Chapter 32
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Guardian of the King's Tomb
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Kuwoong—
A heavy thud echoed through the passageway.
And from the darkness emerged a massive entity.
No, not a living being.
"A golem."
Yeon Sung-hun muttered under his breath. Before he could issue any orders, the golem lunged at them with its massive bulk, intent on fulfilling its role of expelling intruders.
Kwang—!!!
The sudden attack came without warning, but it inflicted no damage on the raid team.
Everyone had been watching it closely from the start and dodged safely.
"Choi Yeon-ah and Han So-yul, take the first strike! Everyone else, provide support!"
At Yeon Sung-hun's command, the raid members sprang into action.
Despite it being their first joint raid in a while, Choi Yeon-ah and Han So-yul moved without a hint of awkwardness, swinging their swords from either side of the golem.
Kang—
Their blades bounced off all too easily, futilely.
They hadn't gone all out, but the ease with which it blocked them left both women visibly flustered.
"───────"
The golem spat out mechanical ancient words meaning "intruder" and "kill," then swung its fist at the momentarily stunned pair.
Its speed was unnaturally agile for such a hulking frame.
Both emerged unscathed, but while Choi Yeon-ah hastily dodged, Han So-yul blocked the punch with her sword and took some damage.
She frowned down at her trembling arm.
"Its strength matches its size—brutally overwhelming."
"And its speed is faster than you'd expect."
Exchanging brief words, Choi Yeon-ah and Han So-yul leaped aside from another incoming fist.
"Hiyat!"
While the golem focused on the two, Lee Ha-na and Kim Jun-su seized the opening and charged.
Even A-rank level fighters like them couldn't inflict much damage.
They'd infused their strikes with full mana, but it still wasn't a significant blow.
Kwaduk— Faint scratches appeared on the golem's tough exterior.
And even those minor wounds regenerated in short order.
In that brief exchange, the golem revealed its regenerative ability.
The raid team's faces hardened.
"Hah..."
Yeon Sung-hun, who had been calmly observing, let out an involuntary sigh.
By Faust-era standards, this was an exceptionally well-crafted golem.
Considering they were only at the tomb's entrance, even stronger ones likely awaited deeper in.
'Tougher than expected.'
Clicking his tongue, Yeon Sung-hun issued orders.
"We need to destroy the core in its center. So-yul, can you pierce its exterior?"
"It'll take a lot of mana, but yeah, I can manage."
"Good. Yeon-ah and Ha-na, draw its attention. So-yul breaks the exterior. Jun-su finishes the exposed core."
"Where's the core?"
Yeon Sung-hun pointed to the center of the golem's chest at Han So-yul's question.
"Right there. We have to punch through in one go. It's probably much tougher than the rest of the shell. Think you can do it?"
"Piece of cake."
Yeon Sung-hun nodded at Han So-yul's confident tone.
"A prolonged fight favors it. This whole tomb is one massive mana reservoir. We'll run dry before its power does. End it in one shot."
The raid team nodded in agreement.
The battle resumed.
Choi Yeon-ah and Lee Ha-na focused on evasion to hold its attention.
From a short distance, Han So-yul gathered mana into her sword.
Aura coalesced atop it.
A technique visible only to upper-class knights by imperial standards.
Spotting an opening, Han So-yul swung her sword straight at the golem's vulnerability.
Sword energy shot forth in a straight line.
The golem belatedly shielded its heart (core) with both arms, but her sword ki shattered them, along with the tough shell encasing it.
The core gleamed exposed.
But regeneration began instantly.
Yeon Sung-hun shouted urgently.
"Kim Jun-su!"
"On it!"
Kim Jun-su thrust his sword into the defenseless core with vigorous reply.
A clean pierce, honed from relentless basic training.
Pasasak—
As his sword pierced the core, the golem's massive body crumbled with a kuwoong— lifeless thud.
Small cheers erupted from the watching raid members.
"Nice!"
"Clean work, Jun-su oppa!"
Unlike the celebrating team, Yeon Sung-hun calmly approached the golem's remains.
'The materials are ordinary. Just magically reinforced.'
Glancing at the debris, he extracted something from within.
'The real prize from this golem.'
The golem's core, bisected by Kim Jun-su's sword.
Useless in this state, but no issue for Yeon Sung-hun.
His deep knowledge from deploying countless golems for the Tower of the Sage.
"Got something good."
The others might not care, but for Yeon Sung-hun, this core alone made the expedition worthwhile.
"Let's keep moving."
Pocketing the core quietly, he gathered the team and pressed deeper into the ruins.
Unfortunately, as predicted, the first golem wasn't the last.
More blocked their path, but fortunately, subsequent ones were inferior—weaker in size, shell durability, and lacking regeneration.
The issue: they came in numbers. At least two, up to half a dozen at once.
Good thing the team grew more coordinated over time, or it could've been trouble.
