The Sand Golem slowly shifted its stance and turned toward us.
Clad in a massive sword and shield, its imposing frame looked like the grim reaper itself.
So even a Sand Golem — famous for being nothing more than cannon fodder Phantoms — gained truly fearsome power once it became a boss. If that colossal body simply fell on me, I'd be pancaked flat. The Barrier Ring was not invincible.
Why was it always like this with me…
Despair came second to sheer exasperation. Looking back, ever since I'd become a Hunter, nothing but miserable experiences awaited me.
Like the time a Treasure Hall had randomly appeared during a flower-viewing trip — I thought I was going to die. Well, some weird pollen had knocked me unconscious right away, so when I woke up it was all over.
The Golem casually lifted its sword. The pitch-black blade eclipsed the moon.
And then, almost as if to intimidate us, it brought the sword crashing down into the ground.
A tremendous wall of air slammed into me and Liz. A deafening roar — as though the world itself were crumbling — hammered through my entire body.
Without even being hit, one of my Barrier Rings activated on its own. This was bad.
I should have had someone charge up the Dark Wings of the Night before coming, even if it meant hiring a professional.
It was supposed to be a simple Treasure Hall, and with Liz here, I'd let my guard down.
Liz was frowning, hands pressed over her ears. She stood in front of me and should have taken the full brunt of the shock head-on, yet her posture didn't waver even slightly.
She muttered under her breath.
"Tch. Output's too high… Can't tank it, huh? New model? It's not a Phantom, is it… Akasha? As usual, they've gone and made something annoying—"
What was Akasha? Was that the Golem's name?
The giant Sand Golem placed a hand on its cylindrical head and bent its legs hard. The motion was so eerily human-like that I involuntarily took a step back.
And then — the sky suddenly went dark.
The massive Golem had launched itself into the air, completely blotting out the moon. Its silhouette suggested something lumbering, yet the leap was impossibly nimble.
While I stood there dumbfounded, the Golem landed roughly ten meters in front of us.
It was like a meteor had come crashing down. The sheer presence of the monster that had appeared out of nowhere left my mind paralyzed.
I wanted to pat myself on the back for still being on my feet.
Under the moonlight, its full form became clear. Just as Liz had said, the Sand Golem's entire body was encased in what looked like metallic armor. At a glance it didn't resemble a Golem at all — more like a heavily armored knight from head to toe.
The only difference was the size. Even compared to me — a grown man — it was roughly twice as tall, let alone next to petite Liz, who was small even for a woman.
I'd seen a few Golems before, but this was the first time I'd encountered one this massive.
Its sword was black, with eerie red patterns running along the edge like veins — ominous and grotesque.
The shield was polished to a mirror finish — I could see my own face in it — and was large enough to cover the majority of that titanic body. The Wolf Knight we'd met in the White Wolf's Den had been dangerous, but this Golem looked even stronger. Was wearing armor the new rule for Phantoms these days?
Its head had nothing resembling eyes. No — the Golem had not a single biological organ anywhere on its body.
With the Wolf Knight, you could at least vaguely aim for the eyes. But this creature had no openings whatsoever.
Well, even if it did, there was nothing I could do about it.
At this point, I had no choice but to defer to our resident expert, Liz.
Liz was thrilled by the unexpected appearance of this monster.
Whether the opponent was human, insect, or Golem didn't seem to matter to her. She asked me in a voice pitched half a tone higher than usual.
"Hey, Klay. You really gonna let Tii handle this?"
What a brutal mentor. A Treasure Hunter's skill had little to do with appearance, but this was plainly impossible.
No — even for Liz, this would be quite difficult, wouldn't it?
The moment I was about to say so, the upright Golem-like body tilted ever so slightly. A high-pitched clang of metal on metal rang out, and through the gap between its legs I could see Tino landing on the ground.
She'd kicked it from behind. Way too aggressive.
The Golem turned around with an annoyed motion. Tino spoke in a voice so small it was on the verge of tears.
"Mastaa… I can't do it."
"Mm-hmm, yeah. I figured."
No need to even try…
The Golem, mid-turn, swept its sword across the ground. The blade pressure gouged the earth, and even though Tino had clearly leaped back to dodge, she was sent flying and bounced off the ground.
A direct hit from that would have sliced her clean in half. For an instant my breath stopped, but she apparently hadn't sustained a fatal wound — she got right back up.
