“We will participate in the subjugation festival. We will defeat the gem Golem.”
When Ur and Shizuku their intention, Nana, their senior adventurer, neither opposed nor supported them. Understandably, she was their senior but not their guardian.
However, she was worried.
Clinging to that hellish training ground, continuing to dive into the labyrinth at a ridiculous frequency, and then suddenly aiming for a bounty target after just a month as adventurers. Of course, she worried.
Even so, she couldn’t stop their choices. That would be overprotective. So, she participated in the festival as a supporter, ready to help them in case of emergency.
And she wasn’t the only one thinking that way. Several regular adventurers from the safe place participated too. Though they all claimed it was for extra cash, they kept a worried eye on Ur and Shizuku. Despite it being a thankless job, Nana smiled wryly at their kindness.
[ROAAAAAR!!!!]
“—!!!”
And all those warm, comforting feelings were blown away by the scorching beam emitted by the rampaging gem Golem.
Ur and Shizuku were thrown into a hellish situation with no room for friendly help among comrades.
“Why are those kids in such a hellish mess!?”
“I don’t know!!! It’s a Golem, even if it’s a variant! Its aggressiveness should be low!!”
“Is that kind of rampage even possible!? Someone stop it!!”
The supporters from the safe place screamed. Even the cooperating adventurers from the guild were astonished by the situation.
A Golem’s rampage is rarely triggered. The basic strategy is to avoid such a scenario. In a way, even for seasoned adventurers, this sight was unprecedented. No one had imagined it would go so berserk, far from its original nature.
“Shouldn’t we stop it already!?” Nana prepared to draw her sword.
“Hey, supporters, don’t act on your own.”
But a man blocked their way, stopping them.
“Don’t interfere in a fight that’s not over yet.”
It was none other than Glen, the head of the training ground and their mentor.
“Rogue instructor! Are you telling us to leave this alone!?”
“Huh? Nana, it’s been a while. What, are you participating in the festival too?”
“I’m a supporter! And you should be stopping this!! Your students might die!!”
“They might. They’re fighting a bounty target, after all.”
She wanted to call him a heartless bastard, but Glen pointed at the battlefield.
“……….!!!”
Ur emerged from the dust. He was still fighting the gem Golem. Behind him, Shizuku was starting another magic chant.
“Don’t give up on them just yet.”
On the brink, they were still fighting. Nana clenched her fist, grasping for her sword. As frustrating as it was, Glen’s words were true. She couldn’t crush their challenge, fought with their lives on the line. But…
“Can they win?”
“Who knows. It’s up to them.”
“What do you think their chances are?”
Glen, looking annoyed, tilted his head and gazed at the battlefield. Ur, dirty and bloody, was still running. Shizuku, supporting him with cold sweat dripping. He watched them fighting against the gem Golem, then snorted.
“Fifty-fifty.”
“That high…?”
To Nana, the gem Golem’s movements were astonishing.
The Golem’s rank was ten, but its rampage made it clearly higher. Fighting in such an enclosed space was insane. She understood why other adventurers had fled. Even a skilled fighter like Nana wouldn’t want to fight under these conditions.
Ur and Shizuku must have prepared thoroughly. They were using various tools to maintain the situation, but how long could they last?
“A monster forcibly drawing out more power than usual can’t stay normal.”
“Normal…”
Nana re-examined the gem Golem upon Glen’s words. And she noticed.
“It’s self-destructing…?”
A large crack ran through the Golem’s arm. It wasn’t just a surface crack from Ur and Shizuku’s attacks. It was deep and large.
“The magic in the labyrinth prevents it from running out of power, but it doesn’t heal damage.”
The Golem’s excessive power was destroying itself. With every attack, the cracks grew larger.
“If everything just powered up, it wouldn’t be called a ‘rampage.’ It won’t last long.”
“Then why is it fifty-fifty?”
Danji, watching with her, asked. Indeed, Ur and Shizuku was maintaining the situation. If they could keep it up, they might outlast the Golem’s self-destruction.
“They’re walking a tightrope, one slip means death. There’s no do-over.”
In such an extreme situation, experience and training are crucial.
Even injured and exhausted, their bodies move reflexively from bloody repetition.
