The Golem — also called a Colossus — was a creation given life through magic.
It could not think, yet it possessed boundless strength, could endure immense pain, and had infinite patience. It required no food or drink and obeyed its creator's commands without question. This made it the ideal servant or guardian.
Once provoked into battle, it would never cease fighting until its enemy lay dead — or until its own body was shattered to rubble.
At first glance, a Golem seemed little different from a Gargoyle or other artificial constructs.
Both were animated dead matter, both obeyed the commands of their creator, and neither would stop until their task was complete.
But in truth, there was a fundamental difference.
The vast majority of constructs — such as Gargoyles or animated statues — no matter what materials they were made from, however rare or intricate, all shared one crucial step: the use of an animation spell.
Though it was said to "grant life" to dead matter, in reality, animation magic merely enabled movement and the execution of simple commands. It did not truly give thought or will.
That was the absolute limit of animation spells: they could never truly give life.
Golems, however, were different. They did not rely on animation magic for motion. In some sense, they truly possessed a soul.
In his preparations to rescue Hen Gedymdeith, Allen had investigated much about the sorcerers of Ban Ard and Rissberg Group's Civil Cooperative Organization, uncovering many secrets.
And of course, Golems — one of the sorcerers' greatest weapons — were part of his study.
But the strange thing was this:
Although Golems were among the most powerful tools of sorcerers, the very first Golem was not created by a mighty human mage or an elven sage. Instead, it came from a simple dwarf brickmaker of Temeria's Maribor, named Bonaventura Sesto.
This turning point of fate occurred more than forty years ago, when persecution of non-humans in Maribor reached its peak.
Elves and dwarves were accused of spreading disease in the city.
Later it was discovered that the real culprit was a human named Mattheo, a menial worker at the Golden Goose Inn.
It was said Mattheo handled food service and cleaned the latrines — and only washed his hands once a month, and even then not thoroughly.
At first, the persecution of non-humans took the form of shop lootings, arson, and occasional beatings. But soon the violence escalated into brutal massacres.
The city guard turned a blind eye, while humans murdered over three hundred dwarves and elves within three days and nights — including Bonaventura Sesto's entire family.
Upon hearing the news, Bonaventura was overcome with fury and bent on vengeance.
He shaped a ten-foot clay effigy, carved upon it the names of slain non-humans, and added dwarven curses.
When it was done, he slit his own throat.
His blood spattered upon the clay statue, and the effigy came alive, striding through the city on a path of slaughter.
The creation destroyed half the city, killing nearly five hundred humans — including the mayor and every member of the city council.
Only when the streets ran red with blood did the militia finally bring it down with siege engines and stone-throwers.
In the council's final inquiry, they learned that Bonaventura had possessed a latent magical talent.
Though he had no formal training, his death — and the violent emotions that consumed him — awakened that dormant power, forging a new ritual: the making of a Golem.
hus, the first Golem's core of "animation" was in fact born of curse, death, sacrifice, fury, and bloodlust, all woven together.
It bore almost no resemblance to the mere animation spells that gave life to Gargoyles and statues — save for the name.
When Rissberg Group's Civil Cooperative Organization in western Temeria learned of this, they purchased the ritual in full and began to study it.
Though Allen did not know exactly how they refined the ritual so that Golems could be created without the sacrifice of intelligent life, one thing remained certain:
The essence of a Golem was utterly different from that of any other construct.
Which led to the question—
If a Golem's core was forged not only with such rituals, but also from a unique component of the supposed Gate of Ard Gaeth — the very object that drew destiny's call — just how powerful would it be?
"Damn it!"
The thought struck Allen like ice water, his body shivering. Where in the world did Tomas Moreau find a Golem core this strong?
Yes — the moment he beheld the cavern's layout, he had understood.
A sealed cavern with no exit. A place seemingly empty of life. And a Golem…
There could be no mistake.
This was where Tomas Moreau imprisoned his son.
"Boom!"
A deafening blast resounded through the cave.
The three-man-high "stone hill" suddenly opened a pair of crimson eyes, meeting Allen's gaze.
In an instant, the crushing aura in the air grew heavier still, like a mountain dropping from the heavens.
