Chapter 58
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Trial of Valor
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An overwhelming size that blanketed the entire cavern.
It wasn't particularly unnaturally fast for its bulk, but the golem was threat enough just from its massive frame alone.
Kwaaaang-
The cavern shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck, from the golem's casual downward punch.
"Urk...!"
"Watch out, Ha-na!"
The golem swung its fist once more toward Lee Ha-na, who staggered as she lost her balance.
That overwhelming size and mass delivered raw, devastating power.
Fortunately, its speed wasn't all that quick, so Lee Ha-na dodged the fist without much trouble—but the aftermath was another story.
Kwang!
Shards exploded outward, mercilessly ravaging everything around them.
Lee Ha-na hurriedly swung her sword to block them, but she couldn't fend off every single fragment.
"Ugh...!"
A short cry escaped her as wounds multiplied across her body.
Even Yeon Sung-hun wasn't safe by any means.
Flying debris hurtled toward him as well—and this time, the golem had targeted him directly.
Booooung-!
Slow as befitted its size, but impossibly heavy, the fist cleaved through the air.
Just the wind pressure from its passage made his body tremble.
Kwaaang- Yeon Sung-hun dodged or blocked the erupting debris this way and that, then hurled a potion at the golem.
Crang-
The potion shattered and unleashed a massive explosion like always, but unfortunately, it did little to the golem.
Barring a faint scorch mark, its surface was utterly unscathed.
As expected of something that size—its durability matched it perfectly.
Normally, Yeon Sung-hun might have marveled at such impressive resilience, but sadly, he had no time for that now.
He dodged another swinging fist and immediately slashed down with his sword.
Kaaang-
The blade bounced back with tremendous force.
The golem's smooth exterior didn't have so much as a scratch.
"Damn, it's tough as hell!"
He'd sensed it from the potion explosion, but it seemed no ordinary blow would inflict real damage on this thing.
And Lee Ha-na was in much the same boat.
Having seen Yeon Sung-hun's attempt, she swung her sword infused with considerable mana, but all she managed was a tiny nick—nothing more.
Another heavy blow from the golem rocked the entire cavern, making the two of them stumble.
"...Tch. Brutish to the core."
The silver lining, if any, was that it didn't seem to have regeneration abilities.
Even ruthless elves apparently had a shred of conscience.
Durability like that plus regeneration...
The mere thought was horrifying.
'Potions are running low, too.'
Yeon Sung-hun eyed his remaining stock and clicked his tongue briefly.
He'd handed some over to the guildmates earlier, so his supply was dwindling.
"Gotta make it count in one go...? Ha-na!"
Staring wistfully at the golem that wouldn't crumble from a single punch's worth of explosion, Yeon Sung-hun urgently called out to Lee Ha-na.
"Yes, Sung-hun!"
"Even a tiny crack will do! Wound it somehow! Start with the arm!"
He wasn't aiming to drop it in one shot.
To take down something that huge, they had to proceed step by step.
"Urk...!"
All Yeon Sung-hun wanted was a small wound at best, but even that wasn't easy.
A decent mana investment yielded just a scratch.
To make the kind of gash he envisioned, she'd have to pour in everything she had.
"Left arm first...!"
Downing a mana recovery potion, Lee Ha-na launched herself along the golem's mercilessly swinging fist.
Thanks to Yeon Sung-hun's potions and her new necklace, she wasn't overly fatigued—but the prior battles had still drained her considerably.
Even so, Lee Ha-na moved without betraying a hint of exhaustion.
The joint connecting arm and shoulder.
Reaching the golem's shoulder, Lee Ha-na raised her sword high.
Mana surged into her blade in an instant.
Unstable as it was, a faint 'sword aura' gathered at her blade's tip.
Sword aura was typically a technique for A-Rank Hunters at minimum.
For a mere B-Rank like her to pull it off was astonishing—but there was no time to gawk.
The golem twisted its body this way and that to shake her off.
Even in her precarious perch, Lee Ha-na steadfastly swung her sword.
Her full-force downward strike buried deep into the golem's shoulder.
The golem's violent thrashing prevented a follow-up, but she'd accomplished exactly what Yeon Sung-hun had asked.
Fierce winds whipped her hair wildly.
"Sung-hun!"
Her call went out.
Yeon Sung-hun was already airborne.
Just like her, he clambered up the golem's arm and swiftly reached its shoulder.
As if refusing to fall for the same trick twice, the golem thrust out its opposite arm—but it was too late by the time he arrived.
