Chapter 250: Through the Mountain’s Spine (2)
"Gravelclad Golem..." Shima quietly muttered.
The moment she recognized the creature, all five of them instinctively stepped away from the passage, while pulling out their weapons.
Yerin kept her eyes on the towering giant before asking, "Shima... do you know anything about that Voidspawn?" Her grip around her sword tightened as she waited for an answer.
"Yeah, I do," Shima replied, never taking her eyes off the golem. "It’s a Wretched-Rank Voidspawn, and it’s well known for being extremely territorial. As long as nobody enters its territory, it usually won’t attack."
She took a slow breath before continuing.
"Its body is covered in incredibly thick stone, making it one of the toughest Wretched-Rank Voidspawns to bring down. Even if we manage to break its body apart, it can pull the pieces back together and rebuild itself."
Shima’s expression grew more serious.
"That’s why it’s considered one of the strongest and most troublesome Voidspawns in its rank, because fighting it can turn into a battle of endurance. On top of that, its raw strength is terrifying."
Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her falchion.
"One direct hit from that thing is enough to kill most C-Rank or even B-Rank adventurers and magi. The only good news is that it won’t come after us, as long as we stay outside its territory."
"It really does sound troublesome," Yerin said, her brows knitting together. "Should we... find another way around instead?"
Then, all of a sudden, Arlok burst into laughter.
The loud laugh made everyone turn toward him. He lowered his head and stared at both of his hands, while one of them still gripped his poleaxe tightly.
"Would you look at that?" Arlok said with a wide grin. "My hands... my hands are fucking trembling. HAHAHAHA! This is exactly what I’ve been looking for! Aren’t you feeling the same thing, Yerin?"
He turned toward her with an excited smile stretching across his face. His eyes were shining with anticipation instead of fear.
Yerin let out an awkward smile.
’Is he for real?’
The pressure coming from that Gravelclad Golem was enough to make her heart beat faster, but unlike Arlok, she had no desire to charge straight at it.
Sometimes, she honestly wondered if the man standing beside her was nothing more than a complete battle maniac.
Horren’s face had already gone pale.
"I don’t think we should go through there," he said, swallowing hard. "This is only one of them, what if there are more hiding inside that passage?"
"There will be more," Ruvian replied calmly. "And the moment we activate that dungeon, more of its prototypes will appear too."
As he spoke, he walked forward without the slightest hesitation. A flash of light gathered in his hand, then [The Endseeker] appeared with a soft hum.
He stopped a few steps ahead before looking back at the others.
"But didn’t we already get enough rest?" Ruvian asked with a smile. "And aren’t we here to earn as many points as possible? If we take another path, we might never get another chance like this." (+300PP)
Shima frowned as she looked at the towering golem.
"But if we can’t even destroy its body," she asked slowly, "then what exactly are we supposed to do?"
Ruvian’s smile only widened.
"Don’t worry," he said. "I’ve already got a plan, all you have to do is follow it. If it works, then we’ll use the same method to clear every single one of them." (+200PP)
*****
After discussing the plan for a few more moments, they immediately began putting it into action.
Arlok was the first to move, slowly walking toward the narrow passage with his poleaxe resting on one shoulder. By now, more Gravelclad Golems had crawled out from beneath the ground; three of them now stood side by side, blocking the entire passage.
Just facing three Wretched-Rank Voidspawns at once was already pushing the limits of what their squad could handle.
Even during their training simulation at the academy, a fight like this would have been considered extremely dangerous.
Arlok rolled his shoulders before casually swinging his poleaxe with one hand.
Then, he slammed it into the ground.
Boom!
The earth split apart beneath the impact, while a long crack raced across the ground toward the three golems.
"Hey, mud faces!"
Arlok shouted.
"Move your fucking asses aside, because we need to get through."
The three Gravelclad Golems slowly turned their heads toward him, still none of them moved.
"Huh, that was a lame line. I could’ve gone for something better."
Arlok grunted.
He lowered his hand, tightened his grip around the poleaxe, then raised his head to face the towering giants.
Then, he suddenly remembered the last hallucination fight he had within the mist.
"...Just watch me, old man." he hissed.
The next second, he exploded forward.
Every step shook the ground beneath his feet as he charged straight toward the three golems, roaring at the top of his lungs.
The Gravelclad Golems answered with deep growls, then their massive bodies lurched forward as all three charged to meet him.
Arlok closed the distance in the blink of an eye, his poleaxe cutting through the air with a heavy whistle.
He swung with all his strength, the blade crashing straight into the chest of the leading Gravelclad Golem.
Bang!
The impact echoed through the valley.
A web of cracks spread across the golem’s rocky chest, but before Arlok could even grin, the broken stone slowly pulled itself back together. Within seconds, the cracks disappeared as if they had never existed.
"Tch."
The giant stone fist came crashing down.
Arlok twisted his body at the last moment, the punch missing him by less than a meter before smashing into the ground; the earth burst apart beneath the impact.
Without slowing down, another golem swung its massive arm from the side.
Boom!
Arlok planted his foot into the ground.
[Stone Wall]
A thick wall of rock burst from the earth between them.
The stone fist shattered the wall in a single hit.
The broken rocks exploded in every direction, forcing Arlok to leap backward before the third golem reached him. Its enormous foot stomped down where he had landed only a moment earlier.
Boom!
The ground shook violently.
"...Damn, you guys don’t mess around."
Arlok laughed through gritted teeth as sweat rolled down his face. He slammed the end of his poleaxe into the ground.
[Earth Spike]
Dozens of sharp stone spikes erupted beneath the three Gravelclad Golems.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
But the spikes shattered against their thick stone bodies, leaving only shallow marks before the broken pieces slowly floated back into place.
"Okay, they really are annoying..."
The three golems let out deep growls.
Then all three charged together.
Arlok’s grin only widened. Instead of standing his ground, he turned around and sprinted away from the passage.
"Come on then, mud faces!"
"Come and catch this ass!"
The three Gravelclad Golems immediately changed direction. Each thunderous step shook the ground as they chased after him without hesitation, leaving the narrow passage one after another.
Arlok glanced over his shoulder.
There wasn’t a single trace of relief on his face.
His breathing had already grown heavier, while his arms felt numb every time his poleaxe blocked one of their attacks.
He was losing this fight.
From the very beginning, he knew he couldn’t defeat even one of them by himself, much less all three at once.
That was never his job.
He recalled what Ruvian had said to him previously.
—"And Arlok... in order for our plan to work, you have to be the bait. Keep all three golems angry enough to chase you."
"Heh, at least, this is fun."
Arlok let out a ferocious grin as those words echoed inside his head.
"Now, it’s your turn, Golden Goose!"
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[Chapter 250: Through the Mountain’s Spine (2)]
Plot Points= 12,100