The Golem Mage

The two scouts who had been sent to deliver Alec's location to both the Orc chief and the Root who was the leader of the plant army had finally returned to the Academy city.

They stood behind the captain, awaiting his orders.

"What is the new update?" the captain asked without even turning around.

"Sir, the Root was filled with rage when he heard that Alec was heading towards the Beast King Region, and He has quickly gathered Around a hundred other powerful plant lifeforms and began chasing after him hoping to get Alec this time," one of the scouts reported.

"With the Root out of the picture, taking care of what is remaining of the Plants army to claim the mine should not be a problem," the scout on the captain's right added, providing the details of his mission.

"Very good. Despite their great strength, not all plant lifeforms are intelligent, This seems to be nature's way of maintaining balance. Otherwise, they might be considered one of the strongest races in the Abyss,"

The captain remarked before turning to the scout on his left for his own reports.

"Well, the Orc king has also led an army of fifty wolf rider Orcs to chase after Alec. Although he is seriously injured, he should have no trouble dealing with Alec and his gang. However..." the scout hesitated.

"But what? If the Orc king doesn't attack Alec, I won't have a chance to take over the mine, Alec is the bait in my plan, a distraction until I acquire the Power Stone veins,"

The captain interjected, highlighting the importance of Alec's role.

"So nothing must come in between it!" the captain firmly declared, cutting off the second scout.

"The Orc chief seems to consult his shaman before making most of his decisions. I felt it was important for you to know."

" He wouldn't have even agreed to meet me if his shaman hadn't approved. Therefore, this shaman must be a key figure for us to be aware of," the scout explained.

"I see. In that case, we may have to remove the Orc chief from our plans," the captain concluded.

"But why?" the scout asked almost instantly, as that would mean his importance would be reduced.

"Because those who rely on gods for instructions are always unpredictable and should be avoided at all costs. If things get worse, we will find a way to kill the Orc chief's shaman and sever his connection with the gods. In the meantime, he will be left without a medium to communicate with,"

The captain explained, emphasizing the need to eliminate the Orc chief's reliance on the gods.

"Now that all our plans seem to be in order, give the order to move the squad. This time, I won't accept any sort of failure. We must obtain the mine vein at all costs,"

The captain concluded, his voice filled with determination. The scouts bowed their heads in respect and swiftly moved to fulfil his wishes.

Alec and his group had finally reached the entrance of the Beast King Region. Even before stepping foot into this region, they could feel the feral and primal energy permeating the air.

"We are here. What is our next move now?" Agnes asked Alec, eager to proceed with their mission.

"What do you mean 'we are here'? I thought we were meant to return to the city gates to recuperate," Pale swiftly interjected, expressing his confusion.

"Keep your high and mighty attitude in check, Noble boy. I promised to accompany your group back to the city gates unharmed, but that doesn't mean I planned to abandon everything I came here for just to cater to your desires.'

" Once my group is done with our personal mission, you can be assured that we will bring you back to the gates swiftly,"

Alec responded, his anger seeping through his words.

Pale's incessant complaints had become a burden for the Gordons group, bombarding them with countless questions since they joined his group.

Alec couldn't help but wonder how Pale had managed to lead his own group.

It became apparent that Pale was constantly plagued by a sense of danger without any assurance.

Pale had thought that embarking into the Abyss and emerging unscathed was as easy as a walk in the park, given that Alec and his group had accomplished it two times now.

He felt There was no reason why he shouldn't be able to do the same – after all, he felt Alec doesn't have two heads.

And he had always believed that he was not weaker than Alec.

He staunchly believed that he was the strongest and persistently blamed his previous loss to Alec as a lack of his physical abilities,

He felt if he was a battle Mage he would not have had to loos like that, which had resulted in a humiliating defeat.

In his mind, if he were to face off against Alec again, without no restraints he would surely embarrass him.

But now, here in the treacherous Abyss, he found himself in dire need of Alec's assistance.

After narrowly escaping death multiple times while leading a group of rookie mages, he had come to the realization that leadership was simply not his forte.

In the past, whenever he had ventured onto a battlefield, there had always been an elder or clan enforcer overseeing his actions, ensuring that he never faced serious consequences, or was in danger of death.

Consequently, he had never taken things as seriously as he should have.

However, now he was acutely aware that his life could be snuffed out in an instant.

This newfound realization had compelled him to accept Alec's group as the leading party, while he continued to pester and annoy them along the way.

"Shhhhh, do you hear that!"

Alec hushed Pale, his attention drawn to peculiar sounds as they entered the beast-infested forest.

"I have a feeling that there's a strange energy in the air, I'll investigate to determine the source of this phenomenon,"

Agnes who had moved up front stated, summoning her wand and transforming it into its staff form.

She slammed the staff down, attempting to read the mana signals in the area.

As a deep brown light swept through the forest, emanating from Agnes in a circular pattern.

Just as the circle neared the bushes, a beast leapt forward, emitting a peculiar sound as it advanced towards the defenceless Agnes.

The creature swung its claws in an attempt to disrupt whatever Agnes was doing.

Its actions alone demonstrated a high level of intelligence, as if it knew that the spell would expose its hidden location in the bushes.

The rest of the group was too exhausted to react and stop the beast, including Alec, who had only regained about 50% of his powers.

Kelvin, the twins, and the other mages were still far behind.

The only ones in close proximity to Agnes were Alec and Pale.

Alec knew he wouldn't reach her in time.

He even visualized summoning Titan, but he understood that by the time the summoning was complete, the beast would have already reached Agnes, rendering his efforts in vain.

Helplessly, the entire group could only watch as the beast's fangs approached Agnes, poised to tear off her head.