Golem

Chapter 29: "Golem"

"Hmm?"

Inside the carriage, Shien, who had not planned to speak again, suddenly stirred and turned his gaze in a certain direction.

(An enemy?)

Shien's Enemy Perception skill reacted, telling him that an enemy had appeared.

(The reaction isn't very strong. Its level should be low, and there's only one of it.)

Shien swiftly made that assessment.

However, Shien did not warn Vivian and the others.

After all, he was currently a novice adventurer who had not even learned a single skill. If he casually warned them, he would likely be suspected afterward.

So, Shien prepared to observe quietly and act when the opportunity arose.

But Shien had somewhat underestimated the members of Vivian's Squad.

"—Vivian!"

The very next second, Tier, who had remained silent all this time, abruptly raised her head and called toward the driver's seat in a wary voice.

"!"

Vivian, who was driving the carriage, immediately tightened the reins. Amid the horses' long neighs, she brought the carriage to a stop.

Inside the carriage, Lumya and Merika had both risen to their feet and entered a state of alert.

Seeing this, Shien was initially taken aback before quickly understanding.

(They've already discovered the enemy?)

Shien gave Tier, who was jumping out of the carriage, a meaningful glance.

This girl had likely learned Enemy Perception just like Shien. Unfortunately, the skill's level was probably not high, which was why she had noticed the enemy's location much later than he had.

Vivian and the others clearly understood this. The instant Tier called out her warning, they went on alert. Their swift reaction showed why they were a squad of adventurers—their coordination was impeccable.

Thus, Shien followed behind Lumya and Merika, carrying his bundle and sword as he jumped out of the carriage as well.

The group gathered in front of the carriage and looked toward Vivian, who was soothing the restless horses.

At that moment, Vivian looked perfectly calm, though her gaze settled on Shien.

"Look over there, Shien."

In the direction Vivian pointed, a rock was slowly moving. In the end, it seemed to stand upright, transforming into a massive stone statue.

"That is a monster known as a Golem. It was originally nothing more than a rock mixed with special magic minerals, but because it existed near a Magic Power Source, it was affected by the magic flowing through it and eventually mutated into a monster."

Vivian explained this to Shien.

"Some mages also use magic to create these monsters, making them fight and work under their command. They are monsters that may appear anywhere. The higher their level, the larger they become. Golems found in certain secret realms may even contain valuable minerals within their bodies, making them coveted by many. But there are also Golems like this one, which disguise themselves as roadside rocks and attack when people pass by."

Naturally, Golems like this had very few magic minerals mixed into them, and their levels were low. Otherwise, they would not leave their Magic Power Source habitat to attack humans by the roadside.

"They target merchant caravans transporting minerals, as well as adventurers like us who carry weapons and equipment made from precious metal ores. Devouring those metal ores is the best way for them to increase their strength, raise their level, and gradually mutate their bodies."

Vivian watched the Golem as it began charging toward them and spoke to Shien.

"Judging from this Golem's size, its level should be around fifteen, and no higher than twenty at most. It shouldn't be a dangerous opponent for you."

Those words made Shien instantly understand Vivian's intentions.

"It's yours." Vivian said to Shien, "Let us see what you're capable of."

This was his first test after becoming an adventurer and joining Vivian's Squad.

Shien noticed that not only Vivian, but Tier, Lumya, and Merika as well had all focused their gazes on him.

Ahead of him, the heavy footsteps of the Golem, like a giant made of stone, were already closing in.

"Understood."

Shien nodded to the others, then drew the sword at his waist as he walked toward the Golem, gripping it in his hand.

Man and rock drew closer to one another, shortening the distance between them.

Vivian, Tier, Lumya, and Merika silently watched from behind.

Feeling the gazes on his back, Shien began calculating inwardly.

(How much of my strength should I show?)

Since he was supposedly a novice adventurer who had not even learned a single skill, he definitely could not display too much combat power.

(First, I can't use Limit Break, and I can't reveal resistance-type skills either, so I can't get hit.)

Unlike active skills such as Limit Break, which had to be activated manually, passive skills took effect permanently from the moment they were learned. He could not choose whether to use them or not. Therefore, to keep those passive skills from being exposed, Shien could only avoid being discovered as much as possible.

Then he had to slow down his fighting style and avoid appearing too impressive. He also had to be careful when evading, so he could hide both God of War and Evasion.

As for the Holy Sword, he absolutely could not use that.

(But I can't perform too poorly either.)

Otherwise, if Vivian and the others thought he lacked the strength or potential to become an adventurer, the result of this test would not look good. In the end, his goal of becoming an adventurer would fall through.

Therefore, Shien needed to put on a certain level of performance without overdoing it, while doing his utmost to conceal his many skills so that he would not give himself away.

(This is too hard.)

Shien suffered inwardly.

But monsters would not sympathize with his feelings. Amid heavy footsteps, it had already rushed in front of him.

"Come on."

Shien could only cast aside his various thoughts, focus his mind, and stare at the Golem before him.

The next moment, the Golem that had rushed before Shien raised its heavy arm, sending its rock-like giant fist crashing toward him.

The Evasion skill immediately reacted, driving Shien's body to dodge.

However, in order not to expose the skill, Shien could only restrain himself as much as possible. Only when the Golem's fist had come right before him did he twist his body at extremely close range, deliberately avoiding the blow with a rather clumsy movement.

At once, a howling gust swept past Shien's body.

"Boom!"

Amid a thunderous rumble from the ground, the Golem's heavy fist struck the earth beside Shien, sending tremors through the ground and kicking up sand and stones.

At that moment, Shien, having dodged aside, suddenly moved. Seizing the instant the Golem fell into the stiffness following its attack, he closed in.

"Clang!"

With a sharp impact, the greatsword carved an arc through the air and slammed fiercely into one of the Golem's feet, forcing it to drop to its knees.

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