(Arin's POV)
Come on! Beat!
The Silver Golem was a nightmare forged of living metal. As a Tier Three monster, it stood on par with the Grizzly Bear I had once faced, yet possessed defenses that were far more terrifying.
The creature charged like a runaway locomotive. Each of its footsteps left a crater ten centimeters deep in the hard ground, creating vibrations that traveled all the way up to my shinbones.
Unfortunately, it was heading straight for the center of the crowd of students who were panicked and directionless.
I recalled the contents of the Monster Encyclopedia while my brain performed rapid calculations amidst the chaos. Estimated mass: five tons. Speed: sixty kilometers per hour. The collision angle was dead frontal.
The result would be fatal; if it struck now, seven students would instantly be turned into meat paste. No healing magic could save a body that was utterly pulverized.
Behind me, the situation was far more chaotic.
Twenty Class B students fought like headless chickens. The Junior Knights charged recklessly and were bounced off by Stone Golems, while the Mages in the back fired fire spells that hit their own friends' shields because their line of sight was blocked.
"Move! Let me kill this damn creature!" shouted a student in golden armor, trying to advance alone.
"Do not block my view, you fool! Your fire almost burned my robe!" retorted his friend, a mage.
"Help! My shield cracked! Someone help me!"
They were in total panic. Yet in war, panic was an express ticket to the grave. They should have been taught this basic principle in the first semester of the Academy.
"SILENCE!" I roared. My voice tried to cut through the chaos, but it was in vain. The shout merely went in one ear and out the other. The Class B students remained in disarray facing the hundred Golems pressing forward.
Damn it! They were too busy saving themselves to realize the silver monster was approaching them from their blind side.
There was no time to shout anymore. Logic would not penetrate their brains right now.
I took a deep breath, channeling the mana pumped by my heart to every muscle tissue.
Piston Heart: Maximum Junior Aura.
THUMP-THUMP!
My heart struck my ribs with painful violence. Adrenaline flooded my brain and altered my perception of the world into slow motion. My sweat instantly boiled into white steam spraying out from the gaps in my armor.
I ran sideways, cutting off the monster's path.
Do not withstand the Silver Golem's attack or my bones will be crushed into powder. Just divert its attention.
Right before that giant metal shoulder smashed into the line of screaming students, I jumped. My hand pressed my waist quickly.
Feather-Touch Glove: Active.
My body weight vanished instantly. My body became as light as cotton blown by the wind. I floated in the air, aligning my feet with the golem's temple which gleamed coldly.
The second contact occurred, I deactivated the device.
Mass Return and Plus Torque.
My body weight returned in the blink of an eye, added with the momentum of an extreme waist rotation. My feet slammed into that metal head with full inertial force.
BANG!
The sound was like a giant church bell struck by a sledgehammer right next to the ear.
The Silver Golem's head jerked violently to the side. Its straight running momentum was totally ruined. Its giant body veered fifteen degrees to the right, away from the gaping students, and smashed into the cliff wall at full speed.
CRASH!
Rock fragments collapsed, burying its silver body. Dust rose high covering the crash site, creating a momentary silence on the battlefield.
The students gaped at me, then shifted their gaze to the pile of rocks I had just created.
"He... he deflected it..." muttered one student, his face pale as a ghost.
"DO NOT GAWK!" I rose from my landing position, then kicked the back of a trembling knight until he stumbled forward. "Look ahead! The minions are coming! Form a Phalanx formation NOW!"
"Who are you to order us?!" a blonde student with a baron's crest on his chest tried to protest, though his voice trembled. "We are Class B, you are just-"
"I am the person who just held off a Tier Three Monster alone so you would not die a foolish death!" I cut in sharply with a murderous gaze. "Now listen to me or we all die here! The choice is in your hands!"
My wild gaze, coupled with the fact that the Silver Golem began to roar angrily behind the rubble dust, shrank their courage. Their survival instinct finally defeated the noble ego that was usually arrogant.
From the gaps in the landslide, dozens of Wood and Stone Golems began climbing in like ants coming out of a nest. My mouth shouted again, giving sharp and forceful commands like a war commander.
"Knights in front! Plant your shields in the ground, tilt them forty-five degrees! Let their weight bring them down! Do not hold them with muscles!"
The students hesitated for a moment, then moved forward uniting their shields, creating an iron wall.
