The moment the arrow left the bow, it left a rustling sound in the air as it flew towards its target. But just when I thought it would hit dead on, one of the dagger-wielding golems lunged forward at superhuman speed. With a metallic “clang,” it blocked my arrow midair with its dagger. As the arrow fell to the stone ground, it shattered.

"Great, of course it wouldn't be that easy," I thought to myself. Before I could even make a plan, the archer golems sprang into action. Suddenly, arrows began to rain down on me from various points across the arena. Each one came silently and lethally towards me, and I quickly rolled to the side, trying to find cover. However, there was little room to dodge in the open arena. An arrow skimmed the surface of my armor, leaving a deep scratch that reached my skin.

The dagger-wielding golems were also on the move. The most agile among them lunged at me like a shadow. In an instant, their daggers danced around me, attacking from all directions. I tried to back away and leap sideways, but one of the daggers grazed my arm, leaving a cut. I clenched my teeth, trying to suppress the pain. As the other two dagger-wielding golems advanced from different angles, I was nearly caught in a trap. In mere seconds, I had to act against three different attacks. Each jump I made left me gasping for air, and I had to retreat another step.

Just as I rolled to the left to avoid one attack, a heavy shadow appeared behind me. When I turned around, I was face to face with a massive golem wielding a gigantic axe. As the axe’s sharp blade came down towards me, I dove to the side at the last second. The sheer force of the axe struck the ground, shattering the stone beneath and sending debris flying. One of the broken stones grazed my cheek, and I felt warm blood trickling down my face.

As I tried to recover, I noticed a flash of light behind me. A bright red, pulsing glow... I quickly turned to see that the massive golem’s chest crystal was glowing more brightly than I had ever seen before. The golem was motionless, but the crystal was radiating an incredible build-up of energy.

"This is not good..." I muttered to myself, squinting as I focused on the light. After a few moments of stunned realization, a beam of light shot out from the crystal. A red laser came towards me at immense speed. At the last second, I dove to the ground, rolling to avoid it. The laser passed over me and struck the stone walls at the edge of the arena, instantly eroding them and creating a massive hole.

"Are you serious? Now there's a laser?" I shouted angrily, coughing as I got back on my feet. The massive golem began to glow again, its crystal building up more energy for a second shot. I needed to figure out what I could do before it fired again.

I quickly regained my composure and moved before the golem could unleash another laser. As I dodged the attacks from the dagger-wielding golems, I evaluated all my gear and options in my mind. Reaching into my backpack, I pulled out one of my poisonous flask bombs. I couldn’t afford to take any more risks.

I spun the bomb in my hand and focused on my target in an instant. Just as two of the dagger-wielding golems charged at me, I tossed the bomb directly beneath their feet. The sound of glass breaking was followed by a dense, greenish smoke billowing from the flask. The toxic mist enveloped them, and their movements immediately slowed. Their bodies trembled, and their metal joints began to creak. Taking advantage of the moment, I leapt at them, targeting the weak points where their chest plates connected with my Luminous Blade. The metallic clatter of the golems hitting the ground confirmed that I had successfully brought both down.

I took a deep breath, but it was only a brief respite. Three archer golems were still raining arrows on me from a distance, while the axe-wielding golems were closing in and trying to corner me. Grabbing my bow from my back, I quickly strung a Stealth Arrow. Aiming for the nearest archer golem, I targeted the connection point on its left shoulder. The arrow, enhanced by Karaçiraş, pierced through its joint and shattered the mechanism inside. The archer golem crumpled to the ground, moving slowly.

However, the victory feeling didn’t last long. The axe-wielding golems were already charging towards me. I quickly pulled out another bomb and tossed it behind me. The explosion filled the air with toxic mist, temporarily delaying the two golems. However, the effect was limited on these large, solid constructs. They continued to advance through the fog, but it bought me some time.

For a brief moment, my eyes were drawn to the massive golem. Its chest crystal was still pulsing, gathering energy for another laser attack. If it fired again, there might not be any escape. I had to come up with a plan, and fast! Reaching behind me, I grabbed my last flask bomb and held it tightly.

“I can’t waste time on the small ones, I need to deal with the big fish,” I muttered.

I pulled the Multi-Functional Hook from my belt and quickly threw it towards the massive golem. The hook latched tightly onto a protrusion in the ground, and I began to rapidly pull myself upwards. As I dodged the laser attack, I aimed to get closer to the golem’s chest crystal. Meanwhile, one of the archer golems aimed at me from above. Trusting in my agility, I released the hook and, while falling, used the flexibility of my Silence Boots to spring to the side. The arrow pierced the exact spot I had just passed and embedded itself in the stone floor of the arena.

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Just as I neared the massive golem’s chest, I noticed something. I focused on examining the cracks and light vibrations in the golem’s crystal with [Examine]. I saw that the glowing crystal contained an immense build-up of energy and that it could destabilize if it overheated. This was my opportunity.

