Our journey to the western zone of the dungeon started with high spirits—and a bit of nausea.
"Are you *sure* this is the right way?" Belang asked while sniffing the air. "The earth smells kinda... weird."
"I... don't think that's earth," muttered Hitam, glancing at me with a suspicious look.
"Hey! That's not me! Today I'm only releasing my natural mid-level stink!"
We crawled through a rocky gap, descending a narrow slope filled with scattered stones. It didn't take long before we heard it—
THUD... THUD... THUD...
Heavy footsteps.
A golem.
The massive creature appeared from behind some ruins—a giant made of stone, moss growing on its back, its eyes glowing green. Every step shook the ground. But something was off...
"Why is it... wobbling?" Belang whispered.
We watched from behind a boulder. The golem was walking like it was drunk. One of its legs dragged behind, and its movements were jerky and uneven.
"Maybe... it's broken?" Hitam guessed.
I instantly had a ridiculous idea—of course I did.
"If it's broken, that means it can't run. We can circle around it."
"You want to... attack it?" Belang nearly choked on dust.
"Nope. We wait till it sits or falls down. Then I try to... rot it from the inside."
The plan was in motion. We moved slowly, sneaking with top-tier egg stealth. When the golem finally staggered and began to fall, I jumped out of hiding—and latched onto its back.
SSHRRAAAK!
"AAAAAA!" I squealed softly. Not because it attacked me, but because—oh my god—the surface was *rough*! Like sandpaper wrapped in cactus fuzz!
But I held on.
I activated my skill:
Contagious Rot Lv.3
Slowly, the stone beneath me started to crack. The moss turned black. The golem groaned and tried to stand, but its body was already crumbling... splitting... and—
CRAAASH!
It collapsed.
Hitam rushed in, ready to strike if it had any leftover energy. Belang jumped to its shoulder and stabbed himself into a weak point—just to be safe.
But it was already too late.
I'd taken a bite out of its neck—and just like always, my system reacted:
> [Earth Element Fragment absorbed.]
> [New passive skill: Stone Shell Lv.1]
> [Bonus unlocked: Reinforced Rolling]
I groaned in delight.
"Yes! I can finally become an ugly rock!"
"And that's... an achievement?" Belang asked, baffled.
"Absolutely! Now I just need to cover *you* guys!"
With my new power, I tried coating myself in dust and dirt, forming a hard shell. It was heavy, but it masked my smell. I even helped Hitam, making him look like a round golem egg.
"Now we just head back, train, and prep fake identities."
Belang nodded. "Got a fake name in mind?"
"Golemus Eggardi," I replied instantly.
They both stared at me for a long moment. Finally, Hitam sighed. "Whatever. Just don't blow our cover as talking eggs."
And so, we returned—armed with new hope, new powers, and a brand new stink that was... not pleasant, but super effective.