The Five-Thousand-Year-Old Boulder

Kwang!

Gwoooooooo!!

The golem stood tall and let out a thunderous roar. The vibration shook my very eardrums. "I remember being terrified the first time I saw this thing." If it were me from five thousand years ago, I would have turned tail and run the moment I heard that roar. "But now? It doesn't scare me at all." Perhaps my senses have gone numb from being isolated for so long. In a strange way, I even felt a sense of familiarity.

"Hoo." As familiar as it felt, the blood in my head was boiling. I could feel the veins in my two fists burning with heat. Adrenaline surged through me. I found myself actually enjoying the fact that I could finally smash this thing to pieces. "I really have lost my mind." Seeing the corners of my mouth curl upward, I couldn't help but think so.

The boulder had stopped, wedged against a large rock protrusion beyond the golem. There was no need to worry about magic or whatever else might interfere with us. We could fight as freely as we wanted. "Here I go." The signal was short. I put immense pressure into my right calf, which supported my body.

Crack!

I heard the sound of the granite ground fracturing. Kwang!! As I leaped, the impact left a deep crater in the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠floor. I lunged straight at it, intent on shattering its skull in one blow. "You bastard—!!"

Flash. The golem’s eyes emitted a piercing glare. They say the eyes are the easiest place for mana to leak out. A powerful being flashing its eyes isn't just to look cool; it’s to overwhelm the enemy with uncontrollable mana. "So what?" As if I’d be intimidated.

Whoosh! The golem threw a punch at me while I was in mid-air. Even though it was ten times my size, its speed was just as impressive. It’s supposed to be harder to gain speed as mass increases. I wanted to complain that this was cheating. Its massive fist extended in a straight line, aiming to blow my head off.

I’d been hit by that fist enough times already. "If I get hit again, it means I have no capacity to learn." I twisted my upper body, lifting my left arm to contract my forearm muscles. Clang! The golem's fist missed me, grazing my forearm and cutting through the air.

I used the size difference to my advantage. Once you slip inside the reach of its arms, the inside is no-guard—completely defenseless. "This is what I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was aiming for." Using its still-extending arm as an axis, I spun around, gaining momentum. I charged in without mercy, straight for its head. "Uoooooh!"

I swung my clenched fist with all my might toward its head. I could feel my biceps tightening to their limit. Whoosh—!Kwang!! It connected. Debris from the shattered rock flew up along the trajectory of my fist. "Tsk." But it hadn't hit the head. The golem was fast, too. It had seen me coming and twisted its body. My fist had struck the golem's shoulder instead.

Gwooooo!! The golem seemed to have recognized me as a clear threat and felt a sense of crisis. It spewed red mana from its eyes and increased its speed even further. The golem mindlessly lashed out with its still-intact left arm. I was in the air; I couldn't dodge. It hit me. "Ugh." My abs trembled. You bastard, you’re strong. Before I could even be pushed back, thud! With a heavy footstep, it stepped toward me. A giant hand wrapped around me. It was trying to use the size difference to crush me. It was a trick I’d fallen for every time before. If it grabbed my lower body, I’d have no way to resist. It would just keep slamming my head into the ground over and over—a very crude fighting style.

Snap! The giant palm covered my waist. The golem sensed victory. But then, it tilted its head. It must have been because its fist didn't close. "Did you think the same trick would work again?"

Tap, tap. I grabbed the thumb and index finger of the hand wrapped around my waist with both of my hands. "Hup!" Let’s see who wins this test of strength. Crack...! I forced its fingers open, putting power into my legs to pry the hand away. The golem seemed surprised, not expecting my grip strength to be this high. It took a step back, thud, thud, as if deciding it needed to get away from me. But since I was still in its grasp, the distance didn't increase. Truly, a move befitting a stone-headed idiot. "Ha!"

Snap! With a crisp sound, the stone fingers were not only fully extended but bent backward. Guaaaa! The golem howled in pain and let me go. I didn't miss the moment it lost its balance. I crouched on the ground, placing my hands on the dirt like a sprinter preparing for a relay. "Take this, too." Tap, tap, whoosh! Three steps for the approach.

Kwang!! I lunged with all my might toward its abdomen. The perfect sensation of impact traveled through my deltoids. Thud! The golem, hit by my full-power tackle, rolled across the ground. "Already going to sleep? It’s still midday." Stomp, stomp. I walked toward the golem.

