Golem Guardian and the Buried Earth Dragon
Swish!—The sword wrapped in ugly bandages sliced through the air with a sharp whine. Every time the pitch-black blade visible between the wrappings gleamed, slash!—one of the kobolds charging toward us lost its head.
A style that prioritized rotation and speed over raw power. And the blade swung with precise positioning and timing, like it was all calculated. Wait, no way—is she actually calculating her movements? Her eyes are tracking every attack…?
“Ahem, you’re better than I thought. But your style doesn’t really match swordsmanship?”
“That’s B-rank? I’m hitting a wall…”
“No, that’s not it. The protagonist always shows up last, right?”
Anyway, it’s a sword style I’ve never seen before. Doesn’t look like the basic hunter swordsmanship from videos. Some unique style? Or a family heirloom technique? Whatever it is, it doesn’t mesh well with Ha-eun’s detail-oriented fighting. She’d move fluidly, then suddenly smash down with an overhead strike relying on brute force.
A swordsman wielding a style that doesn’t fit her body. What a hassle at first glance.
“Hiyat!” Slash!—While I was thinking that, sticky blood erupted from the last kobold with a splat!
The blade spun gracefully one final time amid the dark red blood splattered on the floor before smoothly sheathing itself.
“Hoo…”
I approached as she exhaled the breath she’d been holding. “Good work. First time seeing you fight for real—not bad at all?”
“Y-Yes… Thank you for the praise!”
I’ve got a rough sense of her skill now, and her issues too. But like this, she’s not even rough stone yet. Most importantly, her emotions never ramp up in battle. Like she’s just a moving doll.
Maybe I should watch a bit longer.
I was sorting my thoughts while eyeing the fallen kobolds when—
Rumble—
“Eek?! E-Earthquake?!”
“Looks like it’s reacting. The homeowner’s pissed.”
“H-Homeowner? A d-dragon…?!”
“Yeah. Let’s head deeper quick. Stick close to me just in case.”
Whatever was inside must’ve lost its patience—the mine shook violently.
“Wait, this gate’s B-rank, right? How with something like that inside?”
“Uh, probably cuz it’s a new monster type never detected before… No risk data.”
I glanced at Ha-eun. A mischievous grin crept up. “Calling a dragon a monster? Does that mean I’m a monster too?”
“Eh? N-No, that’s not what I meant!”
“Pfft—sure, sure. If dragons aren’t monsters, what are they? Demon lords are just kings too, right?”
“N-Nooo…”
As we chatted, descending deeper into the mine, a vast space opened up. Lucky break—the abandoned mine connected to a natural cave?
As we crept in slowly, Ha-eun whispered cautiously. “But… if it can’t be measured, couldn’t there be a strong dragon like you in—”
“Shh. Quiet for a sec.”
I covered her mouth mid-sentence and pressed my hand to the wall, sensing something. Channeling a bit of mana into my palm, I struck.
BOOM!
“Oh?”
The space vibrated, and a massive spherical structure on the wall lit up like an eye opening.
“W-What did you do?!”
“A golem? Still functional after all this time—pretty sophisticated.”
“Th-This must be the boss…! My detector’s going crazy!”
“Huh? Boss?”
The boss? Just a face and one arm poking out?
Then what’s the rest buried under…?
Vrrr—!
“Eek!”
The mine shook like it was collapsing. Finished warming up, the thing slowly shifted from the wall.
CRASH!—And slammed its massive arm down at us.
“Whew, heavy hitter.”
I grabbed Ha-eun and leaped back. I’d be fine, but she’d be pancakes if that hit wrong.
“Guess it’s like a guard posted here. Scaled for B-rank by embedding it in the wall? Gates are weirdly thoughtful sometimes.”
Whoosh!
“Hyak?! S-Sis?!”
“Stay back. I got this.”
I shoved her away. A golem’s core is basically treasure. Peak scholar tech from my world—a mana core humans covet. Mostly lost tech too. Point is, it’s valuable. Perfect skill fuel before meeting the big one below.
Hiss—Dust billowed as the arm emerged again. This time sweeping sideways. Whoever coded it went for brute simple patterns. Needs some flair for fun.
Withdrawal: 300,000 won
Details: [Mana Charge] skill fee
Balance: 0 won
The instant the money drained, mana surged through my veins like a raging river. I focused it into my fists, boosting destructive power.
How to make this look cool?
Thud!—After a beat, I charged the incoming arm.
Golems excel in power but suck at speed and flexibility. No biology means no reflexes or judgment. So a risky poke at the gap should look epic.
Thud!
Just before impact, I dropped low and slid under the arm. Spun and unleashed a mana-charged punch at the massive stone slab overhead—like detonating the energy.
BOOM!—The arm’s path veered diagonally.
I read its trajectory and dashed. But then—
Donations pouring in today. Stimulating fights are the best, huh?
“Sorry guys, mid-fight—messages later!”