A surge of danger made his hair bristle, and even his heart — bolstered by three potions — skipped a beat.
"INTRUDER! DIE!"
The terrifying, deranged roar split the cavern, shaking the stone walls as its pitch wavered wildly, echoing in trembling waves.
The three-man-high stone mound began to rise, slow yet unstoppable.
Its body was ashen-gray, its head absurdly small compared to its massive torso.
Its left arm was a short, stubby claw, but its right was an enormous hammer-like sphere, three or four times larger, fused with the chest and rising higher than its head.
The sight was grotesque, almost exaggerated.
Once it stood upright, its colossal body reached the cavern ceiling. The vast gray mass nearly filled the chamber, blotting out Allen and Ida Emean entirely.
At their eye level, they could see only its legs.
The oppressive presence of something so massive pressed down upon them like a suffocating weight.
The massive shadow loomed, completely engulfing Allen and Ida Emean at the cave entrance.
"I've never heard of a golem this enormous!"
This shouldn't be possible!"
"What kind of core could sustain such a colossal body?!"
Ida Emean parted her lips slightly, her voice filled with disbelief.
"This isn't the time to think about that…" Allen shouted back. "Instead of wondering how this golem was made, think about how to bring it down! We'll have plenty of time to study it later."
The sheer pressure radiating from the towering stone figure made him decide against holding anything back.
"This is where Tomas Moreau imprisoned his son. When you interrogated him in the lab, did you find any memory on how to stop the golem?"
"No," Ida Emean replied bluntly, her voice echoing in Allen's mind. "I only learned he had another child after reading through the crystal records."
The oppressive aura around the golem surged, so heavy that the very air seemed to warp. Ida Emean quickened her words.
"Enough talk! Golems may differ greatly from other constructs, but they too have vital weaknesses. Their weak point is usually the obsidian heart."
"I don't know if this one has an obsidian heart, but it will still have a core…"
"Allen, can you use your ability to find it?"
"Yes!" Allen lifted his head and pointed directly at the golem's chest — the thickest part where the destiny marker had vanished.
At the moment the golem opened its eyes and rose to its feet, the cave's crushing aura revealed its center.
He didn't even need to activate the Wolf Medallion to sense it.
Through the medallion's sight, it was as if a blazing sun was burning inside the golem's chest, scorching and radiant.
Its creator clearly hadn't intended to conceal it.
But the real problem was — how could they pierce through that massive armor and strike the core?
Ida Emean fell silent for a moment, then, as the golem's roar shook the earth, she swiftly summoned a white jade staff.
It was the first time Allen had ever seen her weapon.
Snow-white and slender like a willow branch, the staff bore a flawless crystal at its tip, so clear it might have been diamond.
Clutching it, Ida Emean whispered an incantation — but her face suddenly darkened.
"The space here is sealed. Portals are forbidden."
A seasoned sorceress always secured an escape route before a battle.
Unfortunately, this time, there was none.
As expected… Allen took a deep breath.
In the game, the portal leading here from Mont Crane Castle only opened at midnight, but there was always a risk of someone straying into it. Tomas Moreau would never have been so careless.
But that meant they had no choice—they would have to deal with this golem before finding another way out.
And—
The oppressive pressure in the air was still rapidly increasing, which meant the golem's strength was continuing to rise with each passing second.
That also made it impossible for them to simply retreat and hide behind the narrow passage to use the golem's massive body against itself.
Besides, for nearly all construct creatures, digging and burrowing were instincts imprinted into their very core.
Exploiting terrain simply wouldn't work.
Its power was rising too fast, there was nowhere to hide—Allen and Ida Emean could only think of a way to end the battle quickly.
But…
How could they possibly break through a rocky carapace at least five meters thick protecting the core?
Allen felt his scalp go numb.
At that moment—
He suddenly noticed the ground before him darkening in color.
The instant he saw it, his senses screamed a needle-like warning.
Allen wrapped his arm around Ida Emean's slender waist and kicked hard off the ground, retreating so fast that the stone beneath his foot cracked into a small pit.
Boom!
A massive black shadow dropped from above, smashing directly into the stone wall at the tunnel's entrance.
The wall shattered into three boulders the size of human heads, countless shards spraying out with a deafening crash as they rained onto the ground.
