The tunnel was silent except for the clinking sound of monster cores being collected. The air was heavy with the coppery tang of blood and the faint rancid scent left by the monsters. Hundreds of glowing cores rolled across the floor, illuminating the faces of those still too tired as they were collecting them.

Arthur stepped quietly among them, his boots brushing over loose gravel. The concealment around his body faded as he appeared before them.

Behind one of the mages, a soft crunch of stone underfoot broke the silence.

The mage flinched and spun around, he raised his staff instinctively. "Who…?" His eyes widened when he saw Arthur standing there, calm and unbothered, his sword resting casually on his back. "You… you scared the hell out of me!"

Arthur gave a faint shrug. "Didn't mean to."

The others turned, blinking in confusion at his sudden reappearance. A few frowned, unable to recall seeing him during the entire battle. Finn's brows knitted slightly as he scratched his head. "Arthur… where were you? I didn't even see you during the fight."

Arthur smiled faintly. "I was nearby. You were too focused to notice."

Finn let out a short laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Guess I was. Thought maybe you got buried under a pile of monsters for a second there."

Arthur chuckled softly hearing that.

The others didn't seem entirely convinced. The scarred warrior muttered something under his breath but didn't push it. Everyone was too exhausted to argue, their mana mostly drained and their bodies sore.

Soon, they got back to collecting the cores, carefully prying them from the ground and piling them into bags. The dim glow painted everyone's faces in shifting shades of blue and white.

After the last one was gathered, the elf leader from the other group straightened, wiping his blade clean with a piece of cloth. "Let's divide them before we move on."

The scarred warrior nodded. "Fair. We fought side by side; we should share the spoils the same way."

They began counting and distributing the cores evenly. It took time, there were hundreds. Each core shimmered faintly, pulsating with the mana of the monsters they came from.

When Finn handed Arthur his share, Arthur shook his head. "Keep it."

Finn blinked. "What do you mean? You helped too."

Arthur's expression didn't change. "They're of no use to me."

"You sure?"

Arthur nodded once. "Positive."

The others didn't argue. The scarred warrior even grinned and scooped up some from Arthur's share without hesitation. "Your loss," he said with a laugh.

Arthur only smiled faintly, but didn't say anything at his enthusiasm.

All of them belonged to powerful families so they brought various potions with them when they entered the ancient realm.

After some rest and a few mana potions, they recovered their stamina and mana. The soft blue glow of potion bottles lit the tunnel as one after another gulped down potions. All of their wounds healed, and soon everyone looked ready for another fight.

"Alright," Finn said, adjusting his grip on his sword. "Let's see what this dungeon throws at us next."

The group continued down the winding tunnel. The further they went, the colder it became. The moss that once clung to the walls started to thin, replaced by smooth, weathered stone etched with faint runic patterns.

When they emerged from the narrow passage, the space opened into a vast hall.

Even Arthur stopped for a moment.

Massive stone pillars stretched up into the shadows above, vanishing into darkness. Each pillar was carved with swirling symbols that faintly glimmered in gold and blue. Between them were rows of statues, some appeared humanoid, others shaped like beasts, and a few that defied any known form entirely.

Each statue was holding something, either a sword, a scepter, a necklace, a gauntlet, or a staff. Even under the dim light, those artifacts shimmered faintly with mana, hinting at enchantments still preserved despite the age of these artifacts.

The group collectively exhaled in awe.

"Artifacts…" one of the mages whispered, her voice trembling with excitement.

"Jackpot," the scarred warrior's breath quickened, and his eyes started shining.

Before anyone could move, the elf leader raised a hand sharply. "Stop!"

Everyone froze mid-step.

The elf's eyes were narrowed, his expression deadly serious. "Don't rush in like fools. You think a place like this would just hand out relics lying around on pedestals?"

The warrior frowned. "What, you think these statues would come alive or something?"

Finn chuckled but stayed cautious. "He's right. We barely survived the last wave. I don't want to find out what kind of monster guards those artifacts."

The elf nodded approvingly. "Good. Let's test it first."

From his storage ring, he pulled out something that made Arthur's eyes flicker with interest, a wooden golem.

It was roughly human-sized, built of interlocking plates of wood and iron joints. Its eyes were hollow, but faint runes etched across its chest pulsed with soft white light. The elf pressed his palm against the rune, and a low hum filled the air.

The golem's eyes flared to life with a dull yellow glow. It straightened up, creaking as it turned its head toward its master.

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Arthur's interest was piqued. He focused, and a faint blue shimmer passed across his eyes as he used 'Analyze' on the golem.

[Object: Wooden Golem] Type: Construct Power Source: Mana Crystal (Intermediate Grade) Core System: Runic Matrix – Direct Command Type Functions: Obedience Protocols, Defensive Mode, Scouting Subroutines Notes: A primitive artificial construct, animated through ancient rune sequences. Stability depends on mana flow integrity.

Arthur's gaze lingered on the rune core glowing on its chest. The pattern was intricate, layered runes connected in a lattice that pulsed in rhythm with its movements. It wasn't technology, but it wasn't pure magic either. It was something in between.

'So this is what a rune construct looks like…' he thought. It acts on the same principle as a robot but instead of propramming or AI it works on runes.

His sword spirit's voice appeared in his mind again. 'Interested, aren't you?'

Arthur smirked faintly. 'More than a little. The knowledge of rune systems was heavily guarded in the outside world. Seeing one up close… this is a rare chance. Though I have come across them a few times.'

The elf gestured toward the hall. "Go."

The wooden golem lurched forward, its steps echoing in the silence of the hall. It walked cautiously between the statues, its gears whirring faintly within its wooden frame.

