Chapter 89
Chapter 89
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Trial by Fire
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Whoosh—!
Lost in thought for a moment, Do-jae was jolted back to his senses by a wave of intense heat.
‘Where am I?’
One moment he was experiencing a soft, fluffy sensation in Haydn's arms; the next, he was suddenly transported to a place engulfed in flames.
Do-jae immediately cast Golem Armor against the soaring flames.
The searing heat subsided slightly, but it still felt like being in a sauna, and sweat began to pour down his face.
- This is my domain.
Just then, Haydn's voice echoed.
Judging by how it was transmitted directly into his mind, he was certain Haydn wasn't physically present.
Do-jae realized the trial had begun.
"Do I have to survive in the fire?"
Do-jae shouted into the empty air.
Haydn's reply came.
- We become the inferno in the flames and the tempest in the wind. If you wish to obtain a hardened shell, you must endure without stopping, advance, and break through all adversity.
"Where must I advance?"
Haydn's voice was no longer heard.
Do-jae stared into the wildly raging flames.
He could make out a narrow path stretching out so far that its end was not visible.
‘I was planning to raise my resistance anyway. This is perfect. I’ll just raise it to 100% while I’m at it.’
If he endured while wearing the Golem Armor, his resistance would gradually increase, and he would be able to clear this trial without much trouble.
However, Do-jae's plan was mercilessly crushed by Altein.
- I shall seal your Golem Armor for the duration of the trial. This is punishment for using a trick in the ordeal given by Elatra. Ho ho ho.
As soon as Altein finished speaking, the Golem Armor lost its power and crumbled to the ground.
"What? What trick did I use…?"
But no matter how much he yelled, there was no reply.
In the end, Do-jae was left to endure the grueling heat with his bare body.
"Ah, hot!"
A spark flew out and burned a small hole in Do-jae's clothes.
It wasn't hot enough to cook him just yet, but the path ahead was the real problem.
"Golem Armor!"
He tried to use the skill, but the chunks of stone on the ground didn't even twitch.
Fwoooosh—!
The flames spreading before him were blue, indicating extreme heat.
No sane person would look at those flames and think of moving forward.
Even a madman wouldn't dive in there.
Isn't this something only a moth drawn to a flame would do?
‘Should I just run through it quickly?’
If he failed to clear this, those beings who called themselves the great ones would take his Heart of the Golem and kill him.
But the path, with flames erupting from it, was too long to simply sprint across.
The surrounding temperature rose rapidly, becoming so hot it was hard to breathe.
Finally, Do-jae gave up.
Did he give up on the quest, choosing to have his heart taken or burn to death?
No.
He gave up on trying to figure out how to endure it.
After all, Golem Armor wasn't the only skill Do-jae possessed.
"Aqua!"
Do-jae used magic to surround his body with water.
Gathering moisture in this level of heat required a tremendous amount of mana, but Do-jae had more than enough.
‘Right. My magic wasn't sealed.’
He didn't know if Altein, who had taken his Golem Armor, had intended this or not, but Do-jae decided to break through using magic.
However, the flames were so intense that the water surrounding him instantly boiled, continuously steaming and evaporating from the surface.
So, Do-jae cast another spell, layering it on top.
"Ice!"
By casting the Ice spell to freeze the water, the rate of evaporation slowed significantly.
If he could use Aqua Barrier, which strengthened water's cohesion to use it as a shield, a single spell would have been enough, but that was a distant future for the current Do-jae.
For now, layering spells with skills that only consumed mana was his best option.
"That's much better."
Having solved the heat problem, Do-jae smiled and began to walk confidently along the path.
***
Clank—!
"Haa… haa… Why did you have to make it so long?"
Do-jae opened the door to the workshop.
Looking utterly exhausted, he walked in and slumped onto the nearest chair.
"Ho ho ho. Welcome back."
"Welcome back? After putting me through all that, you talk to me like I just went for a walk?"
Do-jae replied, his voice sharp.
He had every reason to be—it had taken fourteen hours.
He had walked for a full fourteen hours to finally arrive here.
"For you, wouldn't that be about a walk?"
"Ah, so a tour of hell is considered a walk these days?"
Do-jae had his reasons for saying this.
After passing through the fierce flames, he was met with an ice mountain so cold it felt like his lungs were freezing.
The temperature was so low that if he hadn't immediately dispelled the Aqua spell he was wearing, he would have been trapped in ice.
After that, he used a Fire spell to endure the cold and barely managed to cross a sheer cliff face.
"Next, I swam across an ocean with tidal waves the size of buildings and walked endlessly through a plain battered by storms. Earthquakes, volcanoes, sandstorms…"
Do-jae navigated through the massive natural disasters by using appropriate basic magic for each situation.
At first, he used mana freely, but as time went on, he couldn't afford to be reckless.
He couldn't waste it, not knowing when the trial would end, and this put immense pressure on him mentally.
