Chapter 23: First Blood
`0505`
`Academy Training Yard 7-B. Cold. Empty.`
The cold air hit Kael’s face like water.
Three hours of sleep would have killed him, but his body was running on adrenaline now.
`[NEW STATUS EFFECT: [Exhausted] - All stats -20%]`
`[NEW STATUS EFFECT: [Determined] - Crafting Speed +30%]`
His left arm, the `Auto-Scrap Arm Lv.2`, weighed on his shoulder. Cold. Heavy. But when he flexed it, it gave a smooth `whirr`.
Not jerky like before. It obeyed now.
In the center of the yard stood Lira.
Her spear planted in the ground. Arms crossed. Silver hair tied tight.
No smile. No frown. Just that same coldness.
But her eyes... they looked at him differently.
Like she was looking at a weapon, not a person.
"3 minutes late," she said. Her voice was cold like glass.
"The walk from the workshop to the yard is 400 meters. You did it in 3 minutes carrying 200 pieces of metal in your head."
Kael didn’t answer. He just stepped into the yard. The door shut behind him with a `CLANG.`
From the bleachers above, a voice laughed.
Ren.
He was sitting on a steel railing, eating an apple. Legs dangling.
"Good morning to the suicide squad," he said, tossing the apple. "Wanna see if the Dump Rat can last 60 seconds against the Ice Queen."
Lira didn’t look at him.
"Silence, Ren. This isn’t a game."
"Everything’s a game, Lira," Ren took a bite. "Especially when there’s 1000 credits on the line."
_Round 1: The Test_
Lira drew her spear.
`SHING.`
The metal gleamed under the yard lights.
"Rules are simple," she said. "Last 60 seconds. No attacking. Just defend. If you fall, we lose."
Kael raised his mechanical arm. It was shaking.
`[Mental Load: 78%]`
`[Mana: 12%]`
"60 seconds," he whispered. "I can do it."
Lira moved.
No warning.
One thrust. Straight to his chest.
Kael lifted the metal arm.
`CLANG!`
The impact threw him back. His feet scraped the ground.
The arm held. But his shoulder screamed.
`[Impact Detected. Damage Reduced by 30%]`
`[Auto-Scrap Arm Durability: 98%]`
"Slow," Lira said as she circled him. "In the tournament they’ll cut you down before you can lift your arm."
Second thrust. From the side.
This time Kael didn’t block. He dodged.
Rolled on the ground. Tasted dirt and blood in his throat.
`WHIRRR.`
The arm moved on its own. `[Multi-Grab]` activated.
It scooped 3 nails from the ground and fired them at Lira.
She didn’t move. She just spun her spear and shattered them mid-air.
`TINK TINK TINK.`
"Trash," she said. "Literally."
`[Time Elapsed: 00:15]`
Kael breathed. His heart was pounding.
He hadn’t trained for fighting. He’d trained for endurance. For working 18 hours straight.
If fighting was like collecting scrap... he could do this.
_Round 2: Adaptation_
Lira attacked again. This time a combo.
Thrust. Spin. Sweep.
Kael blocked with his metal arm. Every hit sent sparks flying.
`SPARK. SPARK. SPARK.`
`[Auto-Scrap Arm Durability: 91%]`
`[Warning: Overheating]`
Blood started dripping from his nose again.
`[Mental Load: 85%]`
From above, Ren whistled.
"Ohhh! He looks like a scrap machine! Keep going, kid!"
Lira stopped suddenly.
"Enough."
Kael braced for the next hit. But it didn’t come.
She was just watching him. Watching how he breathed. How his legs were still standing despite the `-20% stats`.
"Why haven’t you fallen?" she asked.
"Because if I fall," Kael said, wiping blood, "we get expelled. And my mom dies."
He paused.
"And because," he added, "I have 200 pieces of trash waiting for me to build them."
Something shifted in Lira’s face.
Not pity. Respect.
"Good," she said. "Now attack."
_Round 3: First Blood_
Lira didn’t give him time.
Her spear came straight for his throat.
Kael’s instincts moved before his brain.
