Factory Guardians Awaken
Sergeant: Baek Jaesung 27
"Dodge!"
The company commander's sharp shout pierced my eardrums like a knife.
The beam hurtling toward us packed power beyond anything we'd seen from the scrap golems or spider golems. It had to be mana compressed to its absolute limit before firing.
Boom!
It looked just like a laser beam, but the moment it hit the cavern wall, it detonated in a massive explosion. The pinpoint mana burst erupted violently on impact.
It felt like a stick of dynamite going off right in front of us. Me included, our whole company got caught in the blast and flung back.
But the damage wasn't bad. We all tucked into perfect landing rolls, minimizing the shock. The mana beam hadn't been aimed at us anyway.
"Damn it! The exit's collapsed!"
Hwang Cheolmin's panicked yell came from behind. The beam had shot straight for the tunnel leading out of the cavern behind us—not us. The drone golem's goal from the start was to trap us in this machine factory.
Too tough to take out all six of us in one hit, so pin our feet and pick us off one by one?
Smart thinking. This was their home turf, and we were worn out from the day's scouting.
"Everyone, battle stations!"
The company commander stepped forward, bellowing like thunder. His roar carried an intimidating force beyond mere encouragement—it was meant to crush the enemy's spirit too. Not sure it'd work on those cold machines, though.
Vmmm!
The drone golem hovered in the cavern's empty air, scanning us. It had the same red eyes as the administrator golem.
Those eyes locked on us intruders. I couldn't read a machine's expression, but it sure seemed pissed about these uninvited guests crashing the party.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The administrator golem, mid-inspection of defective goods, slowly turned and stomped toward us. The ominous humanoid robot, glowing red from its face, scanned us head to toe. Definitely marking us as rejects.
Beep!
Its red eyes shifted to bluish-white. Same change as when it culled the defectives earlier. The company commander hurriedly raised both arms in a guard stance.
Whirr!
A mana beam like the drone golem's shot from the administrator golem's eye socket.
The straight-flying beam targeted the company commander at the front. But he'd already braced, wrapping his arms in blue mana to counter the explosion.
Boom!
The same roar echoed as when the beam hit the cavern wall earlier. The vibrations rippling through the air felt identical. Strong enough to collapse a narrow tunnel in one shot.
But even that beam couldn't pierce the company commander's defense. He didn't budge an inch.
"Pull its aggro however you can! Everyone, attack!"
The commander dipped his knees slightly and shouted. The words barely left his mouth before his body sprang forward like a released spring.
The distance to the administrator golem was over 20 meters, but he crossed it in the blink of an eye.
Whoosh!
Displaying inhuman speed, he thrust a mana-charged fist straight out from one step away. Pure speed and power—no frills.
"Iron Fist!"
That fist had shattered scrap golems' flimsy scrap metal like glass and left dents in giant golems' tough hides.
I wondered how this administrator golem—which looked weaker than a giant golem—would handle it.
The mana fist flew forward like an unstoppable meteor slamming to earth. Even Yeonji would be puking blood and bawling if it hit her gut square.
The administrator golem didn't move until the fist hammered its pristine metal plating. Or rather, it couldn't. The hit landed clean.
Bang!
The golem's body lifted into the air. Perfect gut punch from the blue mana fist—it blinked its facial red light frantically as it flew back, tumbling head over heels into the scrap golem pile.
"What the hell? That guy's weak as shit."
Hwang Cheolmin sounded baffled. And he was right—the administrator golem hadn't shown insane defense, slick counters, or blazing speed. Just a pathetic flop.
Like a mook strutting in right after the hero awakens.
Way weaker than expected?
Its aura screamed named boss, but its actual power was maybe half a giant golem's. Office worker vs. field grunt difference?
Though inspecting products one by one kinda counts as field work, I guess.
Whirr!
While we gawked at the company commander vs. administrator golem, the drone golem fired a mana beam at us. Too risky for anyone but a tank to take head-on. Lucky for us, one guy was laser-focused on the drone: Han Seungjin.
