Chapter 8: To the Elf Village
As I sprinted toward the village, sharp sounds of impact echoed around us several times.
Without a doubt, it was the sound of a massive crocodile-like golem attempting to breach the village walls.
I assumed the adventurers currently present were preparing to confront it, but facing such a monster without Freinir’s Divine Halo active was incredibly dangerous.
The village walls came into view. The main gate was shut tight, and several adventurers stood atop the watchtower, firing arrows and spells down at the approaching threat.
Boom! A loud crash was followed by a series of cracking sounds. This was bad; the wall had been breached.
I spotted one golem climbing over the crumbled wall, with another one following closely behind.
“Larni, lead the way and draw the attention of the one behind us!”
“Understood!”
Larni activated Swift Run, closing the distance of about 200 meters in an instant, slashing at the tail of the trailing golem. It seemed she had imbued her attack with fire magic, as the tail ignited dramatically for a brief moment.
GROOOOAR!
The injured golem turned its gaze toward us, having spotted our presence, and began to charge in our direction.
“I’ll hold it off. Freinir, cast Divine Halo, and Sfenia, unleash Stone Lance!”
“Got it!”
As I heard their responses, I charged straight at the golem. Based on my earlier experience, I felt confident I could handle it even without Divine Halo.
The golem lunged at me with its massive jaws. I dodged to the side and struck its snout with my mace, causing its upper jaw to explode, vanishing in a cloud of debris. It seemed its defense was rather low.
The golem, abandoning its bite, attempted to ram into me instead. Given the sheer weight difference, this was a far more troublesome attack.
I braced myself with my shield, but even with the Stability, Immovable, and Steel Core skills, I was still pushed back, sliding a few steps. On the bright side, taking a hit from a creature weighing two to three tons was manageable.
Suddenly, the surroundings were enveloped in light. At the same time, stone spears rained down upon the golem’s back.
GRAAAAH!
Letting out a pained roar, the golem halted its movements. Seizing the opportunity, I swung down with all my might at its head. Just like before, its cranium exploded, marking the defeat of one golem.
“Souji! We’re in trouble over here!”
Larni shouted. I turned to see another golem had entered the village, wreaking havoc as it smashed through houses. The screams of villagers and the shouts of adventurers filled the air.
“Larni, hold it back!”
“On it!”
Larni dashed forward again, slashing at the golem’s tail. However, it continued its relentless advance, seemingly fixated on its prey.
I sprinted with all my might. I felt like I was running at about five seconds per hundred meters, but it still felt slow. I wished I had the Swift Run skill.
“Take this!”
Larni struck at the golem’s hind legs, and it seemed to slow its advance.
But then, Larni was struck by the golem’s tail and sent flying. The moment I witnessed this, my vision turned red. A familiar, boiling sensation surged through me after a long time.
“Damn it! Let’s go!”
I shouted as I charged forward. The massive form of the golem loomed closer at an alarming rate.
First, I needed to deal with that cursed tail. I unleashed my Honshin skill, swinging my mace at blinding speed.
“YAAAAAH!”
The mace, transformed into a weapon of mass destruction through sheer force and velocity, began to obliterate the golem’s tail like a drill.
But I wasn’t done yet. Next, I targeted its rear, then its abdomen, and finally pulverized its chest. At that point, the golem finally ceased its movements. Of course, it was dead. Well, it had never truly been alive to begin with.
“Souji-sama, it’s all clear now!”
I heard Freinir’s voice from a distance. That’s right; it was over. Calm down, me. I needed to check on Larni.
“…Ah, I’m fine. But what about Larni?”
As I turned around, Larni popped up from the rubble.
“Ouch… Thank goodness for Impact Absorption.”
Now that I thought about it, she had acquired that skill. Perhaps it was a result of my Bad Luck skill as well. Regardless, seeing Larni safe made me breathe a sigh of relief.
“I’m sorry for putting you in danger.”
“That was my own carelessness. I had been doing so well that I got a bit too confident.”
“I see… Well, I might be guilty of the same.”
