It turns out this huge golem actually has less symbols on it compared to the smaller ones. Most of the symbols, however, are much more advanced. It's honestly hard to say for sure what they might do without observing an active golem.

'I really should have thought about that before the creepy couple destroyed it. If only I could manipulate qi as well as Mama can, I wouldn't even need to rely on these cores to supply it.'

Time seems to slip away as I continue scanning the golem, memorizing any new symbol I see. After further investigation, I start noticing strong similarities between them and the symbols on the smaller golems. Based on their similarities, I start running simulations in my mind, trying to figure out how these symbols might work.

I eventually start visualizing multiple symbols, linking them together with lines, like little qi passageways. Of course, the next logical step after symbols would be the metal parts of the golems, so I start to visualize those as well. Gears, bars, each piece connected to something else, and each with its own set of symbols. I continue constructing one part after another, copying the huge body on the ground, until I'm left with a nearly perfect replica of the golem in my mind.

'Wow. I didn't even know I could do that.'

I still have trouble figuring some things out, so I decide to try something. I stop everything I'm doing and send my soul towards the entrance to the next room. As my soul reaches the doorway, I start sensing some sort of barrier covering it. Sure enough, after carefully trying to pass through, I find that I'm unable to.

'Strange, I was sending my soul all the way outside before...'

I try sending my soul to the previous room, and sure enough, there's no barrier. I spend a couple minutes searching both entrances for symbols, with absolutely no success.

'Seems I can go backward, but not forward. Maybe the golems need to be destroyed first before the barriers will go down? Eh, there's no use thinking about it too much, I guess. I just hope that everyone finishes meditating soon, I'm bored.'

As if responding to my impatience, everybody starts standing up one after another. After another rhetorical 'everyone ready' from Trista, we once more head to the next room. As I scan through all of the cultivators, I notice that Mucky is once more walking near Mama and I, which is quit far from his sister at the front of the group.

He eventually notices my staring and, rotating his upper body, flashes me a thumbs up. I try to return the sentiment, but it pretty much fails to resemble anything even close to a thumbs up. He seems to get the idea though, as he smiles and laughs.

As soon as we enter the next room, the short old man makes a beeline towards the biggest golem, which is similar in size to the huge golem that the creepy couple defeated.

I take this chance to observe it with my soul, absorbing any information I can as it begins fighting with the short old man. I quickly deduce that the more complicated symbols work almost exactly the same way as the simpler ones, except in a much more efficient fashion. Not only do they process and send information much quicker, producing faster movements, they also seem to utilize qi more efficiently. In fact, I don't think that these golems use much more than two or three times as much qi as the small golems, which is surprising considering they are far more than two or three times stronger.

After a while, I feel I have a good grasp on how its body works and, while still fighting weak golems as to not appear suspicious, turn my attention to its core. It takes quite a bit of effort to pierce the outside layer with my soul, but after finally breaking through to the inside, I'm struck with a huge amount of information. The shock disrupts my mental state, to the extent that I nearly get hit by the golem that I'm fighting. As I reorganize my thoughts, I start trying to digest everything that I'm seeing.

It's similar to the feeling I get when I observe the symbols that surround the Eggshell, except rather than the overwhelming, powerful sensation I get from them, the inside of the core just has so much going on at the same time that it's hard to decipher everything.

The most obvious symbols are those that seem to be repairing the golem; long chains of symbols, all working together to return the golem to its original state. There are symbols that seem to be absorbing qi from somewhere, possibly from their surroundings, or maybe they're somehow linked to the dungeon itself. The entire process is tiring, but I'm so entranced with learning everything I can that I hardly notice.

After several more minutes pass, a tremor runs through the core, after which cracks travel along its interior like lightning. The event immediately sobers me up, as I turn my full attention to the state of the battlefield.

Standing in the middle of the room, on top of the giant golem, is the short old man. He has his fist buried halfway in the golem's chest, his whole body glowing bright silver.

Elsewhere in the room, the last few golems fall one by one, until there is only one left. Not long after the last golem's core is destroyed, Mama walks into the room and starts heading towards where Mucky and I are.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

I'm just about to greet Mama Bloodcat, when I hear tight-fit lady's irritating voice pierce my ears, "It seems like your beast is getting weaker. Maybe it's running out of qi? I would recommend leaving the dungeon and waiting outside, before it winds up dead."

I glare at tight-fit clothes lady, who's obviously feigning her concern. I open my mouth, and just as I'm about to give her what for, I find myself leaving the ground. Looking up, I'm met with Mama's smiling face. She breaks into a laugh, which doesn't really seem like a laugh.

"I do not know what you have against me or my daughter, nor do I care. I am not good with words, so I will not even try to argue with you. I merely wish to remind you of one thing."

Mama takes a large step forward, provoking a step backward from tight-fit clothes lady. Seeing her reaction, Mama pauses her advance and smiles even wider than before.

