NOVEL NEXT Episode 16
Chapter 16
Before I could even contemplate why the golem had sprung to life, it swiftly demonstrated its refined movement. Its body, which was crouching and emitting a cannon-like sound at its feet, extended forward and leaped towards me.
“Is this for real…?!”
In a hurry, I evaded with all my strength, and the metallic mass passed by, generating a strong gust of wind as it vanished into the darkness and collided with the wall, producing a resounding boom in the room.
Though not exactly like a cannonball, it seemed to move at a speed comparable to a high-speed car. Judging by its metallic nature, it could be as heavy as a truck or even more. If it were to collide with a living person, they would undoubtedly be minced on the spot or may even get isekaied, who knows.
Engaging it directly was not an option. I rushed towards the stairs.
“Quickly, now!”
“I understand!”
“Infuse more magic throughout your body! Make yourself faster!”
“Got it!”
Recalling what how the strict mentor of the protagonist in the third installment of the ‘Wildia Chronicle’ series had said, I drew out magic and spread it throughout my body.
As the power surged through my entire being, a sudden chill ran down my spine as I accelerated noticeably when I kicked the ground.
Just a little more, and another chill ran down my spine as something passed in front of me.
“…An arm?”
If I wasn’t mistaken, it was the golem’s arm that had just passed in front of me.
Nevertheless, I couldn’t afford to be stunned by the unexpected. The golem approached with loud footsteps, preparing to strike with its arm.
To dodge the arm that was swung with a slight aim ahead of me, I had to perform a backstep and move backward.
“So, it won’t let me reach the stairs.”
It seemed escaping from this Golem was impossible, but the vast difference in abilities with the opponent would have resulted in the same outcome even if it wasn’t the Golem.
Putting aside such escapist thoughts, I noticed that the golem’s armor showed no dents or cracks, despite colliding with the wall, and the floor it struck also bore no marks of the impact.
“It looks like an ordinary stone floor, but how strong is it really…f*ck? And why do I remember Golems having rocket punches? This seems strangely familiar.”
In any case, if the floor was sturdy, it meant the entire room was, and it was good news that the golem’s rampage wouldn’t cause it to collapse.
However, there was also bad news.
The fact that someone had incorporated such a ridiculous gimmick as a rocket punch into the golem made me suspicious. If that suspicion proved correct, I wouldn’t stand a chance, even with Tonitos. Maybe not even Alshade with Finbul could win.
“Princess, don’t move yet! There’s something I want to check!”
“Understood!”
After reassuring Alshade , who was looking at me with concern, I rushed towards the golem.
The golem was in the middle of docking with its right arm, but it swung its movable left arm to intercept me.
“…Hah!”
I evaded the left arm with a sidestep and thrust Tonitos toward the arm that was stabbed into the floor.
Though Tonitos’ tip pierced slightly into the metallic arm, it didn’t go any further. However, that was not a problem.
As I infused Tonitos with magic, a yellow line ran along the impaled tip, and it discharged electricity into the surrounding area.
Although I couldn’t activate Tonitos’ weapon skill due to my nearly nonexistent spear proficiency, I could still channel magic to release an electric discharge.
“Whoops!”
Unperturbed by Tonitos’ electrical discharge, the golem swung away its left arm and I pulled Tonitos back, jumping backward to avoid being hit.
“It’s insulated. That settles it.”
Normally, metal golems were weak against lightning attributes and would almost certainly be paralyzed.
The reason behind this was that the flow of magic would be disturbed when electricity infused with magic passed through their insides, causing instructions from their core to be disrupted for a while.
The one who could create golems that overcame this weakness was a genius alchemist who lived four hundred years ago.
The name of that alchemist was first mentioned in the middle of the third installment when the rampaging golem army overflowed from a concealed laboratory and attacked the surrounding towns and cities.
After the incident was resolved, a diary left behind in the laboratory revealed that the gimmick had been set while the alchemist was drunk and that he had left it untouched, thinking someone from years into the future would somehow manage to handle it. In addition, the diary contained a passage that read, “Well, my golem army won’t be defeated so easily.” This led to the death of a character who had interacted with the main story during the incident, causing many players to get furious.
Although he was such a detestable guy, as an alchemist, he was truly top-notch, and the golems he created were suitably formidable enemies in the middle of the story.
In other words, my chances of victory disappeared once its sole weakness to lightning attributes was nullified.
“Princess, is there any way to deal with it in one blow!?”
“It’s not impossible, but it will take time!”
The fact that it would take time meant that, in terms of her martial proficiency, she could have tapped into Finbul’ s weapon skill barely. If that was the case, once she landed a hit, victory would be practically assured.
Even if it took time, I wanted to make sure it would activate and hit for sure. The golem was fast in terms of dashing or rocket punches, but its other movements were not that impressive.
While evading the approaching golem’s fist, I replied.
“That’s fine! If I can just buy some time… I’ll figure something out!”
“Please don’t push yourself too hard!”
“Tell that to the opponent!”
Based on its past actions and my knowledge of the game, I could guess the possible patterns of the golem’s movements.
“In that case…!”
By process of elimination, it would be better to be within the golem’s arm range. Avoiding a rocket punch was one thing, but keeping a distance from a charge was out of the question.
I might be able to dodge a kick, but if there were also sweeps, I’d have to be vigilant against attacks from the front, sides, and above, which would make it harder to perceive the overall movements.
On the other hand, if I stayed within the golem’s arm range, I could have a clear view of its whole body, making it easier to discern its movements by just focusing on the front. Ideally, I would stay right on the edge of its arm’s reach.
As I entered the opponent’s range and came to a stop, the golem’s right arm quickly descended upon me. I swiftly evaded to the left.
The crucial point was the direction of evasion. If it was the right arm, I’d dodge to the left, and if it was the left arm, I’d dodge to the right, preventing the other arm from attacking me.
After experiencing the sweep once, I could easily deal with it by using a backstep.
“I’ve seen that already!”
By repeatedly evading the same pattern that differed only in direction, the golem made a different move for the first time.
It concealed a sweep of its left arm and thrust its right arm upward, as if scooping from below.
“What the…!?”
I couldn’t help but jump back and increase the distance even further.
Furthermore, the golem, in a position similar to after delivering an uppercut, shot its left fist from the gap under its right arm.
Instantly, I rolled to the right to avoid it, and the metallic fist collided with the spot where I had been just moments ago.
“Could it be… it’s learning?”
A cold sweat ran down my cheek.
“I hope it’s not some experimental machine by the mechanical god Deus Ex Machina.”
I recalled the boss from the third installment, a golem equipped with an artificial intelligence that learned and developed resistances during combat and exploited enemy weaknesses.
Even if it was nowhere near that level, if this golem learned from my actions, I would gradually find myself in a more and more difficult situation.
As I was gritting my teeth, Alshade’s voice resounded in the room.
“Rios! I’m ready!”
“Understood!”
While keeping an eye on the golem’s movements, I moved away from the straight line leading to the stairs with all my might.
The golem was preparing to charge, but that didn’t matter. Alshade was faster than it.
“…Unleash, the freezing breath of《■■ki■■■■■■■ Finbul》!!”
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