Chapter 114: Final Evaluation (4)

My party members and I gathered around, staring at the door now revealed among the scattered remains of the golems.

“This is...”

“Is that the door to the secret space?”

I nodded as I looked at the door, its surface covered in intricate patterns. “Yeah, it is.”

This was my first time seeing it in person. In my previous life, we were searching for the secret space when we encountered the guardian golems and got annihilated. We never even made it close to discovering the entrance, let alone the space itself.

Yurina examined the door, then turned toward me. “Do we just... open it?”

“Well, I don’t see any traps or mechanisms right around it.”

The traps or other dangers were probably waiting on the inside.

“I’ll open it then,” Yurina said.

I pulled her back by the shoulder just as she reached for the doorknob. “No. I’ll open it. Everyone else, step back.”

Yurina looked at me with concern. “But...”

I gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “It’s fine. Don’t worry.”

Stuff like this had always been my specialty. With the Blessing of Resurrection on my side, I was used to walking into situations practically screaming danger. Even in the worst-case scenario, the only thing I could lose was my life. Though, Iris used to scold me like crazy whenever I said things like that.

As that memory floated back, Iris approached me. “Then allow me to cast a protection spell beforehand.”

“You don’t really have to.”

“

Tsk!

Even if you’re confident in your skills, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be cautious.” She winked and placed a hand over her chest, standing tall with a proud look. “You’re in a party with a Saintess. You should make use of me to the fullest, don’t you think?”

It was a little showy, almost like she was trying to impress me. I let out a chuckle. The way she looked now overlapped with how she used to be in my previous life, and it made my chest ache with nostalgia.

I nodded. “All right.”

When I walked over to her, she clasped the holy cross around her neck and closed her eyes.

“O’ Seven Gods, protect your children as they tread through this thorny path,” she chanted.

A white glow emanated from her, wrapping around me like a warm shield. Once the spell settled, I turned back to the door, its patterns glowing faintly.

“I’m opening it,” I said.

I heard the tense breaths of my party members behind me. Slowly, I grabbed the doorknob and pulled. As the door opened, a surprisingly large space was revealed inside. Within that space stood six guardian golems, lined up as though they had been waiting for us.

Their mechanical bodies gleamed with precision, and their glowing red eyes shone with a chilling light.

[Intruder detected. Intruder detected.]

[Cadet identification confirmed.]

[Initiating suppression protocol.]

They were different from the golems outside. The ones outside had been so thoroughly smashed it was hard to tell, but these models were clearly different in shape and size.

Albert gasped, panicking. “H-holy crap! Those are Aegis Type-3s! These golems are designed to handle even six-eyed demonic monsters!”

Golems built to face six-eyed demonic monsters would be as powerful as an active hero. And there were six of them. This was most likely the room with the Diamond-grade token.

I grinned as I watched the golems draw their swords and shields.

Albert frantically yelled, “D-Dale! We need to run! Let’s retreat and come up with a strategy!”

Ignoring him, Yurina and I stepped forward.

“I’ll take the three on the right,” I said firmly.

“Then Camilla and I will handle the remaining three.”

Yurina and I launched ourselves at the same time, like we had choreographed it. With a mechanical beep, the golems lifted their large shields, each as big as a person.

[Analyzing target behavior.]

[Activating defense modules.]

I could blast through them with Ashen Flame, but Ashen Flame drained a massive amount of mana. So, I kicked off the shield and launched myself high into the air. One golem fired its sword at me mid-air, aiming with deadly precision.

Executing Wind Step, I changed my direction in the air, moving like a gust of wind. My target was the narrow joint at the back of the golem’s neck, which was smaller than a finger joint, located right between the body and head.

Spinning in the air, I thrust my sword. “

Haah!

”

My blade pierced clean through the joint and slid down, carrying the momentum of my entire body weight. With a deafening crunch, the golem split open from the back of its neck to its chest.

[Critical damage detected in allied units.]

[Initiating cooperative response protocol.]

The remaining two golems immediately struck at me, one targeting my leg, the other going for my shoulder.

One attacked low, and the other attacked high, as expected from a model of golems advanced enough to make Albert panic. Their perfectly synchronized attack patterns were like interlocking gears, precise and flawless. But still, they were just machines. I had destroyed tens of thousands of golems in my past life. And the ones guarding actual ancient ruins were on an entirely different level compared to these exam models.

“Berald Combat Style: Tremor Step.”

I stomped on the blade aiming for my leg and twisted myself. From low to high, I launched my sword upward like a rising storm.

A sharp metallic ring echoed as the golem’s blade flew from its grip. Both golems’ stances faltered for just a second. That was all I needed. I spread my arms wide and grabbed their heads as they dropped to eye level.

Then, with a battle cry, two golem heads were ripped clean off and tumbled across the floor. I quickly turned my head, searching for Yuren and Camilla, who had rushed off to the left.