Without pause, the black shadow slammed down into the floor.
Bang!
A shockwave that twisted the very air erupted where it struck, instantly blasting Allen and the elven sorceress from their footing as dust and smoke rose high.
"Find a chance to pierce its core—I'll keep it busy!"
In midair, Allen shouted as he shoved Ida Emean away from the golem.
No matter how powerful, a sorceress couldn't unleash her strength near a golem.
The one to draw its fury had to be close combat—and Allen had no choice but to take that role.
"Be careful!" Ida Emean didn't refuse, but spoke calmly in his mind, "I have a spell. It will take five minutes to chant, but it can pierce the golem's defenses."
"I understand," Allen answered her mentally.
"And one more thing…" Her voice paused. "If it gets too dangerous, come back. Besides the portal, there are other ways to leave."
Allen didn't know what other method she meant, but it surely wasn't safe either.
Otherwise, in a situation this dire, if she didn't need the fragments of Ard Gaeth's Gate, even if Allen wanted to stay behind, she would have already cast a spell to knock him out and dragged him away.
Whether she could see it or not, Allen nodded.
Then—
Shing!
A long sword was drawn.
A cold gleam flashed in the hazy dust raised by the golem's blow.
He had unsheathed Balmur.
Vmmm~
The moment Balmur came free, it trembled uncontrollably.
It was excited—excited at the chance to face a powerful foe.
There was hope!
Allen gripped the hilt with both hands, his eyes lighting up as he exhaled in relief.
What he feared most was a situation like the time of the Evil God's descent.
Even during that summoning ritual, Balmur hadn't reacted at all, leaving him in a desperate fight where, lacking the right oils, he had to slowly hack tendons and gouge eyes, bit by bit.
But now that Balmur itself was eager, then this battle—
Was winnable!
"Invaders! DIE! DIE! DIE!"
The golem roared in fury, raising a gray-white fist as massive as a mountain from the pit it had made.
Allen, blown back, landed lightly—his right foot barely touching the ground before he kicked off again, vaulting upward to land on the golem's smooth wrist while its fist was still high.
But the moment he felt his footing sliding, no grip to be had, he willed his equipment to shift—activating his witcher's sense and swapping to the boots and gauntlets of the Wild Hunt's Warlord Armor.
[Name: Wild Hunt's Warlord Armor]
[Functions:
…
3. Gauntlets – Iron Grip: Increases strength, immune to disarm.
…
6. Boots – Tread of the Wastes: Immune to penalties from swamps, bogs, snowy plains, and most difficult terrain.
…]
Allen's feet pressed firmly against the wrist, as though he were standing on solid ground.
The strength in his hands suddenly felt doubled.
"Hah~"
Wind roared past his ears.
Without a thought, Allen activated Blizzard — time seemed to halt as he clearly saw an enormous gray claw blotting out the sky.
He bent low, sprang upward, and as he dropped toward the golem's right hammer, he no longer suppressed the surging adrenaline within him — stirred up by both the Alghoul Decoction and the Maribor Forest potion.
His heart pumped furiously, driving boiling blood through his veins, until his whole body felt ready to explode with force.
"Boom!"
A stone claw narrowly grazed his scalp and smashed into the spot where he had just stood.
In that instant, Allen twisted midair, muscles tearing under the strain, and swung his steel sword in a spinning slash.
"Whoosh—"
The blade split the air with a sonic crack, turbulent streams wrapping tightly around it.
Friction heated the sword until it faintly glowed red, like an iron brand pulled from the forge.
Before the spin was even completed, the strike had already reached the level of Aristo, the Wolf School master witcher, famed for his ultimate technique — Three Steps, Three Spins.
And it didn't stop there.
The blade grew hotter still. At the very moment it met the stone claw, the entire sword burst into flames.
Then—
"Hiss—"
The strike bit deep, the sword plunging in as if a red-hot brand were melting ice, releasing a sharp, serpentine screech.
The massive claw, the size of a small house, was split clean in two by what looked like nothing more than a toothpick.
But even as Allen landed lightly on the golem's right hammer, his expression suddenly shifted.
[Monster Hunt] 1%
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