Chapter 101
Chapter 101
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: Are You That Great?
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Chapter 101
101
"Looks like they've caught all the ones nearby. Nothing's coming out anymore."
"Yeah. Maybe it's time to head back."
The party had been walking for a good 30 minutes straight.
They had now passed the plains and entered the canyon.
They'd caught a few more golems after the Plodium Golem, but they were all just Stone or Bronze ones—nothing of high value.
That was why talk of heading back was coming up, even though they had time for one more hunt.
[Current Coins Held: 12]
'Well... I've gathered about this much, so it's probably enough.'
Jeong-hyeon nodded as he mentally tallied up the coins he'd collected so far.
He'd picked up 9 just in the 'Golem's Land.'
Simple math: that was three times what he'd scraped together all day in other gates.
And confirming that his skills worked regardless of matchup in a Level 5 gate was a major gain.
At that moment, Jeong-hyeon felt a faint vibration under his foot.
There was a golem straight ahead.
"Hey, a golem's coming."
"Perfect. We can grab that one and go."
"But... it feels kinda big..."
Unlike the casually chatting party members, Jeong-hyeon's expression was subtly tense.
It was farther away than the usual distance at which he sensed golems.
Yet it had still pinged on his senses. The reason was obvious.
It was either much larger, or heavier for its size.
But had they gotten cocky from the easy hunts so far?
Despite Jeong-hyeon's hesitant words, the party ignored him and prepared for battle.
"Come on, hurry!"
The golem must have locked onto the hunters now, too—its speed picked up noticeably.
It was clearly faster than a standard golem.
At least a rare mineral one.
Only then did the party members' faces stiffen as the golem registered on their own senses.
When it finally rounded the bend and came into view, they freaked out.
"Oh my god!"
"Onyx?"
None of them had seen an Onyx Golem in person, but the moment they laid eyes on it, they knew.
If that wasn't an Onyx Golem, what was?
Its pitch-black body gleamed slickly, and it was a third larger than the others.
The canyon wasn't narrow, but its massive bulk seemed to clog the path completely.
The sheer pressure it exuded was no joke.
Just moments ago, they'd been joking about bolting if they ran into an Onyx Golem, but now that it was real, their reaction was a beat slow.
And in that brief gap, the Onyx Golem steadily closed the distance.
Even its movement speed was noticeably faster than a regular golem's.
"We can't outrun it like this! It'll catch us!"
"Fire Storm!"
Even if they turned tail now, it was questionable if everyone could escape unscathed.
As the party leader voiced his concern, a nearby hunter unleashed his magic.
Fire Storm was a high-tier fire spell.
Even if he'd been prepping it before the Onyx Golem appeared, casting something that powerful on the spot proved he was no slouch.
But the problem was,
KABOOM-
"It's not working! No effect at all!"
The Onyx Golem took the full brunt of the earth-shaking Fire Storm without flinching and kept coming.
Even a rare-mineral Plodium Golem would stagger under a strong spell, but this thing showed no recoil whatsoever.
In the end, the two tanks turned to flee—then whirled back to charge it.
"We'll hold it! Run, now!"
"Once you're out of the canyon, you'll be fine—just go!"
The mage staying behind wouldn't help anyway.
What good was magic against something immune?
At least if the physically frail mages escaped the canyon first, the rest could maneuver freely.
No matter how relatively fast the Onyx Golem was, a golem was still a golem.
It couldn't catch hunters sprinting all out.
"Sigh... Healer, stay back as long as you can and support the tanks. Jeong-hyeon, you go ahead."
The party leader finally called the retreat.
The mage and Jeong-hyeon pulled out first, while the healer trailed behind, tending to the retreating tanks.
It wouldn't be perfect mid-withdrawal, but it maximized survival odds.
But Jeong-hyeon ignored the party leader and held his ground.
[Sudden Coin Quest 'Are You That Great?' Activated
Onyx Golems are infamous for ignoring magic and high physical resistance.
They're notoriously arrogant compared to other golems.
Looks like today we need to knock that arrogance down a peg.
Objective: Shut down the Onyx Golem
Reward: 5 Coins]
'This damn sudden quest has the worst timing...'
Jeong-hyeon had no intention of tangling with an Onyx Golem.
He'd managed the Plodium with neutral magic enchantment, but even that hadn't one-shot the core.
