Training Room

Kuoooooo.

The golem core floated lightly in the air before beginning to suck in the surrounding mana.

Kwaduduk.

With a deafening noise, the golem core's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠volume expanded. It was a spectacular sight.

The golem core underwent repeated transformations, growing larger and larger until it finally took on the form of Gui that Jehyun remembered.

"Whoa."

A quiet exclamation escaped Jehyun's lips.

The fully summoned Gui was enormous enough to fill the vast training room. It was still far short of the small-island-sized behemoth he'd first seen, but he'd been told it would regain its original size as the golem core grew further.

Gaaaaah.

Gui pressed its head to the floor and gazed at Jehyun.

Perhaps because its soul was now linked to his, Gui's intentions felt clearer than before.

—Thank you.

Gui's eyes conveyed that message. It was expressing infinite gratitude to Jehyun for granting it new life.

"Let's do our best from here on out."

Jehyun placed a hand on Gui's face and said.

Gaaaaah.

Gui let out another cry. Immense mana pulsed from that roar.

As expected of an S-grade. It should have no trouble holding off the monsters in the Training Room.

"Alright. Then let's go power-level."

Jehyun smiled faintly at Gui.

Before re-entering the Dragon God Temple, Jehyun headed back to his dorm first.

Once he entered the Dragon God Temple, his presence would vanish from the world, so he stopped by the dorm to avoid any potential misunderstandings.

"Oh, you there!"

Someone called out to Jehyun on his way to the dorm.

Turning his head, he saw Choi Deok-hwan, the head of the Golem Faction, standing there.

"Hello, Faction Leader."

"Haha, I was just about to contact you, and here I run into you!"

Choi Deok-hwan's face was beaming with excitement for some reason.

"Me?"

Jehyun tilted his head at the mention of being contacted again.

"Yes. That golem core you gave me last time—I just managed to awaken it."

"Oh... Congratulations."

What a coincidence. He'd just succeeded in awakening the core by granting it Gui's soul.

And it seemed Choi Deok-hwan had done the same around the same time.

"Do you know what entity I awakened it as, by any chance?"

"Hmm, what was it?"

"Don't be shocked. It was none other than an orc!"

Choi Deok-hwan said with a face full of pride.

"An orc?"

"That's right! Hahaha. Do you have any idea how incredible this is?"

His explanation went like this.

The golem core Jehyun had given him was different from ordinary ones.

Typical golems were fixed in a specific form, activated by linking a core, making truly natural movement nearly impossible.

But the 3rd Generation Golem based on Jehyun's blueprints started its changes from the core itself.

If it transformed into an orc, it could replicate all of an orc's movements and traits perfectly.

—An orc, huh. Not bad grounds for pride.

Alkasha let out a low whistle.

'Is transforming it into an orc that impressive?'

Jehyun asked, tilting his head, and Alkasha clicked its tongue.

—Anyone who snagged Gui on the first try might not think much of an orc... but transforming it into an orc form from scratch, with no data? That means his golem arts have reached a remarkable level.

'Really?'

Jehyun looked at Choi Deok-hwan. After Alkasha's explanation, he could see why the man was so proud.

"Perfect timing. Look, there's an open lot over there! Let me show you my new golem with your own eyes."

Choi Deok-hwan pointed to an empty clearing and led Jehyun there.

"Feast your eyes on this!"

Like a kid with a new toy, Choi Deok-hwan summoned his golem excitedly.

Paaaat!

With a burst of bright light, the golem core thrown from his hand took on the form of an orc.

Guruk. Gururuk.

The 3rd Generation Golem—orc golem—even replicated the breathing sounds perfectly.

It felt so lifelike, brimming with vitality just like the real thing.

"What do you think? Even at a glance, it looks incredibly sturdy, right? I named this orc 'Odeokhwan.' 'O' from orc and 'Deokhwan' from my name."

He chattered on excitedly, bragging about his golem.

"Odeokhwan has all the abilities previous golems could use, like 'self-repair' and 'mana cannon,' so it's way tougher than a regular orc. Haha, at least C-grade for sure! It's an orc now, but soon I'll evolve it into a troll or ogre."

Choi Deok-hwan added this with a face brimming with pride.

"You haven't transformed your golem core yet, have you? It's always tough at first. Don't get discouraged if you keep failing... Ah! No, wait. You're an expert in golem arts yourself, aren't you? I forgot for a second who designed this! Heh, I've been out of my mind lately. So, have you succeeded in shape-shifting yours?"

"Yes. I just managed to transform it, actually."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Oh, as expected! Now I'm curious what golem you got. Can you show me?"

"Here?"

"Where else? Right here, of course. Ah! Are you embarrassed? It's fine. I hate to say it myself, but getting an orc form right off the bat is unprecedented. Even if yours is less impressive, no need to be ashamed!"

Choi Deok-hwan seemed to think Jehyun's hesitation meant he'd gotten some mediocre form.

"It's not that, but if you insist..."

Jehyun pulled out the golem core and prepared to summon.

Alkasha clicked its tongue at the sight.

