Chapter 0043: The Demon Crocodile Hunter

As Grim issued his command, the Clayman Golem trembled, collapsing instantly like a statue whose supporting structure had been pulled away. At the same time, a plume of earthy yellow dust erupted from the back of the Mud Crocodile Golem, quickly coalescing into the form of the Clayman Golem.

Thus, the previously separate man and crocodile golems fused, transforming into a bizarre Crocodile Hunter. From a distance, it appeared as though a sturdy earth hunter was riding atop a nearly three-meter-long magical crocodile, clutching a spear formed from condensed earth elements. Grim, as the summoner of these two golems, saw the truth: the earthman was not simply riding the crocodile, but his lower body was fused entirely with the crocodile’s spine, inseparable.

As earth-element golems, they could never leave the soil, lest they lose their constant supply of earth elements. Now, fused together, their abilities overlapped perfectly. Dense earth elements condensed on their bodies, forming a shimmering armor that bore the hint of stone plate.

The Crocodile Hunter—this was the result of the chip’s extensive calculations and ritual fusion, forcibly merging two earth-based golems into a new, singular entity.

Striding forward, Grim approached, and the magical crocodile crouched low, its tail unfurling to lift him onto its back. The spines there wriggled and shifted, morphing into the shape of a seat.

Grim settled firmly onto the clay seat and stamped his foot lightly. “Go!”

At his command, the magical crocodile parted its jaws in a deep snarl, swinging its massive body as it swiftly crawled toward the distant Hag’s Nest.

Their commotion had long been noticed by the hags lurking in the nearby swamp, but after suffering two rounds of devastation, they had become skittish and dared not confront Grim. Now, however, a gigantic magical crocodile had invaded their territory, churning their muddy lair into chaos. Even the most timid among them had no choice but to emerge and fight.

Shrill cries, sharp as night owls, echoed throughout the swamp. One by one, thin, agile figures emerged from the muck, shrieking as they surrounded Grim from all directions. Their hair was tangled and filthy, their flesh pale and wrinkled, their claws black and razor-sharp—a ghastly host resembling fiends, closing in with murderous intent. Ordinary apprentice sorcerers would have fled in terror, but Grim was anything but ordinary.

He had come deliberately to test the power of his fused golem, and would not be intimidated by such a scene.

Surveying the swarm of hags closing in, Grim grinned savagely and stamped his foot. “Kill! Slaughter them mercilessly!”

Receiving Grim’s order, the previously stiff Crocodile Hunter suddenly surged with energy. Though its face lacked clear features, a silent roar rippled through the air like waves.

Beneath Grim, the magical crocodile bit and clawed, its tail sweeping aside foes as it plunged into the midst of the hag swarm. Its enormous body strode through the half-muddy, half-waterlogged stinking pools as if walking on solid ground, unaffected by the terrain. Shockwaves radiated from its sturdy limbs, destabilizing any hag within five meters, sending them stumbling and unable to maintain their footing.

Any hag caught by the crocodile’s claws or jaws was instantly torn apart like a ragged blood sack, their viscous, foul blood dyeing the water black. Yet the hags pressed on, breaking through the crocodile’s attacks, crowding its flanks and desperately climbing onto its back, intent on dragging Grim and the Hunter into the mire.

The Hunter showed not a hint of fear toward the dozens of filthy, blackened hag hands clutching at him. His spear stabbed ceaselessly, piercing hag heads one after another. Though hags were monsters, not undead, a head impaled with a bowl-sized wound meant instant, irreversible death. Their twisted bodies slid limp from the crocodile’s back, sinking into the swamp below.

In his frenzy, the earthman Hunter would swing his arm wide, unleashing a barrage of earth spikes within a ten-by-eight meter area. Many hags were impaled on these erupting mud spears, writhing wildly.

Grim was no less ruthless. He clapped his hands, splitting them apart as streams of blazing heat erupted, engulfing the hags that nearly touched his trouser legs.

High temperatures scorched and flames surged, causing the hags nearest him to sizzle as they burned. Fire-wreathed figures leapt from the crocodile’s back, writhing and howling in the mire, transforming the swamp into a hellish inferno.

The magical crocodile roared forward, tearing everything in its path to shreds. The Hunter stood atop its back, spearing foes at close range, hurling his long spear at distant enemies, and when pressed by numbers, unleashing earth spikes to massacre the hags in rivers of blood.

Yet even the combined strength of the two golems paled before Grim’s pyromancer prowess. Seated at the crocodile’s rear, his hands split open, sending rivers of flame five meters ahead, engulfing every hag along his path.

As the crocodile rampaged, crashing through the hag swarm, Grim’s terrifying flames set nearly the entire swamp ablaze. The hags, who moments ago attacked in frenzy, were now slaughtered into terror, wailing as they swam desperately to escape.

The stench of burning flesh filled every inch of the blazing, scorching mire, almost enough to induce vomiting. Grim, like a mad demon king, manipulated his infernal flames, slaughtering at will, oblivious to the fact that his foes had already become charred husks.

Only when the flames conjured by his Burning Hands began to fade did Grim awaken from his bloodthirsty revelry. As he returned to himself, he inhaled the overwhelming stench, nearly choking.

He stamped his right foot several times, and with a thought, the crocodile shifted, seemingly slow but actually swift, crawling out of the mire. As he left the swamp, Grim turned abruptly to look back at the hellish devastation behind him, his spirit shaken.

In that moment, as he wantonly slaughtered the “weak,” countless terrifying consciousnesses surged into his mind, pushing him toward madness and obsession. Though exhilarating, the feeling was clearly at odds with the principle of constant calm and rationality taught in wizard initiations.

“Chip, activate Elemental Vision,” Grim murmured.

“Beep, Elemental Vision activated.”

Under the spectrum of multiple elements, Grim saw the swamp’s air filled with wailing, anguished souls. No wonder his mind had been seized, as though he had become someone else—it was the work of these lingering spirits!

If he were an apprentice attuned to dark element particles, he would have gleefully rushed in to collect these souls, which were the finest spellcasting materials. But Grim could not do so.

Lacking the protection of dark particles, close contact with these negative-energy spirits would infect and corrode both his mind and body, eventually leaving him emaciated and consumed. Thus, he always kept his distance from all spirits.

He had indulged in the thrill of slaughter, nearly forgetting his original purpose. Now, reflecting on the battle, he began to analyze the Crocodile Hunter’s performance.

Overall, the Crocodile Hunter possessed the strength of a senior apprentice, easily outmatching a mid-level apprentice. Even faced with the former trio of strong adversaries, Grim felt confident in a fight, though victory was uncertain.

Among the senior apprentices Grim had encountered, only the terrifying little girl Alice could reliably suppress the Crocodile Hunter. As for other senior apprentices, only a serious duel could reveal their true strength.

Yet the actual weakness of the Crocodile Hunter lay with Grim himself.

As its summoner, defeating Grim meant defeating the Crocodile Hunter. In a real battle, most enemy firepower would inevitably target Grim. If he could not withstand the assault, the Crocodile Hunter’s durability would be meaningless.

Thus Grim had to find a way to remedy his own vulnerability, which was the second aspect he intended to test today.

“Crocodile Hunter, dive!”

At Grim’s command, the miniature throne beneath him moved forward, and the earthman golem’s body began to swell, gradually enveloping him.

When Grim’s form disappeared entirely within the earthman golem, the crocodile let out a brief growl, its body shrouded in earthy yellow dust. In the next moment, the entire Crocodile Hunter vanished.

It was as if Grim had suddenly sunk into a pitch-black abyss, his breath abruptly stilled, replaced by the thick scent of earth. All his senses vanished, and a tremendous external force pressed upon him, so immense and comprehensive that every bone creaked under the pressure.

Yet as earth elements diffused around the Crocodile Hunter, the force gradually faded until it disappeared altogether.

Though blind and deaf, Grim’s spiritual power slowly extended, allowing him to perceive his surroundings through spirit alone.

He was traveling underground! The speed was not fast, but Grim felt as though he were soaring through clouds. The Crocodile Hunter floated in a sea of viscous, heavy matter, consuming its stored earth element energy to break through the surrounding soil, gliding through the earth like moving over snow.

And Grim was its sole passenger!