Chapter 135: The Call of Tolvern (6)
Fwooosh!
Sa-hyeok flew through the forest at high speed.
Most of the trees in the forest were giant trees that were rarely seen in Korea.
As he flew, Sa-hyeok said,
“The golems are surprisingly organized.”
[Organized?]
“Remember the golem that threw rocks at the helicopter we were riding in when we flew over the Iksan quarry?”
[Ah, that guy.]
“Polar-ssi called it a ‘sentry.’ And she said that there were secret entrances that they used.”
[Aha…… So they have a system in place to distinguish between sentries and regular combat soldiers.]
“And those four golems we saw earlier, the ones that crossed the bridge, they were definitely acting as a vanguard. They must have been dispatched to assess the situation.”
[Well, if they were mindless and just charged in, there wouldn’t have been just four of them. They would have all come swarming.]
“The one that ran away probably didn’t run away because it was afraid of me. It must have had a role to play as well.”
[Then its role is……]
“I’m guessing, but maybe it’s a messenger.”
[A messenger……!]
A messenger, a role responsible for transmitting information between divided groups.
“If it’s a messenger, it’ll definitely go back to its main base, report its defeat, and relay information about me.”
[That means…… if we follow it, we can find the location of their main base!]
“More precisely, we can find the entrance to their main base.”
Actually, he already knew where the golem’s main base was.
Deep underground, beneath his feet.
This is because golems build their temples underground.
So, theoretically, to enter the main base, you could just dig straight into the ground.
The problem was that it was an incredibly inefficient thing to do.
Of course, he had entered the Iksan quarry dungeon this way.
However, that was only possible because the Earth Sorcerers had scanned the area and found a place where the ground was thin.
In other words, it wasn’t a good method for Sa-hyeok to use right now.
[But do you know where that runaway golem went, Hyeong-nim?]
“No. It’s not even on the detection.”
In a place like this, where trees are dense, the range of telekinetic detection is reduced.
This is because there are so many natural objects that interfere with the emission of waves.
[Huh? Then how are you going to track it?]
“I have a way.”
Sa-hyeok held out his left hand.
On his left hand was the Lightning Ring.
Sa-hyeok made a small spark flow from the Lightning Ring.
Crackle……
Normally, it should have scattered in a fan shape.
But now it was different.
This is because the sparks gathered in a line and stretched out, pointing in a specific direction.
Like a compass.
[Hyeong-nim, did you by any chance…… to that runaway guy……!]
“Yeah. I stuck a Thunderbolt Needle in it.”
Thunderbolt Needles are objects that have their conductivity maximized during the manufacturing process.
Therefore, they have the property of attracting surrounding electricity like a lightning rod.
Because of this, the electricity Sa-hyeok released flows towards where the Thunderbolt Needle is.
And right now, the Thunderbolt Needle is stuck in the back of the escaped golem.
The direction this spark is pointing to is the location of that golem.
Fwooosh!
Sa-hyeok flew towards where it was.
He gradually got closer and closer to where it was.
And-
“Found it.”
He finally detected the golem with his telekinesis.
And the timing was good.
It was the moment the golem had just opened the door to the entrance.
The moment it stepped inside the door.
Sa-hyeok drastically increased the output of the Lightning Ring.
Crackle!!
Lightning struck the golem’s back.
The electricity traveled through the Thunderbolt Needle stuck in its back and penetrated into its body.
The sharp electricity tore and ripped the golem from the inside.
And-
Thud!!
The golem’s body shattered into pieces.
Steaming pieces of metal scattered in all directions.
The seed also fell to the ground.
C*ack!
Sa-hyeok crushed the seed by stabbing it with the Thunderbolt Needle he had stuck in the golem.
“The electrical damage is working properly. Well, I guess that’s only natural.”
Sa-hyeok stood in front of the entrance.
As it was a place where golems over 4 meters tall passed through, the diameter of the entrance was quite large.
“Hoo……*
A cool, earthy smell wafted up from the ground.
The passage was completely unorganized, literally in its original earthen state.
“Let’s go.”
Sa-hyeok walked down into the ground through the entrance.
The inside was pitch black.
Of course, that wasn’t a problem for Sa-hyeok.
It would have been more convenient if there was light, though.
‘The width of the path is about 3 meters, and the height is a little less than 5 meters.’
It was just the right width and height for one or two golems to pass through.
‘If it’s a path like this, even if I encounter a golem while going in, it’ll be a forced one-on-one situation. Then……’
Sa-hyeok took out an artifact from the case and grasped it.
A spear-shaped artifact,
A spear that extends and contracts according to the user’s will.
It was a very versatile weapon because the form of its extension could be freely controlled.
In addition, it was effective in one-on-one combat because it was basically a single-point striking weapon.
It was the optimal weapon for a narrow path like this.
How long did he walk?
The bumpy earthen tunnel had changed into a smoothly organized corridor.
And.
“There it is.”
[A golem?]
“Yeah.”
One golem was detected inside the corridor.
It hadn’t noticed Sa-hyeok’s intrusion yet.
Sa-hyeok immediately extended the spear and launched a preemptive attack.
The tip of the spear flew in at a terrifying speed.
Thud!
The tip of the spear pierced through the golem’s weak point in an instant.
He didn’t stop there and sent electricity flowing through the spear.
Crackle!
As before, the electricity pierced and shattered the golem’s insides.
He also made sure to crush the seed that popped out.
Thud!
Thud!!
In this way, Sa-hyeok continued forward, killing the golems he encountered along the way.
He would pierce them with the spear from outside their detection range and crush them.
Soon the corridor ended, and Sa-hyeok entered a large open space.
A vast plain that spread out underground.
The distance from the ground to the ceiling was also incredibly far.
