The Ancient Golem raised its tree-trunk-sized hand, ready to crush Aeris to pieces. The aura of death emanated from the ancient stone creature, filling the entire arena with a suffocating tension. The audience was silent with fear, some of them already preparing to flee.
But Aeris did not move. His eyes were fixed on the system notification floating in his mind:
[QUEST: Restore the Lost Soul]
[DESCRIPTION: The Ancient Golem lost a fragment of its soul 500 years ago. Without a complete soul, it was trapped in eternal suffering and anger]
[OBJECTIVE: Find the Soul Fragment and return it to the Ancient Golem]
[REWARD: Perfect Taming Success + Ancient Golem Loyalty + Skill: Soul Resonance]
[WARNING: Failure will result in death]
"Soul fragment?" Aeris whispered, as the Ancient Golem's giant hand drew closer. he felt a strange wave of emotion—not anger as it had seemed from the outside, but... a deep sadness.
The Ancient Golem's red eyes stared at him and for a moment, Aeris saw something that no one else could see. There were tears—tears of stone that flowed from the eyes of the legendary monster.
"You... are suffering," Aeris said softly.
The Ancient Golem's hand stopped just above his head. The creature seemed shocked by his words.
"HOW... CAN YOU... SEE IT?" The Ancient Golem's voice echoed in Aeris' mind. It was heavy, tired, filled with five centuries of suffering.
In the stands, Professor Grimwald shouted in panic. "Stand back! Everyone stand back! The Ancient Golem has lost control!"
But Aeris did not retreat. he stepped forward, ignoring the terrified cries of the crowd.
"I can feel your pain," Aeris said, his voice trembling but determined. "You are not angry. You are... lonely."
The Ancient Golem lowered its hand slowly. Its red eyes stared at him with a different look—no longer menacing, but full of hope.
"FIVE HUNDRED YEARS..." the voice echoed again. "FIVE HUNDRED YEARS I SEARCH FOR... A LOST SOUL..."
Aeris closed his eyes and activated his Monster Sense ability. he could feel the Ancient Golem's aura more clearly now—there was a large void in the creature's chest. Like a hole that could never be filled.
"Your soul fragment," Aeris whispered. "Where did you last feel it?"
"LIBRARY... MAIN TOWER... I GUARD... A SACRED ARTIFACT..."
Aeris' eyes widened. The Main Tower Library! That was the place the demon cultists would attack in the original novel's plot. And they were looking for the ancient artifact stored there.
"Wait," Aeris said loudly so the entire arena could hear. "Professor Grimwald! I need access to the Main Tower Library!"
"What?!" Professor Grimwald looked confused. "You're still thinking about the library in a situation like this?!"
"The Ancient Golem doesn't attack out of anger," Aeris explained, continuing to stare into the creature's red eyes. "he is suffering from the loss of something very important. If I can help him, perhaps..."
"YOUNG..." The Ancient Golem interrupted. "YOU... ARE YOU WILLING TO HELP ME?"
"Yes," Aeris answered without hesitation. "But I need help accessing the library."
In the VIP stands, Seraphina rose from her seat. Her beautiful face showed a look of surprise—this was clearly not what she had planned. The mysterious dice in her hand vibrated strangely.
"I can arrange it," Seraphina's voice rang out clearly across the arena. All eyes were on her. "As the daughter of Duke Valemont, I have special access to the library."
Professor Grimwald nodded quickly. "Yes! But we must hurry before—"
The Ancient Golem suddenly knelt before Aeris. The movement was so shocking that the entire arena shook.
"THANK YOU..." the voice was filled with emotion. "FIVE HUNDRED YEARS... NO ONE WOULD LISTEN..."
Fifteen minutes later, Aeris, Seraphina, and Professor Grimwald hurried to the Main Tower Library. The Ancient Golem followed them with heavy steps, its every step shaking the academy floor.
The Main Tower Library was one of the most sacred places in the academy. Bookshelves towered to the ceiling, filled with thousands of ancient grimoires and historical texts. In the deepest part, there was a special room that held legendary artifacts.
"Over there," the Ancient Golem pointed to a dark corner of the room. "I SENSE... THE ECHORUS OF A SOUL..."
Aeris approached the indicated area. There, hidden behind an ancient bookcase, was a small crystal that radiated a soft bluish light. But the crystal was cracked, nearly shattered.
"This is it," Aeris said, carefully picking up the crystal. As his fingers touched the crystal's surface, he felt a powerful surge of emotion—memories of the Ancient Golem as a loyal guardian of the academy, of the happy days before the great war, and of the deep sorrow of his soul being torn apart in the battle against the demonic invasion.