Pushing through golems and occasional hidden traps, deliberating at forks, they finally reached the ruins' deepest chamber.
The king's resting place.
If prior areas felt grand and ornate, this was even more so.
Brightly lit, unlike the dim paths before.
The vast interior glittered with jewels and lavish decorations, resembling a grand throne room more than a tomb.
At the opulent center, atop the highest dais, loomed a massive throne.
And seated upon it, a suspicious figure.
Yeon Sung-hun frowned upon spotting it.
His worst suspicion from hearing "tomb."
'Undead?'
He shook his head.
No deathly aura typical of undead.
'Not undead, then...'
Staring at the throne's figure, Yeon Sung-hun's eyes twitched.
It rose smoothly from its seat.
Now clearly visible: another golem.
No—not like the previous hulks. A humanoid one, human-sized.
More puppet than golem.
Like those used by puppet masters he'd seen in his past life.
Crown atop its head, ornate robes embroidered with gold thread.
Rising from the throne, it resembled a true king.
Yeon Sung-hun instinctively knew: modeled after the tomb's master, the king.
The raid team startled as it abruptly stood and spoke.
"────────. ─────."
A mechanical voice, devoid of emotion.
Translated: It would punish the insolent intruders violating the king's sanctuary in his stead.
Yeon Sung-hun clicked his tongue.
"Battle stations, everyone. This one's probably the last."
The team nodded vigorously.
How much hardship to reach here?
Memories of trials fueled their resolve.
Moreover, this puppet seemed unimpressive compared to prior foes.
Fancy attire aside, its mannequin-flat face and diminutive size invited underestimation.
But those sensitive to mana soon sensed otherwise.
The aura emanating from that small frame was anything but weak.
It charged the stiffening team in a blink.
A gleaming green sword now in its hand.
"Kuh!"
Choi Yeon-ah, blocking first in others' stead, grunted.
Overwhelming strength from such a tiny body.
And not just that.
A gust from its blade rode hers, slashing her arm.
Crimson blood sprayed.
Gritting through pain, she held as teammates rushed to aid.
Yeon Sung-hun yelled desperately.
"Don't get close recklessly!"
Too late; they'd neared.
Sharp winds poured from the puppet's sword.
They coalesced into a small storm, shredding the team instantly.
Blood arced dizzyingly.
Team members scattered, battered.
Choi Yeon-ah and Han So-yul fared best, but still deeply wounded.
The "Storm King" name was no exaggeration.
'A monstrous magic sword.'
Shocked yet composed, Yeon Sung-hun moved.
He wanted to check the team, but stopping the puppet came first.
Downing a potion from his pouch, he charged.
No blind rush after seeing their plight.
Buy time for Choi Yeon-ah and Han So-yul to recover, not kill it yet.
He hurled several potions.
The puppet swung at the incoming vials.
A casual slash unleashed razor winds.
The potions shattered.
Explosions followed.
Controlled blast potions; damage minimal.
The puppet's wind barrier neutralized it.
"Tch."
Toward the clicking Yeon Sung-hun, it burst through the blasts, swinging.
Fierce gales assailed.
Feeling skin slice away, he gritted his teeth.
'Should've prepped Skin Stone Potion.'
Regretted lacking materials.
Should've hounded Jeong Hyun-su for them.
Swallowing regret, he dodged meticulously.
Mana-laced winds weren't hard to read.
Impossible to evade entirely, but he avoided vitals.
"Sung-hun-ssi!"
Recovered Choi Yeon-ah rushed in, drawing her rarely used beloved sword, 'Daeha.'
Crippled without mana, it offered only slight physical boost—but a magic sword rivaling the puppet's.
Its cutting edge alone cleaved the onslaught winds.
Sensing her momentum, the puppet turned from Yeon Sung-hun to her.
In that gap, instead of recovering, Yeon Sung-hun tossed more potions.
Jjanggeurang—
Winds shattered them again, but this blast differed.
Unregulated pure explosion potions.
Flames erupted, windswept over the puppet.
'No big gains, but time bought.'
Muttering inwardly, potion in hand, he watched Han So-yul charge.
Deep blue sword ki blazed vividly on her blade.
Perfectly formed ki surged forth.
The puppet escaped the blast late, swinging to counter—but Choi Yeon-ah flanked from behind, slashing mercilessly.
Her sword traced a clean arc, carving its body.
Han So-yul's thrust pierced its center simultaneously.
If only it fell then.
"────. ──────."
Fitting its role as the tomb's final guardian, the puppet refused easy defeat.
Bisected and holed, it still moved.
Choi Yeon-ah and Han So-yul dodged its wild swing.
And it didn't end there.
Like the first golem, it self-repaired, wounds closing.
Yeon Sung-hun clicked his tongue at the regenerating puppet.
"Not easy."
It'd take more time to bring it down.