“We need to be more careful. By the way, were you worried about me?”
“Of course. You’re an important member of our team.”
“Hmph… But you were incredible back there, Souji. Was that also a skill?”
“Yeah, it seems so.”
As we conversed, Freinir and Sfenia arrived.
Freinir exclaimed, “I’m so glad…” and immediately hugged me. After patting her head, I asked Larni to cast Life Attribute Magic on her. She appeared unharmed, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
Meanwhile, I noticed Sfenia looking at me with slightly glistening eyes. Her pale cheeks seemed a bit flushed as well, perhaps surprised by the effects of my Excitement skill.
“Souji-san, you become a completely different person in battle, don’t you?”
“No, that was just the influence of the skill. It seems my abilities increase, but my demeanor becomes more aggressive as a result.”
“Such a skill exists… It was quite a shock to see you so different from your usual self.”
“To be honest, I’m surprised by it myself. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t find it frightening.”
“Oh, I’m not scared at all. It seemed like Larni being attacked was what triggered it.”
Sfenia’s words prompted a nod from Freinir.
“Souji-sama, you were just as furious when I was attacked. I believe it’s a reflection of your kindness.”
“No, I doubt it’s something that noble…”
After all, the first time it activated was when I was attacked. I understood what Freinir and Sfenia were trying to convey, but it didn’t feel like a particularly noble skill. However, if thinking positively about it would help them not be scared, then I was grateful for that.
As we continued our conversation, villagers and other adventurers began to gather around us. Some were poking and prodding at the golem’s corpse.
“What happened here?!”
After a while, the village chief, Goslit, arrived with several guards.
He surveyed the destroyed houses, walls, and the golem’s remains with a look of shock, then turned to us with an even more astonished expression.
“Souji-dono, and Sfenia-sama, what in the world is going on here?”
“I’m not sure. A massive Flesh Golem suddenly appeared and attacked the village. Fortunately, we managed to defeat it, but it may not be over yet.”
As Sfenia explained, the village chief’s expression shifted to one of realization, and he issued commands to the guards to remain vigilant.
Seeing this, Sfenia continued, “Chief, the fact that it was a golem means there’s a possibility someone is controlling it. I’ve never heard of such a large golem appearing naturally. We should investigate further.”
“Indeed. However, with a golem of this size, the number of individuals capable of controlling it is limited.”
The chief instructed the guards to apprehend anyone suspicious.
However, I was curious about the golem discussion, so I turned to Sfenia for clarification.
“I thought golems appeared normally in dungeons, but is that not the case?”
“Yes. Golems are artificially created beings, so typically, there is someone who made or controls them.”
“Are there many people who can create golems?”
“Well, yes. Those who have studied the specialized field of Alchemy can create them. However, alchemists are only produced in the royal capital’s academy. It’s said that only about twenty graduates from the Alchemy Department emerge each year, so they’re not that common. I’ve also heard that the cursed nation of Oz is known for using golems, but since we have no diplomatic relations with them, the details remain unclear.”
Ah, there it was again—the mention of Oz. According to the receptionist, Lady Miran, it was referred to as a “cursed nation,” and it certainly seemed to fit the bill.
As we continued our discussion, Lady Miran and other staff members from the Adventurers’ Guild gathered, beginning to investigate and dismantle the golem. I watched as a dismantling specialist extracted a magic stone the size of a volleyball and loaded it onto a cart. It seemed that large monsters produced correspondingly large magic stones.
Suddenly, there was a commotion at the village gate.
One of the guards rushed over to the chief, saying, “We’ve apprehended a suspicious individual. They appear to be an adventurer, but it seems they possess a magical tool for summoning the Undead…”
Before long, surrounded by several guards, a single person was brought forward.
“I know nothing of such golems. I have never seen that tool before. Ask my party members, and my innocence will be made clear!”
Despite being prodded with a spear, the individual insisted in a peculiar manner of speaking. It was the girl in a priestess outfit I had seen at the Adventurers’ Guild the other day… an adventurer from the cursed nation of Oz.