The forest air grew thick with tension, suffocating the remaining hunters as the golem loomed over them.

Its glowing eyes seemed to burn brighter, its hulking frame casting a long shadow over the group.

The ground beneath its massive feet trembled with each step.

Bruce wiped the sweat from his brow, his heart pounding in his chest as he tightened his grip on his sword.

"Stay calm!" he shouted, trying to keep his voice steady, to project confidence despite the growing terror in his own heart. "We can defeat it!"

But the others—his team—were frozen in place, paralyzed by fear.

The mage, her face ghostly pale, collapsed onto the ground, her legs giving way beneath her.

Tears welled in her wide eyes, her hands trembling too much to even lift her staff.

The marksman, shaking like a leaf, loosed arrows recklessly, his aim wild, each shot bouncing harmlessly off the golem's thick clay skin.

His eyes were glazed with panic, and he barely seemed to register Bruce’s shouts.

"Get it together!" Bruce yelled, but before he could reach them, the golem was already moving.

With a powerful swipe, it backhanded Bruce aside like a ragdoll, sending him crashing into the dirt.

He gasped, struggling to breathe as pain exploded in his chest, but he had no time to recover.

He could only watch helplessly as the golem swung its massive fist down on the marksman, who had lost all sense of self-preservation.

With a sickening crunch, the golem's fist connected.

The marksman’s body crumpled under the blow, lifeless.

The sound of bones breaking echoed through the clearing, followed by a grotesque splatter of blood across the forest floor.

"No!" The mage screamed, her voice cracking with horror.

She scrambled backward, tears streaming down her face, but her body wouldn’t respond—her legs were jelly.

She was trapped.

Now, it was just Bruce and the mage.

He forced himself to stand, grimacing through the pain, and stepped in front of her.

His shield raised, his sword glinting in the faint light filtering through the trees.

Every instinct told him this was the end, that there was no way they were getting out of this alive, but he couldn’t let the girl die here.

Not like this.

"Hey," he called out, his voice softer now, though it still carried the weight of command.

"Listen to me. I’ll hold this thing off. You need to run. Get out of here and tell the others what happened. You hear me?"

The girl looked up at him, her tear-filled eyes wide with disbelief.

"But what about you, mister?" Her voice wavered, filled with fear and guilt.

Bruce forced a smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes.

"Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine." His voice cracked as he continued,

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"At the dungeon entrance... I left my bag. There’s a letter inside for my family. Make sure they get it, okay? It’s important."

Her lip trembled. "Why are you sacrificing yourself?"

For a brief moment, Bruce hesitated, his mind flashing to his own daughter.

A girl just like this mage, maybe only a little older.

He could see her smile, hear her laugh.

His heart ached with the thought of never seeing her again.

But he pushed it down, steadying himself.

"You remind me of my daughter," he said quietly, his voice thick with emotion. "And if someone had a chance to protect her... I’d want them to do the same."

"But—"

"Go!" Bruce shouted, cutting off her protests as the golem lumbered toward them, its stone fists raised to strike.

There was no more time.

The girl hesitated for only a heartbeat, then turned and bolted, her sobs echoing through the trees as she disappeared into the forest.

The golem, sensing her movement, shifted its attention to her retreating form, its glowing eyes narrowing as it began to give chase.

But Bruce wasn’t about to let it go after her.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Bruce snarled, stepping forward and slamming his shield into the golem’s side.

The impact did little to the creature’s massive frame, but it was enough to draw its attention back to him.

The golem turned, its eyes flaring with green light as it focused on Bruce once more.

It swung its fist down with terrifying speed, but Bruce was ready this time.

He raised his shield, the blow landing with enough force to send shockwaves up his arm, but he held his ground, gritting his teeth against the pain.

Each blow felt like an avalanche crashing down on him, each block sending ripples of agony through his already bruised and battered body.

But he didn’t back down.

He couldn’t.

The mage was counting on him to buy her time, and he’d be damned if he failed her now.

As he fought, memories flashed before his eyes—his wife’s worried face, her pleading voice asking him not to take this job.

His daughter’s laughter, the way she would run into his arms after school.

I should’ve listened, he thought bitterly, I should’ve retired.

But it was too late now.

Too late to turn back, too late to make different choices.

The golem raised both fists, and Bruce knew this was it.

He braced himself, his shield lifted, his body screaming in protest.

And then the fists came down, harder than before.

The world went white, then black.

Faces—his wife, his daughter—flashed in his mind, and then, with one final shuddering breath, Bruce was gone.

----

The golem stood motionless beside the old hunter's lifeless body.

