Golden Experience

“I give up… There really is nothing here.”

After exploring the volcano for a while, there was no sign of any magical creatures, let alone any moving entities.

The crater area was left unexamined due to the heat and gas, making it impossible to approach.

It requires more powerful heat-resistant skills and skills similar to not needing to breathe.

“If there is something in the crater, there’s nothing we can do about it right now.”

Even if there was something, there was no effective means of attacking creatures that could survive comfortably in the current environment, which the members, including Rare, couldn’t approach.

“Well, I guess we’ll have to postpone it… Well, it’s not that close to Liebe Great Forest or my other dominion, so leaving it alone shouldn’t be a problem.”

Once on the surface, I will listen to the opinions of the other members and decide whether to retreat or persist.

At any rate, we stand on a rock formation that we saw and that we largely bypassed when we were first walking up the mountain.

The considerable height allows us to see our surroundings clearly. Here, even if we took a break, we would not be attacked by surprise. If anything, it would be more helpful if we were ambushed because we would not have to worry so much.

“Now, what should we do? Is there any benefit in continuing to explore here?”

“I’m not sure. Currently, Marion, Hakuma, and Ginka are using magic to lower the surrounding temperature. However, as long as we continue this, their MP will keep decreasing. Stopping it may affect everyone’s LP, and it might be better to avoid long-term activity in this mountain altogether.”

Kerry’s words make sense. It was hotter than expected. Reflecting as Rare, overall, underestimated this continent. There is a need for substantial introspection.

Even though it’s an initial continent, there might be areas with difficulty levels similar to those unlocked in the mid-game. For example, in the vicinity of this volcano, the surrounding forest may have a normal difficulty level, but the rock mountain area could have a significantly higher recommended level.

Normally, some restrictions would be set to make certain areas impassable, but this game generally doesn’t constrain players, indicating the freedom to recklessly challenge and die is allowed.

“I think I’d better come back after the authorized dungeon system is implemented and I earn more experience.”

Rare is a species that has even been called a ‘calamity’, but considering the reaction of the Count, Blanc’s protector, and the fact that she died completely unable to resist the power of the former Spirit Lord’s artifact, it is hard to believe that she has that much power.

It’s probably because she has just been reincarnated and is still like a baby. Certainly, even for a single human, there is a world of difference in combat power between a resident NPC on the street and a tank player like Gil who challenged Rare.

“Alright, for today…”

“Boss! Something’s coming!”

Remy, who has been quiet all day, shouts. Hakuma and Ginka also tense up.

Given this combination…

“Is it sound?”

A powerful sound soon reaches Rare’s ears, almost as if the ground is shaking.

“Yeah, it seems like it! Is the ground shaking at our feet!?”

Only at this point did Rare notice that the huge rock beneath her feet is faintly imbued with magic, and it’s gradually becoming denser.

“This thing isn’t a rock, it’s a magical creature!”

Immediately, Kerry and the others evacuate Rare, Hakuma, and Ginka into the air. Soon, the mass of rocks below becomes clearly imbued with magic and rises with a rumble.

“A giant… no, this is a golem! First time seeing one…”

Considering the harsh environment, Rare had been wondering what kind of creature could survive here, but it turns out it wasn’t a normal living being in the first place.

Furthermore, in response to the activation of this large golem, the surrounding rocks also stand up one after another.

It doesn’t seem like every rock within the field of vision is a golem, but there are still a considerable number of them. Since there might be golems disguised as rocks, it’s not advisable to land on the surface carelessly. It seems like the ecology can’t be observed until they start moving, and magic is needed to see their magical power.

“In this position, Hakuma and Ginka can’t engage in close combat.”

They are carrying burdens on their backs that cannot be dropped.

If they could engage in mounted combat, the situation would change, but they have neither the equipment nor the know-how for mounted combat.

As long as they stay in the air, they won’t be attacked, but their attack options are limited to magical bombardment.

“Alternatively, it seems we could crush them if we call in aviation and artillery… But calling them here and forming a formation is not an option.”

What effective magic could there be against these masses of rocks?

