The Cerulean Golem, Part 3
The adventurers fighting the Ancient Cerulean Golem were fighting a losing battle.
"Damn it, Mage! That golem is trying to pull another trick! Do something, quickly!"
"C-Curse it...! There must be a weakness somewhere! Blunt weapons! Even if your weapons break, focus your attacks on its joints like before!"
"We already tried that! Hurry up and find another way...! Arghhh!"
The adventurers are gripped by extreme terror!
Due to the effect of the skill [Chaos], Strength increases by 4.
Painful groans echoed from the warriors rolling on the dirt floor.
In the face of an overwhelmingly powerful foe, human resistance was nothing but a futile struggle.
With every step the golem took, another life was crushed. The adventurers rolled over the mangled corpses of their comrades, desperately struggling to survive.
"Argh...! My arm! My arm!"
"Stop the bleeding somehow! Just stay alive until we get back to the temple!"
"W-We're out of arrows! Bows don't work at all!"
"Shit! Why did such a monstrous thing suddenly appear?!"
The mercenaries are utterly terrified!
Due to the effect of the skill [Chaos], Agility increases by 3.
"This can't be..."
An overwhelming gap in power!
At this rate, total annihilation was only a matter of time.
Running around the canyon like rats in a trap, the adventurers slowly began to face reality.
"It's over... We're all dead."
One adventurer muttered, dropping his weapon.
Despair spread like a plague, and one by one, they lost their will to fight and slumped to the ground.
It was then—
Yo-ho... Yo-ho...
All hands... hoist the sails...
Yo-ho... Yo-ho...
Everyone... pull the ropes...
You have sung the Undead Chant!
Fighting spirit and morale increase!
"What is that sound...? It sounds like a funeral dirge..."
"A skeleton! D-Damn it...! It's singing? Since it possesses intelligence, it must be a Death Knight!!"
"Of all times, a high-ranking undead now..."
It was truly adding insult to injury.
Unlike the golem, where death was the end, crossing a Death Knight meant one might be turned into an undead and wander the purgatory forever.
With their high intelligence, they were one of the most troublesome opponents to face.
Moreover, they were currently trapped with their retreat cut off, unable to run.
...But why is a Death Knight in a place like this?
A few adventurers wondered, but what happened next was shocking enough to shatter any such idle thoughts.
—Heh... Look at all these half-dead corpses lying around.
The Death Knight rescued an adventurer pinned under a fallen log, slung him over his shoulder, and approached.
The adventurers froze at the bizarre behavior of a monster—especially an undead, which should be highly hostile to humans.
"A-A Death Knight is saving a human...?"
"H-How is this happening?!"
The adventurers stare at you with dumbfounded faces!
The [Rune of Antagon], devouring the humans' agitation, cackles! All stats temporarily increase by 3!
It is still not enough! To defeat the Ancient Cerulean Golem, you must secure far more stats!
If you can catch the adventurers off guard, it will serve as an excellent source of power!
This is so sweet my teeth are rotting.
The reason he transformed into a skeleton, even at the risk of exposing his ability to Radie!
To face the boss golem, his current strength was nowhere near enough; he had to raise his stats somehow.
And he knew exactly what to do to trigger [Chaos].
Doran tossed the injured man onto the ground among the group of adventurers and sneered.
—To think you are hovering on the brink of death, unable to defeat a mere pile of rocks... How utterly deplorable! It seems the standard of humans these days is merely at this level!
As he thrust his hollow eye sockets forward in provocation, the adventurers flinched, their shoulders trembling.
Terrified of provoking him, they huddled in the corner, shivering and avoiding his gaze.
He tapped them with the tip of his sword, but the thoroughly cowed adventurers didn't dare make a peep.
To a dwarf, his beard is as precious as his life! A dwarf warrior whose beard was severed secretly wipes away a tear!
A man pricked by a scimitar flinches! Agility temporarily increases by 2!
Strength has increased!
—Bwahahaha! Hilarious! Cowering like hermit crabs, are we?
...I'm sorry.
For a moment, a bit of blood seeped from a cut in someone's skin, but Doran paced among the adventurers, acting thoroughly satisfied.
As he played the part of a Death Knight, exuding an aura of pure terror, he felt his stats rising at an unprecedented rate.
The adventurers were utterly confused by his behavior—first saving a man, then suddenly acting like a tyrant—but there was another reason for this performance besides the stats.
If they turn on me, I'm in deep trouble...!
They mistook him for a Death Knight, but in reality, he was just a slightly stronger skeleton.
If the adventurers banded together and launched a coordinated attack right after the golem was defeated, he would be the one in danger.
He had to imprint fear into them now to root out any thoughts of rebellion.
—Oh, that robe of yours looks rather nice!
"Y-Yes?"
—Hand it over.
"...Yes."
The man tearfully offers his robe! It is a brand-new item from a famous designer label!
Agility increases by 2!
As he threw the stolen robe over his shoulders and wandered around, his eyes caught a fragment of bone crushed under the golem's foot.
Come to think of it... Skeletons can swap out their bones to upgrade their bodies.
