The Immortal Drone Golem
Sergeant: Baek Jaesung 28
Ten glowing light bullets streaked through the air, zeroing in on the hovering drone golem. Like fireflies on a summer night, the erratic orbs chased down the positions of the drone golems watching us with their flashing red eyes, hunting them like rabid dogs.
Just like Han Seungjin had done moments ago, it was an attack that dominated front, back, left, right, above, and below. If he could pull it off, so could I.
Woooong!
But this time, the bastard's response was different. Small jet engines popped out from the front and back of its round body. Red flames ignited in them, propelling it at speeds no real drone could match.
Up, left, right.
It dodged with rapid evasion maneuvers, slipping out of the light bullets' trajectories. But it hadn't fully shaken them off.
The holy missiles, sensing the target's movement, corrected their paths and pursued it again. The chaotic barrage in the air once more seized control of the drone golem's front, back, left, right.
Ziiing!
Realizing it couldn't evade the holy missiles forever, the drone golem fired mana beams from its eyes. The holy laser aimed at its front vanished upon impact with the mana beam.
The drone golem kept firing mana beams while zipping around at high speed. The ten holy missiles disintegrated without getting close.
The thing had gotten stronger since Han Seungjin had turned one into scrap metal once before.
"Dungeon trait?"
If so, a prolonged fight was a bad idea. I needed to end it quick.
Just pelting it with projectiles wouldn't cut it. Its countermeasures were too solid.
I could execute showoffs like this that rely on agility with Time Pause, but I'd used it in the last hunt, and it was on cooldown now.
"Light Saber."
I summoned the blade of light and gripped it in my right hand. At the same time, I took a deep breath and activated Time Acceleration.
Time Acceleration's skill level has increased.
Time Acceleration 4Lv (A-rank)
↳Consumes stamina and mana to accelerate your personal time by 2x for 40 seconds.
In that instant, the skill leveled up. Nothing beats real combat for growth. The duration extended with the level up, which was nice. Too bad the acceleration multiplier doesn't increase with levels.
Woooong!
The world slowed. The sound of Rina's chains scraping scrap golems rang low and leisurely in my ears, and the drone golem's jet engines became crystal clear. Its irregular zigzags—left to right, right to left—stood out sharply.
"Holy Missile."
I fired twenty holy missiles at once. It ate up a ton of my mana, like spraying grenades. At this rate, at least one had to hit.
Ziiiiing!
The drone golem's mana beams shot out like sharks hunting prey, savagely targeting the light bullets. The straight-line beams vaporized several in a flash, showing off their power.
The drone golem moved freely even while firing mana beams. But compared to when it wasn't, its speed was subtly slower. Under Time Acceleration, the difference was glaring.
I gripped the light saber tighter and powerfully pushed off toward the front. Inner energy burst from the Yongcheon acupoint in my sole, kicking off the ground.
Thud!
The technique of launching into the air with a solid stance was one I'd drilled endlessly in the Extreme Sword Heavenly Line world. In a blink, I leaped to the 5-meter height where the drone golem hovered—right in its path.
The drone golem, busy clearing incoming light bullets with mana beams, noticed my approach a beat too late.
Woooong!
Flames from its jet engines shifted to blue. Afterburner or whatever?
Fighter-jet tech on a damn drone. Monsters gonna monster.
Weeeeeeng!
A piercing engine whine like a knife to the eardrum echoed through the cavern. The other company members grimaced and glanced toward the source amid their own fights.
"Ah! Company commander!"
The administrator golem An Seokho was facing folded its arms inward, mana blades manifesting in its hands.
It charged at the momentarily distracted company commander. Its performance had improved since it got scrapped once before.
"Tch!"
The seasoned company commander raised his left mana fist to block the blade. Then, tucking his right fist tight to his side, he bent his knees and roared.
"Iron Fist!"
Gathering power from his toes into the punch. Like a cannon shell from a loaded barrel, his fist rocketed forward, smashing perfectly into the administrator golem's gut.
Even with its insanely faster speed from before, it couldn't dodge a full-force punch from a 5-rank dungeon hunter.
Boom!
A brutal noise like a demolition site boomed out. The administrator golem traced a parabola through the air. Shockwaves from the punch's flanks obliterated scrap golems slinking in from the sides.