—Tsk tsk. Today, you'll make another poor soul feel an insurmountable wall.

With those words, light scattered from the golem core in Jehyun's hand.

Paaat!

The pouring light began to form a shape.

"...!"

Choi Deok-hwan, who had been watching with a smile, saw his expression change rapidly.

The light kept expanding the shape massively, and when it reached nearly 10 meters, his mouth fell open in shock.

"Wh-what is this?"

Choi Deok-hwan gasped, staring at the colossal golem with trembling eyes.

He'd never even imagined such a thing.

He'd expected a normal-type golem under 1 meter, or maybe a goblin if lucky.

But what appeared was a form beyond his wildest dreams.

"It's a Gui, a sea king monster."

"S-sea king?"

Choi Deok-hwan swallowed hard, muttering.

A chill ran down his spine.

"My God!"

He couldn't compose himself. A sea king right from the start? An endgame-tier manifestation?

"Y-you're on another level entirely... Hah... hahaha."

Forgetting all pretense, he muttered in bewilderment.

He should have realized it when Jehyun designed this core.

He'd still been viewing Jehyun through preconceptions.

'He's already a giant beyond my measure.'

In that moment, Jehyun seemed as towering as a mountain in Choi Deok-hwan's eyes.

"Hah, truly... impressive."

"I got pretty lucky."

"Haha, no need for humility. This is like a puppeteer before a master. I learned a lot from you today."

Choi Deok-hwan clapped for Jehyun, his eyes burning with determination.

It was clear he'd set catching up to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Jehyun as his goal.

—Ho, quite the resilient one.

Alkasha admired Choi Deok-hwan.

Burning with motivation instead of despair at such a high wall.

'Not just anyone sits in the faction leader's seat.'

Acknowledging a far junior's achievement and striving to match it wasn't easy.

The faction leader's future growth looked promising.

—Do your best. Use this chance well, and it'll be the stepping stone to level 50 quickly. 50 is a meaningful level, so I hope you get good results.

"Whoa, what's this? You saying something nice?"

—Hmph. I've always hoped for your growth. What do you mean 'what's this'?

Jehyun chuckled at Alkasha's words.

"Hmm, really? Every time I got results, it seemed like your stomach hurt..."

—Wh-what nonsense! No one wants your growth more than I do! W-well, sometimes I worried—not that I didn't—when you achieved things too easily. Easy gains can lead to easy losses!

"Aha, sure, sure. Got it."

Back in his dorm, Jehyun bickered with Alkasha as he prepared to enter the Dragon God Temple.

With Gui now acquired as Alkasha suggested, he was determined to achieve great results.

"Alright, I'm off."

—Yes. Don't overdo it. You can exit anytime, so leave the room if it's dangerous.

Jehyun nodded and used the Dragon God Temple entry ticket.

His body was enveloped in light particles and vanished from the room.

Gazing at the spot where Jehyun had disappeared, Alkasha muttered softly.

—Wonder how many levels he'll gain. If he's lucky, maybe 3 or more...

Suddenly, it shuddered.

—He won't come back with 5 or more, will he?

For some reason, based on past experience, Alkasha had a prickling premonition that Jehyun would return with absurd results.

—Welcome to the Dragon God Temple.

After parting with Choi Deok-hwan, Jehyun returned to his dorm and re-entered the Dragon God Temple.

The imposing giant dragon statue greeted him once more.

'I wonder if this statue is modeled after a real dragon.'

The thought crossed his mind. In size alone, it rivaled Arkanios.

If real, it must have been an extraordinary dragon.

—Will you use a room in the Dragon God Temple?

As Jehyun pondered, the statue inquired.

He nodded, and the list of available rooms appeared before him.

"Entering the Training Room."

—You have selected the Training Room. The entry ticket will be consumed upon entry. Proceed?

"Yes."

—Entering the Training Room shortly.

With that, Jehyun's body was wrapped in light particles and vanished.

Gugugugugu!

With a ground-shaking rumble, countless monster hordes surged from all directions across the vast plain.

If Jehyun hadn't used the preview function, it might have been disorienting.

"But I'm all prepared now."

He muttered, his lips curling into a smirk.

Before coming here, he'd run countless simulations.

And concluded it was doable.

Of course, real combat differed from simulations, but Jehyun trusted his abilities.

"Summon Gui."

With that command, the nearly 10-meter colossal Gui was summoned.

Gaaaaaaaah.

Gui roared at the oncoming monsters.

A massive shockwave rippled outward in concentric circles from Gui.

Gui was fundamentally a sea monster, strongest over the ocean—but its power didn't plummet on land.

Kieee! Kyaaak. Kreuh.

Tens, hundreds of millions of monsters swarmed toward Gui like a tidal wave.

Drawn by Gui's roar, they charged straight at it first.

'Now.'

The moment he confirmed it, insane mana surged ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from Jehyun's body.

With full power unleashed, a dragon horn protruded from his forehead, and immense draconic energy poured from the blood circulating through his body.

"Come on, you experience points!"

With Jehyun's shout, the unprecedented mana gathered in his hands blasted toward the monsters.