Sounds came from outside.

Skeletons were knocking on the outer wall.

“It seems…”

The pot-bellied middle-aged man’s expression changed, and he held out money. His hand trembled slightly.

“It seems I have to trust you now.”

The mercenaries stared blankly. The money the mercenaries had tried to get after kidnapping Lorina was ten gold coins.

It was money the protagonist couldn’t easily spend.

Suddenly, the protagonist remembered that he had a Golem’s core in his possession. If he was given a little time, he could create a Golem.

With a Golem, they could escape this place safely. It didn’t matter if there were several Skeleton Knights on the other side.

When that fact was conveyed, Mordon stepped forward personally.

He extorted six more gold coins from the Mage.

He had initially asked for ten, but the other side had negotiated it down. He was also very good at negotiating. Perhaps even better than Dorian.

Aliber handed over the pouch containing gold coins with a tearful expression. It was because he had been chosen after they argued over who would pay.

“If that Golem is useless…”

“Don’t worry.”

Aliber shut his mouth.

Given his skill, he seemed like the kind of protagonist one would want to boil.

He still vividly remembered the Ice Spear that scattered fragments in all directions.

It was truly incredible magic.

‘I’m getting rich.’

Rael felt the weight of the pouch as he handled it.

The other party hadn’t given him little.

He didn’t open the pouch to look inside. That would have been rude.

As he put the gold coin pouch in his pocket, he felt a heavy sensation.

If he received such a reward every time he fought, he would become richer than most nobles.

It was a reward he could receive because the Mage was in a desperate situation. Perhaps that’s why their expressions looked wronged. They weren’t weak either.

If they were fighting humans, they would quickly run away after a single spell. But against the Skeletons, who kept appearing from somewhere, there was no answer.

“What is that?”

Aliber asked, seeing the magic stone that came out of Rael’s possession. Although it was called a magic stone, a finely drawn pattern was visible on its surface.

“It’s the Golem’s core.”

“A core?”

Aliber leaned his head forward.

The other Mages also looked. Their faces were full of curiosity.

Golem magic was something even they, who had lived long enough, had never seen before.

At best, Mages knew how to conjure fire or create water. Beyond that, it was all about making various elixirs or potions.

“Step back. I’m going to make a Golem now.”

“Alright.”

Regardless of whether they were watching, I gripped the core and flowed Cold Energy through it. Ice covered the core and began to grow in size.

The ice quickly grew to the size of a person. I made it even bigger. This size was only that of a low-level Golem. I had to make it larger.

I couldn’t make it to its original size. It was because the Church’s Cloth Field was too small. Still, a body of this size was sufficient.

“My goodness. Is that a Golem?”

Those gathered in the Church stared at the created Golem.

Every single one of them had their mouths agape.

It was so enormous.

It really seemed like even the Knights wouldn’t have been able to handle it.

“But can that thing move? It’s too big?”

“It’s originally bigger.”

“What?”

Aliber was speechless.

It was already big enough.

But if it was bigger than this, how big would it be?

“Why did you make it smaller now, Beggar?”

“The Church is small.”

It was disappointing that I made it smaller than a mid-level Golem.

If it were its original size, they would have been even more Surprised. Although they seemed Surprised enough as it was. People wouldn’t believe it until they saw it with their own eyes.

“My Church, which I’ve built my whole life, is small! Take that back right now!”

The Priest, who was prostrate on the floor, flared up.

But no one paid attention to his words. When the Mercenary next to him kicked his stomach, the Priest flinched.

“Phew. He should have just stayed quiet.”

The Priest had tried to prevent the group from entering the Church. It was fortunate he wasn’t beaten to death.

“Wow! I’ve never seen such a big chunk of ice before.”

Mary’s mouth fell open.

She was even more careful with her actions.

She thought he was a cute young Nobleman, but he was a much more formidable Mage than she expected.

“It’s not ice, it’s a Golem.”

“Do all Mages know how to do things like this?”

“Only I know how to do Magic.”

“So other Mages can’t do it, right?”

“That’s about right.”

“A Mage who can do what others can’t…”

Mary chuckled.

“You’re like me.”

“How so?”

I looked at the female mercenary. She was wearing thin leather over a cloth dress. All she had at her waist was a worn longsword.

She was a poor mercenary. I couldn’t understand how she and the protagonist, a mage, could be similar.

“I can do things others can’t.”

