Chapter 54
“ROOOOOAAAAAH!”
The Mithril Golem glared at Ruche and moved to grab her.
It seemed to have judged her a greater threat than me after taking such heavy damage from 〈Dice Thrust〉.
I couldn’t let it target Ruche, but of course, I’d already thought of a way to deal with that.
I quickly stepped on the Mithril Golem’s shadow and activated 〈Shadow Treading〉.
However, the difference in our stats was so great that its movements dragged me along by force.
I lowered my stance, thrust the blade of my 〈Blacksteel Sword〉 into the ground, and held my position through sheer force.
“Good, it’s stopped... but...”
Having given up on breaking free of my 〈Shadow Treading〉 by force, the Mithril Golem quickly turned toward me and charged.
“Having all its attention on me is a problem in its own right. Just when one disaster passes, another comes along.”
I deactivated 〈Shadow Treading〉 and leapt backward.
I didn’t forget to check the ground out of the corner of my eye.
The ground here was so uneven that if I kept hopping backward, I could easily fall.
The Mithril Golem swung both arms around, tearing down the walls as it chased after me.
It quickly closed the distance, and its huge right arm reached out to grab me.
I let the blow slide along the surface of my shield and barely managed to deflect it down to the ground.
The Mithril Golem’s body pitched far forward.
“Now!”
I activated 〈Shadow Treading〉 again and stepped on the Mithril Golem’s shadow.
Then, with all my strength, I dragged the shadow along the ground with my foot.
The Mithril Golem’s arms were built as weapons, making them extremely heavy and its balance unstable in certain positions.
Now that it had missed a wide swing and lost its balance, this was the perfect opportunity to throw it off completely.
I’d deliberately lured the Mithril Golem to this uneven ground to exploit that very weakness.
The Mithril Golem fell forward and dropped to one knee.
It was a momentary opening.
But it was more than enough time to land a blow.
“Go, Ruche!”
“〈Dice Thrust〉!”
Ruche came running after the Mithril Golem and unleashed a straight knife thrust at its back.
Her knife stabbed into its broad mithril back once more.
The number carved into the air was... 【Three】.
“U-Ugh... I missed...”
“ROOOOOOOOOOOAR!”
The Mithril Golem twisted its body and flung Ruche away from behind it.
Ruche used the force to leap away, kicked off the wall to turn herself around, and quickly readied her knife again once she’d put some distance between them.
There was nothing to be done about a miss.
I hadn’t expected her to roll a 【Six】 on 〈Dice Thrust〉 twice in a row.
But this was the critical moment.
Once the Mithril Golem got back to its feet, we probably wouldn’t be able to make it kneel again.
If that happened, it would recover HP with 〈Auto-Regeneration〉 before we could land another blow, and even another 〈Dice Thrust〉 wouldn’t be enough to finish it off.
If it came to that, our chances of winning would be almost nonexistent.
Until Ruche rolled another 【Six】 on 〈Dice Thrust〉... I had to use every last bit of my strength to keep the Mithril Golem pinned to the ground.
If it got back on its feet, it would be over.
I needed to attack aggressively, even if it meant taking a big risk.
I should be willing to take a hit and go on the offensive.
That meant I should put up 〈Life Shield〉 so I wouldn’t be knocked off balance if I took a blow.
“〈Life Shield〉!”
――――――――――――――――――――
〈Life Shield〉【Normal Skill】
Consumes 20% of your maximum HP to activate.
Covers your entire body with a shield whose durability is equal to the HP you paid.
――――――――――――――――――――
My life force took physical form, wrapping around my body like a film of light.
――――――――――――――――――――
【Elymas Edvaughn】
Class: Heavy Knight
Lv: 46
HP: 47/110
MP: 27/45
――――――――――――――――――――
You paid 【HP: 22】 and deployed 〈Life Shield〉.
I immediately charged the Mithril Golem and swung at it.
