Alina's eyes narrowed as she pinpointed a small, pulsing light nestled deep within the tangled roots at the base of the golem's torso—a core that seemed to be the source of its regenerative power. It glowed intermittently, almost as if it were breathing. The area surrounding it seemed to be thinner as well. 

"Artyom, focus on the glowing thing near its torso!" Alina shouted. She aimed her magical machine gun at the torso of the monster and switched the firing mode to 'beam,' ensuring the most amount of damage dished out at the golem.

Using the holographic sight integrated into her Lahmum, Alina aimed the laser gun straight at the core. With one pull of the trigger, a continuous beam of laser flew through the air in a straight line, hitting the tree bark of the golem and charring it slowly. 

Looking at the aether indicator on her watch, the yellow line began to drain gradually, indicating her mana was being absorbed by the laser. However, the laser had difficulty penetrating the tree bark as the charred wood turned into some kind of protection from the heat damage the laser gave. 

Artyom was slashing right at the torso of the golem, his moves were erratic. He jumped from the ground, then he did some kind of circular mid-air slash that managed to open the torso due to the amount of magical power it contained. 

Alina couldn't keep up with his movement. He changed place every second, jumping back and forth while dodging the golem onslaught that destroyed the village's houses one by one while raging at the demonic swordsman. 

The golem's arms then grew in length, it then did a sweeping motion again, destroying every hut and building along the way. Alina sensed the incoming danger directly at her, Alina then ran away, looking for a place to teleport to. 

The building around her turned into rubbles, and the golem's hand was becoming closer and closer. She then looked at the tree surrounding the village, and she then blitzed to the top of one of the trees, costing a significant amount of blood points. However, she had a better look at the village from here. 

From her elevated position atop the tree, Alina had a clear view of the battlefield below. The golem's destructive path was evident, with debris and remnants of the village scattered all around. Her heart raced as she watched Artyom skillfully evade the massive sweeps and strikes of the golem, his attacks relentless but struggling to make a decisive impact.

Was it because of his weapon? Or was it because of the issues with his skills? Alina believed on the former, this guy was a special force from Valkyria, she had no doubt that on his usual gear, Artyom could beat the golem. 

He continued slashing down the tree skin of the golem, turning them into nothing more than wood chips blisteringly fast. Not wanting to be beaten by the sight, Alina focused her rifle at the golem again.

She changed the energy output of the machine gun to its maximum setting with her phone. She then pulled the trigger. A beam of bright laser beam flew out of the end of her rifle, burning through the tree bark easily. 

"Penetrate, goddamn it!" Alina shouted. 

The bright laser beam cut through skin, continuously until it reached the core of the tree golem. Then, the laser beam penetrated straight to its core. The core glowed even brighter than before, almost like a sun as Alina continuously fired the laser beam at the golem. She hoped that she didn't accidentally make the golem stronger. 

Then, the golem shrieked in pain. Multiple thorns grew from its skin. It then scattered into all directions, flying at high speed, almost like a grenade fragment. The attack caught Alina by surprise, the thorns flew in her direction as well, stabbing into the unprotected parts of her clothing. She then felt a sharp pain coming from her arms and her legs. 

She lost her balance and fell down from the tree, she dropped her Lahmum which coagulated into blood once she lost the grip on it. Alina felt the wind gushing through her hair as she focused her thought again to teleport away. She blitzed closer to the golem, right near its foot. In a moment's notice, Alina quickly regained her footing. 

She pulled out her saber and with all of her strength, she swung it against the golem. The heavy saber made a bit of damage on the golem, but it wasn't enough. Using the saber, she made a slit on her palm and coated the blade with her blood. The blade glowed in a bright red color, Alina then used a Bloody Swing at the golem's leg. 

The single suped-up arc of blood cut the golem's leg with ease. The golem suddenly lost its balance and struggled to keep it. The golem then fell to the ground, creating a small earthquake as it fell. Alina then released another barrage of Bloody Swings at the golem's extremities, the arcs cut through the golem's armor with ease, exposing all of its weak points and joints. 

