CHAPTER 176: THE KNUCKER’S HEART

Knucker.

A spirit creature similar to a dragon, but without wings and with fins instead.

It was an even more powerful creature because it contained terrible poison.

In a normal situation, it would have been quite a difficult opponent.

Gerhard probably couldn’t face it alone, and even using all kinds of artifacts, escaping would be his limit.

However, the situation was reversed because of Wooden, the ego golem that Gerhard had painstakingly created.

Wooden had briefly driven back the demon Andromalius and even cut down the magical beast it was raising.

No matter how strong the Knucker was, it couldn’t compare to Andromalius.

Therefore, Gerhard wasn’t worried about defeat.

His only concern was one thing.

The precious ores and Itarium being damaged by the Knucker’s terrible poison.

"Wooden! Never let that thing open its mouth!"

He could tolerate the cavern collapsing from the giants’ fight. He could endure it with magic.

He could even accept the Adamant, Orichalcum, and Mithril being broken.

After all, they were ores, and as long as their essence wasn’t damaged, he could gather and refine them properly.

But the Knucker’s poison was different. If the minerals themselves were damaged rather than just broken and divided, there would be no solution.

It meant things more precious than gold would turn to shit.

’I can’t trust Wooden.’

He listened well to words, but once he entered combat, it was obvious he wouldn’t think about the consequences.

Gerhard urgently began chanting spells. Holding his staff and drinking potions, he equipped all the artifacts that enhanced magical power.

Kugrgrgrg-

Magical power rapidly drained away. Dozens, perhaps hundreds.

Thick rock began to encase the walls where the legendary ores were buried.

’I can’t lose a single one, not even one...!’

These were minerals where even a fingernail-sized fragment was worth a gold ingot.

How could he lose even a little?

If it breaks, restore it again, if it breaks, restore it once more.

’I’d rather collapse from magical exhaustion than witness such a sight before dirt enters my eyes!’

Gerhard steeled his resolve in a different sense.

==

Kuung.

Wooden smiled joyfully at the sense of liberation filling his entire body.

He belatedly realized he couldn’t smile because he didn’t have a proper mouth, but instead burst into hearty laughter.

Kung kung kung kung!

"Wooden! Never let it open its mouth!"

Yeah, I don’t know why. Got it for now.

Wooden nodded his head.

"Be careful!"

The Knucker didn’t miss that moment of vulnerability. Its massive body shot forward like an arrow.

Kwaaaaang!

The golem’s body flew through the air. With a thunderous sound, it crashed into the wall his master had erected.

The wall crumbled like sand. Thanks to that, even though his senses were synchronized, there was only a dull feeling rather than pain.

Kuung!

"It’s not about whether it hurts or not, look ahead!"

Right, he was in the middle of a fight. Ahead, ahead.

Wooden straightened his body and turned his head forward.

It was the same headbutt as before, but he had no intention of being hit by the same attack twice.

He hurriedly rolled on the ground.

Kwaaaaang!

The master’s wall that had been erected again crumbled once more.

Some purple ore broke away from the wall and rolled on the floor.

From one side came the master’s scream of "My ore!"

Kung!

Don’t worry, master. I’ll get revenge!

Wooden gripped his sword. The massive greatsword drew a long line on the floor as it split the space.

Seogeok-

Wooden’s exclusive greatsword, forged from controlled alloy casting, was sharp enough to cut down even Andromalius’s magical beast in one stroke.

Naturally, the Knucker’s scales couldn’t possibly withstand it.

Kieeeek!

The Knucker’s dark red blood splattered in all directions.

Chiiiiik, even the blood contained terrible poison, so acrid smoke rose up.

"Damn it! Be careful not to let the blood touch the ore!"

Kung?

Blood, ore, no good?

If you cut with a sword, wounds appear.

If wounds appear, blood comes out.

So does that mean don’t inflict wounds?

But fighting can’t be like that?

Kwang!

At that moment, the Knucker writhed in pain from its torn flesh. Its tail pounded the wall. The master shouted again.