The Mithril Golem stretched out an arm to intercept me.
Before it could strike, I knocked its extended arm aside with my sword and closed the distance in one go.
I had to keep attacking aggressively here.
I had 〈Life Shield〉 to help me withstand a hit and recover.
I activated 〈Shadow Treading〉 again and charged in with 〈Shield Bash〉.
The recoil from losing the 〈Stat〉 contest sent my body flying far backward.
I lowered my stance and braced myself, determined not to let my feet leave the ground—or the Mithril Golem’s shadow.
The force of 〈Shield Bash〉 stretched the Mithril Golem’s shadow taut.
Pulled by its shadow, the Mithril Golem’s movements froze as well.
Since it was being pulled toward me, it couldn’t turn around to face Ruche, who was approaching from behind.
It was a pretty forceful tactic, but if I used 〈Shield Bash〉 to launch myself backward, I could use 〈Shadow Treading〉 like this, too.
Of course, I had to calculate the difference in our stats precisely.
Ruche unleashed her third 〈Dice Thrust〉.
But the number that appeared was 【Four】.
“To miss twice of all times, when we’re in such a desperate situation...!”
Ruche let out a frustrated groan.
“Keep going, Ruche!”
I charged at the Mithril Golem again.
Using the tension in its shadow to build momentum, I rushed toward it.
The Mithril Golem raised both arms toward me.
It didn’t extend its arms recklessly.
It seemed determined to meet me head-on.
Once I got close enough, it finally swung its right arm at me.
I leapt to the opposite side of the Mithril Golem’s arm and swung my sword at the back of its hand.
“〈Parry〉!”
My hand went numb.
I could feel the monster’s tremendous strength through my sword.
The 〈Parry〉 barely succeeded, knocking its right fist into the wall and shaking the cave violently.
It had been a fifty-fifty chance, but I’d done it...!
But I couldn’t put any strength into the fingers gripping my sword.
The Mithril Golem’s left arm shot toward me.
I couldn’t dodge...!
I raised my shield and curled up.
The Mithril Golem’s monstrous strength shattered my 〈Life Shield〉 with a single blow.
Then it struck my shield.
The impact sent me flying into the air, and I slammed into the ground.
Its attack power was truly terrifying.
It took both the 〈Life Shield〉 and my own shield cushioning the blow for me to withstand it.
The Mithril Golem was clearly adapting to my movements.
Not only had it stopped extending its arms recklessly, it had also started showing clear wariness toward 〈Shadow Treading〉.
My options were dwindling fast, too.
It looked like the tactics I’d been using up to now wouldn’t work anymore.
“This time, I’ll finish it! 〈Dice Thrust〉!”
Her fourth 〈Dice Thrust〉 struck.
Cracks spread across the Mithril Golem, and at last its massive body crumbled.
I caught sight of a 【Six】 floating near Ruche’s hand.
【You acquired 1,343 experience points.】
【Your level increased from 46 to 49.】
【You acquired 3 Skill Points.】
At last, we’d defeated the rare monster, the Mithril Golem.
“All right! Great job, Ruche!”
“What a relief... When I missed twice in a row, I started wondering why this always happens at a time like this...”
Ruche let out a deep sigh of relief and sank limply to the floor.
“Getting two 【Sixes】 in four tries is pretty lucky, you know...?”
Even with Ruche’s luck, I’d been prepared for the possibility that she might have to use 〈Dice Thrust〉 five or six times, depending on how the odds fell.
Now we’d gotten our hands on mithril... and my level had gone up quite a bit, too.
I had a little more room to spare with my Skill Points.
It was about time I could start fighting more like a Heavy Knight in 〈Magic World〉.
It was a tough choice: whether to invest first in the explosive 〈Smoldering Frenzy Fang〉 or in 〈Oath of Heavy Armor〉, which stabilizes the unreliable 〈Smoldering Frenzy Fang〉.