The Battle with the Golem

With his new equipment ready, Akira set off for the abandoned mines. The path was familiar yet foreboding, filled with the echoes of past battles. As he approached the mine's entrance, he encountered a few ghouls. These creatures, once formidable, now posed little challenge to him. Dispatching them swiftly, he pushed deeper into the labyrinthine tunnels.

Alfred guided him through the winding paths, his knowledge proving invaluable in navigating the puzzling caves. Eventually, they reached the entrance to the main chamber, where the golem awaited. To draw it out, Akira made a small blast in a corner of the chamber. The ground trembled, and the golem emerged, drawn by the disturbance.

This was no ordinary golem. Its body was embedded with mithril and adamantite, suggesting it had absorbed the rich ores of the cave over time. This unique composition elevated it to the level of an S-rank monster. It was a hulking, durable behemoth, though it lacked speed.

Observing the golem, Akira planned his attack. Using earth magic, he transformed the ground beneath the golem into mud, causing the heavy creature to sink and get stuck. Seizing the opportunity, he dashed behind it and prepared for a decisive strike. As he leapt into the air, the golem used earth magic to erect a strong wall in front of itself. Akira's ax shattered the wall, but the golem had freed itself from the mud and was ready to counter.

The golem launched a powerful punch. Akira, mid-air, used his large ax as a shield. The impact was tremendous, sending Akira crashing into the ceiling. He fell but regained his senses mid-fall, landing safely. Undeterred, he cast a massive ice block at the golem. The creature shattered the ice with a single punch, but the distraction allowed Akira to hide and assess his injuries. Blood trickled from his mouth, and he suspected he had cracked a few ribs.

Despite his strength and magical prowess, Akira was aware of his fragility. As a human, he was powerful but not as resilient as other species. Speed would be his ally in this battle. The golem, meanwhile, continued its rampage, destroying the rocks Akira used for cover.

Using the mud wall for cover, Akira maneuvered behind the golem and cast healing magic on himself, guided by Alfred's medical knowledge. As the golem focused on its destruction, Akira leapt to the ceiling, casting another large ice block. The golem shattered it as before, but this time, Akira fell with the block. As he descended, he attacked the golem's core. The golem attempted to evade using earth magic, but Akira, with a cry of determination, activated the explosion ability of his ax to alter his trajectory and struck the golem's core.

The core cracked but did not shatter. The golem tried to grab Akira, but he channeled more mana into the ax, causing a powerful explosion at the point of impact. The core finally shattered, and the massive golem disintegrated, its pieces flying in all directions. Akira, thrown back by the explosion, sat against a rock, catching his breath and feeling a rush of relief. He had narrowly avoided being crushed by the golem's hand.

As he surveyed the rubble for monster drops, Alfred suggested he heal his wounds first. Ignoring the advice, Akira began searching when a sudden, forceful punch struck him from behind, nearly rendering him unconscious. His body twisted painfully, and he was flung across the chamber, rolling to a stop. Shocked, he wondered if he had failed to kill the golem. He had destroyed the core, after all.

Before him stood a smaller golem. This variant had split from the remains of the larger creature. There was no time to dwell on how this was possible. He needed to act quickly. Getting to his feet, he dodged another punch instinctively. Alfred concluded that the scattered parts of the golem had formed new, smaller golems. This knowledge, though absent from the records, suggested a unique variant with special abilities.

Blood trickled from Akira's mouth as he coughed and fell to his knees. Alfred offered to block the pain receptors in his body, allowing him to fight without hindrance. Akira agreed, feeling the pain vanish instantly. Regaining his focus, he evaded the approaching golems and made his way to his fallen ax.

Using his speed, Akira maneuvered around the golems' attacks. Reaching his ax, he noticed there were only three smaller golems. To get a clear view, he leapt to the ceiling, avoiding earth bullets the golems shot at him. Responding with ice bullets, he used the distraction to close the distance and destroy one of the golems with a precise strike.

The remaining two golems were smaller and less strong but faster. They attempted to land blows, but Akira's agility gave him the upper hand. Using a water jet spell, he toppled one golem and finished it with his ax as he was getting back on its feet. The final golem, determined to immobilize him, turned the floor to mud. Akira's feet began to sink, restricting his movement. Undeterred, he shouted, "If you want me to stay put, I will!" and hurled his ax with all his strength. The ax embedded itself in the golem's chest, destroying it.

Freeing himself from the mud, Akira ensured no other golems remained. Then out of the blue exhaustion overcame him, and as his vision blurred, the pain returned with a vengeance. Alfred notified Akira that it couldn't prevent the pain any longer now then Akira collapsed, unconscious, in the now quiet and empty chamber.