Introverted Archer 39

Test

39. Rational Golem!

"Alright! Found the stairs to the 10th floor!"

The voice echoed about 30 minutes after the incident had occurred.

"Well done! Hey, viewers! We finally meet the Golem!"

With joy, Mashita spoke to the camera, adjusting the spherical camera to show the staircase happily.

The team had lost five more members since the incident, leaving 28. Despite the sloppy coordination causing a faster decline in numbers than Mirei's previous broadcast, they compensated with sheer quantity.

"Great! Let's head to the 10th floor right away!"

In high spirits, Mashita descended the stairs. 

Following suit, Mirei and the others advanced to the 10th floor.

Ahead lay a vast space, as always. And beyond that, the Floor Boss.

"Grrrrrrrr!"

A rumbling ground and a loud roar echoing off the walls. The impact was so intense that Mashita and the others instinctively covered their ears.

"...Hey, did you hear that? Are Golems really that huge!?"

Before them stood a giant of rocks, seemingly over 10 meters tall. Its stance resembled a colossal medieval stone statue brought to life.

Incredible intensity. 

It was only now, standing next to Mashita and the others, that the colossal size of the Golem became apparent.

"Heh heh! Well, it's nothing! We can handle this easily! After all, we just advanced one floor from the 9th!"

Mashita's perception was incorrect. 

When I first defeated a Golem, I definitely felt the power difference between the Golem and other monsters. 

The Golem was undoubtedly one level stronger.

"I'll take the lead!"

At that moment, the blonde spear user standing behind Mashita rushed forward. 

Skillfully twirling his spear, he attempted to thrust it towards the Golem.

"Idiot! Get back!"

It wasn't any of the on-site members who shouted. It was me.

"Hey, wait a minute!"

And when the on-site member shouted, it was already too late.

"This is for opponents like rocks! Impact Spear!"

The tip of the spear approached the Golem's feet. In that instant.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

The Golem swung its arm down, crushing the spear user with its palm.

The sound at that moment was a booming clash of the palm hitting the ground. 

Then, the squishing sound of a person being crushed. 

It felt like it might have been one or the other, or perhaps both sounds were unmistakably heard.

"Hey, help him! He's still alive!"

"But how the heck are we supposed to help him!?"

Mashita and I were in different places. But surely, our feelings were the same, realizing the futility of defeating the Golem.

"Lies... People can't just...?"

"This is totally different from what we heard! We were supposed to win by outnumbering them..."

The members shrank back. It was that shocking.

There was danger, but they believed their lives would be spared. That was the feeling.

But this wasn't a story of a stream on the screen. 

They had been living their lives from the beginning.

"Don't panic! Just do what needs to be done! Follow me!"

Mashita incited the trembling comrades. 

Wielding his proud large hammer, he closed in on the Golem.

"Take this! Die!"

As soon as he swung the hammer sideways, the Golem effortlessly blocked the blow.

"What, it's not working!?"

The counterattack came from the Golem. Using its other hand, it swept away as if clearing trash off a table.

Of course, for Mashita, the 10-meter monster's move was a powerful blow.

"Waaaah!"

Mashita was slammed against the wall by the impact. 

As other members hesitated, the Golem began attacking them.

"No! I don't want to die!"

"You're a Paladin, right!? You boasted about protecting earlier, so go!"

In a critical moment, the team's internal discord had a direct impact. 

Blaming each other for responsibility, combined with the Golem's attacks, turned it into a chaotic situation.

"...Change of plan for the project."

At that moment, Mashita, who was struggling, muttered quietly.

"Project change... No, I've planned this from the start! The Devil's Tongue's tradition, a surprise project!"

To the sudden statement by Mashita, everyone was puzzled. However, they quickly understood its meaning.

"Verification! Can the members execute what they claimed up to the 9th floor!?"

"...Huh?"

"You guys were confident about handling a Golem until the 9th floor, right!? Can you say the same thing in front of the Golem!? Can you execute it!? This is the verification!"

Saying so, Mashita smirked.

"So, I'll watch the situation from behind the camera."

Saying that, Mashita took out an escape item from his pocket and disappeared from the scene.