And……
Rumble-
A massive army of golems was there.
Sa-hyeok used his telekinesis to gauge their numbers.
However, this open space was so vast that he couldn’t detect the entire area.
That meant there could be more golems outside his detection range.
But even just counting the ones he could detect……
‘Roughly 500.’
It was an overwhelming number.
“Well, good. They’re all gathered together, making them easy to k*ll.”
Sa-hyeok put Kazin’s Assassin Spear back in its case.
This spear wasn’t very suitable for the one-on-many battle that would unfold in this vast space.
‘Let’s see, a weapon that can attack multiple targets……’
There were two.
However, Balta’s Greatsword was a weapon that scattered fragments of its blade.
It wasn’t very suitable for these large and sturdy opponents.
“Alright, let’s use this one more time.”
Sa-hyeok drew Shadelin’s Shadow Sword.
Thud, thud, thud, thud-
At that moment, the golems that had noticed Sa-hyeok’s presence started to swarm.
Sa-hyeok quickly surveyed his surroundings again.
‘Are there any objects I can pick up with my telekinesis and use as weapons?’
None.
‘Is the area wide enough?’
It’s incredibly wide.
‘Is air flowing in from outside?’
He couldn’t pinpoint exactly where, but there was definitely wind coming in from various places.
And-
‘Above all, there are no allies here who will be caught in my wide-area attack.’
The calculations were complete.
The fact that it was wide enough meant there was nothing to obstruct his wide-area attacks.
The fact that air was continuously flowing in from outside meant there was no chance of oxygen depletion.
In other words, there was no chance of dying from lack of oxygen due to his fire magic.
Perfect.
Flare-
Crackle!
Sparks flew from his left hand, and fire from his right.
The Flame Ring and the Lightning Ring activated simultaneously.
“This is the first time I’ve used these two at the same time.”
Whoosh!!
Crackle!!
The flames that erupted split and coalesced into dozens of fireballs.
The wildly spreading electricity was refined into dozens of blue spears, embroidering the air.
Fireballs and lightning spears.
“Let the battle begin.”
The battle had begun.
The eerie light of fire and lightning split the darkness.
Boom!!
Fire and lightning struck the golem army.
Fireballs exploded from all directions, and the exploding lightning spears scattered intense sparks everywhere.
The golems’ bodies began to glow red, and small cracks began to spread across their surfaces.
Their weak points began to spread across their hard bodies.
And on top of that-
Thud!
Dozens of black swords pierced and penetrated.
Replica swords created by Shadelin’s Shadow Sword.
Thud!
Sa-hyeok twisted the embedded swords with his telekinesis, shattering the golems.
Weakening them with fire and lightning, then piercing their weak points to destroy them.
It was the same strategy as before, just on a much larger scale.
In fact, this was a strategy that other Hunters could also imitate.
They could just mobilize Flame Sorcerers, Lightning Sorcerers, and martial artists who wield projectile weapons.
Then why was it impossible for them, but possible for Sa-hyeok?
The difference was simple.
Power.
The magic of other Hunters wasn’t strong enough to weaken the metal golems, and they weren’t fast enough to pierce the weakened points.
Above all, the weapons they wielded weren’t strong enough to pierce and shatter the golems.
However, Sa-hyeok far surpassed the Hunters in all of these aspects.
His unique constitution allowed him to pour mana endlessly without depletion.
The overwhelming performance of his artifacts converted all of that poured mana into lightning and flames without overloading.
And the power of his telekinesis, which could launch projectiles faster than bullets.
On top of that, he had recently gained the power to enhance those projectiles.
Faced with the collaboration of all these elements, the golems crumbled and died like cookies.
The golems were literally facing a disaster.
Lightning and flames pouring down from above, and blades piercing and penetrating their core.
What else could this be but a disaster?
C*ack!
Sa-hyeok crushed the last golem seed under his foot.
Annihilation.
There were no more living golems in this place.
Flames flickered where the golems had fallen and lay scattered.
The flames that had sprung up here and there briefly illuminated the dark open space.
And Sa-hyeok stood in the midst of those flames.
[……Is it over?]
“For now.”
Rumble-
Sa-hyeok gathered the scattered pieces of metal and created a chair to sit on.
The fact that he created a place to sit as soon as the battle was over meant he was quite exhausted.
Sa-hyeok sat on it and drank Mandrake Bile.
B*ng-ul-i complained.
[Hey, if you’re tired, you should drink a health potion first. Why are you going straight for the stimulant?]
“The battle isn’t over yet. I need to keep my mind sharp.”
[Didn’t you k*ll them all?]
“We haven’t caught the boss yet.”
[Ah.]
Sa-hyeok put away the stimulant, took out a health potion, and drank it as he slowly walked deeper into the dungeon.
He walked for a long time, but no more golems appeared.
Something was strange.
Could it be that the golems he had just killed were all the golems in this place……?
“Then something’s not right.”
[What do you mean?]
“Think about it, even the golems in the Iksan quarry, which had been generated for only a few days, numbered well over 500. But I just killed 500 golems here. Isn’t that strange?”
[Well, it’s the same, why?]
“It shouldn’t be the same. This place has been generating golems for over a year. There should be many more golems.”
[Ah……?!]
After a moment of thought, B*ng-ul-i suggested a possibility.
[Could it be because all the golems here are ‘metal’ golems? No matter how much iron ore is buried here, there’s a limit to the amount. In the case of the granite quarry, there was a lot of material because the entire ground was granite.]
“Hmm……”
[Or, the ones we encountered might just be a part of the golems on this entire island.]
“Or……”
Sa-hyeok trailed off.
This was because a possibility he didn’t want to imagine had come to mind.
[Or what, Hyeong-nim?]
“……The golems might have escaped from this island.”
