The air deep inside the Scrap Tunnels was heavy. It didn’t smell like rotting garbage anymore. It smelled like burnt metal and ozone.
Donald walked slowly, holding the heavy Type-3 Pile Bunker on his right arm. Evelyn walked closely behind him, staying quiet. There were no low-level bugs or rats down here. The presence of a D-Rank monster had scared all the weak creatures away.
It was incredibly dark. The only light came from the glowing green moss on the wet walls.
"We should be close," Evelyn whispered. "The map says the broken mana pipe is at the bottom of Sector 4."
Donald nodded. He didn’t need a map. He closed his eyes for a second and focused.
He didn’t just have his [Valuation Eye]. He still had his very first innate trait, the one everyone thought was useless: [Lesser Mana Perception].
Before he got his System, the skill only gave him headaches when Guild elites walked by. But now, with his Mana stat at 17, the skill was much sharper. When he closed his eyes, the dark tunnel wasn’t empty. He could "feel" the air.
To his left, the mana felt thin and cold. But straight ahead, the air felt thick and buzzing, like standing next to a giant humming generator. It was a massive pool of raw magic.
"Straight ahead," Donald said softly. "I can feel the vent. It’s pulling in the air."
Evelyn looked at him, impressed. "Your mana perception is that sharp? Good. Tell me if you feel it move."
They crept to the edge of a massive, round sewer chamber. Donald peeked around the rusty metal doorway.
In the center of the room, a thick iron pipe was broken open. Bright, pure blue light was leaking out of the crack like glowing smoke. It was the mana vent.
Sitting directly on top of the broken pipe was the Junk Golem.
It was huge, easily eight feet tall. It didn’t look like a living thing. It was a messy pile of rusted car doors, broken iron pipes, and thick chains, all magically held together by a glowing blue core in the center of its chest. Its arms were made of heavy steel girders.
Donald used his [Valuation Eye].
[Target: Junk Golem (D-Rank Construct)]
[Defense Value: Extremely High. Immune to blunt damage.]
[Weakness: The exposed mana core hidden behind the chest plates.]
[Combat Plan: Pierce the central chassis.]
"Listen to me," Evelyn whispered in his ear. "It is slow, but if it hits you, you will die. One swing from those steel arms will turn your bones to dust. Do not let it trap you against a wall. Keep moving."
Donald took a deep breath. His heart beat fast, but his hands were steady. "Stay here."
He stepped out of the shadows into the blue light of the room.
The Golem didn’t have eyes, but it sensed him instantly. The glowing blue light in its chest flashed red. The giant metal monster slowly stood up. The sound of grinding gears and scraping iron echoed loudly in the room.
It lifted a massive arm made of a rusted truck axle and stomped toward Donald. The ground shook with every step.
Donald spread his feet. Left foot forward. He kept his heavy right arm pulled back, ready to strike.
The Golem swung its giant arm in a wide, horizontal circle, aiming right for Donald’s ribs.
Donald didn’t try to block it. He ducked completely under the swinging steel girder. The wind from the heavy metal blew his hair back.
As the arm passed over his head, Donald stepped in fast. He aimed the Pile Bunker at the Golem’s thick metal chest and pulled the trigger.
BOOM!
The explosive spike shot out. It hit the Golem’s chest with a deafening crash. But Donald was slightly off-balance. The spike hit a thick piece of curved armor plate. It dug in deep, but it didn’t pierce all the way through to the core.
The kickback from the weapon pushed Donald backward. The spike clicked back into the tube.
The Golem roared—a sound like metal tearing. It didn’t feel pain. It just turned its heavy body and raised both of its arms over its head, preparing to smash Donald flat like a bug.
Suddenly, Donald’s [Lesser Mana Perception] screamed in his mind.
The air around the Golem was changing. The red light in its chest was sucking in the ambient blue mana from the room. It wasn’t just going to hit him; it was charging a magic blast.
"Donald! Move!" Evelyn yelled from the doorway.
Donald didn’t run backward. He remembered his training. Control the space.
He dove forward, rolling on the wet stone floor, right between the Golem’s giant legs.
KA-THOOM!
The Golem slammed both arms onto the floor where Donald had just been standing. A shockwave of pure red mana exploded outward, cracking the solid stone and sending rocks flying in all directions.
Donald jumped back to his feet behind the monster. His left arm glowed as he activated [Aura of the Vanguard].
A flying chunk of sharp rock from the explosion hit his angled left arm. The magic shield sparked, sliding the rock away perfectly. The shield held.
The Golem slowly started to turn around. Its heavy gears groaned.
This is it, Donald thought. It’s too slow.
He stepped right up to the Golem’s broad metal back. He looked at the thick iron plates holding its body together. Through the cracks, he could see the bright red, pulsing core.
He didn’t just use his arms this time. He planted his boots hard against the floor. He twisted his hips, letting his Level 2 Investor strength flow up his legs, into his waist, and into his right arm.
He jammed the flat barrel of the Pile Bunker directly against the crack between the Golem’s armor plates.
He pulled the trigger.
BOOM!
The silver spike exploded forward with maximum force. It shattered the rusted iron plates, punched deep into the monster’s chest, and smashed perfectly into the glowing red mana core.
The Golem froze.
The red light flickered violently, turning bright white. Then, the magic holding the construct together simply died.
Thousands of pounds of rusted metal, car doors, and steel pipes instantly collapsed into a massive heap of junk on the floor. Dust filled the air.
Donald stood over the pile, breathing hard. The heavy Pile Bunker hissed, releasing a cloud of hot steam.
[Target Defeated. Significant Experience Gained.]
Evelyn ran out from the doorway. She stared at the giant pile of metal, then at Donald. She couldn’t hide her wide smile. "Perfect footwork. Perfect strike. You actually did it, kid."
Donald smiled back, wiping sweat from his eyes.
He knelt down and began digging through the heavy scrap metal. At the center of the pile, where the core used to be, he found what they came for.
It wasn’t a cheap green bug core. It was a massive, perfectly clear cluster of pure blue Mana Crystals. It was the size of a grapefruit, radiating warm, heavy magic.
Donald held it up. The System flashed in front of his eyes.
[Item Acquired: Pure Mana Crystal Cluster (Yield: 550 Crystals)]
[Required Investment for Target ’Evelyn Vance’ has been met.]
[New Action Available: Initiate Core Repair.]
Donald looked at Evelyn, his heart pounding with excitement. "I have enough. I think... We can fix you now."