By overcoming similar situations, they gain mental toughness.
“But they don’t have that.”
Ur didn’t have outstanding talent or the time to build up his efforts.
Shizuku had special talent, but like Ur, she hadn’t had the time to nurture it.
“They’re barely holding on thanks to their preparation, but will they last until the end… it’s doubtful.”
“Even so, you won’t stop them? They might die.”
Nana asked, and Glen affirmed it was obvious.
“They’re about to face hell. If they stumble at the entrance, that’s it.”
Glen’s words were relentlessly cold and ruthless, but also unassailably true.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
“Found it, the magic core…!!”
Unaware of such evaluations, Ur was desperately finding a way to turn the situation around.
He had discovered the heart of the gem Golem, the magic core.
Earlier, Ur saw it amidst the “roar” of the gem Golem. Deep within the transformed Golem’s head and throat, the shining magic core was visible. The Dragon Fang Spear’s magic charge would soon be complete. If he could strike at that throat, victory should be within reach.
However, there was a concern—
“[GAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!]”
“Wha!?!!”
Simply put, his body was nearing its limit.
Since earlier, Ur’s movements had noticeably slowed. He realized his limits were almost reached. The footsteps of defeat and death were closing in.
“Ugh…!”
It was painful, agonizing, unbearable! Ur swallowed the impending weakness creeping up to his throat. He knew that if he voiced it, he wouldn’t be able to endure anymore.
“…………!!”
“Don’t come out, Shizuku!”
He shouted towards Shizuku behind him. Ur could imagine the look on her face as he fell apart. If it were her, enduring his own injuries would probably be much easier.
Before Shizuku couldn’t bear it and leaped out, Ur jumped out first.
“[AAAAAAAAAAGAAAAAAGA!!!]”
He gathered strength in his trembling legs, kicked the ground, evading the fist. And then, he swung the Dragon Fang Spear towards the gigantic fist that swung aimlessly.
“Daaaaarrrraaaa!!!”
The moment that attack struck, the gem Golem’s arm shattered into pieces.
“[GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!?]”
“Wha!?”
Ur had overestimated the gem Golem.
An enemy that had chased them relentlessly time and time again. No matter how many attacks he repeated, the gem Golem, which hadn’t received a single scratch, had become much larger in Ur’s mind than in reality.
They hadn’t realized that they had driven the gem Golem much further than they had thought.
“Ur sama!!!”
And so, unexpectedly, the turn of events shook Ur’s spirit. The spear he thought would rebound was swung out, and his posture crumbled. It became a fatal opening.
“[GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!]”
Aiming for Ur’s body, the gem Golem mowed Ur down with its remaining arm.
Dead!?
When Ur was blown away like a scrap of paper and slammed against the wall, everyone thought so. The sight of Ur, covered in blood, sinking weakly to the ground was enough to imagine the inevitable worst.
“Ur!!”
“Look. You still have to keep training. Don’t slip up in a situation like this.”
Nana screamed as well. Only Glen remained calm and explained the situation in detail.
“You’re being nonchalant! Your disciple just got minced!?”
From Nana’s perspective, the blow Ur took was clearly fatal. They should rush to get medical treatment right away, though it was doubtful if they would make it in time.
“That was just a strike delivered with the left arm that remained after the right arm broke.”
However, Glen remained composed.
“He had a protective talisman for shock resistance, so he won’t die.”
Maybe a bone or two was broken. Glen added. If so, it meant that the state of the renewed attack was indeed irreparable. And if attacked by a Golem in that state, it was certain to lose its life.
“It’s already impossible! I’m going to help!! Is it alright, Cordal-san!!”
“Hmm……”
Rather than Glen, Nana asked Cordal, who was watching the situation beside him. Cordal seemed somewhat troubled, but did not try to stop Nana and the others from acting. Taking that as consent, Nana ran to the grand hall—before being grabbed by the collar by Glen.
“What are you doing!!!?”
“Don’t interfere with those guys.”
Glen glared at Nana. There was enough weight in his gaze to make Nana and her companions involuntarily fall silent.
“It’s not over yet.”
At the end of Glen’s gaze was Shizuku rushing towards Ur, who was sinking in a sea of blood.
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