"Incredible," Professor Grimwald whispered. "An intact Soul Fragment... this is a phenomenal archaeological find!"
"How do I get it back?" Aeris asked.
Seraphina stepped forward with a mysterious smile. "I know how. But..." she stared at Aeris intently, "you must trust me completely."
There was something in Seraphina's tone that made Aeris wary. But the Ancient Golem had waited for five centuries. She could not bear to let its suffering continue.
"Very well," Aeris said. "What should I do?"
Seraphina produced the same black crystal that had been used to tame the Shadow Panther.
"Soul channeling requires a medium. This crystal will channel the soul fragment to the Ancient Golem through your power."
"Through my power?"
"Yes. You are the one who found this fragment, you are the one who can communicate with it. Only you can be the bridge between the lost soul and its true body."
Aeris nodded and grasped both crystals—the Soul Fragment in his right hand, Seraphina's black crystal in his left. Instantly, a powerful current of energy coursed through his body.
The Ancient Golem knelt down again, lowering its head until it was level with Aeris. "THANK YOU... KIND YOUNG MAN..."
Aeris placed both hands on the Ancient Golem's stone forehead. The bluish light from the Soul Fragment began to flow, mixing with the dark energy from Seraphina's crystal. The combined energy flowed into the Ancient Golem's body.
But suddenly, something unexpected happened.
The dark energy from Seraphina's crystal wouldn't stop flowing. It continued to suck Aeris' energy, as if it wanted to drain his life force.
"Seraphina!" Aeris shouted. "Something's wrong!"
"Nothing's wrong, Aeris," Seraphina's voice turned cold. Her sapphire blue eyes flashed with an unnatural light. "Everything is going according to plan."
The Ancient Golem sensed something was wrong. Its red eyes widened. "DANGER! YOUNG MAN! LET GO!"
But Aeris couldn't let go of the crystals. His hands seemed to be stuck together by the flowing energy.
"What are you doing?!" he shouted at Seraphina.
"Soul Extraction," Seraphina replied with a sinister smile. "I don't just want to return the Ancient Golem's soul. I want to steal your special powers too. Those Luck Manipulation and Probability Control abilities you've been hiding."
Aeris' eyes widened. Seraphina knew about his true abilities!
"How did you—"
"You think I don't know who you really are?" Seraphina chuckled. "The mysterious young man who suddenly appeared with incredible luck? The one who can communicate with legendary monsters? The one who has access to a system that no one else has?"
The system! Seraphina even knows about the system!
"Now," Seraphina's eyes turned bright red, "give me all your power!"
The dark energy grew stronger, drawing out Aeris' life force brutally. His body began to weaken, his vision blurring.
But at that critical moment, the Ancient Golem rose with a thunderous rage.
"DON'T...HURT...MY GOOD FRIEND!"
His giant hand slammed into Seraphina's black crystal, shattering it into pieces.
The energy connection was severed, and Aeris fell to the floor gasping for breath. The Soul Fragment in his hand was still glowing, but now with a warmer light.
"Impossible!" Seraphina shouted. "My plan was perfect!"
But something unexpected happened. The Soul Fragment still held by Aeris suddenly glowed extremely brightly, and without the medium of the black crystal, the soul energy flowed directly from Aeris to the Ancient Golem in a natural way.
[QUEST COMPLETED: Restore the Lost Soul]
[REWARD OBTAINED: Perfect Taming Success + Ancient Golem Loyalty + Skill: Soul Resonance]
[SPECIAL BONUS: Soul Bond (Permanent telepathic connection with Ancient Golem)]
The Ancient Golem glowed with a bluish light. Its stone body began to change—no longer dull and cracked, but sparkling like a jewel. Its red eyes turned a serene blue.
"Aeris..." this time the Ancient Golem's voice was heard clearly, no longer echoing eerily but warm like a kind grandfather. "Thank you for returning my soul."
But the happy moment did not last long.
Seraphina, whose face had changed with red eyes and a dark aura, pulled out a dagger from under her robe.
"If I can't steal your power," she said in a voice that no longer sounded like a noble girl, "then I will kill you!"
Seraphina jumped at an unnatural speed, the dagger in her hand gleaming with deadly dark energy.
The Ancient Golem shouted, "WATCH OUT!", but it was too far away to protect Aeris.
Professor Grimwald was frozen in fear.
And Aeris, who was still weak from Soul Extraction, could only stare at Seraphina's red eyes approaching at full speed.
The dagger was only inches from his chest when...