Its once imposing frame now cracked and chipped from the fierce battle, like a statue on the verge of collapse.

The forest was eerily silent, save for the occasional creak of its clay limbs settling into stillness.

I stepped out from the shadows, my pale skin catching the light as my green hair swayed like the leaves in the wind.

My gaze swept over the scene, cold and calculating.

No hesitation, no remorse. Just observation.

Crouching beside hunter's corpse, I inspected the golem.

It had won, but not without significant damage.

Cracks ran down its torso, large chips missing from its legs, and its once-bright eyes now dull and dim.

The damage was more extensive than it should’ve been.

"Kaw! Kaw! I’m here!" Krothe screeched, fluttering down from the treetops to land beside me, his feathers ruffled with pride.

"Did you finish the girl?" I asked, my tone calm but distracted, my mind already analyzing the battle and what went wrong.

"Yes, yes! She was running like a scared rabbit," Krothe cackled, excitedly flapping his wings.

"One scare, and she fell right into your trap! Easy!" He puffed up with pride, pleased with his contribution.

"Good." But my attention wasn’t on him—it was on the golem, and the glaring flaws in its performance. Something didn’t sit right.

"This golem is weaker than I expected." My voice was cold, more frustrated than anything else.

Krothe tilted his head. "Weaker? But he crushed them! You saw how he destroyed that old man!"

"Yes, but look at it." I gestured to the cracks and chips. "It’s damaged far too much for such a small skirmish. That old man shouldn’t have been able to deal this much harm."

I ran my hand along one of the cracks, feeling the rough, brittle clay beneath my fingertips.

The modifications I’d made—improving the golem’s structure, making it more agile and durable—should’ve been enough.

Yet, a single human, had done this much damage.

If I’d been facing a seasoned hunter party, the golem would have been shattered. Useless.

Krothe fluttered closer. "But they weren’t that strong! The golem still won!"

"That’s not the point." My irritation bled into my words. "This was a test, and the results are clear—the golem isn’t ready for stronger opponents. It’s too sluggish, too brittle. If this is the best it can do, it’s only a matter of time before we face a real threat—and lose."

I stood there for a moment, the realization settling heavily on my shoulders.

My powers, while formidable, were far from perfected.

The golems needed to be better—stronger, faster, more resilient.

I couldn’t afford any missteps.

"We’ll deal with this later." I straightened, brushing the dirt from my armor. "Right now, we have something else to focus on."

Krothe cocked his head. "What’s next?"

"That girl... Before she ran, he told her about a bag he left at the dungeon entrance. It seemed important. We’re going to find it."

Krothe cawed excitedly and launched into the air, circling above as I started walking toward the dungeon entrance.

As we moved, the weight of my thoughts pressed down harder.

This defeat wasn’t acceptable.

I needed to make the golems invincible.

But for now, there were other tasks at hand.

We reached the entrance, the large, shimmering green portal glowing softly.

It pulsed with light, and something about it called to me.

I stepped closer, my hand hovering just inches from the glowing surface.

Could I leave? Could I escape this place?

Without hesitation, I pushed my hand forward, but the moment my fingers touched the surface, energy crackled around me.

[Warning! Warning!]

[You can't leave the dungeon!]

The system messages flashed before my eyes, but I ignored them, pushing harder.

[Warning! Warning!]

An invisible force pushed back, resisting me, keeping me bound to this place.

"Kaw! Kaw!" Krothe flapped down beside me.

"I forgot to tell you! Monsters can’t leave the dungeon unless it’s during a dungeon rush."

I clenched my teeth, frustration boiling inside. "Dungeon rush? What’s that?"

"Yeah," Krothe chirped, oblivious to my growing irritation.

"When certain conditions are met, monsters can leave the dungeon and wreak havoc outside. That’s a dungeon rush."

"And what conditions are those?" I asked, my voice low, barely keeping my anger in check.

"I don’t know! The system controls it, not me." He flapped his wings cheerfully, as though it didn’t matter.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms.

I was trapped, bound by rules and limitations I couldn’t break.

The desire to escape gnawed at me, but for now, it was useless.

Krothe fluttered toward a nearby pile of leaves. "But look! I found the bag!"

I turned, my frustration still simmering, but there was work to be done.

I grabbed the bag, its weight unfamiliar.

"Hmm… let’s go back and open it." My voice was steady, but my mind still churned with thoughts of escape, of breaking the chains that bound me to this dungeon.

We turned and began making our way back, the silence between us heavy with unspoken thoughts.

But as we walked, one thing was clear in my mind—I was going to make sure no one, not even the hunters, could challenge me again.