Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: The Alchemist's Workshop
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Thwip-.
Thwack-.
Do-jae's kick struck the Red Orc's head.
The creature's head spun 180 degrees, and only gurgling sounds escaped its mouth.
Monsters were monsters, after all.
Their tenacious life force was nothing to scoff at.
"Ugh."
A sigh of displeasure escaped Do-jae's lips.
Was it because the Red Orc didn't die in one hit?
Or because the Red Orcs were pouring out endlessly?
Neither.
Right now, the Red Orcs were the least of Do-jae's worries.
Having to hunt continuously without rest wasn't particularly difficult.
His stamina had already reached a level that was laughable to call ordinary.
It was just this one thing that was getting on his nerves.
This.
- Quest Arrived!
Swipe-.
- Quest Arrived!
Swish-!
- Quest Arrived!
- Quest Arrived!
- Quest Arrived!
...
No matter how many times he dismissed the notification, a new quest alert kept shimmering before his eyes.
"How annoying."
Normally, he would have welcomed a quest notification.
But not this quest.
Its contents were anything but helpful.
[Quest]
- Classification: Sub (Elatra)
- Details: Hunt Red Orcs after equipping the Golem Armor. (Progress: 0/100)
- Restriction: None
- Reward: Elatra's Praise
- Failure Penalty: None
A quest from Elatra.
The constant stream of her quests was incredibly distracting.
At first, the penalty for failure was losing the Eye of the Golem, but as he kept ignoring it, the penalty vanished and a reward appeared.
But would he put on the Golem Armor for that?
Do-jae had no intention of doing so.
Just Elatra's praise?
If it were bonus stats or a mana stone, maybe.
This was just making him feel like he was going crazy.
- Quest Arrived!
"Stop. Just stop sending them!"
Do-jae shouted, unable to hold back any longer.
As if it heard his voice, the notification fell silent.
"Whew. It finally stopped."
Slice-.
Another Red Orc lost its life.
Red Orcs lay scattered behind Do-jae.
No matter how aggressive they were, at this point, they would completely lose their will to fight.
The ones in the rear had already started to flee, and even those at the front were slowly backing away.
Pop-.
- Quest Arrived!
"Ugh, seriously!"
Just when he thought it had stopped, another quest arrived.
*‘Fine, I’ll do it. I’ll wear it just like you want.’*
Do-jae surrendered to the relentless quest notifications.
Feeling like he'd develop a neurosis from the stress, he decided to activate the Golem Armor.
He told himself this time would be different, unlike the last time when he was swept away by the emotion of slaughter.
*‘So, what’s this one about? Check quest.’*
[Quest]
- Classification: Main
- Details: Another great being is watching you. The great being wishes to speak with you. If you refuse the great being's call, you will have to offer up your heart.
- Time Limit: 1 minute (Time remaining: 59 seconds)
- Reward: The Great Being's Acknowledgment
- Failure Penalty: Destruction of the Heart of the Golem
"Huh?"
It was different.
This wasn't a sub-quest from Elatra.
A new being had appeared.
Was this one a god?
Judging by the precedent of Elatra, the Witch of the Mind's Eye, maybe not.
And it might not be friendly.
Just look at her—all she wanted was for Do-jae to become stronger.
[Will you accept?]
A one-minute time limit?
That was plenty of time.
There was nothing to contemplate.
The mission to drive the Red Orcs north was practically complete.
More importantly, if his Heart was destroyed, he would revert to being a mere F-rank anyway.
So he intended to meet every single one of these lunatics who gave and took as they pleased.
"Of course, yes."
***
Bubble, bubble-.
Crackle, crackle-.
*'A laboratory? A workshop?'*
The first things Do-jae saw were bottles filled with liquids of various colors.
Some were boiling without any fire, while others emitted a white light.
*'That's...'*
The next thing he noticed were the golems.
Golems of all shapes and sizes stood lined up against the wall.
He knew they were golems because they resembled his own.
*‘The one in the middle, especially... It’s like a miniature version of the giant from that dungeon.’*
A golem positioned in the very center of the collection.
A golem made of brilliantly forged full-body metal armor.
It looked identical to the giant from the dungeon where he had obtained the Heart of the Golem.
"Hohoho. She gave you quite a hard time, didn't she?"
Hearing the sudden laughter, Do-jae quickly spun around.
He tried to grip his sword and assume a defensive stance, but...
*'My sword is gone?'*
The Harpy Queen's Plume he had been holding just a moment ago was missing.
Furthermore, Do-jae couldn't hide his shock when he saw his own hands.
*'My hands...!'*
They were covered in scars.
When he became a Golemancer, his body had grown healthy, and his skin had become fair.
But the hands he saw now reminded him of his weak past self.
"Why are you so surprised? Those were your hands originally, were they not?"
When he looked up, he saw an old, white-haired man with a benevolent face.
An appearance completely devoid of malice.
Do-jae relaxed his guard and asked.
"Who are you?"
"Hoho. It's a pleasure. I am the alchemist, Altein Flodorot. Welcome to my workshop."
"Altein Flodorot... an alchemist?"
"Hohoho. That's right. The giant statue you saw. I am the one who created it."
Do-jae's eyes widened.
This old man, Altein, was the creator of the armored giant!
