Chapter 175: Chapter 175: The Return of Killing Intent!
Hannah Fields was stunned, but Dean Bruce, eyeing the golden golem statue, felt a surge of excitement. He could sense the unique material of the golem, hinting at its immense power, and the idea of taking it with him began to form in his mind.
Meanwhile, the young adventurers who had made it to the hall approached the golems from all directions, gradually drawing closer.
Dean Bruce glanced around, recognizing those who had taken different paths on the first level, further confirming that what Hannah had told him was indeed accurate.
Crack—crack—
As people neared the golems, a sharp sound echoed. In the next instant, eerie red light gleamed in the golems' eyes as they suddenly raised their weapons and charged at the adventurers.
Prepared for an attack, everyone quickly retaliated.
However, the moment they took a blow, they were flung backward!
"What?! These are just minor golems, yet they hit that hard?"
"If that massive golden golem activates, will we even stand a chance?"
Cries of alarm rang out, but the golems didn't pause or hesitate. They continued their relentless assault, swinging their weapons at the closest targets.
The hall erupted into fierce combat once again.
Unlike on the first level, even these smaller golems packed more power than the stone lion, and they wielded weapons.
From time to time, leaders from powerful factions would dive into the fray, revealing themselves to rescue their people and deal some damage to the golems.
At this point, the difference between top-tier and average factions became clear.
Prolo Hawthorne and his group of seven worked together to hold off the golem's onslaught, gradually gaining the upper hand and inching closer to the central stone platform.
Noticing their progress, Dean Bruce's concerns eased, and he focused on studying the golems.
Before Hannah Fields could speak, Dean Bruce asked, "The golem mechanics here are the same as on the first level. Observe carefully—what can you figure out?"
Hearing this, Hannah nodded and began observing intently.
"Just as you said!" Hannah exclaimed excitedly. "These golems target anyone standing on the ground nearby. If you're off the ground, even if you're close, they won't attack!"
After the excitement settled, Hannah looked puzzled. "But they're not real people. How do they detect if someone is on the ground?"
Dean Bruce didn't answer Hannah's question directly. Instead, he prompted, "Take a closer look at how they move. The answer lies in their movements."
Hannah Fields frowned, concentrating as she observed them again for a few moments. "They don't jump; they just take steps, each one perfectly centered on the tiles."
"Their attacks are also very predictable, always sweeping horizontally with their weapons. But what does that mean?"
As a Saintess, her talent lay in light magic, but she knew little about golem mechanics, so it wasn't realistic to expect her to deduce the answer so quickly.
Unlike Dean Bruce, she hadn't had the luxury of endless videos or novels that hinted at such things!
Seeing her confusion, Dean Bruce decided not to keep her guessing. He explained, "Their movement pattern is fixed because their legs are connected to the floor. When someone steps into their sensing range, the floor registers the weight, activating the golem and guiding it toward any tile with a weight on it."
"The horizontal sweeping attack maximizes their range, ensuring they inflict damage on anything in front of them."
As he spoke, Dean Bruce shook his head, slightly disappointed.
These golems weren't as sophisticated as those crafted by the Dwarves, who could create golems that locked onto targets by sensing magical energy fluctuations.
"Only reacting to weight?" Hannah, sharp as ever, caught on quickly. Her eyes lit up. "So, if we just drop some objects on the floor to attract their attention, we could bypass them pretty easily!"
Dean Bruce didn't reply, instead shifting his gaze toward the golden golem. He knew a Secret Realm like this wouldn't be that simple.
Boom, boom, boom—
Explosions and clashes filled the air as Dean Bruce watched the golem mechanisms unfold. He'd already figured out the golems' mechanics and had a strategy in mind, but the young adventurers were still battling them head-on.
The fact that they even considered using magic to counter the earth element showed great ingenuity on their part.
Fortunately, the material of these ordinary golems wasn't particularly sturdy, and after enduring the attacks of dozens, even hundreds, of people, they began to shatter one by one.
At the same time, Prolo Hawthorne and his group managed to break through the line of regular golems and step into the golden golem's range.
Buzz—
The instant the golden golem was disturbed, its eyes flared with two beams of intense golden light, sweeping directly toward Prolo and his companions.
