Chapter 200

The place guarded by the golems was a kind of branching point within the gateway that led to different paths. In other words, an intersection of passages.

The ceiling was easily fifteen meters high, with delicate pillars and arches supporting the top.

Mana-powered light stones bathed the entire chamber in a bluish glow, making it feel as though we were walking underwater.

There were six passages connected to the chamber, but only two had active light stones. The path we came from and the one straight ahead.

“Of all things, it had to be the farthest passage.”

“Instead of cutting straight across the middle, how about using the nearest passage as stepping stones to cross over?”

“That one’s just as far. Did you forget your professor said he couldn’t run even if his life depended on it? Seriously, how elegant of him.”

“Now that I think about it, I’ve never once seen the professor run during our time at the academy… Is he actually sick or something?”

The golems dragged their feet endlessly as they wandered the chamber, like sinners condemned to roam there forever.

Whenever someone unauthorized entered, they reacted immediately, charging forward and swinging their fists. And those blows were heavy and brutal.

After risking her life several times to figure out their behavior patterns, Rieka grumbled,

“Damn it, my heart nearly stopped. Those things are definitely slow, but why are they so hard to dodge? That was way too close.”

“Well-made golems have fast reaction speeds, and their joints move smoothly with a wide range of motion.”

“Still, they’re just outdated relics from hundreds of years ago, aren’t they?”

“Call it technology that transcends time. The spatial distortion magic in the passage we came through alone is something that even if you gathered all the mages of Karaf today, they couldn’t reproduce.”

“That impressive?”

Rieka kicked a small stone on the ground and suddenly asked,

“If I took just one of these stones out with me, could I get rich?”

“Do you think so?”

“I’m joking, joking. No need to glare.”

“However advanced they may be, those things are ultimately nothing more than automated constructs. They can only perform the actions set by their creator.”

The golem that had been chasing Rieka couldn’t follow her into the passage due to its huge size and fumbled around at the entrance.

After repeating this for about two minutes, it stomped back to its original position as if in frustration.

I asked Rieka,

“Did you confirm what I told you?”

“Mhmm. It looks like spatial distortion magic doesn’t work in that area.”

“That’s good.”

That made things much easier.

There would be no need to forcibly calculate the distorted sense of distance.

There were two golems guarding the midpoint, both humanoid in shape.

Their bodies, reaching five meters from head to toe, were made of bronze, appearing incredibly heavy and menacing.

Normally, a golem’s head is considered unnecessary, yet these had fully formed heads. From their eyes, nose, and mouth, a blue light flickered and seeped out.

Rieka looked at me and asked,

“That’s… what I think it is, right?”

“The core of the golem.”

A mana core is the most critical weakness of a golem, which is why it’s usually hidden from sight.

Cases where it’s exposed like that are rare. Either the creator had terrible taste, or the golem was meant for ceremonial purposes.

Judging by the ornate patterns engraved on the bronze golem’s surface, it was likely the latter.

“Rieka, you take that one.”

I pointed to one of the two golems. The one with a large crack running across its head.

If she targeted that gap, it seemed likely she could destroy the core with her weapon.

“If necessary, I’ll assign two mages to support you.”

“Mages? Don’t tell me you’re calling your students ‘mages’. Those rookies can’t even handle one person’s worth yet. They’d just get in the way, so tell the brats to stay back and watch.”

“Suit yourself.”

“I’ll finish it quickly, so don’t die before I get back!”

Rieka loosened up and stepped out of the passage, and the golems turned toward her with creaking noises.

Now it was time for me to step in as well.

Or rather, should I say we?

“Shannon.”

“Yes.”

“Help me take down the golem.”

“Leave it to me.”

Shannon, my fellow sixth-class mage, stepped forward as if she had been waiting for this.

In the coming fight, I intended to use everything at my disposal.

With that in mind, I called the next one.

“Jacqueline Dogwood.”

“Huh? Me?”

“Yes. I’ll entrust you with a very important role.”

Gulp.

Jacqueline swallowed dryly once and then nodded.

“I’ve actually been waiting for a moment like this when you’d acknowledge my abilities, Professor. Alright, let’s do this. So, what do I need to do?”

***

Exactly three minutes later, Jacqueline poured out her resentment toward me.

“I trusted you! I trusted you, Professor!”

“Instead of talking, take one more step.”

“I had a bad feeling about this… but how could you make me do something like this?!”

“Now. Run.”

Boom! Whoosh!

