CH 76

Chapter 76: Defeating the Golem

“For this open class… I’m afraid that Sword Saint might come.”

[I didn’t think he’d…? I thought he wouldn’t bother coming to a crowded place, but you seem convinced]

“…I just have a strong feeling about it.”

I muttered and lifted up my Spectral Sword.

KEEEEEE!!!

I sidestepped the golem’s massive fist as it flew in front of my nose, and then I leapt backward, putting distance between us.

I loosened my stance and opened my mouth.

“If the Sword Saint is coming, perhaps it would be better if I didn’t reveal my Reverse Heaven during this public lesson.”

[You’ve already revealed it, what’s the point?]

“……That’s right, there’s no need to attract Sword Saint’s attention unnecessarily, isn’t there? It would be uncomfortable for Master as well.”

At my answer, Sierra strokes her chin in thought, her face serious.

I bring this up because in the game, a swordsman can attract ‘Sword Saint’s Attention’ during public lessons if he performs exceptionally well.

Even so, whenever the name “Sword Saint” is mentioned, I can feel a hint of murderous energy in Sierra’s eyes.

I didn’t want to imagine what Sierra’s reaction would be if she had the Sword Saint in front of her.

[I’ll have to think more about this.]

“Hmph…”

The giant golem in the distance was designed to be easily captured by a mage.

It had a ridiculous amount of physical defense, and even in the game, it was very ‘troublesome’ to capture it without using magic.

‘…Shouldn’t it be easy?’

There were no major events before the public class, so I returned to the Labyrinth for the first time in a while to level up and pick up a Hidden Piece.

After passing the 12th floor, I got a Hidden Piece and was now on the 22nd floor.

I had already leveled up a lot, so despite having the blindfold, I didn’t gain much.

Even though I caught a lot of monsters, I only gained about 2 levels and I was now at level 37.

At this point, I had to assume that the experience penalty for being too far out of level with the monsters in the game was kicking in.

I was still not on the right floor for my level and I thought I would have to go down to the 30th floor at least, but from the 20th floor onwards, the entire floor became much larger, which took a lot of time.

Anyway…On the 22nd floor, I was able to get a Hidden Piece by defeating the giant golem in this spacious temple.

It wasn’t a particularly useful item for a swordsman, but I didn’t want to throw it away, so I trusted the blindfold and tried it for fun…As expected, I couldn’t see any weaknesses in him.

I had already maxed out the ‘Find Weaknesses’ skill. Even so, I couldn’t see any weaknesses in all the enemies.

‘There’s no way this is the maximum level.’

It would have been nice to see a clearer explanation of how this mechanic works, but the skill description is the same as in-game, so it’s hard to tell.

‘So was the lich and so is this golem.’

It’s hard to figure out when I can’t see the weaknesses. Or maybe it’s the fact that I’m trying to cut him with my sword in the first place that’s abnormal.

‘Maybe it’s time to get some new skills.’

I feel like I’ve been focusing too much on Reverse Heaven and not enough on practical skills.

It’s simple logic that having a variety of skills allows you to deal with different situations more smoothly.

‘What skills are available nearby…?’

I couldn’t learn skills naturally. They had to be taught by someone.

What’s more, these skills worked in a different way than in the game, so I had to imagine what it would feel like before I got them.

-Thud… Thump… Thump, thump, thump!

The golem, which had been distancing itself from me, slowly took a step, and then sped up to a run, its massive body charging at me.

“There’s no such thing as cheating…I’m going to keep it simple and ignorant.”

Golems were “monsters” with a set amount of health.  No matter how much armor they had, it didn’t mean I couldn’t do any damage to them.

I’d have to resort to the cumbersome methods used in the game.

***

At the very center of the Labyrinth, the Sage watched a screen with Itea.

The screen showed a cadet with a blindfold on his eyes fighting a battle.

There was no one around him, but he kept muttering to himself….or more accurately, he was having a conversation.

“Listening to the conversation, it seems that his master, who is in the Spectral Sword, is someone related to the Sword Saint.”

“Yes, but the Sword Saint has been around for decades, so it’s hard to make an accurate inference.”

Itea confirmed the sage’s guess.

The Sword Saint, Chris, was one of the strongest swordsmen the sage had ever seen.

It was one thing to be strong, but another to have such a unique personality.

“What is Reverse Heaven…? The more I learn about it, the more I feel like I’m falling into a labyrinth.”

The sage muttered to himself and leaned back in his chair. Then he turned his head to look at Itea and spoke again.

“So the Saint can’t come this time?”

“She’s busy with the Knights’ recruitment and won’t be able to attend. Instead, the deputy leader of the Silver Winged Knights will be attending.”

“The deputy leader… That’s a shame, I was hoping to have a chat with the Saint when she arrives.”

Somehow, Zetto had been talking to a spirit and although the Sage researched the Spectral Sword in detail, using a Spectral Sword didn’t mean one can talk to the spirit inside it.

