The Truth Behind the Golden Golem Mask

The Golden Golem Mask activated. [Hehe.] Suddenly a disgusting laughter echoed from above. We instinctively looked up. Right above our heads, about one meter up, a woman’s face like a demon with blood dripping from its mouth appeared. “Aaaah!” “Kuhk!” Ki Ju-hye and Shin Giseok screamed in shock. I, Jang Pomi, Seok Dong-mi, Yoo Ji-min and the others who didn’t make a sound were all startled too. The huge monster had approached without any sound, so it was impossible not to feel a chill. [You’ve almost solved the riddle already?] [Not bad.] [But following the rules is the real fun, right?] [Let me ask the question again.] The Sphinx repeated its riddle. [From 4,500 years ago, the goddess Isis sent a gift to the Egyptian Pharaoh.] [What exactly was that gift which made the construction of the great pyramid possible?] And the Sphinx slowly looked at each of our six faces one by one. [This time who should I ask?] [Is there anyone among the applicants?] Shin Giseok asked with a trembling voice, “…If someone is right, what happens?” The Sphinx grinned and said, [The right one will obviously be spared.] “Really? So I won’t have to solve riddles anymore after this?” [Yes. Once you get it right, it’s over. I won’t bother you again. Getting out of here is your own problem.] At that moment Shin Giseok said right away, as if he might be robbed, “I’ll solve it. The gift sent by the goddess Isis 4,500 years ago to the Pharaoh of Egypt… was the Golem Mask made of gold.” The Sphinx laughed and said, [Correct!] […] It could be or it could not be.] “Huh?” [From now on I’ll give you a chance to change your answer.] [Of course you can keep your original choice.] [Think about what I’m telling you and decide.] [The gift sent by Isis was a mask made of the most precious material in the world.] [But Isis wanted to teach Pharaoh Khufu a lesson, so she mixed in one real mask among nine fake ones.] [So out of ten masks, only one was the real gift — the one made of the most precious material.] [Mortal! Do you really believe that this gold mask is the real one?] After the Sphinx said that, Shin Giseok was flustered. He immediately looked intently at the gold mask and asked, “Are there other masks besides yours?” - Well, there were a few more, but since I’m the gold mask, the most precious material in the world, I don’t care about the other cheap Golem masks… I don’t know. Shin Giseok said with a bit of relief, “So you’re definitely the real gift?” The gold mask answered proudly, - It’s obvious, right? - Where else in the world is gold more precious than gold? At that moment the Sphinx’s laughter echoed sinisterly inside the pyramid. [Hehehe.] [Well, I can’t wait a thousand years, so let’s hear the answer. Count to three!] “……” [Three!] “……” [Two!] At that moment Shin Giseok put his fist to his forehead, squeezed his eyes shut, but finally opened them wide and said, “…I won’t be tricked by your psychological warfare. I’ll keep the ‘Golem Mask made of gold’!” The Sphinx made a really disappointed expression and said, [Tsk tsk tsk.] [Well, now put the gold mask on! Let me prove whether you said the right answer or the wrong one.] “What… what do you mean by that?” [You’ll know if you transform into a Golden Golem and fight. If gold is the most precious ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠material, you’ll easily beat me.] Shin Giseok shook his head, looking pained. But realizing there was nowhere to run, he brought the mask to his face with trembling hands. “Golden one, the most precious material in the world! Turn me into a powerful Golem!” Suddenly the ground shook, and gold burst out from the floor, wrapping around Shin Giseok’s entire body. “Whoa! Ah!” Click— clank— clang— In an instant a 20-meter-tall golden Golem began to shine brilliantly under the torchlight flickering around the underground dungeon. “Amazing!” Ki Ju-hye muttered to herself without realizing it. I felt the same way. The golden armor wrapped around Shin Giseok’s body was dazzling and magnificent enough to make even a man feel thrilled. At that moment a snake that had approached unnoticed bit Shin Giseok’s ankle and knocked him down. Kuhung~ “Uaaaah! Ah!” The Sphinx lifted its front paw onto the fallen man’s chest and said, [Stupid guy!] [It looks fancy, but gold has no value.] [A worthless armor that even snakes’ teeth can pierce!] And the Sphinx flicked its claws like blades and stabbed the Golden Golem’s chest, then tore it out with full force. The golden armor was shredded into four huge wounds in an instant. “Aaaah! Ah!” Shin Giseok, in too much pain from the wounds, put his hand to his ear and shouted to remove the mask. “Golden one, the most precious material in the world! Remove my mask for me!” The Golden Golem started shrinking. And the moment its size became the same as Shin Giseok’s height, the Sphinx immediately swallowed him whole and began chewing with a crunch, crunch sound. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ Glug— The next instant it seemed he had swallowed Shin Giseok’s body. Then it started chewing the remaining stuff in its mouth like gum. Weird sounds came from inside the Sphinx’s mouth. - Ah! It hurts! - I’ll never lie again! - Please spit me out! [Hmm.] [Next time bring me a mask worth fighting.] [Not one I just chew like gum.] The Sphinx had been chewing the gold mask like gum. After saying that much, the monster disappeared with a wicked smile. I looked around at the people. As expected, everyone had a dazed expression at the horrifying scene that had just unfolded. Even Jang Pomi seemed somewhat deflated. I shouted loudly, “When you’re psychologically tormented, move your body. Grab your shovels and dig harder where you were digging. We have to find nine more masks!” After I said that, Seok Dong-mi, Ki Ju-hye, and Yoo Ji-min snapped out of it and started digging. At that moment Seok Dong-mi shouted, “I found another mask here!” We naturally gathered around. This mask was made of silver. The method to activate the mask was the same. It was written, “This mask can only be put to sleep or awakened by the scent of the most precious material in the world — silver.” Jang Pomi approached and pressed an arrowhead under the nose of the mask. “It’s a silver arrowhead for hunting lycans. Frappe the fresh, one arrowhead is more expensive than your salary for humans like you.” - Sniff. The nose of the silver mask suddenly moved and began to smell. Then it opened its mouth in a vulgar Korean accent similar to the gold mask’s. - W-Where am I? Seok Dong-mi immediately answered, “Inside the pyramid. Try to recall your last memory.” The silver mask said, - I… defeated a monster. “What monster?” - A Sphinx! A monster with a woman’s face, a lion’s body, and a snake’s tail! But now none of us could believe those words. “You defeated it? Really?” - I swear by the goddess Isis, it’s true. “Who used you to fight?” - It was Pharaoh Khufu. I kept interrogating it, but since it only spoke in the same vulgar accent as the gold mask, there was no point in listening anymore. After a short while we continued digging, and this time I excavated a mask made of granite. Pyramids originally used limestone on the outside and granite inside, so digging granite fragments to activate the mask wasn’t difficult. “What was your last memory? Did you also defeat the Sphinx?” But this mask’s reaction was different. - No. I didn’t have that ability. - I… watched the great silver mask defeat the Sphinx! We were very happy. Because it felt like a clue was unraveling. “Who? Which mask did that?” The granite mask answered, - It was… the great silver mask. “Are you sure?” - I swear. Soon we obtained the fourth mask, and Seok Dong-mi picked up a pebble that had fallen on the ground and activated it. This mask was made of a dark stone. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠moment the mask woke up, I asked, “Who defeated the Sphinx? Was it the gold Golem or the granite Golem?” The mask said, - Neither. “Then?” - The one who defeated the Sphinx was the great silver Golem! I saw it with my own two eyes right beside it. After that, when I asked other masks, the answers were all the same. The Pharaoh had used the silver mask to defeat the Sphinx, and they had been watching from the side. Jang Pomi grumbled, “Something’s off. Why did Isis leave the gold mask and designate the silver one as the real gift? Was she setting a trap?” Seok Dong-mi explained, “In ancient Egypt gold was abundant, but silver was hard to obtain. So silver was a more expensive precious metal than gold, 1.5 times more.” After hearing that, Jang Pomi became certain, snatched the silver mask from Seok Dong-mi, and put it in her inventory. But when we finally activated the last tenth mask, we met something completely different from the other masks. I used a trowel to activate it, and the mask was the thinnest one made of shiny iron. It looked exactly like the one worn by a detective. - You said the silver mask defeated the Sphinx? - It’s a complete lie. - I was the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one who defeated the Sphinx. Unlike the other masks, this one spoke with a sophisticated tone and earnestly pleaded that its words were true. I asked, “Then why are all these other masks parroting the same lie?” The thin iron mask said, - That’s because Pharaoh Tupu ordered it. “Why?” - To distort history. To steal the achievements of the hero who defeated the real Sphinx… He bought all the masks and made them all testify falsely. I felt my heart racing strangely and asked the mask, “Then… who was the real hero?” - That ugly guy had a really strange name. That’s why it’s even harder to forget. In this language, his name was… “Bueoreun Bal.” Because when he was little, he was left in the mountains tied up with leather around his ankles, that’s how he got that name. “Do you remember that name?” - Of course I remember. I defeated the Sphinx, the monster that terrorized all of Egypt, along with that skinny lame guy. I guessed and asked, “I think I know that name.” The mask asked in surprise, - How do you know that name? “His name… wasn’t it ‘Oedipus’?” The mask said, - Correct. That’s exactly the person.