The light that had poured out from the giant had settled over his heart as the Heart of the Golem, and thanks to it, he had been able to grow stronger.
There were so many things he wanted to ask, so many things he wanted to know.
"You look like you have much to say. But unfortunately, we don't have much time. Come here for a moment."
Altein beckoned Do-jae toward him.
In a small circle before him, runic, the language of magic, was densely inscribed.
"I'll start right away. This will sting a little."
"Excuse me? What are you...?"
Fwoosh-!
As Do-jae stepped into the center of the circle, white flames erupted fiercely along its perimeter.
The flames shot up higher, soaring over Do-jae's head and blazing intensely.
"Kugh!"
An immense pain struck his entire body.
Do-jae gritted his teeth and let out a groan.
It wasn't the heat of the flames.
An energy flowing into him from beneath his skin delivered a pain that pierced every single one of his cells.
"Hoho, I did say it would sting, didn't I?"
After a moment of pain that felt like an eternity,
when he opened his tightly shut eyes, a new message had appeared.
[You have acquired a new skill.]
[The passive skill 'Nerves of the Golem' has been added.]
"Hah, hah..."
"It's unavoidable if we are to bypass the causality of dimensions. Please understand."
Do-jae shot Altein a glare before checking the skill information.
[Skill]
Skill Name: Nerves of the Golem
Level: Max
Classification: Passive
Description: Allows control over the mana bundles connected to the golem's core. The range, intensity, and speed are determined by the amount of mana held by the core.
Effect: All Stats +100
Mana Cost: 100 + α
"What is this skill?"
His voice came out a bit gruff, as if the shock of the pain still lingered.
Altein, however, spoke in a cheerful tone.
"Just as you have until now, find out for yourself."
"You people are so irresponsible."
Do-jae glared at him again.
It was a defiant look that meant, 'Can't you be a little kinder?'
"Please understand. I've defied causality to come and meet you. Everyone's in an uproar as it is. Our dear witch, in particular, is glaring daggers at me. Hohoho."
Altein said, glancing behind him.
He then continued.
"Thanks to that, I can only see you for this short time. Ah, but don't worry about her. I'll talk some sense into her. You should be able to use the Golem Armor without any trouble now."
As he finished speaking, Altein's form began to slowly blur.
Just when he had finally found someone he could talk to about himself.
Do-jae asked urgently.
It was the question he'd had from the very beginning, among the countless others that flooded his mind.
"Just tell me one thing! Why me?!"
Altein shook his head.
Then his eyes, which had been mere slits, flashed open as he spoke.
"You're asking the wrong question. It's not 'why you,' but 'why you must become strong.'"
"Then I'll ask that. Why must I become strong?!"
"You are the chosen adversary... The fragments of betrayal have already begun to appear before you."
"What do you mean...?!"
Altein's form vanished completely.
He could no longer hear his answer.
Fshhhh-.
The room began to scatter like smoke.
Do-jae disappeared from Altein's workshop, left with even more questions.
***
"Chk! Kuiga! Humans show up! Our tribe all die!"
"Ch-chk! Our tribe die too! Need shaman! Give shaman!"
The Red Orc generals bellowed.
But the Great Chieftain Kuiga sat silently, offering no response.
"Chk-ch'k! Speak. Kuiga answer!"
Thump-.
Kuiga slammed his staff on the ground.
It was a skull staff made from a gray-robed ascetic who had once descended from the mountains, killed by dozens of swarming Red Orcs.
"Chk-chk. Be quiet."
At Kuiga's words, the generals clamped their mouths shut.
Kuiga, who grew stronger each day as he prayed to his god, had now reached a level where even the generals attacking in a group could not handle him.
"Time has come. I give shaman. Chk-chk."
"Ch'k! Ch'k!"
"Chk-ch'k! Chk-ch'k!"
The generals rejoiced at Kuiga's words.
A moment later.
The shamans of each tribe appeared.
"Chk! Kuiga! Shamans strange! What you do?!"
The shamans looked utterly emaciated.
As orcs, even the shamans possessed innate musculature.
But now, all the shamans were little more than skin stretched over bone.
"Chk-chk! All is god's will! All go out and fight!"
After sending out the disgruntled generals,
Kuiga lifted up the crystal orb that had been brought with the shamans.
"Chk-chk! It is complete!"
Inside the crystal orb, a black energy swirled with tremendous force.
As if it would shatter at any moment.
[It is sorely lacking... but it should be fine for a bit of amusement.]
Crack-.
A crack appeared on the crystal orb, and unable to withstand the vortex of black energy, it shattered.
Fshhhh-.
The black energy that emerged from the crystal orb was sucked directly into Kuiga's nostrils.
"Chk-chk? Ch-eeeeek!"
Kuiga thrashed in pain.
Thud-.
He eventually collapsed to the floor, where he trembled for a long time.
For a moment, his whole body stiffened and went still.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he slowly rose.
"Huhu. Huhuhu... How long has it been since I've had a body...?"
The risen Kuiga spoke, surprisingly, in human language.
And without a single grunt, at that.
Slam-!
"Hear me, my servants! Prepare for the descent of the holy one upon this land!"
Fwoooosh-!
Kuiga's ferocious voice pierced the minds of the Red Orcs.
Simultaneously, black smoke erupted from his body and soared high into the sky.