Chapter 33

(2)

3.

The moment Ulan struck the ground.

The Blood Golem’s eyes flashed.

The distance between them rapidly closed.

Just as it was about to swing its axe.

“······!”

Suddenly, its movements changed. Unbelievably fast for its massive size.

Whoosh! Kaboom!

A fist like lightning struck Ulan.

Dust rose with a cloud of smoke. The ground shattered completely, sending dust flying.

But Ulan wasn’t there.

Just before the fist landed, he instinctively sensed the attack trajectory and leaped into the air.

‘Surprisingly fast.’

But that’s all.

Ulan immediately threw his axe.

The fiercely spinning axe instantly struck the creature’s ankle.

Thud! Slash!

An axe with the strength of a giant.

A mere blood clot like the Blood Golem couldn’t withstand it. Its ankle was sliced clean off, and Ulan quickly retrieved his axe.

‘Losing an ankle means losing balance.’

And most likely, it would fall.

Next, crush its head, and the battle would be over.

But this time was an exception.

Even with its ankle completely severed, the Blood Golem didn’t lose its balance.

‘That’s······.’

Ulan’s eyes narrowed.

A new foot sprouted from the cleanly severed ankle.

Regeneration beyond common sense.

[Graaaaaa!]

Then, a roar of rage echoed.

Two more pairs of arms sprouted from its torso. Six arms in total. In the blink of an eye, it closed the distance and unleashed a flurry of strikes.

Boom! Crash! Kaboom!

The ground shattered and shook.

The surrounding area was devastated in an instant.

Perhaps due to the loud noise?

Silfi, as well as Ivella, who was fighting the immortals, turned to look in surprise.

“U, Ulan!”

Ivella’s urgent cry.

But the worry didn’t last long.

An axe shot up through the cloud of dust.

Whoosh!

The axe tore through the air.

The dust was blown away in an instant. Simultaneously, all six arms attached to the Golem’s body fell off.

“······?!”

Silfi, who was watching, opened her eyes in shock.

She couldn’t understand how all six arms were severed with just one swing.

But it was too early to be surprised.

Crunch! Slash!

Following the arms, both legs, the head, and even the shoulders.

All cleanly severed.

Rumble!

The Blood Golem fell with a thunderous sound.

Ulan strode forward. Now, all he had to do was find and destroy its weak point.

But at that moment.

Wriggle wriggle!

An anomaly occurred. The debris he had cut off was absorbed back into the Golem’s body. Seeing this, Ulan smirked.

“Quite the amusing body.”

Not only does it regenerate, but it also reattaches severed parts.

Then let’s see how far it can recover. As Ulan’s expression turned grim, Silfi’s voice called out from afar.

“The Blood Golem has two power sources! You need to destroy both to stop it!”

The Golem’s power source refers to its Magic Core.

Meaning, it’s similar to a demon beast.

‘In that case······.’

I’ll fight it like a demon beast.

Ulan’s gaze changed. It was the look of a hunter who had slain countless monsters and demon beasts.

“Whoosh.”

After a short breath.

He activated all the Spirits within him. The Spirits, frozen like ice, instantly moved throughout his body.

Except for the axe.

This axe was made purely of Bloodstone.

Even without Spirits, it could cut through the Blood Golem’s body without issue.

And the result.

Crack! Thud!

Ulan’s body turned red-hot.

As if he had stepped into a furnace. This was the result of fiercely circulating his Spirits.

[Graaaaa─!]

The Golem roared in rage once more.

Having fully regenerated, it began to transform into a grotesque form.

Gurgle! Splash!

Sharp spikes sprouted from its skin.

Soon, all the spikes aimed at Ulan. Silfi’s warning followed.

“Be, be careful! Even a slight touch from those spikes will paralyze your entire body······!”

Before the warning could finish.

The spikes shot out faster.

Bang bang bang!

Spikes rained from all directions.

Silfi’s face turned pale. She could already see Ulan turning into a porcupine.

But that didn’t happen.

A miracle occurred as he swung his axe.

Whoosh!

With a sound like a balloon popping, all the spikes turned into a handful of blood.

“Huh?”

What just happened?

Silfi was dumbfounded. Meanwhile, the Blood Golem created a second set of spikes.

Much more than before.

But the result was the same.

Whoosh!

Another explosion sound.

Simultaneously, Silfi’s eyes widened.

“······!”

This time, she saw it clearly.

The shockwave from Ulan’s axe swing had exploded all the blood spikes.

