Slicing Through the Adamantite Core

The loud iron scream of the Corrupted Adamantite Golem shook the stone floor of the hidden cave. Its massive stone and metal arms raised high into the air. Its fists were covered in hard, sharp spikes of the rare metal ore. To any normal human group, facing armor that thick at Level 2 meant instant death."Crush them into dust!" the Vanguard Sorcerer shouted from behind his glowing magic circle.The golem's arm came crashing down with supernatural kinetic force, targeting the silver-haired "Rean" identity Eren was currently maintaining beneath his plain traveler's cloak.Eren didn't back down. His golden eyes went entirely cold, taking on that stoic, terrific look of an injured apex lion cornered by elephants.Ding.[Sensory Scan Complete. Heavy Impact Frame Identified.][Tactical Selection: Action Cancel -> Frame-Perfect Parry.]Instead of jumping backward, Eren stepped straight into the attack radius. Because The Ancient Black Katana possessed the legendary passive attribute of the First Hero Albert, it completely ignored physical defense parameters. It didn't matter if the golem was made of the hardest ore in the empire—the blade treated the metal like paper.SHING!With a crisp, electric hum, Eren drew the unpolished black blade and sliced upward at a fraction of a millisecond.FLASH!The black iron edge cut cleanly straight through the golem's massive Adamantite forearm. The severed rock-and-ore limb crashed violently onto the stone floor with a heavy thump, scattering sharp crystalline shards across the cave.Cough!A sharp, white-hot flash of pain locked through Eren's chest instantly. Forcing a Level 2 mortal muscle group to execute high-speed, frame-perfect cuts against a high-tier mini-boss caused his internal mana pathways to violently ignite. A single spray of dark crimson blood erupted from his lips, dripping down his chin and staining his plain cloak all the way down to his boots. But his grip on the hilt didn't loosen for a single frame."Eren!" Marine shrieked in absolute panic from behind him, her face turning a bright, frantic pouty red as her heart hammered against her ribs.Her hidden S-Rank aura instantly rippled beneath her noble cloak. Without Eren noticing, she snapped her fingers, releasing a invisible thread of pure, max-tier kinetic dissipation magic that absorbed the lingering shockwave of the blast, protecting his fragile Level 2 body from being turned to paste by the cavern's falling debris.The Moonlight Fox Spirit capitalized on the opening. Its pale fur bristled as its cold blue elemental flames violently flared, lunging forward to bite the Vanguard Sorcerer's wrist, breaking his connection to the blood-circle."D-Don't touch him...!" Princess Elena stammered from the side, her deep shyness completely evaporating into a wave of pure, weaponized jealousy when she saw Marine try to step closer to Eren. Elena's emerald eyes narrowed as her fingers whipped forward.Whoosh!She unleashed a sharp silver spatial blade that cleanly severed the golem's remaining ankle structure, bringing the massive beast crashing down to its knees.Eren didn't waste a single millisecond of the opening. Moving iron-fast, he utilized a rapid animation cancel, sliding right beneath the falling golem's chin. He drove the tip of Albert's ancient black katana straight into the exposed, glowing crystal core of the monster's chest.CRITICAL STRIKE MULTIPLIER ACTIVE!The golem let out a final, hollow mechanical groan before its entire massive chassis shattered into thousands of blue data particles.Ding![Elite Mini-Boss Neutralized: Corrupted Adamantite Golem.][EXP Points Distributed: +15 EXP.][EXP Tracker: 100/100 — LEVEL UP REQUIRMENTS FULFILLED.][System Notice: Player Profile Promoting... Current Level: 3.]A steady, highly concentrated rush of physical strength flooded Eren's limbs as his attributes automatically scaled up. Even though it was just a single level up, the difference was massive; his senses sharpened, his reflexes tightened, and the physical exhaustion in his chest cleared instantly. He sheathed the black katana with a cold click, turning his golden eyes toward the trembling Vanguard Sorcerer who was still pinned by the fox.The baseline grind was moving forward, his true level was climbing, and the entire Iron Vanguard operation was about to be systematically dismantled.