The crowd roared louder than ever.
Today marked the start of a new, more intense stage of the tournament—and every eye was fixed on me, the mysterious "**Smelly Golem**" who had begun drawing serious attention.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady the pounding of my heart.
This heavy shell was pressing down on me, but I knew—it was both my shield and my fortress.
My focus centered on one thing: the growing strength of my **Stench Titan hand**, which might just be the key to victory.
My opponent stepped forward: **Krelzak**—a massive, muscle-bound monster with dark green, rocky skin.
His claws were huge and sharp, and judging from his scars and confidence, he'd already crushed plenty of foes.
His eyes stared down at me, filled with both challenge and slight contempt.
> "Your stink won't save you this time!" Krelzak growled, his voice echoing throughout the arena.
I replied with a thin smile from beneath my rotten shell.
Time to let strength do the talking.
Channeling the power of the **Stench Titan**, I summoned a massive black hand, formed from dense, shadowy energy that reeked with foul odor, rising from the pores of my shell.
The hand clenched the air with overwhelming strength, causing the ground to subtly tremble.
Krelzak charged in with a powerful punch.
I blocked with my Titan hand, and a resounding *clang* erupted—like smelly black steel slamming into solid rock.
The audience fell silent, stunned by the unexpected force.
> "That's not just stink anymore!" someone from the crowd shouted.
I dashed forward, using my momentum and rolling mass.
With the Titan hand, I grabbed Krelzak's chest and **slammed** him into the ground, forcing a growl of pain from his throat.
But Krelzak wasn't done.
He rose, eyes blazing with fury, unleashing a flurry of claw strikes aimed at shredding my shell.
I dodged swiftly, storing some of the most dangerous blows in my **klou space**, reducing their impact.
The battle escalated—faster, harsher.
My body began to tire, but I knew I had to hold out.
Stench Titan might be unarmed, but its power was the foundation for something far greater.
Every so often, I felt a telepathic pulse from my children hiding at the edge of the arena, camouflaged as tiny rocks.
I brushed off the urge to call for their help.
This was **my** test.
The commentator's voice rang out, adding to the tension:
> "Watch closely! The Stench Titan of the Smelly Golem is baring its fangs! But the next round will be even tougher—he'll need to evolve faster if he wants to survive!"
I nodded silently.
I knew this path would be long and brutal.
But with the Titan hand, I could feel the first sparks of **confidence**.
This was the beginning of my **evolution**—the foundation to build the humanoid form I'd always envisioned in my mind.
As Krelzak launched his final, desperate strike, I braced myself.
> I would face this trial with everything I had.