This was Ulan’s technique.

The same technique that shattered all the Magic Orbs during the entrance exam.

[Graaaaa!]

Perhaps because all attacks failed?

The Blood Golem let out an angry roar. And just as it was about to return to its original form.

Whoosh!

Ulan charged forward.

At a speed incomparable to before. Thanks to activating his Spirits to the limit.

[───!]

Facing the trembling gaze.

Ulan’s axe danced.

Whoosh! Bang! Whoosh!

A sudden series of loud explosions.

The shockwaves from the axe swings literally blew apart the Golem’s body.

Gurgle! Gurgle!

Immediately, the Golem attempted to regenerate.

Of course, the regeneration was successful. The problem was that Ulan’s axe swings were much faster.

Feeling the crisis?

It suddenly swung its fists wildly.

This would force Ulan to create distance to avoid the attacks, buying time to regenerate.

The Blood Golem judged so.

But it underestimated Ulan.

Thud! Whack!

Ulan didn’t dodge the Golem’s fists.

A powerful impact shook him.

Yet, Ulan didn’t budge. Like a tree with deep roots, he stood firm, relentlessly swinging his axe.

[───!]

At that moment, the Golem realized.

The purpose of this barbarian warrior.

Ulan had no intention of dodging or blocking. He’d rather swing his axe one more time.

Boom! Bang bang bang! Thud!

A terrifying barrage of axe strikes.

As if he had no intention of letting it regenerate, the assault was fierce and relentless.

Realizing this too late.

The Blood Golem also swung its fists with even more ferocity.

The two began exchanging blows head-on.

A crazy battle with no defense or evasion, only attacks. Silfi’s face turned pale.

“Ah, ahhh······.”

A battle where all attacks were absorbed by each other’s bodies. She had never seen such a brutal fight before.

How long had it been?

When the surroundings were drenched in blood, the winner of the insane battle emerged.

Thud! Crack!

Ulan plunged his hand into the Golem’s torso and pulled out a grotesque lump.

A wriggling mass of blood like a fish.

Silfi screamed in shock.

“Th, the Golem’s power source?!”

Correct. Ulan grinned.

He tightly gripped the power source, then opened his mouth wide. Like a beast about to start a meal.

And······.

Chomp chomp! Munch munch!

He chewed it up.

“Why are you eating that?!”

Silfi screamed in horror.

But Ulan ignored her, continuing his gluttonous meal.

Gulp!

The blood slid down his throat.

Ignoring Silfi’s disgust, Ulan wiped his blood-stained mouth and smiled.

“One left now.”

His crimson eyes burning with greed.

The Golem’s gaze wavered.

Only one power source remained.

If this was taken, it was over. So, it tried to gather its strength and let out a roar of rage.

[Graaa······.]

“Graaaaaaa─!”

But at that moment.

It was completely drowned out by a louder roar.

A roar that echoed through the area.

The Warrior’s Roar.

But unlike the roar during the entrance ceremony.

Back then, it was filled with goodwill and sincerity for future friends. Now, it was filled with nothing but pure killing intent.

Crackle crackle!

A wave of killing intent swept the battlefield.

Even the Abyssal Monsters cowered at the roar. The Blood Golem was no exception.

[Gr, graaaa······.]

For a moment, the Blood Golem’s body stiffened.

This created a decisive opening, and Ulan didn’t miss it.

Crack! Bang! Thud!

A barrage of insane slashes like a bombardment.

The Blood Golem, finally living up to its name, began to turn into a pool of blood.

And finally.

Crack! Thud!

The last power source was pulled out.

A heart dripping with blood.

Ulan grabbed it fiercely, looked the Golem in the eye, and defiantly chewed it up.

Munch munch!

Like a wolf tearing into its prey.

With blood smeared around his mouth, he finished his savage meal.

[Gr, gra, aaaa······.]

And as a signal.

Thud! Crash!

The Blood Golem’s body collapsed.

Having lost both power sources, the magic maintaining its form was gone. In its place, a large pool of blood formed.

The floor was soaked with blood.

Ulan sat down without a care.

To properly digest the magic from the power source he had consumed.

Some time later.

“Whoosh.”

The absorption of all magic was complete.

Ulan closed his eyes and observed the Spirits within him. To check his condition.

‘Finally, one Spirit is complete.’

The Master’s Realm is divided into five stages.

From 1-star to 5-star.

The star rating is determined by the number of completed Spirits or Mana Cores.

