For Golems created by humans, loyalty to their master was paramount. The Golems were meant to protect the Emperor.

[However, the Emperor wasn't satisfied with ordinary Golems. He wanted them to think and move like human beings, while also being able to gain karma and grow. Aside from their unwavering loyalty, he wanted every aspect of the Golems to be as human as possible. Because of that, we began our experiments. To create an absolute fighting force that was loyal only to the Emperor himself...]

The project sucked the Empire's precious resources dry, as well as the souls and magic of several young knights, and at the end of all those sacrifices, they succeeded in creating a group of monsters—the Golden Army that derived its name from the Golden General, Arema Steelworker.

[There are many who don't know about it… We lived much longer than the citizens of the Empire could've imagined. However, by the time the Emperor created us in his pursuit of immortality, he was already old and decrepit.]

"Ha."

With human souls injected into the bodies of Golems, they became beings who were only loyal to the Emperor, but thought and grew like humans. Above all, they were physically and magically powerful, and were able to survive for a long time. They were the best guards the Empire could ever ask for.

"The Emperor dreamt of eternal youth and immortality, yet he didn't think of becoming a Golem himself?"

[There was a major problem. Ultimately, we couldn't achieve a success rate of 100%.]

"Ah..."

The Emperor probably couldn't take that risk. Lee Shin-Woo laughed inwardly. He hadn’t planned to verify Arema Steelworker's claims; but he was seriously considering it now that he was invested in the curious narrative.

He hadn’t intended for that to happen, but Arema Steelworker was now treating Lee Shin-Woo with more goodwill. His face softened ever so slightly. That was more than enough for Lee Shin-Woo.

[I knew of the Emperor's desire for immortality, but after pledging absolute loyalty to him, it was impossible for me to express my opinions about that. Ultimately, on the day the horrific curse was completed...the Emperor became undead, and we were freed. The spell that restricted our free will didn't factor in the situation where the Emperor became an undead.]

"What did you do when you were freed...?"

[I led my subordinates out of the capital and hid here. The Emperor left me in charge of this place, and it was our only safe haven: the Golem Production Facility.]

They hid? That's what they decided to do once they broke free of the Emperor's control? Without even trying to fight? Lee Shin-Woo noticed that the conversation had taken a strange turn. This wasn’t what he had envisioned.

[Everyone except for us have become undead, including the other generals who were as good a fighter as I was. I couldn't possibly defeat all of them, nor did I want to fight them.]

"Mm..."

It was such a weak thing to say given how imposing the Golem had seemed when they first met. Lee Shin-Woo wanted to ask if Arema Steelworker was weaker than General Seagald by any chance, but now wasn't the time to provoke him.

While Lee Shin-Woo was boiling up on the inside, Arema Steelworker cut in.

[We've lost our purpose. We have nothing left to direct our loyalty to, and remain idle as a result. Over time, we slowly lose our will. We're nothing but souls that cannot sleep. Holing up in the safety of this underground facility, we gradually rust away.]

"Hmm..."

[You’re able to resist the Empire's curse despite being an undead. I don't know who you are, or why you decided to bravely come here.]

The conversation seemed to be coming to an end. Unexpectedly, Arema began to talk them up.

[We've lost our will, becoming nothing but mere dolls. Please leave us and return to where you came from.]

"..."

That's a lie. Lee Shin-Woo was absolutely sure of it when he heard the Golem’s self-deprecating words. Arema Steelworker was much higher level than him, but unfortunately, his acting chops paled in comparison to Lee Shin-Woo's.

It didn't matter whether he was a Golem, or if there were faults in his reasoning. Lee Shin-Woo’s intuition had been honed to an incredible level by Acting, and it was telling him this—Arema Steelworker was up to something, and he didn't want Lee Shin-Woo to interfere. That was why he tried to keep Lee Shin-Woo away!

"There’s something else."

[Hmm?]

Lee Shin-Woo felt like it was time to make his winning move. This was more important than concealing his identity or unveiling the Golems’ true intention. Certain that he had extracted all the information he could from them, Lee Shin-Woo decided to change things up!