“Thievery?”

“I can do lock picking, pickpocketing, and shadowing.”

“…No matter how I look at it, you seem more suited to being a thief.”

Mary turned her gaze away, pretending not to hear.

“But isn’t it too big?”

“I told you, it’s small.”

“Really? To me, it doesn’t look like it can fight well.”

“You’ll be scared when you see a gnoll later.”

“I’ll never be scared. I’ve seen dead skeletons moving, so what else is there to be scared of?”

Mary kept talking.

He didn’t know if it was a sign of friendliness.

Perhaps she was coming on to him.

Women were predators.

If he wasn’t careful, he could be devoured. He had already been devoured by two women. He had to be careful.

He looked at the mercenaries.

Their faces, which had been thinking of escaping just moments ago, were now filled with relief.

There was no fool who would back out of a fight they could win. Even if a few people died, they would just think it was bad luck.

An unpleasant sound came from beyond the wall.

The mage trembled in fear.

But his expression wasn’t bad. It was because he had something to believe in.

“Move the Golem!”

Aliber shouted.

He only trusted the Golem.

He didn’t know how many skeletons were gathered outside. The Golem had to do well. The knight was great, but he couldn’t break the formation by himself.

“Wait, are you really going to move that Golem? My church will be destroyed!”

“If you don’t want to die, just follow along.”

The priest trembled.

He recalled that skeletons had gathered outside.

If he didn’t escape with them, he was dead.

As the golem’s head scraped against the cloth cabinet, stone fragments fell. As it walked forward, the wall with the large wooden door crumbled, and enemies poured in.

However, the opponents hesitated. The fact that the skeletons paused conveyed that the evil mage controlling them was surprised.

The skeleton soldiers, holding various weapons they had brought from somewhere, jabbed at the golem. It was a completely useless attack.

The golem’s thick arm swung. The skeletons facing it were swept away as if they didn’t even think to dodge.

It was incredible.

The golem eliminated five or six enemies with each swing of its arm.

It was something even the kingdom’s best knight couldn’t do.

That’s how it seemed to Aliber.

Greed filled his expression.

He thought that if he learned golem magic, he would receive tremendous respect.

‘This is the time when there will be a lot of fighting.’

The rampage of the evil shaman was also part of that. Even without them, blood would flow until a new king was decided this time.

It wouldn’t be strange if several noble families disappeared. Even afterward, territory wars would erupt as they fought for a new hierarchy.

Aliber believed that if he could bring a golem with him, he would gain enormous benefits. A famous castle was out of the question.

Thinking that, he envied his opponent. If he had something like that, acquiring a famous castle would merely be a matter of time.

Bones, quickly losing their power, piled up on the floor. There were so many that it was difficult to take a step.

Most of them were skeletons eliminated by the golem.

The mercenaries, including Mordon, had eliminated only a few. Even adding those brought down by mages’ spells was not enough.

Occasionally, the golem’s arm was blocked.

It was when a knight wearing proper armor blocked it. Their entire body was covered, making them indistinguishable, but judging by the flowing mana, it was a dead corpse.

He wondered if the evil mage had no restrictions on wielding lower hand seals.

There were three skeleton knights.

Counting the number of ordinary skeletons, it was a walking army.

The skeleton knights fought very well.

Even with heavy armor, they leaped higher than an ordinary person’s head. It was a difficult feat even for nimble beasts of prey.

Their sword swings were so fast that Bruno’s sword seemed laughable and easy to boil.

Aliber clicked his tongue in amazement.

“Anyone who can wield a sword that well must be a high-ranking knight.”

“A high-ranking knight?”

“Corpses fight with the skill they had in life.”

“How do you know that…? Are you an evil mage too?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I was interested in them, so I found out by reading related books.”

Aliber made a bewildered expression.

But seeing the other person’s gaze, his anger subsided. He realized that the question was purely out of curiosity.

The mage openly asked if he was curious about something. If someone of lower skill had done that, he would have scolded them, but unfortunately, Rael’s skill was superior.

“Don’t they have any weaknesses?”

“Those kinds of beings are ones even Mages would be wary of. The two Knights next to them seem weak, but the intermediate Knight looks like he’s at least a mid-level Knight.”

It was absurd. Even an intermediate Knight was stronger than most Orc Chieftains. Charlotte, for instance, was an intermediate Knight.