Crunch!—Meanwhile, the flung arm smashed the wall hard. Then drooped limply like it glitched.
“Hup!”
I was waiting below, grabbed the arm itself, and hoisted into a fireman’s carry stance. Tiny compared to the wall-embedded golem. But my power’s pure dragon.
This size? Easy pull.
Withdrawal: 150,000 won
Details: [Body Enhancement - Gold] skill fee
Balance: 0 won
Creak—
“Wha…?”
Massive dust cloud as the golem slowly yanked free. Crunch!—Simple reason: mana core’s in the chest. Can’t rip it without exposing that. Not digging through dirt.
Almost there.
BOOM!—The colossal golem, shouldered by a much smaller human, fully emerged into the chamber. About 6 meters? Would’ve been a trophy fish.
Rumble…—It tried rising per programming.
Thud!—But I mounted it first, mana in my feet.
Stomp!—Smashed its chest hard.
Camera followed me down, broadcasting from below. Whatever—I watched its glow fade, coated my hand in mana like a glove.
Thud!—Jammed into its chest.
Crack!—Ripped out the sphere amid grinding.
Nice jackpot.
Light winked out sans heart. Familiar window popped.
Gate cleared.
Reward: Intermediate Mana Stone x1
[Yellow Dragon Special Reward Applied.]
[Rare] Reward: Skill Use Voucher x1
3,500,000 won
I grinned at my fattened account. Ha-eun trailing behind asked timidly. “That good, huh?”
“Yeah. Feels like something inside me’s getting filled.”
“Ehh…”
“Say anything weird and you’re dead?”
“Ha-eun? This way.”
“A-Ah, yes.”
We’re delving deeper underground. Normal gates collapse post-clear, so evac fast. But…
“Really okay…?”
“Trust me. Won’t collapse cuz of the thing below. Even if, I’ll pull you out.”
“Still…”
Special conditions let some gates linger post-clear.
Step.
“Knew it. That’s why they couldn’t detect properly outside.”
The depths had a sealing spell. Fresh-looking barricade boards slapped on—hunter work.
“Hunter standard barrier. …My bro must’ve set this.”
“Wait, you have a bro too?”
“…Yeah.”
They temporarily sealed whatever’s inside? Hmm, but the seal’s weak and old.
Crack!Crunch!—I ripped the spell off by hand. Pointless anyway—if it wanted out, brute force would do.
Stepped through the breach—
Whoosh!—I swatted a flying lava blob.
“Eek?!”
“Well now.”
Its turf from here? Should’ve checked who before attacking.
Rumble…
“Th-That’s…”
Behind the lava trail loomed a massive body. Rock and dirt piled mountain-like, armored in stone evoking a rocky peak. An Earth Dragon.
It slowly raised its head, eyeing us.
“Earth Dragon’s bottom-tier rank.”
Neck glowing red—prepping lava breath again.
“Wh-What do we do…?”
Overwhelming pressure filled the chamber; Ha-eun gripped her sword with trembling hands. Precarious.
Not running’s impressive enough.
“Don’t push—fall back.”
I blocked her, drawing mana. She’d crumple in one exchange. Low-rank or not, dragons are dragons—not for mere humans.
Withdrawal: 500,000 won
Details: [Mana Charge] skill fee
Balance: 3,000,000 won
Attacking on sight? No talk, huh? Fine—smack it first, negotiate later.
Splash!—Another lava blob flew; I launched forward. Last was hasty swat—fragments could hit Ha-eun. Need precision.
Withdrawal: 500,000 won
Details: [Weapon Manifest - Gold] skill fee
Balance: 2,500,000 won
Golden bastard sword in hand. Eyes wide on the blob—swish!—slash from above cleaved it clean.
Confirmed split, dropped sword, double-jumped midair.
[…!]
Earth Dragon’s pupil dilated spotting me incoming. I seized the gap, fist cocked.
Crack!—Smashed its maw full force.
[Guh…]
Clatter!—Chunks of rock rained from its hefty frame. I landed amid them, dusted hands, looked up.
“Ow, tough hide.”
[You damned human!]
“Hey, know who I am? ‘Damned’ who?”
[…? How do you speak Dragon Tongue—]
I smirked at chat. “Lessons start at 500 mil. Interested? Or subscription? Whaddya think?”
“Dragon Tongue isn’t really ‘language.’ It’s mana communication. All dragon speech carries mana.”
[This human wench playing tricks—do you know who I am?!]
“Sigh… low-rank ones are the worst. No clue. Should’ve bowed by now.”
I sighed at its cluelessness. Keep this up, we’ll brawl to death. Risky for Ha-eun. And my pride’s scratched. Calling me wench? Time to show who I am.
Obviously, the surest way’s this.
Withdrawal: 2,000,000 won
Details: [Polymorph Release] skill fee
Balance: 500,000 won
Let’s see you die today.