Genius Gamer Reborn into a Family of Heroes

Chapter 45

The Magic Tower, Golem, and Trial

Harang’s calculations were swift.

Considering that he was scheduled to return to the Kalambren Palace as an official “Polden Knight” after three months of probation, he quickly decided on a location for his probation.

‘There aren’t many places near the capital of the Kaladan Principality and the Herrael Empire that are secluded, have dense forests, and flowing rivers, while remaining relatively untouched by the outside world.’

The place where Harang was transported in the Kaladan family carriage was the “Emile Villa.”

This small mansion had been used since ancient times to quietly isolate or shelter family members who had made mistakes.

Although described as small, this was only in comparison to a palace; in reality, the mansion was excessively large and spacious, especially considering that no one typically visited it.

No, rather—

To put it differently—

It was, honestly, overwhelming.

‘Damn. Is it even possible to build a castle that size on a cliff?’

Perched precariously at the edge of a sheer cliff, the towering structure was referred to as a “villa” by the Kaladan family.

The view was certainly spectacular, but Harang couldn’t shake the feeling that something about it was deeply unsettling.

As a direct territory of the Kaladan family, this place was rarely visited by people, which made the natural mana in the area extremely abundant—a perfect location for practicing magic. In fact, this place had often been targeted by the Magic Tower’s invasions.

There were no special resources or anything of value here, yet the rich natural mana was enough to make wizards drool and start wars over it. It was truly a shame that such a place was owned by a family famous for its swordsmanship.

‘For me, though, it’s the perfect place to practice magic.’

Moreover, the “Dimensional Artifact,” which Harang received as a quest reward, was hidden nearby.

“We’ve arrived, young master.”

When Harang stepped out of the carriage, only the minimum number of attendants assigned to assist him got off as well; the rest promptly departed.

Anyway, the area around the villa was strictly guarded by the knights of the Kaladan family, so there was no chance of intruders.

“Go inside and clean up. I’ll take a walk.”

Harang, leaving the villa in the hands of his ten attendants, five knights, and twenty soldiers, immediately headed into the forest.

According to the map, the hidden Dimensional Artifact was located deep in the forest. It was a place that made Harang wonder, ‘How has no one found it yet?’

‘Or maybe someone already found and took it?’

If someone had already taken it…

‘Then it wouldn’t have been offered as a quest reward.’

The forest was rugged and wild, with occasional monsters appearing, but there were no major obstacles to his progress. There was a moment when he had to hide from a massive red muscular monster, almost 10 meters tall, but aside from that, he was able to reach his destination without much trouble.

“…Is this really the place?”

What Harang found at his destination was a vast clearing in the middle of the dense forest.

He was puzzled as to why such an empty space existed here, and as soon as he set foot in the clearing, his [Eyes of Truth] suddenly activated.

[Eyes of Wisdom allows you to see, interpret, and analyze magic.]

[Disruption Barrier ‘Derachan’s Maze’]

[This maze completely conceals a specific location in a subdimension, making it impossible to pass through by physical means. It can be deactivated by following a specific route.]

“Maze?”

A maze in an empty clearing? Harang squinted as he carefully examined the clearing.

‘There really is something…’

He noticed something shimmering like a translucent curtain.

Through his [Eyes of Wisdom], Harang realized that it was a transparent wall of a subspace, and that as soon as one touched it, they would be naturally returned to their original position.

‘What a peculiar magic.’

As he examined the ground, a series of arrows appeared, extending in a line like a navigation system, indicating the path Harang should follow. He walked slowly, following the arrows.

Navigating through the maze that twisted and turned across the wide space took quite a bit of time. Moving carefully to avoid touching the transparent curtain walls, he finally reached his true destination after about an hour.

“A magic tower…?”

Harang’s eyes gleamed as he discovered a cylindrical magic tower, approximately six to seven stories high.

In modern times, magic towers were often used as laboratories, but in ancient times, old magic towers were typically treasure vaults where mages stored their research.

These towers were also prime targets for treasure hunters because they often contained valuable items if one could find them.

Unlike dungeons, which were intentionally filled with traps and dangers to guard their treasures, magic towers generally posed little danger, so there was less to worry about.

‘If I had to guess, this magic tower is probably a jackpot.’