Certainly, there was Ice Magic that could grant Earth Resistance, but attacking with ice wouldn’t necessarily deal significant damage to earth-aligned creatures. While there might be a tendency, it’s not common for regular creatures to be strongly aligned with a specific attribute.

“But ants didn’t like ice. If I had to say, ants are a race with a strong earth attribute, so it’s worth a try.”

“Then, let me do it.”

Marion begins to shower the area with ice chunks from Hakuma’s back. I thought it was a single-target spell, but it seems to be a form of area-of-effect magic. With single-target magic, the recast wouldn’t be able to keep up.

Perhaps due to the size difference, the large golem doesn’t seem to take much damage, but the surrounding small golems are greatly affected. Even though they are called small, they are considerably larger than an ordinary human.

While Marion observes the damage and waits for the recast, it becomes clear that the attack is effective. So, she continues intermittently showering the area with the magic. While waiting for the recast, Hakuma and Ginka also cast similar magic. This should quickly deal with the small fry.

The advantage of being able to unilaterally attack from above is tremendous.

“No, as expected, I’m not sure they’d allow me to do that… Stop the attack for now! Disperse!”

As soon as it seems like the large golem has grasped the rocks at its feet, it throws them into the air.

It’s quite fast. If they hit, they would be slammed into the ground.

Dodging wouldn’t be difficult if one were paying attention, but it’s challenging when focusing on magic.

“So, he’s prepared for anti-air attacks. Is he the area boss?”

In any case, it’s doubtful whether current regular players can contend with it. It’s undoubtedly at least raid-level difficulty.

She releases Hakuma and Ginka further into the sky and confronts it alone.

Come to think of it, she has never really engaged in aerial combat. Although the opponent is on the ground, considering anti-air attacks and the opponent’s size, it could be called aerial combat.

In preparation for future raid battles with players who might come again, training for cases where Rare fights alone is necessary.

“Hakuma, aim for the surrounding small fry. I’ll deal with this boss.”

“Boss…”

“It’s okay. I haven’t done much today, and if comes to it, there’s always [Castling]. I’m not going to die.”

While it’s essential to leave experience points in stock for when she dies, it’s also necessary to have insurance to avoid dying in the first place. [Castling] is originally for that purpose. To make it instantly usable, she designates Ominous-kun as the target. Using it means that even Rare, facing an attack that could potentially kill her, will ensure Ominous-kun’s death. She apologizes to him, but there’s no one else suitable. Other members are usually busy with some job.

“Now, let’s start with [Ice Magic]… Whoa, that was close!”

From a rock that she barely avoided, hands and legs suddenly sprouted, almost hitting her.

The large golem is throwing the rocks at its feet, but that means there’s a certain probability of golems mixed in. The danger of rock-throwing has increased further. Avoidance needs to be done with a wider margin.

“If he’s thinking about it and doing it, it’s very troubling. I don’t know. I can’t really judge.”

While using a suitable [Ice Magic] for suppression, she considers effective means.

It’s okay to get closer and punch, but considering the size difference, it’s uncertain how effective it would be.

“[Feather Gatling].”

Countless tiny holes appear all over the golem’s body. It doesn’t flinch, seemingly having no sense of pain, but it seems to have penetrated quite deep, allowing her to shift the trajectory of the rock-throwing. However, after repeating it several times, the holes initially made have somehow disappeared. They must have been repaired by natural recovery.

“In this game, dealing with high LP bosses of large size alone is already a hassle. It seems like it’s either a short-term decisive battle from the beginning, or unless we go for an all-out attack on the weakness, the battle won’t end anytime soon.”

The automatic recovery of LP for boss monsters proportional to their total LP is tough. While it’s a basic ability that all characters have to some extent, when a player is subjected to it by a raid boss, their morale breaks.

Continuously firing [Feather Gatling] might eventually wear it down, but it’s uncertain how much time it will take. Moreover, the cost of this is LP consumption. The worst-case scenario would be fighting while using potions, but it doesn’t look good for the Demon Lord to engage in a battle of attrition with a nutrition drink in hand.

“However, attempting a saturation attack with magic becomes limited as recast times overlap, narrowing down the available choices.

