Construction Mage - Chapter 21: Come Forth

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Clay shot up on his bed as a life-changing idea began to take root in his mind.

The problem he currently faced was how to build both quickly and economically. The size and quality factors could be improved over time. For now, he just needed a comfortable place to stay that wouldn’t put a drain on his finances, so he could focus on the guild idea.

Even if he didn’t have the help of the Earthen Wall spell to aid in his construction efforts, there were other spells that could help. It just so happens that one such spell book was currently in his possession.

I can’t believe I didn’t think of this earlier. Using the Summon Elemental as an earth mage will result in an earth golem. If that’s isn’t the definition of free labor, I don’t know what is.

Pulling out his most valuable possession, he took a moment to reread the description that appeared when he made contact with it.

[Rare - Summon Elemental(I): A skill that allows a mage to summon and maintain a humanoid construct with characteristics of their respective element. Requires a Mage class, 10 points in Intelligence, and 15 points in Wisdom to learn. Requirements not met to learn.]

If he could, Clay would’ve already learned the spell right then and there, but he didn’t meet the requirements yet. That’s why he instead tucked it into his shirt and burst out of the inn as he rushed over to the second ring, where the dungeon was.

He didn’t even bother to reequip his armor, and just rushed onto the streets with the casual clothes he recently bought. The guard barely had time to halt him before he flung his token in their face and barged into the Delver enclosure before they could say a word.

Thankfully, they were used to the eccentric antics some Delvers were known for and didn’t take heed of it. It allowed Clay to reach the white pagoda peacefully.

Placing a hand on the altar, he quickly opened the status screen, where he could spend his free stat points.

Status:

Name: Clayton Stratton

Age: 30

Class: Earth Mage [Apprentice] - Level 4

Profession: Staffmaker, Alchemist

Resources:

Health - 78%

Stamina - 101/112 [1.6/min]

Mana - 100/100 [2.4/min]

Stats [Mage]:

Stat Points: 10

Strength: 15 +

Endurance: 16 +

Agility: 15 +

Dexterity: 9 +

Intelligence: 10 +

Wisdom: 12 +

Skills:

Spell Manipulation(I): 2

Earth Blast(I): 2

Meditate(I): 1

Without hesitation, he placed three points into wisdom, but then stopped.

What else should I spend it on? My previous choices weren’t bad. Should I continue down the path of cast speed and endurance? Dexterity proved to be pretty useful too, though. It will allow me to better overcome heavily armored targets with Earth Blast alone. There’s also the synergetic effect between the cast speed of agility and the spell power of strength to take into consideration.

No, this is too much to think about for now. I can wait until I’m about to enter the dungeon again. I may not even need to focus on combat and pick something that would aid in my construction efforts.

With his goal accomplished, Clay began wandering back into the city. He passed by numerous Delvers, who were getting back from their own runs. While they brought back a lot of exciting equipment and loot, he wasn’t in the state of mind to pay attention to them.

Instead, he stuck a hand under his shirt to where he kept the skill book and found a prompt in the description now, asking whether he would learn it. Selecting ‘yes’, the feeling of the book pressed against his torso immediately vanished, and he instinctively felt something being added to him.

Holding back his excitement, he waited until he was out in the fourth ring, in a secluded area that was hugging the wall, before he proceeded to test his new spell. Like the first time he cast Earth Blast, unfamiliar words uncontrollably spewed from his mouth.

“By Lestionora’s name, heed my call,

Let your power take shape for me.

By sacred vow and binding light,

Rise from the void and lend me your might.”

While he chanted, he could feel a low rumble beneath his feet. It thankfully never grew too aggressive, so it wasn’t likely anyone manning the walls noticed anything. The entire process took more than twice as long as his first time using Earth Blast, but it was worth it. That was because a two-meter-tall golem made of hardened earth pulled itself out from the ground.

Once it steadied itself, the resulting hole from its birth strangely disappeared as soil pushed up to refill the gap. Only the broad figure of the elemental standing there confirmed what had just happened.

Clay could feel a connection with the golem before him, so he didn’t hesitate to move forward to inspect his summon. His hand brushed over the contours made of cool, hardened earth. He could tell its thick limbs were quite sturdy. After all, it was easily three times as wide as him, and Clay was not skinny. 

Having satisfied himself with his inspection, he then tested its capabilities. It just required a thought, and the elemental reacted to his command.

The two-meter menace began to clumsily walk alongside the wall. It took slow, hefty steps, but left no prints behind. Despite how clunky its movements were, seeing it move at his direction brought out the little child in him. The giddiness he felt was like the first time he flew a drone, except this one had the weight to crush a car!

He quickly lost himself to the fun as he tested his new toy’s limits.

It didn’t last long.

Just as he got a feel of the dexterity and strength of its hands, it began to crumble away. It started slowly at first, as it shed layers of earth before it cracked and shattered into dust.

A quick look at his status screen told him why. He had run out of mana.

Hmm, it’s not exactly mana efficient, then.

***

After half a day of testing, Clay ventured back into the second ring the next morning.

He had tested enough of his new spell and found it had a consumption of about one hundred mana per minute. It wasn’t exactly easy to measure without any precise time instruments, but it was good enough.

The results almost made him want to put more points into wisdom for higher mana regeneration. The increases may look minimal at first, but combined with the multiplying effect of the Meditate skill, it would greatly increase the elemental’s uptime. He would need to stay still to evoke the meditation skill, but it was worth it, since he mainly planned to use the spell in a safe environment instead of the dungeon.

He had also tested the limits of his Earth Blast spell in terms of what he could do by changing its size and shape. Through this testing, he had inadvertently realized he had some control over his spell’s projectile even after he fired it. It was minimal and far from being able to curve his attacks around cover, but it was a step up. He chalked it up to the increased levels of the Earth Blast spell itself and planned to further test it once it went up again.

However, the most important finding from all that testing was the viability of building a house using his current skill set. The results brought him to the second ring the next day, not to delve into the dungeon again, but to speak to the city administration.

It wasn’t hard to find the grand city hall located just outside the walls separating the second and first rings. The building was practically a mansion. It went up four floors and had fine glass windows instead of the wooden shutters commonly seen outside the first ring. 

Clay would believe it if he were told it was a residence of some noble. That was if he hadn’t seen the wide open entrance with a flow of people heading in and out, of course.

Following the flow of traffic in, he didn’t have time to gawk at the architecture before he was pushed into the grand lobby. There were dozens of counters at the back, with long lines filled to the brim with citizens waiting for their turn.

This is what I expected to see if they had an adventurer’s guild around here. Too bad they don’t, but that’s where I’ll come in.

Things will become a lot easier once there is a centralized institution to simplify the trading of Delver items. Maybe then, the Earthen Wall spell will be within my grasp, and the church will have to talk to me instead of brushing me off.

Clay joined the line and patiently waited. His body still ached from the overexertion in the dungeon. His muscles needed rest, and wounds needed time to heal. A peaceful day like this was a welcome change of pace, even if he had to endure long lines.

While I wait, I should consider how to adjust my schedule. Building a residence is a big commitment. The elemental will be vital in the creation of properly sized earthen bricks and the construction itself. If I don’t get too greedy and build something small, it shouldn’t take too long. 

However, how will building a guild hall fit into the timetable? It can’t be too shabby if I’m to command the respect I need to get other Delvers to listen to me. No, I have to focus on one step at a time first. I can’t wait to get started!

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