"Rapid Charge!"
The company commander's assault didn't end there. As the golem, airborne from the Iron Fist impact, began falling under gravity, he mana-reinforced his body and charged like an enraged bull.
You could feel the unyielding fury on his back—like he'd plow through a tsunami. Scrap golems were less than speed bumps.
Shoulder-checking a horde of scrap golems in half, he barreled forward like Moses parting the sea to escape Egypt long ago.
From above, the scrap golem masses splitting before his charge would look like slicing yellowed paper with a knife.
Ku-goong!
His final target was the plummeting administrator golem. Taking the shoulder bash head-on, it rocketed skyward like a home run. It slotted perfectly into a hole in the wall where spider golems spawned. Out-of-the-park grand slam.
Weeeeng!
In the split second I glanced at the company commander's fight, the drone golem ambushed. A mana beam hurtled at me. I twisted one shoulder to deflect it.
Unlike my holy missiles, mana beams were line attacks. Way trickier to dodge.
Of course, that didn't mean I couldn't. Under Time Acceleration, I had the clear speed edge.
I closed in, dodging mana beams. Its weakness: line attack, single direction only. Mine: point attack, but multi-directional.
"Dodge this."
I burned so much mana my head spun. Forty holy missiles at once. At this volume, it was area denial.
Ziiing!
The drone golem frantically lasered one flank of holy missiles, but it hit its limit. Dozens still homed in.
And it wasn't just missiles closing in. Me with the light saber leaped again, targeting it too.
Ten holy missiles each from behind and the flanks encircled it. Light saber me up front. Textbook surround.
On the ground, defense would be its only option.
But aerial combat's 3D. Flat thinking gets you stabbed.
The drone golem shot straight up.
Beeeep~!
After the casual dodge, it let out a thin, mocking beep. Like it thought it was clever.
From its view, yeah. My sudden target shift put me face-to-face with my own missiles.
But that was in my calculations.
I thrust my sword at the incoming holy missiles. The sacred orbs melted seamlessly into the light saber. Reclaiming my shot power.
Woooong!
I wrapped the reclaimed power around the blade as a mana edge. Already a mana sword, but partial reinforcement made it tougher, sharper.
"True Full Moon Slash!"
True KHC - Full Moon Slash 1Lv (A-rank)
↳Consumes inner energy or mana to maximize sword ki lethality, delivering a devastating strike that utterly rends the foe. Full Moon Slash has 50% physical penetration.
Right now, I was directly beneath the drone golem.
Its beam-spewing eye couldn't reach here. Attacking from a spot it couldn't hit—selfish victory is the real secret.
Shiiiik!
The light saber's sword ki shot vertically upward. The crescent-sharp ki spun through the air, forming a blue ring.
Slash!
The mana blade perfectly bisected the drone golem's body. Its round form split in two, like cleaving the real moon.
The Full Moon Slash ki didn't stop—it pierced vertically through the ceiling.
Crack!
Spiderweb cracks spread across the ceiling. This shoddily dug underground lair was unstable. Dirt and pebbles rained from the widening fissures. One wrong move, and we'd all be buried alive.
Luckily, the cracks didn't grow.
"The others..."
The company commander, having smashed the administrator golem, was mopping up the scrap golem swarm.
In Rina's thorn chain battlefield, where golems bubbled up from the ground, he pulverized them one by one. Han Seungjin had already obliterated the incoming spider golem horde.
I barely needed to help. Nearly all the fucking massive golem army was wrecked.
"Whoa. We really took 'em all out ourselves."
Hwang Cheolmin shook his head in disbelief, face pale. His fists were caked in molten scraps. To an outsider, you'd think his fists were rusted.
"Over a thousand, right?"
Vast space, endless monsters. Nauseating.
No other company could've racked up this kill count. Only possible because Rina, Han Seungjin, and I were in the same unit.
"Phew. Almost cleaned up..."
Beeeep!
A shrill beep blared suddenly. The bisected drone golem floated into the air. Not with drone wings—levitating on expelled mana.
As it rose, nearby scrap golems shattered. Their blue mana split and sucked into the drone golem's halves. Spare parts absorbed too.
"W-what?! That guy's fine!"
In this scrap-filled space, it was an undead that wouldn't die.