Chapter 48: All-In

[Defeat the ‘Iron Golem’!]

“Update my ass! We’re screwed, it’s over, what now?!”

“Geez, have you lost your mind?! What’s ‘ayeon’ supposed to mean?!”

“Not ‘ayeon’, ‘iron’! Iron! Metal!”

At the appearance of a monster clad in steel armor, people recoiled in shock.

It was so sudden—again, so sudden—that there wasn’t even time to be surprised.

Kwaaaang—!

Bombs were launched from cannons girded around the thing’s waist like a belt.

“Kyaaaaaa!”

“Damn! Are you insane?!”

“Everyone, get down!”

There was no time to complain.

“Yul! Over here!!”

“Waaahhh—!”

Dodge one, and another bomb came from the side.

Dodge again, and yet another one would burst from the other side.

Bang! Kwaaang—!

I threw myself out of the way, and those fleeing for their lives scattered in all directions.

But the nearby Skeleton Soldiers...

Puh-seok—!

Crumbling to dust.

[Skeleton Soldier (Lv.1) has been destroyed!]

[Remaining troops: 1,472]

'Damn!'

Explosions erupted all over the road.

Crushed, sunken craters so battered they were unrecognizable.

Within them, only the faint remnants of pale skeletons remained.

“Everyone, take cover!”

Rolling across the ground to dodge incoming shells, I shouted out.

Kwaaang! Puh-seok—!

More crumbling away.

[Skeleton Soldier (Lv.1) has been destroyed!]

[Remaining troops: 1,458]

So many precious rewards...

[Skeleton Soldier (Lv.1) has been destroyed!]

[Remaining troops: 1,441]

Thunk!

Fragments of Skeleton Soldiers scattered everywhere, and I ground my teeth in frustration.

I had to find a way.

A way to break out of this cursed situation.

“Eunho! What if Yul uses her skill to hide?!”

Gasping for breath, Ji-eun shouted as she ran over.

“It won’t help. Bombs are coming from every direction.”

Hiding wouldn’t solve anything in this chaos.

As I said that, Ji-eun chewed her nails and muttered,

“If only those cannons weren’t there…”

She was right. First, we needed to neutralize those cannons.

But if we just charged in without a plan, we’d be trampled...

‘Ah!’

A thought flashed through my skull.

I snapped my finger bones and called out to Ji-eun.

“Ji-eun! Gather up building debris!”

“Huh? Oh, right! Okay!”

Startled by my abrupt request with no explanation, Ji-eun hesitated.

But then she let out a short hum and closed her eyes.

Soon, as if forgetting the sounds and sights around her, she began to focus.

“Mmm…!”

I felt grateful for her unquestioning cooperation.

Doo-woong—!

Chunks of black asphalt and cement floated into the air.

Kwa-du-duk!

They clumped together, merging until they formed a sphere the size of a person.

“Done! Now stuff that into the cannon!”

“Oh… okay! Got it!”

Ji-eun’s eyes widened in understanding, and she responded with determination.

She selected one of the cannons attached to the golem’s waist.

Paduduk!

She forcibly crammed the boulder we’d made into it.

Tang! Tadadadak!

The iron cannon, loaded with a bomb, made a tremendous noise.

Kigigigik!

It swelled up like a bone bomb—

Kwaaaaaaaang—!

—and exploded.

It detonated the shell inside, before it could be fired at us.

“!!”

“It worked, Eunho!”

It worked!

─ Grrrroooooaaaar. Bang! Bang! Bang!

That must’ve hurt.

Well, a bomb went off inside its belly, after all.

But that’s not enough.

I have no intention of letting it end here.

“Ji-eun! How many can you control at once?”

“Hmm… I can make two at a time? Maybe three if I really focus. But stuffing them into the cannon is complicated…”

So she can make up to three at once, but precise control—like cramming them in—can only be done one at a time.

In that case…

“Keep making them! I’ll help move them!”

“Huh? But how will you—?”

“Accelerate!”

“H-howwwwwww—?”

─ Taat!

I dashed to the sphere Ji-eun had assembled.

Ten finger bones touched the rough, hard boulder.

Without hesitation, I braced myself and pushed.

─ Ssshhk!

The giant rock, floating in the air, glided forward.

‘It moves!’

Maybe it was because I’d slowed down time.

The boulder remained suspended, ignoring gravity.

Just as Ji-eun had been controlling it.