“Ugh! Looks like we were a step too late.”

Two golem bodies lay at Yurina’s feet, cleanly sliced as if cut by a high-precision cutter. Near Camilla, one golem lay in a mangled heap, not cut but bludgeoned as though it had been smashed with a blunt weapon.

Albert stood there with his mouth agape, staring at us in disbelief. “

W-whoa!

T-that model of golem is notoriously difficult for even active heroes to deal with. How did you?”

His voice trailed off, stunned. To be fair, we hadn’t coordinated as a team or anything; we had just dashed in and wrecked six golems in the blink of an eye. No wonder he was in shock.

Iris walked over to us, leaving Albert behind in his stunned silence. “Is anyone hurt?”

“Dale and I are fine. Camilla got a bit banged up, though,” Yurina said.

Camilla averted her gaze, her shoulders giving a small twitch. “It’s just a scratch. Nothing to fuss over.”

Iris frowned at her. “Let me be the judge of that. Show me the wound.”

Camilla removed her armor and hesitantly lifted her shirt to reveal her side. A long gash ran down her flank, blood steadily seeping from it. Thankfully, no internal organs were damaged, but it was still far from something Iris could just ignore.

A gentle white light flowed from Iris’s hand and seeped into Camilla’s wound, and Iris said, “This will sting a little.”

Camilla winced slightly, her expression twisting. “

Urgh!

”

“All done. There won’t be a scar, so don’t worry,” Iris added.

“I wasn’t concerned about that.”

“

Tsk!

Don’t say that. You’re a girl!” Iris playfully poked Camilla’s side. “You’ve got such smooth skin, too.”

Camilla flinched and squirmed away. “D-don’t touch me!”

Her shirt rode up, momentarily revealing her toned, flat stomach.

“

Oh!

”

She had a well-defined set of abs. Just like Iris said, smooth, but incredibly firm.

Yurina suddenly appeared beside me, her voice cold and eyes sharp. “Dale.”

“Y-yeah?”

She gave a chilling smile. “There’s a door over there. Looks like it leads to the next room. Don’t you think checking that out would be more productive than ogling Camilla’s abs?”

The sheer intimidation coming from her left me no room for excuses. I immediately turned and made my way there.

As I neared it, glowing words began to appear in the air before the door. “

Hm

?”

[What goes up, but never comes down? ]

I frowned, staring at the strange riddle. “What the hell is this?”

What did that riddle even mean? I hadn’t expected riddles to show up at this point. Sure, some real ruins had puzzles or contraptions guarding them, but this was an academy exam. I hadn’t thought we would encounter something like this in the final evaluation.

“What’s wrong, Dale?”

“There’s a riddle written on the door.”

“What goes up, but never comes down? What could it be referring to?”

“I don’t know either.”

I glanced back at Yurina and Camilla, but they both simply shook their heads, just as confused. I couldn’t exactly break the door down, either. If this were a real ruin, we would have the option to brute-force our way through, but in the final evaluation, solving the riddle was almost certainly part of the test.

“Goes up, but never comes down... Air?” I muttered.

The door flashed red, and a glowing “2” appeared.

BEEP!

[Incorrect.]

[2 attempts remaining.]

“Looks like we only get two more tries.”

“

Ugh!

”

While the entire party started to panic, not knowing what to do, Albert raised his hand and shouted, “

Uh,

I-I know! The answer is ‘age’!”

“What? Why the hell would that be it?”

He explained, “Because you can only grow older, but not younger. Get it?”

I replied, “I don’t think that is the correct answer...”

BEEP!

[Correct.]

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

[Second question: What is the name of the beach where a witch lives?]

“Albert. Do you know this one too?” I asked.

Albert nodded confidently. “Y-yeah. I like this kind of nonsense quiz.”

I grinned and clapped him on the back. “I knew it! Picking you for the party was the right call!”

“But I only got in by random.”

“Anyway! We’re counting on you, Albert!”

Albert looked back at me, then gave a determined nod. “Leave this to me!”

He strode up to the door with confidence.

[What is the name of the beach where a witch lives?]

“Sand-Witch!” he answered.

[Correct.]

Oh, hell yeah! That’s the way to go!

["What can you put in a barrel that makes it lighter?]

“A hole!” Albert said.

Yes! That’s it, Albert! You’re killing it!

[What's one thing that tastes better than it smells?]

“The tongue!”

Huh? There’s more?

[What breaks as soon as you say its name?]

“Silence.”

What the hell, man?

[You have answered all the riddles.]

With a thunderous noise, the door creaked open, and a faint smell of cigarette smoke drifted through the gap.

I furrowed my brows and stepped inside. “That smell...”

A wide cavern spread out before me, filled with jagged rocks jutting up like spikes. At the very center, seated calmly was Professor Elisha Baldwin.

“Welcome, rookies.”