Sensing the terrifying surge of magical energy, Prolo Hawthorne and his group quickly cast their defensive spells. Even Dean Bruce readied himself to intervene.
Then, the golden golem took a powerful step forward, striding toward Prolo and the others, its massive arms slicing through the air with crossed strikes that whipped up a fierce wind.
Seeing this, Dean Bruce felt a hint of disappointment. The golden golem's mechanics were the same as the ordinary golems, lacking the sophistication of the bronze golems he had collected before.
Clearly, when it came to crafting golems, the Dwarves were unmatched.
Still, he had to admit that despite their youth, Prolo Hawthorne and his group were battle-savvy. Familiarity with each other allowed them to fight with impressive coordination.
Even against the golden golem's powerful attacks, they managed to avoid injury, though they were gradually pushed back.
Meanwhile, the other adventurers had finally destroyed all the ordinary golems.
Noticing that Prolo Hawthorne's team was keeping the golden golem occupied, the rest of the adventurers' eyes lit up. Without a thought of offering assistance, they bolted for the stone elevator platform.
Prolo Hawthorne and his group frowned, cursing quietly.
But such was the nature of a Secret Realm: if you could pass the challenge alone, why bother helping others and sharing the rewards?
In fact, the others were being generous just by not attacking Prolo Hawthorne's team while they were engaged with the golem.
However, as the crowd neared the elevator platform, the golden golem suddenly spun around, abandoning Prolo's team to charge toward the newcomers.
Buzz—
An unusual ripple surged from the golem as it unleashed a blinding wave of golden light, instantly reducing several laughing adventurers to ashes.
Cries of terror filled the air. The adventurers hesitated, but with the elevator so close, there was no way they would retreat now.
And so, they all scrambled desperately toward the elevator platform.
From above, Dean Bruce and Hannah Fields could clearly see a key embedded in the golem's back, causing them both to shake their heads.
If their guess was correct, merely stepping onto the elevator wouldn't be enough—they'd need that key from the golem's back to activate it.
"What the hell!" one of the adventurers cursed.
"This elevator is busted! The lever won't move…we're doomed…"
"Wait! The lever seems to be missing something—it looks like the shape of a key!"
As the cries echoed, Prolo Hawthorne and his team, who were positioned behind the golden golem, noticed the key as well, and their eyes gleamed.
Exchanging glances, they quickly came to a decision: they would try to grab the key while the golden golem was focused on the others.
However, they didn't rush in immediately. Instead, they created some distance from the golem, pulled out some potions, and began to recover their strength.
Just as the other adventurers had ignored them in their moment of need, Prolo and his team planned to wait until more people either fell or were ejected from the Secret Realm before making their move.
Of course, they couldn't wait too long; otherwise, there'd be no one left to keep the golem's attention.
"These guys…" Dean Bruce saw through their plan immediately and couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head.
Of course, it wasn't just Prolo Hawthorne and his team who noticed the key on the golden golem's back. Some of the others had also realized it, but they were too close to the golem to escape its reach, forcing them to keep fighting.
Or, hopefully, seize the key if they could.
The battle became more intense, with the leaders constantly on the move, managing the chaos.
But as time wore on, everyone began to realize, with a growing sense of despair, that the golden golem had a regenerative ability. Any sword or magic mark on its surface would vanish within seconds, leaving it unharmed.
Dean Bruce noticed this as well, his curiosity about the golem's material only increasing.
If he could get his hands on that material and have the Dwarves craft a golem with it, wouldn't it be even stronger?
While Dean Bruce was excited, the young adventurers were groaning in frustration. They couldn't figure out any way to pass this level, and more than a few were being injured by the golden golem's relentless attacks.
Even the faction leaders weren't spared, as the golden light would send them flying back whenever they were struck.
Crack...
All around, sand continued to pour in, sealing off the path they'd come from and inching steadily toward the central hall.
It was clear that time was running out.
If the sand filled the hall and blocked the keyhole on the elevator platform, they would lose any chance of reaching the next level.
Seeing this, Hannah Fields hurriedly asked, "Should we step in? I have no desire to stay stuck on the second level. The magic density here is far too low; training here would be a complete waste of time!"
"Sigh…"
Just as Dean Bruce was about to reply, a sigh echoed through the hall. Immediately, an intense wave of killing intent filled the air, casting a dark shadow over the entire chamber.
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