Usually, the remains of strong warriors or mages were the most powerful, but unfortunately, there were no useful bones nearby.
As he peered closely at the remains of the dead adventurers, he felt the living ones recoil in sheer horror.
"I-Is he... choosing victims to turn into his minions...?"
"Watch out! If you make eye contact, he might conscript us into his undead army! That wicked bastard...!"
The adventurers are terrified by your ruthlessness!
Strength and Agility increase by 2 each!
No, I was just looking...
Doran, while silently offering his condolences to the deceased, shouted in a deliberately villainous voice.
—Mwahaha! This place is teeming with fresh corpses! Now, who shall I take with me?
The people's terror temporarily increases your Strength!
His stats rose once more, but Doran was still not satisfied.
Still not enough.
If he charged in like this, he wouldn't be able to dodge the golem's strikes and would end up as bone meal.
Just a little, a tiny bit more...
Pondering how to squeeze more stats out of the adventurers, Doran suddenly recalled a recent system notification.
Some adventurers suffer from acrophobia (fear of heights).
Exploiting this will trigger even greater chaos.
—...Raise your hand if you have a fear of heights.
"A-A fear of heights? Why suddenly..."
—Silence! Raise your hands!
"......"
A few terrified, bewildered adventurers hesitantly raised their hands.
Doran grabbed them and hurled them straight up into the trees.
Strength and Agility increase significantly!
Watching from afar, Radie is appalled by your sheer cruelty!
Radie accidentally lets slip a stream of curses! Strength increases by an additional 2!
"Aaaaaargh! Save me! T-The Death Knight is juggling people!"
"I knew it! None of these undead bastards are sane!"
—Cackle! What a bountiful harvest of stats!
Doran continued to launch the adventurers into the air.
He grabbed and threw them, buried them in sand pits, and eventually tied up the ones who gave the best reactions, leaving them dangling from ropes. His stats skyrocketed.
Laughing uproariously, he kicked a tree trunk, raising his stats yet again.
As he ran amok, a chaotic scene unfolded with people screaming and fleeing in all directions.
—Mwahaha! Hilarious! Hilarious! You look like a swarm of ants whose nest is on fire!
In the midst of this, he locked eyes with Radie, who was hiding in the distance. She was staring at the carnage with her mouth covered, looking utterly dumbfounded.
Great chaos has descended upon the land!
The [Rune of Antagon] smiles with satisfaction! All stats temporarily increase by 5!
Witnessing the disaster you have wrought, Radie denies reality. Right now, you are the perfect villainous Death Knight itself! Luck increases by an additional 1.
Deciding this was enough, Doran tossed an adventurer who had been slowly crawling down from a tree back into the air, and marched toward the battlefield.
Instead of his cutlass, he picked up a halberd from the pile of debris and stood before the golem. His log window updated.
Ding!
A primordial golem that has steadfastly guarded this canyon for ages. A brilliantly shining crystal core is hidden deep within, surely concealing a significant secret!
—Now! Let us have some fun, you half-baked ancient creation!
He shouted arrogantly with open arms. The golem turned toward him, rushed forward, and slammed its fist down—
But Doran was already gone.
He leaped nimbly just as the massive crystal fist struck the ground.
Sprinting up the golem's arm, he struck its head with the halberd, sending blue shards flying in all directions.
You have dealt significant damage to the golem!
Your physical body is highly empowered! The adventurers are utterly shocked by your martial prowess!
The [Rune of Antagon] vibrates! Due to the skill [Chaos], Strength increases by 3!
He was only able to land a meaningful blow because he had pre-damaged its core, but the clueless adventurers gaped in astonishment.
"H-He shattered that hard outer shell in a single blow! No matter how hard we hit it, we couldn't even leave a scratch...!"
"A-As expected of a Death Knight, a high-ranking undead! What level is he? He must be at least triple digits, right...?"
"I'm glad I didn't try to pick a fight... My head would've been off my shoulders in an instant."
—Mwahahaha! Hilarious!
With every relentless strike of his halberd, cracks spread across the golem's body.
Doran was currently several times stronger than usual, further empowered by the evil god's orb.
The golem tried to kick him back, but Doran hooked the counterweight at the end of his halberd like a grappling hook, twisting his body to slip out of the line of fire.
He widened the crack in its chest with the axe blade and gouged the gap with the spear tip.
It was a feat only possible for Doran, who had mastered all kinds of weapons in his past life.
—Screeech!
With a painful, grinding screech, the golem reached out. Instead of dodging, Doran swung his axe blade, severing its crystal fingers.
Ignoring the flying shards, he pressed forward, his halberd relentlessly tearing into the golem's body with every thrust.
Shoulders, neck, chest—attacks rained down indiscriminately.
As the massive form began to totter, losing its balance, Doran pressed his advantage even more tenaciously.
The more the golem thrashed and its crystals shattered, the more the skeleton's mad laughter echoed through the canyon.
—Mwahaha! Where has that sky-piercing arrogance gone?!
—Gwoooooh!
Under the barrage of spear strikes, the cornered golem raised both arms, absorbing starlight.
