Chapter 7:
With Tarra by his side, Leo ventured deeper into the ruins. His makeshift spear felt heavier than before, its tip dulled from use, but he held it tight. The faint glow of illuminating mushrooms and the flicker of fireflies offered the only light in the encroaching gloom. The deeper they went, the colder the air became, thick with the scent of damp stone, rusted tools, and ancient dust.
The path narrowed, forcing them to slip between towering slabs of broken stone—some of which bore faint etchings, symbols nearly identical to the ones on Tarra's core. Giant shattered constructs lay around them: fragments of massive golems, many fused with the rock or half-buried in the earth. They were grotesque and still, monstrous in size and shape, long abandoned.
Eventually, the path opened into a cavernous expanse. Before them stood a massive, imposing door carved directly into the bedrock. At least thirty feet tall, it was made of a dark, unidentifiable stone streaked with veins of pale blue quartz, glowing faintly in familiar patterns—the same ones Leo had seen in the murals, the same ones pulsing through Tarra's chest.
There was no handle, no lock, only an unbroken surface of quiet intimidation.
Leo approached cautiously. Tarra rumbled low beside him, a sound like grinding stone—wary but protective. He extended his hand, palm trembling, and brushed the cool, ancient surface.
A chime rang softly in his mind. Then:
> **\[System Notification]**
> Accessing: Ancient Golem Maker's Sanctum - Primary Vault
> Title Requirement: \[Golem Maker] — Verified
> Subsystem Detected: \[Golem Architect Subsystem] — ACCESS DENIED (Authorization Incomplete)
> Warning: Legacy Title Detected. Primary Functions Locked. Awaiting Inheritance Protocol.
> Door Opening...
A deep grinding sound echoed throughout the chamber as sections of the door retracted into the stone. The resulting opening exhaled a wave of stale air—carrying the scent of ozone, rust, and something older, charged with latent energy.
Leo steadied himself. He stepped inside, Tarra close behind, her heavy steps muffled by the ancient dust.
The chamber beyond was immense, a vast ruin of creation. Glowing mushrooms clung to walls and ceilings, casting ghostly shadows. Fireflies flitted through the still air. The ground was littered with debris: shattered workbenches, rusted tools, broken molds, and the fragmented remains of countless golems.
Some were small and humanoid. Others were immense—torsos the size of carts, arms as thick as tree trunks. Everything was broken. This was a graveyard of innovation, a ruined cathedral dedicated to forgotten genius.
And at its center stood the Ancient Golem.
**Adamuz.**
Even in decay, it was magnificent.
Standing twelve feet tall, its body was forged of dense, dark grey clay. Pale blue quartz veins pulsed faintly across its form—though many flickered erratically, especially near its chest, where a deep, jagged fissure festered. From it spilled a creeping fog, clinging to its limbs like rot.
Armor, cracked and aged, remained fused to its body. Its limbs were powerful, its frame enduring. The quartz eyes glowed with a steady, ancient light—silent, observing.
Leo stared, breath caught.
> **\[System Notification]**
> Main Quest Complete!
> Objective: Locate the Last Ancient Golem and Uncover the Fate of the Golem Makers
> Reward: +3 Status Points
> New Blueprint: \[Improved Golem Frame]
> Knowledge Gained: \[Ancient Golem Materials - Locked Effects]
> Subsystem Notice: \[Golem Architect Subsystem - Initialization Failed - Awaiting Legacy Transfer]
Leo felt the weight of the moment. He opened his status screen:
---
**\[Leo Makjin]**
**\[Race: Human]**
**\[Title: Golem Maker, (Golem Architect - Locked)]**
**\[Level:2]**
**\[HP:** 180/180 (+5)]**
**\[MP:** 120/120 (+10)]**
**\[Strength: 16]**
**\[Agility: 11]**
**\[Intelligence: 22 (+2)]**
**\[Vitality: 18 (+1)]**
**\[Luck:?]**
**\[Skills:]**
• Survival Instinct
• Golem Crafting (Lv. 3)
**Subsystems:** Golem Architect Subsystem \[LOCKED]
**Locked Title:** \[Golem Architect] — A title once held by the pinnacle of Golem Makers. Grants access to a specialized subsystem for crafting, resource identification, and blueprint synthesis.
**Requirements for unlocking:**
* Receive Legacy Transfer
* Activate Labyrinth Node Core
* Fulfill Core Resonance Challenge
**Partial Effect:** System Access to Ancient Blueprint Archive — \[LOCKED]
---
Leo clenched his fists, mind reeling. The blueprint and knowledge were tools—but limited. Without unlocking the full subsystem, he couldn't access the core functions the Golem Makers had wielded.
Tarra nudged him gently.
Leo looked up at Adamuz.
The quartz eyes flared faintly. The fog around its chest recoiled. And then… it spoke.
Not in words exactly—but in thought, a voice pressed directly into Leo's mind. It was low and resonant, like thunder buried beneath stone.
"You... carry the title. A Golem Maker... at last."
The aura in the chamber shifted. A sense of immense age and sorrow filled the air. Adamuz's voice carried both wisdom and weariness, shaped by time and solitude.
"I am Adamuz. The final creation of the last Architect. A vessel... built to endure... to remember. I have waited... for you."
The glow from Adamuz pulsed weakly. Fog rippled from its damaged core.
"The murals told our story. One of us... betrayed the oath. He twisted the Great Core… tried to control it alone. And in doing so... welcomed the predator."
Leo's breath caught.
"The fog is not chaos. It is order. Its order. It consumes life, creation, anything that imposes form. We... Makers... were its antithesis. We shaped the world. And so... it hunted us."
Adamuz fell silent, the weight of centuries echoing in the stillness.
"But you... may be different. You may finish what we could not."
The quartz eyes flared one last time.
"When you are ready... I will give you... everything."
The legacy waited.