Chapter 29 - Wave 7

After what felt like an endless clash of steel and sparks, the battlefield had quieted. Smoke curled from the broken golems and drones.

Just before Manuel could smash the final golem, Chloe stopped it. “Wait! Don’t destroy it yet.”

Manuel’s red lens flickered slightly. “Oh? You want the final hit, Boss Lady One? Go off, I guess,” it laughed, tapping its chest dramatically.

“No. Lucas said the next wave won’t start until we defeat all of the enemies,” Chloe said, shaking her head. “He’s unconscious right now. We should delay as long as we can to let him rest.”

Manuel scratched its metal head. “Oh, that makes sense. Good looking out, Boss Lady One.”

Raising its hammer, it smashed the golem's limbs into pieces. “Don’t worry, it’s not dead. As long as its energy source is on, we’re chill.”

***

Waking up from his slumber, Lucas yawned and stretched his creaky joints.

‘That was a heck of a nap,’ he scratched his cheek, squinting at the bright light with a pair of heavy eyelids.

Yawning again, he mumbled, “I was certain I became a skeleton… or something like that.”

Suddenly, muffled sounds reached his ears from afar as he pushed his sluggish body upright.

“Master Lucas, you are awake.”

What greeted him was a white robot with a red, singular eye on its head.

“Yeah, morning, Jager. How long was I out?” Lucas groaned, feeling a vague throbbing in his head.

“Three hours an-”

Before Jager could reply, someone shouted, “Lucas!”

His center of gravity shifted abruptly, causing him to fall back down. Smiling, he patted the girl who had thrown herself onto him. “Hello there, Chloe. How are you?”

“How am I?! I should be the one asking you! You fainted all of a sudden!” Chloe growled, pinching his cheeks until they reddened.

A sheepish smile tugged at his lips as he let the girl punish him.

From afar, the two automatons and Samantha were watching the couple banter.

“This must be love! The rarest gem in the apocalypse. How wholesome!” Manuel sniffed, clutching its chest with both hands.

Glancing at Manuel, Samantha rolled her eyes. “The hell are you even doing? Two idiots are enough, why are you joining in?”

“This is peak content. In a world of doom and gloom, love’s still out here shining. You gotta respect that!” Manuel wiped its imaginary tears with exaggerated sniffles.

“I’ll dismantle you, for real. So stop,” Samantha sighed, rubbing her forehead at Manuel’s foolishness.

“At the very least, Master Lucas is fine. That is a relief to see,” Jager nodded in acknowledgment.

***

Surveying the battlefield, Lucas's lips curled up. The sight of scrap golems and drones everywhere was making his blood boil.

‘I can make a bunch of stuff with all of these!’ His eyes gleamed as he savored the sight. ‘Drones, robots, turrets, weapons. There’s a bunch of lasers lying around.’

Chloe approached him and leaned against his back. She whispered, “Are you sure you’re fine?”

“Besides a small headache, I’m fine,” Lucas smiled, turning around to hug her.

“Sorry to interrupt your sweet moment, but I figured you’d want to know this,” Samantha walked over, hands on her waist.

Looking at the doors in the spacious lobby, she continued, “While you were still sleeping, we thought we might as well explore the place. But we can’t access those doors. A red system notification popped up saying we aren’t allowed to leave the mission area, or something like that.”

Lucas nodded. “Figured. We’re supposed to defend, not explore. It makes sense that we aren’t allowed to move anywhere.”

“Get ready, the next wave is the boss battle.” He patted Chloe’s back, and she reluctantly let go of him.

“Say, Lucas, are you going to keep all these…” Chloe’s eyes wandered to the sight of destroyed golems sprawled across the floor, “parts?”

“Hmm? Of course. I’m just thinking about how to carry or store them,” Lucas replied, rubbing his chin as he stared at the piles of treasures.

Samantha raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. “Are you serious about lugging all these junks around? Do you even have a plan or are you just winging it?”

“Plan? Of course,” Lucas smirked. “With enough time, I can build an army… or at least a nice turret or two for my Uruk.”

“What is Uruk? You yelled it earlier too,” Chloe asked, tilting her head slightly.

“Oh!” Lucas sighed dramatically, resting his forearm against his forehead as though the weight of the world had descended on him. “Don’t you know the Ancient City of Uruk? One of the earliest and most significant cities in ancient Mesopotamia? Gilgamesh, the King of Uruk?”

“No, I don-! Mphff!”

“Don’t encourage him,” Samantha interjected, swiftly covering Chloe’s mouth.

Clicking his tongue, Lucas sighed, “Ah, ignorance in history is truly a sin.”

“Shut up. You learn history from video games,” Samantha shot back, glaring at him. “Are we clearing this dungeon or not?”

“Yeah, yeah. On it,” Lucas replied, shaking his head with a shrug.

Standing before the battlefield, blue rings flared to life in his eyes. Waves of mental energy erupted from his body, and the scraps of destroyed golems began to hover in the air.

Metallic parts bent and morphed, compressing and reshaping until they took on the appearance of reinforced rebar.

Magical components floated into their own distinct pile, glowing faintly. Meanwhile, the golems’ processing chips separated and stacked neatly into another.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Looking at the crowd, Lucas spread his arms wide. “I call this Project Scrapstorm!” he declared.

Several sticks of rebar began twisting and morphing, their forms reshaping under his mental command.

Glancing at the molten metal floating before him, Lucas rubbed his chin thoughtfully before mentally pulling Phillip, the four-legged metal frame he had crafted earlier to act as a porter, toward him.

The frame hovered through the air and fused seamlessly with the molten metal.

“Reborn into a greater being, Phillip!”

Soon, the vague shape of a horse began to form. Electrical and magical components floated toward it, snapping into place, as though guided by an unseen blueprint.