Calculating the damage dealt, recast time, and the enemy’s recovery speed, one must choose magic that accumulates damage most efficiently.

Coordinating magic from the [Demonic Eyes], I unleash [Dark Implosion]. This dark magic, previously used in the capital, gathers and crushes all characters and objects within its range, erasing them to the realm of darkness. Although it consumes a significant amount of MP and has a long cooldown time, no one has survived receiving this magic directly so far. While the specific damage amount is unknown, it can be said to be the most powerful attack in the cards that Rare holds.

“Hmm.”

However, it ends up being a dud. While the MP was consumed, the activation did not follow through. It seems like some activation conditions were not met, causing the process to fail. As it is an area-of-effect magic, the target is within the specified range, but if there’s something that doesn’t fit entirely within the area, it seems to end up as a dud. It’s likely not possible to cut out only a part of something and crush it. Certainly, if that were possible, targeting a weak point on any opponent, regardless of its size, could result in instant death.

“I guess it wasn’t such a good idea after all.”

In that case, I’ll quietly chip away with [Ice Magic] or similar spells. I scatter high-tier [Snowstorm], [Great Cold Wave], and [Downburst], which can only be unlocked after acquiring both [Wind Magic] and [Ice Magic] high-tier area-of-effect spells, primarily targeting the large golem, and continue chipping away.

“Oh?”

However, this had a more significant effect than expected.

Clearly, it’s dealing more damage than anticipated.

“Could it be that characters with a large body have some disadvantages, such as multiple hits with area-of-effect magic, in exchange for a bonus to LP?”

While waiting for the recast, I ponder this while using [Feather Gatling] to chip away at the enemy’s natural recovery. Without something like that, it would be challenging for human-sized characters to counter a gigantic enemy. However, even with such a feature, it’s doubtful that magic users would gather to form a raid party.

Without some merit for melee jobs focused on single-target attacks, it’s impossible to gather talents and fight in a balanced manner. The same goes for archery, and similar cases.

“Thinking normally, maybe there’s a weakness effect on certain body parts? I have no idea where the weak point is, though.”

Attacks on weak points may cause knockback, temporary status effects like fainting, or induce part destruction. But exploring this is not Rare’s job. Players who can only perform single-target attacks should handle it.

“It has a head, but since it doesn’t have a face, it’s challenging to gauge how much damage I’m dealing.”

Since the opponent’s damage isn’t visible as numbers, it’s usually estimated by expressions or the degree of damage. Perhaps there are skills that allow seeing damage and LP as numerical or visual information, but Rare hasn’t grasped that so far.

The movements of the large golem below have become considerably sluggish. However, whether it’s due to a bad status caused by the drop in temperature or a decrease in mobility due to accumulated damage is unclear. Since it seems to have no sense of pain, it’s challenging to imagine that its actions are restricted by damage.

“So, it probably still has LP left. If it received multiple hits, I think it has already taken quite a bit of damage.”

While it’s not terrifying as an enemy, its LP is extraordinary.

However, effective attack methods already seem to be discerned, and now it’s just a simple job of avoiding thrown rocks and scattering magic. Keeping the opponent limited to stone throwing while Rare remains in constant flight makes things easier, but it would have been more troublesome if it had to be fought on the ground. Even a normal physical attack like trampling would turn into a challenging area-of-effect attack that is difficult to evade when the enemy is of this size.

Its movement may not seem fast, but that’s because Rare is fighting from a distance. If it were moving normally at that size, it would mean moving at dozens of times the speed of a human.

If it couldn’t fly, it would need to somehow trap it in a one-sided attack or train considerably before being able to contend with it.

It took some time, but finally, the time came when the large golem fell to its knees.

Even though there are no limitations on actions due to pain since it lacks a sense of pain, if it receives enough damage to render its limbs powerless, it won’t be able to stand up.

“If there were room, I could have tried if magic of other attributes would work, but this one doesn’t show damage on its face. Well, if ice worked, that’s fine.”

