His whole body ached. A piece of flying debris had grazed his head, and blood was trickling down his face. Even so, Kugutsu knew he didn’t have a moment to spare. Clutching the golem core tightly to his chest, he turned and ran.
Kugutsu ran. And kept running. His heart pounded as if it might stop from fear and exhaustion, his lungs felt like they were tearing apart—but still, he ran. He climbed the stairs to the fourth layer, made sure the Gigant Minotaur wasn’t following, and finally stopped, pressing his back against a wall. He drew in a deep breath of the dungeon’s foul, stagnant air—and almost vomited from it.
“...What’s gotten into you, coward?”
The golem core flickered faintly as Patton’s voice echoed from within.
“Yeah, I am a coward. That’s why I don’t know how to live in a world where I’ve abandoned my friend.”
“Abandoned? Come on, anyone with half a brain would say that was the time to run. You could ask a hundred people, and all hundred would agree. No one’s blaming you.”
“I’m blaming myself.”
Kugutsu’s voice trembled—but his words were firm. It wasn’t just regret; it was conviction. Patton had no mouth or lungs anymore, but he gave a deep, weary sigh in his heart.
“...Thanks. Can’t say I hate hearing that. But now we’ve got a problem, kid—‘cause it’s up to one scrawny little man to dodge monsters and make it back to the surface alive.”
“It’s fine. I just… feel like I can do it.”
“Oh yeah? And what makes you think that?”
“My horoscope this month said I’m ranked third.”
“...Right. See you in the next life.”
It wasn’t resignation—it was resolve. He had accepted whatever came next and left the rest to fate.
They slipped through gaps between monsters on the fourth layer, rushed past adventurers fighting on the third, and after half a day of desperate escape, finally reached the second, then the first layer. At last, the light of the exit came into view.
A miracle. Unbelievable. Kugutsu stood frozen for a moment, staring at the light in disbelief. Then, with a faint grin, he spoke to the golem core tucked in his pouch.
“So, what do you think?”
“I’m guessing the ones ranked first and second in that horoscope are living like kings right about now.”
He had no face or body—but Kugutsu could tell Patton was smiling.
The area in front of the dungeon bustled with adventurers preparing to enter or celebrating their return. Stalls and small shops lined the area, buying materials from the dungeon or selling supplies. Loud calls and shouts filled the air, mingling with the clang of metal and laughter.
Ignoring the noise and the crowds, Kugutsu headed straight for the Adventurers’ Guild tent.
Even from a distance, it was easy to spot—the tent was guarded by a massive, three-meter-tall fortress-type golem.
These golems were stationed to destroy any monsters that escaped from the dungeon. They were immensely powerful but too large to explore within the narrow passages, which was why human-sized exploration-type golems like Patton were needed.
“I’d like to file a return report, please.”
Kugutsu addressed a female staff member inside the tent. All adventurers were required to report to the guild before and after entering the dungeon—it was much like filing a mountain climbing permit.
The dungeon was considered national property. Failing to report could be treated as theft or unlawful entry. Even so, there were always those who snuck in to smuggle resources out, but that had nothing to do with Kugutsu. He was careless about his own life, but never lacking in ethics.
“Welcome back. Thank you for your hard work,” the woman said cheerfully. Whether an adventurer returned victorious or fled in shame after losing comrades, her professionalism never wavered.
“A massive temple was found on the fifth floor. We engaged a Minotaur-type monster there. My golem was destroyed, and I barely escaped. No materials were recovered.”
At the word “temple,” the woman’s eyebrow twitched slightly. The dungeon was known to change its structure constantly, though the mechanism remained a mystery. She was probably thinking, *‘A temple? There wasn’t one before.’*
Another complication had appeared in the labyrinth—but that was no longer Kugutsu’s concern.
Back in his combined home and workshop, Kugutsu carefully set the golem core onto its pedestal and then collapsed onto his dusty bed. Now that the danger had passed, the terror of nearly dying—and the uncertainty of what lay ahead—pressed heavily on him.
“Uh, Master. Hate to bother you at a time like this, but… I gotta ask something.”
The crystal-like golem core flickered as Patton’s voice echoed again.
“Do you have any money to buy materials for building me a new body?”
“...No.”
“Can you explore the dungeon without me?”
“...Absolutely not!”
Silence fell. No money meant no way to rebuild the golem. No golem meant no way to earn money. Kugutsu broke into a cold sweat as the grim reality sank in—was this what people called a *checkmate*?
He must’ve cried himself to sleep, because when he woke up hours later, his pillow was damp with tears. His stomach growled. Even in misery, hunger never waited. With a self-deprecating smile, he sat up, feeling just a little calmer.
“Alright. Let’s go get something to eat.”
He stood up and tossed the golem core into his pouch. Patton noticed that Kugutsu’s voice no longer trembled—and quietly breathed a sigh of relief within his core.
“So, you figured out what you’re gonna do next?”
As Kugutsu locked the door with a surge of magic, Patton asked from the pouch.
“Eat first, then… dig through some trash, I guess.”
“Whoa, whoa—don’t tell me you’re planning to become a homeless bum.”
“That’d be too much work for me. I heard there’s a lot of turf wars and stuff involved.”
“Then what’s your plan?”
“Behind the Magitech Engineers’ Association, there’s a garbage dump. I’ll look for any working parts there—fix them up and use what I can. Then I’ll collect basic materials from the shallow layers of the dungeon, little by little, and rebuild your body piece by piece. It might take years to make you as strong as before, but…”
“That’s fine by me. I’ll stick with you for decades if I have to. The road’s not over yet, kid—we’ve still got hope. That’s something to be happy about.”
“Yeah… you’re right.”
Patton regretted, just a little, that he no longer had a body. Because right now, Kugutsu was surely smiling brightly—stronger and more determined than ever. And Patton wished he could’ve seen that smile.
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