Yeon Sung-hun tossed a potion into the tiny gap Lee Ha-na had created.
Then he leaped away from the shoulder at once.
Kwaaaaang-!!
Several potions shattered together, unleashing a colossal explosion.
Debris erupted alongside it.
Yeon Sung-hun summoned his own golem to shield from the blast and flying wreckage.
It instantly morphed into a round shield, enveloping him.
Flung far by the explosion's shockwave along with his golem, Yeon Sung-hun quickly rose inside it.
"Kuh... ."
He'd avoided direct damage, but the golem's rigid, mineral composition made the impact from hitting the ground unavoidable.
Coughing once, Yeon Sung-hun peered through the settling dust at the massive golem hidden within.
One arm completely gone.
Before they could celebrate, the golem launched a fresh assault.
Booooung-
Its remaining arm brutishly targeted Lee Ha-na.
The fist pulverized several supporting pillars as it tore through the air.
"Ha-na!"
"Got it!"
Lee Ha-na responded calmly and climbed the golem's arm once more.
As before, she reached the shoulder and drove her sword in with all her might.
But this time, unlike before, Yeon Sung-hun couldn't immediately follow up.
The golem had given up on her and gone straight for him.
The cavern quaked from the heavy downward smash.
Rockfall tumbled from the ceiling.
Yeon Sung-hun, unsteady on his feet, grimaced fiercely.
"Tch... Take this, Ha-na!"
Abandoning a direct approach, he hurled the item bag from his back.
As adept as he was at tossing potions, it flew precisely toward Lee Ha-na.
She snatched it effortlessly and pulled out a potion right away.
Then chucked it into the gap she'd made.
Kwaaaang!
Another explosion rang out, and the golem finally lost both arms completely.
"...Should be easier now... ."
Yeon Sung-hun sighed in relief at the armless golem—but he had to urgently dodge right after.
It pressed the attack relentlessly, arms or no.
Its attack options were limited, true, but that bulky body was weapon enough on its own.
Yeon Sung-hun and Lee Ha-na struggled against the wildly rolling golem.
Kwagagang-
Yeon Sung-hun's last explosive potion detonated, and at last, the massive golem collapsed, drained of power.
Covered in scratches and caked in dust, Yeon Sung-hun and Lee Ha-na silently stared at it.
Congratulations. The Trial of Valor is now complete.
The statue's flat, emotionless voice prompted the pair to finally slump down in exhaustion.
Sighs of relief escaped them both.
"...What a ridiculous monster."
"...Yeah. If they told me to fight it again, I couldn't."
As they lamented, the statue's low voice resounded once more.
I shall grant the trial's reward.
As before, a brief flash later, a storage box appeared before them.
A quick glance at the statue showed it had lost its radiant glow, eyes closed in silence, just like the previous ones.
"Wonder what's inside."
"Let's open it."
No reason to hesitate, so they did.
A small bracelet lay within.
"Another accessory?"
"Hmm. Seems so."
"What does this one do? At least as good as the necklace, right?"
"Probably. We'd have to check closely, but..."
Yeon Sung-hun trailed off, carefully lifting the bracelet.
Like the other boxes and necklace, it bore elven ornamentation in an antique style.
Gazing at the softly glowing bracelet for a moment, Yeon Sung-hun let out a small exclamation.
"This is impressive stuff."
"Huh? Something special?"
Instead of words, Yeon Sung-hun slipped it on to demonstrate.
Click- Mana flowed through it once.
A small sparkle later, the bracelet transformed into a sword.
"Whoa... A transforming weapon?"
"Boosts physical abilities too, basically. No fancy extras, but the blade quality is top-notch. Pretty good."
"Worth all the hardship!"
Better than expected, apparently—even exhausted, Lee Ha-na beamed.
Yeon Sung-hun smiled faintly at her, then reverted the sword to bracelet form and offered it over.
"Huh...? Why give it to me?"
"You need it more than I do. You handle swords better."
"But... I already got one?"
She held up her necklace lightly, but Yeon Sung-hun shook his head.
"My current sword's plenty. You know it's a special product from our factory."
Indeed, Yeon Sung-hun's blade was top-of-the-line among guild gear.
Factory president Oh Young-taek had prepared it with extra care—nothing in the guild outclassed it, save Choi Yeon-ah's 'Da-ha' or Han So-yul's 'Stormbringer'.
"No physical boosts or anything, but it holds up otherwise. Gotta honor the gift, so I'll stick with mine."
Lee Ha-na hesitated briefly at his calm explanation, then nodded.
