The Runic Alchemist

Most of them nodded—not that he needed their permission. He was merely informing them.

There was plenty of Reize’s mana liquid stored in Storage 2, and he had already prepared for a situation like this. A heavy, three-meter-square cube infused with the Barrier Spell sat ready, crafted specifically for moments like these. The best part? It was mana-independent, meaning its shield would hold as long as Reize continued reinforcing it with her own mana.

After crossing into Level 21, they found a suitable spot atop a mountain—a slight gap that was both secure and spacious enough for Dreamlight to land. Once they settled in, Damian handed the cube to Reize and gathered his closest friends.

“Be careful,” he instructed. “Use the cube constantly, and if any Highswords show up, don’t let them in, if they still insist, hit them with everything in the armory.”

He made one thing clear—no one was to be allowed inside the shield and the ship. It had to stay powered until he returned.

“You expect them to attack us?” Maelor asked, doubt clear on his face.

“Hopefully not, but I don’t want to leave anything to chance. There’s also another waygate cube in the armory—use it if the situation turns bad,” Damian replied.

“Didn’t you say only you could use them?” Lucian asked.

“Just power it and ask Elias to choose a target. The spell only allows my bloodline to use my tools,” Damian revealed.

Outside, Elias, Lumi, Alex, Evante, Amy, and Sariel were busy preparing lunch while the others stood inside Dreamlight.

“It’s just a few hours. Just go do your thing—I don’t think we’ll need anything besides the shield,” Reize said with an encouraging smile.

Damian gave a simple nod, grabbed a bag from his room, and packed ten full mana containers. After confirming the Highswords’ location—roughly ten kilometers behind them—he wasted no time, flying straight toward the keypoint. If all went well, he’d be back before they even realized and confirmed he was gone.

Landing alone near the keypoint, Damian pressed forward into Level 22. The terrain remained much the same—black and gray mountains split by rivers of molten lava—but as he soared higher, he noticed the key difference in this level.

The temperature had soared to 50°C, drenching him in sweat that wasn’t it though. The land below was divided into four massive quadrants by rivers of lava so wide that crossing them was impossible without flight or an extraordinary leap. Each section seemed to house different monsters, but Damian didn’t bother investigating. He had no interest in delays.

The air here was dry, blistering, every wingbeat making the heat press harder against his skin. The sun blazed overhead, its harsh glare bleaching the land below into a desolate, scorched expanse. The discomfort was so intense it almost made him long for the previous level.

Halfway through, Damian’s senses flared with surprise—he had detected a massive mana signature. He had expected to go at least another level deeper before encountering Emperor-ranked monsters, yet this one held not just one but two of them.

‘Wait a minute! Level 20 wasn’t the boss level? This one is!’

That was good news for him.

For most adventurers, encountering two towering magma golems would be a terrifying ordeal, but for Damian, it was just another treat. The monsters were of the same type as before—only now, there were two. Despite being magma rock golems, they looked oddly distinct. One was short and bulky, while the other had unnaturally long limbs, with a constant stream of lava pouring from its mouth.

He briefly wondered if these creatures actually existed on some planet or if the dungeon had fabricated them, modifying their appearance based on this world’s history. The murals he had seen did depict various golems, along with that first lizard monster, so perhaps there was some truth to their origins.

Without hesitation, Damian closed in on the two magma golems and repeated the same strategy he had used earlier. The best way to deal with something made entirely of rock? Use its own weight against it. It was efficient, clean, and effortless. He couldn’t help but pity the poor fools who had to hack away at such creatures with swords.

Truth be told, only a Third Ranker could hope to take down monsters like these with sheer brute force. A team of high-tier Second Ranker pugilists might also manage, but only if they fought strategically, and not without sacrifices.

By the time he was done, both golems were nothing more than scattered rock and craters littering the landscape. Damian collected their large red mana stones—a valuable drop—but aside from that, there wasn’t much. Some iron ore and a few rare minerals were mixed into the debris, but he already had plenty of materials. Mining them by hand would just waste time.

However, one of the golems did yield something more than just experience and a mana stone—a Dungeon Relic.

Just five more levels to go, but he wasn’t about to complain about extra rewards.

Now at level 94, Damian activated Analyze, inspecting the strange, round iron sphere engraved with dense runic inscriptions.

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Item: Last Ember of Genica

Tier: Grand

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Origin: Remnant of the Genica Golem Lords

Item Type: Core (Golem Soul Transfer)

Description:

A smoldering relic of a lost civilization, the Last Ember of Genica contains the imprisoned essence of a living Genica golem, its soul flickering within a perfectly spherical core of blackened adamantite. The ember pulses with a quiet yearning, seeking form once more. When placed into any summoned golem, the trapped consciousness awakens, overriding the construct’s crude instincts and allowing the Genica lineage to claim its new vessel. The mind within does not forget—it remembers every battle, every step of its ancient path, ensuring that no body it inhabits will ever be just another husk.

Attributes:

Durability: 100%

Activation Time: Instant upon core placement

Cooldown: None

Runic Alignment: Tier III

Special Effects:

Inheritance of Form: When embedded into a golem, the essence of the Genica species adapts to the new body, inheriting its strengths while preserving the intelligence and combat prowess of its former self.

Eternal Awakening: The ember does not fade. Should the host body be destroyed, the core survives, waiting for another vessel to claim. Extinct because of their extreme vulnerability as an exposed ember.

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