Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Golem Armor
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A crimson line of blood trickled down his neck.
He'd tried to dodge, but it wasn't enough to avoid the attack completely.
"Ugh."
He stared blankly at the harpy as it soared back into the sky.
The creature's swift movements made it hard enough just to block its attacks.
In fact, his thick, hunter-grade leather clothes were already torn in several places.
'Is this really impossible?'
He had hunted harpies before.
The weakest monsters were grade 10.
Harpies were grade 8, so they weren't particularly strong.
But unfortunately, that wasn't the case for him.
He was an F-rank, the weakest of the weak.
Even during that raid, the other members had done most of the hunting, while his role was to finish off the harpies that had been knocked to the ground.
'And this place is a huge disadvantage.'
His current location was incredibly unfavorable.
There was no cover to hide behind, no terrain to use to his advantage.
To the harpy flying in the sky, his position was completely exposed.
"Keeaaak!"
The harpy circled elegantly in the air before plummeting toward the ground again like an arrow.
It had built up so much momentum that it was hard to even follow with his eyes.
Thud.
He lost his balance and fell ungracefully, landing hard on his rear.
'If only I had a sword.'
The cutting dagger he'd dropped when he was suddenly transported from the dungeon and the longsword he'd leaned against a wall while collecting loot flashed before his eyes.
Fighting bare-handed against it, he was the only one taking damage.
"What kind of quest is this?!"
Was this quest designed to make him suffer and die?
Did it want to see an ending where he was forced to fight a monster that was just strong enough to be unbeatable, ultimately leading to his death?
'They could have at least given me a mana stone!'
With a mana stone, he could use the Golem Summon skill.
And he wasn't even asking for a Guardian-class golem.
If only he could summon the weakest Stone Golem.
If he could just stop that nimble harpy for a moment, he could land an attack somehow.
But if he just kept barely hanging on like this, he was certain to die from blood loss in less than thirty minutes, let alone six hours.
'There must be a way.'
This was a qualification test.
That's what the quest had said.
So it wouldn't let him die this easily.
He had to figure out a way to survive.
'Golem... Golem Summon... Heart of the Golem...'
The mana stone embedded in his chest.
And the skill that could summon a golem.
The skill description said it needed a core, but it didn't specify what kind of core.
The moment that thought crossed his mind.
'Wait. If any mana stone will do...'
Swoosh—!
He barely dodged the harpy as it dove, attacking with its talons.
The harpy immediately soared high into the sky for another attack.
Now was his chance.
'Please!'
I placed a hand on my chest.
To be precise, on the mana stone, the Heart of the Golem.
And then.
"Golem Summon!"
Rumble—rumble—.
The stones scattered around me began to shake.
It was like holding a magnet to a heavy chunk of iron.
Just as the iron chunk would be pulled by a strong magnetic force.
The stones slowly started to be drawn toward me.
Rattle—rattle—.
Dozens of pebbles had soon gathered at my feet.
Defying the laws of gravity, they began to crawl up my legs.
Click.
Clack.
Finally, the stones completely covered my body.
They ground against each other, finding their places.
As if refusing to allow even the slightest gap, their jagged edges fit together perfectly.
And then.
I was reborn in the form of a golem.
Flash—!
[You have acquired a new skill.]
[Active Skill 'Golem Armor' has been added.]
[Skill]
Skill Name: Golem Armor
Level: 1
Classification: Active
Description: Forms a suit of golem armor using the Heart of the Golem as its core. Increases strength and resistance. The Golem Armor is affected by the user and the skill level.
Effect: Attack Power +10 / Defense Power +20
Mana Cost: 1 + α
"Keeaaaaak!"
The harpy let out a piercing shriek.
Seeing my transformation, the harpy began to descend at full speed.
Klang—!
"Keeak!"
Clatter—.
The harpy's talons scraped across the Golem Armor.
A few of the stones making up the armor broke off under the force of its sharp talons.
Voom—.
The mana stone located in my left chest, right where my heart was, trembled.
I felt a little of my mana drain away.
Then, the broken armor regenerated in an instant, as if it had never been damaged.
Creak—creak—.
I moved around, loosening up my new body.
I felt no weight, no discomfort.
It felt as if it had always been a part of me.
"Nice."
Crack—.
I clenched my fist.
The defensive power and regeneration of the Golem Armor I had just witnessed.
With this, a mere harpy that was only fast was nothing to be afraid of.
"Keeaaaa!"
The harpy shrieked and flew toward me.
I stood perfectly still and waited.
"Kiek!"
The moment it attacked.
I swiftly snatched its wing.
Thud.
Then I slammed it onto the ground.
A cloud of dust rose from the powerful impact.
Squeeze—.
I firmly stepped on one of the fallen harpy's wings.
It flapped pathetically, but its resistance was futile.
"Hand over the feathers,"
I said in a soft voice.
It was a good thing I was covered in Golem Armor; if it had seen my expression, even a monster would have been terrified.
