Academy’s Genius Mage

“Why is the academy insignia here?”

“Treasure vault?”

“Do you think the professors might be inside if we enter? They might say, ‘Well done.'”

However, no one could satisfy Ian’s curiosity.

“Well, we’ll find out once we open it. Milo, open it.”

“Why am I always the one doing the heavy lifting?”

Milo grumbled as he pulled at the door.

“Ugh!”

But it didn’t budge. This time, he tried pulling it apart sideways. Still, it didn’t move.

No matter how hard he tried, not even a speck of dust fell from the door.

“Geez, it’s not opening! Could there be another way?”

“Hold on.”

Ian discovered something.

Next to the academy insignia, in a spot not easily visible, something was protruding.

It was a button that could be pressed. Ian reached out and pressed the button firmly.

“Couldn’t you have found that a bit earlier?”

Click!

Like a lid being lifted, the insignia detached with a mechanical sound.

Inside, there was a smooth, round slab of marble attached to the door.

That wasn’t the end of it. In the center of the marble slab, a letter with a bizarre shape was engraved.

“It’s in ancient script. Is it a code?”

“To give life to figures crafted from clay….”

Ian murmured the translated content.

Then, the ancient script engraved on the marble slab glowed white.

Boom!

Rumble!

The hefty door shook once and began to open sideways. Feeling an ominous sensation, the three of them slowly backed away.

“It’s opening!”

Eventually, the door fully opened, and as the white dust settled slowly, the space beyond the door became visible.

Someone was standing there.

“What is that?”

“Is it really a professor?”

It didn’t take long to realize it was an illusion.

No human could be that large.

And no human’s arms and legs could be that thick.

The dust completely settled, and the view became clear. Enormously large in the vast darkness, something stood tall.

Rumble… Rumble…

The ground shook.

Ian, Milo, and Edel barely maintained their balance.

Simultaneously, two beams of light shot out from the mysterious being in the room.

“Roar!”

It was eyes.

A shape like a human, yet not human.

A rough silhouette, like a mass of rocks, possessing power strong enough to cause an earthquake.

‘No way.’

Ian launched a sphere of light hovering above his head forward.

The darkness receded, finally revealing the mysterious being that was in the room.

“A golem!?”

The three of them widened their eyes in surprise.

Golems had been used as magical weapons since ancient times.

As a quintessence of magitech, they were crafted using rocks and earth and infused with magical energy.

They were commonly classified as magical machines, though some scholars would argue and classify them as magical creatures depending on the case.

Though once used for siege weaponry, nowadays they were employed for construction work or carrying heavy loads. As such, they were gigantic and powerful.

“But doesn’t it look a bit different from the golems we know?”

“Certainly.”

The golem that appeared before them was not like the ordinary-purpose golems occasionally seen at the academy.

Its arms and legs were thicker, and it was covered with metal plates in places.

The reason for the metal plates was simple: to increase its destructive power.

“It seems like this is the final exploration site.”

“Hehehe. Those academy old-timers prepared quite a thing, didn’t they? This should be fun.”

Milo boldly stepped forward. Ian and Edel also entered the golem’s chamber.

Yet, the golem did not seem to be wary of them.

Although emitting murderous intent through its glowing eyes, it remained unmoving at its spot.

“Does it not intend to fight?”

“Hold on.”

Ian stretched out his arm. Milo and Edel halted their steps.

“If this is also a test, once we enter a certain range, that thing will start moving.”

“Then we just fight it, right?”

Milo was unexpectedly confident.

He was already channeling magical energy into his staff, seemingly ready to beat it up.

Milo normally held a simple belief.

“Nobody gets hit without feeling pain.”

“We should strategize. It’s fine if you’re acting alone, but we need to protect Edel.”

“Edel. Would you like to wait outside? I’ll finish up here quickly and come back.”

“That won’t do. There’s significance in all three of us having our roles.”

“You’re such a slave to grades!”

Milo shouted in frustration, but eventually decided to follow Ian’s suggestion. After all, he, too, needed to graduate with good grades.

The three of them put their heads together to identify key strategies.

“What’s the golem’s weakness?”

“Well, it’s sluggish. It moves slowly but has devastating power. If you get hit even once, you might not be able to pick up your bones.”

Milo explained, directing Ian and Edel’s attention towards the golem.

Indeed, it looked like a blow from it could be fatal.

“Edel, don’t move away from me. If the golem suddenly attacks, it’ll be over.”

“Uh, okay!”

“Milo, what about you?”

“I know its attack pattern somewhat. I’ve trained with small golems before. Though they weren’t as monstrous as this one. But the principles should be similar, right?”

Clearly, his confidence had valid reasons.

Due to the unnatural joints of the golem, its attack methods were limited.

Once you knew its patterns, dodging wasn’t too tough.

Moreover, Milo had mastered the martial arts of the Vinettia Family.

“Then while you’re stirring things up in the front, Edel and I will support from the back. That’s the best way.”

“What magic are you planning to use?”

“Since it’s earth element, wind element spell should work well.”

“Then, Wind Blast?”

He pondered for a long time.

Among the new spells he learned, there were only two attack spells: Lightning and Firebolt.

The Wind Blast Spell Milo mentioned was a basic level 1 wind-element spell.

‘With my level, I doubt I can deal elemental damage.’

He hadn’t found a new technique for Wind Blast yet. Only the wind element damage corresponding to the magic level 77 could be dealt.

