Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy

"W-wait! I'm not ready yet! I'm still summoning!" Avery called out in desperation, his voice filled with a mix of fear and indignation.

However, the relentless wooden golem showed no mercy. Its sword was already swinging downward with alarming speed.

With no time left to complete the summoning, Avery made a split-second decision. He tightly grasped his sturdy Grimoire, realizing that he would have to rely on his own precious item or his ancient book to parry the attack.

As the wooden golem's sword descended, Avery raised his Grimoire in a defensive stance, channeling his energy into the book's surface.

A burst of magical energy erupted from the Grimoire, forming a shimmering shield just in time to intercept the golem's attack.

Boom!

The impact sent shockwaves through Avery's body, but he stood firm, refusing to yield to the immense force.

With every ounce of strength he could muster, Avery retaliated by swinging his Grimoire towards the head of the wooden golem.

Ancient symbols glowed on the book's surface as it naturally tried to protect itself from being damaged by the collision.

Bam!

The wooden golem seemed to have realized that his Grimoire wasn't ordinary, as it blocked the attack by using its sword.

"Tsk… You've made me do this! Come on!" Avery shouted as he no longer bothered summoning his Silver-Haired Ape and fought with his Grimoire.

The wooden golem gladly used its implanted sword technique and fought against Avergy like a noble knight!

Avery doesn't have good reflexes, but he still managed to dodge the golem's relentless attacks since he was a fast runner. Every time the golem overextended in its attacks, he would use this opening to smash it with his Grimoire.

The wooden golem, though mighty, began to show signs of wear and tear under Avery's relentless assault.

Its wooden structure cracked and splintered, its movements growing slower and more labored.

"Hmph… Take this!"

Avery seized an opportunity, pressing his advantage and striking with all his strength.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Blow after blow, Avery's Grimoire battered the wooden golem, each strike inching him closer to victory.

Sweat poured down his face, his breaths coming in ragged gasps, but he refused to yield. The battle reached its climax as Avery delivered a final, decisive blow, shattering the wooden golem into a pile of splinters and debris.

"Ahh! That was so difficult!" Avery exclaimed as he sat on the cold floor.

Panting heavily, Avery looked at the aftermath of the intense battle.

The room fell silent, save for his labored breaths and the faint hum of residual Arcane Energy in the air. He realized that the battle would've been a lot easier if the Mystical Items he brought were for his own use. However, what he brought were items that could amplify the power of his Silver-Haired Ape.

This was the reason he mainly relied on his physical strength and the sturdiness of his Grimoire when he was caught off guard.

With the wooden golem defeated, Avery took a moment to catch his breath, his heart still pounding with adrenaline.

After a few moments, Avery prepared to ascend to the second floor of the Tower, ready to confront whatever awaited him on the next floor.

However, his attention was drawn to a chest that had mysteriously appeared at the foot of the stairs leading to the second floor.

"Ahh… I forgot about you."

Excitement coursed through his veins as he approached the chest, eager to see what awaited him inside. He finally recalled that they would receive some rewards every time they conquered a floor.

With a sense of anticipation, Avery opened the chest, revealing its contents.

His eyes widened as he beheld a shimmering vial within. It was a couple of Arcane Energy Potions, they're a valuable elixir known for replenishing one's energy reserves.

Avery's heart swelled with gratitude, realizing the significance of this reward.

"Not bad…"

Though he had hoped for something more substantial, he understood that this was just the first floor, and better rewards could taken in the next feet.

Avery pocketed the Arcane Energy Potions, knowing it would serve as a valuable asset in the trials to come.

He then stepped forward to ascend the stairs leading to the second floor. At the same time, he started to summon his Silver-Haired Ape. He didn't want to get ambushed again, so it was better to summon it already.

***

Meanwhile, everyone saw Avery's success on the first floor from outside the Tower.

However, none of them were excited as he lasted quite a while on that floor. Soon, they saw him advanced from the second floor to the third floor within 12 minutes.

As soon as the fourth floor lit up, everyone finally gathered their attention to the Tower and waited to see whether he could clear this challenge as well.

It only took him 8 minutes to complete the third floor, which was faster than the second floor. It was certainly commendable.

"Oh… It seemed that he ran into trouble…"

"More than 20 minutes had already passed since he entered the fourth floor… He was taking too much time.."

"Indeed… I wonder what happened to him."

The people outside couldn't help but wonder how Avery remained on the fourth floor for so long without being defeated or claiming victory.

Nevertheless, they knew that he wouldn't exceed a specific time within a floor since the mysterious owner of the Ascension Tower would not allow someone to stay there longer than they should.

Whom~

Finally, after a few more minutes, the light on the fifth floor lit up…

"He did it!"

"I hope our Academy could be in the top three this time…"

"He should be! Avery was a genius after all."

The seniors of the Summoning Arts Academy cheered at the achievement of their junior.

However, fate had other plans. Despite Avery's best efforts, his time on the fifth floor was cut short, lasting only a mere 8 seconds before being abruptly sent out of the Tower.

Thud!

Avery was sent outside with an injured arm... Even his Grimoire was heavily damaged and was almost torn apart.

"That was too unfair! There was no way we could clear that fifth floor!" Avery shouted in indignation as he endured the pain in his arm.