BOOOOOOM.
A wave of incandescent magma exploded toward the platform, spewing with the force of a thousand hellish cauldrons.
The previous heat seemed like nothing more than a joke.
"Get out of the way!" I shouted.
As leader, it was the only order that came to mind. I had to prioritize our safety, somehow.
In unison, everyone's legs moved.
Lucas Han was the first to move when he regained his balance.
Without hesitation, he threw Sven's body over his shoulder and took off, dodging the rubble before even looking back.
Dongyul was still too far away—and honestly, if it weren't for Lucas, Sven would have been barbecued.
We ran.
We ran as if the ground would disappear behind us.
At first, it was literally melting.
Where the magma touched, the rocks gave way. Toxic vapors rose, and the smoking rubble hissed as if screaming for help.
We turned into the first side entrance we found. A narrow opening, squeezed between two black stone pillars.
It was the only clear path.
Behind us, the Golem emitted something that could have been interpreted as a roar.
It was supposed to be just a simulation, right?
So why did that damn thing sound like an angry earthquake?
There wasn't even time to think straight.
The path we'd come from was sealed off seconds later—lava hit the structure and blew the roof off.
There was no turning back.
The only way out was to keep going… with the monster chasing us.
We turned.
The Golem advanced behind us, its footsteps breaking the ground below, its fists smashing into the walls.
CRACK.
More lava. More explosions.
The dungeon shook as if it were about to collapse.
"WE CAN'T ESCAPE LIKE THIS!" Juhan shouted.
The words were just noise.
I coughed. My chest burned.
The Golem was catching up to us.
Its mass shouldn't have moved that fast, but still, it flew along the walls, alternating between punches and blasts of magma.
And then… the blow landed.
BAM.
The side wall exploded, and part of the ceiling collapsed.
The impact threw us like rag dolls. I was thrown sideways, and the world spun.
My ears rang.
Something hard cut my leg.
The taste of blood rose in my throat.
"Ngh…"
I lifted my face with difficulty.
Lucas was a few feet away from me, kneeling, breathing heavily.
Sven… lying among the rubble, his body trembling, still unconscious.
Some of the others… didn't move.
Unconscious.
Maybe worse.
"This… is just a test."
My brain tried to rationalize.
"It must be a doll, a puppet, a simulation…"
But nothing about it was artificial.
That monster had something other than programmed hatred.
And it wanted to kill us.
Panic began to creep inside my chest.
"I can't die here. I can't die now…"
The Golem raised its arms. Its hands were flaming, each finger dripping lava like hot blood.
I was on the front line. Closer to him than anyone.
There was no time to roll. Nor to scream.
I saw my death there.
In a split second, I knew it was the end.
That's when something crossed in front of me.
Something fast.
No, someone.
Lucas.
Spear in hand, eyes sharp as broken glass.
His attack hit the Golem square in the head, just as the creature's arms descended on me.
The impact sent the monster staggering, and forced it to take two awkward steps back.
The punch meant to crush me landed at a crooked angle and hit one of the stone columns nearby.
It cracked, then crumbled with a loud crash.
Even more rocks rained down.
The ceiling groaned as if in pain.
And I was still alive.
I looked at him. Between me and the Golem.
He was no better off than me, with his torn shirt. His spear... bent, melted at the edges.
"...Lucas...?"
The name slipped out of my mouth. I hadn't even realized I'd said it.
He turned his head slightly.
Just enough for me to see his profile.
"Liam," he corrected. "And fucking wake up, damn it. Before that guy comes back and finishes the job."
I gritted my teeth.
Pride burned brighter than the heat around me.
He tightened his grip on the spear, adjusting his grip even though it was warped by the heat.
"And if you're not going to run anymore... help."
Adrenaline surged through my chest. I came to my senses.
I grabbed the bow and stood up.
Goeun wiped his eyes.
Dongyul dragged himself to a sitting position.
On the other hand, Seori dragged Junghwan behind her, both with bruised legs, grunting.
"Dongyul. Goeun," my voice came out hoarse than I intended. "Battle formation."
They nodded.
I drew the string, aiming for the creature's eyes, which had regained its balance.
"Fuck you."
And released the arrow.
