Chapter 174

Here is…….

Having just emerged from the water pool, I looked around with curious eyes.

When passing by outside, all I could see was the entrance of the cave, so this was my first time facing the civilization of the Ancient Empire.

To me, the sight of the Ruins of the Ancient Empire was truly unfamiliar.

I had heard that the Ancient Empire was a super-magic civilization, but honestly, even so, I had vaguely imagined that the ruins of the Ancient Empire would feel something like Egyptian relics or Mesopotamian ruins.

Even if it was called a super-magic civilization, I thought it was just something exaggerated and embellished through oral tradition.

I thought it was just some kind of fabricated myth, similar to the tales of the Hwandan Gogi.

If the Ancient Empire had achieved such an outstanding civilization, why would it disappear overnight without leaving any proper records, as if it had evaporated one day?

However, the ruins of the Ancient Empire that I had just entered for the first time……

Honestly, it felt more like a mysterious sci-fi-style structure than ruins.

The walls were made of a mysterious turquoise material with a glossy finish, something I couldn’t even begin to guess the origin of—no baked mud bricks or plain stones here.

And on those turquoise walls, thick lines of a darker turquoise color ran along the walls, resembling the circuits of electronic devices.

Was this just simple interior design?

Or was it something similar to wires that carried mana, functioning like actual connected circuits?

As I stared at the wall with fascination, Arisa, who had already emerged from the water pool and was wringing out her hair and clothes, spoke to me in a serious voice.

“This isn’t the external ruins accessible from the cave entrance; this is the internal ruins area. I’ll dismantle the traps as I go ahead, but be careful, as golems might attack. Our goal isn’t to fight the golems but to rescue survivors, so let’s avoid combat as much as possible.”

“Golems, huh…… It’s been a long time, yet they’re still roaming around.”

“Yes. It seems they were preserved in a standby state until I opened this space, so they’ve been able to suppress corrosion over time.”

“Even so, the fact that they’re still moving is impressive. The Ancient Empire must have been truly remarkable.”

As she said this, Arisa immediately began guiding the way.

Despite having only been here once before, she moved without hesitation, whether due to her excellent memory or sharp instincts, and whenever traps appeared, she either avoided or dismantled them, continuing to lead the way.

“Fortunately, it shouldn’t be too hard to find the adventurers. They must have been in such a hurry to escape that they left a lot of traces, making it easier to track them.”

“Still, it might be better to prepare for combat.”

“…Huh?”

Perhaps because my words seemed out of nowhere, Arisa didn’t react immediately and showed a delayed response.

By the time Arisa grasped the meaning of my words, the clanking sound had already grown close enough for even her to notice.

“…Golems!? No, it’s too early to assume we’ve been spotted…!”

“Judging by the direction they’re coming from, it’s better to assume our location has already been exposed. If golems are moving in a place where no one else is around, there’s only one reason.”

Honestly, I don’t think we made enough noise to be within the golems’ detection range.

“Mr. Kurt, we should avoid combat. Each golem has a highly threatening combat capability, and if we cause a disturbance, other golems will quickly respond and join in.”

“No, I think differently.”

If they’re approaching us without hesitation from this distance, it’s more likely that they’re detecting us through some remote device rather than sensing our presence directly.

Considering the level of completion of these ruins, which is far beyond what I had imagined, the civilization of the Ancient Empire might not be far behind the life I lived in my previous world.

If that’s the case, then the golems’ detection isn’t just based on their individual capabilities but possibly through communication devices, like CCTV or sensors within the ruins, transmitting our location.

And if that’s true, even if we manage to shake off this golem, it won’t let us go and will continue to pursue us, possibly even summoning all nearby golems to come after us.

So, while Arisa suggested avoiding combat with the golems, running away might not be the best option.

Seeing that I showed no intention of running, Arisa looked at me with a panicked expression.

Even as the golem’s footsteps grew closer, I calmly stretched my hands instead of fleeing.

“Mr. Kurt! You’re not planning to fight, are you? That’s too reckless!”

