As unreliable as ever, the system had decided that today was just the perfect day to take a nap and go on an update. I had slight feeling that this might be my fault, but I didn't want to pursue that. It's all on the system, yep.

My legs were almost threatening to tremble out of control as I walked over the sandy ochre dunes, but I couldn't afford to just lose hold of myself here. I had just attained an obedient little pet for the duration of the exam, acting weak would make her act out. Blaine Sothsfield silently followed behind me as we went over the dunes and paths, past the bloodied corpses of the four monsters, and to the dead tree where I had hung my bag.

She was fiddling with her wristband at the back when Blaine tilted her head to the side and spoke out.

“Hey, Ralph, I didn't get the points for killing that worm.”

I turned my gaze behind. “Of course you didn't? That machine scans the core, the item of usefulness, and points you accordingly.“

Blaine nodded. She pivoted with her next step and turned an entire 180. Her legs flexed and were about to set out. Before she could kick off the ground, I dove back and grabbed the back of her collar.

She almost jumped, but I pulled her back and broke her center of gravity, making her disgracefully fall back to the ground.

Just the minor moment almost killed my legs.

With sweat dripping from my head, I swore in my mind to never use incomplete techniques again. Never.

“Getting smart, are we?“ I asked, dragging Blaine along.

“Teehee~!“ she said, tapping her head with her knuckles.

I could have fucking sworn that her character was different.

Sighing, I shook my head. “Are you trying to get brownie points? Make me drop my guard? It won't work.“

I could feel Blaine freezing still in my hands. She sighed too and slowly got up on her feet. The previous cutesy expression she held had been completely wiped off by a stone-cold face. Now quietly, the girl with light blue hair walked with me back to the tree.

The bag was completely safe and devoid of even any bits of dust from the battle, except the small bit that was carried by the unperturbed wind. I pulled off the giant bag from the dead branch and settled it on the ground. Blaine peeked at the top of the bag as I dusted it off. The umber bag had its top tied close with a yellow string, almost like a giant pouch.

“It's your time to shine.“ I untied the string and opened the bag up.

My hand dived inside and came back out with a small doll. Long cylindrical limbs stretched out from the cylindrical body of the doll. The feet of the doll was made up of long flippers while its hands were two C-shaped claws. There wasn't a neck on the doll, but a dome-shaped head rested on the top of the cylinder.

I could see Blaine's stony face meltdown when her eyes landed on the extremely cutesy eyes and mouth etched on the doll with a marker. When I turned the doll to face me, even my lips broke into a smile at the cute eyes.

“Well, what's this thing?“ Blaine asked.

The system was going to miss the moment, but whatever.

With a flashy smirk, I waved my hand to the side and pushed the doll to the front.

“Huhuhu, what, you ask? This is the epitome of New Age Golems and Mana-based engineering!“

With as much pizazz as I could muster, I posed with my hand on the top and then pushed the button on the back of the doll.

“This is—”

—WHEEEEE

The dome on the head spun around in circles with a loud mechanic sound. I looked at the head, and then at Blaine who hadn't changed her reaction much, I looked at the head again and then at Blaine again.

Without a word, I pressed another button and turned the machine off.

“Ahem.“

I turned it on again, and this time the hands started spinning wildly. Blaine's reaction was still the same.

Off, and on, and again.

Finally, the sound of the golem starting up whirred out. I smirked and pushed the golem out again. “Behold! A dungeon-scouring automaton! The Golem, ReRa 1.0!“

Blaine blandly clapped and cheered, the sense of pity tinged in her voice stung.

“Wow, you've brought one of those expensive golems? Did you get it from a shady site?“ Blaine asked.

“No, well, it's handmade! It's the result of the two finest minds in the academy!“

A work of art made by mere students. My knowledge paired with Remy's genius brought forth this masterpiece, the Remy-Ralph 1.0! Of course, neither of us could draw a cutesy face on it, so Remy had the dwarf professor Dr. Thrabulir Khegmauil do it for us.

“So, can it fight?“

“No…”

“Scout?“

I shook my head.

“… does it, by any chance, cook then?“

This bitch.

I clicked my tongue and put down little ReRa on the ground. With a wave of my hand, the silver golem that reached up to my knees spun around and dashed ahead in the wastelands. Blaine and I watched as the golem waddled down the desert. A smirk covered my face as the speed of the golem slowly increased with every step.

And then, a cloud of dust rose in the air.

“Hm!“

A small opening formed on the bottom of ReRa 0.1's feet, it sucked in air and then blasted it out to fly. The spell engraved on the first golem was [Wind Step], a Rank E spell that Awakeners of Wind Attribute used. ReRa 0.1 disappeared in the wind, leaving only a cloud of rising dust and sand as a waypoint for us. The cloud dwindled for a second as the golem descended to the ground.

After a few seconds, the cloud rose again.

The air was pushed aside as ReRa 1.0 dived back to us. It landed on the ground and came to a screeching stop. With a cracked yellow orb in its hands, the golem came right in front of Blaine and pushed its hands up.

This fucker.

I am your creator. Me!

I sighed when Blaine turned to face me, unlike before, the pity on her face was switched out with a sense of surprise and amazement.

I pumped my eyebrows and gestured at the orb. “You can take that core, it's the snakes.“

“Wait, for reals?“ Blaine asked the question and immediately grabbed the core. Sly.

ReRa 1.0 dashed away again as Blaine smirked and pushed her wristband to the core.

“For reals,” I said. “It's broken anyway.“

A loud ding sounded out in the air—

“HAH!!“

—Followed by Blaine's scream.

“J-just… one point?“ Her jaw hung low as she saw the tiny on-screen projection from the wristband. “Did you say it's broken! G-give me the one I killed!“

I ignored her.

ReRa 1.0 came back again with another core. When I pointed at the bag with my chin, the golem shuffled over to the opening and dropped the core inside before doing the same thing again two more times.

Vulture, Worm, and Rhino, the three monsters had a physical body unlike the snake, so killing them was possible in ways one would kill normal monsters. But as far as the snake went, it was just a mass of sand held together by the core, one of the more troublesome type of enemies.

Three lustrous orbs filled the bag now. I made sure to grab the bag with the right hand, that had the ugly wristband on, not to touch the cores myself. The cute little golem had no more cores to collect, so dropped it in the bag as well, without powering it down.

“You're not using the cores?“ Blaine asked. She seemed to have calmed down and sneaked behind me.

“Of course not.“ Using the cores all on myself, what a waste that would be.

“Why?“

“I have a result I want, Blaine,” I said, tying the string around the bag. Then, I turned around and pulled out the map. “Plus, another slave or two won't hurt.“

“Wha—”

“Carry that bag along, and don't even think of taking the cores. ReRa will snap your hand.“

I started walking onward to my next destination.

My legs still hurt.