In the end, he endured what he could with his bare body and completed the lonely, grueling race over fourteen hours.
"It would have been better if you'd just told me to fight monsters."
That was why Do-jae had collapsed into a chair, utterly exhausted, the moment he arrived at the workshop.
"Using magic was unexpected, but your stamina is truly remarkable."
"And who was it that made me this way…"
As Do-jae lamented, Altein laughed heartily.
"It was all a trial for your sake."
"Why did you take my Golem Armor?"
"It was to acclimate your body to extreme environments."
"Without Golem Armor?"
"The source of your power is not the Golem Armor, is it?"
Altein pointed to Do-jae's chest.
Where the Heart of the Golem resided.
"In the end, what grows is not the Golem Armor you use and discard, but your heart."
Hearing Altein's words, Do-jae realized something he had overlooked.
In other words, the resistance was gained not by the armor worn over his body, but by the red magic stone embedded in his chest.
Ultimately, all his skills, including Golem Armor, grew under the influence of the golem's core.
"As a result, my plan failed due to another one of your tricks. Ho ho ho."
"Why do you keep calling it a trick? Everything was part of my ability as a Golemancer."
"Indeed. For everything was bestowed by us, the great ones."
Just then, Haydn, who had been sitting quietly, stood up and approached.
Haydn was once again shedding tears from a blank face.
"Adversary Lee Do-jae. You have passed my trial with great speed."
"Quickly… you say?"
Fourteen hours was considered fast.
Do-jae was so baffled he wasn't even angry, wondering just how long they had expected it to take.
Well, if he had gone with the method of raising his Golem Armor's resistance, it probably wouldn't have ended in a day or two.
"Your body will become stronger than before, and your abilities will grow to another level. I bestow upon you my authority."
Haydn straightened his stooped back and placed a hand on Do-jae's head.
The sight was as solemn and sacred as a priest bestowing a blessing upon a believer.
A white light emanated from his hand, enveloping Do-jae's body like a veil.
[You have acquired a new skill.]
[The passive skill ‘Blood Armor of the Golem’ has been added.]
[Skill]
Skill Name: Blood Armor of the Golem
Level: Max
Classification: Passive
Description: Allows for the alteration of the structural composition of a golem's materials. Mana consumption increases based on the initial constituent materials.
Effect: Resistance +100 / Defense +500%
Mana Cost: 1000 + α
"Your golems have now gained the ability to assimilate into any environment, just as we do."
Do-jae's face lit up with joy after checking the skill.
He had suffered, but the skill he obtained was incredibly useful.
If his golems could hide their bodies like the Shademen, it would be perfect for stealth applications.
"I have one request. If you should encounter my children, I hope you will grant them a painless and peaceful death."
Haydn spoke in a lonely tone.
There was a slight change in his expression, which, combined with his tears, made him look incredibly sad.
His voice and expression conveyed his genuine affection for the Shademen race.
"I understand."
Do-jae replied with sincerity.
He, too, hoped to avoid unnecessary slaughter.
At that, Haydn's expression softened.
"Ho ho, I must give you a gift as well. I couldn't fully impart my authority last time because I summoned you so suddenly, but now I shall give you all that remains."
Altein gestured, and Do-jae felt a familiar energy enter his body.
He immediately checked the Nerves of the Golem skill.
[Skill]
Skill Name: Nerves of the Golem
Level: Max
Classification: Passive
Description: Allows control over the mana bundles connected to the golem's core. Range, intensity, and speed are determined by the mana held within the core. / The Nerves of the Golem are greatly enhanced. Golems can now be summoned in states other than solid.
Effect: All Stats +500
Mana Cost: 100 + α
"Does that mean…?"
Until now, Do-jae had used stone as the material for his golems, just as he did for himself.
Materials like dirt, gravel, and rock were readily available everywhere and were suitable for summoning golems.
However, golems made from other materials each had significant drawbacks.
For instance, steel.
A golem made of iron certainly had much higher defense than a stone golem.
But it consumed ten times more mana than a stone golem and was much slower.
Therefore, it was difficult to use efficiently.
Another example was wood.
A golem made from wood had terrible defense compared to a stone golem.
Of course, its mana consumption was much lower and its movements were swift, but it was easily destroyed, making it another unsatisfactory material for Do-jae.
But if the Nerves of the Golem were enhanced?
If the threads of mana connecting the materials became stickier and more solid, he would be able to use the aforementioned golems effectively.
"On the day you receive the acknowledgment of all the great ones, I will give you another gift, so look forward to it."
"What else is there? Just give it to me now."
"Ho ho, it is still too much for you. Do not rush; just wait. It will be in your hands one day."
After Altein finished speaking.
The objects in the workshop slowly began to disappear.
It was time to return.
"Until we meet again."
"Adversary. I will be watching you."
As Altein and Haydn's forms completely vanished, Do-jae, too, returned to where he had been.