CH 33

As Ulan struck the ground, the Blood Golem's eyes gleamed.

The distance between them rapidly closed.

In the instant before the axe swung down...

"............!"

The creature's movement suddenly changed unexpectedly. It moved with incredible speed, defying its massive size.

Whoosh! Kwaah!

A fist struck Ulan like a thunderbolt.

A cloud of dust and debris burst into the air; the ground shattered, sending dust flying everywhere.

However, Ulan wasn't there anymore.

Instinctively sensing the trajectory of the attack, he had leaped into the air just before the massive punch connected.

'Surprisingly fast.'

But that was it.

He immediately threw the axe he had been wielding; the spinning axe struck the golem's ankle in an instant.

Thunk! Clink!

The axe, imbued with the strength equivalent to a giant, hit its mark. The Blood Golem, a mere mass of blood, couldn't withstand the blow. Its ankle was severed, and Ulan swiftly retrieved his axe.

‘Losing an ankle means losing balance.’

And losing balance meant falling over; next, he would go for the head to finish the battle.

However, this time was different.

Even though its ankle was completely severed, the Blood Golem didn't lose its balance.

‘That thing...?’

Ulan's eyes narrowed.

It seemed that a new ankle had immediately sprouted from the cleanly severed stump — a regenerative ability that defied common sense.

[Grahhhh!]

Then a cry of fury rang out.

Two additional pairs of arms sprouted from the golem's torso, making a total of six arms. In the blink of an eye, it closed the distance and launched a fierce attack.

Crash! Boom! Kwaang!

The ground shattered and trembled; the surrounding area seemed to be turning into a wasteland in an instant.

Was it because of the loud noise?

Sylphie and Ibella, who had been battling the Undeads, both turned their surprised faces toward the scene.

"Ulan!" Ibella cried out in alarm. But her worry was short-lived—

—as the axe swung out amidst the hazy dust—

Whoosh!

—and tore through the air.

In an instant, the dust was blown away, and all six arms attached to the golem's body were severed.

".........?!"

Sylphie, who had been watching, opened her astonished eyes; it seemed like she couldn't comprehend how all six arms had been severed with just one swing of the axe.

But there was no time to be surprised yet.

Clang! Clang!

After the arms, the golem's legs, head, and shoulders were cleanly severed.

Everything was separated neatly.

Kwoooong!

The Blood Golem collapsed with a loud crash.

Ulan strode over to it. Now that he had found its weakness, all he had to do was eliminate it.

But at that moment...

Wriggle! Squirm!

…something extraordinary happened. TThe remains he had cut off were absorbed into the golem's body, as if being sucked in. Ulan chuckled at the sight, "What a delightful body."

Not only did it regenerate, but it also reattached severed body parts.

How far could its recovery go? As Ulan's smile faded, he heard Sylphie's shout in the distance, "The Blood Golem has two power sources, and I think they said that it would only stop working if we destroyed both of them!"

A golem's power source was its mana core.

In other words, it was similar to demonic beasts.

‘Then……’

He'll have to fight it as if it were a demonic beast.

Ulan's eyes changed. It was the gaze of a hunter who had slain countless monsters and demons alike.

"Phew."

He took a short breath and activated the Spirit in his body. The frozen Spirit circulated to every part of his body in an instant.

However, the axe was an exception.

This axe was made of Bloodstone.

Even without the Spirit, it had no problem cutting through the Blood Golem's body.

And the result.

Crunch, crunch, crunch!

Ulan's body was scorched.

It was as if it had been in and out of a furnace. This was caused by the fierce circulation of his spirit.

[GRAAAAHHH!]

The golem let out a furious cry once more.

It had completely regenerated its body and suddenly began to transform into a grotesque shape.

Squelch, squelch!

Sharp thorns sprouted from its shell; soon all the spikes were pointed at Ulan. Sylphie's warnings kept coming, "Be careful! Even a slight graze from those thorns will paralyze your entire body!"

Before Sylphie could finish her warning...

…the thorns were already flying toward him.

Fwap! Thud! Thwack!

Thorns rained down from all directions.

Sylphie's face immediately turned pensive. She could see Ulan turning into a hedgehog.

However, that scenario didn't play out.

When he swung his axe, a miracle occurred.

Boom!

With a sound like a balloon bursting, all the thorns turned into a handful of blood.

"Huh?"

What just happened?

Sylphie’s expression turned dazed. Meanwhile, the Blood Golem created its second set of thorns.

This time, there were far more than before; however, the outcome was no different.

Boom!

Another explosion echoed, accompanied by Sylphie widening her eyes.

"............!"

This time, she saw it clearly.

Ulan's axe generated a shockwave as it struck, causing the blood thorns to explode.

It was Ulan's technique.

The same technique he had used during the entrance exam to shatter all the mana beads.

[GRAAAAHHH!]

