shifted clean around it with smooth footwork. Gilgamesh tried to move himself away and bring the buckler back between them, but the Training Dummy was too fast. With another burst, its sword impaled him through his torso.

  Gilgamesh reset again, but this time he waited in thought. “Shifting Sand is not good enough to attack and defend at the same time. I have to choose one. Defense will not work. My Boulder Ape is nowhere near strong enough to serve as a vanguard. I must use it as my spear and something else as my shield.”

  He withdrew his Boulder Ape and activated a Bolt Viper in its place to coil around the base of his throne. He commanded Shifting Sand to take an improved disc shape, and it became a chakram, which Gilgamesh wielded to spin in place as rapidly as it could.

  The fourth match began and the Training Dummy burst forward again. Gilgamesh sent his chakram soaring forth but the Training Dummy sidestepped it with ease. Gilgamesh dashed away on his Roaming Throne at once as the Bolt Viper at his feet spat out an iron arrow.

  The Training Dummy tilted its head to easily evade it, and burst into pursuit. It was almost upon him, but its focus suddenly jolted to the side. A coat of transparent dense mana coated the Obsidian shield, and it blocked the whirling chakram in its tracks. Mana sparked violently from the friction of the shearing contact, but the Shifting Sand could not cut through.

  The Bolt Viper spat another iron arrow, and the Training Dummy assessed his situation in an instant. It stabbed its sword at the Shifting Sand’s thin side, which forced Gilgamesh to pull it away. Then it battered the iron arrow away with its shield, and threw its sword straight into Gilgamesh’s chest.

  Gilgamesh reset again. “That formation was more effective than the others, and even that did not come close to victory... Shifting Sand rivals the Hard Mode Training Dummy in strength and speed at their base, but its Abilities give it a steep advantage.”

  “A slashing ability strong enough to cut through all but the densest forms, and a blocking ability to withstand any it can give in return. As well as a movement ability that increases the speed of its lunge about threefold.”

  Gilgamesh estimated its base Strength and Agility to be around 100, and its weapons were certainly Mid Grade items. It was significantly superior to his Boulder Ape in every way, and his Roaming Throne’s dashing speed was not even half as fast as the Training Dummy’s lunge.

  “Shifting Sand is not the problem. It is the inadequacy of my other golems. I need better ones…”

  Gilgamesh teleported from the sparring ring back into the Training Grounds. He pulled out his Novice Golemcrafting Guidebook and scanned through it in search of a new vanguard, one focused on speed.

  [ Ironwood Skirmisher - Golem (Low Grade) ]

  Attributes:

  Strength - 10

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  Agility - 85

  Vitality - 25

  Perception - 10

  Force - 0

  Spirit - 10

  Control - 10

  Willpower - 0

  Material: Ironwood (low grade)

  Mana Capacity: 100/100

  Consumption: 8 motes per minute

  Recovery 4 motes per minute

  [ Ironwood ]

  'A low grade wood as durable as iron, with slight resistance to rot, moisure, and heat.'

  He found one among the fastest Lancer types while still being suited to melee combat. Steel and Granite are stronger, but also much heavier. Heavier golems required a lot more Strength, which would mean less could go into Agility.

  The design was a factor in his choice. Gilgamesh believed that the base of a horse would give it better mobility and stability than his bipedal Boulder Ape. Gilgamesh began to craft it immediately. It took 3 attempts and half a day until he achieved a perfect one.

  Gilgamesh activated the golem, and it formed into a simplistic centaur made of a rich, rust-colored wood with large scimitars in place of forearms. Given the durable nature of this magical wood, the blades could be designed with blades as keen as could be found on actual iron.

  He entered the sparring ring again and summoned his Shifting Sand, Roaming Throne, and new Ironwood Skirmisher. Against the arrogant Training Dummy, he formed his Shifting Sand into a spiked buckler and waited.

  The Training Dummy burst forward, and Gilgamesh just barely blocked its strike. As it pulled out its sword, the Ironwood Skirmisher galloped at its side and slashed with both arms. But just as suddenly, it pulled its strike back.

  Gilgamesh used the split second his Skirmisher’s feint had stalled the Training Dummy’s movements to form his Shifting Sand into a chakram and launched it forth. At the same time, the Ironwood Skirmisher struck again. Faced with the sudden attack from both sides, the Training Dummy almost seemed to get a look in its eyes within its faceless features. One of derision.

  The Training Dummy blocked the chakram with its defensive ability on its shield and slashed through the Ironwood Skirmisher’s sword arms. It kicked the wooden centaur away with an aura of disrespect and effortlessly sidestepped the spinning chakram out of its block to throw its sword into Gilgamesh before he could react.

  [ Master Golem Core has reached level 4. ]

  [ You are rewarded 5 Attribute Points. ]

  After five fights against the Training Dummy, its Status was finally revealed to Gilgamesh.

  [ Hard Mode Training Dummy ]

  Attributes:

  Strength - 100

  Agility - 100

  Vitality - 100

  Perception - 100

  Force - 100

  Spirit - 100

  Control - 100

  Willpower - 100

  Talents:

  Sever lvl. 10 (silver), Bastion lvl. 10 (silver), Charge lvl. 10 (silver)

  [ Sever (silver) ]

  ‘Cut with enhanced sharpness.’

  Magnitude: 2.0

  Mana Cost: 30

  [ Bastion ]

  ‘Diminish the force of a physical impact.’

  Magnitude: 2.5

  Mana Cost: 50

  [ Charge ]

  ‘Increase movement speed threefold for a brief moment.’

  Mana Cost: 30

  “Not good enough…” Gilgamesh assessed. Ironwood Skirmisher was fast enough to be useful, but not nearly durable enough to truly contend. Even without using its Sever ability, the Training Dummy's Mid Grade sword carved through its arms like a knife would through butter.

  Gilgamesh thought its speed would be good enough despite its expected inferiority, but the centaur was more limited than he thought it would be. Its usefulness lasted only until the moment of its attack.

  “I need a better golem. One with a better Form. But will that be enough? How else can I improve it? A Feature? Rush would make its movement fast enough, but then its striking speed would be too slow. And if I give it something that improves its striking speed, then its movement will be even more lacking..."

  Gilgamesh found himself confronted with the limits of Low Grade.

  Gilgamesh left the sparring ring again, and found that the strain on his soul and mind he had anticipated was gone. The sparring ring made his condition perfect before each fight, but he had not expected that to carry over after he returned.

  That gave him an idea.

  Gilgamesh returned to the Sparring Ring at once and choose to fight the Easy Mode Training Dummy. He brought out only two Clay Sentries, and as soon as the fight began, he commanded them to restrain the Training Dummy so that it would not disturb his work. Gilgamesh took out another gemstone along with his awl and began to carve. But as soon as he engraved the first glyphs for the pathway, the duel reset.

  "So I am only allowed to spar in this ring..." Gilgamesh left once again, to the same result as before.

  His mana capacity filled to maximum capacity for the start of each match, but once he left, it returned to what it was before he had entered. Or rather, his 'true' mana capacity returned to what it would have naturally recovered during the time that passed.

  “I can still make use of this."

  Soul Strain was one of the two main limitations he faced when crafting golems. But here, his only limitation was his mana capacity.

  [ Spirit: 54 -> 59 ]

  In such conditions, his one and only Attribute priority was Spirit. The more he had, the more he could train. And the more he could train, the stronger he would become.

  A sharp glint appeared in Gilgamesh’s eyes. “I will make the most of the opportunity this Trial has given me.”

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