As a Hunter and swordmaster, she couldn't help being drawn to superior gear.
Slipping the bracelet on cautiously, it resized perfectly to her wrist.
Yeon Sung-hun grinned as she stared at it.
"Rest a bit, then head out?"
"Yeah... Just one left, right?"
"Probably."
"'Will'... What'll that be? Easier than this, at least."
"Dunno. Given the difficulty so far, not holding my breath."
"Mm... Hope the last one's a breeze."
With her quiet lament, they took a short break.
After some rest in the wrecked cavern, the pair hurried onward.
Quite some time had passed since splitting from the others—they couldn't dawdle.
They advanced silently down the straight passage.
"...Eerily quiet."
Just their footsteps echoing in the excessively still corridor.
No traps or monsters assaulted them, which only heightened the tension.
"...Yeah. Too quiet. Tch. A monster or two would've been better..."
Yeon Sung-hun clicked his tongue and spotted a massive door ahead.
Far larger than the previous iron gates, and even more ornate.
"...Looks like the finale... What awaits beyond... ."
Gulp- Lee Ha-na's swallow echoed starkly.
Pausing to eye the door quietly, Yeon Sung-hun spoke evenly.
"Breaching now. Ready?"
"Yes, I'm good."
Explosives were gone, remaining potions few—but they could still proceed.
Confirming her nod, Yeon Sung-hun opened the door.
Despite its heft, it swung smoothly.
Hwaaaaak────
Blinding light poured from the gap, overwhelming their vision.
Yeon Sung-hun squeezed his eyes shut reflexively.
"Faust! Faust!"
Noise ringing in his ears, Faust quietly opened his eyes.
A very familiar face swam into view.
Before his mind caught up, the name slipped out.
"Meph..."
"Oh! Faust! You're back with us? You scared the hell out of me when you just collapsed—"
"Where are we?"
Brushing off his friend's grip roughly, Faust scowled and scanned around.
A lush forest dense with verdant trees.
Mountain birds chirped distantly.
"Whoa. Lost your memories too while you were out? Hit your head? All you've got going for you is that brilliant brain! Don't tell me you've forgotten more..."
"Shut up, Meph."
Coldly cutting him off, Faust pressed his forehead against the lingering dizziness.
His muddled mind refused to settle.
Meph dropped the teasing, face turning serious.
"That bad?"
"Like downing four or five of those bomb shots you fed me last time."
"Oof. Serious condition, then."
Shaking his head lightly, Meph pressed on.
"So, amnesia? What's the last thing you remember?"
"...Pretty sure I was in some labyrinth."
"Labyrinth out of nowhere... Sounds more like a weird dream while you were out cold. Snap to it, Faust—the damn allied forces are right on our tail."
"...Allied forces?"
Meph clicked his tongue at Faust's faint frown.
"No way you've forgotten we're at war? That'd be bad."
"War... war? With who?"
"Those accursed kingdoms and republics!"
"Kingdoms and republics..."
Muttering softly, Faust winced at his throbbing head.
"You really okay? Nothing coming back?"
"No. I remember. So get your ugly mug outta my face."
Meph retreated from the rough shove, nodding lightly.
"Now that's the Faust I know."
Faust flipped him off quietly at the grin.
Ignoring the friendly gesture, Meph cleared his throat.
"Good to have your memories back. Their pursuit was closing in—we got separated from the rest."
Meph's steady voice cut off abruptly at a sudden noise.
Both faces hardened at the sound from beyond the dense woods.
"...Battle."
"Others got spotted? Faster than expected..."
Meph rubbed his chin thoughtfully, scowling.
Faust tsked at the familiar habit.
"Save the brooding."
"...Right. Thanks for the advice."
"Hmph. So, what now? Rescue them?"
Meph grinned instead of answering.
Faust hadn't really needed to ask.
He knew the answer anyway.
"Of course. They're loyal imperial subjects! As members of the royal family, it's our duty to protect them! Above all, they're our comrades!"
Faust tsked flatly at the bold proclamation.
"A prince marching into the meat grinder on his own two feet..."
"Haha. The 23rd prince has to do at least this much, yeah?"
"Wasn't it 43rd last time?"
"Our great emperor has inexhaustible vigor—I've got a ton of siblings! Order doesn't matter much!"
Meph laughed it off cheerfully and eyed Faust.
"So, you in?"
"Not backing out now."
"Always reliable! I'm counting on you!"
"...Tch. I'm an alchemist, not a knight."
Grumbling softly but saying no more, Faust followed.
Thus, the pair pushed through the forest toward the noise.