"What are you doing! Deal with it quickly! Quickly!"

Kukuung!

Blood, ore, no good, quickly.

Aha. Wooden, who tried combining the new words, understood.

It wasn’t about not inflicting wounds.

It was about getting rid of the creature as quickly as possible so the blood wouldn’t splatter much!

It was a bit disappointing that he couldn’t enjoy it fully, but he had to follow his master’s words. That was the contract.

Kuuuu.

Quickly. Where?

Vital point. Where?

Wooden applied his own case.

He doesn’t die even if his arms break.

He doesn’t die even if his legs disappear.

Same goes for his head breaking.

Only one thing remained.

Kung.

Heart.

The place where his soul resided.

The place where all mana gathered.

That was Wooden’s vital point. Because it was a vital point, it was most thoroughly defended, but anyway, all living beings would be the same.

Wooden’s eyes gleamed. The spirit’s empathy and the function built into the golem captured the flow where the opponent’s mana was most concentrated.

He gathered his mana and launched his body. The sword shot straight like a beam of light.

Kagagak-

The Knucker twisted its elongated body. The sword tip aimed at the heart grazed the scales.

Unlike before, no wound was created.

Slippery slippery. Not cutting well.

At some point, the Knucker’s scales were covered with sticky bodily fluid. Even that seemed mixed with poison as faint smoke rose from Wooden’s sword.

─!

──!

He tried several more times, but the Knucker was not easy.

With movements too swift for its size, it dodged or deflected Wooden’s sword while biting Wooden’s body.

Kwadeuk-

Kieeeek!

Though it couldn’t overcome that hardness and instead screamed and retreated.

Kuku!

Scratch! Got scratched! Strong!

"Please look ahead when fighting, Wooden!"

At that instant, a heavy impact struck Wooden. It was the Knucker. The two giants tangled with each other and rolled on the ground.

Kieeeeee!

The Knucker on top roared.

Kuuu!

Wooden frowned at the terrible smell. He just realized this, but he could smell even though he had no nose!

Gugeu?

He felt a massive flow of mana from the Knucker’s mouth. He raised his magical output at the intense ominousness, but it was a step too late.

─────!

Acid breath full of poison struck Wooden.

Chiiiiiiik-

His vision became dizzy. Hundreds of magic circles engraved on the golem’s exterior activated simultaneously.

Pajijik, sparks continuously flew. The Knucker was confused when it confirmed that even its own breath didn’t work, but meanwhile Wooden safely increased his output.

Kudeudeuk-

Wooden’s fingers crushed the Knucker’s scales. The Knucker screamed and retreated.

This time Wooden didn’t miss the opportunity. He picked up the dropped sword and charged.

A faint aura bloomed over the massive greatsword.

This was the limit of aura he could create right now without his master’s help, but it was enough. Though not solid, it was correspondingly massive.

────!

The Knucker twisted its body while secreting bodily fluid as before, but the aura ignored the laws and penetrated through. Dark red blood gushed up like a fountain.

Kwoeoeoeo!

And that blood covered Wooden’s body. The Knucker’s blood wasn’t as terrible as its breath, but it had stickiness.

Like mud, it clung and made Wooden’s movements sluggish.

Bang bang bang-

And in an instant, he was hit dozens of times.

But he wasn’t just taking hits. Though he dropped his sword, the sword wasn’t Wooden’s only weapon.

Massive body. Sturdy two fists.

Wooden clenched his fists and struck the Knucker’s head.

Bang bang!

Wooden didn’t have the skill and experience to dodge all attacks and land only his own.

He simply trusted the golem’s body and went forward stubbornly.

Take one hit, deal one hit.

Take two hits, deal two hits.

Getting hit hurt, but he liked the heavy feeling from his fists.

The longer the battle continued, the more Wooden realized he had truly obtained a body.

It was enjoyable. He wished this battle wouldn’t end for a long time. And actually, there was a high possibility it wouldn’t end easily.

Though the bodily fluid was drying and the scales were being crushed, though the face was becoming increasingly messy, it would probably be like that.

Maybe?

