He couldn’t feel his hand.

Or anything below his elbow, to be exact. The vibration originating from his buckler could still be felt throughout his entire body. This was the first time Jace experienced what it meant to have his consciousness knocked right out of him. Even if it was just for a fraction of a second, everything felt surreal while he was being suspended in the air. Time appeared to have halted at the exact moment he was flung from that particular spot on the ground. It was like an out of body experience, one where the person in question was being projected into the future.

He knew the ground was hard, just as anyone would have expected. However, he felt nothing as he landed, except for a few pieces of stones and pebbles on the ground. It was at that very moment that time decided to catch up to him, dragging Jace back to the present.

The same rugged, light brown colored fist which sent him flying through the air was still there, in the same position as before. The mineral golem retracted its fist, lifting its left foot at the same time to take a step forward.

“Huh,” Leo let out an exclamation in surprise. “That’s some impressive strength for something that’s barely a meter tall.”

Jace fumbled around on the ground, trying to pick himself up before the golem could get close enough for another punch. After a short and unsightly display, Jace managed to retrieve his sword, which was actually just right beside him.

“Yes,” Staff Bryce agreed with Leo’s statement, addressing all the recruits while doing so. “Mineral golems are a lot stronger than they appear due to the magic coursing through their supposed veins.”

Being the one that volunteered to have a first-hand experience of the golem’s strength, Jace had no doubt at all. It was akin to receiving a hammer strike from a blacksmith. His arm might have shattered into pieces if not for the buckler.

“Thank you, Mr. Bennet,” Jace mumbled, feeling truly grateful towards Mr. Bennet. Aiming his sword at the golem once more, Jace positioned his sword arm right before him.

His previous strike did nothing to the golem. The sword bounced off the golem’s rock hard exterior and left Jace at the mercy of its fists. It would be foolish to attack again before figuring out its weakness, if any.

“Now everyone,” Staff Bryce continued, keeping his eyes on the battle. “The reasons why I picked only Recruit Jace for this practice battle are as follows.”

Staff Bryce held out three fingers before the recruits before listing them out one by one.

“Firstly, cutting weapons like one-handed swords are a terrible matchup against golem types.” As Staff Bryce spoke, Jace barely avoided a second punch from the golem.

“Secondly, shields can keep you alive when things don’t go your way.” Staff Bryce continued, watching Jace as he backed away from the advancing threat.

“Lastly, unless you don’t have a choice,” Staff Bryce paused, emphasizing on this point. “Do not attempt to fight any beasts you encounter all by yourself.”

Hoisting his war hammer above his shoulder, Staff Bryce propelled it towards the golem like a javelin. The recruits could barely keep their eyes on the war hammer as it soared through the air at breakneck speed. With a deafening crash, the head of the war hammer smashed right into the golem’s chest, shattering it into smithereens. Jace watched in awe as the golem blew up before his face, scattering an array of debris all over him.

“All these aside,” Staff Bryce added, cracking his knuckles. “Remember that magic attacks are more effective against golems. So it’s always good to have a magic user with you at all times.”

Staring at whatever remained of the golem, the recruits sincerely doubted Staff Bryce’s words.

“Alright then, pair up and get ready for your practice battle!” Staff Bryce ordered, pulling out a handful of summoning gems from his waist pouch. “Those of you with a cutting weapon, pair up with someone wielding a blunt weapon!”

Leo flexed his arm and stared at his pole axe. Perhaps one day, he would be able to pull off what Staff Bryce just did. For now, he would be content just with immobilizing a golem for good.

“I’ve gone through this with you guys before, but be careful with the summoning gem!” Staff Bryce cautioned everyone with the usual stern look on his face.

“Last thing we need is another summoning incident, in the mines no less.”