The team made their way to the location that Charmelyn had discovered. It was an area well- hidden behind a scattering of rocks and overgrown bushes. They found a staircase descending into darkness.
Unlike Charmelyn, who had scouted the area in her stealth mode, they were now fully
exposed. Elincia took out a crystal lamp, and with a swift motion, it lit up, casting a bright glow around them. There were no audible signs of monsters or other dangers from where they stood; it seemed safe enough.
“Let’s go see what’s down there,” Elincia said.
They began their descent down the stone steps, several of which were broken, forcing them to carefully leap over gaps. The sound of their footsteps echoed more loudly the deeper they went. Not long after, they arrived at the first chamber, a spacious area lined with towering pillars, some of which had collapsed in various places.
Just as Charmelyn had described, there were several stone statues resembling knights scattered across the floor. She had referred to them as golems.
“Let’s see what we can find here,” Elincia instructed, and the team promptly spread out.
Intrigued, Broken approached one of the golem knights. This particular one seemed mostly intact, even though it was sitting against a wall. Even in its seated position, the golem’s height reached up to his chest.
Broken had battled golems before, during his trial in the Fate Trial Domain, a place where he had also encountered King Elandorr. He remembered those encounters well; fighting golems was always a tedious task. It took considerable effort and time to bring them down, and Broken couldn’t shake the feeling of impending trouble they might face with these stone giants.
Broken examined the golem closely, using his knuckle to try and break into its chest area. He pounded on the spot repeatedly, creating echoes in the chamber and causing some cracks to crumble onto the ground.
“What are you doing, dumbass!” Skywarden shouted from a distance.
Inside the chest area, Broken discovered a socket where the Golem Core should have been.
“The core socket is empty,” he muttered, puzzled.
Elincia walked over, curious. “Have you found anything interesting?”
“This golem,” Broken responded. “The Core socket is intact, but the Golem Core itself is missing.”
Elincia nodded. “A Golem Body and a Golem Core can only be crafted by someone with a class like a Golem Creator or something similar. If we had someone like that here, we might be able to take this golem back home.”
“Can we really do that?” Broken asked, eager to learn more about golems.
During the Fate Trial Domain, he had actually managed to acquire three Elite-grade Golem cores. That’s why he was curious if he could use those cores on this golem.
“Not us specifically,” Elincia clarified. “But someone with a golem-related class might be able to. That’s about as much as I know.”
His curiosity deepened. “If someone had a golem core, could they activate this golem?”
“Yes,” Elincia confirmed. “They can, but there’s no guarantee they would be able to control it. That depends on the settings made by the golem’s creator.”
Broken nodded slowly, his mind racing with possibilities. The idea of activating the golem intrigued him, especially since he had three golem cores. However, he was concerned about whether they could actually control the golem.
While he was confident that the six of them could handle a golem of this level, he didn’t want to invite unnecessary trouble. He knew Skywarden, in particular, wouldn’t be pleased about it.
“Do you have a golem creator class?” Elincia asked.
“Is a Golem Creator considered part of the Production Class?” Broken inquired further.
Broken possessed an Epic Production Class Ticket, a rare and valuable item he had earned from the quest “The Faithful Supporter Quest 1 – Uncovering the Hero of Destiny.” The quest had come into his hands after securing victory in the grand competition held in the Dissidia Kingdom, a win that had also granted him the ring tied to the quest.
This ticket offered him a unique opportunity: the ability to instantly learn any production class, and not just any class, but one guaranteed to be Epic-grade. It was truly a remarkable item.
However, there was a catch. He couldn’t check the list of available production classes unless he committed to using the ticket first and chose from the options presented. This limitation made him hesitant. He needed to be certain about how to use this ticket since once he acquired a new class, he couldn’t just ignore it. He would have to make good use of it, or it would be a wasted opportunity.
The weight of this decision loomed large in his mind. Acquiring a new class was a significant commitment and one he couldn’t afford to take lightly. He needed a clear plan to ensure that whatever class he chose would be beneficial and could be utilized to its fullest potential.
“Yes,” Elincia finally responded after a moment of thought. “I believe a Golem Creator falls under a production class because they can sell access to their golems to others. Although they can’t mass-produce golems like other production classes, most golem creators are a blend of production and combat. Take Toberry, for instance, an alchemist who also fights, using the various potions he crafts.”
“Okay, thanks for the answer,” Broken nodded, his thoughts drifting towards the idea of acquiring a golem creation class.
After they felt they had thoroughly analyzed the first chamber, they decided to venture deeper into the underground chambers. As they moved forward, they encountered more broken golems. The possibility that these golems might spring to life and become their final challenge stirred a sense of unease among them. Every chamber they entered was filled with numerous golems, seemingly ready to awaken and hunt them down at their master’s command.
They kept going until they entered the last chamber, much bigger than the others. At the far end of the room stood the ultimate golem, looking more polished than any before. It resembled a knight, but it was much taller, almost as tall as Kingsley when he transformed into a bear. This golem, however, looked like a huge armored gorilla.
They approached the formidable golem cautiously. Skywarden took the lead, positioned himself closest and struck at the golem’s chest- the usual location of the Golem Core. But this time, they discovered something different. The core’s socket was shielded by a magic sphere, a protective barrier that enveloped the crucial area.
“It’s protected!” Skywarden exclaimed in frustration.
Elincia stepped closer, examining the barrier. “It seems the seal will only open under certain conditions,” she mused.
“Yes, just like before,” Skywarden replied, irritation seeping into his voice. “We probably need to defeat every monster in this dungeon before this thing becomes active. Can’t we
destroy the golem and end this dungeon already?”
“You can’t be serious,” Elincia retorted. “The core socket is protected. Even if we destroy the golem’s body, once the Golem Core is activated, it will still rise.”
Realizing they couldn’t do anything immediately, they agreed to leave the chamber and continue their mission. Their objective was clear: eliminate every monster in the dungeon first. Only then might the golem activate, which they suspected was the dungeon boss they needed to defeat to clear the dungeon.
As they prepared to exit, curiosity gnawed at Broken. He took a few steps closer to the massive golem, causing the others to glance back at him.
Skywarden called out, “Don’t waste time!”
But one thing caught Broken’s eye and made him especially curious. Inside the golem’s chest, he noticed a small area that protected the Core Socket-a private domain.