Seizing the moment, Artyom leaped high, his blades glowing with an eerie light. He brought it down in a powerful arc, aimed right at the core. The sword cleaved through the weakened bark and into the heart of the creature, causing a deep, resounding crack.

With a final, thunderous bellow, the golem's core burst apart, a cascade of glowing fragments spilling out like embers from a shattered furnace. The massive body shuddered and then began to crumble, the animated wood returning to inert timber. Within moments, the colossal figure collapsed, disintegrating into a mound of broken wood and leaves, settling into the earth from which it had risen.

Then, as the massive body disappeared, all that was left was a dead druid in the middle of it. Maybe it was the core of the golem, but Alina wasn't too sure, what was important was that the golem was dead. 

[BP +20,000]

Exhausted but relieved, Alina lowered her weapon, her breaths coming in heavy gasps as the adrenaline began to wane. She scanned the area, looking for Artyom, who was brushing himself off, a few scratches visible but otherwise unharmed.

"You okay?" she called down to him.

"Yeah!" Artyom called back, sheathing his swords. "Good job, adventurer." 

"How about the diplomat?" Alina asked. 

"She's safe and sound, thankfully," Artyom said, pointing at the earpiece.

"Thank god." 

Artyom then commented, "For a level 10 adventurer, you are way too strong. Still, I have to give kudos to your judgment, and somehow, you are still alive." 

She couldn't believe it either. The golem was as large as a building, and somehow, she managed to stay alive this long, maybe because of her better judgment than before, or simply because most of the druids were killed by the golem itself. She wasn't sure herself. She felt satisfied with the result. 

"You did well today," he said with a nod, before turning back towards the path that would take him out of the village and back to the consulate. "I need to head back to the consulate soon. I'll ensure your payment is processed when I get there, want to tag along?"

"Nah, I'll stick around for a bit," Alina refused. 

"Stay safe Alina, here's a bonus for you," Artyom smiled while pulling out the smartphone from his pocket. 

Alina pulled out her smartphone as well, noticing that Artyom transferred 3,000 Leas to her. 

"It's from my personal fund. Be careful, Alina, this forest won't welcome you for too long." Alina watched as Artyom prepared to leave the scene. 

"Will do, and thanks," Alina replied, managing a weary smile. As Artyom's figure disappeared into the undergrowth, she turned her attention back to the remains of the village. 

She then saw several rifles and weapons lying on the ground. She already smiled on the potential Leas she could get from the amount of loot scattered in the village. Sure, it wouldn't be as much as what the Stalkers gave to her, but it was still something. 

The village, now mostly ruins, still held pockets where undamaged items and potentially useful artifacts were scattered. She carefully maneuvered through the debris, her eyes scanning for anything that might catch the light or seem out of place. She put every single weapon or anything shiny into her Blood Inventory. 

Her first find was a small chest partially buried under a fallen beam. With some effort, she freed it, dusting off the lid before carefully opening it. Inside, she found several small vials of a shimmering liquid, possibly some type of healing potion or magical enhancer. Alongside them was a finely crafted dagger, its hilt encrusted with small gemstones. "Not bad," Alina murmured, stowing the items in her Blood Inventory.

As she continued her search, she stumbled upon a stack of what appeared to be ritual masks, carved from wood and decorated with intricate patterns. These might fetch a good price, she thought. She picked a couple of the most intact ones and added them to her collection.

Her exploration took her near the remains of what seemed to be a shaman's hut. Inside, amongst the rubble and ash, Alina discovered a book. Most of it was unreadable, but a few pages remained intact, containing diagrams and writings in a language she didn't understand. She pocketed the book—mysteries like these were always worth investigating later, and who knew?

Satisfied with her haul, Alina looked around the desolate village once more, ensuring she hadn't missed anything of significant value. Feeling the weight of exhaustion settling in, she decided it was time to make her way back to the consulate. With her loot secured and her equipment checked, Alina began her trek back through the forest, her mind already turning over the events of the day.

Then, all of a sudden, two large gunshots rang in her ears. Before she noticed what happened, Alina was already falling into the ground, losing her balance. Only one thing came into her mind, sniper, but where was it? She tried standing up, mustering all of her strengths. 

A figure stood in front of her. Alina would never expect what would happen next.