Was it due to all its attacks failing?

The Blood Golem roared out its frustration. And just as it was about to revert to its original form...

Splat!

Ulan charged forth aggressively; his speed was incomparable to before. It was all thanks to his Spirit energy being pushed to its limits.

[───!]

Facing the quivering red eyes head-on, Ulan's axe danced with grace.

Whooong! Boom! Pshhh!

A sudden, tumultuous explosion erupted; the shockwave generated by Ulan's axe literally blew apart the Golem's body.

Grrr... Grk...

Immediately, the Golem attempted to regenerate.

Of course, the regeneration itself was successful. The problem was that Ulan's axe strikes were much faster than its regeneration.

Did it feel a sense of crisis?

The Golem swung its fists recklessly. By doing so, it could create distance to avoid attacks and likely buy time for regeneration. — The Blood Golem reasoned.

But the Golem had underestimated Ulran.

Puck! Puck!

Ulan didn't dodge the Golem's punch and soon, an intense impact shook him.

Yet, Ulan didn't flinch at all. He stood firmly like a rooted tree, swinging his axe relentlessly.

[───!]

At that moment, the golem realized – the purpose of this barbarian warrior.

Ulan had no intention of dodging or blocking the attack. Instead, he was more willing to swing his axe again during that time.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Pow!

A terrifying barrage of axe blows.

It was a ferocious and relentless assault, as if Ulan had no intention of allowing the Golem to regenerate freely.

Did the Blood Golem realize its mistake too late? It also swung its fists with more ferocity than before.

Both sides began to exchange blows head-on.

There was no defense or evasion, only pure aggression in this wild battle. Sylphie's face turned pale as she witnessed this brutal and savage combat

"Ah, ah...!"

Fighting by taking each other's attacks head-on. Such a savage battle was unlike anything she had ever seen.

How much time had passed?

As the surroundings became drenched in blood, the victor of this frenzied battle finally emerged.

Thunk! Thud!

Ulan thrust his hand into the Golem's torso and pulled out a grotesque lump; a fleshy lump wriggled like a fish.

Sylphie exclaimed in shock, "The Golem's power source!?"

That was the correct answer. Ulan chuckled slyly.

He clutched the power source tightly, then opened his mouth wide. Like a beast about to begin its meal.

And then—

Chomp! Chomp!

—he began to chew on it.

"W-Why are you eating that?!" Sylphie cried out in horror.

However, Ulan paid her no mind. He continued his voracious feast.

Gulp!

Blood trickled down his throat.

A disgusted Sylphie was left behind. He finished his barbaric meal, blood smeared around his mouth, and grinned at Sylphie, "Now, there's only one left."

His crimson eyes blazed with greed; the Golem's quivering eyes met Ulan's gaze.

Now, there was only one power source left; if that were taken away, it would be the end. And so, in an attempt to gain momentum, it let out a roar of rage—

[GRAAAAHHH!]

"KRAAAAAHHHH!"

—But in that very moment, his roar was completely drowned out; a gut-wrenching roar echoed through the battlefield. It was the roar of a warrior.

However, it was different from the roar at the entrance ceremony.

Back then, it was filled with kindness and sincerity towards the friends who were soon to become companions. Now, it was a roar brimming with nothing but raw savagery.

Crash! Roar! Roar!

A shockwave of savagery swept across the battlefield.

It was a roar that made even the Monster from the Abyss cower and curl up. The Blood Golem was no exception.

[G-GRAAAAAHHH...]

In an instant, the Golem's movements became sluggish.

This created a decisive opening, and Ulan didn't miss the chance.

Thud! Pow! Pow!

A bombardment of frenzied blows.

The Blood Golem, living up to its name, started to transform more and more into a pool of blood.

And finally.

Squish! Thud!

The last of its power sources was ripped out — the heart, dripping with blood.

Ulan gripped it tightly and stared at the Golem, seeming to show it off, then proceeded to chew it up unabashedly—

Chomp! Chomp!

—like a wolf devouring the carcass of its prey.

Ulan, blood smeared around his mouth, ended his savage meal with a satisfied expression.

[G-GRAA, GRAAAH...]

And on cue…

Thunk! Rumble!

…the Blood Golem's body instantly collapsed.

With both power sources gone, the mana that formed its structure had dissipated. In its place, a massive pool of blood appeared; the ground was stained with blood.

Ulan sat down on the floor, unconcerned. He needed to digest the power source in his stomach.

Some time later.

"Whew."

The absorption of all the mana was complete.

Ulan closed his eyes and observed the Spirit within his body, checking his condition.

‘Now, I've finally completed one spirit.’

The mastery of a Mage is divided into five tiers — from 1-star to 5-star; the criteria for determining a tier was the number of completed spirits or mana cores.

