Max trained the Magic Bullets Skill to level 15 in six hours, and he still had around another two hours before the sun would rise.
'I should check out all the books and other things I obtained from the hidden chamber of the Burning Wild dungeon,' Max decided. He had been wanting to examine those items for a long time, but he had been so busy over the past few days that he couldn't.
Taking everything out, Max noticed a collection of books about runes, mana paths, mana structures, and similar topics. However, his immediate attention was drawn to the hexagonal token with a black lotus flower engraved on it and the diary.
He picked up the diary and flipped open its first page.
"The possession of this diary belongs to Daniel Winchester, and if you are reading this, then you are my soon-to-be student."
"Huh?" Max chuckled at the first line of the diary and continued reading.
"This diary contains my lifetime research on runes, mana paths, mana structures, and more. But these are just minor aspects I delved into as part of my quest to understand how a golem works. I am very fascinated by golems, which is why I came to the Burning Wild dungeon to study the lava rock golems found here.
"After studying them, I became mesmerized by their mechanisms. Every rune, every mana path, and every mana structure was so organized, detailed, and complex that it took me decades to comprehend them."
"However, after finally understanding everything, I came to a conclusion: these golems, though seemingly functioning entirely through these mana structures and runes, were, in fact, controlled by the core they possessed."
"I noticed that the cores of these golems were very different from the cores of any other monsters in this world. Monster cores typically store life force, but for golems, this was not the case."
"They didn't require life force. Instead, the cores of the golems contained intricately designed rune markings, not on their outer surface but inside their core. I tried to replicate these rune markings on other cores but failed repeatedly, even after years of effort."
"Undeterred, I took a different approach. Instead of trying to inscribe runes on the inner surface of the core, I decided to draw the rune markings on the outer surface. And this time, I succeeded."
"I then attempted to construct a lava rock golem using this core, and it was a success—except for one major flaw. The golem couldn't move. No matter what I tried, it remained immobile, like a mere statue."
"I couldn't figure out what had gone wrong, but I realized I needed more knowledge about golems and their cores. So, I decided to leave the Burning Wild dungeon and search for another dungeon with more advanced golems to further my research."
"I will leave behind one of my skills for my student. Although the skill is flawed, I believe that as my student, you can make it complete."
With those words, the first few pages of the diary came to an end.
"So he was trying to create a golem," Max mused. He had heard of some research facilities and guilds attempting similar experiments, but successful cases were rare.
He flipped through the remaining pages, which were filled with diagrams of runes and mana structures, along with detailed explanations and rough sketches of a golem. "The rest of the diary seems to focus on golem creation," he concluded, putting the diary aside.
"I still have almost two years left. Let's go through the other items before diving into the diary," Max muttered and began reading the book on runes.
After finishing it, he moved on to the books on mana paths and mana structures, completing them within a year and a half.
"Runes are incredible. I should learn how to draw them," Max muttered. He had become fascinated by runes, and a sudden interest in mastering them arose within him.
Moreover, he needed rune stones for the Dragon Scales technique anyway. Learning about runes would at least help him understand what made the rune stones so special.
"However, mana paths and mana structures are incredibly complex. It's like hundreds of runes interconnected to form a mana path, and then hundreds of mana paths interlinked to create a mana structure," Max muttered, feeling overwhelmed. "I need to devote more time to understanding mana paths and mana structures," he decided.
He then turned his attention to the hexagonal token with the black lotus flower. "What is this token for?" he wondered, inspecting it for a moment before setting it aside as well.
"The diary didn't mention how to complete the skill," Max sighed.
Looking at the time, he noticed the sun was about to rise. "Let's take a bath before heading to the Phoenix Order guild," he decided, standing up to prepare for a bath.
---
Max ate a meal of delicacies—cheese pizza and two double bread burgers—at a restaurant, seated peacefully in a corner.
While eating, he used his Three-Dimensional Body skill to observe everyone in the restaurant and noticed that many seemed to be there for the same reason as him: joining the Phoenix Order guild.
"Have you heard what the recruitment test is all about?"
A conversation between a young man and a woman caught his attention. They appeared to be around 18 or 19 years old, making Max suspect they were participants like him.
"The recruitment test is always the same every year. There are two tests. The first tests your affinity to fire, but don't worry—this one's optional. The second test is the most important. In it, we'll need to kill monsters. The more monsters we kill, the better our chances of passing."
"We need to kill monsters? So it's true that people die during the test."
'Interesting,' Max mused, finding the information useful. 'It's a perfect way to test a hunter since a guild would naturally want to know if its members can kill monsters.'
He ate his food, pondering how much of his strength he should reveal. With his full power, Max believed he could defeat some Apprentice Rank monsters. However, he was careful not to reveal too much strength, as it might draw unwanted attention instead of helping him join the Phoenix Order.
'I'll decide after seeing how the fights are arranged,' Max thought, finishing his meal.
After paying for his food, Max left the restaurant and headed straight for the Old Lake.
'There are still three hours left, but there's no harm in arriving early,' Max thought, speeding toward his destination on his hoverboard.
Some time later, he arrived at the Old Lake, where the Phoenix Order branch was located. The area was packed with people.
'Why are there so many people everywhere?' Max sighed, putting away his hoverboard as he slipped through the crowd, heading to the front.
Arriving at the from, he noticed a huge line everyone was waiting for something.
'They are waiting for the test to start.' Max thought and waited like everyone else.
Time passed and three hours later, a middle aged man followed by many other man and women and could be seen coming towards them.
"It starting." Max muttered seeing them. He had waited for this moment for a long time.