Chapter 514 - 513: A Competent Leader

Chapter 514: Chapter 513: A Competent Leader

"You’re not seeing things! Hurry up and save him!"

As he spoke, Colin grabbed his Spellbook. With a rustle of pages, he flipped to the page for [Acid Ball]. He pressed his hand on the page and, while chanting the Spell, slowly drew a dark green Acidic Liquid Ball from the book.

Donkexes and the others standing nearby also began Casting at the same time.

Just then, the Golem swung its war pick at Dorn on the ground.

For some reason, Dorn’s movements were far less nimble than before. It looked like he was about to be struck by the war pick.

In the nick of time, Kase, who had entered a [Frenzy], charged forward with his Shield raised, positioning the massive, iron-banded shield in his hands over Dorn’s head.

CLANG!

With a tremendous crash, sparks flew from the Shield.

Kase, holding the massive shield with both hands, strained with all his might. The muscles on his powerful frame bulged as if they were about to burst. The blow forced him down to one knee, and he could only grit his teeth and hold on.

Even in his [Frenzy], Kase still couldn’t withstand the Golem’s attack.

This was not surprising.

A standard Stone Golem’s Power was enough to wrestle with an adult White Dragon.

But the Half-Orc’s effort was not in vain. The bit of time he bought allowed Colin and the others to successfully complete their Casting.

Several visible, spherical soundwaves enveloped the Golem’s upper body. Its rocky form began to vibrate violently, and dust and flaking stone fragments rained down as the cracks on its body rapidly widened.

The moment it was hit by the Magic attack, the Dwarven Runes on the Golem’s surface flared brightly, attempting to resist the magical assault.

But [Shatter] was especially effective against creatures made of inorganic material. Perhaps a crucial component had been damaged, because the Runes on the Golem’s surface suddenly dimmed.

Immediately after, a golden Light Ball flew toward the Golem, striking it square in the chest.

The exploding golden light then reconverged on the Golem’s chest, forming a conspicuous point of light.

It was Orelia’s [Guiding Bolt]!

Colin quickly adjusted his Magic’s point of impact, aiming for that point of light.

The next moment, a fist-sized fireball shot from Ale’s Magic Staff and exploded on the Golem’s chest. At the same time, Colin’s [Acid Ball] struck the same spot, and a pungent white gas spewed in all directions.

Under the bombardment of four spells, the Stone Golem’s strength suddenly gave out.

Seeing his chance, Kase retreated quickly with his Shield up, grabbing Dorn from the ground and pulling him to safety.

The acid from the [Acid Ball] still clung to the Golem’s chest, crazily corroding everything it touched like a swarm of termites devouring a block of wood.

THUD!

The Stone Golem trembled and took a step forward.

Just as Colin was about to continue Casting, the massive Golem toppled over like an unconscious person, crashing onto the floor and shattering into a pile of rubble.

Colin breathed a sigh of relief.

He glanced at Dorn, whom Kase had pulled out.

One of his shoulders was caved in, the bone clearly shattered. Only a layer of skin and flesh still connected his arm to his body. It was a gruesome sight.

The Dwarf lay on the ground, his brow furrowed, gasping for breath. He had completely lost his usual effortless demeanor and didn’t even have the strength to speak.

Because they have no capacity for thought, Golems are completely immune to Mind Damage. In addition, Stone Golems are usually equipped with the Tier Three Magic [Slow], which can reduce an opponent’s Speed.

Moreover, Golems are typically enchanted with powerful defensive Magic, which greatly reduces the effectiveness of any non-Magic Weapon.

This type of opponent was the perfect counter to Dorn.

Kase winced, tossing his massive shield aside. His arm was severely swollen and bruised from that last blow; it felt like any more force would have fractured it.

He rummaged through Dorn’s Potion Bag and said, "Brother Dorn, why didn’t you drink a Potion?"

"When you’re being swarmed by a Golem, a dozen Gray Dwarves, and a whole mob of slaves, do you think you can find a spare moment to pull out a Potion? Not to mention I was hit with a [Slow] spell," Dorn answered through gritted teeth. "If you can manage that, I’d have to beg you to teach me how."

"Mr. Dorn, have some alcohol first. I’ll start treating you right away." Orelia took out her medical kit, came to Dorn’s side, and began to heal his wounds using her Divine Arts.

Colin turned back to Durkin and said, "This wasn’t quite what we agreed on."

"It was just a small mishap. Perhaps the passage of time caused an error in the Golem’s friend-or-foe identification. Your Priest hasn’t used much of her Divine Arts, has she? A minor injury like this won’t affect anything," Durkin said expressionlessly.

"Honestly, where I’m from, we’re a bit more careful and considerate when dealing with our own brothers. Don’t Dwarves have a tradition like that?" Kase said, his words barbed.

Durkin said flatly, "It was just an accident."

"An accident, indeed," Colin sighed, gesturing at the surrounding corpses. "We should still clean up this mess."

"If I were you, I might be more interested in witnessing the historic moment that comes next." Durkin’s tone relaxed slightly.

It was then that Colin saw him smile for the first time.

Durkin turned to the Dwarves behind him and announced loudly, "Today, we have slain the scum that desecrated our ancestral halls! We have reclaimed our temple!"

"Long live the Shadow Anvil Clan!" "This is our glory!"

Hearing this, the surrounding Dwarves raised their weapons and cheered.

Ale frowned at Colin, then shot a look toward Dorn on the ground.

Her expression seemed to say, ’There’s a seriously injured Dwarf lying right there, and they’re already in such a hurry to celebrate?’

Colin just shrugged.

’All I can say is, based on how they interact, Dorn probably isn’t very popular. There might be some deeper reasons for that.’

’But regardless, he’s one of them, and he shouldn’t be treated like this, even if he himself doesn’t seem to care.’

"Now then..." Durkin slowly turned and walked toward the great doors at the back of the portico.

At the back of the portico stood a pair of massive black double doors. They appeared to be made of obsidian. To the right of the doors was a Dwarf statue, broken off at the waist. The severed upper half lay on the ground in a pile of rubble.

That statue was probably another Golem, likely damaged by the passage of too much time.

Carved on the portico’s ceiling was an anvil and a hammer—likely the Divine Emblem of Moradin, the Dwarf god of Forging.

Dorn, still on the ground, ignored Orelia’s protests and scrambled to his feet, standing straight and looking ahead. His posture rivaled that of the most devout Priest in any Church.

At that moment, Durkin slowly placed his hands on the black doors. "Now, the halls of our ancestors will once again see the light of day!"