Chapter 75: Practical Test [2]

"That must be the goal," Aria said, her eyes fixed on the artifact. "Let's grab it and get out of here," Lila suggested, her hand already reaching out toward the orb.

But before she could touch it, the ground beneath us began to shake, and the sound of rumbling stone filled the chamber. Suddenly, the statues lining the walls came to life, their stone forms twisting and contorting into grotesque monsters.

"We've got company," I said, my grip tightening on the weapon. "Get ready to fight."

It seems like it would take us some time to defeat them.

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The first of the stone monsters lunged forward, its jagged claws aimed directly at us. I swung my weapon, deflecting its attack just in time, but more monsters were closing in fast.

Then Kairen and I rushed forward to engage the monsters in close combat, their weapons clashing against the stone creatures with resounding echoes. Lila and Aria unleashed their magic, casting spells that sent bolts of energy and streams of fire at the approaching enemies.

Meanwhile, I already informed Ardel's mission. He shouldn't fight but search for the orb which just disappeared after our surprise. It was probably taken by one of the monsters.

Now, the battle had already started, I couldn't lose my focus. I both need to fight and protect at the same time.

"Urgh." I quickly sidestepped in order to dodge one of the sneak attacks, but the monster still managed to leave a scratch on my arm.

Ignoring the discomfort, I quickly slashed at the monster that was trying to get past the front line.

As we fought, it became clear that these stone monsters were not easy opponents. They were relentless in their attacks, not to mention their stone bodies were highly resistant to physical damage. But I refused to back down, meeting each blow with equal force and resolve.

Thankfully, Aria's magic proved particularly effective against the monsters, her spells striking true and weakening their stony exteriors.

With each passing moment, we gained ground, slowly but surely pushing back the horde of monsters.

But just as it seemed like victory was within our grasp, a new threat emerged. From the shadows of the chamber, a towering stone golem emerged, its massive form dwarfing us all.

"Watch out!" I shouted, my heart racing as I faced the imposing creature.

The golem swung its massive fists, sending shockwaves rippling through the air as it advanced towards us. We scrambled to evade its attacks, dodging and weaving as we continued to fight off the smaller stone monsters.

"We need to take down the golem!" I yelled, rallying my team to focus their attacks on the towering foe.

Working together, we unleashed a barrage of spells and strikes against the golem, aiming for its joints and weak spots. Aria's magic weakened its defenses, while Lila's fire somehow managed to slow it down, chipping away at its stone exterior.

But the golem was relentless, shrugging off most of our attacks as if they were nothing. With each blow, it seemed to grow stronger, its towering form looming over us like a colossus of stone and rage.

"We can't keep this up forever!" I muttered, my muscles starting to ache from the exertion of battle.

Suddenly, I spotted a glimmer of light amidst the chaos—a faint glow emanating from the golem's chest. Could it be...?

"The artifact!" I exclaimed, realizing that the missing orb was embedded within the golem's chest.

"Ardel, follow me!" Without hesitation, I charged toward the golem, my weapon raised high as I aimed for the artifact. With gathering all my power into one swing, I struck true, shattering the stone golem's hands.

The golem roared in pain as its hands crumbled, loosening its grip on the artifact. Ardel, who had been waiting for the opportunity, dashed forward and snatched the orb from the golem's chest before it could react.

"Nice one, Ardel!" I called out, relieved that we had retrieved the artifact.

However, the golem was still alive, meaning the battle was not over.

Thankfully, all of the small stone monsters turned back into ordinary stone after we retrieved the artifact.

"Let's finish this," I said preparing for another strike. I cast the only spell I knew of. I lunged forward, aiming for the golem's core.

The blade connected with a resounding clang, sending cracks spidering across the golem's stone exterior. But instead of fighting back, the golem began to tremble, its form destabilizing as it struggled to maintain its shape.

Then, to my surprise, the golem started to crumble, large chunks of stone falling away as its once formidable body disintegrated before our eyes.

"H-Huh?"

"What... what's happening?" Lila exclaimed, her voice filled with awe and disbelief.

"It seems without the artifact, the golem couldn't resist Adrian's attacks anymore," I heard Aria commenting from behind. As I turned back, I saw her looking at me intently. But, the intensity quickly disappeared.

'Man, she didn't fall in love with me, right?'

I quickly shook my head, denying the idea.

'She even didn't fall for the Main Character, so how is she gonna like someone like me?

She is probably paying attention to me because of my strength and rank.'

With the golem defeated and the smaller stone monsters turned back to ordinary stone, the chamber fell silent once more. We stood amidst the rubble, catching our breath and surveying the aftermath of the intense battle.

Swoosh!

"H-Huh?"

The next moment, the orb suddenly got out of Ardel's hands and hovered at the center of the hall.

Suddenly, it started to glow brightly and our surroundings went white.

The next moment, we all appeared in the familiar Academy Grounds, outside of the Artifical Ruin.

As the bright light faded, we found ourselves standing outside the simulated Ruin, the orb floating gently in the air before us.

"We did it," Lila said, her voice filled with relief as she glanced around at our group.

"Yeah, we did," Ardel agreed, a triumphant smile on his face as he looked at the artifact.

"We made a pretty good team." I agreed before catching the orb which was falling down.

"Congratulations for finishing the practical test," We all turned back after hearing professor Maunt's voice. "You are..."