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  Vol 2 Chapter 19: Exterminatio

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  After another day's work at Fluffy Desserts, the team gathered at the Adventurer's Guild.

  "Ah, it's you lot," the receptionist greeted with a smile, spotting Elyssa and her panions. "I've good news for you today."

  She approached with a dot in hand. "The ditions have bee-- you're now eligible to take on mid-level and higher-ranked quests."

  "At st, we’re free..." Elyssa exhaled with relief, a se her teammates silently shared. They’d been toiling with the menial jobs assigo novices: gathering herbs, helping search for lost people, and other thaasks. The thought of finally tag a real challenge was almost exhirating.

  "In that case, let’s accept a mid-tier quest," murmured Marlyno, already reag for the bulletin board where a range of tasks awaited. Her eyes settled on a paper marked under ‘Extermination Requests.’

  “Elimination of… ros?” she read aloud, brow furrowing in thought.

  Unlike regur monsters, golems were structs, artificial beings fashioned by magic or other forces rather than born naturally. Their preseen implied the work of someone-- or something-- capable of creating and trolling them.

  “The source of these golems remains unknown,” expihe receptionist. “The hope is that you iigate while eradig them. It’s a bit more challenging than usual, so it would be a massive help if the town's stro adventurers could ha.”

  “Oh, we’ll manage,” Marlyno replied fidently. “It’s a threat, after all.”

  With the deade, Marlyno busied herself with thoughts of the necessary preparations.

  “…By the way, Misako,” she started absent-mindedly, “you left something behind at the shop yesterday, didn’t you?”

  Startled, Misako froze, her face betraying a flicker of embarrassment. “Er… it’s nothing.”

  “Strange,” interjected Farkonia, fixing her with a thoughtful look. “I don’t recall you carrying anything important that day. Aren’t all your essentials stored in your spatial pouch?”

  “It was just a minor thing I fot to put away,” Misako replied hastily, looking anywhere but Farkonia’s scrutinizing gaze. “It’s nothing to worry about. Let’s focus on the mission, shall we?”

  Farkonia looked at her with quiet curiosity but didn’t press further. She uood well enough that everyone had their secrets, but somehow, this o her feeling a bit uled.

  ...

  After gathering supplies, they set out toward the site where the ros had st beeed.

  "So, it’s the Stone Hills, eh? Rather fitting for ‘rock’ golems,” Marlyno mused.

  Golems could be made from a wide array of materials: wood, sand, metal-- even flesh, in some of the grimmest cases. Yet stone remaihe most on, as rocks were both readily avaible and resilient.

  “Let’s divvy these up before we proceed,” Marlyno said, withdrawing several small, orb-like objects from her pouch.

  “These are mana bombs,” she expined. “They’ll respond to the amount and type of mana infused, produg different explosive effects. sider them a st resort.”

  Farkonia and Misako examihe bombs, eao bigger than a sparrow's egg. Not long ago, magic devices with simir funality would have been at least the size of a melo advas in magic teology over the past five hundred years had allowed this marvel of miniaturization, pressing powerful magic circuits into these pas.

  “Hmph! These toys are no maty Explosive Magic,” scoffed Sisi, barely cealing her disdain. She had a knack for all things explosive and prided herself on her superiic prowess.

  "Yes, but let's keep that magic as a st resort," Elyssa cautioned. "You’ve not yet mastered trolling its range precisely, and you end up blowing up everything in sight. Not to mention it drains nearly all your mana in one shot."

  “Th-that’s because I refuse to hold back against my enemies!” Sisi retorted, looking away with a defiant pout.

  “Alright, alright,” sighed Elyssa.

  Although Sisi had trained in other spells, her fixation on explosive magic was intense. Regardless of its elemental affinity-- fire, earth, even space-- if it involved an explosion, Sisi would master it or die trying.

  “Let’s move on,” Marlyno anded, rallying the group as they set off into the hills.

  The sparse vegetation iony terrai they entered few obstacles, allowing them to navigate quickly toward the golems' reported area.

  Upon arrival, they took cover among the rocks, keeping still as they awaited any sign of movement.

  “…Here it es,” Elyssa whispered.

  Heavy footsteps echoed from afar, and a hulking figure gradually emerged from the shadows.

  “Don’t attack yet,” Marlyno ordered in a hushed tone. “We need more information.”

  Without knowing how many golems were nearby or their in, they had decided it prudent to follow this one and observe its behavior.

  The ro lumbered forward, approag an ordinary boulder. With minimal effort, it lifted the rock, resting it against its body, and slowly turned back the way it had e.

  “Let’s follow it!” whispered Farkonia.

  ...

  The ro moved with agonizing slowness, the team trailing it as the sun began to dip beh the horizon. But their patience bore fruit as it led them to a sizable pit, around which olems began to gather, each tossing massive stones into the hole.

  Moments ter, smaller golems emerged from withi, their forms resembling cruder versions of the rger ones.

  “This must be it,” Marlyno whispered. “Everyone, prepare yourselves.”

  She drew her on-- a colossal greatsword, broad enough to serve as a tower shield. Its bde was scarred from tless battles, each gouge a testament to its history.

  Before Elyssa and Sisi had joihe Eclipse team had sisted only of Marlyno and two others, both mages. sequently, Marlyno had taken on the role of the front-liner, relying on her sheer strength to wield su unwieldy sword as both bde and barrier.

  Stepping forward, she dashed towards the golem. With a swift, powerful ssh, she cleaved the t figure in two, as though her sword weighed no more than a stick.

  The olems quickly took notice, their massive fists swinging toward Marlyno in uniso she held firm, meeting their strikes head-on with her greatsword.

  “Phew, she’s our leader alright, but even that strength sends shivers down my spine,” Mira muttered, shuddering at Marlyno's overwhelming dispy.

  “Stop gaping and help out, will you?” Marlyno shouted, snappieammates back to attention.

  Galvahe rest sprang into a, joining her in the fight against the ros.