"What could they possibly be hiding from me for him to act like that? Are they trying to kill me? If not, then are they trying to use me to provoke someone?"

But unfortunately for Guillotine, Lee Shin-Woo didn't believe him at all. He voiced his doubts to Jin immediately after he got off the Golem train and entered a new area.

"Shin-Woo, can't you try trusting people some more?"

"Neither of us are people; it's between a skeleton and a Golem. The genre's completely different, so what's your point?"

"..."

Even as Lee Shin-Woo spoke, he activated the administrative seal naturally like flowing water. That earned him ownership over the abandoned Golems on standby in the production facility. He'd already become quite familiar with the process, as he'd done this several times.

[In honor of Steelworker.]

[I will protect you with my life.]

"Yeah, yeah. Oh, they’re the level 5 ones!"

[I am an Iron Golem. I will protect you, Steelworker.]

[I will protect you as well.]

"There’s more than one!"

During his time roaming around the Empire, Lee Shin-Woo had gotten a rough understanding of the value of Golems. Level 3 Stone Golems were pretty much worthless to him, while level 4 Bronze Golems were normally quite strong. However, they were pretty pointless outside the level 2 danger zones.

Iron Golems were a different story. They were level 5 elites that would be the 'bully' in a level 2 danger zone! Even in level 3 danger zones, they would probably be useful given their durability and power.

"But I haven't found any Golems that are a level higher than them..." Lee Shin-Woo said.

"They're probably in those rooms that they didn't let us in, right?"

"There might be some of those Golems in the level 3 danger zones already."

"Yeah, there's a high chance of that."

The two chattered whilst Lee Shin-Woo led the Golems outside. There were five Golems standing by in the underground facility, with another five posted outside; in total, they had already gathered ten Iron Golems.

[Waiting for your orders, Steelworker.]

[It's an honor to be guarding you, Steelworker.]

[Command us.]

"They're quite loyal..."

"Mm, so Arema Steelworker doesn't really care about the level 5 Iron Golems..."

"Huh? How did you get to the conclusion?"

"Look. There are Iron Golems right outside the train underground rather than above ground. They didn't even bother picking them up, which means that these Iron Golems hold no value to Arema Steelworker."

The fact that Arema Steelworker sent the two of them away on the train despite knowing about the remaining Iron Golems meant that he considered these Golems trash to be disposed of.

However, Arema treasured the level 6 Golems. Lee Shin-Woo and Jin were able to roughly estimate the level of the Golems that would be found in the areas they weren't permitted to enter.

Arema didn't care about the level 5 Golems, but he did care about the level 6 ones. That meant one thing.

"He has no way of creating cores. If he were able to create cores, he would've collected the level 5 Golems and even the level 4 ones to take them apart. And he would've created more level 6 Golems, but the fact that he didn't..."

"Ah, you're probably right."

The Iron Golems' cores were high-class and very similar to the Original Core. Honestly, Lee Shin-Woo was confident that he would be able to make an Original Bone Core with just four or five of them. However, Arema Steelworker was leaving those Iron Golems alone.

"...I wonder what Arema Steelworker is thinking. What does he intend to do? Why did he send us here?"

"I wonder… I suppose that's for us to find out."

One thing was for certain: Arema Steelworker had made a huge mistake; he hadn't taken into account Lee Shin-Woo's latent potential and had thoughtlessly revealed his secrets. It didn't take long for Lee Shin-Woo to come to that conclusion.

"You guys go back. Keep going that way, and you should reach the level 2 danger zone safely."

[As you command, Steelworker.]

[I will follow your command by working together with my comrades.]

Though he'd just gotten control over the group of Golems, Lee Shin-Woo sent them away the next moment. To be exact, he'd sent them to the designated gathering place for his troops in the level 2 danger zone.

"Go to the meeting place as soon as possible, but if you think your cores are in danger, run away and take a detour immediately. If you can't escape, collect your comrades' cores and keep them with you. Remember that."

[I understand!]

[Thank you for taking our wellbeing into consideration, Steelworker.]

Once they grouped up with the other Golems, their mission would be to roam around the Empire, collecting information and hunting monsters.

As long as they didn’t overdo it and avoided casualties while cutting down the number of undead, they would help in gradually, very gradually purifying the Empire. If they worked together, they would at worst be as effective as one hero.

"Unlike the Pauls, the Golems can't grow."

"But the bones that they collect can be used to reinforce the Pauls, right? And there’s something else I’ve been thinking about."

Lee Shin-Woo sent the Golems on their long journey with a delighted smile, making use of the Iron Golems Arema Steelworker had deemed useless and thrown away so carelessly. From the outside, the relationship between the Golems and their owner seemed to be a one-sided one between a superior and a subordinate, but strangely, it felt like things would be different for Lee Shin-Woo.

"Shall we get going? Secretly, of course."

"How? You don't have Shadow Sprint anymore."

"Ah, that's right."

Lee Shin-Woo had thought he'd be able to change skills as he wanted like he could with his mana, but he was wrong. If they were that easy to change at will, they wouldn't be skills. He might have been able to change skills of a particular element, but 'shadow' wasn’t an element in this world.

"Whenever I try, I just keep making Shadow Horns. Damn it..."

"It can't be helped. We’ll just run away if we need to. Let's go."

"Hmph..."

Like all the Golem production facilities they had visited, their destination was in the highlands, northwest a ways away from the heart of the Empire. Looking down, they could see the satellite city Guillotine had told them about, Kadinan.

It might have been cleared by the other heroes, Lee Shin-Woo inwardly thought, but considering the abundance of mana he felt, there should be undead left stationed inside the city.

"Is the lord about level 6? Level 6..."

"Don't smack your lips. We're going to charge in, but now's not the time, is it?"