Thanks to that—

Tap! Tap! Tadak! Tadadak!

I sprinted with all my might.

Rather than ‘carrying’ it, it felt more like ‘pushing’ it.

Like some mythic figure with the world on his shoulders.

Arriving at the golem’s artillery, I forced the stone into the cannon and turned away.

─ Tick!

The tense silence broke.

“…What just happened?”

“Next one!”

“Huh? I just finished another—”

“Come on, move! We have no time to zone out!”

***

Bang! Bang! Bang—!

One by one, the golem’s cannons exploded.

Only six remained.

Bang—!

No, now five.

As the number of cannons decreased, the golem’s body gradually fell apart.

But the problem was—

“Haah… how many are left…?”

“Five! Just a bit more, please hang in there!”

With each destroyed cannon, Ji-eun was visibly exhausted.

“Ji-eun, are you alright?”

“Yes…! I can keep going to the end!”

Her cheerful reply was admirable and made me thankful, but…

Her face was pale.

Her lips were dry and colorless.

Cold sweat trickled down her forehead.

Above all, her legs were heavy and sluggish!

She was already at her limit.

And then—

“Kyaaaaaaa!”

“?!”

Kuuuuuuuuung—!

The golem, enraged, slammed its fist down at Ji-eun.

“Ji-eun! Watch out—!”

“Huff…!”

She barely dodged, but before she could catch her breath—

“Kyaaaaaaa!”

“Are you alright?!”

“S-sorry! I just can’t concentrate anymore!”

The monster seemed to realize it had more enemies to target than just me.

It kept Ji-eun from having a moment to use her psychokinesis skill.

‘We’re so close…’

Grit!

Grinding my teeth did nothing.

Ji-eun’s skill required absolute concentration.

‘What if I do it alone?’

If I made and pushed the spheres by myself…

‘There’s not enough time.’

The acceleration skill only lasted 20 seconds.

Even earlier, just moving Ji-eun’s sphere to the cannon took the full 20 seconds.

Above all—

Clack—

With these hands, I couldn’t form a proper mass.

‘What now? What do I do…’

[The Skeleton Soldiers, resonating with their commander’s anxiety, grow restless.]

Until I figured out how to break through its stone-toughened body, I couldn’t risk getting any closer.

Kigigigik—!

To make matters worse, the armor near the first destroyed cannon was creaking, as if moving.

Wait, could it be…?

“E-Eunho! Look over there…!”

“Is it repairing itself?!”

At this rate, it’ll just be a war of attrition.

No, as time passes, we’re only at a greater disadvantage.

[The Skeleton Soldiers, resonating with their commander’s emotions, grow even more restless!]

Only five turrets remain.

This is our only chance.

“How can we—”

Just then—

[The loyal soldiers are shaken by their commander’s crisis!]

“I… I can do it…!”

Clack!

Skeleton Soldier No. 1 suddenly raised its four remaining finger bones and dashed out.

[Skeleton Soldier (No. 1) adds its strength in the commander’s crisis!]

“No way…!”

I realized too late what that reckless charge meant.

The soldier had already flung itself forward.

[Skeleton Soldier (No. 1) has activated the ‘Bone Bomb’ skill!]

[Skill effect area is expanded to the whole body.]

Its body glowing red, it crawled toward the cannon.

[Special condition met!]

[‘Bone Bomb’ skill evolves into ‘Self-Destruct’!]

…and the others, too.

“Boss…!”

“We’ll go with you…!”

“No, don’t—!”

[Skeleton Soldier (No. 2) has activated the ‘Self-Destruct’ skill!]

[Skeleton Soldier (No. 3) has activated the ‘Self-Destruct’ skill!]

[Skeleton Soldier (No. 4) has activated the ‘Self-Destruct’ skill!]

……

Fwaaaaaa!

A blinding light poured out.

From inside the barrels. From the muzzle of the artillery. From the golem’s legs…

KWA-AAAAAAAANG—!

Explosions erupted from every nook and cranny.

Some didn’t even make it into the cannon and blew up early, but they all had one thing in common:

Each took a piece of the Stone Golem’s flesh—or rather, its stone—along with them as they detonated with part of the golem.

Bang! Kwaang! Kwagwagwang!

Lost for words at the cascade of explosions I neither ordered nor expected.

─ Paat!

A brilliant, multicolored beam of light shone down from above.

[Subject ‘Lee Eunho’s’ Rebellious Spirit trait has detected the risk of being subsumed by the system!]

