Chapter 6: Entrance Ceremony 4
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 6: Entrance Ceremony 4
Lucas was the first among us to engage the golem.
"I’ll go first."
Lucas began by circulating mana to reinforce his body. The high-purity mana he had accumulated through countless elixirs further empowered a physique already hardened by relentless effort. He lowered his center of gravity, tensing his muscles like a coiled spring ready to snap.
"Hraaaaaah!"
With a thunderous shout, he kicked off the ground and lunged at the golem with the speed of a lightning bolt. Even standing right next to him, I found it difficult to track his movement. Carrying that immense momentum, Lucas’s spear pierced the golem before it could even swing its monstrous arms.
The golem’s left leg, shattered by the spear, buckled pathetically. Deprived of its support, the massive construct wobbled as its balance crumbled. Seeing this, the surrounding students began to buzz with excitement.
"He took down that huge golem in one hit!"
"Wait, is that golem weaker than it looks?"
"If it were you, you wouldn't have even grazed it before getting crushed."
"Exactly. It’s just that His Highness the Crown Prince is incredible."
The students who had been hunting the magic beasts chatted as if the golem was already finished, but Lucas, perhaps sensing danger, quickly increased the distance between himself and the construct. That split-second decision saved his life.
If the golem were that easy to defeat, this wouldn't have been called a 'defeat event,' and I wouldn't have had to attempt this over a hundred times back in the game.
Boom!
With a deafening roar, the golem’s massive fist slammed into the spot where Lucas had been standing just moments ago. The ground was gouged out as if struck by a meteor. Furthermore, the leg Lucas had clearly pierced had already returned to its original state.
Had Lucas not backed away immediately, it would have been him, not the floor, that was crushed. At that brutal and shocking sight, the students’ voices rose in alarm.
"What on earth is that...?"
"There’s another golem like that?"
"There’s no way we, as students, can take those things down!"
Those were the two primary characteristics of that golem: insane destructive power and a body that regenerates infinitely unless the core is destroyed.
The person who created such a deranged golem was Professor Idra. That crazy professor was likely cackling right now, watching the students fall into a panic.
I turned to Clara, who was calmly observing the golem from beside me.
"Wow~ that golem is something else, isn't it? Don't you agree, Clara? Still nothing to say about my incantation?"
Regardless of whether I spoke to her or not, Clara silently began her own incantation. She could at least give me an answer.
As Clara chanted, I could see mana gathering around her in visible waves. Though she must have used a significant amount of mana hunting the magic beasts earlier, she continued her chant as if the remaining pool was of no concern.
In fact, her mana had probably run dry only rarely before now. The reason that was possible was her trait: [Infinite Mana].
While not literally infinite, it was a trait that granted a mana pool so vast it bordered on the limitless. Clara’s trait was famous even in Croaka for being broken. Because of that peerless talent, the Tower Master—who was notorious for never taking disciples—had been the one to approach Clara first.
Once she finished her incantation, a massive sphere of fire blazed atop her staff.
"Fireball."
"Clara? How is that a 'Fireball'? That’s a Meteor."
If a fireball made by an ordinary mage was the size of a human head, the one Clara created looked like a falling star.
Perhaps annoyed by my constant chattering, Clara turned the staff holding the 'meteor' toward me.
"Eek! You’re not going to throw that at me, right? Unlike the golem, I’ll definitely die if I get hit by that! I still have so many things I haven't done yet; I can't die such a ridiculous death!"
"Do neither of you see me over here?" Lucas yelled.
Lucas was currently dodging the golem’s arms while counterattacking with his spear. However, because he had to focus entirely on evasion, his attacks lacked their previous destructive power, and what little damage he did manage to inflict was rendered useless as the golem regenerated instantly.
"Tsk."
"Aha! I just heard you click your tongue! You weren't actually planning to fire that at me if the golem wasn't there, were you?"
Clara coolly ignored my words and launched the meteor-like fireball at the golem. Lucas sensed the timing and cleared the area just as the fireball engulfed the golem’s body.
KABOOM!!!
A massive explosion erupted as the fireball consumed the golem. Thick smoke obscured our vision, and the students waited with bated breath for it to clear.