_____________
Nayun's attack hit the Golem square in the chin—if that piece of molten stone could even be called that.
CRACK.
Small pieces fell away. Scratches and tiny cracks appeared.
Nothing more than that.
"Tch."
I bit the inside of my cheek.
Dongyul ran with the unconscious mage in his arms and placed her behind a broken pillar.
Then he jumped, shield in hand.
He landed squarely on the creature's shoulder.
BOOOOM.
The impact resounded loudly. But the Golem didn't even flinch.
Goeun appeared beside me.
"Buffing again!" shouted.
I was starting to get used to people buffing me, and to that warm rush that always ran through my muscles at those moments.
The system flashed notifications that I barely had time to read.
My body moved forward on its own.
I leaped toward the ground below, in the so-called "colosseum."
The spear—or what was left of it—stretched forward.
SWISH.
I pierced the side of the Golem's leg.
It got scratched.
And that was it.
"Tch. Sure."
The bastard was too resilient.
I dodged a blast of magma, then rolled to the side.
I attacked again.
Nothing.
In the distance, above me, Nayun fired arrows. One after the other.
I landed two more strikes, twisting my body, using the distance to my advantage.
The Golem turned toward me.
I dodged the attack.
Lava sprayed in front of me.
I nearly turned into a sign of ''here lies Liam Han''.
Nayun fired three more arrows. They all hit.
However, once again, none of them made much of a difference.
"This won't do any good," I muttered.
As if hearing me, the girl stopped shooting.
She looked at the Golem.
Then at the bow.
"Give me time!", she declared. "Just a little! I'll finish this!"
Everyone understood instantly.
"Someone has to distract this shit until then."
Of course.
We needed bait.
"Do your thing. I'll hold it," I said, staring at the Golem.
Dongyul hesitated.
I was lighter and faster. He knew that.
So he let me advance.
I ran in circles, attacking when I could, and dodging when necessary.
The strategy of a clever coward.
My spear slammed into the creature's leg once more.
CLAAANG.
It broke.
The shaft bent. The tip fell to the ground, melting.
Helplessly, I sighed.
"It's about time."
I gestured to open the system inventory.
Light flashed.
And from it, I pulled out my real spear.
Made of dark steel. Reinforced. Far more useful than that piece of crap the instructors had provided.
Dongyul glanced at me.
He had noticed the spear had appeared out of nowhere.
But he didn't say anything.
I got the Golem's attention, and made him move.
The goal was to keep pulling him away from Nayun.
That's when everything almost went wrong.
Dongyul, trying to support himself from the side, slipped in a pool of hardened magma.
"Shit!" I yelled.
The Golem turned his face. His hand rose. There wouldn't be time.
But, before the blow landed…
"I'm too late, huh?"
Sven.
He'd woke up.
His mana-coated sword grazed the Golem's elbow.
CRACK.
The creature tried to counter the attack and, consequently, lost its balance for a moment.
Dongyul dodged it by inches.
"Sorry for the delay," Sven said, gritting his teeth.
I stood still for a second. Surprised. T
This was… Exactly like in the manhwa.
Only... with the wrong observer.
The outside presence that was supposed to witness this was supposed to be Kim Hajin.
Not me.
I took advantage of the opening.
Then lunged, aiming for a point of support on the Golem's knee—a thin fissure I'd noticed minutes ago.
With all my might, I struck it.
BOOOOM.
The monster staggered, its entire body swaying. Its flaming mouth opened, and its hands fell to the ground for balance.
That's when I heard it.
"This time will be different, damn it!" Nayun exclaimed above me.
The world froze for a second.
This time, her arrow was like a comet.
Shining with so much mana it looked like the very core of the sun.
SSSSHHHHAAAAAAA—
The Golem's chest exploded.
The rock split, causing the magma within to sizzle, then escape like boiling blood. The body collapsed with a muffled roar.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM.
The ground shook. And then...
The golem was reduced to a smoking heap of cracked stone and hardening veins of magma.
Its chest gaped open, dark, as if its core had been ripped out.
''Aak...''
Approaching the distance, Seori limped on a swollen foot, her ankle twisted oddly.
"Did we... really defeat that thing?"
