Magically Modified Golems (2)
"Wh-what?"
"She is smaller than me, after all. And she was born after me."
Unit 1 curled the corners of her lips into a faint smirk. For some reason, she had one hand resting on her chest, as if showing off her larger mana amplification organ.
Was she always like this? Right... She was strangely cocky even during her first test.
"There's a perfectly good word for that: 'little sister,'" I replied, scratching my head.
I didn't have much of a leg to stand on, considering I was the one who designed Unit 1 as the damage dealer and Unit 2 as the support.
That was when Unit 2 spoke up.
"If it is for Master's sake, I do not mind obeying the orders of another golem!"
"See? Even she agrees," Unit 1 said triumphantly.
Wait, isn't their AI a bit too good? Damn, this is creepy.
I knew I could control them with a single word, and that they would never harm me. But knowing that a casual flick of their wrists could send my fragile body flying made me absolutely terrified!
"K-Keep it down, both of you!"
At my timid shout, the golems flinched and hung their heads.
"My apologies."
"I-I didn't do anything! That blue-haired one started it—"
I stepped up to the bickering golems and pulled the cores straight out of their chests with both hands.
In an instant, both golems shut down like a cut power line. The magic circles engraved on their cores flickered into view like floating holograms.
Video recording has been completed.
Starting video recording.
Title: Brain-surgerying golems with way too much personality.avi
Since a few people on the forums had shown interest when I mentioned strengthening golems with multi-element magic, I figured I'd take this opportunity to record a video. It looked like I'd be working late into the night on this.
According to the new knowledge I gained upon acquiring Magic Modification, despite the grand name of "multi-element magic," a single golem could only be imbued with one elemental magic.
Fire was fire. Steel was steel. Under these constraints, the only way to utilize elemental synergy was to deploy multiple golems.
For example, if Unit 1 had the Fire attribute and Unit 2 had the Grass attribute, Unit 1's fire magic could react with Unit 2's grass magic to produce a much higher output.
Since I only have two golems, I'll only be able to use two attributes, though.
I hadn't noticed when I only had one, but now that there were two, my mind felt slightly congested. It seemed that increasing the number of golems beyond this at my current level would be pushing it.
I heard this could be resolved by simply leveling up or utilizing devices and systems that distribute golem control. But rather than blindly digging deeper into golem magic, I wanted to think it over a bit more.
Besides, I wanted to start keeping some spare experience points on hand just in case of unexpected emergencies.
"So, which attributes should I go with?"
A combination that would yield safe and efficient combat power with just two attributes...
If Unit 1's concept was high output, then Unit 2's concept was solid, stable endurance.
It would be best to give Unit 1 an attribute for offensive power, and Unit 2 one for defense and utility. But...
Fire is too dangerous.
With no firefighters left to put out fires, I worried that giving Unit 1 the Fire attribute might trigger an untimely, massive wildfire in the middle of the city.
So, the alternative I chose was the Water attribute.
Solid steel would serve as a tool to shape and direct the freely flowing water.
I'd seen in anime that water could be an incredible weapon if used correctly.
In my mind, I was already picturing Unit 1 firing a flashing, high-pressure water cannon, while Unit 2 held up a steel barrier to grind zombies to dust.
If mana reflected a person's intent, then carving the runes with these thoughts in mind might reflect in the finished golems.
And so, I engraved the Water attribute magic circle onto Unit 1, and the Steel attribute magic circle onto Unit 2.
Around those, I carved plenty of Runes of Strength to amplify their output.
On top of that, I didn't forget to add the Mana Absorption function to Unit 1 as well.
The auxiliary magic circle work took longer than expected. It was especially tedious because I couldn't just sketch them haphazardly like before.
Creating runes that bestowed attributes required Mana Dye infused with those specific elements.
Fortunately, I had the paints and brushes I'd scavenged while expanding my territory.
I used multi-element magic to generate water and iron filings, mixing them into the remaining Mana Dye.
Then, dipping my brush into the dye, I carefully drew the magic circles while channeling my mana.
Having lived my entire life with zero artistic talent, I struggled quite a bit.
But after wrestling with the two golems' cores for what felt like ages, the auxiliary magic circles were finally complete.
"Phew... Done."
Since the electricity was out, I had to work long after sunset, relying solely on the faint glow of mana.
By the time I finished everything, the day had completely slipped away, and the pitch-black hours of early morning had arrived.
Ugh...
What time was it? I checked the clock; it was 2:00 AM. I didn't have an ounce of energy left to run tests like before.
What is that necromancer zombie up to right now? It's been quiet outside for a while, which is actually a bit unsettling...
