Into the Golden Palace

Two full days had passed since the golem, Myeolgeop, successfully conquered a Legendary-grade ruin.

Ever since the news broke, the media and online communities had been in an absolute frenzy, the uproar burning without a single moment's pause. Was this pandemonium confined to South Korea? Not in the slightest. The world's preeminent hunter superpowers—the United States, China, Russia, and the European Union—were all in a state of sheer uproar. With only about twenty Legendary-grade ruins appearing in the first place, losing one right out of the gate to South Korea was a bitter pill to swallow.

Some might wonder what all the fuss was about when twenty of those ruins materialized every month anyway. But that perspective couldn't be more wrong. Wealth was always better in abundance, and the same held true for ruins. Furthermore, these weren't ordinary assets; they were veritable treasure vaults brimming with rare resources directly tied to national power. Over two hundred nations across the globe were vying for them, yet the highest-tier ruins unveiled this month numbered barely twenty. It would have been far stranger if they weren't tearing at each other's throats to claim one.

Ignorant of the true circumstances behind the sudden conquest, foreign superpowers were reportedly rushing their raid schedules in a frantic bid to secure the remaining Legendary ruins before any more were snatched away.

“……”

Sitting right at the epicenter of this global storm, Jeon Jaewoo turned his head and stared blankly at his golem.

“Did you… really do this all on your own?”

One glance at his status window made the truth undeniable, so why did he keep asking? He couldn't help it. The sheer absurdity of the situation made it impossible for reality to fully sink in.

“No, but why on earth did you pick a Legendary ruin of all things?”

Ah. Right. Come to think of it, he hadn't given the golem a specific destination. Still, who would have dreamed it would plunge straight into the highest available tier? Thanks to that logical calculation, every eye on the planet was locked onto them.

Two centuries had passed since ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mana, monstrous beasts, and awakened hunters first emerged on Earth. Then, several decades ago, extradimensional ruins began manifesting as well. To this day, no one truly understood who was responsible for creating mana or the ruins. At best, humanity could only surmise that some higher-dimensional, cosmic existence was pulling the strings.

Regardless of their origins, what mattered was that every month, new ruins harboring unfathomable resources emerged across the world. Deep within slept peerless treasures and reserves so valuable that ordinary natural resources couldn't hold a candle to them.

The ruins were categorized into distinct tiers: Mythic, Ancient, Legendary, Rare, and Normal. Naturally, higher-grade ruins yielded far superior rewards. Anyone capable of manipulating mana could attempt an expedition, and whoever achieved a one-hundred-percent exploration rate first became the absolute master of that ruin. Once cleared, entry was granted solely at the owner's discretion. In this new era, owning a ruin was synonymous with absolute influence and sovereign authority, making it obvious why every soul on Earth coveted them.

From strategic strongholds to minor resource nodes, the total number of ruins discovered so far easily surpassed three million worldwide. Yet, as established, these ruins did not physically occupy terrestrial land; they existed in separate pocket dimensions accessible only to awakened ability users.

Each month brought an influx of thousands of Normal-grade ruins and hundreds of Rare ones. Alongside them came roughly twenty Legendary-grade ruins, and, on average, a single Ancient-grade ruin. The apex classification—Mythic grade—appeared perhaps once a year, making it an extraordinary anomaly. This month, not a single Ancient-grade ruin had surfaced, leaving the twenty-odd Legendary ruins at the pinnacle of the monthly pool.

Yet the very moment one of those Legendary ruins opened, someone in South Korea cleared it almost instantly. Just like that, an individual South Korean citizen had laid claim to one of the rarest prizes in existence.

“……”

As Jaewoo stood dazed in disbelief, the golem generated another floating notification window.

Jaewoo shook his head and waved his hands.

“No, you didn't do anything wrong. I should have explained things more clearly from the start…”

Far from making a mistake, Myeolgeop had handed a jobless bum a sovereign-class treasure vault on a silver platter, propelling him into unimaginable wealth overnight. Nothing about the golem's actions violated civil law or the Ruin System's mandates.

The real issue was that, right after awakening, he had practically paraded his overwhelming power before the entire world. The glare of international attention was blinding.

“Ugh… will this really be okay?”

A knot of dread tightened in his stomach. What if government agencies or foreign covert operatives tracked him down and threatened his life to surrender the ruin? An ordinary civilian suddenly stumbling upon miraculous power or astronomical wealth, only to be crushed under the suffocating pressure of surrounding predators—it was an all-too-familiar cliché.

Right then, the golem—or rather, Myeolgeop—typed rapidly on its mechanical interface, prompting another message.

Telling him not to worry didn't magically make the anxiety vanish. Wait, can this construct read minds?

“……”

Jaewoo's eyes widened.

Oh, that's right. This guy soloed a Legendary-grade ruin.

Conquering a ruin was far beyond the scope of ordinary strength. Conquering even a standard Normal or Rare ruin required dozens, if not hundreds, of seasoned A-grade and B-grade hunters pooling their might in organized raid forces. Yet this golem had waltzed into a Legendary-grade ruin and neutralized it single-handedly in under an hour. Its martial prowess was monstrous by default.

Just how strong is he? Jaewoo wondered. Could he be more powerful than any active hunter on Earth?