"Does that give us a bonus?" Goeun asked. "Like... extra points for almost dying?"
Dongyul, sweating profusely, looked over his shoulder.
"Nayun, how did you drop that thing?"
The girl twirled her bow between her fingers with a half-smile.
"I activated my special," she said as if it were obvious. "Did you think it's just a pose?"
Everyone seemed relieved.
Except me.
I stood silently at a distance.
Luxxion was also silent.
No sarcastic comments, no floating notifications, no reminders that "this scene was familiar."
No need for it, at all.
I already understood.
Even with some things going off the rails, the script held together in some ways. It was similar to the last world.
"Hey," someone said, interrupting my thoughts.
I slowly turned my face.
Nayun.
She approached slowly, bow in hand, eyes slightly downcast.
"...What do you want?" I queried.
She scratched the back of her neck, embarrassed.
"I just... thought I should tell you something."
Another pause followed.
She looked away.
The toe of her boot scratched the floor.
"Thank you."
…
Okay. I didn't expect that.
My eyebrow arched.
Luxxion, of course, wasn't going to let it go.
[Alert! User doesn't know how to take thanks! Head heating up quickly!]
[Beginning brain cooling process...]
[Error! User has no brain. He's a completely dumb, non-thinking animal!]
"Are you okay?" I snapped. "I mean, you haven't even gotten my name right yet. Lucas. Seriously?"
She stomped her foot, irritated.
"I said what I said. I'm not going back on it. It's over!"
I sighed, letting my guard down just a bit.
"... You're welcome, then."
That sentence wasn't meant for me.
That thank you... wasn't meant for me.
It should have been for Kim Hajin.
"By the way... can I ask you something?" Nayun said, still standing next to me.
"Nah. Not feeling like answering anything."
She blinked, clearly taken aback.
Then her expression twisted into that classic Chae Nayun brand of irritation.
"Huh?! What the hell is your problem, man?"
"Call me by my name," I said with a sigh. ''And, for God's sake, relax. It was just a bad joke. Go ahead, ask."
She huffed and crossed her arms like a kid being told recess was over.
"Why does someone at your level not stand out at Cube?"
She still had that slight frown on her face, but her eyes were sharp—curious, maybe even genuinely interested.
"I saw you make that golem stumble. You did more damage than half the team combined. And yet, no one in Cube talks about you."
I shrugged.
"Because I don't want to. All I really want is a one-way ticket to Italy, an endless supply of imported candy, and maybe an apartment with central A/C."
She stared at me like I had grown a second head.
"...You're joking, right?"
"Actually, yeah." I let out a small breath of laughter. Then, in a calmer tone, "But, even so, I don't have the strength to reach the level you think you saw."
Nayun paused. Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"What are you talking about? I just saw you almost stab a lava-infused rock monster to death."
Well, I wasn't going to talk about skills or stats.
Part of it was that I really was somewhat strong, but there was no point in telling her that.
"I know what you saw." I nodded. "But that was mostly luck. And... my personal weapon."
Dongyul had already seen it, there was no point in hiding.
She froze.
Her whole system just—halted. Like a bad Wi-Fi signal.
"You're insane," she hissed, darting her eyes around to make sure no one else heard. "You'll get expelled for that! Confiscated! What if an instructor saw—?!"
"Shhh." I held up a hand. "Why are you yelling? Do you want to announce it to the whole world, madam journalist?"
With a flick of my wrist, a soft glow shimmered around the spearcand it vanished.
Just like that.
Gone.
Nayun's jaw actually dropped. I could see it happen.
"You..." she started, but didn't finish.
"Go on. Don't stop now, I'm intrigued."
She tilted her chin up with a slight sniff, probably trying to act smarter than she felt.
"You're... probably gifted with weapon crafting. That's it, isn't it?"
I let out a dry chuckle.
"If that's what you think. Oh, great detective Chae Nayun.''
She opened her mouth.
But before she could continue the conversation, Nayun narrowed her eyes.
"...That fucking bastard..."
I followed her gaze.
There, at the edge of the arena, with the lava illuminating his face like an inverted torch...
Kim Hajin stood.
And he stared at me with the most unreadable expression I had ever seen.