Chapter 7: Golem Slayer

Golem

A golem is a monster formed from gathered materials like sand, soil, or rocks. Its strength varies greatly depending on the material, size, and amount of mana it possesses. The golem that appeared before me was clearly an F-class monster at first glance.

“Damn it, there are monsters here too?”

Hephaestus’s Mine. It’s not a real gate or dungeon but a unique skill I can use. I never imagined there’d be monsters in a place like this. Naturally, I was startled when I came face-to-face with one.

I had no intention of fighting here, so I tried to back away.

Clank.

“Oh, for real!”

Another golem crawled out from behind me. The path I’d passed through was just a faint vein of ore moments ago. It seems the ore veins break free from the walls and form golems. The chilling thought crossed my mind that the entire mine’s veins might all be golems.

“Why is this happening to me?!”

This is why the outside world is dangerous. I thought a mine would be safe, but apparently, it’s still “outside the blanket.” With golems blocking my path both ahead and behind, I had only one option left.

“Well, this is an S-class weapon!”

Combat.

I gripped my pickaxe tightly. As an S-class weapon, its attack power is high, and its abilities are well-suited for combat despite being a pickaxe.

It boosts attack power when striking minerals or mineral-based monsters, which should definitely work against these golems.

The pickaxe’s slow attack speed is offset by its second ability: reduced weight and increased attack speed.

“Arghhh!”

I raised the pickaxe with all my might and charged at the golem. As a shut-in gamer, I had no real combat experience.

My stance was utterly sloppy. Still, I’d done some pickaxe swinging before, so wielding it felt somewhat familiar.

Luckily, the golem moved slowly, as expected. Instead of dodging, it raised both arms in a defensive stance.

Clang!!

My first attack landed. But even if it hit, how much damage could a level 1 blacksmith like me deal? I quickly tried to put some distance between us.

Cr crumble.

“Huh?”

The golem’s arm, struck by my pickaxe, collapsed. It was made entirely of ore, and the fallen pieces were:

[Iron Ore]
[Magnetite]
[Mana Stone]

Since the golem was formed from ore veins, its entire arm turned into ore upon breaking. If I’d mined the wall the traditional way, it would’ve taken two hours to extract even one vein. But fighting this golem?

One swing of the pickaxe yielded three pieces of ore.

More importantly…

“Why is it so weak?”

It’s weak. Both arms shattered with a single swing. Or maybe it’s not that the golem is weak—maybe my pickaxe is just that strong?

It’s S-class, after all, with bonus damage against golems. It might just be the weapon carrying me.

Whatever the case…

“…This is doable!”

Feeling confident, I didn’t run. Instead, I swung my pickaxe at the golem lumbering toward me with a slow body slam.

Crack!

A crack formed across its chest, and it was flung back. The golem hit the wall and slumped. I swung the pickaxe again.

Crunch!

Rumble—

The golem’s functions ceased, its cohesion lost, and its entire body collapsed into pieces. Naturally, every part of its body was:

[Iron Ore]
[Bronze Ore]
[Hematite]

All ore. Three swings of the pickaxe, and I got over ten pieces of ore. Then…

Clank.

“Ohhh.”

The golem blocking the other path didn’t look like a monster anymore—it looked like a treasure trove, or rather, an ore trove.

Is this what they call a “golden goblin”? Thanks to my Hephaestus’s Descendant (SSS) skill, the ores were already glowing, and now they truly looked like golden goblins.

“Heh heh heh.”

Clank.

Was it my imagination? It couldn’t be, but it almost seemed like the golem—a monster—took a step back. Even if it tried to flee, it couldn’t escape me with its sluggish movement speed.

“Hand over the ore!”

I charged at the golem. The process was the same as before. I swung my pickaxe, and the golem, unable to dodge,ros, raised its arms to block.

Crack!

As expected, both arms shattered upon impact, leaving the golem defenseless. I followed up with another attack.

Thud thud, crack!

This golem was tougher than the first. It withstood over five swings. But with both arms already broken, it had no way to counterattack.

Rumble.

Its body collapsed, and as expected, various types of ore spilled out. Upon inspection, the quality and quantity of the ore were better than the first golem’s.

It seems golems made of higher-quality or larger quantities of ore are stronger. Not that it mattered—none could withstand my Golem Slayer pickaxe.