"You're right. First, we..."

Lee Shin-Woo didn't know if it was done on purpose, but the Golem testing facility was quite a ways off from the production facility. With Kadinan at the center, the testing facility was located in a place that could only be reached by departing from the highlands and going all the way around.

Kadinan was like a basin, and the testing facility and the highlands all felt like a part of the enclosing mountain range.

"It's really strange,” said Lee Shin-Woo. “How did they create this kind of natural environment underground…?"

"You know, if the Emperor's this good at magic, to the point that he's able to do something like this, then isn't it pretty much guaranteed we'd lose?"

"...It's not the result of some transient magic. Let's go with the idea that he's accumulated power over many years."

They chattered on like usual, but over time, Lee Shin-Woo's expression stiffened unexpectedly.

"There are way too many patrols."

"We've gone past a lot of patrols thus far. What's wrong with you all of a sudden?"

"No, I'm saying... There are way too many undead patrolling around our destination."

"..."

He'd thought it unusual, but it seemed like they had already taken notice of them. Lee Shin-Woo was dumbfounded.

Did Guillotine underestimate him? If not, was he not truly aware of what was going on around here? Either way, it didn't matter. Lee Shin-Woo was getting curious as to what awaited him at his destination.

[Hey you, stay there.]

It wasn't very long before Lee Shin-Woo was discovered by one of the patrolling Skeleton Knights. Since he didn't even have Shadow Sprint, it was impossible for him to move without being discovered. However, both Lee Shin-Woo and Jin looked relaxed.

[Woah!? W-What a nice horse!]

"My thanks for the compliment. Are you a knight under the lord's command?"

Nine times out of ten, someone who didn’t recognize him would say something like this.

[T-That's correct. If it's not too much trouble, may I ask where you came from...?]

Even after dying, knights and aristocrats were idiots and still respected ranks of power! Regardless of how suspicious he might've looked, the knight wouldn't treat him thoughtlessly!

Moreover, Lee Shin-Woo was currently garbed in luxurious armor—he had purposely kept his helmet open so that others could see that he was undead—and spoke gallantly. Moreover, Jin was putting on a convincing act of inhaling and exhaling for someone who couldn’t breathe.

The knight couldn't help but wonder about Lee Shin-Woo’s identity!

"I am one of Marquis Satepen's men."

[One of Marquis Satepen's men!?]

Marquis Satepen was the lord with the highest standing amongst the lords that controlled the level 2 danger zone cities!

He had retired to the countryside after passing his land over to his son, and he was sure of the family's power and position; Lee Shin-Woo had cleaved his skull and absorbed his bone, so he was able to imitate him with near perfection. However, he was purposefully posing as his knight instead!

"You know about those unruly and strange individuals moving throughout the Empire, yes? The Marquis was quite worried about them, so he sent me and some other knights across the Empire. It is my duty to capture and torture those flies and report back to the Marquis."

[As expected... As expected of Marquis Satepen! A noble loyal to the Empire, even after passing his position to his son!]

"So... What are you all doing within? I have already discovered quite a few knights patrolling around."

[T-That's...]

Flustered, the Skeleton Knight stepped back. He had already accepted that Lee Shin-Woo was Satepen's vassal! The knight might get angry if he was too forceful, though, so Lee Shin-Woo purposefully softened his voice.

"As a mere knight, I have no plans of interfering with your lord's work. We are all loyal to the Empire, are we not? I’m simply asking out of concern, so there is no need to be alarmed."

[Ha, haha. Thank you for your consideration. Ah, what is your name...?]

"You may call me Seta."

[Sir Seta, it wasn't something that I couldn't tell you, as you're carrying out orders from Marquis Satepen. To be honest, the lord has received an imperial decree.]

"Hoh."

He even told me about the imperial decree; seriously, dumbasses like this are the best!

[The decree goes like this: rebels will definitely appear here, so if anyone suspicious shows up, we are to report it immediately. Then one of the twelve generals will come and personally execute the rebels...!]

"Is that so?"

Lee Shin-Woo completely understood now. For some reason, the Emperor was sure that Arema Steelworker would appear here, and Arema Steelworker was also aware of the Emperor's motives.

If I thoughtlessly entered, one of the twelve generals would be there to meet me once I got out of the dungeon.

Was Arema's plan to get rid of him? No, if it were, he would've just told Guillotine to kill him. In other words... It was a test. It was a test for Lee Shin-Woo, as well as his group—Arema believed there was a group backing him—so that Arema could gauge their abilities.

There could be something else as well, but this is probably it for now.

Lee Shin-Woo would figure out the rest starting now. With a nod, he said, "So you’re following the imperial decree. If it is not too much trouble, may I help as well? I will go and talk to the lord personally."

[Ooooh, it would be a great help[1] to us if you were to assist us, Sir Seta! I will personally guide you to the lord!]

The knight exclaimed, clearly touched.

Listening to the conversation, Jin silently cried out to Lee Shin-Woo, 'What the hell are you doing!?'

'I mean, if we just barge in, one of the twelve generals will show up soon. Even so, we can't just go back. I'm too curious about what’s going on inside the city.'

'So!?'

'So henceforth, we're beginning the operation [Operation: Bro[2], why are you there?]!'

'...You.'

There were so many parts about that statement Jin found problematic, but he decided to concentrate on the one he was truly confident about—the second ‘operation’ was redundant![3]

1. T/N: In Korean, he says something along the lines of Lee Shin-Woo is similar to a force of a thousand. It's just a saying that emphasizes how helpful he would be. ☜

2. T/N: Hyung, or big brother. As it's comical, 'bro' is the more contextually correct English translation. ☜

3. T/N: The first operation uses the Korean word, while the second uses the English pronunciation spelled out in Korean. ☜