Golem Hunt
Pepi, the healer specialist, thought the party composition looked solid the moment she saw the roster. Solid damage dealers, a tank, a warrior, and a healer—every role a party wanted, plus the class rep who could handle anything. It was the kind of lineup that made you start dreaming about claiming first place in the dungeon clear.
"Worth aiming for," she decided, and the thought only grew stronger after Seokhyun's blunt warning. If he hadn't poured cold water on their excitement, the rest of the group would have spent the whole time spinning happy fantasies about the future. Worse, they might have gotten careless, blinded by S-class arrogance, and ended up badly hurt before they even learned each other's strengths.
"Completely reliable." Seokhyun hadn't just analyzed everyone's traits and assigned logical positions at lightning speed—he'd heard the monsters were golems and immediately built a tailored strategy on the spot. He didn't stop there either. He checked every other party as well, just in case. It felt like healthy competition, the kind that raised everyone's level instead of hoarding information and tearing each other down. That was the ideal way to compete.
"The most important thing when facing golems is positioning. The second most important thing is also positioning. And the third."
His true value showed during the actual strategy meeting.
"Looking at our lineup, we're a well-balanced hexagonal team. The downside is that none of us can fully cover someone else's role."
The sixth party, nicknamed the Class Rep Party, was evenly distributed on paper, but most members leaned heavily toward one stat. Aquaqua had poured everything into damage, Tatakum into defense, and even Hyunsoo—who could at least manage both offense and defense—was still only a first-year, so he was effectively a sub-tank.
"No matter what happens, we protect Aquaqua at all costs. Unless the situation is truly critical, Aquaqua is always the number-one healing priority."
Pepi nodded at the class rep's order. Telling the healer to save her spells even when the tank took damage sounded reckless, but there was no other choice. If she burned through her mana too early, she wouldn't have anything left for Aquaqua when it mattered, and then the party would have no real damage output. Total wipeout would be inevitable.
So when Tatakum was sent flying by a direct punch from a golem, Pepi didn't cast.
The first hit is something Tatakum can tank. Only from the third hit onward does it get dangerous—so we're still fine.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Five minutes after Seokhyun left to scout, two golems erupted from the ground exactly as if they had been waiting. They blocked the front and rear in perfect coordination and swung at Aquaqua like they already knew who the main damage dealer was. Tatakum reacted instantly, stepping in to shield her and taking the blow himself, just like Seokhyun had instructed.
"Tatakum!"
"Stay calm! He'll be back in a second! Hold the formation!"
Words she had heard dozens of times. Pepi steadied herself and focused on the situation.
It's normal for teammates to get hurt in a dungeon. Expecting zero damage is what doesn't make sense. You have to keep a cool head, Pepi—because you're the one watching everything from the back.
Seokhyun's face surfaced in her mind, the same cold expression that had drilled the point into her until the words echoed automatically in her ears.
Hyunsoo is pulling one golem away, but he won't last long.
This was one of the worst-case scenarios Seokhyun had warned about—multiple golems. Hyunsoo was doing exactly as planned, luring one as far from the group as possible. That left only one golem for them to deal with right now.
"Aquaqua! Prepare your strongest spell—the one that can one-shot a golem!"
"Then I won't be able to move!"
"Tatakum will cover you!"
"Tatakum!"
The eldest son of the Bynar chieftain, famous for his berserker warriors. Trusting him to protect Aquaqua while she prepared her strongest attack was the best call they could make.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The golem advanced without a sound or any change in expression, moving solely to kill. Its appearance like a murder machine sent chills down Pepi's spine, but there was no time for cheap sentiment. As a lifeless construct powered by a core, it gave no warning before attacking. When the arm rose, you dodged. When it jumped high to smash the ground, you jumped too.
Creak.
"Tatakum!"
"Hup!"
Crash!
Tatakum's shield met the golem's arm and sparks flew. Pepi slipped a heal into him right before he was sent flying, then immediately checked on Aquaqua. The mage held up three fingers while chanting—another detail Seokhyun had taught them.
Three minutes.
Golems only seemed slow when measured against veteran parties. To first-years facing them for the first time, those massive stone fists swinging down like accelerated tree trunks looked like flashes of light. Having to endure that for three full minutes felt hopeless.
Don't despair.
We can do this.
Pepi kept repeating the words as she glanced toward Hyunsoo's direction. Tatakum could still hold, and she had already sent a heal Hyunsoo's way earlier. That left her with five immediate heals before she risked mana exhaustion or worse. Even as stone fragments flew and dust clouded her vision, she kept moving. She held back a heal when Tatakum's arm hung limply, instead taking a flying rock meant for Aquaqua's thigh herself.
Pushing herself to the limit. Ironically, in this desperate situation, everyone was seeing an even brighter future. Even with the unexpected appearance of two golems, if they followed Lee Seokhyun's plan, they could get through it. That belief bore fruit in Aquaqua's hands.
"Done! Tatakum, get clear!"
"Tatakum!"
"Fireball!"
Unlike an ordinary fireball, the rose-shaped blaze shot straight for the golem's core. The heat was intense enough to sting their faces even from a safe distance. A thick cloud of smoke completely hid the golem.
"Did we get it…?"
Aquaqua barely managed the words, exhausted. She collapsed to the ground the moment the spell left her hands, gasping for breath. Tatakum had also taken the golem's attack head-on to give her the perfect shot. Even after Pepi's heal, the repeated impacts had drained him badly. Both of them needed rest.
It's over.
At least the golem had stopped moving after taking the fireball. That was something.
Now I just need to run over to Hyunsoo and keep healing while the others recover.
Clinging to that hope, Pepi turned toward Hyunsoo—only for the ground to shake again.
Thud!
She stared in disbelief.
Thud!
"…No way."
When the smoke cleared, the golem's core was cracked but not destroyed. It was slowly moving again.
"No, you did great. Thanks."
Crash!
Lee Seokhyun appeared, Hyunsoo tucked under one arm, the golem's core shattering in his wake.
++++++++++
Still, everyone followed my plan properly.
He had repeated the instructions until they were sick of hearing them, so a little courtesy was only fair. The first thing he did upon reaching the grassland was rescue Hyunsoo. As someone aiming to become a knight, Hyunsoo's agility and stamina were well balanced, and he had done an excellent job luring the golem. There had been a few mistakes when he tried to re-establish aggro, but Pepi's timely heals had kept him alive through the close calls.
Still, danger always found a way. When Hyunsoo moved in to pull aggro again, his timing overlapped with the golem's high jump. Just as it was about to crush him, Seokhyun shot out a web and yanked him to safety in an instant. Thanks to the Spider title and his boosted Will stat, the webs now responded to his thoughts alone.
After that, he had rushed the golem the moment he saw the fireball go off. Spotting the still-intact core through the smoke, he finished the job.
"Aquaqua, I know you've got one more shot in you. Get ready as soon as you recover. Tatakum and Hyunsoo, rest up—Pepi, give them each another heal."
With thanks given, he immediately reorganized their formation and made the best decision possible. Only one golem was approaching now. They had plenty of breathing room.
No need to use the escape scroll.
The real golem hunt had begun.