And Onyx Golems had way higher physical resistance.
So he'd planned to bail without dragging anyone else down—until this oblivious quest popped up.
[63%]
On top of that, a coin acquisition probability he'd never seen before.
As Jeong-hyeon stood frozen, an impatient mage urged him again.
"Jeong-hyeon, it's an Onyx! What are you doing?"
"I... I'm really sorry, but can we try just once more?"
"Huh?"
The mage gawked like he'd heard nonsense.
The party leader's jaw dropped too, speechless for a moment.
"Uh... I mean, it's insane, but... you think we can do it?"
"Well... somehow."
The party leader sounded like he didn't know what he was saying himself.
But Jeong-hyeon couldn't promise success either.
He'd never fought an Onyx Golem before.
What he did know: he'd cleared every sudden quest so far.
'5 coins... same tier as the Demi Drake...'
Reward-wise, the system rated this Onyx Golem on par with last time's puppet king.
And he was far stronger now than back then.
'Plus, up close, it doesn't seem unbeatable.'
Other hunters would call him crazy, but the Onyx Golem didn't overwhelm him.
After locking eyes with the party leader, Jeong-hyeon grinned.
"I'm a sub-tank, after all."
The party leader's gaze wavered.
Logically, it made no sense—but Jeong-hyeon's conviction was infectious.
Finally, he instructed the other mages.
"We'll pull out. Jeong-hyeon, don't push it—bring everyone back safe."
He'd allow him to stay, but no reckless sacrifices.
Obvious, so Jeong-hyeon nodded.
"Of course."
With that, the mages bailed.
Left before the Onyx Golem: the two hunters, Jeong-hyeon, and the distant healer.
"What the hell are you staying for?!"
"This thing's no joke!"
They were somehow holding, but it was a nightmare.
Its massive fists hit harder than any other golem's.
"If we're here for golems, we gotta take down the Onyx before we go."
"What the... Fine, just try it!"
The tanks grimaced but chuckled at Jeong-hyeon's calm, firm reply.
Somehow, they believed he might actually pull it off.
Facing the tanks, Jeong-hyeon drew a dagger.
Not Black—a regular one.
With the mages gone, he could freely infuse it with neutral magic.
Unlike Black, which just vibrated lightly when overcharged, this dagger screeched ominously.
Mana way beyond its limit.
'It'll break anyway.'
Half-measures wouldn't scratch an Onyx Golem.
He was prepared to sacrifice the dagger.
The core pulsed at the head's center.
But Jeong-hyeon aimed elsewhere.
BOOM-
Not quite Black-level, but the magic-packed dagger slammed into the golem's right knee with a roar.
The mountain-like body tilted.
It had raised its right arm high—perfect timing for the balance loss.
Even targeting its mid-size-car-sized head wouldn't yield full damage.
'First, put that smug head down.'
Inspired by the quest's taunt, he struck other weak points first.
Break its arrogance—then the core.
The quest's silly wording hid real hints, as always.
"It's actually working?!"
But the tanks were the most shocked—not Jeong-hyeon, not the golem.
He'd crushed a Plodium Golem's face before, so they'd hoped... but Onyxes ranked higher.
A legend in 'Golem's Land.' They'd expected stall time at best—not real damage.
Yet the dagger strikes didn't stop.
BOOM- BOOM-
Attackers get no breather when their hits land.
Golems regenerate endlessly unless the core breaks.
The leg scars were deep, but mere scratches to it.
So Jeong-hyeon kept infusing and hurling daggers at the legs.
Regenerate? Destroy it faster.
Best strategy now.
'Keep it suffocating.'
No chance to recover or stand—the dagger barrage pinned the legs.
THUD-
The Onyx Golem dropped to both knees.
Balance broken, its swings lacked power.
Flailing arms now seemed desperate to block approaches.
"Just a bit more!"
"Hit it hard with the artifact!"
The tanks cheered, urging Jeong-hyeon now that they had breathing room.
But his next move stunned even the hyped tanks.
"M-Mace?"
"Why that...?"
Jeong-hyeon pulled out—not a dagger, not Black—a mace.
They'd never seen him use it this hunt, amplifying the shock.
Like discarding his ace for a joke card.
But Jeong-hyeon knew.
This was the surest winning hand.
'All answers are in the problem!'
The sudden quests always seemed flippant.
But they hid key hints.
This time too.