[Enigmatic Barrier of the Ancient Golem Lv. 200]
A faint smile played on Broken’s lips as he read the floating text before him. The golem core socket was protected by a private domain-a detail that meant he could potentially bypass the barrier and tamper with it.
He reached out his hand, hesitantly touching the shimmering magic sphere. His finger pierced through the barrier effortlessly, followed by his entire hand. He felt around inside the socket, the sensation unfamiliar but tinged with raw, explosive energy. This must be the golem core.
“Broken?” Elincia called out. The entire team turned to watch him, curiosity and concern mingled in their expressions. “The core is protected by a magic barrier; we couldn’t do anything.”
Broken didn’t respond immediately, his mind racing with the possibilities. What if he could destroy the golem core before the golem activated? Wouldn’t that neutralize the threat completely?
Determined, he drew out his Moonvine Knuckles and prepared to strike. He aimed carefully and then unleashed a series of powerful punches into the core within the barrier. Each blow sent vibrations throughout the chamber, causing the walls to tremble and debris to rain down.
The team watched with growing fear as Broken continued his relentless assault on the core. With each strike, the room shook, adding to the tension that hung thick in the air. Despite the fear surrounding him, Broken remained focused, his eyes never wavering from his target.
“What are you doing, you fool!” Skywarden yelled angrily, ready to charge.
Suddenly, Elincia’s body crackled with blue electricity as she moved at lightning speed, positioning herself in front of Skywarden and blocking his path. The room lit up with the crackling energy surrounding her, revealing the massive form of the gorilla golem. In the electric glow, they could clearly see Broken hammering relentlessly at the golem’s chest. Starfall looked worried as she ran closer, but not close enough to see exactly what he was doing. “Broken, you can’t destroy the magic barrier domain like that,” she said.
But what he was doing was different. He was actually pounding on the golem’s core inside the domain.
A few more punches and the golem’s eyes lit up, and it started to tremble.
“The golem is active!” Skywarden shouted in fury. “Stop, you fool!”
But with one final hit, Broken made the golem fall silent again, the room stopped shaking, and a system notification appeared before them all.
[The dungeon boss has been defeated]
[Congratulations! You have cleared the Savage Savannah dungeon Level 200]
All eyes widened in shock as the notification flashed before them, announcing the successful completion of the dungeon. A treasure chest materialized in the center of the room, confirming their victory.
Elincia, Starfall, and Charmelyn could feel the surge of energy as they leveled up, their experience points sufficient to propel them to the next level. The restoration that came with leveling up revived their condition instantly.
“Whoa, level up!” Livelywood exclaimed, although the experience points he earned weren’t quite enough to level him up.
Skywarden’s face was stunned as he slowly walked toward Broken, astonished by what had just happened. “The golem core was protected by a magic barrier. How did you do it?”
Elincia interjected, “How he did it doesn’t matter. What’s important is that we can head home sooner, right?”
Elincia deliberately avoided delving into how Broken had managed the feat. She knew the details might make him uncomfortable and sought to steer the discussion away from him.
Starfall nodded and smiled. “Yes, I’m also glad we could finish the dungeon quickly. Thanks, Broken.”
Livelywood grinned. “Well, I might be a bit disappointed that I didn’t get a chance to tussle with the golem,” he said with a chuckle, “but at least our time here wasn’t wasted.”
They moved toward the treasure chest, which opened as they approached. Inside, they found a pile of silver coins mixed with a few gold ones.
“The content is mostly silver with a bit of gold to make it seem more abundant,” Skywarden commented.
“I’ll store the silver and gold and distribute them evenly later,” Elincia offered. She absorbed the coins into her inventory, making sure to keep track of the amounts. With the coins taken care of, the remaining items in the chest drew their attention.
There was a silver shield with gleaming white patterns and a few deliberate-looking cracks that added an interesting aesthetic. Despite the appearance, the shield was in excellent condition. It was an Epic-grade shield. Next to it was an Epic-grade dagger and an Epic-grade ring, along with a ticket and a golem core.
Elincia picked up the ticket and read its description aloud.
[Golem Vessel Registration Ticket: This ticket authorizes the bearer to summon a Golem Body and register themselves as its rightful owner and controller. Please note that this ticket does not include a Golem Core, which must be acquired separately.]
“It seems like you can summon a golem body with this, but it requires the core separately,” she said, showing the ticket to the others. Then she held up the golem core. “So I think someone could better utilize the ticket if they also obtained the core. But unfortunately, I think these two items must go to different people.”
According to the rules they followed during dungeon explorations, equipment obtained from the dungeon boss was prioritized for those whose class matched the item’s use. Unless they chose to pass on their turn, they could queue for other items that might not be selected by
others.
Skywarden was the clear choice for the shield, given his role as their primary tank.
“Skywarden, would you like to take the shield?” Elincia asked.
Skywarden glanced at the shield for a moment, deep in thought, then grabbed it. “I’ll take it. It’s a bit better than my current one.”
Elincia then turned to Charmelyn. “Charmelyn, do you want the dagger?”
Charmelyn nodded and took the dagger. “Thanks.”
Next, Elincia looked at Broken. “Sorry, Broken. I know you can use a variety of weapons, but would you like to choose the next item: the ticket, the ring, or the golem core?”
Without hesitation, Broken chose the golem ticket, thinking he could summon the golem. He didn’t need the golem core reward from the dungeon because he already had three in his
inventory.
Then, Starfall took the ring as it would help her use Mana more efficiently, and Livelywood took the golem core. They all agreed that Elincia should take the silver and gold.
“I’ll give you this golem core, Broken,” Livelywood said, handing it to him.
Elincia smiled at Livelywood’s gesture.
“You know that thing has value, right?” Skywarden said. “At least sell it.”
“No.”
“No.”
Broken and Livelywood simultaneously refused.
“It’s alright, I don’t need it,” Livelywood insisted. “I want to give this to you. This dungeon exploration wouldn’t have gone so smoothly without you. I’m happy with the experience I
gained here.”
“Livelywood,” Broken replied, “Thanks for the offer, but I can’t accept it. Don’t worry about
me; I have a few golem cores. You should keep it.”
Livelywood fell silent for a moment. “But I want you to have it. Take it… you can use it later.”
“No, you keep it.”
“No, I insist. This is for you. Please accept it.”
“You can hold on to it. I really don’t need it.”
They continued to argue back and forth.
“Enough! You’re so noisy!” Skywarden shouted angrily, snatching the golem core from
Livelywood’s hand. “I’ll take it if neither of you wants it.”
He started walking towards the exit portal. Elincia giggled and followed him. “Skywarden, please let Broken-san have it,” Livelywood pleaded, but Skywarden had already
stepped through the portal and left the dungeon.
Broken patted Livelywood on the shoulder with a warm smile. “Thanks for the experience,”
he said. “I learned a lot about using the sword from you.” With that, he stepped through the
exit portal.
The others followed, and the dungeon expedition ended with a satisfying result.