"Second row! Spear users, stab through the shield gaps! Target leg joints and necks! Do not stab the chest, it is useless!"
The spear users who had been aimless now filled the ranks, pointing their long weapons through the shield gaps with more direction.
"Mages! Do not use fireballs, it wastes mana! Use earth magic! Create mud in front of the shields to slow them down!"
I glanced back. Erika was already standing on a higher rock. Her left nostril was bleeding and her glasses were cracked on one side, but her eyes... her eyes were sharp like an eagle sighting prey.
"Earth Mages!" shouted Erika, taking command of the magic unit. Her voice was hoarse but firm. "Create spikes in front of the shields! Wind Mages, push this smoke so the enemy's vision is obscured! Fire Mages... wait for my command... THREE... TWO... ONE... FIRE!"
WOOSH!
Balls of fire launched simultaneously over our heads, striking the wood golems held back by the shield wall and trapped in mud.
Screams of burning wood and the sound of clashing stones filled the air. The bottleneck strategy finally worked. This narrow gap turned into a meat grinder for the golems.
But my main problem was not over.
Beside me, a pile of rocks exploded outward.
The Silver Golem rose. Its left shoulder was badly dented, but the liquid metal on its body churned like mercury, slowly repairing the damage. Its red eyes did not look at the other students. It stared straight at me.
Only at me, as if there were a personal grudge to be vented immediately.
Damn it! That massive collision only injured it slightly. My body broke out in cold sweat again, adding to the puffs of white steam beneath my armor.
"You want round two, Scrap Can?" I mocked, only to hide the tension creeping through my nerves.
The golem answered with a two-handed slam to the ground.
Hammer Blow.
The ground beneath me cracked instantly. I performed a combat roll forward, feeling the wind of the punch sweep my hair. I ended up between its massive legs.
A gap appeared!
I activated the gloves on my boots again. The friction of my soles became zero. I slid across the ground like a skater, spinning quickly to the back of its knees.
Tendon Cut!
I swung my Mithril sword with all my might at its rear knee hinge.
CLANG!
My sword bounced off roughly. The vibration traveled up to my arm, making my bones ache all the way to the shoulder.
"So hard, damn it!" I cursed while jumping back. "This is not ordinary metal! The mixture is too dense!"
The golem spun, its right arm swinging horizontally in a Backhand Swing toward my head. Our distance was too close; dodging was impossible. But if I parried, my bones could break.
Physics! Use Physics.
I dropped my body to the ground. My fingers pressed the glove button. The sword in my hand became as light as a feather. I stood it vertically on the ground, right in the trajectory of the golem's arm, then braced it with my shoulder.
"Eat this!"
Feather-Touch: OFF.
The sword returned to its original weight, becoming a solid pile, smashing hard against the swinging silver metal.
SCREEECH!
The Silver Golem's arm struck the sharp edge of my sword. Its own rotational momentum became a weapon against itself. My blade ripped through its arm's protective plate like opening a sardine can. Thick silver fluid spurted out, soaking my face.
It roared, stepping back because its balance was disturbed.
"LOOK OUT!"
Erika's scream broke my focus. I glanced briefly at the defense line.
A knight student on the left wing was late raising his shield due to fatigue. A Stone Golem struck his chest squarely.
CRACK.
The sound of breaking ribs sounded so wet and horrible. The student vomited blood, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed backward.
My heart sank. Damn! The formation could be breached!
But then, the badge on the student's chest shone bright red.
ZING!
A transportation magic circle appeared in the air. A Mechanical Harpy descended with lightning speed from the sky, its fine claws snatching the dying student's body, and carrying him flying away to the safe zone above the clouds.
"He is safe..." muttered the student beside him in relief, his hands trembling holding the shield. "The safety system is active!"
Seeing that, the spirit or perhaps resignation of the students returned. They knew that if they fell, they would not die. The academy's safety badge would work to save them.
I exhaled a sigh of relief I did not realize I was holding.
"TIGHTEN THE FORMATION!" I shouted, parrying the Silver Golem's attack again. "IGNORE THOSE WHO FALL! THE SYSTEM WILL SAVE THEM! FOCUS ON THE ENEMY IN FRONT!"
Right! This was just an exam. The worst-case scenario was failing and going to the infirmary. As long as we did not die, we could fight all out.
