6 Trial 2

"To you maybe, but to me it is my life"

Those same lines were spoken behind their backs.

Blood drained from their face as cold sweat made their clothes sticky as a person appeared behind them.

When and how?

All at once they turned to take a look but the outcome they were looking for.... was not off.

A monster, a guard, the security to the tomb.

This foe would have to be powerful to protect this tomb and it must be able to live for a long time without dying if an inheritor doesn't show up.

All of these strict requirements usually mean that there would be a few choices for a good guard to this tomb.

One of these foes that was in front of them was: A golem.

The golem was at an abnormal height of approximately 2 metres and had the rough outline of a human.

It was a clean bold head with detailed human features. The only difference was the size increase that made the muscles have an abnormal look and the fact that the golem lacked any private parts.

The golem acknowledged their shock and allowed them to understand the situation before continuing where he left off "My master made me a long time ago. His hope all relied on me to choose who would be able to succeed."

"A disciple that foolishly dies is not a disciple of my master but a genius that rises above the rest is a true disciple. To be able to choose a disciple that fulfill those requirements, that is my life's purpose."

"Is there anything you would like to ask before proceeding to the next challenge?"

Dean scanned around him in worry to see how his friends were coping.

Rose and Anne buried their head due to fear. Pierre stood quietly but the pale face showed his true emotion of worry. Ayesha shared the same problem but seemed more composed.

Christian arrogantly looked down on the golem but the problem was that he had to look up to face the golem creating a foolish look overall. At the face of a mysterious foe he made quite a daring expression however the golem didn't seem to notice or care.

When it came to Ivan it seemed he was much more calm. Dean could see his eyes darting around the room continuously and muttering incoherently.

Dean decided that it was the best gamble to bet his hope on waiting and seeing how Ivan would do this otherwise the only other option would be to fight this golem.

Ivan suddenly had a revelation so he addressed his question "But didn't yo-"

Christian interjected him "Fine, we'll take the challenge now."

the golem accepted "If you would like to spread out we shall then proceed to the final trial"

Ivan turned to Christian with a fiery gaze as he grabbed the collar of Christian and pulled him forward. "You idiot, he was giving us a chance to think. We were given a chance to either accept this, refuse this or go a third option. Even if we agreed we could have thought out strategies or learn who were fighting."

Further frustrated Ivan's grip tightened as Christian could feel the fabric have a slight tear "Yet your buffoonish,self-centered, conceited mind is risking everyone here."

Dean knew this wasn't the time to fight so he tried loosening Ivan's grip and settled down their fight "We should comply with what the golem said first and then discuss everything."

Ivan could only sigh and move far away from the group, in the fear that he starts getting more infuriated at Christian.

He knew this was wrong to get mad in this situation but being the mature one in the group he could still appreciate Dean's effort for helping.

The golem then stated the rules "I shall be your opponent. You may all go against me as that is one of your strengths and when you first strike me will the trial truly begin"

The golem moved towards the center of the room and awaited his challengers

Hearing the golem mention his second sentence Dean felt that it had a weird phrasing so he turned to Ivan to see if he noticed.

Indeed he did notice as he placed his finger to think for a while before sending a hostile glare to Christian.

'He probably already knows what it means'

Dean still tried to think but he couldn't find what was wrong with the sentence.

Eventually there was no point in thinking anymore as Christian already struck the golem "Take my enhanced sword"

The blade was a normal long-sword made out of iron with runes written with black ink on the blade. Supposedly the runes increased the strength of the blade and would have the capability of cutting through metal given enough effort.

It would have a gray aura to show the effectiveness but for some reason there was no aura. It just seemed like a child drew on the sword without the threatening aura so Dean felt something was off.

He felt a little amazed that Christian's family would be giving him a Space Ring since Dean never saw Christian bring a sword when he entered the cave.

A Space Ring had the capability of storing items inside a separate space. They were very rare and expensive since it needed a blacksmith to take a piece of space and refine it into a ring.

There were other alternatives such as rare materials that could substitute the piece of space and a lower blacksmith would be able to have the ability to refine it.

Taking a closer look he noticed the scratches on the ring that had a shiny gloss beneath the surface.

'I never knew he masked the ring so well. Why didn't he tell us earlier?'

Going back to the golem there was a slight chip on his neck. Nothing else was harmed and a small rock on the floor was evidence of the small chip.

Christian was a little shock as he muttered "I-impossible."

Dean was also confused as theoretically Christian's sword would have more than enough power to slice through rocks but it only chipped it!

The golem responded to this provocation "The challenge shall now begin"

The golem smashed the area where Christian hit him and a loud bang was heard

*BAM*

The floor would've been completely destroyed but it was still intact with only a few small marks on the ground.

The strength that was shown off was estimated to be at least the peak of Qi Condensation 9. Possibly even a Foundation Establishment.

This estimation was not only made by Dean but the whole group.

Christian felt a tinge of regret but couldn't help have an involuntary rage against Ivan due to the shame. Ivan did the same and flared up but the distance between them helped make him cool off his hot head.

Dean still couldn't make any sense of how Christian's sword can just suddenly stop working so he felt confused.

Taking a deep breath he knew he had to be weary with attacking and defending this golem. His family only gave him a few blades for self defense and compared to the rest this was already better.

Excluding Christian the rest had 1-2 blades with varying length and width while Dean had 3 small blades and 2 sabers.

His elder kept on telling him that safety is number one priority so he forced him to carry all of this.

Christian trying to keep some face attacked the golem once more in the same spot however it just made a larger chip.

The golem noticed this and sent a small jab towards him.

Blocking with his sword Christian still felt the brunt of the force.

The sword accidentally cut his nose making a small blood flow dribbling down his face. It felt similar to a bloody nose with the middle of the nose having a tingly feeling.

The rest were frightened by the substantial force of the golem and felt restless. Dean didn't even notice the worry in Rose's eyes.

Seeing an injured person the situation escalated. Trying to help the situation Ayesha yelled "A golem's weakness is its core. The core is commonly located where a human heart would be."

Hearing this the golem chuckled "What a bright child. I hope you survive"

No one realized the voice belonged to Ayesha due to the chaotic situation but those words helped them wake up from their stupor.

Morale was the common factor of a strong group and using that as a starting point Ivan worked with it "This is our chance, this is our moment. We can beat him. If everyone works together we can do it."

Christian glanced at him before turning to the golem and whispering

"What do you mean by 'this is OUR chance'. The naivety"