The tower wasn’t particularly large, but the thick layer of moss and the vines growing on it hinted at how many years had passed.

The entrance was blocked by vines as thick as Harang’s torso, but a few swift slashes of his sword, infused with sword energy, easily cleared them away.

As he took his first step into the tower—

…Whoosh!

A strong, cool breeze swept through, causing Harang’s black hair to ripple like waves.

‘Ah.’

He instinctively halted in his tracks.

The wind carried not just a refreshing sensation, but also an overwhelming surge of natural energy that was so intense it nearly made his legs buckle.

The location where the magic tower stood was on a mana vein, also known as a dragon vein.

‘Dragon veins are known to be filled with natural energy and are usually found only in the realms of elves and fairies…’

He never imagined that one of the rare dragon veins would be protected here in Kaladan.

‘Is it really being protected? It’s more like Kaladan has no idea something like this even exists.’

Harang began to walk slowly through the interior of the magic tower. The first floor of the tower was far more spacious than it appeared from the outside.

The empty hall on the first floor—

Although he felt a strange sense of unease, Harang didn’t show it as he walked toward the iron door at the far end of the hall.

Finally, as Harang reached the door—

“…!”

Clang, clatter!

The pieces of armor scattered across the floor suddenly began to float in the air and assemble themselves.

‘An Armor Golem!’

Even without analyzing it with his [Eyes of Wisdom], Harang immediately recognized what it was.

An Armor Golem was a tier above the Stone Golems commonly used to guard wizards’ dungeons or magic towers.

Shaped like a knight clad in armor, it was known to be almost impenetrable without substantial destructive power.

‘I’m not sure why there’s a golem here, but it doesn’t matter.’

The defensive and offensive capabilities of golems that activate autonomously without a caster’s command typically only reach about 4-star levels. Such creations not only required astronomical amounts of money but were also limited by the power of magic stones, which couldn’t support anything beyond that.

Additionally, their movements were fairly straightforward, making them manageable even for a competent 3-star swordsman.

‘This will be easy.’

As Harang thought this, drawing his Cheongwolheun—

Fwoosh!

“…What?”

Suddenly, flames ignited in both of the knight’s hands. But these weren’t ordinary flames. To produce fire of that size and intensity so quickly, it had to be at least 5-star level magic!

“I’ve never heard of a mage golem actually existing.”

This was a feat considered impossible even during the ancient magical era, over a thousand years ago. The idea of a machine freely wielding magic? It was unheard of.

—Oh, has a visitor finally arrived? So this is what it feels like to awaken! I don’t know how many years it’s been, but my joints feel incredibly stiff. Enchanting sentience is no easy task, after all…

The golem spoke. Not with pre-programmed lines, but as though it had actual consciousness.

Harang, looking as if he’d seen a ghost, asked, “Who are you?”

—Ah, my apologies. My name is Natalen. Or rather, I should say, I am the spirit that was once known as Natalen.

Natalen? The moment Harang heard that name, his eyebrows twitched slightly.

A name so unbelievable had just been mentioned.

On Earth, it was common to name children after heroes to honor their achievements and pass on their legacy.

But on the continent of Astera, things were different.

To honor the feats of a great hero, their names were often used for landmarks or places, but never for people or pets.

In other words, claiming the name “Natalen,” which was no longer used by anyone in the current era, could only mean…

“…Are you by any chance the great sage ‘Natalen Forman,’ who was known as a companion of Hero Kaladan?”

The armor, which had introduced itself as Natalen, paused briefly.

—Haha… I was the most foolish of our group, and they called me a great sage? How embarrassing. Actually, I’m not the real Natalen. I’m merely a fragment of the consciousness he left behind. You could think of me as a clone.

“Why did you leave your consciousness in this armor?”

The fragment of Natalen chuckled as if Harang had asked something obvious.

—Heh, it was at Kaladan’s request, of course. He asked me to set up a small trial for his descendants. Are you one of Kaladan’s descendants?

“…Yes.”

—You’re a pretty one, aren’t you? Just like Kaladan was when he was young. You’ll grow up to be quite impressive. But… enough with the pleasantries. It’s time to get started, isn’t it?

Fwoosh! The flames in Natalen Golem’s hands flared up even more fiercely.