“Don’t worry. It’ll be over quickly.”

“Mr. Kurt…!”

Arisa looked at me with an anxious face but didn’t run away on her own.

Instead, she reluctantly prepared for combat, though her expression was still frantic.

Soon, the clanking footsteps grew closer, and the golem revealed itself.

The golem that appeared wasn’t the large, hulking figure one might expect from the name “golem.”

Instead, it was the size of an ordinary human, somewhat alien in appearance but still recognizable as a knight in armor.

Certainly, as I had read in books, compared to the golems of the Magic Tower, which were the size of ordinary humans with few joints, this one was so finely crafted that it was indistinguishable from an armored knight, with every finger joint meticulously detailed.

However, the power and speed emanating from its small frame felt on par with the larger golems of this world.

In fact, its ability to perform delicate movements, which would be impossible for a Magic Tower golem, made it even more troublesome.

For an ordinary adventurer, even a single one of these golems would be a formidable opponent……

*Tap*

*Crash!*

But it picked the wrong opponent.

Without even needing to draw a weapon, I dashed forward and struck with a single punch, enveloped in aura, sending the golem flying like a broken kite, tumbling across the floor.

The golem, after rolling for a while, seemed not completely destroyed as it trembled and tried to get up, but it couldn’t regain its balance and flailed helplessly in place.

It looked like a broken toy.

Still, since it seemed like a historically valuable artifact, I held back a bit.

“….”

Arisa stared at me with a dumbfounded expression as I casually shook off my hand after sending the golem flying.

“What are you doing? Lead the way.”

.

.

.

And so, Arisa and I continued to explore the interior of the ruins.

Arisa, having confirmed my strength, seemed to relax, and the cool, competent scout demeanor she had shown earlier vanished, returning to her timid self as she cautiously spoke to me.

*Clank clank*

*Crash!*

“M-Mr. Kurt, you’re incredibly strong…….”

“I may not look like it, but I’m a Transcendent……. In other words, a Master.”

Compared to those who reached the level of Master through pure swordsmanship, like knights, I might be a bit behind, but unless they’re at that level, there’s no enemy that poses a threat to me.

“M-Master!? Ah, you’re joking. I’m sorry. I’m not good at catching jokes…….”

“No, it’s true.”

Arisa laughed awkwardly, thinking I was joking.

But after my correction, she looked at me with trembling eyes, cautiously checking my expression, and soon realized it was true, almost letting out a scream before barely covering her mouth.

“R-Really…?”

*Clank clank*

*Whoosh*

*Crash!*

“Why would I lie in this situation?”

“Y-Your aura is so vivid, it’s incomparable to even the Silver Rank adventurers of the Adventurer Guild……. So it’s really…….”

“That’s right.”

Arisa couldn’t easily believe my words, and it took several demonstrations of my abilities before she finally accepted that I was a Master.

*Crash!*

“U-Um, Mr. Kurt…….”

Arisa, who had thought I was an adventurer of the same rank as her, now treated me with even more caution after learning I was a Master.

Oops. Did I make a mistake?

Given Arisa’s personality, this was bound to happen.

“Just call me like you used to. It’s fine.”

“B-But……. How can I call a Master so casually…….”

*Clank……*

*Crash!*

“No, just call me casually.”

“Even so…….”

*Clank……*

*Crash!*

“Can’t you just call me casually?”

“I just want to address you formally…….”

*Crash!*

“At this point, it’s more like stubbornness…….”

“It’s not that bad……. Hehe…….”

*Bang!*

“That’s not a compliment.”

“Okay…….”

And so, I spent a long time arguing with Arisa over how she should address me.

Her stubborn insistence on being formal and my insistence on casualness led to a stalemate, and as we bickered over titles, we occasionally took down golems that charged at us, gradually moving deeper inside.

But these golem guys have high base specs but low learning ability.

They look expensive, so I don’t want to break them carelessly, but I wish they’d just come at me properly.

Just as I was getting annoyed and considering smashing them outright, we found the first adventurer left in the ruins.