In other words, if you have one completed Spirit, you're at 1-star, and if you have five completed spirits, you're at 5-star. Thus, Ulan had only just reached 1-star.

'Although that's faster than in my last life……'

……he still had a long way to go. To reach the realm of a Superhuman, he must reach the pinnacle, he must reach 5-star, the final stage, just like his past self had.

{Tbh, this Superhuman [초인의] term still ticks me off. The author should have used a cooler word, like a Transcendent.}

However, it won't take long. Just like before, he'll hunt demonic monsters, take their cores, and devour them. That should be enough.

As he was concluding his thoughts,

"Ulan?" a familiar voice called out to him.

Ibella's voice.

While he was absorbing mana, she had managed to defeat all the Undeads.

"Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm fine."

Although he had taken a few hits from the Golem, his activated spirit had prevented any significant damage; at most, his skin had been torn, but it was nothing more than a scratch.

"Wow, but seriously, to actually defeat it...," Ibella murmured in awe, Looking at the pool of blood that was once the Golem. 

Then, she turned her narrowed eyes towards Sylphie, "I thought you couldn't defeat it unless you’re in the realm of a Master or have a weapon made of Bloodstone?"

"Ahaha, maybe the records were wrong. Ancient history books often exaggerate and inflate the truth," Sylphie forced a somewhat awkward smile and didn't provide a straightforward answer.

"Well, it was amazing, though, because I'm no expert on battles, but Ulan looked like a high-level knight when he was fighting!"

"Right. Maybe it's somewhat true in actuality too?" Ibella asked speculatively.

It was a reasonable guess.

Ulan was too young to be in the realm of a Master, and he didn't use the symbol of a Master, the Aura.

So, Ibella surmised that he might be at the level of a high-level knight.

"..............."

Ulan, on the other hand, remained silent.

Of course, the girls' speculation was incorrect. Ulan had already crossed the threshold of Master and was now firmly within the realm of a true Master.

But he didn't bother correcting them.

The reason was simple: it was too troublesome to explain.

"However, if you're at the level of a high-level knight, do you really need to enroll in the academy?" Sylphie asked with a puzzled expression.

It was a reasonable question. Just looking at the professors in the Military Studies Department would reveal that most of them were at the level of high-level knights.

In other words, they were on par with Ulan.

Hence, was there really anything to learn for him at the academy?

That was Sylphie's question. Ibella, too, looked at Ulan with a questioning look on her face.

"I'm lacking in something, and I came to learn that."

"Huh? Is there something you're lacking, Ulan?"

"What are you trying to learn?"

"Knowledge."

"Ah."

It was a very convincing answer. Just recalling the entrance ceremony, it made sense. The girls nodded without saying a word.

Then, this time, Ulan asked a question, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Yes, of course."

"I'll tell you anything I know."

A reassuring answer.

Ulan nodded slightly. It was a gesture of gratitude. Then he went straight to the point, "I would like to know if there is a place within the Academy where knowledge and information is stored."

The purpose of his enrollment in the Arsene Academy.

To search for clues about 'the realm of a superhuman.' Additionally, his ultimate goal was to find information about the powerful weapon.

‘Now that I know that the Fountain of Magic is a gateway to the Abyss……’

He couldn't remain idle.

At the very least, he must become stronger than he was in his last life. Only then can he avoid losing his companions and defeat the Rulers of the Abyss.

Meanwhile, shortly after Ulan's question.

The two girls exchanged glances, as if confirming that they had heard correctly.

After a moment, Ibella spoke up, "Uh, do you mean the library?"

"Library?"

"As far as places that store knowledge and information go, the only place I can think of is a library."

"Where is that?"

"The library is in the six-story building next to the cafeteria. Only freshmen can use it, and I heard that others can start using it from next week."

A detailed answer came back. Sylphie added a further explanation, "If you're looking for specific materials or books, you can ask the librarians on the 1st floor. They'll recommend relevant books for you."

They would even help him find information.

Ulan's eyes sparkled.

"I see. Thank you. That was helpful."

"You're welcome. It's not a big deal."

It really wasn't. It was mentioned in the brochure that was distributed in the dormitory.

As their conversation was wrapping up, an unexpected change occurred.

Rumble!

The other side of the room where the Blood Golem was sitting, the wall collapsed with a loud crash.

"S-So, is something else going to come out again?" Sylphie's complexion was colored with anxiety.

However, Ulan shook his head, "Looks like the Trial is over."

A breeze blew in from beyond the wall.

It meant that there was an exit leading outside. At Ulan's answer, Ibella and Sylphie's complexions immediately flushed with color.

They could finally leave.

They breathed a sigh of relief and followed Ulan through the door. With a sigh of relief, the two followed Ulran's lead. However, not long after they had walked a bit,

…they had to stop once again.

"What is that……?"

Laid before them on the pathway was something unexpected.

It was a set of three chests that seemed to have endured the test of time.