The Instructor's Command
If you asked whether a single person could take down a skilled instructor's demonstration golem, most would nod. "A skilled professional could handle it easily enough." "A golem's nothing special..." Experienced mercenaries would carry explosives powerful enough to blow one apart in a single blast, even if the golem's rank was low. Set a trap, wait for the right moment, and aim straight for the core—that was about the level a golem represented for a competent party.
But add the restriction of first-year academy cadets, and the story changes.
"The odds of a first-year managing a golem's aggro while also dealing enough damage to target the core... aren't high."
"Ah, Woo Dohyun? He'd manage. He's the Sword Saint candidate, after all."
"Hmm... Meiri's a question mark, but Velos might pull it off? Even as the fifth prince, he wouldn't have gone without support."
"Magic and martial arts have a huge gap early on, so no matter how I look at it, only Woo Dohyun stands a chance. Mi Juran's still far behind."
"After Woo Dohyun, Yu Sohyun has the next highest probability, but her personality means she probably won't be aggressive enough to hunt monsters."
The Guild Alliance conference room. A place where mercenaries, adventurers, and knight orders gathered to share talent and plan recruitment. The leaders of each organization voiced their opinions as they discussed the upcoming dungeon practicum. Information on S-class was still limited, but depending on the results of this exercise, they might decide who to prioritize for recruitment. For guilds perpetually starved for talent, this was critical.
"The kids haven't come for external visits yet, so information is scarce. At best, we've only got the Named ones."
"Come to think of it, the first-year representative didn't give the speech, did they?"
"What? There's someone more unusual than Woo Dohyun?"
"Ah, I heard about him. Lee Seokhyun, was it?"
"Aah... That does sound familiar."
The Mirinae Academy first-year representative speech. On the surface, it looked like they simply picked someone at random for an impromptu address. In reality, it was a chance for professors to thoroughly analyze the most distinctive student by putting them on stage. If someone seemed to have fallen from the sky, a thorough investigation was necessary before they properly began academy life.
"I hear there's something else interesting about him, too."
"Something interesting?"
"Here we go again. How much more are you planning to squeeze out of us with that routine?"
"What does it matter? Are you not going to listen?"
"...The alliance meetings are fine, but getting shaken down for money every single time is another story."
"The Green Rat must be loving how rich he's getting."
The man called the Green Rat—Fetchir—collected the money piling up on the table with a smile that never wavered despite the jabs. Nothing in this world was free when it came to sharing information. Once the coins were gathered, he clapped to draw attention and continued.
"They say he's Akasa's disciple. Hah, now that's premium information."
"Akasa? You mean Akasa Ardel's disciple?"
"Her taking on a disciple, and it turns out to be the most unusual one..."
Everyone in attendance began adding their own comments. They all knew Akasa's reputation, so the title of "disciple" immediately drew their interest. On top of that, he already held an impressive sixth place in the first-year rankings. They inserted Lee Seokhyun into the earlier discussion about soloing a golem. With at least basic information on the top students available, they each offered their thoughts.
"Impossible. No one from the external arts has ever soloed a golem. Besides, he's just some nobody with nothing special."
"I agree. The disciple information is intriguing, but two weeks of training won't change much."
"He might be able to hold his own, but he won't be able to finish it. To destroy the core, you need to smash through solid stone, and that's not something ordinary physical force can manage."
Even as the consensus leaned toward impossible, they kept thinking. 'The top five are all capable, but the sixth is incompetent? That doesn't make sense.''Even if it seems possible, it's safer to say it's not and investigate separately later.''Lee Seokhyun... New characters are always welcome.'
Just as they were about to wrap up after discussing Yu Sohyun, Lee Seokhyun appeared like a comet. With nothing known about him beyond his name and major, there was only one action they could take now.
'Erase the perception of incompetence, gather information immediately, and approach aggressively during the visit.'
Every single person present arrived at the exact same conclusion. Satisfied with how entertaining the situation had become, Fetchir gave himself a mental round of applause.
'Business is booming.'
The very person responsible for creating this delightful situation was Lee Seokhyun. Hoping he would stay safe, Fetchir eagerly rejoined the conversation. There was much to discuss today.
++++++++++
BOOM!
A golem's fist crashed down before my eyes. I dodged at the minimum distance to conserve stamina, then assessed the situation.
'I need to hold out for about five more minutes.'
Aquaqua had clearly seen that her first shot failed to destroy the golem's core, so she'd pour even more power into her next spell. That would take time, and I had to survive until then. United Will would have made things easier, but unfortunately it wasn't an option. Maintaining the trust gained from a single bare-handed sparring match was unrealistic. Being class president only painted me as an errand boy anyway—there was no way anyone would see me as a leader.
The one silver lining was that enduring Akasa's Infinite Orbit hell training had made my body far more responsive. Creak-creak-creak! I yanked the spider silk tied around the golem's leg toward me, once again throwing off its center of gravity. Raw strength alone wouldn't have worked, but my body weight exceeding 270 kilograms made it possible. Simply leaning backward let the sheer mass restrict the golem's movements. The enhanced cutting power of the silk also dug deep into its body without snapping easily.
'Feels like riding a wild horse.'
I wrapped more silk around the golem's joints and moved constantly, preventing it from executing proper attacks. Since the rest of the team was resting, there was no risk of aggro shifting. 'If I had even one burst skill, I might've had a chance at soloing it.'
Regretting the lack of offensive skills, I continued puppeteering the golem like a marionette. Its size was large enough for a person to ride, so if an attack looked unavoidable, I could simply climb on. If Aquaqua had been chanting right behind me, I would've chosen to take the hit like Tatakum, but that wasn't the case here. I thoroughly toyed with the golem instead.
Victory was assured if I just bought time. Yet I couldn't shake my suspicion.
'There's no way Lee Seokhyun gets to play this comfortably.'
His terrible early-game growth rate wasn't just due to his own stats—external pressure played a role too. Final Destiny would never quietly allow a character who could monopolize hidden skills to breeze through the early stages just because they played well. This was what players called "spite difficulty." A powerful will to ruin the early game no matter what clung to Lee Seokhyun like a curse.
'Lucky boxes in the early game are guaranteed duds, and whenever luck-based elements come into play, the worst outcome always hits. With the Spider title on top of that, it's definitely coming.'
Final Destiny didn't want Lee Seokhyun enjoying the early game.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
As if agreeing with my thoughts, the ground began trembling from afar. Speed and perception impossible for a normal golem. High intelligence that possessed emotions and, with an extremely low probability, could even use skills. The Named Golem, Pertomba, was charging straight toward me.
"There you are."
I'd already noticed something was off during the scouting phase when I saw only one golem in the temple. If the guardian wasn't at its post, it could appear from anywhere without warning.
"Aquaqua! The moment you're recovered, start gathering mana! And don't fire until I give the signal!"
"What?! Shouldn't we run?!"
"Tatakum!"
"Seokhyun, it's too dangerous!"
"We can't beat that thing!"
My orders prompted everyone to indirectly suggest using escape scrolls. The sight of a golem made entirely of red bricks charging at full speed was far more threatening than a normal one. After exhausting ourselves on a regular golem, facing a Named monster was enough to crush anyone's will to fight. My earlier warnings before entering the dungeon only reinforced that feeling.
But—
"No. We can beat it. Don't worry."
That was only true in ordinary circumstances. With a skilled instructor present, the story changed completely.
'Clear the dungeon without major injuries.'
One person couldn't solo a golem. That meant two people could.
"Everyone who's recovered, follow my instructions from now on."
This was how a veteran played with golems. It was time to begin the lecture.