<623 – Oknodie's Guard Unit (4)>
I was on my way to get materials from Jezel to add safety circuits to the golem, preventing it from recklessly attacking wild animals, seniors, or friends.
Suddenly, an unusual large obstacle appeared right in front of me on the road.
It was a third-year classmate from the Production Department sitting atop a colossal golem.
“Oknodie. I hear you make golems well?”
“Sorry, but I’m busy right now! I can’t join the club! Let’s hang out later!”
“Hang out? I didn’t come to play with you!”
As the classmate suddenly pulled out their hand like lightning, a piece of paper got caught between the guard golem’s fingers.
A shiny golden ticket!
It was not the kind of ticket that showered gold, but rather an invitation to the Dark Golem Fighting League.
“Have you heard? There’s an underground fighting arena in our department where students battle to decide the strongest golem owner using automatic golems manufactured for ages.”
Just like the robot fighting competition held in the science club’s underground arena at real school, the seniors from the Production Department also had an illegal competition secretly held without the professors knowing.
This was the Dark Golem Fighting League!
At least at night when students were asleep, it was better for them to take their fights underground rather than causing a racket, destroying facilities while battling each other on golems throughout the Academy grounds.
Would the professors even know that they’re doing this instead of turning the Academy into a mess at night?
“I know about it!”
“Hmm. Looks like you’ve found the Room of Double-sided Strips. The only way to find out about the existence of the underground arena and Golem Fighting League is through the advice we left in the Room of Double-sided Strips!”
In fact, the first time I learned about the underground arena existed was from the Room of Double-sided Strips.
As a veteran now, diving into newbie territory felt too unfair, but being offered a ticket felt like a perfectly grilled seasoned chicken desperately begging me to take a bite, making it hard to resist.
“Ugh… Still, I don’t want to! How heartbreaking would it be to watch my golem ruthlessly tear apart the shabby toys your third-year classmates made with care! I’ll kindly overlook the brash actions of my mediocre classmate, so please don’t come looking for me anymore!”
“What?! Are you provoking me to my face? You were planning to formally declare war when the invitation came, weren’t you?! You audacious punk, I’ll clearly show you the difference between a righteous first-year student and a despicable second-year repeater! Show up at the underground arena tomorrow morning, or I’ll call you ‘Coward Oknodie’!”
“Coward?! Have you lost your mind?! How could you give me such a horrific negative title?!”
I had intended to just walk away acting like I hadn’t heard it.
But ‘coward’ was crossing the line.
Coward: You are a coward who fled from the match. Running away from an unwinnable battle is a wise choice, but once a herbivore decides to flee in Gift Academy, a label follows like a stigma. From now on, you are an officially recognized herbivore of the Academy.
[Effect – Increases the probability of negative events occurring by 200%]
[Equipped Effect – Increases escape speed by 200%]
Just breathing invites trouble from jerks looking to pick fights, seniors who extort money, and professors hunting for slaves!
“A real man doesn’t forgive a coward’s title!!”
“Haha, for someone as short as you, you sure have a manly spirit. I look forward to the day of the battle!!”
Thus, I inadvertently signed up for the underground arena’s Golem Fighting League.
—
“Izabel. What time is Oknodie supposed to come?”
“7 o’clock.”
“Seems late… Something must’ve happened.”
“Right?”
With the news of Oknodie visiting after a long time, Jezel stacked up materials while Izabel prepared a meal.
The two sat in the office, silently staring at the cold dishes and the crimson sunset.
Suddenly receiving a challenge, Oknodie must have completely forgotten the promise to get rare materials from Jezel for the safety circuit of the golem.
“Should I pack the food?”
“What if Oknodie comes late?”
“I’ll just make new ones warm.”
“Then I’ll gratefully take them.”
Jezel touched the cold food with a wry smile and packed it into a container.
—
“Aren’t you crossing the line a bit too much, Professor Weird?”
Seeing the plant minion stretching vines through the ground, scanning the interior, I couldn’t help but feel discontent.
It was as if the Academy belonged to him, as he spent more time wandering around in the guise of Professor Pinkberry than in his original form.
Finally evading the professor, the underground fighting arena was already filled with third-year classmates eager to test their golems.
“My golem shoots out saw blades from both arms to cut through the cowardly tracking golems!”