"I have a request," Lee Shin-Woo said courageously.

The perceptual smile on Arema Steelworker’s face never wavered, but Lee Shin-Woo didn’t trust a Golem’s smile.

[I called you here and spoke to you personally because I was curious about your ability, but there’s nothing I can offer you. No room for negotiation. Return to where you came from. The next time you enter with a copy of the seal, I will not let you off the hook.]

Arema Steelworker gave Lee Shin-Woo the ultimatum in a soft but firm tone. Guillotine Steelworker then approached Lee Shin-Woo and Jin with a turbulent aura, as if he would execute them on spot should they resist.

[Alright. If you're done talking, shall we go?] Guillotine Steelworker said. All he was doing was emitting mana from his entire body, yet it made Lee Shin-Woo freeze despite himself. He was obviously no match for the Golem.

However, Lee Shin-Woo resisted the pressure by pushing Rule of Bone to its limit and shouted in response. He would get what he came here for in the first place!

"I have no intention to—"

[Huh!?]

"I never intended to step into this place, so please allow us to continue using that train! We won't bother you, and we won't talk to you. We just want to ride that train to move around. If you agree to give us the permission, we'd appreciate some information regarding the stops along the track as well!"

[...]

"We're going to take care of the undead in the Underground Empire, and those trains will be helpful in our effort. Ah, I'll also take care of the Golems you're not using!”

The unexpected request startled Arema Steelworker. Lee Shin-Woo acted like he was asking for something trivial, yet it was actually extremely brazen.

[You amazing bastard...] Guillotine Steelworker muttered, equally astonished.

It might not look that way, but Lee Shin-Woo had made the request with a fleshed out plan in mind.

Arema Steelworker stared down at him. [You truly are brave. Despite the difference in strength, you...]

"That's exactly why I must act and speak to you in this manner. We're nothing compared to you. Nothing but nobodies. It wouldn’t hurt for you to accept a request from some nobodies, would it?"

[...]

Regardless of what Arema Steelworker was planning, at the very least, Lee Shin-Woo was sure that he was no longer under the Emperor's command. And even though the Golem wasn't moving proactively, he held no love for the curse that haunted the Empire.

In addition, Lee Shin-Woo's intuition was telling him that Arema Steelworker must have a secret plan in the works, and that the Golem had felt out their identity to make sure they wouldn’t get in the way of said plan.

"Like I said, all I want is access to the train!"

[Ha...]

Lee Shin-Woo was well aware of Arema Steelworker’s reservations for them. Based on what Lee Shin-Woo knew about the situation, though, he believed it was reasonable for him to make a little request in exchange for them staying out of the Golems’ way. It wasn’t a bad offer for the Golems, and there was no reason for them to refuse.

And if they did turn his offer down? Lee Shin-Woo and Jin would just get the hell out. He got here because he had nothing to lose for making an attempt.

[Shall I take care of them, General?]

[...No, they're interesting.]

The moment Arema said that, Lee Shin-Woo inwardly cheered in elation. It was exactly the response he'd been hoping for. He'd been desperately putting up an act from the moment they met in order to leave a favorable impression, which was now evident in Arema Steelworker’s voice.

[Fine. I’ll grant you your wish on the condition that you two stay away from this station.]

"Thank you very much."

[General...]

[Guillotine, this is an order for you and the other Golems. From this point on, if these two enter our headquarters, kill them without mercy. But if they don't, leave them be.]

[...I understand.]

He seemed dissatisfied, but Guillotine nodded and obeyed the order. Lee Shin-Woo could tell from the flow of mana that Guillotine didn’t have a say in the matter, and that Arema was in full control.

Why would a Golem become the master of other Golems? Was it because of the unnatural circumstance under which they lost communication with their original master? There was no way of knowing that right now.

[I’ve heard a lot from you, but I didn’t get your name yet.]

Arema Steelworker hadn’t asked for their names until now because he didn’t think they would see each other again. The fact that he was now asking who Lee Shin-Woo was made it clear he was unconsciously anticipating their next meeting.