Soon, the smoke dissipated, revealing the golem with half of its upper body blown away. Most importantly, inside the hollowed-out chest, a blue orb was visible. That was the golem’s core. Destroy that, and the golem would vanish.
"Lucas! Aim for that blue orb! If you break it, the golem is finished!"
"I’m curious how you know that, but I’ll take your word for it!"
Lucas charged toward the core before the golem’s body could regenerate.
This was exactly how I used to hunt the golem in Croaka. While Lucas drew the golem’s attention, an ally would land a heavy blow to expose the core, followed by a swift strike to destroy it. Back when I used this method, the ally responsible for the heavy blow had also been Clara.
Just as Lucas was about to strike the core, the other golem, which had been stationary until now, began to move. This was outside my expectations. I thought the golems only activated when attacked, and since the second one hadn't been hit, I assumed it would stay put. I was wrong.
"Lucas, get back!"
Caught off guard by the sudden intervention of the second golem, Lucas couldn't dodge in time. He managed to block with his spear, but the impact was so powerful that he was sent flying back toward where I stood.
Lucas ignored his own condition and glared at the golems.
"Dammit! It’s already regenerated."
Despite the frustrating situation, Clara analyzed the battlefield with a mage’s cold composure.
"Even if we expose the core of one, the other one protects it. This has become troublesome."
As I pondered our next move, a brilliant idea flashed through my mind.
Hmm, is this actually possible?
"Lucas, Clara. I’ve thought of a great plan."
When I spoke, both Lucas and Clara looked at me, their expressions a mix of suspicion and curiosity.
"Hehe. The current problem is that while one golem is regenerating, the other one protects it, right?"
"Correct."
"...."
Lucas agreed with me, but Clara remained silent. I stared intently at her. If you don't play along, I'm not talking.
"Sigh... fine, that is the problem. So, what’s the solution?"
"Hehe. If regeneration is the issue, we just have to wipe out both golems at once, leaving not even a core behind!"
When I announced this like Columbus discovering the New World, Lucas and Clara looked at me as if I were absurd. Their faces clearly said: If we could do that, why would we be struggling?
"Loki, don't tell me you have an attack like that?" Lucas asked, just in case.
But come on, really?
"No! I don't!"
How could I have something that powerful? All I have is this handsome face.
"However, wouldn't it be possible if the two of you attacked simultaneously?"
I couldn't do it, but these two were a different story. I lacked that kind of destructive power, but they both possessed it—even if their attacks required time to charge.
After considering my words, the two of them stated that two conditions were necessary to pull it off.
First, they needed time to prepare their attacks, during which the golems had to be prevented from attacking them.
Second, both golems needed to be gathered in one spot when the attacks were launched.
"Hehe. Those two things... I can handle them."
"We need at least ten minutes. Can you keep two golems occupied for ten minutes?"
"Don't you worry about the golems; just focus on preparing your attacks. I promise you, not a single golem will get near you."
As soon as my confident declaration ended, the two of them began to gather their strength.
Clara immediately started chanting. The language she used this time was different from before; it wasn't something a human could understand. It sounded like the collective screams of all humanity. Just hearing the incantation sent shivers down my spine.
A golden aura erupted from Lucas, enveloping him. The golden light looked so holy and noble that I felt an instinctive urge to swear fealty to him.
The two of them closed their eyes and concentrated, acting as if the golems didn't even exist. It was a display of absolute trust that I would keep the golems away. That trust felt incredibly burdensome, yet it made me happy.
I was standing on the same stage as them. People I had only ever seen through a monitor were now putting their faith in me.
"If you two are going to take a risk, it’s only right that I take one as well."
I activated my unique skill, Illusion. Unlike when I was playing with the little girl earlier, what I was about to create wasn't a cat or a dog.
I visualized the target in my mind. I was certain that even someone as sharp as Johanna wouldn't be able to tell this was a fake. After all, this was the illusion I had practiced creating more than anything else.
And so, my illusions appeared in the auditorium, leaving the students in a state of shock.
"Is that even possible?"
"I’ve never seen or heard of magic like that."
"Is that even magic to begin with?"
"There are ten of him?!"
The illusion I created was of myself.
Ten copies of me now stood within the academy auditorium.
"Well then, shall we kick things off with a bang?"
The ten of me charged toward the golems.