Chapter 133: Patchwork (13)

I reactivated the acid-infused Sword Energy.

Sizzle!

Hissssss!

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The golems had stood in one place for centuries, compelled to guard the sorcerer through ancient magic. According to some legends, the spirits of blacksmiths were sealed inside them.

I aimed for its neck. The fight would be over the moment I cut this and extracted the mana fluid.

Swish!

The spinning Sword Energy sank deep into its neck. The oxidized layer shattered, and the blade pierced the weak point.

Creak!

Screeeeech!

The golem's head lifted like a lever.

Thud!

The lifeless golem wobbled unsteadily before collapsing onto the floor.

Boom!

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

Message after message of level-ups flooded my vision. It was denser than when I had defeated Webslinger. Since the dungeon was labeled inaccessible, the amount of experience gained was natural. Without hesitation, I invested all points into Wisdom.

Golems, huh.

Now that I had faced them directly, I figured I had superior strength and speed. As such, it'd be wise to extend my Sword Energy's duration. I increased my Wisdom stat by seven points.

Mana fluid oozed from the fallen golem's head. I collected it in a prepared bottle like those who extracted bloodstones from goblin hearts. This was the path I'd chosen. I had no excuses or intentions to justify it.

The remains of the lifeless golem felt eerily silent. I couldn't know how they had felt, standing here for hundreds of years.

Did they have thoughts? Did they consciously guard the sorcerer? Or were they just machines responding only to conditions?

Maybe they had cherished the sorcerer and willingly protected him.

However, I ignored everything because I didn't care. I destroyed them and plundered their power. There was no pretense of righteousness in my actions.

Regardless, I didn't intend to get smashed by an incoming golem fist.

Whoosh!

I ducked as two massive fists crossed overhead. The wind pressure scraped past me. The fists were large, but it was ultimately a disorganized mess of uncoordinated movements.

[Skill: Tactics Lv. 1 activated.]

A thought crossed my mind. I circled around them, provoking their attention.

Let's test something.

Whoosh!

As the creaking golems swung their fists wildly, I led them into each other's path.

The moment they exerted their full strength, I slipped out from below.

Swish!

Clang! Boom!

The two rusted golems punched each other and collapsed backward.

[Tactics skill proficiency slightly increased!]

This skill is pretty useful.

Finishing the golems off was simple. I jumped in, severed their necks, and harvested their mana fluid. They would never move again.

So this is... Lurium?

Inside a transparent bottle, a silvery liquid shimmered.

This should be enough for Rena.

The strange silver fluid had filled up to 1.2 liters on the marked scale.

She can definitely become a branch leader now.

Meanwhile, the other three were almost done. They seemed too focused on their own battles to notice mine. I had planned to step in if they were in danger, but they fought just fine against their rusted opponents.

Clang!

Christina parried a golem's fist with her greatsword. She was forced back four steps, but just holding her ground was impressive.

Clang!

Chandler stabbed his sword into a pin joint.

Click!

Swish!

Rena used a press device to cleanly sever a fallen golem's neck.

She's the fastest.

"

Haa...

" Rena exhaled sharply.

Sweat dripped from her forehead. It hadn't been an easy fight. Standing near the remains of three fallen golems, she met my gaze.

Rena blinked, then finally said, "Wait... don't tell me... you're already done?"

I nodded. "Yes."

Rena stared at the rusted golems on the floor, her expression unreadable.

Clang!

At some point, Christina and Chandler had shifted to a two-versus-two battle. Now that they were working together, their coordination had improved, giving them an advantage. However, their progress still felt slow to me.

Fwoosh!

I activated the acid-infused Sword Energy, and a strange sensation crept over me. When I turned back, Rena had frozen in place, eyes wide.

"Master!"

She had seen the sword's acidic transformation before.

Is this different?

I glanced at my sword. The pale blue energy hissed like acid, dissolving into thick fumes. A strange energy radiated from the blade.

"W-what is that?"

[Remaining output: 35%...]

I didn't have time to explain. The skill had tremendous power but consumed energy rapidly.

[Activating Slash Lv. 1!]

The remaining energy plummeted instantly.

Sizzle! Crackle!

I struck the pin joint in the golem's left leg—Christina's opponent

Crunch!

I couldn't cut through in one swing yet, but the massive blade sank deep into the joint.

Boom.

The golem was ten times my size and twenty times my weight, yet it collapsed with a single strike. The Sword Energy sizzled at the tip of my blade, swirling around the large holes drilled into the weapon's body.

My blurred reflection flickered across the jagged steel where the blade had cut. Without pausing, I drove my sword deeper, severing its neck. The rusted joint snapped, and silver mana fluid gushed out.

The golem ceased all movement.

