Divine Essence Holy Herb (III)

"Are they saying... we're supposed to stop all these guys?"

'This is bad. There are at least 100 of these things,'

Arthur gulped, staring wide-eyed at the approaching horde.

"Seems like it."

In the original story, the main protagonist, William, obtains the divine herb with the help of Arthur. They defeat the colossal golem and with Arthur, who uses his unique aura to unlock the chest and obtain the Divine Herb.

"No, no, no, no, no, no. They're gonna eat us!"

"Eat us?"No.

-Gramm!

Soon, the stone statues started moving.

'Think, think, think, damn it!!!'

As the panic swirled around us, I knew we needed a plan, and fast. There weren't many options at our disposal, but we had to do something. These creatures couldn't be reasoned with, and running was futile in the enclosed space of the labyrinth.

I took a deep breath and steadied my nerves, trying to think through the chaos.

It was then that one of the stone statues lunged at me with an unexpected speed.

Before I could even react, Arthur sprang into action. He stepped forward, intercepting the stone statue's punch with incredible agility. His unique aura flared around him.

The force of the blow reverberated through his body, causing him to stagger back.

"Arthur!"

'Right!'

Just then, an idea sprung around my head.

'The strange sound never said to defeat them... Then what if...'

"Arthur! On the count of three, jump towards the chest and use your Aura to penetrate the chest!"

"Huh?"

Arthur seemed to be taken aback by my sudden orders. He gulped hard as he and the golem pushed each other. But after a little thinking, he nodded his head slightly.

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

As soon as I said three, Arthur lunged towards the chest, leaving me vulnerable.

With a powerful leap, he soared towards the middle chest, and his aura seemed to interact with the chest peculiarly.

As he made contact with the chest, there was a brilliant flash of light, and I could feel a surge of energy pulsating through the area.

In that instant, it was as if Arthur had become one with the aura, using it not just to jump but also to manipulate the chest itself.

The chest cracked open with a deafening sound, revealing the glowing divine herb inside.

'Yes!'

I couldn't help but grin at this sight.

The surrounding golems stopped at their places.

"Huff~"

'Am I seeing this right?' Arthur thought, clearly surprised to find the herb.

'So Young Master really didn't lie. Who would have thought that the holy herb from the legends really existed,' Arthur marvelled, his thoughts racing with a mixture of awe and disbelief.

'But... How did he know that the herb was here... And now that I think about it, it's weird that he knew about my background considering his position. Wait... Could it be that someone is supporting him from the shadows?'

Arthur's thoughts swirled, his curiosity and wariness intertwining.

As the tension dissipated from the air. I finally got what I came here for.

'But why does it feel so easy? It's as if I am forgetting something.'

-Gumble!

A deafening, low growl resonated through the labyrinth. It was a sound that sent shivers down my spine, a sound that hinted at an impending danger that I had overlooked.

Before I could reach for the divine herb, a colossal stone golem, larger and more imposing than the others, emerged from the shadows.

It was as if the forest itself had given birth to this massive guardian, determined to protect its precious treasure.

The new arrival was easily twice the size of the others, and its stone exterior was adorned with intricate carvings, glowing with an otherworldly light.

"Fuck!"

[Detected!]

[The Host is Feeling Fear.]

[The A-Grade trait 〈Courage〉is taking effect.]

[Due to the A-Grade trait 〈Courage〉, the fear is being nullified 10%...20%....50%....Error!]

[Due to the large amount of fear, the trait〈Courage〉 couldn't function properly.]

'Am... Am I shaking?'

Thanks to this trait, I had forgotten what fear felt like and because the trait isn't working properly, I am feeling it again.

I could feel the overwhelming pressure, which made my body numb.

Time seemed to slow down as the colossal golem's massive stone fist descended upon me.

'Move!! Damn it!!"

I shouted at myself, desperately trying to push past the fear that threatened to paralyze me.

As the golem moves to attack me. I barely managed to roll to the side and avoid it.

The ground trembled where I had been, and I knew that if that blow had connected, I would have been pulverized.

"Huff~ Huff~"

The exertion of just running and dodging the golem's relentless attacks left me breathless.

My heart pounded, and my body ached. It was a stark reminder that even with my unique abilities, I was not invincible.

I knew that if we were to have any chance against this colossal guardian, we needed to come up with a plan, and fast.

As I scrambled to my feet, I could see Arthur rushing in to attack when the golem was distracted.

He moved swiftly, his aura flaring brilliantly as he struck at the guardian from behind.

However, the impact was far from what he had expected. It was like hitting a solid wall of iron.

Arthur staggered back, his expression a mix of shock and frustration. He had put his all into that attack, and it had barely made a dent in the massive guardian.

"What the hell?" he muttered under his breath, his voice filled with disbelief. The colossal golem, despite its imposing size and intricate carvings, seemed nearly invulnerable.

It was as if he was an ant trying to topple a mountain. His attacks were feeble in the face of this colossal foe.

-Stomp

The immense guardian swiftly turned around, its stone eyes locking onto him with an eerie precision.

'Fuck...!'

With a thunderous stomp, it brought down its massive stone fist upon Arthur.

Arthur reacted quickly, drawing his sword to defend himself, but the force of the punch was overwhelming.

The force of the blow sent him hurtling across the other side of the labyrinth.

He crashed into the wall with bone-shattering force, causing the structure to crack and shudder.

"Huff! Puff!..."

Arthur lay there, gasping for breath, blood trickling from his mouth. His body was battered and broken.

'Ah! If it weren't for the sword I would have been dead right now.'

He looked at his sword which was shattered after he used it to protect himself from the golem's attack and his hand, still clutching the remnants of his shattered sword, was badly mangled and bleeding.

The brutal impact had taken a toll on his body, and it was evident that he was severely injured.

His broken hand hung limply at his side, clearly useless.

My focus shifted to the stone ball in the middle of the golem's back, a detail that hadn't escaped my notice.

"Right! it's weakness."