"You are a mere early Qi Manipulation cultivator."

Mama doesn't release a shred of her aura throughout the entirety of the encounter, yet tight-fit clothes lady's face looks several shades paler compared to before. Everyone else has different reactions, and I even hear someone snicker, though the creepy couple don't seem to react at all.

After the snicker broke out, tight-fit clothes lady seems to come to her senses, as she takes a step forward, "Well you're-"

Mama interrupts her, "Quiet. Be thankful I have been patient with you until now. Do not push me further."

As she walks away, I look over Mama's shoulder at the stunned people. Tight-fit clothes lady's face seems to have gotten even paler, and even the creepy couple are looking over here now.

"Well, that was refreshing!"

Mama sits down cross-legged and sets me on her lap, smiling, "I think so as well."

"Hey guys!" without warning, Mucky practically shouts in our ears and sits down beside us.

"Yo, Mucky."

Mama nods her head, "Hello, Stephan."

"Um, sorry that my sister didn't defend you more earlier, she gets like that around other cultivators. She always says she wants to look 'strong and impartial', but I don't really know what that's supposed to mean."

"Do not worry, I do not blame your sister. If anything, I appreciate that she defended us once already."

"Yeah, don't worry about it, Mucky!"

Mucky sighs, "That's good. I'm sorry for not saying anything myself, either. I was too scared..."

I've been thinking about this for a while now, but Mucky looks easily twenty to thirty years old, and that's not even accounting for the extra lifespan cultivators get. Yet, although he has considerable intelligence, he acts almost like a child. Does he have some sort of mental condition? And if so, why is his sister bringing him to such a dangerous place?

I make a mental note to pay closer attention to him, as I wordlessly get off of Mama's lap and lie between her and Mucky. Mucky releases a giggle, as he starts petting me. As I lie here comfortably, I close my eyes and start organizing all of the information I learned from the core, slowly incorporating it into the image of the golem in my mind.

Though I call it an image, it's more like a 3D model, a miniature replica of the much larger golems. It doesn't take long before the replica has a core of dubious functionality in its chest, in much the same area that a human's heart would be.

I call upon all of my knowledge relating to symbols, as I try simulating the golem in my mind. It doesn't do anything. Suddenly, I remember that the golems don't seem to respond unless there's someone in the room. To test my theory, I decide to form a second golem. The process is relatively quick and simple, since I've already been through it once. The copy is soon complete, save for the core, which I leave out intentionally.

'So, little core of mine, let's see what you can do...'

I take control of the golem without a core, and start familiarizing myself with its movements. It actually feels pretty similar to the small golem I was controlling, but I start noticing some problems. Particularly, there are several symbols that aren't yet connected with qi passageways, as well as some that don't even work, or at least don't work like they're supposed to.

After correcting all of the problems that I notice, I turn my attention back to controlling the golem. I soon get used to moving the legs, something I never got to do in the real world, which means I'm now controlling an entire golem simultaneously for the first time. I mean, I know it's a fake golem, but it still counts, right?

After several minutes of moving around, something strange starts happening. The golem, which before felt like an amalgamation of many parts, starts feeling more like a single, whole entity. I start attempting movements I thought would take much longer to accomplish, such as jumping, handstands, and even some silly dances.

'It feels almost like I'm a human again!'

I tear up a little, but quickly, my excitement starts overwhelming my sentiment.

'Right! Gotta test the core!'

Still controlling my replica golem, I take a step towards its doppelganger. As I approach it, the golem starts twitching and trembling, the intensity of which increases the closer I get.

The entire time, I find myself constantly calibrating and modifying the golem's core, in an attempt to make it work properly. But It's not entirely deliberate; instead, I'm doing it nearly subconsciously, like when you repeat something so many times that you start doing it on autopilot.

With one final step, I stand directly in front of the other golem. It's now shaking and shivering so much that it almost looks possessed. I reach my arm out and, as I bring it closer to its chest, the golem starts shakily raising its own arm. With a solid push to its chest, I knock the golem down onto its back, its arm still reaching towards me.

After a few seconds of lying there, the golem starts shivering noticeably less, and within a minute, it has stopped moving completely. I start to wonder if it's broken, when suddenly it reaches one arm out and supports its weight on it, slowly raising itself up. Soon, after several clumsy movements, the golem once more stands before me.

'Good job little core, you made it!'

I take a step forward and raise my arm again, in an attempt repeat my previous action of shoving the golem. This time, though, it reaches its arm out to block me, noticeably more coordinated compared to even a few seconds ago, when it was standing up.

'Nice! Now, can you do more?'

I slap its hand away, and reach my other arm forward. The golem takes a step backwards, receiving little more than a light bump from me, but it's still enough to knock it over again.

Taking another step forward, I barely reach the golem before it's standing again. Before I even attack, it initiates its own maneuver, shoving both of its arms towards my chest.

'Haha, now we're talking!'