The best people could do was talk to them briefly during the sealing process.

‘If I could talk to the saint about this, I might be able to get an idea of how he came to possess such abilities…’

It was not worth wasting the saint’s time to ask a question that even the head of the Academy could not understand but when she came to the academy, a casual conversation seemed like a good idea.

The sage decided to move on, saying, “Perhaps someday.”

Next to him, Itea glared at the screen and spoke up.

“I don’t think even Cadet Zetto is going to make it this time.”

“Yeah, it’s a tough matchup, and that golem was made for mages to deal with in the first place…He’s wasting his time, but it doesn’t matter, it’s not like he has an agenda.”

Zetto had already grabbed the whistle he had hidden on the 12th floor.

He got the others but there was no way he was going to take this one. There’s no good reason for him to take it.

The orb at the center of the golem was the only item he could get from it.

At that moment, Zetto, who was appearing on the screen, muttered a single word.

“There’s no such thing as cheating…I’ll keep it simple and ignorant.”

They didn’t know what he’s talking about, but it seems like he’s decided to change his approach.

There was an inexplicable certainty in Zetto’s voice as he spoke.

“…There hasn’t been any sign that he took the orb yet, has there?”

The sage, feeling a bit uneasy with Zetto’s demeanor, asked Itea.

The deepest part of the Labyrinth was the only place unaffected by the Labyrinth’s time magic.  It was only natural that this was where the Sage and Itea would be staying so what they were seeing now wasn’t real time.

Time passed quickly in the Labyrinth, and the outcome should already be known.

“Why don’t we skip forward a bit?”

Itea asked, sensing the sage’s unease.

“Please do.”

At the sage’s command, Itea manipulated the screen.

She wanted to see what happened in the next half hour or so.  In Labyrinth time, that was roughly an hour and a half.

The sage was puzzled when he saw what had happened in the next half hour.

He could still see Zetto on the screen and at his feet was a tattered golem.

The golem arms and legs were already shattered and it was unable to stand up.

Zetto immediately struck the golem’s head with his backhanded sword.

“……”

Watching this scene, Itea covered her mouth with her hand.

Itea may have a perfectly human appearance, but she was still a golem and the sight of a golem like herself being crushed to dust seemed quite cruel to her.

Even without the intermediate steps, it’s clear from Zetto’s behavior what happened.

He didn’t cut the golem but literally smashed the solid golem made of special materials by the Sage with his sword and even the blade itself looked unharmed.

“I don’t know what he intends to do with it, but… The orb will be his.”

The sage watched as Zetto smashed the golem with no signs of fatigue.

“Looks like we have a lot of cadets to keep an eye on this first year.”

Itea, who had been in shock, composed herself and said so.

As it turned out, it wasn’t just Zetto who was mysterious. She was referring to Aizel now.

“… It was a mistake.”

“Even if it was your mistake, it doesn’t change the fact that Cadet Aizel took your weapon.”

Itea’s cold reply was followed by the sage’s coughing fit.

Aizel Ludwig had taken his “spear,” which the sage had left in the Labyrinth.

It was not until later, after Itea had spent the day watching the footage, that she realized it was gone.

It was a weapon the Sage had specialized in long ago. He had loved the spear, though its performance was not worthy of the sage’s name.

“At least master won’t have to use that weapon anymore, so I suppose that’s a good thing.”

The sage nodded at Itea’s words. It didn’t matter much to him, as he had been unable to engage in even light combat since the ‘restriction’ was placed on him.

‘Aizel Ludwig.’

The sage had one concern about her.

‘I wonder if she really is a member of the Ludwig family.’

The sage knew the Ludwig family as the Ludwig family lived in seclusion due to their “unique” constitution.  But he remembered that the entire clan had been wiped out before the war.

However, Aizel had the surname Ludwig.

There was no way to verify that she was indeed a Ludwig… It’s safe to say that few people know of the Ludwig clan, much less the family itself, so it’s not a big deal.

Those within the Academy would have assumed that there was a noble family like that somewhere on the continent.

The sage speculated cautiously because if Aizel truly belonged to the Ludwig clan, she would one day make waves.

Itea handed the sage something.

“It’s time for your medicine.”

It was a memory-enhancing potion she had recently prepared for him.

The Sage stared at her wordlessly and Itea tilted her head, her face expressionless.

“……”

He gulped down the potion.

***

I quickly flipped through the pages of the book, brushing away the platinum-colored strands of hair that had fallen over the top of it.

The library within the academy was vast and I took a seat in the library and searched for the curse.

I thought I’d find it quickly, but it wasn’t easy.

‘A curse that can be felt near the heart…’

I felt an unidentifiable negative energy in Zetto’s chest.

For the moment, it reminded me of a curse, but judging by the amount of energy, it wasn’t a light one.

I had to find out what this curse was.