—If you want to claim the artifact Kaladan left here, you’ll have to prove your worth. The magic imbued in this golem has 5-star capabilities. Use every strategy at your disposal to defeat me.

“Is this… the trial?”

—If you pass the trial, not only will you receive the artifact Kaladan left behind, but I’ll also give you a special gift of my own. Do you think you can handle it?

Harang’s eyes sharpened in determination.

“Seriously, I’ll come at you.”

– Very well, come at me.

A 5-star mage?

Although this was the first time he would face a mage, Harang believed that if he utilized everything at his disposal, including the Dragon Sword, he might have a chance to win.

“Hup!”

[Crescent Moon Step]

Harang’s body blurred as he swiftly approached the Natalen Golem. He judged that closing the distance and engaging in close combat would give him the upper hand, since a mage’s weakness lies in close-range battles.

Boom—Bang!!

“Ugh?!”

However, the moment he got close to Natalen, flames erupted from the golem’s body, forcing Harang to quickly retreat.

‘Damn, is there some sort of defensive magic to prevent close approaches?’

The explosion was so sudden that while its range and power weren’t enormous, being hit at such close proximity would be fatal. Harang had no choice but to step back about five paces.

Against a mage of a higher level, the moment he widened the distance, the battle was as good as over.

Boom! Boom!!

Harang couldn’t do anything as successive fireballs flew at him, knocking him to the ground.

Sssss……!

His scorched skin, burnt black from the flames, began to heal rapidly as a recovery magic circle activated the moment he fell.

“Ugh…! Such a magic….”

He couldn’t believe that a magic existed that could heal burns this quickly.

This kind of magic seemed more suited to the higher echelons of the Holy Church, yet it was being implemented here.

– Surprised? There’s no other magic circle like this anywhere in the world. At best, it can heal second-degree burns and barely recover third-degree burns.

“…Is it because of the Dragon Vein?”

– Haha, you catch on quickly!

It was only then that Harang realized just how unbelievably precious this ‘Dragon Vein’ was as a natural treasure.

It was impossible to normally inscribe a recovery field capable of healing third-degree burns, as well as to leave a consciousness within the golem.

– Ah, right. This recovery field has another great effect. It nullifies any curse or magic. It won’t work against anything beyond my knowledge or magic of 8-star level or higher, but those are extremely rare.

“…Is that so?”

– Yes. If you ever get hit by curses like the ‘Curse of Hellfire’ or the ‘Curse of Increased Weight,’ you should come back here.

“Amazing.”

As Harang expressed his admiration, Natalen chuckled.

– Amazing? I find you even more amazing. Honestly, the moment you approached, I intended to knock you out with a flame shield. If that had happened, you wouldn’t have gotten such burns. Have you fought a mage before?

“No, I haven’t.”

Harang answered as he slowly stood up, though his injuries hadn’t fully healed yet.

– Wow, impressive. You avoided that purely on instinct…

A glimmer of interest appeared in Natalen’s eyes.

‘He might be better than that Kaladan guy.’

When he first met Kaladan, the guy was so inexperienced that he didn’t even notice the barrier and ended up flying back clumsily.

Although Kaladan’s steel-like body didn’t let him faint, and he still got back up.

– Teaching you should be fun!

Of course, Natalen’s thoughts contained a significant misunderstanding.

While it was true that Harang had never fought a mage before, he had encountered something similar in virtual reality games in his previous life, which helped him sense the barrier.

‘Some long-range attackers used protective techniques like that.’

A cold sweat ran down his back.

While he could simulate battles against human knights to some extent, it was nearly impossible with mages.

But nothing is truly impossible in this world.

‘If I observe and memorize as many spells as possible, I can find a way.’

Harang, with his trembling hands, raised his sword, Cheongwolheun, and the Natalen Golem made a metallic clinking sound.

– Whoa, whoa, are you trying to get up already? It’ll take at least a few hours for your wounds to fully heal. Why not rest for a night?

“I don’t have the time. I can only stay here for three months.”

– Haha, really? Three months won’t be enough, but what can you do? It looks like passing the trial will be a bit difficult for you.

Such a confident tone. He really liked it.

“Remember those words well.”

Even as cold sweat dripped down his back, Harang aimed Cheongwolheun at him.

“In three months, you will open the Mage Tower to me.”