The two days before the entrance exam passed swiftly, but Arthur was far from idle. He spent much of his time exploring Brightwater, occasionally stopping by different shops to observe the various goods available, sometimes absorbing mana stones. Occasionally, he would check in on Finn, who was completely engrossed in his preparation for the entrance exam. 

However, his most significant discovery came not from the city’s markets but from his ongoing study of the golem aboard the Spear of Heaven. 

On the evening of the first day, as the lanterns in Brightwater flickered to life, Arthur sat cross-legged on his bed in the Silver Hearth. He closed his eyes, exhaled slowly, and projected his consciousness into the Spear of Heaven using technopathy.

A moment later, his awareness shifted.

He was inside the ship. Not physically, but as a hard-light projection, his technopathy allowed him to manifest his thoughts within the ship’s systems. It was a strange sensation, both real and not.

The Guardian AI was already waiting for him. A shimmering blue figure materialized before him, its form vaguely humanoid but ever-shifting with streams of data coursing through it.

[Commander,] the Guardian greeted, its voice smooth and precise. [I have completed the analysis of the golem.]

Arthur nodded. “Give me the status report.”

A holographic screen appeared before him, filled with dense data streams and detailed charts. The AI summarized the findings efficiently.

[The golem appears to sustain itself by consuming minerals, showing a particular preference for refined metals over raw ores. Notably, its consumption of specific metals allows it to integrate their properties into its own structure. This explains its increased durability and hardness after ingesting alloy-based materials.]

Arthur rubbed his chin in thought. “So, it can mimic the properties of what it eats? Like what Element-M can do?”

[Precisely,] the Guardian confirmed. [Its body composition undergoes gradual enhancement, though the process is not instantaneous. The changes take time to fully manifest. Additionally, while it does not require organic sustenance, it enters an energy-conservation state – what you might call ‘sleep’ – after consuming significant amounts of material.]

Arthur considered this. If the golem could assimilate traits from metals, then it could theoretically become stronger depending on what it was fed. That meant its potential was vast, imagine the golem with the hardness and toughness of Alloy-X in the battlefield, there is no existing weapon with humans that could harm it.

He decided to see this for himself.

“Take me to the containment chamber,” Arthur instructed.

The ship’s systems responded immediately. The environment around him shifted, and in an instant, he was standing within the Spear of Heaven’s containment bay, where the golem had been housed for study.

The chamber was spacious, lined with reinforced alloy walls. In the center, the golem sat motionless, its form resembling a humanoid construct with a body made of crystal-like material. Its core, embedded in its chest, pulsed faintly like a heartbeat.

Arthur approached, his hard-light form stepping forward. The golem lifted its head at his approach, its eyes if they could be called that glowing with a soft, violet hue.

He ordered the Guardian to take out an alloy bar, and then he held it out towards the golem.

The golem hesitated for a moment, then slowly moved closer. It knelt before him, its movements almost… gentle. It reached out, took the alloy bar with both hands, and examined it. Then, in an oddly endearing motion, it nudged its head against Arthur’s holographic palm.

Arthur raised an eyebrow. He let his hand rest against the golem’s head, giving it a light pat. The golem made a low, rumbling sound – not threatening, but something closer to a contented hum.

Arthur watched as it ate the steel bar, its body subtly shifting in texture. It was fascinating to witness up close.

But an idea struck him.

“What if…” he murmured.

He turned to the Guardian. “Bring me some mana stones”

The AI acknowledged his request, and within seconds, a small pile of glowing mana stones materialized beside him.

Arthur crouched and picked up one, holding it toward the golem. “Let’s see if it could eat this.”

The golem tilted its head, hesitant. It moved closer, then did something strange, it mimicked a sniffing gesture, despite lacking a nose.

Arthur watched in silence.

A few moments passed before the golem reached out and tentatively took the mana stone. It hesitated for a second longer… and then the place where its mouth should have been split apart and swallowed the mana stone whole.

Arthur observed carefully. At first, nothing happened.

Then, the golem turned its gaze toward the remaining pile of mana stones.

Without further hesitation, it walked over and swallowed them all and returned to the pile of Element-M and curled up atop them, as if settling into a nest.

Arthur frowned. “That’s… unexpected.”

The Guardian spoke. [Its core is reacting.]

Arthur’s eyes narrowed. He focused on the core of the golem, and sure enough he could see it. The golem’s core pulsed, growing brighter in rhythmic intervals. It continued for several minutes, its body subtly trembling as if undergoing some internal process.

And then the light dimmed. The pulsing stopped.

The golem had fallen in a deep sleep.

Arthur stood there, watching.

“…Interesting.”

He had expected some kind of reaction, but this was entirely new. Mana stones were rich in magical energy, if the golem was absorbing them, then it wasn’t just gaining physical enhancements anymore.

‘Could it be… evolving?’ Arthur straightened, his mind already analyzing the possibilities. He turned to the Guardian.

“Monitor it closely,” he ordered. “If anything changes, notify me immediately.”

[Affirmative, Commander.]

Satisfied for now, Arthur retracted his consciousness, pulling himself back into the real world.

The moment he opened his eyes, he found himself back in his room at the Silver Hearth, the wooden ceiling above dimly lit by the single candle on his bedside table.

He exhaled, running a hand through his hair. The golem had consumed the mana stones. That changed things.

He didn’t know how it would affect it yet, but one thing was certain…It would have immense potential if it was successful in absorbing and assimilating mana from the mana stones.

