“Master! What the hell is going on here!?”
A girl dressed in a leotard-style bodysuit shouted, shaking her pink hair wildly.
No—on closer look, she wasn’t really a girl. Her neck, elbows, knees, and even waist were connected with spherical joints. She was, in fact, a finely crafted doll.
In front of the furious doll sat the man she had called Master—a sickly-looking young man in a white lab coat, smiling faintly in the dim light.
“It’s fine. You look really cute.”
“That’s the problem here!!”
How had things ended up like this? To explain that, we need to go back about a month earlier.
Deep inside a dimly lit labyrinth. Two figures advanced, their boots echoing against the blood-soaked stone floor.
One of them was a slender young man who hardly looked like an adventurer. His name was Kugutsu.
The other was a man two heads taller than Kugutsu, clad in full armor yet moving with ease. His name was Patton—or rather, it would be more accurate to call him “knight-like.” He wasn’t human. Patton was a knight-type golem, and Kugutsu was his master—a magical engineer.
Just the two of them. With only Patton capable of actual combat, the fact that they had made it as far as the fifth underground level of the labyrinth was proof enough of the golem’s high performance.
They both believed themselves to be the strongest team. That small measure of pride would soon turn into the cause of their downfall—at the worst possible moment.
As they continued through the fifth layer, a vast temple appeared before them, so magnificent that it made them forget they were deep underground.
“This is… incredible,” Kugutsu murmured, eyes gleaming with excitement. It was a huge discovery—and perhaps, within this place, rare new materials lay waiting. With those, he might be able to enhance his golem even further.
Driven by a researcher’s curiosity, Kugutsu’s eyes darted around restlessly as he moved forward. Patton, smiling wryly at his master’s excitement, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
“Master, get back.”
The sharp tone in Patton’s voice made Kugutsu swallow his excitement and quickly retreat behind him.
From behind a thick pillar stepped out a massive monster—so huge even Patton had to look up to face it. A bull’s head, four arms, each gripping a colossal hammer. There were no records of such a creature in the Adventurer’s Guild database—it was a new species.
“Let’s call it… a Gigant Minotaur.”
“‘Damn cow’ works just fine!”
Patton drew his greatsword and charged. No matter who the enemy was, he had never doubted victory. And he wanted to let his frail master explore the temple freely.
“Grrroooaaarrr!!”
The beast’s roar shook the entire temple. Its massive hammer came crashing down with terrifying force.
Patton tried to dart into its reach and turn the monster into minced beef—but he miscalculated. The hammer was moving far faster than he had anticipated.
Impossible…! That massive body, that enormous weapon—how could it move so fast!?
By all logic, it shouldn’t be possible. But that impossibility was made real by its four log-sized arms, all gripping the hammer’s handle. To it, that enormous weapon was no heavier than a spoon on the dinner table.
Realizing he couldn’t dodge in time, Patton instinctively raised his greatsword. A futile gesture—an act that could have been the dictionary definition of “pointless resistance.” The body of the powerful golem that had reached the fifth layer was shattered—along with his sword—in a single, devastating blow.
“Patton!!”
Unbelievable. Impossible. Kugutsu’s anguished cry echoed through the temple.
“Master… run. Please… run…”
The voice came from a crystal sphere that had rolled out from the wreckage. This was the golem’s true core—the vessel of its mind and soul.
…A rather abrupt end for such a long journey. But perhaps I should call it a good life.
Even with personality and emotions, a golem is still an object—a consumable. To have been cared for over twenty years was a blessing, compared to the countless golems discarded after just a few years. Even now, on the verge of destruction, Patton felt no resentment toward his master—only gratitude, and warm memories.
He loved his master dearly. That was why he wanted him to live on, even without him. That was his only wish.
…Wait. Footsteps? They’re getting closer? What the hell is that idiot doing!?
Though he carried a sword, Kugutsu could barely use it—and he was timid besides. Yet he was now running straight toward the monster.
Patton could no longer see. He could only hear sounds and speak. Even so, he understood perfectly well that his master was coming to save him.
The Gigant Minotaur seemed puzzled, as though a fly it had swatted away had suddenly flown back toward it. That moment of confusion created a brief opening—just enough for Kugutsu to snatch up the golem core.
The hammer came crashing down, gouging deep into the temple floor. Kugutsu’s body was flung through the air like a rag doll, slamming hard against the ground—yet his arms still clutched the golem core tightly to his chest.
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