“Oh please, my tracking golem will ignore the damage with its absorption technique and stick to you like glue!”
“There’s no need for a rubbish talker like you! Get up on the ring!”
“Hmph. If I win this match, I’ll melt down that lame golem’s body and use it for my golem’s upgrades!”
While I was watching the classmates fight, the one who had handed out tickets approached me with a confident expression.
“How’s that? My golems are amazing, right?”
“They put some effort in!”
“Hmph. That smug attitude won’t last long.”
As the saw-blade golem owner released commands through their mana board, blades shot up into the air, flying toward the tracking golem.
“Ugh, it’s a hit!”
The tracking golem owner, also working quickly to maneuver joystick-like controls on his mana board, executed an evasive maneuver just in time to dodge the flying blades.
“Ahhh, my rolling-spin golem’s weapon!”
“I’ll show you how insignificant a golem becomes when it loses its identity after losing its saw blades!”
The tracking golem zoomed past the adhesive bomb, but the startled owner of the saw-blade golem wore a sneaky grin he couldn’t hide.
“Ha, a trap?!”
“Too late.”
The saw-blade returned to pierce the tracking golem’s body.
“Ahh, 11% damage to the golem!”
“Haha. My saw-blade has the ‘Boomerang’ technique engraved on it. You can’t evade a surprise attack from the returning blade.”
“I won’t get careless twice!”
“No, you won’t get a second chance.”
“What?!”
“Weren’t you forgetting something while blocking the saw blade?”
“Oh no! My bomb!”
Due to blocking the saw blade into his shoulder, the tracking golem’s shoulder exploded with power enough to exceed absorption, taking it clean off.
“Ugh. I’m defeated…”
“Haha. I’ll transplant your absorption skills into my golem.”
After the match ended, the classmate who invited me strutted around like he’d won.
“See? It’s the skill to deliver power beyond the limit for a moment. A battle of wits with parts equipped on the golem!”
“Your development is lacking. They’re half-baked products that can’t even run automatically! Plus, they’re sluggish and nothing but weapon prop items. They’re pathetic excuse for golems!”
The blatant insult infuriated the classmate, making him snort angrily.
“Everyone, listen! Anyone who defeats Oknodie’s custom golem will receive 100L of lubricant needed for golem maintenance, a level 4 auto-shield part, a golem-shaped shield with a level 5 barrier embedded, and 3 high-grade mana stones!”
“Wow, big event!”
“Sweet prizes!”
“So, who are we supposed to fight?”
“Didn’t you just say Oknodie?”
Oknodie.
As my name came up again, the golem owners, who had been engrossed in the prizes, screamed.
“Ahhh! It’s the Kraken Summoner Oknodie!!”
“No way! The summoner of Fearsome Velvet appearing in the underground fighting arena!! I don’t want to pay the fine!!!”
“That guy’s paper company is still stuck in Professor Pinkberry’s lab after being dragged away for days without returning to the dorm!!”
“This is torturous!!!”
“Eekkk!!!”
Classmates were backing away in panic, pulling their hair in distress, and desperately trying to exit as they banged on the exit with their golem!
Standing there blankly, waiting for this to end, a heavy gait and waves of mana filled the inside of the fighting arena.
“Stop!”
With a whoosh sound, the special waiting room within the fighting arena was opened up.
A smaller yet extravagantly cloaked golem appeared with elegantly curved parts that made it look powerful.
On the golem’s shoulder, a student was perched with their arms crossed.
“It’s been a while since the sports festival. I’ve long awaited a day like this to come, Oknodie. The heavens have conspired to bless me with a day of revenge.”
“Who are you?”
“Do you not know me? The one who suffered a humiliating defeat against you in the paper airplane tossing matches during the sports festival? It’s me, Miini!”
Despite straining to remember, the only faces I recalled from the paper airplane tossing matches were of horror, disappointment, and despair.
“Aah~ is that the… umm, which paper airplane was it…? The multi-copter Hellfire military combat paper airplane you folded?”
“I’ve never heard of such a plane! The Rolls Royce No. 1 I folded utilized ten techniques for aerial refueling and external storage!”
What even is that?
Is it like a third-rate bronze supporter duoing with a pro ADC?
