A series of crisp cracks echoed as Elias flexed and stretched his hands—a ritual he’d grown used to every time he sculpted.
He glanced over everything the chucklers had brought and took stock.
‘Mmm. There should be enough for a golem and a house.’
With a thought, he dove completely into his [Design] skill—the whole world fading with only a black void in his sight.
|Ding! Intent to design a sculpture detected! Would you like to designate a basic form?|
For now, he needed something that could fight, walk decently on different terrain, assist him on various things—something versatile over all. One simple form came to mind.
‘Humanoid.’
|Ding! Acknowledged!|
A ghostly blue outline appeared in the void, rough and featureless at first. He reached out instinctively to refine and modify it.
It pulsed as he dragged his hands across it. The first thing he did was to make it twice his height—he needed it to be his protector, after all.
Next were the legs. They needed to be thick—not just for stability, but to handle uneven terrain. He reinforced the ankles, ensuring they wouldn’t snap under pressure, and adjusted the knee joints to allow flexible movement with overlapping layers.
The feet needed to be large and wide to evenly distribute weight, ensuring balance.
If this thing was going to fight, it couldn’t be sluggish.
Suggestion:
-Adjust body proportions to avoid structural weakness-
He clicked his tongue. ‘I know.’
This wasn’t exactly his first time making golems from sculptures—though all of his previous creations were much smaller.
With a shake of his head, he refocused and continued with the modifications.
The torso was straightforward—broad and reinforced, built to take direct hits without breaking apart. But the real strength would be in the arms.
Elias dragged his hands across the design toward the hands—the outline pulsing along. He shaped the arms with deliberate care. They had to be powerful enough for combat, but not so bulky that they slowed the golem down.
‘Balance. Like everything else.’
Now, the hands. The true difference between a simple brawler and a warrior. If the legs kept it standing and the arms gave it reach, the hands would decide how it fought. Striking, gripping, tearing—maybe even wielding a weapon.
He shaped them to be somewhere in between. Then, a thought struck him—if this thing needed to protect him, it couldn’t just block attacks. It needed to end fights quickly.
So, he reinforced the knuckles, shaping them into pointed ridges—enough to break armor, dent steel, and send a message with every punch— without sacrificing dexterity.
Letting out a breath, he gave it a once over.
‘Dad wouldn’t be happy with the lack of art in this, but it’s good enough.’
Nodding in satisfaction, he moved on to what would make it a golem—the chest cavity that would house the core, the eye and limb sockets for the sub-cores, and finally, the circuitry within.
The cavity and sockets were simple—just spherical indents, since the cores he was planning to make were the simplest type.
It was the circuitry that was complicated.
He exhaled, shaking his hands before diving in.
It wasn’t as simple as carving random vein-thin pathways into the stone. They needed to connect the cores without interrupting each other and mixing signals. Everything needed to be in harmony.
One mistake, and the mana wouldn’t circulate properly—at best, the golem would move like a stumbling drunk, and at worst… it wouldn’t move at all.
When it was all done, he said. “Finalize.”
|Ding! Scanning…|
Suggestion:
-Add redundancies to the circuitry-
“Ah! How’d I miss that?” He exclaimed as he palmed his face.
A single broken line in the circuit would shut that part of the body down. A well-placed strike that didn’t even have to do much damage could incapacitate a whole limb.
“Rookie mistake.”
He shook his head, shaking off his mild frustration along with it.
Refocusing, he ran his fingers along the glowing circuits, tracing the circuitry again. This time, he added four more separate pathways. This way, if one was damaged, power and commands would still be able to flow.
He would’ve added more, but then he’d have to worry about weaknesses in the stone.
‘This’ll do.’
He distanced himself from the design, looking at it from a broader perspective. When he was satisfied, he tried to finalize again.
|Ding! Scanning…|
|Scanning…|
|Scanning…|
|Ding! Design finalized! Do you wish to name this design and save it as a template?|
|Yes/No|
He thought for a moment. This wasn’t just another project. This was the culmination of what he was working to with his classes—the classes he inherited from his parents.
He let out a breath—not letting himself go down memory lane.
But he knew what he wanted the name to be. The beginning of his vengeance. The first of many. The first of his army.