The golem’s arm slammed down from above and then violently swept across the ground.

Reacting to my words, Jacqueline rolled forward to dodge the attack and sprang back up smoothly.

As expected, her physical ability was excellent.

“Jacqueline, you possess a talent that most mages lack. That is, you have great stamina and fast movement. In other words, you’re perfect for acting as bait.”

“That kind of compliment doesn’t make me happy at all! Ugh!”

Jacqueline’s struggle continued for quite some time.

I hadn’t made her play a meaningless game of tag.

The area where Jacqueline was luring the golem had been coated with slick oil.

It was an earth-attribute spell cast through Shannon, “Slippery Ground”.

Even at a rough estimate, the bronze golem weighed well over three tons, and I intended to use that weight against it to destroy it.

“What is this… Hngh, this isn’t some kind of dog training… Hngh, haaah!”

“Lure it more boldly. If you’re in danger, I’m ready to save you at any time.”

“I know! I understand that in my head, but—ngh!”

Jacqueline quickly darted behind the golem to catch her breath, but with a creaking noise, the golem’s head and limbs rotated 180 degrees.

As its head turned completely around to face her, Jacqueline’s face turned pale.

“What the hell is that supposed to be…?”

“That’s enough, Jacqueline. Fall back.”

Using every ounce of strength she had, Jacqueline dashed back into the safe zone, trembling as she tried to catch her breath.

“I-I-I thought I was going to die… But it’s safe here, right?”

“At the very least, it can’t chase you in directly.”

“At the very least…? Does that mean it can attack in other ways?”

“You catch on quickly.”

“……”

As Jacqueline turned her head to the side, the golem began acting strangely.

Creak. Creak!

Its face trembled as if in rage, and then it opened its mouth wide as though letting out a roar.

However, what emerged from its mouth was not a scream, but a long, cylindrical object.

It resembled a cannon….and it didn’t take long to realize that it actually was one.

Wooooong!

The cannon was linked to the mana core in the golem’s head, and with an ominous hum, the core began to glow brighter and brighter.

“Professor, that…. that!”

Ignoring Jacqueline, who was frantically pounding on my shoulder without even remembering who she was dealing with, I spoke calmly.

“Trisha.”

Boom!

A heavy firing sound rang out, and the mana-infused shell that was launched was caught by a translucent barrier.

When I turned to the side, I saw Trisha letting out a small sigh.

She seemed reluctant to reveal her abilities in front of the students, wary that her identity as a vampire might be exposed.

Regardless, I gave the order for the counterattack I had prepared.

“Shannon, are you ready?”

“Almost. …It’s ready now.”

“Fire immediately.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Shannon carried out my command.

She sent out two hands formed through telekinesis. One pushed the golem’s head and the other pulled its leg.

However, unlike the golem outside the corridor, we inside were still under the influence of spatial distortion magic, causing half of Shannon’s spell to miss.

“There’s no need to rush. It used a large amount of mana in one attack, so it won’t be able to move for a while. Stay calm and aim again.”

“Understood.”

As Shannon focused her mana once more, the golem’s leg slid with a scrape, then shot upward like a kick in an instant.

The next moment, the inverted body of the golem fell headfirst.

Craaaash!

A reverberation like being inside a massive bell swept through our bones, and everyone shut their eyes tightly and covered their ears.

When we opened our eyes a moment later, finely shattered bronze fragments were scattered at our feet.

Old metal tends to lose elasticity and becomes vulnerable to impact.

And so the bronze golem which had likely stood guard here for hundreds of years was shattered to pieces by the shock of the fall.

A clean victory.

After possessing Winter Winslet’s body, I had little need to rely on others’ strength, so I had forgotten, but there was a certain thrill in winning without using even a speck of my own mana.

Perhaps this would become something I’d be doing often, so I should get used to controlling others for the time being.

When exploring the singularities of Ground Zero, maybe I should also try directing things in a way that maximizes the students’ experience.

Roll, roll.

The teal-glowing mana core that had been inside the golem’s head rolled right up to me.

Crackle!

Before I could even give an order, a spear of lightning flew in and blasted the golem’s core apart.

When I turned to the side, Shannon flinched and glanced at me cautiously.

“Destroying the core before the golem can regenerate is only natural. Well done.”

“…Yes.”

Having been praised, Shannon smiled shyly.

A moment later, Jacqueline’s eyes sparkled as she asked from over there,

“Professor, what about me? Hmm? What about me?”