The warning sign of a powerful spell.
The adventurers, who had already suffered from it several times, screamed and fled, but—
I knew you'd do that, which is why I broke your core beforehand.
I already know you can't cast magic.
Doran laughed mockingly and kicked off the ground.
He brought the halberd down with all his might, burying the polearm deep into the golem's chest.
With every violent, repeated strike, blue flashes and thunderous booms erupted from the shattered crystal shards.
As the blue light leaking from the cracks eerily illuminated his skeletal frame, gasps of awe and terror erupted from all around.
Everyone in the vicinity is watching you!
Regardless of their fear of you, they desperately pray for you to defeat the golem!
Charisma permanently increases by 1!
Each strike carried heavier and heavier force.
Disregarding his creaking bones, he struck the halberd down repeatedly, eliciting a dull, crushing sound from the crystal.
—Grrrrrr!
As the crack in its chest widened, the golem, sensing its imminent demise, slammed its own body in a desperate bid to shake him off, but—
Here's my chance...!
Seeing the crack split even wider under the golem's own fist, Doran struck down with his halberd one last time, then wedged his cutlass directly into the gap.
Laughing like a maniac, he twisted the blade wildly, sending crystal shards flying everywhere.
—Mwahahaha! Struggle all you want, it's useless!
Crack!
The moment the golem's chest split open, Doran reached deep into the crevice.
When he pulled his hand back out, a fist-sized core was clutched in his skeletal grip.
—Finally reached it.
Crush!
As he crushed the core, the golem crumbled entirely. At the same time, a blue ring hidden within the crystal fell into his palm.
• You have defeated the Ancient Cerulean Golem!
• The [Rune of Antagon] devours the golem's soul! Once digestion is complete, you will be able to use [Disguise] to transform into a Cerulean Golem!
• You have acquired an extremely rare item: [Sekrian's Ring]!
• Hidden Area Quest 'The Golem's Secret' Completed! Luck permanently increases by 2!
• You have acquired information about the ancient kingdom's mage, Sekrian!
• In the present era, only a select few mages are aware of Sekrian's existence!
Standing atop the golem as it slowly dissolved into ordinary crystal chunks, Doran stared at the ring in his palm.
Sekrian's Ring... This is a jackpot.
Since golems were essentially mobile fortresses, it was common for ancient mages to store their valuables inside them.
—An artifact perfectly suited for me. My thanks, Sekrian! I shall put this ring to good use! Bwahahaha!
Skeleton Doran didn't hesitate to slip the ring onto his finger.
With no flesh on his bones, it rattled loosely like an empty cart, but even that looked incredibly undead-like.
For Doran, who was just beginning his growth trajectory, this item possessed an inestimable value that couldn't be measured in gold.
A satisfying battle. I even leveled up...
Above all, having learned how to transform into a Cerulean Golem meant he had acquired a powerful countermeasure against the wicked mages of Velheim.
He had also gained permanent Luck stats from completing the quest.
Now, he just had to go back and explain things to the kid...
—Well, I'll figure that out somehow! Hilarious! ...Hm?
As he stepped down from the golem's remains to leave, Doran suddenly noticed the group of adventurers staring at him with complex expressions.
Their gazes were a mix of fear, relief at having survived, and anxiety about what would happen next.
—Tsk... One more troublesome matter left.
His business with them was finished, so he needed to resolve this situation and silence them somehow...
...Wait, do I even need to hide it?
If he were in his human form, it would be different, but right now, he was transformed into an undead.
They firmly believed he was a Death Knight, so even if rumors spread, the chance of his true identity being exposed was extremely low.
In fact, if I intentionally spread the rumor... I might be able to use it to my advantage.
A Death Knight appearing in a dungeon, running amok, saving adventurers, and then vanishing into thin air—it was the perfect sensational story.
If the rumor was widespread by the next time he transformed into an undead, wouldn't he be able to harvest a massive amount of stats?
As he slowly approached the adventurers, ding! ding! notifications began updating at a terrifying speed.
• The adventurers feel dread in your presence! Luck increases by 2!
• The mercenaries are utterly terrified! Some avert their eyes, unable to look at you! Intelligence increases by 2!
• The warriors are trembling in fear! They beg for mercy, asking you to kill them quickly instead! Agility increases by 3!
• The adventurers are gripped by extreme terror! Several of those you threw into the trees faint! Strength increases by 7!
"......"
Step.
Step.
Step.
—What are you looking at?
"......"
Deciding he had terrified them enough, Doran grinned widely and shouted.
—Mwahaha! Hilarious! You lot are lucky! Normally, I would have slaughtered you all and turned you into my minions, but since I hunted a golem today, I shall spare you!
"T-That..."
—If you understand, then get lost, you pathetic mortals! And make sure to spread the glorious deeds of this great one, Orgilrian, far and wide across the surface!
"A-Aaaaargh!"
He kicked one of the lingering men into the air once more, prompting the terrified adventurers to hastily hoist up their wounded and scramble out of sight.
This would certainly imprint the memory deep into their minds.
It was the moment the legend of the skeletal warrior was born.