Gwoooo! The golem let out a screech and created a whirlwind. Was it magic using mana? The whirlwind grabbed rocks from the nearby rubble and threw them at me indiscriminately. Thud!

I crossed my arms to block. "Hup!" I caught the flying rocks and threw them right back at it. Kwang! The golem, struck in the head, seemed confused. The bewilderment—not knowing how I was still walking toward it—was clearly visible on that expressionless face. I walked right up to its nose and grabbed its chin to lift it up. Rumble...! "Hup!" With the sensation of a deadlift, I hoisted the golem above my head.

I slammed it down toward the ground. Kwang!! The golem created a massive crater as it was buried inside. I approached its back, grabbed its neck with both hands, and lifted. "And this is also for Wilson."

Snap! I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠twisted its neck with all my might. By then, even the stone-made golem seemed to be in pain, its arms trembling. I put power into both legs and leaped high. "And this is for Wilson too!"

I slammed it down with force, pouring in all the resentment I’d built up. Kwang!! A massive crack appeared on the golem's chest. Crumble, stone fragments broke off and fell. "Hoo, hoo." I caught my breath for a moment. The golem's reactions were fading. I didn't know if it was a living creature that breathed, but its heartbeat was definitely weakening. "Hoo, hoo." Seeing it like that, my heart wavered for a second. This guy was a rock, too. Just like Wilson. And this guy probably didn't want to be here either. Being alone for five thousand years—that was the same for me and this guy.

The heat in my muscles began to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cool. ...Should I end it here? This was enough to take Wilson back. It was the moment I thought that and turned to leave.

—Sisyphus, I'll tell you one fact you must never forget, no matter where or when.

A piece of advice from long ago, buried in faint memories, surfaced.

—There are people in this world who sometimes can't distinguish beasts from animals. You might have them in your territory, too. Let me be clear: these people will eventually cause a very big problem.

Is it that big of a problem? I think I asked back.

—Beasts are the natural enemies of humanity. They see humans as nothing more than food or toys. If you get the chance, you must finish them off. Is there no other way?

—Unless it's a beast that has lost all its mana, but that's very rare. Do not show mercy.

Who taught me that lesson? Regardless, it didn't matter. I had a gut feeling that I shouldn't turn away like this, and just as I turned back—

—Splat!

I didn't know what happened right away. Two seconds later, I felt immense pain. All over my body. "Ugh, ughhh...!" It was hot. I’d never felt anything this hot. I couldn't breathe properly. Looking down with eyes I barely managed to open, I saw the golem had ripped open its chest and was spewing lava.

This was my mistake. This thing wasn't just a rock; it was 'lava.' The hard parts were just hardened lava. 'They say a fool can't use what he’s learned.' That was exactly me. Heed the hero's advice. I learned my lesson. "Fine." I had only one choice.

Thud!! I lunged at the golem, which was still collapsed. "Let's finish this." A red glare settled in its eyes. Gwooooo!! The golem roared long and loud. My reflection was in those red eyes. Black pupils of an ordinary human, with not a drop of mana leaking out. But they sparkled more brilliantly than the golem's. I was alive. I clenched my fist. "Uoooooh!"

Kwang! I drove it into the open chest. "Ooooo!" Kwang!Kwang!Kwang! How many times did I throw my fist? I swung it frantically. Gwo, ooooo.... Finally. The light in the golem's eyes went out.

At my feet, the stone fragments that had been the beast were scattered everywhere. "...Ha." I turned my head. : ) "...I won. Wil, son." The half-broken face of the rock was smiling at me. I wanted to return the smile, but... I was a bit... dizzy. A lot. Ah, so that’s why everything looked so red—was this my blood? Well, it made sense, golems don't bleed. I lost my balance and fell. It’s a stone floor, so it’ll hurt if I hit my head, I complained as I fell. But as I fell, I didn't hit my head. Instead, I felt a soft sensation on my chest. And it was warm. Someone was holding me.

"You worked hard, Sisyphus." A voice that sounded like a whisper in my ear. It had a tone like a spring breeze blowing dandelion seeds. "...Clea?"

"Hehe, rest well." Her neatly braided red hair swayed. In my vision, which was turning black, I saw brilliant golden eyes. It was strange. There was a clock engraved in those eyes.