It was doubtful if such a feeble damage could affect the enormous golem before him.

Then a sudden question arose.

“Isn’t something off?”

“What now?”

Two people focused on Ian. He continued, staring intently at the towering golem.

“If Milo wasn’t in our team, how would we deal with that thing?”

“Hmm.”

“It’s really strange. We’re all mages, right? I’m aspiring for the school of healing and don’t have many spells to handle it…”

“Then, there must be another way to wreck it besides a frontal assault?”

Then a feeling as if the view had cleared up.

The three began scanning the surroundings.

『Light.』

Milo cast Light Spell to illuminate the dark surroundings.

Unlike the smooth floor, sharp crystals protruded.

The crystals glimmered with a purple hue, appearing solid as though they extended from a deep vein.

At a glance, they seemed like naturally occurring crystals within the cave.

However, Ian hadn’t taken his eyes off them.

What Ian was focusing on was the largest crystal in the golem’s chamber.

It jutted out sharply like a long spear.

‘That’s it.’

Ian’s eyes gleamed, and in the blink of an eye, a confident smile spread across his face.

“We’ll use that crystal to destroy the golem. Do you see the big one?”

“How?”

“The golem is immensely heavy. If it gains momentum, it won’t be able to stop itself. We have to lure it to the crystal and make it impale itself.”

“Ha, sounds easy. You’re saying we have to be the bait.”

“Precisely, it’s not ‘we,’ but ‘you.'”

Milo sighed and gripped his staff.

“Just make sure to cover me properly.”

“Don’t worry. Let’s go.”

“Wait! Hold on a second! There’s something else weird!”

“No use stalling for time. Let’s go.”

“No, really, it’s strange! Professor Frost said there wouldn’t be anything serious. But isn’t this golem too dangerous?”

“We’ll find out once we fight.”

“Oh no! I won’t live to see another day. Alright, here I go!”

Milo shouted, launching himself forward.

Simply striking with his staff would break it instead.

At least to deliver damage to the golem’s body, it needed to be magically reinforced.

‘As expected, the Vinettia Family is different.’

The speed was immense. As the distance closed in an instant, the golem’s eyes turned red.

“Gah!”

Boom!

An unexpected attack unfolded. The golem brought both arms crashing down to the ground.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

Shockwaves erupted simultaneously, shaking the very earth.

Milo staggered momentarily but regained balance quickly, proving his rigorous training.

“What?”

Ian, who was about to provide cover, paused his incantation. Something peculiar had caught his eye.

“Ian! What’s going on?”

“Wait a second.”

Ian stared intently at the golem’s arm.

The golem, running amok with a deafening roar, spun its arm around. Then it struck down towards the spot where Milo stood approaching.

Crash!

“Gah!”

Milo was pushed back, barely evading the attack, but the shockwave engulfed him.

“This thing isn’t just any golem. It can feel magic!”

Sweat dripped down his face.

Milo, who was tense, found it hard to close the distance with ease.

The golem spun its arm again, intending to smash it down on the ground.

Meanwhile, Ian smiled.

“Is this why he said everything would be fine?”

Ian clearly saw it.

There was something odd about the golem’s arm hitting the ground.

Even the ground itself responded unnaturally each time.

At that moment, another attack from the golem ensued.

It was a moment of certainty.

“The golem’s arm isn’t really made of rock. It’s artificially generating shock using magical devices, like an illusion spell.”

And what cleverly masked this trick was the golem’s overwhelming presence.

Milo, busy dodging, hadn’t perceived it.

Ian gazed around. Somewhere within that wall, magical devices were hidden.

“It’s impressively well-crafted. As expected, the royal mages are different. So are the professors.”

Probably even getting hit wouldn’t cause significant injury.

But without knowing its secret, one would feel a fear of death. It’s perfect for educational purposes.

Just then, Milo shouted out.

“What are you standing around for! Do something!”

Ian considered telling him that getting hit once would be okay but decided against it.

“I can’t risk ruining our friendship.”

Instead, he formed a rune.

“Wind Blast.”

A fierce wind exploded from Ian’s hand.

Boom!

The golem staggered a step back from the hit. Still, it didn’t look significantly effective.

However, it was sufficient to create an opening for Milo to charge in.

Bang!

Crash!

Thud!

All three consecutive attacks hit the golem effectively.

“Raaargh!”

But it only managed to stir its rage. The golem began raging even more.

Milo retreated and glanced towards the crystal.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

The golem started charging forward.

“It’s too much to handle any longer! Move away!”

As Milo signaled, Ian and Edel withdrew.

Milo sprinted back, luring the golem towards the crystal.

Ian resolved to be more decisive.

“Milo! Count to three and jump!”

“What?”

Before Milo could even ask why Ian was forming another rune.

While Milo suspected Ian might be siding with the golem, he began counting in his head.

One.

Two.

Three!

He leaped. At the same time, Ian completed his rune.

“Earth Crack.”

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

Crack! Snap!

The very ground beneath Milo’s jump started to crack open.

The fissure wasn’t large. But it was enough to trip up the charging golem’s foot.

Thunk!

A heavy collision sounded, and the stumbling golem began toppling forward.

“Ughhh!”

The hulking mass fell like a collapsing building.

Crrrack!

With no chance to protest, the crystal pierced through the golem’s chest.

Powerless, the golem slumped lifelessly.