The metal arm shot up. But this time he didn’t just block.
`[Multi-Grab]` snatched a broken piece of rebar from the ground.
`CLANG!`
He blocked the strike.
And in the same motion, pushed the rebar forward.
`SCHIK.`
The tip of the metal cut Lira’s sleeve. A thin red line appeared on her arm.
The whole world went silent.
Lira stopped. She looked at her blood.
Then she looked at Kael.
Ren stood up from the railing. The apple fell.
"...Holy shit. He actually did it."
`[System Notification]`
`[FIRST BLOOD DRAWN IN TRAINING]`
`[Title Progress: [Scrap Artisan] 12% -> 18%]`
Kael froze. "I... I didn’t..."
He was shaking. Not from fear. From exhaustion.
Lira raised her hand. Wiped the blood.
Then she smiled.
A small smile. Cold. But real.
"Finally," she said. "Something that isn’t trash."
`[Time Elapsed: 00:58]`
A whistle.
Ren.
"Time! He lasted! The dog lasted!"
_Aftermath_
Kael dropped to his knees.
Everything left him. Strength. Adrenaline. Anger.
`[Mental Load: 97%]`
`[Status: Collapse Imminent]`
Lira walked over. Held out her hand. Her real hand.
He hesitated. Then took it with his metal arm.
She pulled him up.
"You talk a lot about trash," she said, helping him walk. "But you have a crafter’s hands."
Ren dropped down from the bleachers. Clapping slowly.
"I won’t lie. I thought he’d die in 10 seconds. Turns out he’s got a bull’s neck."
He stopped in front of Kael.
"Listen. In the tournament there are teams that will literally try to kill us. But if you keep this mindset... we might actually win."
He held out his hand.
"Partners?"
Kael looked at the hand. It had scars. Like his.
He looked at Lira. She shrugged. "Your call."
Kael took a breath.
`[Quest Update: The Tournament]`
`[Team Formed: Kael - Lira - Ren]`
`[Team Morale: Low -> Cautious]`
He grabbed Ren’s hand.
"Partners."
Ren grinned. "Hell yeah! The Academy is going to hate this."
_0500 -> 0600: The Promise_
An hour later, the three of them were in Lira’s workshop.
Clean. Big. Had a mana furnace. Had tools that gleamed.
Lira set 4 small stones on the table.
`[Mana Core Shard x4]`
"Found them in storage," she said. "Consider it a debt paid."
Kael looked at the stones. Then at the 200 pieces of metal he had dragged in a big sack.
`[Materials for [Trash Golem - Grade C]: 4/4 COMPLETE]`
His heart started pounding.
This was it.
"I’m building it tonight," he said. His voice was quiet but firm.
"Before anyone thinks about attacking us."
Lira raised an eyebrow. "In your condition?"
She gestured to the blood and bruises.
Kael put his hand on the table. The mechanical arm `whirred`.
"Trash doesn’t rest," he said. "And the Academy hates me. I need something to make them shut up."
Ren laughed. "Alright. I’ll get food. And drinks. And watch."
He sat on a chair. "Build us a monster, Scrap Artisan."
Lira walked to the door. Stopped.
"One hour," she said. "Then you both sleep. That’s an order."
Then she left.
Kael was alone with the pile of metal.
The lights dimmed.
`[TRASH SYSTEM: CONSTRUCTION MODE ACTIVE]`
`[Project: [Trash Golem - Grade C]]`
`[Materials: 200/200 Metal Scraps, 4/4 Mana Core Shards, 1/1 Beast Fang]`
`[Estimated Time: 6 Hours]`
`[Warning: User Status [Exhausted]]`
Kael ignited the torch. The blue flame lit up the workshop.
"6 hours," he whispered. "I can do it."
The first piece went into the furnace.
`MELTING.`
Outside, the Academy was still asleep.
But in Workshop 2-B, something was being born from garbage.
Something with teeth.
And something that would make them all shut up.
`[Construction Progress: 1%]`
Kael smiled.
"Let’s begin."
To Be Continued...
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