Chapter 22: 200 Pieces of Trash
0300.
The Academy was silent.
Not the peaceful kind of silence.
The kind of silence that sits heavy on your chest. Like the whole building was holding its breath, waiting for you to fail.
Kael stood in the middle of Workshop 2-B.
Alone.
The door was locked. The lights were buzzing. And in front of him was a mountain of garbage that smelled like the Dump.
He flexed his left arm. The `Auto-Scrap Arm - Grade D` whirred. Cold metal against his skin.
It still felt wrong. Heavy. But it was his now.
He looked at the table.
Materials from Ren:
1. *Mana Shard* - blue, pulsing. Worth more than he made in a month.
2. *Copper Wire* - high grade. Clean.
3. *Beast Fang* - D-rank Razor Wolf. The last piece for the Golem.
`[Materials for [Trash Golem - Grade C]: 3/4]`
`[Missing: 197x Metal Scraps, 4x Mana Core Shards]`
He needed 200 scraps.
He had 3 hours until training with Lira.
"Then I better move fast," Kael whispered.
`WHIRRR. CLANK.`
The arm shot out. Grabbed a rusted pipe. Dragged it across the floor.
Dropped it in the "usable" pile.
`[Scraps Collected: 1/200]`
It was going to be a long night.
*Hour 1: The Grind*
The first 30 minutes were hell.
The arm was slow. Uncoordinated. It kept dropping things.
Kael’s head was pounding.
`[Mental Load: 88%]`
He remembered the Dump.
Remembered digging through trash for 12 hours straight just to afford a single piece of bread.
Remembered his hands bleeding. His back breaking.
And no one cared.
This was different.
This trash was his.
`WHIRRR.`
He grabbed 2 bolts at once.
`[Scraps Collected: 12/200]`
"Better," he muttered.
He started sorting. Not just throwing everything in one pile.
Small screws in one corner. Metal plates in another. Wires coiled neatly.
If he was going to build a Golem, he needed to know where everything was.
Sweat dripped down his face. He wiped it with his sleeve. Left a smear of grease.
The workshop was getting messier. But his organized piles were getting bigger.
`WHIRRR. CLANK.`
`[Scraps Collected: 34/200]`
His stomach growled. He ignored it.
Water. He had water. That was enough.
He thought about Ren’s face. That stupid grin.
`Don’t die before the tournament. I want to beat you myself.`
And Lira. The way she looked at his sketches. Like she actually saw something.
He wasn’t doing this for them.
He was doing this for himself.
`WHIRRR.`
`[Scraps Collected: 58/200]`
*Hour 2: Breaking Point*
0200.
His vision was starting to blur.
The Mental Load warning was flashing red.
`[Mental Load: 94%]`
`[Warning: Cognitive Function Decreasing]`
The arm missed a grab. Sparks flew. It hit the wall and left a dent.
"Dammit!" Kael kicked the pile. Pain shot up his leg.
He was so tired. So damn tired.
He wanted to sleep. To pass out right there on the floor.
But if he stopped now, he’d walk into training with Lira with nothing.
And then walk into the tournament in 2 weeks with nothing.
And then get expelled in 30 days.
He picked up the Beast Fang. Held it in his real hand.
It was warm. It pulsed once. Like a heartbeat.
"This is why," he whispered. "For this."
He slammed the fang down on the table.
`WHIRRR.`
The arm moved again. Faster this time.
Like it felt his anger.
Grab. Drag. Sort.
Grab. Drag. Sort.
`[Scraps Collected: 89/200]`
He started talking to himself. To stay awake.
"Plate. Screw. Wire. Pipe. Plate. Screw..."
Like a chant.
The pile of trash was half gone.
His pile of sorted metal was twice as big.
His left shoulder was screaming. The arm was heavy.
But he didn’t stop.
`WHIRRR.`
`[Scraps Collected: 112/200]`
*Hour 3: The Level Up*
0300.
Something changed.
The arm stopped jerking.
It moved smoother. Quicker.
It anticipated him.