"I'm going to rest. Keep a close eye out and make sure nothing gets near." I reassembled the two golems and collapsed onto my bed.
"Understood."
"Leave it to me!"
Although I was usually a heavy sleeper and incredibly exhausted, sleep eluded me tonight.
What if something attacks? Will the golems be okay? Tossing and turning with those anxious thoughts, I eventually drifted off.
"...hey! Hey!"
Mmm...
A strange sound filtered through my sleep. At first, I ignored it, thinking it was just a dream.
Wait, didn't I once ignore a sound in my sleep and end up waking up right in the middle of Zombieland without being able to do a damn thing...?
A sudden wave of anxiety washed over me. I kicked off the blankets and bolted upright.
"Gah! *Pant, pant!*"
It was still the dead of night. My room was pitch-black. The remnants of my golem modification work and the pathway I'd cleared through the wall were exactly as I'd left them.
But the golems were gone.
"Y-You guys..."
A sense of dread crept in. It seemed the golems had tried to wake me, but when I didn't stir, they had taken the initiative and gone somewhere. Had something happened while I was asleep?
BOOM! Startled by a sudden explosion, I rushed to the window and looked down. There, I saw the handiwork of my golems.
A massive steel barricade had been erected, large enough to completely shield the entire first floor of the building.
Multi-element magic can be cast on this scale?
As I stared in awe at the sheer scale of the metal magic, which far exceeded my expectations—
BOOM! Another explosion echoed, this time from a bit further away.
The source of the noise was the golems locked in combat with the enemy.
In the middle of the pitch-black darkness, devoid of streetlights or building illumination,
I could clearly see the light of mana reflecting off Unit 1's pale skin.
Then, a high-pressure water jet shot out, piercing straight through a horde of zombies.
Thank goodness. They're working perfectly.
As I watched with bated breath, the chaotic sounds of howling zombies and heavy impacts echoed from behind the building.
It feels like something major just went down...
Perhaps because Unit 1 was firing water jets so furiously, streams of water were rushing down the road and draining into the sewers in the distance.
The sewers might even be damaged. Is this really going to be okay?
Forgetting all about sleep, I stood by the window, staring out into the barely visible darkness.
About two hours later, the golems returned to my room, wiping blood off their bodies.
Since golems couldn't bleed, it had to be the blood of the zombies.
To be so utterly drenched in someone else's blood... Had they really run into that magic-using zombie?
"Ah, Master. You are awake."
"What happened to you guys...?"
I pushed myself up against the blankets and sat on the edge of the bed.
"It was him."
"By 'him,' do you mean the necromancer zombie?"
The golems nodded.
"We did not encounter him directly. He remains hidden, controlling his zombies to scour the area and search for survivors."
Unit 1 was the one who explained the situation.
A horde of zombies controlled by the necromancer—dozens of them—had been tearing through the nearby buildings. Unfortunately, they had made their way right in front of the building I was in.
"It did not seem as though we were their specific target, but..."
She added that the zombies approaching them were far stronger and faster than normal ones, and their eyes glowed with a crimson light.
Since the main body never showed itself, it was highly likely he was hiding somewhere nearby, pulling the strings.
Is this guy the reason the government abandoned this city?
Hiding away while buffing his minions to wipe out the entire area... That's terrifying. Talk about unfair!
"For now, we have successfully repelled the ones approaching this vicinity. There do not appear to be any reinforcements on the way."
She proceeded to report on the battle—how they blocked the zombies, lured them away, and disposed of them.
"The Mana Absorption function proved highly useful. Although the efficiency is somewhat lacking, continuously absorbing and injecting the extracted Mana Cores during combat essentially provides an infinite supply of mana."
When extracting mana from living creatures using Mana Absorption, it didn't flow directly into the body but materialized as a Mana Core.
Consuming a Mana Core to recover mana wasn't very efficient for either humans or golems, so I felt it was a bit of a waste.
"Using that, we maintained our elemental magic, erected barriers to keep them at bay, and engaged them."
Ah, that makes sense.
A method of casting spells repeatedly while constantly regenerating. If they could cast large-scale magic that way, it wasn't a bad strategy at all.
"However, Master. Before their attacks grow any fiercer, should we not locate and eliminate the main body?"
Come to think of it, that was the real issue. We had stopped them for now, but...
By now, the enemy likely had a rough idea of our location and capabilities. Yet, I had no idea where they were hiding or exactly how strong they were.
Thanks to the golems' battle, my experience points had been refilled.
And with the guys in the forum clamoring for updates, I needed to figure something out, and fast.