A system announcement thundered inside my skull.

[Rebellious Spirit reacts with the ‘Path Opener’ title!]

[You may transmute the title effect into other stats!]

“…!”

Currently, the title effects are increased movement speed and defense.

But now I can convert them into other stats?

[Please select a stat to transmute!]

‘Which stat…’

Normally, I’d leave enough speed and defense to always escape, and put the rest into attack.

…That’s what I would’ve chosen before.

But—

The soldiers made this opening.

To make full use of this sliver of opportunity…

“Put it all into defense penetration.”

Cut off the escape route.

[Movement speed and defense boost removed!]

[Additional movement speed 142% → 0%]

[Additional defense 142 → 0]

There’s no more shortcut for escape.

So I concentrate everything.

[Those who follow: 1,420.]

[Defense penetration increases by 142!]

“And also…”

Truly, all my power.

“The road that defies death. Convert that buff, too.”

[Which buffs would you like to transmute?]

[Immunity to fear and disease status effects, mental domination immunity, wound healing rate (+100%), defense boo—]

“All of it.”

[All title effects removed.]

I don’t need any of it.

[Defense penetration increases by 200!]

[You have reached the maximum penetration your current body can handle!]

[Remaining buffs are converted to attack power!]

Right now, what I need is the strength to finish this in a single blow.

“Accelerate!”

***

Paat—!

The wind that had wrapped around my bones vanished.

My body felt heavy.

Like I was wearing a sack of sand.

Kwack! Kwaduk!

A fragment, thrown by the explosion, pierced between my skull bones.

A palm-sized chunk of concrete.

If I still had all those buffs, it would’ve bounced right off my bones.

‘Ugh.’

Though the scratch was quickly repaired by my helmet’s effect, I still felt a slight sting.

Now my defense was down to just 10.

It was risky to rush in, relying on nothing but a shell for armor.

‘Now’s my chance!’

The monster was reeling, unable to control its blown-apart body.

In this opening, bought by the Skeleton Soldiers’ sacrifice—

“Here I go!”

I cleared my mind and charged.

Taat—!

I leapt onto the debris stacked like a slide.

Running across roads, apartment buildings, and signposts.

Agjak!

A jutting piece of rebar caught my knee.

My knee bone shattered, but I kept running.

Sharp fragments lay scattered everywhere.

My foot bones were pierced, my toe bones shattered, but I ran on.

Focusing solely on the crack that had appeared in the monster’s body.

Kugugugung—!

The golem, spotting my rapid approach, tried to raise its battered body.

“Accelerate!”

I called out the skill I’d been waiting for.

Puk!

I plunged my sword downward from overhead.

Aiming perfectly at the crack left by Skeleton Soldier No. 1’s explosion.

Kwaduk!

And again, throwing my full weight behind the thrust.

The sword sank in up to my wrist.

No technique, no finesse—just brute force.

Just like Jaehyuk’s swordsmanship.

Agjak!

From my wrist up to my shoulder, my bones creaked and popped out of place.

If this were my old body, I’d have been writhing in pain.

But now, I was a ‘skeleton’.

Agjak! Grit! Kwaduk!

With each awful sound, it seemed like I might shatter before the golem did.

Sgeok—!

And then, it split.

Kigigigigigigik—!

From its chest downward, a long crack.

The golem split open like an octopus tentacle.

-Tick!

At the same time, the axis of time righted itself.

Jjeok—!

The split golem succumbed to gravity.

Its left leg collapsing to the left.

Its right leg collapsing to the right.

The torso and legs, torn to either side, stretched wider and wider—

Kugugugugugugung—!

And finally, it collapsed completely.

Silence.

A short silence, flowing like a stream.

Then—

[Congratulations!]

[You have defeated the ‘Iron Golem’!]

[You have received 3 Mission Points and 1,000 Welfare Points!]

Sound rained down instead of light.

[You have cut down an enemy that should never have been defeated!]

[By achieving a rare feat, your Basic Swordsmanship (Lv.3) skill proficiency increases greatly!]

“It’s… over…”

It’s over.

At last.

My body felt heavy. I wanted to collapse. Just lie down…

I dragged my weary body forward as if I might collapse with every step.

Crunch!

Suddenly, I stepped on something.

And then—

─ Paat!

A surge of heat and light erupted from my foot bones.

[You absorb the ‘Diamond of the Abandoned Mountain Range’!]

…Huh?