“Primus Vindictus.”
|Ding! [Primus Vindictus] has been saved as a template!|
|Ding! [Design] has leveled up!|
|Ding! [Design] (R) is now Level 5!|
With the satisfaction of leveling up, he ended his [Design] skill and popped back out into the real world.
“You were gone for a while.” Desippe said as he opened his eyes. “You also feel a bit… different.”
Elias grinned. “I just did a bit of designing.” He looked over at the rubble scattered around. “Can you tell your guys to gather it all up into a pile?”
She hummed for a moment while staring intently at him. “I suppose.”
Without another word, she turned to the chucklers and commanded them silently.
A sharp series of clicks and gestures followed.
The creatures immediately sprang into action, scurrying across the clearing, hauling chunks of stone with surprising efficiency. Some carried smaller pieces in their arms, while others worked together to drag larger slabs into a growing pile.
He watched, impressed. “They really do work well together.”
She didn’t respond—just watched as her chucklers continued their work without hesitation.
When he saw that the pile had enough to make his golem, he told Desippe to command them to form another pile.
He, on the other hand, finally got to work on his creation.
“Alright. First things first, I need to make you guys whole.”
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
He spread out his will over the pile—making sure that he got every piece within his control—then activated his [Material Shaping] skill.
“Condense.”
The stone resisted at first, as if reluctant to change, before finally yielding to his will. The jagged rubble trembled, then softened, smoothed, and compressed, shifting as if it were clay rather than hardened rock.
Gradually, the scattered fragments melded together, forming a single, dense pillar of stone.
“You work fast.” Desippe commented.
Without glancing over, he replied with a smirk. “We’ve established that.”
“Hmmm. Yes but, how will you sculpt without your tools?”
“It’ll be a bit harder.” He admitted. “But my shaping skill should be enough for this design.”
He paused.
“The hard part will be the cores and the circuitry.”
“What do you mean?” Desippe’s eyes narrowed. “Why would a sculpture need cores and circuitry?”
He ran his hand across the now smooth, condensed stone as he thought of his reply. Glancing at her, he could tell that there was no hostility in her eyes, but something else lingered beneath her curiosity. Caution. Maybe even suspicion.
“This sculpture won’t just be for display.” He said finally.
“Hmmm?”
He grinned. “I’m making a golem.”
Desippe’s brows furrowed. “A golem?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “Not just an unmoving statue, something that moves, fights, and follows commands.”
She hummed, stepping closer. “Sounds complicated.”
He agreed, tapping on the stone with his knuckles. “It also doesn’t help that my previous golems were nowhere near this size.”
Elias ran his fingers across the dense stone pillar, feeling the potential locked within. This was just the beginning.
“Alright, next step.”
She tilted her head. “Which is?”
“The core.” He tapped the center of the stone. “The thing that acts as both the heart and the mind.”
“You won’t sculpt the pillar first?”
“No.” He said with a shake. “I’m not experienced enough to perfect the circuitry in one try. I need to see the mana coursing through the pathways as I sculpt.”
Desippe crossed her arms. “And how do you plan on making that?”
“Same way I made the metal that covered my hands.”
Then, he reached deep inside himself—to his store of creation mana. As he did, he noticed that it had somewhat refilled. Not enough to make anything big, unfortunately.
‘Guess I’ll have to make do with simple commands for now.’
He gathered all he could muster and willed it to form carbon.
“Carbon?” A different voice sounded from beside him.
He just nodded, his focus completely on the creation mana pooling into his palm. The process was slower than he’d have liked—his reserves were still recovering—but he could feel the material beginning to form.
Right between his fingers, a small speck of light formed. It hovered there, trembling, then expanded as more mana surged into it. Layers upon layers compressed together, refining, hardening, crystallizing.
A dull, glassy sphere began to take shape—but he didn’t stop. He activated his shaping skill to condense it even more.
More and more until… the dullness vanished.
In its place, a diamond emerged—flawless, perfectly spherical, yet impossibly dense. Its crystal-clear surface swallowed the light, bending it inward before releasing a prismatic shimmer.
|Ding! [Material Shaping] has leveled up!|
|Ding! [Material Shaping] has leveled up!|
|Ding! [Material Shaping] (R) is now Level 37!|
Elias exhaled as he heard the notifications, his body trembling slightly from the strain. He turned the barely lemon-sized core in his fingers, watching the way the refracted light danced across its surface.