The others watched in tense silence.

The golem reached the nearest statue, a towering humanoid figure with a cracked stone face and four arms. It held a long, curved blade that shimmered faintly with golden runes.

"Come on…" the scarred warrior muttered, his knuckles white around his sword hilt.

The golem extended its wooden hand toward the sword.

Arthur's senses spiked instantly.

He felt mana stir beneath the stone floor, subtle but unmistakable, like something powerful shifting in its sleep.

"Wait…" he began, but before he could finish, the golem touched the artifact.

The entire hall shuddered.

The torches flickered violently as a pulse of mana rippled through the air. Dust rained down from the ceiling, and faint cracks spread across the pillars.

A deep, grinding rumble sounded as if stone scraped against stone.

One by one, the statues' heads turned.

Their dead eyes began to glow, some red, some blue, some a sickly green, and the hall filled with the sound of these awakening guardians.

The elf took a sharp step back, his eyes wide with horror. "Everyone, get ready to fight!"

Finn's grin vanished. "Oh, hell no…"

Arthur exhaled, tightening his grip on his sword. "Guess the test worked."

The scarred warrior cursed loudly. "I knew this was a bad idea!" Though the others looked at him weirdly, as he was the most eager to snatch those artifacts just now. But they focused on the upcoming fight for now.

As the first of the statues stepped down from its pedestal, the ground trembled under its weight. The ancient hall, once silent, now echoed with the sound of their heavy steps.

Arthur's aura intensified as he muttered under his breath, "Guess I have to fight now." Seeing these stone statues were much stronger than the monsters from before, they were at least as strong as B-Rank monsters.

…

The air turned heavy, thick with mana. Cracks split down their bodies like veins, light pulsing through the fractures as if blood began to flow after centuries of stillness.

There were nearly thirty of these sentinels of stone and mana, all turning their glowing eyes toward the intruders.

The scarred warrior gripped his greatsword tighter. "...You've got to be kidding me."

Finn exhaled sharply beside him. "Let's hope we remain in one piece after this."

As the situation became tense, Arthur stepped forward silently, his expression calm, almost too calm. The flickering torchlight caught the faint gleam of his silver irises as he surveyed the field like a predator assessing its prey.

The statues began to move, each step a tremor that made dust rain down from the ceiling.

Finn's voice broke the tension. "Alright, same plan as before…"

He stopped mid-sentence when he felt Arthur's aura intensify from behind him.

A golden ripple swept through the air like a storm. The oppressive pressure hit everyone in the hall, forcing several to stumble backward. Even the stone guardians slowed, their glowing eyes locked on Arthur.

Finn blinked, stunned. "What the hell…"

Arthur didn't answer. He simply walked forward, drawing his sword from his back in a smooth, almost lazy motion. The sound of steel leaving its sheath sliced through the heavy silence like a blade.

The sword spirit sounded in his mind, its tone amused. 'Finally showing them what a real fight looks like, eh, boy?'

Arthur's lips curved slightly. 'This won't be a fight.'

The first golem, a massive beast-like figure with four arms and a jagged cleaver roared and lunged forward, its steps shaking the ground.

Arthur vanished from his position. One instant he was standing among the others, the next second he blurred ahead. A golden flash erupted, and the golem's torso split cleanly down the center.

The halves slid apart, collapsing with a thunderous crash that echoed through the entire hall.

Everyone froze.

The scarred warrior's jaw fell open. "Did he…did he just…"

The second statue stomped towards Arthur before he could finish. A serpentine golem slithered across the floor, its obsidian-like body glinting in the light as it tried to coil around Arthur.

Arthur sidestepped, his movements were fluid, almost effortless. He slammed his palm forward, releasing a burst of Chi that shattered the creature's midsection. The shockwave blasted dust and fragments across the floor, forcing everyone nearby to shield their faces.

"Holy shit," Finn muttered. "How much stronger did he become in just a month…"

Arthur leapt upward, twisting midair as a third statue, a winged humanoid wielding twin spears, swung at him. But both spears sliced through empty air.

Arthur landed lightly on the creature's shoulder, Chi coiling around his legs. He swung his leg downward in a single, brutal arc, and the golem's head exploded into fragments.

He pushed off, landing soundlessly as the decapitated body toppled behind him.

Three down.

The others finally shook off their shock. "Support him! Don't let him fight alone!" Finn shouted, channeling wind magic around his blade. A cyclone of wind surged forth, slashing across one of the advancing golems.

But even as Finn and the others began to move, Arthur was already ten steps ahead.

A golem shaped like a lion lunged from the left, its claws glowing with mana. Arthur met it head-on. The two forces collided with a deafening boom, as shockwaves rippled through the hall, cracks spiderwebbed under their feet.

The lion's claw struck Arthur's blade, but instead of deflecting, Arthur twisted his wrist and redirected the force downward. The blade covered with Chi as he sliced upward, cleaving through the creature's jaw and splitting it to the crown.

Finn was amazed at the display of power. "He's dismantling them like toys…"

The elf leader, who had been observing Arthur as he was supporting others, spoke slowly, almost to himself. "No… he's not just strong. He's in an entirely different class compared to us…just like those dragons."

The air filled with thunderous crashes as more golems attacked. Arthur became a streak of gold darting between the stone titans. His Chi-infused blade crushed limbs, and split torsos with ruthless precision. Each time he struck, energy rippled outward in controlled blasts, vaporizing parts of the stone guardian's body into dust.

The fight dragged on for some time as Arthur started taking down the stone guardians with the others.

***

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