The forest was wide and green.
Trees stood tall like towers.
Leaves danced in the soft wind.
Jin walked slowly.
His heavy steps made the ground shake a little.
Birds flew away when they saw him.
Small animals ran and hid.
But Jin was not angry.
He was curious.
"This world feels alive," he said to himself.
He had been alone in the dungeon.
Now, for the first time, he saw the real world.
Suddenly, he heard something.
Screams.
Cries.
They were close.
He moved faster, pushing through thick trees.
Branches snapped. Leaves flew.
Then he saw them—
Strange creatures.
Green skin.
Long tails.
Sharp claws.
Lizardmen.
They were fighting something.
A giant spider.
Its legs were long and black.
Its red eyes glowed with hate.
It hissed and swung its legs at the small village.
The lizardmen held spears and shields, but they were weak.
Many had fallen.
Children cried.
Fires burned in small huts.
The spider screamed.
Its long legs slammed into the ground.
It crushed two lizardmen under its sharp claws.
Blood spilled on the dirt.
The lizardmen fought back with spears, but they were too weak.
Their small wooden shields broke like paper.
Their eyes were full of fear.
One lizardman, holding a spear, shouted,
"Fall back! Protect the young ones!"
But many were already on the ground.
Wounded.
Bleeding.
Dying.
Jin saw it all.
His stone heart ached.
They're just trying to live.
The spider moved fast.
Its body was huge, taller than any house.
Its legs were sharp like knives.
Slash!
Another lizardman fell.
The spider's fangs dripped with poison.
The spider opened its mouth wide.
It clicked its sharp teeth.
It didn't want food.
It wanted to kill.
Jin couldn't stand still any longer.
"Enough," he said.
He stepped forward.
Each step made the ground shake.
The spider turned its red eyes on him.
It saw a giant stone creature.
A golem.
Jin raised his fist.
He could feel the weight of his own power.
He wasn't human anymore.
Jin's deep voice echoed through the battlefield.
"Get away from them."
The spider screamed again…
And charged.
The giant spider rushed at Jin.
Its legs moved fast.
Its mouth opened, full of sharp teeth.
The air was thick with fear.
The lizardmen watched in silence.
They did not know what this stone creature was.
Friend?
Or another monster?
But Jin knew what he had to do.
He looked at the spider.
He looked at the crying children.
He looked at the lizardmen, tired and broken.
"They are alive… like I was," he thought.
"They fight to live. I will help them."
He remembered his wish.
The wish to be a stone.
Now he was a stone.
But he could still choose.
"I will not stay still like a real stone," he said.
"I will protect."
The spider jumped at him.
Smash!
Jin punched it with a heavy stone fist.
The spider flew back and hit the ground.
The earth cracked.
The lizardmen gasped.
"He fights for us?" one whispered.
Jin stepped forward.
The spider screamed and charged again.
Jin raised both arms and blocked its legs.
Clang!
Stone met claw.
Sparks flew.
He grabbed one of the spider's legs and pulled hard.
Snap!
The leg broke.
The spider cried in pain.
The lizardmen cheered a little—but they were still scared.
Jin looked at them and shouted,
"Stay behind me!"
They obeyed.
This golem was not a monster.
He was a shield.
He had made his choice.
He would not be just a watcher.
He would be their guardian.
The giant spider screamed again.
Its red eyes burned with hate.
It jumped high into the air.
But Jin did not move back.
He stood tall like a mountain.
"Come," he said calmly.
The spider flew at him—sharp legs ready to kill.
Boom!
Jin raised his stone arm and punched hard.
The spider hit the ground with a loud crash.
CRACK!
The earth broke under its heavy body.
Dust filled the air.
The lizardmen covered their eyes.
Jin stepped forward.
His feet made deep marks in the dirt.
His fists were like hammers.
The spider tried to stand.
It screamed and attacked again.
It slashed with its sharp legs.
Jin blocked the strike with his arm.
Stone met claw.
CLANG!
Sparks flew again.
Then Jin grabbed the spider's leg.
He pulled with great force—
SNAP!
The leg broke off.
The spider screamed louder.
It tried to run.
But Jin didn't let it escape.
He grabbed its body.
Lifted it high.
Then—
SLAM!
He threw it to the ground.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The spider stopped moving.
It was broken.
Crushed.
Dead.
The lizardmen stared in silence.
No one spoke.
Then, slowly, one lizardman knelt.
Then another.
And another.
All bowed their heads.
One of them said,
"Great stone warrior… thank you."
Jin looked at them.
He was still breathing slowly.
His body was covered in dust.
But inside, he felt something warm.
For the first time in this new life…
He was needed.