"That'll do," He murmured in satisfaction.
It had felt like ages since he last leveled up his skills
“Fascinating.” That unfamiliar voice sounded out from behind him again.
He turned toward the voice and found a relatively thin chuckler in a deep green and gold cloak. Even its arms were thinner than the others—a fairly huge contrast to their signature feature.
‘An Elder.’ He thought. ‘A different one.’
“May I see it?” The Elder asked while intently looking at the core in his hands.
Elias didn’t answer right away. His fingers tightened around the diamond core, its weight pressing against his palm.
The Elder didn’t move closer nor repeat the request. It just stood there, staring.
Desippe shifted beside him and moved in between him and the Elder. “Human, this is Elder Rhyx.”
“Ah yes! I forgot to introduce myself!” Rhyx said, straightening his cloak. “I am the clan’s resident Earth Shaper.”
“…”
“…”
Desippe gave the Elder a look—making him clear his throat.
“Right! I’m also the resident researcher for any and all odd things… unfortunately.” He said, his eyes never leaving the core.
“…”
“…”
Desippe sighed and said. “As you can see, Elder Rhyx is a bit odd…”
“Curiosity should never be mistaken for oddness, Desippe.” Rhyx said, shaking his head. “But enough about me.” He pointed at the core. “Since we will be working together from now on, surely you’ll have no trouble showing me your creation?”
Elias didn’t loosen his grip.
Rhyx’s tone was pleasant enough, but something about the way he stared at the core made Elias uneasy. The Elder hadn't moved, hadn't made any demands, but his intent was obvious.
Desippe’s eye twitched, it was fast but Elias noticed it. She didn’t trust Rhyx either.
Elias finally spoke. “Why?”
“Because it is new.” His said, almost amused. “And because I’ve never seen anyone create anything near me before.”
“And if I say no?”
The Elder chuckler chuckled. Low and dry. “Then you say no.”
He spread his arms as if to show his harmlessness, but Elias wasn’t convinced. There was something in the way the Elder watched him that felt too… measured.
Desippe exhaled before chiming in. “Elder, perhaps this can wait until after the human has completed his work.”
Rhyx sighed, shaking his head. “Desippe, Desippe… always so impatient.” Then, to Elias, “If you prefer to keep it to yourself, I will not press.”
The Elder’s tone was polite, his words reasonable, but he had dealt with enough people in his life to recognize when someone wanted something more than they let on.
He gave a slow shake of his head. “I think I’ll hold onto it for now.”
The Elder simply nodded. “As you wish.”
‘That’s it?’
He looked at the Matriarch questioningly and saw that she’d relaxed somewhat after hearing the Elder’s words.
Rhyx glanced at the stone pillar. “A shame. I would have liked to study your technique.” He stepped back, folding his thin arms into his cloak. “But I will not delay your work further.”
The Elder then turned smoothly and walked away—slowly descending into the earth.
Elias sighed in relief, unclenching his hand holding the core. “That guy’s definitely up to something.”
“…”
Not hearing a reply, he turned to Desippe. She had a complicated expression on her face.
“What’s up?”
“Like I said, he’s odd.” She sighed. “He probably was up to something, yes. But that was probably more that he wanted to break your core open and study it."
“What do you mean?”
“He’s just…” She paused. “very curious. Even though he doesn’t like being called the clan researcher.”
She sighed again and looked him in eye. “He means well. Usually. But sometimes his curiosity gets ahead of him.”
“Riiiiight…” Elias said, not completely believing her words.
“He really does mean—”
“Stop. I probably won’t believe you no matter how much you explain things.” He turned around, back to the stone pillar. “I need to focus on finishing this golem first before any more elders decide to drop in.”
He flexed and cracked his hands again. “Alright,” he muttered to himself, “back to work.”
Next, he needed to finally shape the pillar into the body of a golem.
Elias placed his hands on the dense stone, feeling the raw potential beneath his fingertips. This was the moment everything came together—the moment where he turned an idea into reality.
[Material Shaping]
The stone responded immediately this time—having already been subjected to his will.
He worked fast but carefully, guiding the shape into what he’d designed. Limbs stretched outward, broad and powerful, shoulders carved to balance the massive weight of the torso.
