NOVPUBLuka raised a hand and rested it against the cold, cracked stone.
He pushed.
The doors didn't budge at first—but then a deep groan echoed as it reluctantly gave way, gears grinding, stone sliding against stone.
As the doors began to part, a gust of stale, heavy air spilled out from the darkness beyond.
"Well," Luka muttered, holding out his long dagger.
"Let's see how the boss is doing— or should I say, bosses."
"Huh…"
Kira blinked.
'Did I mishear that? Does this human know what's inside? But that couldn't be right… He's not a high enough level to even visit the Rocky Lands… and no human has ever survived long enough to even report seeing the Ancient Golems, let alone beat them.'
Still, before she could open her mouth to question her student—
Luka stepped forward and crossed the threshold.
Torches along the walls ignited one after another with a deep whoosh, casting flickering light across the massive, open chamber.
Rocks of all shapes and sizes littered the room—cracked boulders, jagged shards, and stone rubble.
And there, at the far end of it all, sat two towering Ancient Golems, their bodies slouched in stillness, half-buried in the stone.
Luka halted just short of a small, inconspicuous stone embedded in the floor.
He stared at it, breathing steadily.
'The moment I step over this rock… the fight begins.'
Luka gulped.
'All I need to do is try my hardest… show this 2nd Act villain I'm not like normal humans.'
He knew how stupid the plan was—gambling his life and depending on his teacher to maybe, just maybe, save him.
But if it worked…
If he could make her see even a glimpse…
It'd be worth it.
He could take down one of the walls.
Luka took that final step.
The Ancient Golems' eyes flared with a deep, molten glow.
Stone cracked. Dust rose.
A deafening rumble echoed through the room as the Ancient Golems stirred.
The ground trembled violently beneath Luka…
The Ancient Golems stood in perfect sync, their colossal frames groaning like mountains grinding against each other.
As if sensing a presence, they raised their arms and, with terrifying unity, slammed them down.
The entire ground buckled.
Every loose rock on the ground erupted skyward.
Luka barely managed to keep his footing. "Woah—!"
He staggered, nearly falling, but planted his heel just in time.
The moment the quake settled, he sprinted forward, heart pounding like a drumline, feet scraping across loose gravel.
'This better work…'
With the rocks crashing down all around him, Luka weaved through the chaos—darting right, then rolling left, throwing in tight somersaults as he pushed forward.
Each movement was fueled by instinct and adrenaline.
He was closing the distance fast.
But then the Ancient Golems stomped their massive feet into the ground.
BOOM.
The shockwave was instant.
The entire room trembled like it was about to collapse.
Luka stumbled, lost his footing, and slammed into the ground. "Tch—!" He winced but forced himself back up.
That's when he saw it.
Cracks.
Dozens of them spiderwebbing across the stone floor, each one spreading like a warning of death's embrace.
'Shit. The floor's gonna break apart soon…'
Keeping clear of the widening cracks, Luka adjusted his position, circling wide as the Ancient Golems began to rotate their bodies toward him.
In a blink, he dashed in—right under the Ancient Golems.
One of the Ancient Golems raised its foot high above, casting a looming shadow.
"Not today!" Luka spat.
He activated [Phantom Step]. 𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑝𝑢𝘣.𝘤𝑜𝘮
A blink of movement—and he was gone, reappearing mid-air above the Ancient Golem's arm.
His boots hit stone, and he immediately began climbing, hands gripping at the ancient, moss-coated surface.
The Ancient Golem reacted, shaking its arm wildly to throw him off.
But its sluggish movements made it easy to read.
"C'mon, big guy… you'll have to do better than that."
Luka reached the shoulder, crouched and steady, just as the other Ancient Golem reeled back its arm for a punch.
'Timing's everything.'
[Phantom Step]
He vanished again—just as the blow landed.
BOOM.
The Ancient Golem's punch crashed into the other Ancient Golems face.
Dust exploded out, and a shockwave burst through the room.
But the struck Ancient Golem didn't even flinch.
It just… stared blankly, unbothered, as if it had been nudged by a passing breeze.
Luka landed a short distance away, panting lightly.
'Yep. Ancient Golems really do have busted defense stats.'
With that, Luka dashed right back in.
Leaning casually against a wall, Kira simply watched.
She had to admit—she was surprised he was still alive.
He wasn't doing any damage, not even close.
But he also wasn't dead.
That counted for something.
Kira's eyes narrowed, a flicker of reluctant admiration creeping in before she could stop it.
'No… what is this? Am I… impressed? By a human?'
She clicked her tongue and shook her head sharply, banishing the thought before it could settle.
Her face hardened into a frown, her crimson eyes narrowing with disdain.
'Ridiculous. I must be bored out of my mind.'
Her gaze returned to the Ancient Golems, their slow, thunderous attacks missing Luka by inches.
He kept dancing between death and survival, barely holding his own, yet refusing to give in.
'When are you going to get crushed, you stubborn idiot…'
kira pushed a hand through her silver hair, scowling.
'Come on, you dumb rocks… break this little insect already! Give me something entertaining to watch!'
It wasn't long before the ground began to split apart completely.
Chunks of the ground falling into the dark depths below—
There were fewer and fewer places for Luka to move.
He grit his teeth, carefully adjusting his footing with each step.
One wrong move and he'd be gone.
Sweat dripped down his brow, stinging his eyes.
He wiped it away with his sleeve and pressed on.
Every second, he risked death.
He stole some glances at his teacher.
'For the love of God, please… feel anything but negativity right now.'