Kuing!

Oops, mistake.

Wooden, who had unknowingly let out a cheer, quickly covered his mouth - though he didn’t have one. Fortunately, it seemed his master hadn’t heard.

"Laughing? I told you to finish quickly, who told you to play around punching?"

He had heard.

Kuiing.

Wooden became dejected. Then he soon found the cause.

Kuuuu...!

You. Because of. Got scolded.

Wooden became angry. Anger immediately became movement.

He picked up the sword.

He charged while raising his output higher. No, he shot forward. The core vibrated fiercely.

Faster.

Stronger.

He gathered all his mana in one place. At the sword’s tip, the blurry aura became a sword with some form.

Before he knew it, Wooden had arrived right in front of the Knucker’s nose.

The Knucker’s eyes widened, completely unable to respond.

"Wait...! Not the heart, the neck...!"

He heard his master’s shout, but it was a step too late.

Wooden’s sword aimed precisely at the opponent’s heart.

It penetrated the half-torn scales, crushed flesh and bone, and simultaneously pierced the heart and inner core.

Keureuk...!

The Knucker coughed up blood.

Kuuu! Kuuu...?

Got it! Got it...?

At the same time, the Knucker’s upper body began to swell. All the mana in its body rushed to the inner core and vibrated unstably.

No way.

Wooden, who had a premonition of something, muttered anxiously.

Right after that.

─────!

An explosion occurred.

A storm of magical power swept the surroundings, and mixed poison clung everywhere, corroding everything.

The explosion couldn’t kill Wooden.

Because Wooden’s body, made with the full power of Gerhard’s family, was incredibly sturdy.

It couldn’t kill Gerhard either.

Because Gerhard, who had sensed the self-destruction, hurriedly stood behind Wooden and manifested defensive magic circles.

However.

"...Ah."

He couldn’t protect the ore.

Gerhard knelt down and collapsed.

==

The poison covered the entire wall surface as it was.

The poison that the monster called a spirit creature had spread while throwing away its own life couldn’t be completely withstood even by legendary metals.

The same was true even though Gerhard had overlaid rock walls.

The ores on the wall surface were half-corroded or melted, and Gerhard’s heart flowed down with them.

"Ha... Ha...!"

How much is all that.

How many gold ingots would that become.

It wasn’t just the ore.

Though it was full of poison, the Knucker was still a spirit creature.

Naturally, its inner core was also precious and expensive.

The thick scales and sharp teeth, claws and bones were the same.

All of that was blown away at once.

Kuung?

"Be quiet. Don’t lower your hand."

Wooden stretched out his hand that had been half-lowered again.

"...Fortunately, the Itarium is intact."

This was thanks to Gerhard making the protection of Itarium the top priority over the ore.

’I’ll process it appropriately and hand it over to Hyde and the others.’

It would be a lie to say it wasn’t regrettable, but when investing, one had to be bold.

If Hyde and Luina, or other beings from the prophecy book, could become even a little stronger and block the demons, that would be profitable business.

’The ore...’

Everything exposed on the surface was corroded and unusable.

Even that hard Adamant was damaged. It was truly the self-destruction of a Knucker called a spirit creature.

He naturally sighed. Because the cavern was so wide, the wall surface was extensive, and the ores that filled that wall surface were also a considerable amount.

’Still, I have to try to use it somehow. If I take it to the family, there might be a way.’

At the very least, cutting off only the parts that weren’t corroded.

Eventually, Gerhard began mining with magic.

Unfortunately, the minerals weren’t deep into the wall surface.

But in Gerhard’s view, it was enough to make a bell.

He was able to breathe a sigh of relief, so to speak.

"By the way, what is this place exactly. Even if he’s the first emperor, how did he gather all this?"

Gerhard, who had stored all the ore in subspace, finally extracted the Itarium.

"Hm?"

And he discovered a small box hidden beneath the Itarium.

"...What’s this?"

On the surface of the box, a Saint Bird emblem was embossed.

’Kalinos Armian.’

Along with the name of the last king of the Armian Kingdom.