The number of intermediate Knights was small, but if it was about Corpses, it was a different story. The more he saw, the more amazing the Magic for controlling Corpses seemed. If he had known, he would have learned something like that.

“Don’t even think about learning dark Magic.”

“Why?”

“Those things always come with a price. Do you think excessive power can be easily obtained? It’s absolutely impossible. That person probably paid a price that ordinary people can’t even imagine.”

“So, he’s not an ordinary Mage?”

“Probably not.”

His words made sense. If all evil Mages commanded such numbers, they should have seized power long ago.

Thinking that, the Protagonist realized the Mage he faced was no ordinary individual.

He had encountered a very special dark Mage.

He hadn’t even seen his face yet, but the opponent would surely feel the same way.

“Then what do we do?”

The Golem’s footsteps stopped.

New Skeletons were filling the empty spaces.

“First, we’ll have to fight.”

“Are there no other options?”

“Options?”

“Magic-infused tools.”

“Ah, you mean those.”

Aliber shook his head.

It was strange.

He had lived much longer than the Protagonist. It wouldn’t be strange for him to possess several good Magic tools. The Protagonist himself had an incredible Magic Ring.

“Do you think such things are common? There are many cases where you can’t get them even if you want to. The Ring on my hand is decent, but it’s not stronger than the spells I cast myself.”

“So, it wouldn’t be much help in this situation?”

“Even if you have them, they become useless over time, so they’re incredibly rare.”

He was right.

The Necklace that summoned Golems, which he had obtained from the Ruins before, had also become useless.

It had a limited number of uses.

He didn’t know if the remaining stone Armor would also reach the end of its usefulness.

He felt a little afraid.

The Golem Necklace was unnecessary. The Protagonist already knew how to control Golems. But the stone Armor was a tremendous help in dangerous situations.

He didn’t want to use it if he could avoid it.

Especially if the number was limited.

“If you have a magic tool, use it.”

Aliber’s anxiety was palpable.

“I don’t have any magic tools.”

“Do you think I’d fall for such a lie? You’ll lose your life in vain by cherishing it so much. You can’t trust mercenaries.”

Even amidst all this, the number of skeletons was steadily increasing.

The evil mage had sent new skeletons.

Aliber, who had counted the number of skeletons, spoke with even greater urgency.

“Your skill will improve if you use a magic tool.”

“What did you say?”

“I said your skill will improve.”

“My skill?”

“It’s true. I’m not lying. I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but if you concentrate and feel the magic, you might learn it.”

It was an incredible secret. He hadn’t known it despite using magic tools all this time. At the same time, a question arose.

“Why didn’t it work for me?”

He had used stone armor before. If he had learned even a little, the protagonist should have noticed.

“You probably didn’t pay much attention.”

“So my skill will improve, right?”

“Do my words sound like a lie? Just try it. This time, think of it not as a mere tool, but as one with the protagonist. You’ll have an epiphany.”

Aliber’s face grew paler and paler.

The people’s jaws dropped, unable to even run away.

“Alright. I’ll give it a try.”

“I hope the trick you have is enough to get us out of this situation.”

Aliber looked at him with anticipation.

The Golem he had shown earlier was already incredible.

Only someone who could face a hundred people alone could become a high-ranking knight. The Golem was on par with such a superhuman.

He wondered how amazing the trump card a mage like that possessed would be.

Rael infused mana into the ring. A dark black metal formed and clung to his body. It was more splendid than most knights’ armor.

Along with that, the mana throughout his body moved fiercely. The flow was accelerating.

He hadn’t thought about reading this flow before.

He hadn’t considered why the stone armor brought about such changes.

But after hearing the mage’s words, he realized that the protagonist could also change.

An epiphany was coming.

He chanted the spell softly.

The ice arrows that appeared one by one gradually increased in number. In an instant, they exceeded ten and reached fifty.

He continued to chant the spell.

It was just like what he had done in the Count’s Territory before. But he didn’t cross the line. Rael wanted to know how much the Protagonist had grown as a Mage.

The result was immediately apparent.

‘Seventeen times is the limit, then.’

He raised his head.

With a single spell, he created multiple Ice Arrows. He repeated this process more than ten times.

Above his head, a hundred Ice Arrows floated.

Before long, only silence enveloped the surroundings.

Rael launched all the Ice Arrows he had held with mana.

Immediately after, the ground shook as if there was an earthquake.