Chapter 32 – The Guardian of the Legendary Stone

Thick fog blanketed the slopes of the Zarlok Mountains. In the distance, the ruins of an ancient temple emerged through the mist—its stone pillars leaning at odd angles, half-covered in moss and a thin layer of frost. A faint blue glow pulsed from the heart of the ruins, beckoning any who dared to approach.

Zareen climbed the crumbling stone steps cautiously. Each step groaned under his weight, some breaking off entirely and tumbling into the abyss below. His breath formed pale clouds in the frigid air. Pulling his cloak tighter, he gripped his staff firmly.

*The Legendary Mana Stone… if it truly lies within, this will be my greatest trial yet.*

When he reached the temple courtyard, the air grew heavy, pressing against his chest. The ground trembled softly, and a low, guttural roar rumbled from deep within the ruins. Zareen froze, eyes narrowing.

From the shadows, a massive shape emerged. It stood twice as tall as a man, its body armored in glistening black scales. Two curved horns jutted from its head, and pale-blue eyes burned with an unearthly light. Its iron claws scraped the stone floor, leaving trails of sparks in their wake.

“The Guardian…” Zareen whispered.

The creature took a step forward, each footfall shaking the ground. Cold mist spilled from its maw, frosting the air with every breath.

---

### The Battle Begins

Zareen raised his staff and unleashed **Ignis Storm**. A vortex of fire roared across the courtyard, slamming into the Guardian’s chest. The flames hissed and died on contact, leaving only thin trails of smoke on the obsidian scales.

The Guardian answered with a bone-shaking roar and opened its maw wide. A barrage of icy shards erupted outward.

Zareen dove to the side, conjuring a thin barrier of magic to deflect the worst of it, but several shards pierced through, slicing across his shoulder. Warm blood seeped down his arm.

*Its attacks are devastating… and its hide is almost impervious to ordinary fire.*

The Guardian leapt forward, its claws smashing into the ground. Stone pillars shattered into flying debris. Zareen sprinted toward the far side of the courtyard, staff in hand. He chanted quickly, combining wind and fire into a single spell.

“**Cyclone Flare!**”

A spiraling funnel of wind infused with searing embers slammed into the Guardian, forcing it back several steps. Yet the creature merely shook itself, its scales glowing faintly—absorbing some of the energy instead of taking damage.

Zareen’s teeth clenched. *It’s not just resistant… it’s feeding off certain types of magic.*

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### Desperate Tactics

The clash raged on. Zareen switched tactics, using the terrain itself. With precise bursts of wind magic, he toppled broken columns onto the beast. The Guardian smashed them apart with a sweep of its tail.

Each fire spell he cast seemed to make it stronger, so he stopped relying on flames altogether. Instead, he charged in close, striking with his staff in risky melee attacks, the impact ringing against the creature’s armored body.

Suddenly, the Guardian swung its massive tail. The blow struck Zareen square in the chest, sending him flying into the crumbling temple wall. Pain shot through his ribs, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

He coughed, forcing himself upright, and quickly downed a healing potion. “If this keeps up… I won’t last long enough to get close.”

---

### Remembering Gifa’s Words

Through the haze of pain, Gifa’s voice echoed in his memory:

> *“This staff can be a weapon for attack or support. The key isn’t power—it’s knowing when and how to use it.”*

*Maybe fire isn’t the answer… then perhaps…*

He planted his staff into the ground, focusing his energy. This time he called upon **earth**, not fire.

“**Terra Spike!**”

The ground beneath the Guardian quaked violently before erupting into a forest of jagged stone spikes. The beast roared as several spikes pierced its legs, cracking its once-unbreakable scales.

Zareen’s eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he invoked another spell.

“**Thunder Strike!**”

A bolt of lightning split the sky, slamming into the creature’s wounded armor. The resulting explosion sent shards of broken scale flying. The Guardian staggered backward, bellowing in pain.

---

### The Guardian’s Second Form

With a furious snarl, the Guardian’s form shifted. Enormous wings sprouted from its back, scattering rubble with a single beat. Its blue eyes flared brighter, and an aura of frost enveloped its entire body.

“It’s changing forms…” Zareen muttered under his breath.

The beast launched itself skyward before diving like a meteor, slamming into the courtyard and leaving behind a crater of jagged ice. Shards erupted in every direction. Zareen barely rolled aside in time, frost coating his boots.

He could feel the cold sapping his strength. *If I hesitate now, I’ll die here.*

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### The Final Strike

Digging deep, Zareen poured every ounce of mana into his staff.

“**Dual Burst—Terra and Thunder!**”

The ground split open in a violent quake, sending stone pillars shooting upward. Lightning arced across the battlefield, running along the pillars and converging on the Guardian from all sides.

The creature let out a final, ear-splitting roar before its body burst into a flash of light. When the brilliance faded, nothing remained but glittering frost and drifting black dust.

---

### Claiming the Stone

Zareen fell to his knees, chest heaving, his body bruised and bleeding. He had only a single potion left, but the battle was over.

From the heart of the temple, the blue glow brightened until a crystal the size of a man’s head floated into view. Its aura was pure, its presence ancient, as if holding the weight of centuries.

“The Legendary Mana Stone…” Zareen breathed.

He reached out. The stone descended gently into his hands, its warmth seeping into his palms. It felt heavy—not in weight, but in responsibility.

A tired smile crossed his face. “I did it.”

But deep inside, he knew this was only the beginning. If one Legendary Stone was guarded by a monster of this magnitude, the path ahead would be filled with even greater trials.

Far away, the mountain winds carried a distant sound—perhaps the howl of another beast, perhaps laughter from something watching in the dark.

Either way, Zareen tightened his grip on the stone. The real journey had only just begun.