Finally, a black metallic core, the neural processing unit, drifted forward and settled inside, clipping perfectly into its designated slot.

'Phillip,’ Lucas silently named.

<>

Phillip

Level 10

Race: Automaton

Class: Sprinter

VIT - 45

POW - 55

AGI - 55

INT - 15

SYS - 30

Talent: None

Violet Sprint - Lv 1

Smart Algorithm - Lv MAX

Realsteel Frame - Lv MAX

Psyform - Lv MAX

<>

<>

Violet Sprint

Rank: Rare

Active

Covers the user in a barrier of psychic energy and charges forward at high-speed.

<>

Watching the entire process, the girls’ jaws dropped in disbelief. Even the automatons’ lenses flickered nonstop.

Standing tall before them was a gleaming silver metallic horse.

It reared back, lifting its front legs high into the air. Its crimson eyes glowed intensely, and a mechanical whir echoed through the air, mimicking the neigh of a living steed.

Patting Phillip's back, Lucas smiled. “Add a carriage to him, and we’re all set to haul all these junks. What do you think?”

Chloe’s eyes lit up instantly. “I want a horse too!” she exclaimed without hesitation.

Although Samantha remained silent, the subtle gleam in her eyes hinted at the same desire.

“I’ll make one for each of you later,” Lucas chuckled. Raising his pistol, he aimed at the immobilized golem. “Let’s end this.” He fired.

As the final golem's red lens dimmed to black, the ground began rumbling beneath them.

“Two minutes,” Lucas mumbled. “Let’s set up some defenses first.” His eyes landed on the towering wall of flesh.

But first, it was time to spend the points he had been holding onto.

<>

Lucas Kun

Level 39

Class: Mechanic

Title:

Forerunner, Talented Crafter

VIT - 40

POW - 8

AGI - 11

INT - 56

WIL - 25

Free Points: 80

Talent: Avid Reader.

Class-Exclusive Skill:

Oversurge Protocol - Lv 1

Machinery Affinity I - Lv MAX

Skill:

Knowledge - Lv 6

Combat Fundamentals - Lv 4

Matrix Simulation - Lv 9

Analysis - Lv 8

Eternal Suffering - Lv MAX

Steel Flesh - Lv MAX

Artisan Touch - Lv MAX

Gearmaster - Lv MAX

<>

‘Eighty points?’ Lucas was startled by the amount. ‘Since when did I level up that much? That's sixteen levels.’

He rubbed his chin, staring at the status window. ‘Hmm, Level 39 within two days. This is practically protagonist-level speed.’

‘Now that I’ve got my own mechanical soldiers, let’s focus more on INT and WIL.’

<>

Lucas Kun

Level 39

Class: Mechanic

Title:

Forerunner, Talented Crafter

VIT - 50

POW - 8

AGI - 11

INT - 106

WIL - 45

Free Points: 0

Talent: Avid Reader.

Class-Exclusive Skill:

Oversurge Protocol - Lv 1

Machinery Affinity I - Lv MAX

Skill:

Knowledge - Lv 6

Combat Fundamentals - Lv 4

Matrix Simulation - Lv 9

Analysis - Lv 8

Eternal Suffering - Lv MAX

Steel Flesh - Lv MAX

Artisan Touch - Lv MAX

Gearmaster - Lv MAX

<>

‘Looking good,’ Lucas nodded to himself in satisfaction.

***

In the blink of an eye, two minutes flew by.

Standing atop the flesh wall, Lucas watched as the previously inaccessible doors began to grind open, revealing a massive dark chamber.

A distorted, bestial roar echoed, followed by the metallic screeching of machinery as two monstrous creatures emerged from the shadows.

Instead of charging immediately, the beasts prowled, their glowing eyes locked on the humans atop the wall, sizing up their prey.

Likewise, Lucas observed them with blue rings shimmering in his eyes.

Both of the creatures were massive, each bearing two heads, a lizard and a wolf.

Their torsos were an unsettling fusion of flesh and steel, crisscrossed with pulsating magical veins that glowed faintly.

Protruding from their backs were pairs of metallic wings, each feather was razor-sharp and glinting ominously.

Their tails were long, whip-like appendages composed of segmented metal links, ending in scorpion-like stingers dripping neon green liquid that hissed faintly as it hit the ground.

“Holy, that’s some insane animal,” Lucas smiled wryly at the sight of the beasts.

Jager’s lens flickered as it scanned the approaching creatures. “Estimated threat level, high. I recommend disabling their mobility or neutralizing their energy source, Master Lucas.”

“Do they even have an energy source?” Chloe asked, staring at the beasts growling at them.

“It’s a bioorganic creature,” Manuel chimed in, casually gesturing at the monsters. “No way their regular heart’s pulling that much weight. Gotta be rocking some secondary or even tertiary core to juice up that whole monstrosity. Like, no way they’re running on cardio alone.”

“I reckon they’re in its neck or tail, to even out the energy distribution,” Manuel added as its red lens scanned the beasts.

Raising her eyebrows, Samantha quipped, “For once, you sound smart, big can.”

“Pfft, I’m always smart, Boss Lady Two!” Manuel laughed. “Just wait, I’m basically the brains of this operation!”

Seeing the humans and machines above the wall pointing and laughing, the beasts roared in anger.

One of the creatures' mechanical wings flapped, propelling it into the air as it soared higher, gaining altitude.

The veins on its torso began to glow ominously before the lizard head opened its massive maw, unleashing a stream of fire at them.

“Here comes!” Manuel roared in excitement, lunging forward with its shield to block the flames head-on.

“Looks like they're tired of waiting,” Lucas grinned as he squinted his eyes against the bright flames. “Then, let’s give them a big welcome!”