Chapter 20

[Snake Report]

[Lesser Sentient Golem] hit a breakthrough.

Rank 25 is the magic number. After that, I got a notification as it made a shift over to [Sentient Golem]

Which, is interesting.

I’m not sure if there’s a consistent method of tracking when and how skills and spells seem to change.

Name changes are obvious enough, but I almost feel as though some seem to evolve based on how I've been using them. Like, there's a real possibility they have their own little evolutionary paths to follow.

Still, I feel this one is worth noting.

That’s pretty high up there, far as the numbers go.

If I hadn’t already pushed Earth Magic past what was likely expected from someone, this skill might have taken a very long time to grind out. Lumpy Golems are a lot harder to move around and improve than my own versions.

Anyways, it wasn’t a spectacular sort of thing. Rocky squashed a scorpion I was hoping to have added to the hypothetical anti-intruder moat, and that was the feather that broke the strange-magical-system-camel’s back.

Metaphorically speaking.

Exciting times.

After an entire afternoon of testing my froggy companions with menial tasks and heavy labor though, I can say with certainty: the difference isn’t really noticeable.

No.

They’re still not all that smart.

If anything, my Golem and their personalities seem a little bit more pronounced, but that’s it.

They’re just a little more aware.

Barely.

I mean, that's something. I still don't really understand how it works, so if it's to their benefit I guess that's all the better.

But I was expecting... something more exciting?

Super golems, maybe?

Rocky is all about his responsibilities, standing guard over the sprout. Gorf just wants me to be happy with him...

Honestly, if I’m summarizing: they’re still just big, lumbering, lumps, but there’s a bit more of a “spark” there, when compared to before.

Unless I’m just overthinking this.

Could be, there’s no difference at all, and they’re just better at fighting, or something lame like that. And I'm just trying to see a change when there isn't one.

Considering how combat-oriented this world has been from the get-go, it wouldn’t surprise me much.

It’s safe to say, either way, I can’t expect to get a lot of intelligent beings out of this skill, no matter how much I grind.

The Golem crew will not be beating me at games of wit.

Also fair to assume: any aggression towards humans, is still unfairly rewarded by the system.

Or Gaia.

Or both.

I don’t know if they’re the same thing or not, but I feel like they’re close enough.

Scorpion might have been the last straw, so to speak, but there were plenty of notification messages before that. Typically associated with humans screaming.

Pretty sure we didn’t kill anyone, but I can’t say for certainty.

If we didn't, I know the golems came close. Gorf, specifically.

He got a little creative, towards the end there.

Lotta airborne objects.

We’re going to have a chat, Gorf and I.

Later, though.

I slithered back downstairs to do a different kind of damage control.

Coincidentally, several random monsters were caught trying to to break in on the lower level, shortly after telling the messages I wasn’t interested in their offer.

Coincidentally.

Happenstance.

Cross off the list as I go: monsters, humans, goblins, birds, dinosaurs, elves, more humans, that evil stone construct Eveth kept in the basement, a giant rock, and… some sort of ancient, primal, god-like, force of nature, that seems to be tethered to the very reality by which this world is governed.

Now, everyone is trying to murder me.

Wonderful.

Keep ‘em coming.

See if I care.

They can all eat a jolly bag of donuts.

I’m taking my stand, right here.

If the whole world hates me, I might as well. What's a change of scenery going to do?

The humans and their stupid, bloody, Empire. Gaia and the system, and whatever god-awful monsters they’re cooking up down in the dungeons: I’ve been running away from dangerous stuff for way too long.

I’m tired of it.

This is my line in the sand.

My water-less moat in the sand.

Filled with squished scorpions.

Right here.

Just me, my tiny little tree, and my sentient lawn ornaments.

Tiny Snake God as my witness, so help me: I will go full Eastwood on anyone stupid enough to mess with this arrangement.

Get the hell off my lawn.

[Sentient Golem - Rank up]

Sss…

I feel obligated to state that I’m giving up on the moat idea.

I don’t know what I was thinking.

My minions are no good for this kind of work.

This isn’t practical.