"My name is Paul Zero," Lee Shin-Woo said with more confidence than he was feeling. It was a relief that they hadn’t called each other by name since they arrived, and he lied in a situation he didn’t think he would lie.

[Paul Zero... I'll remember that name. Along with your partner, that is.]

"You'll be hearing about me from various parts of the Empire."

[At the very least, your spirit is impressive. The fact that you possess the will to push forward despite being trapped in an undead body leaves quite the impression on us. Go, go as far as you’re capable of.]

Lee Shin-Woo had stuck to his lies until the very end, and the moment he'd successfully tricked Arema, his Acting unexpectedly leveled up again!

[Acting is now Lv9. Any new personality you create would be so convincing that others will suspect you of having dissociative identity disorder.]

Lee Shin-Woo remained stiff even after he'd received permission to use the train, and he dragged Jin through the corridor with Guillotine Steelworker walking them out. Perhaps it was because he'd lied so perfectly, but Guillotine’s attitude toward Lee Shin-Woo was on the favorable side.

[Are there a lot of undead like you outside?]

"I've met a few of them. They were partial successes from the Anti-Skull Project, though they have degenerated into skeletons like me."

[Hoh...]

Lee Shin-Woo was instinctively respectful to Arema Steelworker, but spoke comfortably with Guillotine like when they'd first met. Guillotine didn’t seem particularly bothered by that. Perhaps it was due to the order he had received from Arema.

[I saw General Seagald that day, and it got me thinking… My guess turned out to be right. That man had always been damn impressive from the very beginning...]

"As expected, he’s maintained his reasoning as well, hasn’t he?"

[Well, you did say that you were asleep following the experiment, so you'd be unaware of that disastrous day. You're right. He was fighting the Emperor even as an undead. I saw him being restrained by the other generals before leaving the capital. We were able to take advantage of the chaos and escape.]

He'd gotten some great information! Lee Shin-Woo acted nonchalant and nodded. That was when Jin finally broke out of his fearful trance and nudged Lee Shin-Woo with his muzzle, timidly complaining to him for dragging him all the way here and putting him through all that.

[Huh? Now that I think about it, didn't this guy talk a lot before?]

"He's too drained from facing the Golden General."

[Well, it's true that the General's magic is considerable. Then how did you endure it? You were also able to obtain the general administrator's credentials, so who exactly are...]

At that very moment, the train arrived. Lee Shin-Woo saw the door connecting the station platform and the passageway completely close and inwardly let out a sigh of relief.

He had put in a lot of work to execute his plan, but he couldn't believe that he'd actually gotten what he wanted. Plus, his Acting has improved! Lee Shin-Woo believed that today's deceit would bear fruit in the future.

[Take it. It's a map for each supply line. You can do as you wish with the abandoned Golems along the way.]

"Thanks."

As expected, there was a map. It appeared to be nothing but an iron plate, but with the right mana pattern, a map would emerge on top of the plate; it was a relief that the map could be used by a general administrator.

[I'll get going now. You better keep your promise. The general doesn't lie.]

"I don't lie, either."

Lee Shin-Woo lied until the very end. His trustworthy expression and his steady red goblin fire seemed to have satisfied Guillotine. The Golem nodded and turned to leave, disappearing into the passageway. Of course, this was still their territory, so Lee Shin-Woo and Jin couldn't afford to be reckless.

Once the two of them were left alone, Lee Shin-Woo activated the map and picked the place closest to the outskirts of the Empire aside from where they had been before. Those areas would be the easiest to handle.

"Alright. Shall we get going?" Lee Shin-Woo asked cheerfully.

"...I'm not dead yet, right?"

"Of course you're not. We have so many Golems left to kill. You can't die on me now."

"You want me to fight again!?"

"Cheer up. I’ll give you a Bone Original Core once we get there. Doesn’t that make you happy?"

"No, it doesn’t!"

The two skeleton heroes embarked on the Golem that moonlighted as a train towards the southern outskirts of the Empire. Learning from past experience, Lee Shin-Woo immediately held on tight to whatever fixture there was on the walls.

The train departed right away. Thus commenced Lee Shin-Woo’s journey along the Empire's railway.