Meaning, one completed Spirit is 1-star, five is 5-star. So, Ulan had just reached 1-star.

‘Faster than my previous life, but······.’

Still a long way to go. To reach the Realm Beyond Mastery, he must reach the final stage, 5-star. Like Ulan in his previous life.

But it won’t take long.

As always, hunt demon beasts, take their cores, and chew them up. That’s all.

As he finished his thoughts.

“Ulan?”

A familiar voice called.

Ivella’s voice.

While he was absorbing magic, it seemed she had defeated all the immortals.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine.”

Though he took a few hits from the Golem, the activated Spirits prevented serious damage.

At most, some torn skin.

Just a scratch.

“Wow, I can’t believe you actually took it down.”

Looking at the pool of blood that was the Golem.

Ivella muttered in admiration. Then, she narrowed her eyes and looked at Silfi.

“Wasn’t it said that only those at the Master’s Realm or weapons made of Bloodstone could defeat it?”

“Ahaha, maybe the records were wrong. Ancient history books often exaggerate facts.”

Silfi awkwardly laughed.

She dodged the answer.

“But still, that was amazing! I’m not well-versed in combat, but Ulan looked like a high-ranking knight when fighting!”

“Right. Maybe he actually is?”

Ivella probed.

A reasonable assumption.

Ulan was too young to be at the Master’s Realm and didn’t use Aura, the symbol of a Master.

So, Ivella guessed.

Probably at the level of a high-ranking knight.

“······.”

Meanwhile, Ulan remained silent.

Of course, the girls’ guesses were wrong. Ulan had crossed the threshold of the Master’s Realm and was now fully within the Master’s Domain.

But he didn’t correct them.

The reason was simple.

It was too bothersome to explain.

“But if he’s at the level of a high-ranking knight, does he really need to enroll in the Academy?”

Silfi asked curiously.

It was a valid question. Most professors in the Military Department were at the level of high-ranking knights.

Meaning, equal to Ulan.

So, was there anything left to learn?

That was Silfi’s doubt. Ivella also looked at Ulan with a curious expression.

“I came to learn what I lack.”

“Huh? What does Ulan lack?”

“What do you want to learn?”

“Knowledge.”

“Ah.”

A very convincing answer.

Just recalling the entrance ceremony made it clear. The two girls nodded silently.

Then, Ulan asked a question.

“Can I ask something too?”

“Sure, of course.”

“I’ll tell you anything I know.”

A reassuring answer.

Ulan slightly bowed his head. A gesture of thanks. Then, he got straight to the point.

“Do you know if there’s a place in the Academy that stores knowledge and information?”

His purpose for enrolling in Arsen Academy.

To find clues about the ‘Realm Beyond Mastery.’ Additionally, to find information on powerful weapons.

‘Now that I know the Source of Magic is a gateway to the Abyss······.’

I can’t just sit still.

At the very least, I must become stronger than in my previous life. Only then can I protect my comrades and defeat all the Lords of the Abyss.

Meanwhile, right after Ulan’s question.

The two girls stared at each other blankly. As if confirming if they heard correctly.

After a moment, Ivella spoke.

“Uh, are you talking about the library?”

“Library?”

“If it’s a place that stores knowledge and information, I can only think of the library.”

“Where is it?”

“It’s the 6-story building next to the dining hall. Only freshmen can use it, and I heard it’ll be available starting next week.”

A detailed answer came.

Silfi added more.

“If you’re looking for specific materials or books, ask the librarian on the first floor. They’ll recommend related books.”

To think they’d even help find information.

Ulan’s eyes sparkled.

“I see. Thank you. That helps.”

“You’re welcome. It’s nothing really.”

It really is nothing. It’s just information from the back of the guidebook handed out in the dorm.

As the conversation was wrapping up.

Suddenly, an anomaly occurred.

Rumble rumble!

Opposite where the Blood Golem had been.

The wall collapsed noisily.

“Wh, what’s coming out now······.”

Silfi’s face filled with anxiety.

Ulan shook his head.

“It seems the trial is over.”

Wind blew from beyond the wall.

Meaning it connected to an exit leading outside. At Ulan’s answer, Ivella and Silfi’s faces brightened.

Finally, they could leave.

Letting out a sigh of relief, the two followed Ulan. But not long after, they had to stop again.

“What’s that······?”

Lying in the passage ahead.

Were three chests that seemed to have endured a very long time.

Chapter 11. But that actually happened.

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