The large golem hasn’t died yet. It’s uncertain whether it can be considered alive, but its LP hasn’t dropped to zero. Even now, on its knees, it braces its arms and legs, attempting to stand up.

“If you’ve come this far, you could say you’ve surrendered to me, couldn’t you? Now, give up and be mine. [Subordinate].”

As it is, Mental Magic doesn’t work on golem types. I considered using Soul Bind to apply Mental Magic using the stocked souls, but this time, confirming combat capabilities took precedence.

The usefulness of Mental Magic has already been proven, but it’s unclear whether it’s sufficient against combat power from other offensive magics. I want to avoid a situation where there’s no way to defend against opponents who surpass me in rank when it comes to Mental Magic.

Additionally, if there’s an opportunity to earn experience points and strengthen Rare herself, acquiring more formidable combat and adaptability skills should be a continuous endeavor.

Besides, if I’m going to use Mental Magic on inanimate monsters, given that I managed to acquire the Hiers Kingdom capital almost unscathed, I want to try searching for that item called the [Soul Bind Stone]. It’s for the purpose of verifying if it has effects similar to [Soul Bind]. Although I was curious, I thought there wouldn’t be an opportunity to use Mental Magic on golem types or undead immediately, so I put it off for later.

However, once this is over, there might not be such an opportunity for a while, and I can foresee a future where I forget about it again.

Intuitively, I still felt a bit of resistance, but in front of the [Horns] bonus, it was powerless. Even in this state, if there had been even a bit of resistance, [Subordinate] wouldn’t have worked perfectly. It’s quite a high MND.

“The race name is… Elder Rock Golem, huh? Then, are the smaller ones around it Rock Golems?”

It doesn’t seem to have any connection to subjugation, and there’s no sense that making the Elder Rock Golem a servant would make the surrounding golems its subordinates. Moreover, the Elder Rock Golem doesn’t have [Subordinate].

Most of the smaller golems around, however, have become mere rocks due to the attacks from White Magic and Kerry.

I feel like I saw a post on the forum that said, “If it’s a golem, the drop is an item, not a corpse”. Still, it’s unclear whether these scattered things on the ground are corpses or drops of rocks.

“If it’s an Elder, does that mean golems age naturally and grow larger? It’s like a marimo.”

It might be something like stalactites or corals.

“The World Tree was born by being subjugated by elves… What about this one? If it were subjugated by dwarves, would it fulfill conditions for reincarnation?”

It might be worth trying to forcibly reincarnate it using a Philosopher’s Stone, but it would be troublesome if the required experience points were in the four digits. I don’t have them right now.

“Even if I were to do it, it’s for later. Expenses keep increasing even though there’s no prospect of income yet.”

There seem to be players attacking Hiers Kingdom and La Colinne sporadically, but not every day. It’s not easy to prepare potions that can ignore fatigue, and it can’t be helped. Although it should have already been implemented, there hasn’t been any discovery of items to create a Quick Safety Area.

Until the full-scale dungeon promotion project using teleportation services starts, or until items for creating Quick Safety Areas are released as paid items, it won’t be profitable.

“Well, whatever. For now, you live here as usual. I’d like the small golems around here to be under my control, but… If there’s no reason, they won’t fight each other of the same kind, right? So, it’s fine to leave them alone.”

It seems to be an unexpectedly mild race. Since they don’t need to prey on other living beings to survive and can grow larger if left alone, there’s no need for conflict.

Usually, they just camouflage themselves as rocks, not moving or doing anything.

Although they exist like monsters just to attack players who come to this mountain, such things happen.

While it can’t be said to be hostile, there are still many non-compliant monsters, so it can’t be claimed that the volcanic area is completely under control. However, if this large golem is under my control, I can consider it a step towards achieving my goal.

“All right, let’s go home. Until the survey results are tallied, let’s work on preparing for the opening of each territory. Hiers Kingdom, La Colinne, Teur and Liebe. Let’s decide on a boss for each territory and have them run the operations.”

T/N: Castling is a chess move where you essentially put your king piece in safety by moving it at the same times as the rook piece, almost switching their positions. In this context, it’s the skill that lets Rare exchange positions with one of her subordinates.