The golem was close. Instinctively, I focused my eyes.
⚠ Boss Encountered ⚠🗿 Obelisk Golem - Triple Fusion 🗿Traits: [Guardian], [Golem], [Fusion]
Skills: [Stacking Lv5], [Trinity Lv1], [Super Acceleration Lv2], [Heavy Strike Lv10], [Sturdiness Lv10], [Shockwave Lv10], [Magic Resistance Lv10], [Slash Resistance Lv20], [Heat Resistance Lv20], [Poison Immunity -], [Acid Resistance Lv5], [Threat Detection Lv5], [Self-Repair Lv10]······
Status: [Alert Stance]
☠ EXTREME DANGER ☠Ah, a triple fusion! Three golems merged into one ogre-like triple fusion golem. And the wyvern Chuugota, whose head had split into three prongs. Were they born destined to clash from the start?
Looking closer at the golem's status window confirmed it.
There were more than a few skills that looked impressive. It was like an upgraded version of the guard golems A and B I'd encountered from Pellelian before. Factoring in the unlisted durability of its materials, it had to be truly powerful.
There were a few skills I wanted to borrow from it, but now wasn't the time. I hadn't fully mastered Giantification yet, and if I wasn't careful, it might aggro onto us.
"Grrrulp."
Surprisingly, one of Chuugota's heads was still alive. With its neck grotesquely twisted, it let out a cry mixed with pink drool from its mouth.
It directed its hostility toward the golem.
-Golems don't die. They're not unstable either. As long as they aren't shattered by external force and receive periodic maintenance, they could live forever.
Pellelian admired his masterpiece from his living days. Even the great Reverse Heaven Mage couldn't mass-produce something like this golem. Dungeons prepared with golems of this caliber were rare.
-But golems have a fatal flaw even worse than unstable chimeras. Do you know what it is?
What is it?
It didn't seem like the time for a lecture, but I was curious.
-Golems can't grow. The creator can add functions, but they can't evolve on their own.
That made sense. Golems had no levels, so of course they couldn't level up.
-Super Acceleration, Trinity, and Stacking. All remarkable skills. Abilities fit for a hero, a technique worthy of one. That golem's movements, invisible to the eye, were the synergy of those skills.
-As you know, combining techniques often yields multiplicative effects, not just additive. That combo assumes as much. Trinity—three entities merging their power inevitably incurs losses. Energy heat loss. Unavoidable entropy increase. Chuugota suffered massive damage to mana conversion, computation, cognition, and memory from splitting into three heads. But the golem trio merged without any loss thanks to Trinity.
Super Acceleration was exactly what it sounded like—an advanced acceleration skill with astonishing speed. If you could handle the aftermath.
And finally, Stacking. Repeated, continuous skill use. Flesh-and-blood creatures with muscles, blood vessels, and nerves couldn't stack Super Acceleration. But for a golem assembled from inorganic matter, it was possible.
The golem executed its precisely calculated combo once more. Its eyes glowed red-hot, heat sinks exposed as coolant circulated through its body to prepare for acceleration. Its form blurred, then vanished in a flicker.
Soon, dozens of impact sounds rang out simultaneously.
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
Chuugota twisted wildly in midair like it was breakdancing. In the time it took the golem to blink, it had landed dozens of strikes. All three heads vomited ketchup-like blood at once.
At that rate, its guts must be mush. Overwhelming performance.
Pellelian's golem truly packed that much combat power. To think his creations were this strong—my view of him shifted.
But Pellelian didn't look satisfied.
-I told you, golems can't grow. So it's stuck at the power level when I added its functions. If it had developed even a little over time······.
Then?
-That wyvern would be blasted into hundreds of pieces right now. Unlike golems, chimeras and magical beasts can improve. They can level up, strengthen skills. If they survive, they can even evolve. Golems can't surpass their creation point. Without regular maintenance and checks, they just break down.
Screech—the golem's joints creaked. I could see what Pellelian was griping about.
Still, it's plenty strong.
-True enough. But even so, the Obelisk Golem was formidable.
"Groooaaar!"
Chuugota roared and tried to take flight. The golem blurred again, and impact sounds echoed.
I hadn't just been spectating. I'd poured potions into Wyvern Mom's mouth. Her massive size meant a few bottles wouldn't revive her instantly. I'd used them all up, but thanks to that, she struggled to her feet.
We had to escape—before the golem turned its aggression on us. And we had to grab the three wyvern siblings too.
"Ku-uu."
Wyvern Mom slowly spread her wings. Flight seemed possible. Good.
Then—
Wham!
Looking back, the golem was in a jet kick pose midair. Chuugota's massive body flew far off. Dead or alive? Unknown.
Whoosh, whoosh—Wyvern Mom hurriedly scooped me up and ascended. The golem's head swiveled toward us. With the threat Chuugota eliminated, we'd become targets.
-It's fine! Head to the opposite side of the dungeon—it won't chase.
As its creator Pellelian explained, the golem prioritized dungeon defense over pursuing fleeing prey.
"Kuooo!"
Despite escaping with her life, Wyvern Mom wasn't joyful. Her cry brimmed with anguish. Her flock was already in ruins. The white wyverns Chuugota had brought were tearing into the black wyverns.
Ugh······
White beasts should unite their strength. But now my allies were black, enemies white. I hoped the whites spared the smallest blacks.