Grabbing my Luminous Blade, I leapt quickly and moved across the golem’s arm towards its chest. I placed my last bottle bomb directly on the crystal. There was no time to lose, so I quickly jumped and landed on the ground. The bomb exploded, releasing the energy from within the crystal uncontrollably. For a moment, the arena was flooded with a red light, followed by a deafening explosion.

As the massive golem collapsed to its knees, a metallic crack echoed through the arena. The crystal in its chest had been completely shattered. The explosion caused the remaining golems to freeze in place. A deadly silence filled the arena. Amidst the smoke, I struggled to regulate my breathing while still standing.

With the massive golem collapsing, everything in the arena came to a sudden halt. Only the rising dust and smoke remained from the explosion. The dagger-wielding, axe-wielding, and archer golems were frozen in place as if they had stopped moving the moment the large golem fell. Their arms and heads hung heavily, and their glowing eye lights had completely extinguished. In stunned silence, I took a few steps back. The remaining silence had an almost surreal quality to it.

As I tried to steady my breath, I took out the crystals I had previously obtained from the other golems from my backpack. The crystals, still glowing when I first started fighting in the arena, now felt cold and lifeless in my hands. The vibrant energy that had once flowed through them had vanished, and their once-glossy surfaces had become dull.

“So, this massive golem…” I muttered to myself, turning the crystals in my palms. “It was the energy source for the others. When its crystal was destroyed, the others shut down. This giant controlled them all.”

I paused for a moment, attempting to use my [Examine] ability to study the crystals. But this time, there was nothing left to analyze within them. The complex energy patterns I had once seen were gone. All that remained was an empty and cold shell.

“These… are nothing more than pieces of stone now,” I murmured. A slight sense of disappointment mixed with relief washed over me. These crystals had been what turned the golems into deadly machines. Now, with them gone, the threat was seemingly eliminated.

I cautiously approached the body of the massive golem. The explosion had scattered the shards of the crystal everywhere. Unlike the previous crystals, it was clear that this massive red crystal had contained more concentrated energy. But now, every fragment of it lay lifeless on the ground. Its surface cracked, and no trace of the intense energy flow remained.

Carefully picking up a piece of the crystal from the ground, I examined it for a long time, deep in thought. “This tower… these golems… everything here runs on some kind of energy. This energy must be tied to something living, otherwise, why would it dissipate so quickly?”

I walked around the arena, inspecting the remaining fragments, but all I found were more useless crystal remnants and the shattered armor pieces of the massive golem. An unsettling feeling gnawed at me. The energy source for the golems may have been dissolved, but the person or mechanism behind this system was still unknown. “Who or what created this? And why are experiments being conducted on goblins?” I wondered.

Taking a deep breath, I stood in the center of the arena. The silence around me was almost overwhelming, with only the echoes of the recent conflict ringing in my mind. The massive golem’s broken, still body faintly glowed, while the smaller golems lay motionless like metal heaps. Each one was the exact opposite of the threatening image they had portrayed when they rushed towards me.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from them. Everything in this tower had been so meticulously planned, everything had a purpose. The golems were not random creatures. What made them so resilient and deadly must have been the materials used in their construction.

Slowly, I knelt down and touched one of the nearby dagger-wielding golems. Its surface was cold and hard. I ran my hands along the curves of the metal. “The material used to create such a sturdy structure… it can’t be ordinary,” I muttered to myself.

I activated my [Examine] ability and began analyzing the body I was touching. It only took a few seconds. As the surface of the metal became detailed in front of my eyes, a stream of new information began to flood my mind. This material... Karanit.

“Karanit?” I murmured. My hands were still on the metal. It was slightly blackish, but deep within, there were glowing lines that resembled red veins. Was this a material created by the strange experiments in the tower, or had it been brought from outside? But what I knew for sure was that with such a durable and flexible material, amazing armor and weapons could be crafted.

I stood up and walked toward the other golems. I needed to gather various parts. The archer golem’s slender but durable arrow quiver caught my attention; the axe-wielding golem’s large metallic armor was a gem in itself. The parts from the massive golem could especially be useful, but that would be more difficult. I touched the large crystal on its chest, which was still slightly cracked but firmly in place. Unfortunately, the energy in the crystal was completely drained.

“Alright then,” I said to myself. “How am I going to carry all of this?”

I placed my bag on the ground and began to organize the materials I had gathered. I selected some of the smaller pieces and durable body plates. I didn’t want to overload myself; I could encounter something else at any moment. So, I needed to pick the pieces that would be most useful to me.

As I placed the Karanit pieces into my bag, I began to plan further in my mind. I could add extra durability to my Silence Boots with these, or perhaps craft a pair of stronger, tougher armor plates. Maybe even a new weapon... It was all possible, but first, I needed to get out of here alive.

“Alright,” I said, taking a deep breath. I secured my bag on my back and made sure it was fastened. I took one last look around, as if wanting to etch everything into my memory. Then, I started walking toward the large gate at the other end of the arena. “Let’s see what’s next.”

As my footsteps echoed, both the Karanit I had found and the mysteries still waiting for me in this tower filled my mind. The truth awaited me in a darker passage ahead.