That conviction gave me new strength. I continued to hold off this Silver Golem, buying time so Erika and the rest of the troops could clear out the minions.
Twenty minutes passed. Time felt slowed in this hell.
My muscles screamed to stop. Piston Heart had reached the safe limit. My vision began to blur, but this Silver Golem knew no fatigue. It was a killing machine that felt no pain.
Every time I hit the Silver Golem, the vibration traveled to my shoulder. I could only parry, dodge, and deliver small blows to distract it so it would not attack other weaker students.
But a new problem arose. Our Stamina and Mana had limits.
"My Mana is out! I cannot shoot anymore!" shouted one of the mages in panic.
"My arms... I am not strong enough to lift the shield anymore... help..." moaned a knight on the front line.
Our defense began to crack. One by one, students started to fall due to exhaustion or Golem strikes. And every time that happened, a green Harpy appeared to save them, reducing our numbers.
From twenty students, now only eight remained standing.
"Arin..." Erika's voice sounded weak behind me.
I glanced at her. She stood trembling on a rock. Her staff drooped down. Her eyes were unfocused, a sign of severe Mental Overheat. She was no longer chanting spells, only firing weak sparks of mana that were useless.
"Erika, fall back! You have crossed the limit! Let others fill your position!" I shouted while punching the Silver Golem's knee.
"N-no... if I stop... you die..." mumbled Erika stubbornly, saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth. She raised her staff again with her last remaining strength.
But her body refused to cooperate. Her legs were limp, unable to support her own weight.
At the same moment, a Stone Golem broke through the thinning defense line due to the gap left by fallen students.
"ERIKA! LOOK OUT!"
Erika tried to raise her staff, but her fingers were stiff. Her mouth opened soundlessly, her eyes widening as she saw a stone fist the size of a human head flying toward her.
THUD!
The sound of the impact made the world silent instantly.
Erika's small body was flung like a rag doll, hitting the cliff wall behind her hard. She slumped down, then lay limp on the rocky ground.
Fresh blood gushed from her temple, coloring it deep red.
"ERIKA!"
I froze. The Silver Golem in front of me seemed to fade from view. My entire focus was fixed on that small body in the distance.
Light up... come on, light up...
I waited for the red light from her badge.
I waited for the sound of Mechanical Harpy wings flapping.
I waited for the miracle of the academy system that was said to be absolute.
One second.
Two seconds.
The badge on Erika's chest remained shining purple, as if refusing to grant us salvation.
The sky above us was empty. There was only gray and cold. No Harpy came, no magic circle, no rescue.
Only that Stone Golem raising its fist again, slowly and sadistically, aiming at the unconscious Erika's head for a finishing strike.
A coldness not from the weather crept from the tips of my toes to my brain.
Why?
Why was there no signal? Was the badge broken?
I glanced briefly at my own Badge shining purple; for a moment, the cold air of death haunted me again.
No Harpy came.
This was not a malfunction.
Was Erika's signal blocked? Was my signal blocked too?
The laughter of the instructors and evil nobles in the watchtower seemed to ring in my ears. Karl, Elian, Robert... their faces spun in my head.
This was not an exam.
This was an execution.
"BASTARDS!"
I released my defense, letting the Silver Golem's claw scratch my shoulder to break free from the lock.
RIP!!
My back armor creaked as it tore along with a line of blood spraying in the path of the wound. Pain burned my back, but I no longer cared.
I reached for the circuits inside my body. Not one or two, but opening all those safety valves forcibly.
Piston Heart: Maximum Senior Aura.
SHHAAAA!
The blood vessels in my eyes burst instantly. My vision turned into a blood-red filter. Pain equivalent to being burned alive spread through every fiber of my muscles, burning my blood vessels until they felt like they were boiling.
But the power... the power was intoxicating.
I pulled the last smoke bomb from my waist, throwing it into the Silver Golem's face to blind it for a moment.
Then I ran. Not an ordinary run, but an explosion of pure speed that tore my own leg muscles with every step. The ground beneath me cracked every time my foot landed.
My distance to Erika was about fifteen meters.
The Stone Golem's fist was already halfway down.
Time felt stopped. I could see dust motes floating in the air. I could see drops of Erika's blood falling to the ground one by one.
"MOVE, DAMN BODY! DO NOT STOP BEFORE MY HEART EXPLODES!"