The ground here was white from wyvern guano, so the three black wyvern chicks would stand out easily.
"Kwak!"
Their mom spotted them first, not me. Seletta screamed like a banshee and dove low. Huddled in the shadow of a stone pillar were the three chicks, trembling together. They didn't even rush to her—good, all alive.
Wyvern Mom crash-landed. She spread her wounded wings to embrace her young. Only then did the trio cheep and cling to her.
Load up and flee—that must've been her only thought.
But from above, they were too conspicuous.
Something viscous splattered down. Splurt, splat. It was blood-tinged vomit mixed with saliva. Chunks of unidentifiable meat rained with thick clots.
I slowly looked up.
Clinging to the white pillar above was Chuugota. Its once-pale body was covered in dark bruises, blood dripping from mouth and nostrils. Soaked in its own blood.
Three heads extended from its inverted body. One, neck gruesomely snapped, still glared at us.
"Gu-gu-gu—"
"Gruuu."
"Guk, kuuk,"
Twisted cries, seething with hatred for the world.
I was certain now.
That wyvern's insane.
A truly mad wyvern. Even a beast should flee after such wounds and survival.
"Kwak, kweeeek!"
Why charge us? Slamming into the pillar in frenzy—pure madness.
The trio wailed, clinging to mom. She flapped furiously to lift off with them dangling.
Whew.
Asura field. But compared to past ones, manageable. Especially not like that time.
When beasts clashed before the World Tree root. When centipede mom lost her young and wailed for them.
······
I hoped history wouldn't repeat.
As Wyvern Mom finally lifted with us aboard, I jumped off.
I needed to draw Chuugota's gaze. And reassure her she could retreat safely with her real offspring.
By showing my strength.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡Giantification Lv1 used.
⚡ SKILL MASTERED ⚡'Giantification' fully mastered.
🌿 LEVEL UP 🌿Giantification Lv1 → Giantification Lv2
Perfect timing. Giantification experience accumulated. I knew now it wasn't always better to grow maximally—there was a size I could handle. Enough to leap high. Sharp enough for teeth to pierce enemy hide.
And enough to make that mad wyvern unable to ignore me.
I grew gigantic.
Chuugota saw me.
"Kieeeek!"
The mad queen shrieked and veered toward me in collision.
* * *
📖 Interview with Lobanton, Survivor of the Wyvern Nest — EpiloguePost-Interview Account······The interview wrapped up smoothly. It was a commotion from the doctor's triggered trauma. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Though not something to laugh off, it didn't diminish my respect for the poor scholar.
Like it or not, he'd survived over a month in Chuugota's nest. Mental scars that wouldn't heal were inevitable.
I handed Lobanton hot chocolate and honey bread. Blanket-wrapped, he accepted and drank without refusal. Then he made a generous offer.
Lo: Ask whatever you're curious about. Print it or not—your call.
Ki: Ah······.
Lo: Apology for my outburst.
I did have a question: the specifics of his escape from Chuugota's nest. Lobanton had given conflicting accounts before. What was the truth? It piqued my curiosity.
Lo: Knew you'd ask that.
Lobanton pulled a bottle of strong liquor from his pocket and mixed it into the hot chocolate.
Lo: Believe it true or false as you like.
Ki: I'll listen.
Lo: The Empire took note of Chuugota's strength and ferocity.
Ki: Ah······ the Empire.
With imperial ties, this came as an epilogue.
Lo: Know the emperor dreamed of a wyvern knight order? To protect his daughter, the princess.
Ki: I heard Suwangje wanted that.
Lo: So they targeted the mountain's finest wyvern hatchlings. Chuugota had four. Planned to nab them all. Eggs originally? Who knows.
Ki: Then surely······.
Lo: Rangers or magic—dunno. But they succeeded. Snatched four hatchlings in one night. I woke to Chuugota's wail.
Ki: Saw the kidnappers?
Lo: Probably. Saw humans scattering in four directions below.
Ki: They didn't save you.
Lo: No, they showed a shred of mercy. Sprayed potion on sleeping me. How else would I have survived?
Whether true or not, it fit. With a severed leg and pierced shoulder, he'd need aid to live.
Lo: Chuugota flew to retrieve them.
Ki: Then······.
Lo: Impressive beast. Actually brought them back. Carrying a pale white hatchling.
Lobanton wearily rubbed his face.
Lo: But none survived return.
Ki: Ah······.
Lo: First one clung to life. But died fetching the second corpse. Chuugota wailed ear-splittingly. Cherished her young, eh? Three days later, third corpse—its form had changed.
Ki: Changed how?
Lo: Evolution, what else. But······ grotesquely. Head split, two extra eyes. For finding young? Dunno······. It left for the fourth.
Did it find the fourth?
Lo: No clue.
Unexpected.
Lo: Ten days after third, no return. Wound healed—I fled the nest. Haven't seen it since.
Lobanton's hand trembled holding the chocolate cup. He chuckled nervously.
Lo: No clue. Maybe fully mad, still hunting the fourth. That'd be a sight.
Lobanton said no more. End of interview.
Kwak!
Gigantic, I bit Chuugota's shoulder. Shluck—injected venom deep.
Braced for fierce brawl.
But lick, lick. Chu and Go bled while licking my head.
What the.
I couldn't comprehend the situation.
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