CHAPTER 41: HIDDEN DOUNGEN [2]

"Damn it..."

My voice echoed weakly off the cold stone walls.

Nothing.

No matter how many times I circled this place, I couldn’t find a single clue—no portal, no secret passage, not even a flicker of mana flow.

I ran my hand through my hair in frustration. "How is this even possible?"

I had searched everywhere—every corridor, every shadow, every suspicious-looking wall. Yet the result was the same: nothing but empty air and silence.

At least there weren’t any monsters in this dungeon. That was one small blessing. But even so, wandering aimlessly through this hollow underground maze was starting to feel like a cruel joke.

No portal, no item, no progress. Just... this.

And the only thing that remained was the one place I’d been deliberately avoiding.

"Ah, I really don’t want to go in there..."

I muttered to myself, staring at the massive steel door looming before me.

It was huge—easily twice my height—and covered in thick, rusted chains. Despite its age, it radiated a strange pressure, the kind that made my instincts scream at me to turn around.

"This is definitely a boss room..." I sighed.

It was the same setup you’d see in every comic, game, or story like this—an enormous door, a dark aura, and something terrifying waiting behind it.

The kind of door that says, Open me, and regret it instantly.

I could practically hear the ominous background music playing in my head.

Still... I had no choice.

If there was any chance that the item mentioned by the Sage’s Bookmark was inside, I couldn’t just leave.

I exhaled slowly, gripping the sword formed from the Orb of Illusion in my hand.

"Alright. Let’s do this."

Taking a step forward, I pressed my palm against the cold metal. It felt icy to the touch, almost unnaturally so.

"Come on, open up..."

I applied force, and with a low groan, the door began to move.

Thud...

The heavy sound reverberated through the chamber as the massive door swung open, dust and stale air pouring out from within.

What lay beyond made me pause.

The room was enormous—its ceiling arched high above like the inside of a cathedral. The vast emptiness made my footsteps sound unnaturally loud.

And right in the center of it all...

Something was there.

Something huge.

It was hunched over, motionless, its form partly hidden by the shadows.

I couldn’t tell if it was breathing—or if it was even alive.

My grip tightened on the sword.

"...What is that?"

Cautiously, I began to approach, each step echoing softly in the eerie silence.

Whatever it was, I could feel its presence pressing against my skin—a suffocating weight that only grew heavier the closer I got.

I tightened my grip on the sword, keeping my guard up as I cautiously stepped closer.

At first, it was just a dark shape in the corner of the basement—motionless, looming. But as I approached, its form slowly came into focus.

And when I finally realized what I was looking at, my eyes widened in disbelief.

"...No way."

I froze.

"Is this... a robot?"

Its entire frame was made of steel—thick, solid plates that looked nearly indestructible. The design was unmistakably humanoid, but sharp and angular, like something straight out of a sci-fi movie.

"Author, you crazy bastard..." I muttered, dragging a hand down my face. "You’ve really done it this time."

This was supposed to be a fantasy world.

Swords, monsters, magic—the whole deal.

So why in the world was there a giant robot in front of me?

I pressed my fingers against my forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

I mean, I’ve been patient up to this point. I didn’t complain about the magic Bluetooth earphones or the enchanted air conditioners. I even looked the other way when refrigerators started running on "frost magic circuits."

But this?

A massive, steel-plated robot sitting in the basement of a magic academy?

This was crossing the line.

I sighed heavily, taking in the absurd sight before me.

"Well, I guess they’ll probably explain it away somehow..." I mumbled. "Some ’ancient lost civilization’ nonsense, or maybe a ’mad wizard who tried to merge magic and machinery.’ Yeah, that sounds like something they’d pull."

It was so predictable I could already hear the narrator’s voice in my head.

’Long ago, before the Age of Mana, a forgotten people built powerful constructs...’

I rolled my eyes.

Where was the romance of fantasy now? The sense of wonder and mystery?

If it’s a fantasy world, commit to it, damn it.

Stick to swords and dragons—not whatever this is.

...Though, to be fair, I did like the convenience of air conditioners. And refrigerators. And indoor plumbing.

Still, would it kill them to make things look at least a little more fantasy-like?

"If the author had any sense of consistency," I muttered bitterly, "they wouldn’t have started this as a pure romance just to turn it into a harem halfway through."

I exhaled and looked up again, forcing myself to accept reality.

"Fine. Whatever. You’re not a robot."

I pointed my sword at it with mock solemnity.

"From now on, you’re a steel golem."

That made me feel a little better. A golem was at least believable in a fantasy setting.

The so-called "steel golem" stood silently before me, covered in patches of rust. Even hunched over, it towered far above my head, its empty eye sockets staring into nothing.

"...Still," I admitted quietly, "it looks pretty damn cool."

There was no denying it. Seeing a massive, ancient construct up close stirred something deep inside me—a mix of awe and excitement.

And thankfully, if I remembered correctly, the author never actually used this thing in the comic.

They must have realized it didn’t fit into the story and abandoned it halfway through.

A discarded setting—something meant to be forgotten.

But somehow, I’ve managed to find it.

After a brief examination of the stone figure before me, I carefully stepped back from the golem. Its massive, armor-like body looked ancient, yet unnervingly intact. I had no idea what kind of mechanism powered it—or if it even still functioned—but I wasn’t about to take chances.

If this thing suddenly came to life, I’d be in serious trouble.

Unfortunately...

It was already too late.