"What? You’re telling me a general-purpose security golem was taken down?"
A report had reached the headquarters of Nostalgia, and given its implications, it had been escalated directly to the leadership.
"Hmm. I could understand it losing to a state-owned security golem or a dedicated combat model, but was there really such an opponent in that town?"
"Yes, Lord Donald. However, the report states the opponent was actually a small golem."
"I see..."
The number two of Nostalgia, Donald, was an elite magi craftsman. Aside from Jin and the others on Hourai Island, he was among the top tier in the world. He found it hard to believe that a golem he had designed—even a mass-produced model—could be defeated so easily.
"Do we have any details on the engagement?"
"Yes. A detailed report was sent through immediately."
The manaphones Jin had provided to Nostalgia functioned much like large transceivers, allowing communication between two specific units. While they hadn't been distributed to every member, they were stationed in major branches—in this case, Blue Land—and it was through this device that the detailed account had been relayed.
"Let’s see... The mysterious golem was approximately 1.8 meters tall and wore heavy armor similar to a soldier's..."
The mysterious golem and the security golem clashed.
In terms of physique, the security golem was larger. Naturally, one would assume it held the advantage.
However...
"What?!"
The mysterious golem physically repelled the security golem, sent it staggering back. Had Jin seen this, he would have concluded that such a feat was impossible without a weight difference of three to five times.
The two security guards, their bodies still refusing to move, could only watch in stunned silence.
That said, the security golem was a high-performance unit by global standards. It righted itself immediately and drew the baton from its back—a steel rod five centimeters in diameter and eighty centimeters long, reinforced with Hardening. Since it was designed for security, it didn't carry highly lethal weaponry, but a steel rod was more than powerful enough when wielded by a golem.
"Oh, good. It wouldn't be much of a practice session otherwise."
The mysterious man laughed with genuine delight.
Before the guards could even process his words, the security golem swung its baton and lunged at the intruder. There was a sharp, metallic clang. The mysterious golem made no move to evade, taking the full force of the blow on its left shoulder.
Ordinarily, the heavy armor should have crumpled, but it remained intact. It wasn't entirely unscathed, but it certainly didn't seem to have taken any significant damage.
"Excellent! Keep it coming!" the mysterious man shouted from a short distance away. Hearing him, one might have wondered whose side he was actually on.
Ignoring the man’s commentary, the security golem followed up with a second and third strike. Yet, the mysterious golem simply stood there, silently absorbing the punishment.
"...Wait. What is this?"
Still pinned to the ground, the guard watched the mechanical duel and felt a growing sense of unease. Despite taking over a dozen direct hits, the mysterious golem remained perfectly composed.
"Alright, that's enough. Start moving!"
Another strange command was issued.
The mysterious golem finally began attempting to guard against the incoming strikes. However, its technique was clumsy, and it ended up taking several more hits. At that moment, the guard realized the source of his unease.
"It doesn't budge... even when it's hit!"
It was a simple observation, but under the circumstances, it was the only way to describe the anomaly. Even when the baton struck home, the mysterious golem’s body barely swayed. This was proof that it possessed incredible mass.
Looking closely at the ground, the guard saw the earth sinking beneath the machine's feet. Compared to the security golem, its weight had to be at least five times greater. The realization brought a surge of fear.
(Five times... That's a full ton! And it can still move with that kind of agility?!)
"Yes, yes, very good. Now then... time to counterattack!"
At the mysterious man's voice, the golem's movements changed instantly. It parried a baton strike with its arm, redirecting the force, then stepped in and delivered a powerful shoulder tackle.
Just like the initial collision, it was the security golem that was sent flying.
Being a high-performance model, the security golem scrambled back to its feet to re-engage, but it quickly realized its hand was empty. The mysterious golem had snatched the baton away.
"Good. Give it a try."
Acting on the man's instructions, the mysterious golem raised the baton.
"You've... got to be kidding..." the guard stammered.
The mysterious golem was now wielding the baton with a level of skill that matched, if not exceeded, that of the security golem. Furthermore, it moved faster and with far more grace.
Only then did the guard finally understand: the mysterious golem had intentionally taken those hits at first to analyze and "learn" the security golem's techniques.
(But that durability is insane...)
To take that many direct hits without flinching and then immediately turn the tables was an incredible feat. Mastering an opponent's techniques in such a short window was something no ordinary processing core could achieve. The inescapable conclusion was that the mysterious golem’s base specifications were astronomically high.
With a thunderous crash, the security golem’s torso crumpled. Its head twisted at an unnatural angle as its movements became erratic and unstable.
"Alright, finish it."
At the man's order, the mysterious golem tossed the baton aside and struck out with its fists. The movements were those of a refined martial artist.
With a resounding boom, the security golem was blown backward. It skidded more than ten meters across the ground and finally stood still, its functions completely ceased.
By this time, even in the middle of the night, a crowd of onlookers had gathered, drawn by the sounds of the struggle. Among them were other members of the security guard who had rushed to investigate. When the guard who had been pinned finally looked around with his comrades' help, the mysterious man and his golem had already vanished into the darkness.
"..."
Donald sat with Elena, the automata who served as both the mascot and advisor of Nostalgia, as they reviewed the report and reconstructed the events.
"Hmm. It’s difficult to believe, but the facts are the facts."
Jules Rolant, the leader of Nostalgia, was also present for the briefing.
"Yes, it is indeed the truth. The mysterious man's objective was likely 'education,' I believe," Elena said.
"I agree. There's no doubt about it," Donald added.
"He likely wanted to give a newly constructed golem some quick combat training," Elena continued.
"I concur. But that isn't the primary issue. The real concerns are the performance of that golem and the man's ultimate goal."
"Quite right. If I had to guess, I would say that mysterious golem is constructed entirely of metal—and a very heavy one at that."
"Just as Elena says," Donald noted. "The general-purpose golems we provide to the security guards weigh roughly 200 kilograms. If this opponent was five times heavier, there is no other logical explanation."
"But Donald, is such a thing even possible?" Jules asked.
It was a fair question. Mass did not always equal strength; while weight provided certain advantages, it typically came with the disadvantage of making a machine sluggish.
"If you're asking if it’s technically possible, the answer is yes," Donald said, tilting his head. "However, according to everything we know of golemancy, there should be no practical advantage to doing so."
Elena looked toward her companions. "This is a matter that should be reported, is it not?"