Findings

The first golem barreled toward him with its oversized hammer dragging behind it.

The moment it got within striking distance, it swung upward in a surprisingly powerful arc.

Steven sidestepped.

The hammer slammed into the floor with enough force to crack the stone beneath it.

"Way too slow."

He raised the Mana Pistol.

PEW!

The mana bolt punched into the construct's chest, sending it stumbling backward.

Rather than waiting for another shot, Steven rushed forward.

The little machine struggled to pull its hammer free from the floor.

Too late.

Steven drove a kick directly into its head.

CRUNCH!

The bronze lens shattered.

The golem toppled over, twitching violently before falling still.

+18 EXP

Before he could celebrate, another metallic whistle echoed from farther down the hallway.

A second construct rounded the corner.

This one wielded a giant wrench.

It didn't charge.

Instead it swung the wrench in wide circles, trying to keep Steven at a distance.

"Oh, smarter."

Steven ducked beneath the first swing.

The wrench whooshed over his head.

He answered with a mana shot.

PEW!

The bolt struck one of the golem's knees.

Its leg exploded apart in a shower of bolts and gears.

The construct collapsed onto one knee but immediately tried to crawl toward him.

Persistent.

Steven planted his foot squarely against its chest and shoved.

The little machine rolled onto its back.

One final shot through its glowing eye finished it.

+18 EXP

No sooner had it fallen than a loud buzzing noise filled the corridor.

A third golem emerged from a side passage.

Instead of tools...

A spinning circular saw protruded from one arm.

Sparks showered across the floor as the blade screamed to life.

"...Okay."

"That's a little more dangerous."

The construct lunged.

Steven barely leaned backward in time.

The spinning blade passed inches from his chest.

It clipped the front of his shirt instead.

Several white threads floated gently to the floor.

"My new shirt!"

Steven frowned.

"...Rude."

The golem attacked again.

This time Steven waited.

Just before the blade reached him, he sidestepped.

The spinning saw buried itself deep into the iron wall beside them.

The machine immediately began pulling...

But couldn't free itself.

"...Thanks."

Steven calmly walked behind it.

Placed the Mana Pistol against the back of its head.

PEW!

The mana bolt blew straight through the construct.

Steam erupted from every seam.

It collapsed in a smoking heap.

+19 EXP

A fourth patrol apparently heard the commotion.

This one carried what looked like an enormous rivet gun.

With a loud metallic THUNK, it fired a fist-sized steel rivet.

Steven instinctively dove sideways.

The projectile embedded itself several inches deep into the opposite wall.

"...Nope."

He rolled to one knee.

Fired twice in rapid succession.

PEW!

PEW!

The first shot blasted apart the rivet gun.

The second shattered the construct's head.

It took two shaky steps before collapsing face-first onto the floor.

+20 EXP

The hallway finally fell silent.

Steven took a slow breath.

He'd absorbed a few glancing blows during the fights—a scrape from the wrench, a bump from the hammer—but nothing serious.

Certainly nothing worth wasting mana healing.

He holstered his pistol.

"...Getting stronger."

Continuing deeper into the complex, the industrial corridors gradually gave way to something quieter.

The pipes disappeared.

The constant clanking of machinery faded into the distance.

Eventually he arrived at a small rectangular room.

Unlike the rest of the workshop, this one looked almost... civilized.

Bookshelves lined three of the walls.

A sturdy wooden desk sat in the center beneath an old brass lamp.

Stacks of journals, rolled parchment, and thick leather-bound tomes covered nearly every available surface.

Steven's eyes lit up.

"Oh, now this is interesting."

He grabbed the nearest book.

Opened it.

"..."

"...Yeah."

The pages were filled with elegant flowing characters unlike any language he'd ever seen.

Some symbols resembled gears.

Others looked almost like musical notes intertwined with mathematical equations.

He flipped through another.

Same thing.

A third.

No luck.

"Figures."

He sighed.

"Would've been too easy."

He carefully returned the books to where he'd found them.

If he couldn't read them, there was little point hauling around a library.

As he continued looking around the room, something caught his eye.

Resting alone on a side table...

Was a screwdriver.

At least...

It looked like one.

The shaft was forged from a dark silver metal unlike anything he'd seen before.

Its handle appeared to be wrapped in black leather that somehow showed no signs of age.

Tiny glowing runes spiraled along the length of the tool, occasionally pulsing with a faint blue light.

More importantly...

It looked completely out of place.

Everything else in the room was books.

Paper.

Writing tools.

Then...

This.

Steven slowly walked over.

"...Well hello there."

He picked it up, turning it over in his hands.

"What are you?"

There was no Identify skill this time.

No convenient blue window.

No system explanation.

Just a very strange, beautifully crafted screwdriver humming faintly with power.

Steven smiled.

"Guess you're coming with me."

With a thought, the mysterious tool disappeared into his Player Inventory.