"Hmm, I see, I see…"
I nodded sagely. I'd known this already, but… it didn't look like it was all for show.
Big, fast, and heavy. Not the kind of Phantom that should appear in a Level 1 Treasure Hall. At least follow the rules.
The Golem didn't seem all that interested in Tino — it didn't pursue her and turned its attention back to us.
Without taking her eyes off the Golem, Liz asked me a brief question.
"Want me to handle it? Or do you want to try, Klay?"
Was this a choice between two shades of hell?
Well, I'd love to give it a go, but I was worried about Tino! Sorry about that.
"I'll grab Tino and run. You take care of it, Liz."
The Golem's movements were certainly fast, but at this size there was no way it was faster than Liz. Even if Liz was left behind alone, she could escape easily.
At my pathetic words, Liz let a small smile cross her face — the same expression she used to wear often when we'd been exploring Treasure Halls together.
And then, without a moment's hesitation, Liz turned to face the monster that dwarfed her many times over.
§ The enormous Golem with its shield raised was being driven backward as though crushed under pressure.
The one accomplishing this was a girl less than half its height. You'd never believe it unless you saw it with your own eyes.
A continuous barrage of sounds — like a rock drill — echoed through the night sky.
The source of the noise was kicks. The Golem's shield was large enough to conceal its entire body, and Liz's kicks were punching through its center over and over. She wasn't making a sound, but you could feel her fighting spirit radiating from her back.
The impacts were so violent I was worried my Barrier Rings would trigger again.
Each individual kick packed威力 that went beyond mere kicks. She was an absolute monster. And yet, the giant Sand Golem that could still take those kicks without a scratch while withstanding a Hunter capable of clearing a Level 8 Treasure Hall was every bit as monstrous in its own right.
Up close, it actually looked metallic. It wasn't even made of sand anymore, so calling it a Sand Golem felt like a stretch…
The slightly curved, broad shield boasted a terrifying hardness.
Being metal, it was only natural that kicks couldn't break it. But Liz's raw physical strength had long since surpassed that threshold. A normal shield would have been shattered, or at least unable to keep absorbing blows.
But the Sand Golem's movements didn't stop. Whether it had grown accustomed to absorbing the hits or not, it continued receiving Liz's kicks while raising the sword gripped in its right hand overhead.
The blade — powerful enough to shake the earth — swung down from directly above where Liz had been standing, and hit nothing but air.
The sword bit deep into the rough ground, and the earth trembled. A roar erupted from behind the Sand Golem.
"Hey, Tii! Get your ass moving already! Don't keep Klay waiting!"
"Y-Yes! Big Sister!"
When had she gotten behind it?
Even from a distance, it was hard to track. If you were the Sand Golem locked onto her, it would be as though the target had vanished in an instant.
As expected, Liz had the clear advantage in speed. With this, maybe we could pull through…
Tino kicked off the ground. The Sand Golem didn't bother paying her any attention.
It didn't even turn to look at Liz, who had circled behind it.
— Its gaze was directed solely at me, standing there doing absolutely nothing.
A flash of light erupted near the Golem's feet. In that split second, my vision went white.
A scorching wave of heat slammed into my entire body. Through a world bleached white, I heard Tino scream.
I only realized I'd been hit after the darkness returned.
The Golem stumbled backward as though shaken. I could see the ground near its feet glowing red.
It looked like some kind of heat ray had been fired at me point-blank. And the Barrier Ring had blocked it.
Sand Golems these days were insane… They could do long-range attacks now? They weren't even fodder anymore. Between this and that earlier shockwave — one wrong move and I'd be dead.
For some reason, the Golem didn't fire a second shot. It stood frozen in place. Almost as if it was stunned that I'd taken a heat beam head-on without a scratch.
Of course, a Phantom Golem wasn't supposed to have emotions, so it was probably just my imagination.
A dull thud rang out, and the Golem dropped to one knee. Liz must have kicked it from behind.
"There's no way a heat ray's gonna work on Klay, you piece of trash! He's already transcended magic-type attacks ages ago!"
So that was it. I'd transcended magic-type attacks, had I? First I was hearing of that.
Amid a fierce chorus of metallic sounds, the Golem shuddered and convulsed. It was almost amusing — I couldn't help but crack a smile.
