Chapter 265: Hundreds of Thousands of Vecktas
The most striking feature of this Mithril Golem was its massive body, made entirely of mithril, with two flawless rubies for eyes. Its value was easily in the hundreds of thousands of Vecktas. It was practically a walking treasure chest. Faced with such an enemy, Zhou Ning almost wished he could knock it out, stuff it into a sack, and haul it away. Even dismantling just one arm would be enough to make him rich.
What drew even more attention was its unusually thick right arm, which gripped a sharp spear at least four to five meters long. The tip was etched with mysterious patterns that had clearly been heavily enchanted. Zhou Ning had no doubt it was capable of piercing metal and shattering stone.
"This is a puppet unique to the elves. It possesses unknown extraordinary abilities. Its weak point is the mithril core in its chest. Try to avoid close combat with it," Molly said succinctly.
A boss-level alchemical creature, no less…
Zhou Ning frowned slightly. It made sense, though—this place was clearly a high-tier treasure vault, so naturally, powerful monsters guarded it.
His eyes swept across the nearby terrain, gauging whether he could bypass the golem. With his current combat strength and skill, defeating it shouldn't be a problem, especially with the summoned Magician Knight Guiltya assisting him. But the reason he wanted to avoid a fight was simple—he had no idea how many of these Mithril Golems this palace might hold. They were mass-producible, and judging from the wealth of the palace's owner, money was clearly no object.
If he ended up surrounded by three or more of them, there was a real chance of disaster. And up to now, he still hadn't found an exit. Ever since he entered, the entrance behind him had completely vanished.
Scanning the area, Zhou Ning saw the terrain here was wide open. No matter which way he moved, he'd be spotted easily. The only available cover was a few pillars and a weathered wall—not nearly enough.
He could have Guiltya lure the golem away while he slipped past, but even a fool could tell this palace likely held further unknown dangers. There was no reason to sacrifice such a valuable ranged "cannon fodder" right now.
Forget it. Sometimes, charging through was the only option. End it quickly.
After a brief pause, Zhou Ning had Guiltya fall back to maximum range, aligning directly with him. Zhou Ning himself climbed onto a low wall, then ordered Guiltya to launch the first strike.
Guiltya was a 5-star Light attribute monster from Yu-Gi-Oh!—not bad in terms of firepower. Under Zhou Ning's command, he raised his staff. With a faint snap, a white sphere of light swirled at its tip and shot straight toward the Mithril Golem.
"Heheheheheh…"
Above the golem's head floated the number -236. Its ruby eyes flashed, and with a series of harsh, grating syllables, it charged toward Guiltya with thunderous steps.
Zhou Ning didn't attack immediately. He waited until the golem closed in on Guiltya and raised its spear for a crushing blow. Only then did he draw his Ebony and Ivory, aiming at the golem's chest, and pull the triggers in rapid succession.
-459! -545! -494! -405!
Flaming bullets burst forth, each carrying Ripple energy, Armament Haki, and even Conqueror's Haki, dealing staggering true damage. Every shot landed with pinpoint accuracy on the golem's chest, fracturing its armor and exposing the intricate gears and mithril core beneath. Its defenses were formidable indeed.
On Zhou Ning's HUD, the golem's health dropped from nearly full to four-fifths in an instant.
The heavy damage enraged it. With a piercing roar, it immediately switched aggro to Zhou Ning, abandoning Guiltya despite the latter being right in front of it. Its speed surged as it barreled toward him like an unstoppable force.
But the distance between them was still too great. Zhou Ning had more than enough time to act. Calmly raising his black pistol, he aimed at its head and fired again, while Guiltya continued unleashing spells under his control.
Those scant dozens of meters felt like an unbridgeable gulf. By the time the golem finally reached him and brought its spear crashing down, its health had already fallen to three-fifths. Zhou Ning leapt backward off the wall just as the strike landed, firing a grappling hook from his arm. It latched onto a nearby pillar, yanking his body upward to safety.
Boom! The spear smashed into the wall, blasting out a massive crater and shaking the hall violently. The sturdy wall crumbled as if made of paper, collapsing in a roar of rubble. The Mithril Golem smashed through the entire section, radiating a terrifying aura as it scanned its surroundings.
Zhou Ning drew a sharp breath but kept up the assault. Pulling a talisman from his chest, he activated it:
"Lightning!"
In a flash, arcs of electricity engulfed the golem, its mithril core writhing under the onslaught as silver-white serpents of lightning sizzled across its body.
Zhou Ning showed no intention of holding back. Raising his pistol once more, he infused it with all three colors of Haki and Ripple energy, then pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The thunderous gunshot echoed as a blazing bullet pierced straight through the mithril core in its chest.
-979!
Though its health wasn't fully depleted, the bullet triggered a near-instant-death effect. The enormous golem staggered, then collapsed to the ground with a deafening crash.
[You have slain Mithril Golem (Lv. 67). You gain 57,000 experience points.]
[Quest Progress: Defeat 10 boss-level creatures above Lv. 60 — 4/10]
Finally…
Zhou Ning exhaled in relief, leaping down from the pillar. After a deep breath, he tried storing the fallen golem into his inventory.
The Mithril Golem faded from the floor, vanishing into his item bar. Zhou Ning quietly sighed in satisfaction. At least this trip wasn't in vain. That thing was worth no less than hundreds of thousands of Vecktas.
Once done, his gaze turned to the three corridors ahead. Without hesitation, he chose the left passage—the one the golem had emerged from. By convention, the side guarded by monsters had a higher chance of containing valuable treasures.
He passed through an iron gate covered in ancient carvings. Before stepping inside, Zhou Ning casually reanimated two elven warrior statues, sending them staggering ahead into the passage.
The corridor was pitch-dark. Only the faint glow of his lantern illuminated a small patch around him as he carefully maneuvered past deadly traps.
These weren't simple traps—they were lethal mechanisms, some linked in horrifying chains. Triggering one could easily mean instant death. Even with three disposable pawns leading the way, Zhou Ning didn't dare let his guard down.
At the end of the passage, he arrived in what looked like an exhibition chamber. Rectangular in shape, it had another door on the far side. Zhou Ning blinked in surprise at the sight before him: countless extraordinary treasures displayed all around, dazzling to the eye.
For example, in the cabinet to the right lay a weapon resembling the god-slaying crossbow of the legendary archer Boudica. Its value was beyond measure. Yet when Zhou Ning reached for it, his hand grasped only empty air.
"These items must be stored in another dimensional space. It works like your safe box—unless you possess the spatial coordinates, they'll remain untouchable, nothing more than displays," Molly explained.
"Damn!" Zhou Ning rolled his eyes. Isn't this just torturing me with unreachable treasures? What a sick joke!