The golem didn’t give us time to react. It swung both arms forward and launched two massive spheres of ink toward us. I bolted sideways. The first sphere hit the ground and didn’t splatter—it compressed the stone beneath it until the floor caved inward, leaving a smoking crater.

  “Lexi! Important note—don’t get hit by those!”

  “NOTED.”

  If it could attack from range, that probably meant it wasn’t great up close. I sprinted toward its legs, bat raised, heart hammering. The air around the creature felt heavy, thick with the scent of old ink and dust, like a library burning from the inside out.

  When I reached striking distance, I swung. Density Breaker activated, Sweet Spot triggered, and the impact jolted up my arms as cracks spidered across its shin. “Alright,” I muttered. “That right there is called hope.”

  The golem retaliated with a slow kick. I stepped back easily. “Buddy, that’s not remotely fast enough to hit me.” My voice sounded braver than I felt. Every instinct screamed that this thing wasn’t meant for me to fight yet.

  It roared, and more ink ripped free from the surrounding books, streaking through the air like black lightning. The ink poured into the fractures I’d just created, sealing them shut. The sound was horrible—wet, grinding, like bones being glued back together.

  “…You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  I backed up, mind racing. Smashing it worked, but only temporarily. It needed ink to regenerate. Which meant its healing wasn’t infinite—just obnoxiously convenient. A second roar vibrated through the floorboards, and I felt the air thicken again, like the entire library held its breath.

  Before I could think further, it threw another volley of ink spheres. I dodged, rolled, and deflected one off to the side, making sure not to send it back at the golem. When the spheres hit the ground, they vanished. That’s when I noticed something important.

  They weren’t returning.

  The ink it used for projectiles was gone permanently.

  A slow grin formed. “Alright,” I breathed. “Let’s play.”

  I went to work, baiting attacks, dodging, deflecting, striking when I had an opening. Sweat mixed with the dust on my arms. Each impact rattled the shelves around us, sending loose books crashing down. Elemental Bolt barely scratched it, so I stopped wasting mana and stuck to my bat. The fight wasn’t pretty. I took a few hits, each one like being clipped by a speeding car. Whenever my HP dropped too low, I popped a potion and pushed forward.

  Gradually, the golem’s movements lost some of their fluidity. Its hulking body dragged slightly, leaving streaks of ink on the floor. For the first time, I felt something like momentum shifting my way.

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  Then a notification appeared:

  Health Potion Intoxication Limit Reached

  If you consume another Health Potion within 28 minutes, you will lose consciousness.

  “WHAT?!” I shouted.

  “YOU CAN ONLY CONSUME THREE HEALTH POTIONS PER HOUR,” Lexi wrote. “YOU HAVE CONSUMED THREE IN 32 MINUTES.”

  “That would’ve been great to know earlier!”

  “I’M NOT A MIND READER.”

  I was running out of options, lungs burning, ribs screaming with every breath. I triggered Inspect.

  Ink Golem — Level 9 (Boss Variant)

  Of course it was Level 9. I felt the panic claw at my stomach. I wasn’t supposed to beat this thing. On paper, anyway.

  “Lexi… anything helpful?”

  “INK GOLEMS REGENERATE USING INK.”

  “I know that part!”

  A moment passed.

  “THEY ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH ALL INK TYPES. IF AN INCOMPATIBLE INK IS ABSORBED, THE GOLEM WILL BEGIN TO DECAY. COMPATIBILITY VARIES.”

  I froze. “…You’re telling me I can poison it?”

  “POTENTIALLY.”

  “Alright,” I muttered. “Let’s gamble.”

  I hurled the fiery ink first. It sank into the golem’s chest like a stone into water. Its body flared red—then it fired a burning ink sphere at me. I dove aside. “Okay. That one’s compatible.”

  Next vial: Heavy Ink. It absorbed it. The creature’s limbs dragged like they’d suddenly doubled in weight. Encouraging. It retaliated with another shot—heavier than before. I braced and tried to deflect.

  Terrible idea.

  The sphere smashed into my left side and crushed me to the floor. Pain exploded through my ribs. I screamed. The ink dissolved seconds later, but I lay there gasping, vision swimming.

  “MIKE—”

  “I know,” I rasped.

  The world blurred at the edges. The shelves swayed. My heartbeat thudded behind my eyes. I had two vials left. The toxic ink was my only real shot.

  “Alright,” I whispered. “Last play.”

  I threw it. The vial shattered against its chest. The ink absorbed—and the golem screamed.

  Its chest melted, its torso sagged, its arms drooped like wet clay. Violet light flickered inside the cavity.

  “There,” I breathed.

  Its core was exposed.

  I forced myself upright, every step sending stabbing pain through my side. I charged and swung with everything I had. Sweet Spot activated. Density Breaker triggered.

  CRACK.

  The core shattered.

  The golem collapsed instantly, dissolving into harmless ink.

  Notifications filled my vision.

  Ink Golem (Boss Variant) – Level 9 Defeated

  Experience Awarded

  Congratulations! You have leveled up!

  You are now Level 7

  Congratulations! You have leveled up!

  You are now Level 8

  +30 Free Stat Points

  The room tilted.

  Then everything went black.