It tried to use its hands to push itself back up, but it couldn't move at all. Liz's kicks wouldn't allow it.
Her kicks were even more ferocious than when she'd been hammering the shield earlier. She must have been furious that I'd been attacked.
I wished she'd done something about it before I got hit, but beggars can't be choosers.
Wait — wasn't this bad? That Golem hadn't taken any damage at all.
Sturdy Phantoms were Liz's worst matchup.
Her fighting style — or rather, a Thief's fighting style — revolved around using agility to outmaneuver the enemy and strike at weak points.
Liz was absurdly strong, but against an opponent with no discernible weak points, she was at a serious disadvantage.
Making a giant Golem kneel with kicks alone was already incredible, but it was a war of attrition. A Golem wasn't likely to feel pain or fatigue, and if you couldn't deal real damage, you couldn't take it down.
Even while being attacked from behind, the Golem raised the sword in its right hand overhead.
And then it swung it — directly at me.
The distance between me and the Golem was nearly ten meters. There was no way it could reach.
Yet, for all my carelessness, the tip of that massive sword extended beyond its normal reach and came hurtling toward me.
The bastard had thrown its sword. By the time I realized, the Barrier Ring had already batted the colossal blade away. Was its accuracy really that good?
My vision nearly went black. My heart, which had only just accepted death, now hammered like a drum.
Even knowing I was protected, one could never grow accustomed to the sensation of death.
I had just "died" for the second time.
The deflected sword bounced off the ground several times, kicked up a cloud of dust, and came to a stop.
I fought down the tremor in my limbs, folded my arms, and flashed a nihilistic smirk — just like Liz.
"Physical attacks aren't going to work on me. I'm Level 8, you know? No need to even bother dodging."
Well, even if I wanted to, I couldn't… Was that hardboiled enough?
The Golem had stopped moving again. Oh come on — had it actually gotten spooked after hearing my level? Golems these days were really evolving.
The remaining Barrier Rings numbered four. Before it launched another attack, I should run like hell. …My legs wouldn't move.
"Mastaa!"
Right on cue, Tino burst in, panting.
She'd run straight through the Golem's line of sight and hadn't been attacked. Was this the difference between her everyday conduct and mine? I hadn't done a thing and I was the one getting shot at.
She was clearly shaken, so I caught her as she threw herself toward me and tried to calm her down.
Tears were welling up in her eyes, her face was deathly pale, her hair was disheveled, and her equipment was filthy — but she didn't appear to be injured.
Her right hand firmly gripped the Treasure Weapon she'd found. A true Hunter's instinct.
Having a junior colleague rely on me like this filled me with an inexplicable sense of superiority. Strength returned to my trembling legs.
I even felt a sense of mission — that I absolutely had to protect this junior.
This junior of mine who was several times stronger than I was, of course.
"Tiiiiii! How long are you gonna keep clinging to Klay?! I'll kill you, you know!?"
"Gah!?"
She had left herself wide open, true, but the battlefield was no place for that kind of lecture. What a harsh mentor.
Tino flinched as though struck by lightning and slowly pulled away. She still looked like she was about to cry.
But from here on out, it was just a matter of running. Even in this state, Tino's legs were probably about as fast as mine.
The Golem rebooted. Giving up on whatever it had been doing, it turned around and swept its arm at Liz.
Unbelievably, Liz used that arm as a foothold, leaped up, and kicked the Golem square in the head.
The massive body lost its balance and toppled to the ground. Liz, propelled by the recoil of her kick, soared backward and landed gracefully on her feet.
Having Liz around really put my mind at ease. I waved at her with a lazy flutter of my hand.
"Liz, I'm leaving this to you."
"Okay~. …Tii, fight properly, got it? I'll kill you."
"Y-Yes! Big Sister!"
Tino had done nothing but say "Yes," "Big Sister," and "Mastaa" this whole time.
The Golem righted itself. Getting its head kicked off didn't seem to have fazed it. The legs that had taken all those kicks showed no visible damage either. Did it even have a weak point?
After confirming that Liz stood boldly in front of it, I took Tino's hand and made a dash for it without a hint of shame.
§ § § What the hell was this thing…
Noto shuddered at the image projected through the crystal ball.
The interception system he had created with his disciples was a strategic-grade Golem.