"Darkness Barrier."
Pitch-black darkness materialized in the air, blocking the bluish-white beam. The impenetrable veil shielded us solid from the mana blast.
Han Seungjin counterattacked the instant he blocked it.
"Darkness Arrow."
Ten arrows each shot from his left and right, homing on the drone golem. Not all aimed at one spot on the cute floating machine—they covered its current position, front-back-left-right, up-down. No escape, wherever it fled. Checkmate from the moment he fired.
Crack!
A darkness arrow nailed the drone golem's round body as it veered left. Like its own mana beam, the arrow exploded with a sharp boom.
Kaboom!
Hit five meters up—the blast birthed near-white flames and black smoke that engulfed the area. I raised an arm to shield my face from the shockwave.
Like the administrator, the drone couldn't defend. No defense function? Or just under-specced?
Reduced to scrap in one hit, it spewed black smoke and thudded to the cavern floor.
Too easy.
Which is why I stayed sharp. Monsters with that kind of presence don't drop that simple—experience proved it.
A greenhorn fresh off their dungeon cert would whoop and get backstabbed in their victory high. That's why vets matter.
Clang! Clang! Screech! Clang!
Suddenly, eerie noises from the scrap golem horde. Worse than their usual metallic scrapes—sounded like forcing panels apart, ripping, welding.
Screeech!
"Th-that thing's getting back up!"
Hwang Cheolmin raised his arms and yelled. From between the scraps, the administrator golem—smashed by the company commander's spicy fist—rose again.
Shockingly, its crumpled paper-like gut was now smooth as a fresh factory car body. Some bullshit non-standard repair method.
"So it won't just die easy, huh."
The company commander saw it and ramped up his fighting spirit even more.
Beep!
Perfectly restored—like time rewound—the administrator golem pointed a finger at us with its red eyes. The precise humanoid digit gave me the creeps.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
Suddenly, countless scrap golems, spider golems, and others turned to stare at us. The administrator had issued some command.
Eliminate intruders?
Probably that kinda order.
"Focus up! They're coming!"
Clank! Clank! Clank!
The scrap golem rabble and minions charged like zombies. Faster motorcycle and automobile golems led the pack.
Dumb melee-only trash, but that many? We'd be in trouble.
"Pain of Chain!"
Rina slammed her palm to the ground, channeling mana. Spatial rifts cracked under the approaching golems' feet—thorned chain bundles erupted like moles, spikes razor-sharp.
Shing! Clank! Shing! Clank!
The thorny chains shredded and punctured their scrap hides viciously. No pain sensors, but cumulative damage shuts them down like humans.
Rina's chains wreaked havoc on the packed horde as a deadly AoE.
Even unscratched ones tripped on the chains, then got stomped flat by the press behind. If they weren't machines, they'd have routed in panic.
"I'll thin out as many as I can!"
Hwang Cheolmin yelled, charging with Jang Gun-gi. Using acceleration, he plowed through the chaos, smashing golem heads with fists and feet.
Hit vitals right with mana-charged strikes, and even high-defense golems dropped. Proving our hunts weren't wasted—Hwang Cheolmin wrecked approachers clean. Jang Gun-gi too.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
But enemies weren't just walkers. Spider golems skittered up the walls toward us.
Unlike the tangled melee mess, they closed fast and nimble—like spiders reclaiming web-caught prey.
"Darkness Arrow."
Pew! Pew! Pew!
But Han Seungjin's arrows sniped them dead-on. Two or three per volley, zero misses.
Not even gut shots—yet they pierced torsos clean through.
Shot spiders plummeted. Ground golems below turned to flattened rat pouches under the falling bodies.
Han Seungjin even calculated drop zones for max collateral.
Vmmm!
The drone golem—downed earlier by Han Seungjin's arrows—took to the air again. That's my target.
I steadied my breath, drew pure mana, and whispered clearly.
"Holy Missile."