The golem’s legs, built for stability and movement. He shaped the thighs first, ensuring the joints could bear the weight of the upper body.
The knees were reinforced with overlapping layers, allowing flexibility without sacrificing strength. The feet, large and wide, would help distribute weight evenly, keeping the golem from toppling over on rough terrain.
Desippe watched in silence, arms crossed. The chucklers gathered in a loose circle, as if instinctively aware of the moment’s importance.
“The arms,” he muttered, moving to the next part.
He took extra care shaping them, knowing they were the primary tools for both combat and utility. The biceps and forearms were thick. He fashioned the wrists with rotational joints, allowing for a full range of motion.
Then, the hands.
He took his time and shaped them deliberately—fingers long enough to grasp weapons or crush stone, yet dexterous enough to perform finer tasks if needed. The knuckles, already designed for combat, were given a final reinforcement, small ridges that would act as built-in striking points.
Taking a step back, he admired his work.
“I’ll admit.” She said from beside him. “I wasn’t sure you could actually pull it off.”
Elias shook his head. “I’m not done yet.”
He shook his hands and dove back in—this time for the core cavity in the chest, the sockets in the eyes and limbs, and of course, the circuitry.
Placing his palm on the golem’s broad chest, he activated his shaping skill again.
First, he carved out a deep cavity in the center of the chest, perfectly spherical and smooth. It had to be snug enough to hold the diamond core without unnecessary gaps.
He then moved to the secondary sockets—the smaller indents in the golem’s limbs and head. These were for the sub-cores, which would help distribute power more efficiently.
‘One in each arm, one in each leg, and two in the eyes,’ he reminded himself.
He made quick work of the head, making it fairly featureless aside from the eye sockets.
The indents on the limbs were over even quicker as they were just holes.
These weren’t necessary for a functioning golem, but if he wanted one that could move smoothly—and fight at its peak—he needed them.
When he was finally done with the structural work, he moved on to the core. For now, he only needed to fill it with mana—just so he could see if it flowed well through the circuits.
After filling it to the brim and making it glow blue with dense mana, he could feel the difference in quality from what he’d used before.
Diamond was an excellent material, but what he’d made was pure and mundane diamond. It couldn’t hold a candle to the specialized crystals he’d used before.
He put it into the cavity and shaped the stone around it just enough for just a small part of it to show.
"Alright." Elias muttered. “Next, circuits.”
He looked around for a brief moment and saw all the chucklers focused on him.
‘Guess this is interesting to them too.’
He let out a breath and refocused on the golem. “No mistakes.”
He brought up his design first to ensure that he hadn’t forgotten anything. The circuits had to be as precise as veins in a body. If he put them too close together, they would interfere with each other. If he put them too far—they would be too close to the surface.
Thickness was also a factor. The circuits needed to be as thin or just a bit thinner than veins in a human body. Too thick and the mana flow would be too slow and make it need more mana. Too thin and the cores would be in danger of exploding.
With practiced focus, he slowly ran his fingers along the golem’s body. Inch by inch, he took his time, making sure to recheck if the circuits were properly flowing with mana from the core every foot of progress.
Time passed as he repeated the cycle of shaping and rechecking—unbeknownst to him, a day had already passed since he started crafting.
He exhaled slowly, releasing the tension he’d built up in the process of meticulously shaping the circuits.
Now, as he looked at it all, the glow of mana pulsed across the veins—the core, the eyes and the sub-cores in the limbs—pulsing along with it.
It finally looked like a true golem.
“Is it finally done?” Desippe’s voice came from behind him.
A satisfied smile slowly pulled at his lips. “All that’s left are the enchantments on the cores and we’re good to go.”
She walked around, examining it in all its majesty. “You said you were inexperienced.” She paused. “This wouldn’t happen to be your first combat capable golem, right?”
Memories of his parents, friends... and Anna flashed briefly in his mind.
Elias shook his head. His smile morphing into one of pride and anticipation. “The first of many.”
a follow, a favorite, a rating, or even a review—it really helps me get closer to Rising Stars! :D Thanks for reading!
Patreon on the other hand will still have dailies until I get 12(1 month) advanced chapters on there. Then I'll give myself a rest day and drop to 5-6 chapters per week with a goal of getting to 3 months ahead at the very least.