Christina stepped back five paces, breathing heavily. The puddle of silver fluid spread across the floor reflected a slight trace of fear. Just as Rena had described, Lurium didn't seep into the ground but instead flowed across the surface.

Rena let out a small gasp. "

Ah!

"

Then she rushed forward and quickly bottled the silver mana fluid.

Clang!

I drove my sword into the arm of the golem attacking Chandler. The outer plating peeled away, exposing the fractured steel pin beneath.

Pwheee!

I spun, thrusting the sword tip deep into the shin joint.

Thud!

The golem buckled and collapsed onto one knee. With a loud crash, it toppled forward. I angled my sword precisely into the gap at its neck and levered it upward.

Clang!

The golem's movements ceased, and mana fluid poured out.

Boom!

As its massive frame crashed, I landed lightly back on the ground. I didn't have to turn around to know that Christina, Rena, and Chandler weren't in a calm state.

I could feel the shock radiating from behind me. A series of messages flashed, notifying me that their Affection toward me had increased.

Rena suddenly shot me a serious look and said, "Master."

"Speak," I answered.

"Why did we even come here?"

"

Hmm

?"

"You... handled everything by yourself..."

Maybe I overdid it.

Other than the one golem Rena had taken down, I had eliminated the rest. It seemed I had taken away the opportunity for them to fight.

"My apologies."

"No! That's not it... It just feels like we're completely useless..."

"I sincerely thank you!"

They were being too dramatic when my actions were driven by selfishness. I simply wanted to clear Rena's scenario without feeling guilty over some arbitrary moral standards. I didn't have a grand plan. I was acting on impulse motivations because I was unwilling to let this world unfold the way it was

supposed

to.

Honestly... I just want all the experience points for myself.

Another wave of level-up messages filled my vision.

Status window.

[Lv.39 (173)]

[Health: 61 (New!)]

[Strength: 73]

[Agility: 71]

[Wisdom: 61 (New!)]

I gained twenty-one levels after defeating five golems. I mostly distributed points into Wisdom and Health, which I had drained during combat.

I surveyed the group.

Everyone was breathing heavily, their swords pressed against the ground for support. They all looked exhausted, but in the end, we had cleared the dungeon's six guardian golems. We didn't even need to use the bombs we had brought as a precaution.

It had been easier than expected. Or maybe I had just become that much stronger.

Tap.

I turned around. I picked up Acorn, who had been securely tied inside the sack and patted his head a few times. The little creature wriggled eagerly and opened his mouth.

[Acorn wants to fight!]

"You can't. It's too dangerous," I said.

Rattle! Rattle!

Acorn raised his tiny front paws. They were light and frail. Back when he still had flesh and fur, his paws had been thicker than this.

Rena, watching, murmured thoughtfully. "Maybe we could let him walk with us? The golems are gone now. He must be feeling frustrated being stuck in a bag the whole time."

"

Hmm

."

I nodded. Cradling Acorn in my arms, I turned to Chandler.

"The defenses, is this the end?"

Chandler nodded firmly.

"My father told me this is it. Once we cross this area, we will reach a vast, empty hall."

"An empty hall?"

"Yes. A large chamber. Beyond that, the sorcerer is in a coma-like state, trapped inside a husk."

The underground tomb was cold. The sweat that had beaded on Chandler's forehead had already dried.

"You're ready to kill him, right?"

"Yes."

Chandler nodded with determination. He reached into his inner pocket as if checking something.

What did he bring?

As I glanced at him, Rena was methodically collecting every last drop of mana fluid from the fallen golems. Both her bottle and mine had over a liter of silver liquid sloshing inside.

"There's more than I expected. Is your task done?"

Rena nodded.

"How fortunate. Since the golems weren't active for centuries, they didn't consume any Lurium." She gave a gentle smile, but her eyes still held uncertainty.

Should I tell her to go back?

Her job was finished. She could return to the surface, but I already knew she wouldn't listen.

As I debated internally, Chandler asked, "Shall we go?"

"Let's go."

I nodded and stepped forward.

This life is going way too smoothly.

I was inside the inner castle of humanity. I had infiltrated a deeply hidden, secretive place. This was completely different from my first life. Back then, I would have been crushed the moment I stepped near a noble's estate.

A grand city. A place filled with people who saw me as an enemy. Yet here I was, being escorted into its most private and guarded chambers.

Hmm...

But in a way, this felt natural. Despite being a complete outsider, I held enough power to solve their greatest problem.

If anything, I might actually be undercharging for my efforts.

Unless we were talking about monsters like the marquis, among ordinary humans, I had already forced my way into the ranks of the strong.

Just as that thought settled, the ground trembled.

Rumble!

Boom!

Boom!