“Hey, Myeolgeop. Exactly how strong are you?”

Jaewoo still had no reference point for whatever ancient war Myeolgeop was talking about, but one thing was crystal clear: the golem was an absurdly lethal weapon. Still, hearing it described in cold mechanical ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠statements didn't provide a tangible sense of its might.

“Could I watch you fight in person this time? Let's enter a ruin together.”

Look at that. Such an obedient golem.

To witness its prowess firsthand, they needed to visit a ruin. There were ordinary monster dungeons nearby, but they crawled with personnel, and Jaewoo had zero interest in inviting unwanted scrutiny. An extradimensional ruin where he could operate in complete privacy was far superior.

Come to think of it, this would be his very first time stepping foot inside one.

Jaewoo focused his mind and channeled his internal mana.

Wuuuung—

Right, so this is how it's done.

People often said that awakening unlocked an innate understanding of how to interface with the Ruin System. Experiencing it now, he realized the rumors hadn't exaggerated. A clean interface materialized directly before his eyes.

Good grief. He didn't need to mess with ominous names under the Mythic or Ancient tiers. Naturally, Legendary ruins were off the table as well. For his inaugural run, a safe and modest Normal-grade ruin would suffice.

Jaewoo took a steadying breath and made his selection.

Flash!

A burst of light enveloped them, and in the blink of an eye, both Jaewoo and the mechanical golem vanished from the modest studio apartment.

Space distorted, depositing Jaewoo and Myeolgeop inside the heart of the ruin.

Jaewoo swallowed dryly, his breath hitching as a completely alien landscape unfolded before him. Ahead stood a massive palace whose entire structure shimmered with the radiant luster of pure gold.

So this is a ruin…

While it might not have been dizzyingly colossal, its resplendent grandeur was undeniable. Every surface caught the light, gleaming with polished brilliance. The internal structure and aesthetic of ruins varied wildly depending on their classification; this particular one, despite being a bottom-tier Normal grade, boasted an architectural opulence that rivaled mythical tales. He had heard rumors that certain temples or palaces inside ruins were embedded with veins of rough diamond, and seeing this, he could easily believe it.

To avoid stirring up further international gossip, Jaewoo had deliberately passed over the newly materialized ruins of this month, picking an uncleared backlog site from previous cycles instead. Millions of ruins had manifested over the decades, and humanity certainly hadn't cleared every single one, leaving a vast reservoir untouched.

Even so, stepping inside the lowest classification sent a prickle of atmospheric pressure against his skin.

I may have awakened a Transcendent-grade trait, but it's not like I have direct combat skills of my own…

To think Myeolgeop had conquered an environment radiating this kind of aura completely alone—and a Legendary one, two entire ranks higher, no less.

Whether conscious of his master's inner turmoil or not, Myeolgeop readied its limbs and stepped forward.

“H-Hey, wait for me!”

Left by himself in this eerie place, Jaewoo would have had a panic attack. The solitary hunter and his towering mechanical summon strode into the palace depths.

The interior was blinding. Walls, ceilings, chandeliers, and marble-smooth flagstones were all forged from immaculate, unblemished gold. The yellow gleam was so intense that keeping his eyes wide open proved difficult. If the mythical city of El Dorado truly existed, it surely looked like this.

Just prying off a single loose brick would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠make a man set for life…

Jaewoo could finally understand why governments and conglomerates went utterly berserk over ruin rights. However, the fundamental rule of ruins was absolute: not a single speck of treasure could be harvested until the exploration was fully completed.

As they ventured deeper, Jaewoo caught movement along the corridor.

“Grrrr…”

Diminutive silhouettes scurried along the gold-plated pillars. Brandishing iron pickaxes, the small creatures relentlessly chipped away at the shimmering walls.

They were monsters—goblins.

Whoa. Actual, live-action goblins.

Having only awakened recently, this was Jaewoo's very first time seeing authentic monsters in the flesh. A system notification flared in his peripheral vision, detailing the objective required to claim the territory.

Jaewoo's jaw dropped.

“T-Three thousand?!”

Ruins were never designed for solo endeavors. In Earth's standard dungeons, hunters could cull as many beasts as they liked before withdrawing at their leisure. Conquering a ruin, however, demanded thorough cooperative warfare. Large-scale raid forces were mandatory, requiring rigorous strategic preparation to clear every requirement.

…Now I finally see why people team up.

Granted, as a Normal-grade ruin, the targets ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were bottom-tier goblins. But even the weakest monster was still a lethal beast to an ordinary person. Forcing a hunter to exterminate three thousand of them was absurd. Activating offensive traits burned through mana rapidly; no matter how skilled a hunter was, facing such a relentless swarm would exhaust their reserves, leaving them helpless prey for the mob. On top of that, tracking down three thousand individual creatures across an expansive, labyrinthine palace was an ordeal that days of continuous hunting could barely resolve.

Apprehensive, Jaewoo glanced over at the golem beside him.

Could Myeolgeop truly slaughter such an overwhelming horde all by himself?

The mechanical construct, however, seemed entirely unfazed by the number.

Ruuuumble!

A deep resonance shook the air as Myeolgeop gathered concentrated mana into its frame. Striding into the golden hall, it projected a final message.