“How many is this now?”

Less than thirty minutes in the mine, and I’d already collected over twenty pieces of ore. The efficiency was on another level compared to mining the walls. Seeing rare ores mixed in only fueled my excitement.

And then…

[Level Up!]

“Ooh! Level up!”

My level increased. As a blacksmith, I thought I’d be stuck making level 1 gear forever since hunting in gates seemed impossible.

But now, I had my own personal hunting ground. Mining—no, hunting—here would level me up in no time.

It’s only a two-hour-a-day hunting ground, but two hours of a safe, high-drop-rate place like this? More than enough.

“Next!”

My eyes gleamed as I searched for more veins—or rather, more golems. The method was simple: find a faintly glowing vein that’s moving. If it’s moving, it’s a golem.

When I found one…

“Give me your ore!”

I charged in with enthusiasm, slamming my pickaxe down. By the end of the day, I’d collected over a hundred pieces of ore and reached level 5 in no time.

***

While Seojun was “mining”—or rather, hunting—golems…

[Auction House Community Post: Awakened folks, this item’s up for bid. What’s a fair price? Thinking of bidding.]

A new post appeared in the auction house community, along with a picture of the item in question. It was none other than a weapon crafted by Seojun: the Kitchen Long Sword.

The comments weren’t exactly positive:

-A level 1 weapon?

-Asking about the price of a level 1 weapon? LOL

-Still, it’s B-class, so maybe 500,000 won?

-Community standards have dropped. Asking about a level 1 weapon? LOL

The auction house community usually buzzed about high-level or high-grade gear—items that were obviously valuable. Asking about a mere level 1 weapon naturally drew negative reactions. But then, some people started showing interest.

[This looks like a crafted weapon.]
The design, name, and material suggest it’s not a monster drop.

-A level 1 weapon?

-If they can craft a B-class weapon, why bother with level 1 stuff? LOL

-No, but it really does look crafted.

-So, a level 1 Awakened made a B-class weapon?

-LOL

Those in the know realized it was a crafted weapon, not a monster drop. Then, an actual blacksmith Awakened chimed in:

[Current blacksmith here.]
It’s definitely a handmade longsword.

-A pro has entered the chat! LOL

-Is it legit?

The atmosphere heated up with a real blacksmith joining the conversation. Things escalated further:

[Putting all that aside, this thing’s worth a lot.]
It has fire attribute damage. Attribute weapons are super rare. For a level 1 weapon, the attack power’s high, making it great for fighting monsters like ghosts that require attribute attacks.

-Oh, true.

-Attribute weapons are pricey.

-Still, it’s just a level 1 weapon.

-Even a level 1 weapon with attribute damage is worth carrying as a backup.

-Think about it. With a weapon like this, you can swing at ghosts without hesitation. LOL

-Yeah, melee Awakened often end up useless against ghosts. LOL

A price debate erupted. A search of the auction house revealed no decent attribute attack weapons among level 1 gear.

A few existed for level 10 and up, starting at 1.5 million won. Even those were lower-grade, with attack power similar to the Kitchen Long Sword. Some argued it should fetch at least 1.5 million won.

[It’s still going up?]
Even if it’s an attribute weapon, how’s it already over 2 million?

-I needed an attribute weapon, but 2 million? Seriously?

-Just buy a level 10 attribute weapon. What’s this? LOL

-Wait, it’s climbing higher?

-Who’s keep bidding?

Something was off. The Kitchen Long Sword’s price kept rising. At first, the attribute damage explained it, but now the price was beyond explanation. More people took notice, and the sword became a hot topic.

Then, someone spilled the beans:

[Heard from a guild friend—this is a scouting war.]
It’s not about the item; it’s about the Awakened who made it. Winning the bid lets you leave a thank-you note, which guilds are using to contact the crafter. Apparently, even major guilds are in on it.

-Major guilds? No way. LOL

-Come on, it’s probably just a low-level Awakened. Why would big guilds care? LOL

-But the weapon’s grade suggests at least B-class skill, maybe higher. Big guilds would want that.

-Even a bit of training could make them worth it.

-Is this the rise of a new blacksmith legend? LOL

It wasn’t just the Mir Guild. Major guilds and various smaller groups were all competing to contact Seojun through the auction. As time passed, the Kitchen Long Sword’s bid soared past 5.15 million won.