Kael grabbed a handful of screws and the arm reached out and caught 2 more mid-air.
`[Auto-Scrap Arm Lv.1 -> Lv.2]`
`[New Ability Unlocked: [Multi-Grab] - Collect up to 3 items simultaneously]`
`[Efficiency +40%]`
Kael stared at the notification. Then he laughed.
A real laugh. Loud in the silent room.
"See?" he said to the empty workshop. "Even trash levels up."
With the new speed, the scraps flew.
The arm became a blur. Grabbing, sorting, stacking.
`[Scraps Collected: 145/200]`
`[Scraps Collected: 167/200]`
`[Scraps Collected: 189/200]`
His body hurt. Every muscle.
But his mind was clear now. Focused.
11 more.
`WHIRRR.`
10.
`WHIRRR.`
9.
`WHIRRR.`
8.
He could hear footsteps in the hall.
Probably a guard. Or another student who couldn’t sleep.
He didn’t care.
7. 6. 5.
The footsteps stopped outside his door.
Listened.
Then walked away.
4. 3. 2.
Kael was running on pure will now.
Blood was dripping from his nose again. He didn’t wipe it.
1.
`WHIRRR.`
The last piece. A bent sheet of metal.
It dropped on the pile with a final `CLANG.`
`[Scraps Collected: 200/200]`
`[Materials Complete for [Trash Golem - Grade C]]`
`[Warning: 4x Mana Core Shards Still Required for Full Activation]`
Done.
Kael collapsed to his knees.
His chest was heaving. His whole body was shaking.
But he was smiling.
He looked at the table.
200 pieces of metal. Neat. Organized. Ready.
Next to the Mana Shard and the Beast Fang.
It looked like a real workshop now. Not a garbage dump.
"Good," he whispered. "Good."
*0500: The Ice Queen*
`KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.`
Sharp. Precise. On time.
Kael forced himself up. His legs felt like jelly.
He opened the door.
Lira.
She was in full training gear. Spear strapped to her back. Hair tied tight.
Not a hair out of place.
Her eyes swept over him.
The soot on his face. The blood. The dark circles. The mechanical arm.
Then past him, into the workshop.
And she stopped.
The workshop was unrecognizable.
No more random trash.
Instead: sorted piles. Clean workbench. Tools hung on the wall.
And in the corner, a massive pile of processed metal. 200 pieces. Ready to be built.
Lira walked in without asking. She picked up a metal plate. Ran her finger along the edge. Clean cut. No burrs.
She picked up a coil of wire. Perfectly wound.
She turned to Kael.
For a long moment, she said nothing.
Then: "You did this. In 2 hours."
"3," Kael corrected. His voice was rough, dry. "With a broken arm."
Lira’s expression didn’t change. But something in her eyes did.
The coldness cracked. Just a little.
Respect.
"You’re insane," she said finally.
"Maybe," Kael shrugged. The motion made his shoulder scream. "But I’m ready."
Lira tossed him something. He caught it with his metal arm.
A protein bar.
"Eat," she said. "You look like you’re about to die."
Kael tore it open and bit in. It tasted like heaven.
"Training yard," Lira said, turning to leave. "Now. Before Ren shows up and ruins it."
As they walked out, Kael took one last look back.
At the materials.
At the sketch of the Golem on the table.
Tonight.
Tonight he would build it.
But first, he had to survive her.
The training yard doors opened. Cold air hit his face.
Lira was already in a stance. Spear leveled at him.
`[NEW STATUS EFFECT: [Exhausted] - All stats -20%]`
`[NEW STATUS EFFECT: [Determined] - Crafting Speed +30%]`
"Alright, Trash Artisan," Lira said. Her voice was still cold. But not as cold.
"Show me if those 200 pieces of trash taught you how to fight."
Kael cracked his neck. The mechanical arm whirred and sparked.
He stepped into the circle.
"Let’s find out."
To Be Continued...
Thanks for reading!
If you’re enjoying the story, please consider adding it to your Library and giving it a Power Stone. Your support helps the novel grow. Thank you!