"Keeak!"
The tables had turned.
Now, the harpy was the prey.
***
The sun set.
One by one, the streetlights flickered on.
And beneath one of them.
Eun-hee spoke with a prim expression.
"Why are you smiling?"
"That look on your face just now. You should have seen it... Pfft."
The man in front of her couldn't hold back his laughter.
It was Do-jae.
"What was wrong with my expression!"
"Your shocked face was... Pfft."
Eun-hee put a cigarette to her lips with a pout.
"Why do you keep laughing!"
"Hahaha. I don't mean anything by it. Your reaction was just really cute, Chief Jeong."
"What did you say?"
Eun-hee's face flushed.
She hastily lit her cigarette.
Flick.
"You're being very rude."
Eun-hee's expression turned stoic as she spoke bluntly.
Only then did Do-jae realize his mistake and quickly apologize.
"I'm sorry. I crossed a line."
"Well, I suppose I can let it slide, seeing as you've come back from the dead."
About fifteen minutes earlier.
Eun-hee had arrived at the hospital where Do-jae's brother was staying to deliver the news of his death.
Informing someone of a death was incredibly uncomfortable, but it was one of her principles to deliver the news as quickly as possible.
There was no point in waiting for someone who had gone missing in a dungeon; they never came back.
That was why she didn't want to give anyone false hope.
However, she had hesitated upon seeing Do-jae's brother.
He was just a child, and the thought that he would have to live on his own from now on made her feel sorry for him.
As she stood there, unable to bring herself to enter the hospital room.
She suddenly heard a familiar voice from behind her.
Do-jae, whom she had thought was dead, was standing right there.
Surprise and relief.
And curiosity about how he had managed to survive.
A mix of emotions had washed over her.
To think that Do-jae had caught her with that exact expression on her face.
"I didn't get a chance to ask properly earlier, but how are you alive?"
Eun-hee asked after taking a few drags of her cigarette.
"Ah, about that. I came out early."
"What?"
"My stomach hurt. I had to use the restroom."
Do-jae offered the excuse he had prepared.
He knew it didn't really make sense.
There were always people standing guard outside when a raid team was in a dungeon.
But even a flimsy excuse can be convincing if you add specific details.
"Our staff were on standby..."
"I was in a huge rush, so I told someone quickly. The person using that apple phone."
"Ah, Min-soo, I'm guessing... I told him not to just stare at his smartphone all day."
There was nothing more boring than standing guard in front of a dungeon.
After waiting for hours, it was only natural to want to play games or message people on your phone.
And since many people used apple phones, he figured there had to be at least one.
"I wasn't very clear, so please don't be too hard on your staff."
"I'll handle that... But why didn't you come back?"
"Well, the raid was almost over, and I had already informed someone, so I went to take care of something else."
"Haa... I see. Understood."
Eun-hee felt a sense of futility.
All this for a bathroom break.
Putting aside the paperwork she would have to redo, she felt drained.
Tap. Tap.
Eun-hee tapped out her nearly finished cigarette.
It was time to go.
"Thanks to you, I have more paperwork to do. I'll be going now."
"Yes. I'm sorry for the trouble."
"And, Do-jae."
"Yes?"
"You should smile more often. It looks good on you."
Eun-hee gave Do-jae a gentle smile and left.
Do-jae remained standing under the streetlight for a long time after she was gone.
"Hoo."
He let out a deep breath and looked up.
'That went over well enough.'
He had been worried she might ask more questions, but Eun-hee had left without another word.
'I was almost late because I stopped to change clothes.'
How shocked would his little brother have been to hear of his death?
He had to be especially careful since his brother's immune system had been weakening recently, leading to some dangerous moments.
It was a stroke of luck that he had run into her right in front of the hospital room.
Slump.
Do-jae sat down on a bench and leaned back heavily.
He felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him.
'What does it want?'
Now that he had a moment to breathe, he grew curious about the quest.
He had suddenly become a Golemancer and gained skills.
Before, he couldn't have even dreamed of fighting a harpy.
And this wasn't the end of it.
He could grow even stronger by leveling up.
'Does it even want anything?'
Maybe there was no intention behind it at all.
When the world changed and awakened beings appeared, people tried to understand why it had happened.
But no one had ever found the answer.
As time passed, everyone except for a few scholars came to accept awakenings and monsters as a matter of course.
Just as life had appeared on Earth at some point, it was seen as a series of coincidences.
In the same way, there might be no reason why Do-jae had reawakened—or whatever it was.
'For now, I'll just go along with it.'
In this situation where he knew nothing.
There was no reason to think only negatively.
He could just think of it as a reward for living diligently, level up, and become strong.
An opportunity to change his insignificant, unremarkable life had arrived.
All he had to do was seize it.
Rustle.
Do-jae put his hand into his coat pocket.
He pulled out a small box.
It was a brown box, about the size of a cheap box of cookies.
'Let's open it.'
Click.