Spare no expense on research, research, and more research — that was the philosophy behind its creation. It had cost enough to buy multiple top-tier Treasure Weapons, but he was confident it represented the cutting edge of Golem technology.
It was a creation worthy of being deployed by the Tower of Akasha — which unraveled the mysteries of the world.
Currently there was only one unit, but the kingdom's regular knight order was no match for it. Even against multiple high-level Hunters, it should more than hold its own.
The ground-type Golem Akasha had been designed with every conceivable scenario in mind.
Its full-body special armor left no gaps — not even at the joints — and could withstand even bombardment from high-level physical civilization.
The primary weapon in its right hand, the Sword of Truth, was forged from an extremely rare metal with high magical affinity, and its cutting power was further enhanced by sorcery.
The slashes it delivered using the immense physical strength generated by its vast internal mana would cut clean through any sword that dared to parry.
The defensive armament — the Shield of Severance — was Sofia's idea.
For the gapless Akasha, already clad in special alloy armor, a shield was an entirely unnecessary addition. But she had insisted so firmly that it was adopted.
It was made of metal one grade higher in strength than the armor itself, with particularly specialized anti-blade performance. No Treasure Weapon would be able to pierce it.
Beyond that, it packed an array of features bordering on excess: light-magic projectile systems designed to counter fast-moving Thieves, and an emergency function that expelled internal mana to temporarily erect a barrier.
Even the Tower of Akasha — which prized knowledge and research above all — had criticized it as over-engineered.
This was the final line of defense, designed for worst-case scenarios. Absolute defeat was unacceptable.
There was no way he could lose to a Hunter who had only been certified at Level 8.
But that confidence was shattered to splinters in a matter of minutes. His disciples, who until just moments ago had been absolutely certain of the Golem's performance, were turning pale at the sight.
Peerless Shadow, fighting Akasha without taking a single hit, was already astonishing. But more than that— "Impossible… You're telling me physical attacks and magic-type attacks both don't work!?"
If it had dodged them, he could understand. If it had taken defensive action, he might have accepted it.
But Thousand Transformations had taken them head-on, completely undefended. And yet — not a scratch.
The heat ray was a simple attack, but difficult to evade, and its power rivaled that of high-level attack magic. Even a high-level Hunter wouldn't survive a direct hit.
The thrown Sword of Truth was the same. Its very simplicity made it harder to defend against.
"There must be — some kind of Treasure Weapon! No human could take Akasha's attacks and come out unharmed!"
"But it happened twice! Once could be explained by a Barrier Ring, but is there really a Treasure Weapon that can block Akasha's attacks that many times!?"
"A mana barrier is possible — no, that can't be it."
"There's no sign of any technique being used. Damn it, what kind of trick is this?"
Looking at his disciples, who were buzzing with confusion and the primal fear of confronting the unknown, Noto sighed at how pathetic they looked.
Before the unknown, they felt terror rather than curiosity. Their curiosity — their thirst for knowledge — wasn't strong enough.
His second and third disciples, who would have been reliable in moments like this, were in the laboratory maintaining the Golem's controls. His first disciple was nowhere to be found.
Most critically, his surveillance — which should have been completely undetected — had been seen through. Not just the Sand Rabbits he'd used to watch the immediate area, but even the Cymos he'd employed for outer-range monitoring.
Akasha had also been a spiritual pillar for them.
One of his disciples spoke in a voice trembling from fear. This was the disciple who had been most passionate about Akasha's construction.
Deeply versed in Golem technology and brimming with confidence in Akasha's performance — that was precisely why he couldn't endure this situation.
"Look at that composure! Look at that confidence! That carefree stance practically begging us to try attacking! It — it was true all along… We didn't matter to them. We were beneath notice. Worthless."
"It was just a coincidence. Forget it. Akasha hasn't… lost yet! The research is nearing completion. Right now, while they're focused on the Golem, we withdraw. Understood?"
He barked at his panicked disciples. But Noto himself knew his words lacked conviction.
The situation was far too neatly arranged to be dismissed as mere coincidence.
His disciples, bolstered by Noto's forceful tone, seemed to regain some composure.
They must have realized that arguing among themselves changed nothing.
"H-However, Thousand Transformations — the rabbit's owner is said to be in its burrow — and this place is also—"
"…How many Sand Rabbit nests do you think there are in this area?"