…

In the afternoon of the last day, Arthur continued his exploration of Brightwater. He passed through several stores, taking note of the quality of goods available in this part of the kingdom. He saw a weapon store, its exterior adorned with an intricately forged sign depicting crossed swords.

Pushing open the door, he stepped inside. The air smelled of metal and oil, a scent common in weapon stores. Weapons lined the walls, swords, axes, daggers, all crafted with various enchantments. Arthur let his ‘Analyse’ skill run over them, quickly identifying their properties. Most were made of enchanted steel, designed to be durable and to channel mana more efficiently.

Then his eyes landed on something unusual.

Three weapons sat inside glass receptacles at the far end of the store. Unlike the others, they felt… different. Arthur used ‘Analyse’ on them.

//——————–//

Weapon: Shadowfang (Sword)

Material: Enchanted steel with Dark Steel Coating

Attributes: High durability, good mana conductivity, minor self-repair ability.

//——————–//

//——————–//

Weapon: Aegis Bastion (Shield)

Material: Enchanted steel with Dark Steel Coating

Attributes: Superior physical and magical resistance, capable of absorbing shockwaves.

//——————–//

//——————–//

Weapon: Stormpiercer (Spear)

Material: Mithril Coating(Spearhead), Dark Steel Coating(Shaft)

Attributes: High mana conductivity, lightweight yet extremely durable due to mithril coating, reduces resistance when piercing through magical barriers.

//——————–//

Arthur’s eyes narrowed slightly. ‘Dark Steel? Mithril? I haven’t seen these metals before but I have read about them from the library… their attributes are quite impressive even though they are not entirely made of those materials.’

He turned to the shop owner, an elderly man with a rugged build and a smith’s calloused hands. And asked about the three weapons.

The man glanced up from his ledger, following Arthur’s gaze. “Ah, those beauties? Made by a master blacksmith. Unlike normal enchanted steel, Dark Steel is naturally infused with mana, making it far superior in both durability and mana/chi-channeling ability. And that spear’s mithril tip? It cuts through magic like a knife through butter.”

Arthur folded his arms. “How much?”

The old man chuckled. “You’ve got good taste, lad. The sword’s 15 platinum, the shield’s 20, and the spear’s 30.”

Arthur didn’t hesitate. “I’ll take the sword and the spear.”

The shopkeeper blinked in surprise as he had been holding onto these three weapons for more than three months without being able to sell them, but quickly nodded, gathering the weapons. Arthur placed the platinum coins on the counter without a second thought.

Once the transaction was done, Arthur took the weapons and discreetly stored them inside the Spear of Heaven

, instructing the Guardian to analyze them further.

As he stepped out of the shop, he glanced at his empty hands, his new spatial bag subtly covering the fact that the weapons had seemingly disappeared.

‘This world still has many things I don’t understand… but I will uncover them one by one.’

…

That night, as the city of Brightwater settled into slumber, Arthur sat cross-legged on his bed in the Silver Hearth and was absorbing mana from a mid grade mana stone. When, a familiar voice sounded in his mind.

[Commander,] the Guardian’s voice echoed in his mind. [I have completed an initial analysis of Dark Steel and Mithril.]

Arthur exhaled and closed his eyes, focusing his thoughts. His consciousness shifted, and in an instant, he found himself inside the Spear of Heaven. The Guardian, a shimmering blue figure of shifting code, awaited him.

A holographic display materialized in front of Arthur, lines of text scrolling down rapidly. The information was dense, technical, and fragmented in places. All the information about the atomic structure to density of the two metals were presented in front of him.

Arthur crossed his arms, his gaze narrowing as he read through the data. It confirmed what the shopkeeper had mentioned, but there were still gaps in the analysis.

[However,] the Guardian continued, [There are still unknown variables. Additional data on the magic system of this world is required for a complete assessment.]

Arthur sighed. That was expected. These metals were magical in nature, and he doubted there were detailed scientific studies on them in this world. But he wasn’t about to let that stop him.

“Can we find more?” he asked, glancing at the AI.

The Guardian’s form shifted slightly. [Given the lack of data on natural sources, the ship’s database has insufficient reference points. However…]

A second holographic display appeared, showing an orbital map of the planet. Thousands of tiny blue dots pulsed across its surface, his probes, constantly scanning the planet, energy signatures, and anomalies.

Arthur’s lips curled into a small smirk. “Then let’s fix that.”

“Upload the properties of Dark Steel and Mithril to the probe network,” he commanded. “Initiate a full-spectrum geological scan. I want every potential source located.”

[Affirmative,] the Guardian responded. [Deploying search parameters now.]

All across the planet, the countless probes, some hidden deep underground, some drifting silently through the skies, immediately adapted to the new directive. Their sensors recalibrated, shifting to detect the unique compositions of the two metals.

Arthur watched as lines of data streamed down the holographic interface. For now, it would take time before results came in, but it was a start. If these metals existed naturally in this world, he was going to find them.

He closed the interface with a thought and turned his attention back to the Guardian. “Notify me the moment any probe detects a viable deposit.”

[Understood, Commander.]

Arthur’s projection flickered as he disconnected from the Spear of Heaven, his awareness snapping back into his body. He exhaled slowly, the dim candlelight greeting him once more.

He reached over and extinguished the candle, allowing the darkness of the night to take over, tomorrow is the day of the entrance exam.

***

Free patreon members gets to read 2 chapters ahead!

You can join my discord channel to discuss my novel and find artwork of this novel!!

.gg/PmkQsrAdMY

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep