Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 173: Arcane Colossus

"Since the Inferno Devil’s already made a move, I’m guessing their behind-the-scenes prep is just about done too. Which means... the Dungeon faction’s probably about to act as well, right?"

Ethan’s eyes flickered sharply, a wave of pressure washing over him.

He knew full well that Inferno targeting the Argentum City was just the beginning. This wasn’t some isolated skirmish—it was the opening shot of a full-blown faction war. And once it kicked off, it would sweep across the entire main world of Glory Lords X like wildfire.

When that time came, there’d be no middle ground.

Either you got caught in the flames and burned to ash—nothing left but bones.

Or you clawed your way through the chaos, rose above the carnage, and carved out your own legend.

Live or die, rise or fall...

It all came down to his own luck—and how well he played his cards.

"Time’s running out."

"Looks like I can’t keep putting off the sea expedition. That needs to move to the top of the list—ASAP," Ethan muttered to himself.

He had two orange-tier tomes in his hands right now: The Iron Factory of Despair and Gemstone Isles. Both pointed toward the ocean. And both hinted at something massive.

One led to a 12-Tier Diamond Golem hero—an entire troop line born from a full-scale manufacturing facility.

The other? A 13-Tier Legendary Unit’s Creature Dwelling.

No question about it—these were game-changers.

He already had three Legendary Creature Dwellings: the Green Dragon, the Ancient War Tree, and the Behemoth.

If he could get his hands on the Gem Dragon’s dwelling too...

That’d make four.

Four Legendary Creature Dwellings.

You know what that meant?

Even if he couldn’t mass-produce Legendary Units right away, with four dwellings, he’d have options. If one wasn’t enough to recruit from, four damn well would be.

No exaggeration—there were powerful nations in the game that didn’t even have that kind of foundation. Their strength came from years of grinding and accumulation.

But Ethan didn’t have years.

So he had to go all-in on quantity—stack as many high-tier dwellings as he could, as fast as possible.

With that in mind, he took a few days off to rest, then logged back into the game—only to be hit with some bad news.

"Master... I’m sorry. The Upgrade Unicorn Glade... someone took it," Elyra said, her voice low and full of guilt.

"Someone took it?" Ethan blinked, surprised. "Who?"

"The Night Elves. From the west."

Elyra’s face twisted with frustration, her voice tight with anger. "They were clearly prepared. Sent a Chimera hero, along with five Green Dragons and five Emerald Dragons. They beat us to it and captured the glade before we could. I tried to fight back, but the power gap was just too big. I had no choice but to retreat."

"Don’t worry about it, Elyra. It’s not your fault," Ethan said, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "A Chimera hero, huh? What Tier is a Chimera?"

"Tier 11," Elyra replied. "Chimera is a special hidden unit from our Forest faction—specifically, the Night Elf branch. Overall, they’re a bit stronger than our Unicorn line."

Her expression darkened, a flicker of defiance in her eyes.

"But if we were the same level... that guy wouldn’t stand a chance against me."

As soon as Elyra said that, Ethan instantly got it.

What she meant was that, according to the system’s overall evaluation, that Chimera hero wasn’t actually stronger than her—probably ranked a bit lower.

"Interesting..."

"So they think our Emerald Castle’s an easy target, huh?" Ethan muttered, eyes narrowing with a glint of cold amusement. Then he turned to Elyra, gave a small shake of his head, and smiled. "Alright, this isn’t on you. Don’t beat yourself up over it. We’ve got time—this isn’t over yet..."

BOOM!

Before he could finish, a thunderous roar cracked across the sky.

A violent gust of wind followed, pressure slamming down like a wave.

Ethan looked up—Seraphina was back.

"Master, Balthazar wants to see you," she said the moment her feet hit the ground.

Ethan blinked, caught off guard. "What for?"

"The Archmage from Snowy Castle just arrived," Seraphina explained. "They’re here to discuss an alliance—looks like they want to team up against the Dungeon army."

"An alliance?" Ethan raised an eyebrow.

Then his eyes sharpened, thoughts racing.

If Snowy Castle was reaching out like this, it probably meant the pressure from the Dungeon faction was ramping up fast. After all, Inferno had already launched a full-scale assault on Argentum City—there’s no way Dungeon would just sit back and watch.

"A storm’s coming," Ethan murmured, then nodded without hesitation. "Alright, let’s go check it out."

There was no way he could take on the Dungeon army alone. If there was a chance to unite with the major powers of Sylvanwood, it’d be a huge win for Emerald Castle—no downside at all.

And more importantly...

This alliance could buy him the breathing room he needed to finally head out to sea.

Because no matter how he looked at it—whether it was scouting for a second castle location, tracking down the Diamond Golem hero and its factory, or chasing the lead on the Gem Dragon’s Creature Dwelling—every part of it was calling to him.

...

Southern Sylvanwood Region —

Outside the gates of the Behemoth Lair in the Fury Wasteland...

Towering like giants, a squad of 13th-Tier Legendary Units—Arcane Colossi—stood silently, unmoving, like statues carved from ancient stone. They didn’t speak, didn’t shift, but the sheer pressure radiating from their bodies was enough to make the air feel heavy.

Their presence alone rivaled, if not surpassed, that of the Behemoths themselves—also 13th-Tier Legendary Units who ruled this lair.

BOOM—!

A sudden roar of wind tore through the sky. A storm surged overhead as a massive dragon descended from the clouds, its entire body pulsing with raw Draconic Force. The beast landed with a thunderous crash on the rocky plain just outside the Behemoth Lair’s gate.

"That Draconic Force... it’s overwhelming..."

The oppressive aura spread like wildfire. Every Behemoth and Arcane Colossus present could feel it—sharp, primal, and terrifying. And riding on the back of that dragon, clear as day, was a lone figure.

A closer look revealed who it was—none other than Ethan, mounted atop Seraphina, his dragon companion.

"It’s the Lord of Emerald Castle!"

"Honored Lord of Emerald Castle, we Behemoths offer you our deepest respect. Welcome to our domain!"

The moment Ethan appeared, the Behemoths stirred with excitement. One by one, these massive Legendary Units bowed their heads in reverence, their voices booming with genuine warmth and loyalty.

The beastkin were a simple people—straightforward, loyal, and ruled by instinct. And the Behemoths? They were the royalty of the beastkin, the pinnacle of their kind.

To them, a friend was family. They’d fight for you, bleed for you, die for you—without hesitation. And if you’d saved their lives? That was a debt they’d repay with everything they had.

No exaggeration—if Ethan so much as asked, the entire Behemoth Lair would march to war for him.

Because the beastkin didn’t forget their debts. Ever.

"Hey there," Ethan greeted with a relaxed smile, waving casually. But his eyes were already drawn to the towering figures nearby. "These guys... they’re from the Tower faction, right? Arcane Colossi? 13th-Tier Legendary Units?"

He couldn’t help but be intrigued. It was his first time seeing the Tower faction’s Legendary Units up close—and damn, they looked impressive. Regal, powerful, and just a little bit terrifying.

"Not bad," he muttered to himself, grinning. "They’ve definitely got a presence."

[Arcane Colossus]

Tier: 13

HP: 125,000

Attack: 147

Defense: 105

Damage: 247–289

Innate Abilities:

Arc Lightning – The Arcane Colossus channels the power of thunder to strike enemies from afar.

Mind Immunity – Immune to all mind-affecting spells and abilities.

Nemesis: Red Dragons – The Arcane Colossus and the Red Dragon race are mortal enemies. They deal 50% more damage to each other.

"Damn, that’s one hell of a ranged unit..." Ethan muttered, eyes glued to the stat panel.

Among all the standard Legendary Units across the major factions, the Arcane Colossus stood out as the only one that specialized in long-range combat. That alone made it arguably the strongest ranged force among all Legendary Units.

The strongest ranged unit.

And anything labeled "the strongest" in any category? That was enough to make anyone drool with envy.

Especially when it came to ranged units—because their biggest advantage? First strike.

Think about it.

Imagine a battlefield where you’ve got a sizable army of Arcane Colossi. Before the enemy even gets close, you unleash one—maybe even two—devastating volleys of lightning from a distance. For most opponents, that’s game over before the fight even starts.

Just picturing it sent a chill down Ethan’s spine.

He couldn’t help but feel a strong pull toward these towering constructs. Having a squad of Arcane Colossi under his command? That would be a game-changer.

But... it was just a fantasy. A nice one, sure, but not exactly realistic.

Because the Arcane Colossus—like the Tower faction’s other mechanical titans, such as the Mythic-tier Titan Giant—wasn’t a living creature. It was a construct, a magical automaton. Only the master artificers of the Tower faction truly knew how to operate and maintain them at full capacity.

In the hands of an outsider? At best, you’d get 90% of their potential. And that’s assuming they didn’t take damage.

Living units could heal. Constructs? They had to be repaired.

And if you didn’t know how to fix them? Well, good luck. Once they broke, they were done. One-and-done Legendary Units? That’s a pretty terrible return on investment.

Ethan sighed, shaking his head. "Yeah... these Arcane Colossi aren’t really a good fit for me. But that’s fine. Honestly, the Ancient War Tree’s ranged capabilities should be on par with these guys anyway."

He wasn’t just trying to comfort himself, either.

Technically speaking, the Ancient War Tree was a rare hybrid unit—equally adept at both melee and ranged combat. In close quarters, its raw strength could go toe-to-toe with a Red Dragon. And from a distance? While he hadn’t done a direct comparison, from what he’d seen in battle, its ranged attacks weren’t far off from the Arcane Colossus either.

In other words, the Ancient War Tree was like a fusion of Red Dragon and Arcane Colossus—packing the best of both worlds.

High versatility. High power. High value.

A Legendary Unit with that kind of balance?

Now that was something worth investing in.

...