Virtual Martial Arena

Inside the laboratory, the half-elf ranger, overcome with shame and rage, drew her bow and fired a full-powered arrow that pierced through two Goblins in the midst of their carnal act; the unfortunate creatures, in their confusion, immediately saw their souls return to the River Styx.

Watching the two little things depart for the Styx heart-to-heart, Ryan felt a second of sympathy before returning to clean up the mess on the floor, the thrifty mage sorting and reclaiming the spellcasting materials used to etch the magic circles one by one.

As the dust settled, the young mage began to ache for his wealth again, meticulously calculating as he retrieved the gold amulets, amethysts, and other items back into his Traveler Space.

After finishing all this, the two stepped together through the door hidden behind the steel wall.

Having walked less than 500 feet through the cold, metallic, and chilling steel corridor, the two saw the exit; stepping out of the cramped passageway, their field of vision suddenly widened.

A vast, empty underground space appeared before them, and the mutation brought about by the dragon blood in Ryan's body allowed him to see the magnificent and bizarre architectural marvel before him in the pitch-black environment.

The walkways extending from the rock walls spanned from left to right, crisscrossing in the air like steel corridors wide enough for two people to pass; the water vapor rising from below condensed into mist in mid-air, and the faint light reflected by the bioluminescent organisms on the ceiling gave the mist the colors of clouds and sunset—a beautiful scene of clouds steaming and mist glowing.

Long bridges lie like waves, yet where are the dragons without clouds? Double-decked paths traverse the sky, yet where are the rainbows without the clearing rain?

Looking at the scene before him, the culturally mediocre Ryan suddenly had this line of ancient prose surface in his mind.

But the steel-textured metal mesh paths were completely out of place with this fairyland-like beauty, leaving Ryan feeling quite regretful.

What concerned Ryan even more, however, were the orderly, methodical special inhabitants and the dense, uneven forest of steel located within this underground space.

In the dim, dark ruins, faint, fragmented sounds came from beneath the feet of Ryan and Jelona, who were currently walking on the complex, crisscrossing steel mesh paths suspended in mid-air; their excellent night vision gave them a clear view of the bizarre scene below.

Within the rows of steel buildings, there were no magical light sources like those used for illumination in the laboratory; in the darkness, only dim indicator lights flickered at intervals, which Ryan guessed was because the inhabitants here did not need light for visual convenience.

"wankq, 45835656, 6565658, zzz, zzz..."

In this metallic jungle community, numbers and brief letters replaced writing and text, and lights flickering at different frequencies replaced speech; the mechanical construct creatures with bodies of steel had built their own social system.

Between the uneven yet orderly steel buildings, tall golems serving as guards, small puppets in cleaning workshops, and agile mechanical creations performing manufacturing processes communicated and collaborated concisely and efficiently, reopening the long-sealed ancient workshops.

The restart of the ruins had clearly awakened this ancient factory that had been sleeping until now; those sharp, pointed weapons, filled with the aura of slaughter and the scent of death, were manufactured in batches, and the steel creations worked tirelessly according to their master's will, preparing for war.

Steel needs no sympathy, and machines do not crave recognition; their only mission is to be consumed and used as tools.

There was not a hint of human warmth in the silent air, only the sound of indicator lights and strange, faint electrical hums echoing in the vast, empty space; the entire process was filled with the cold, efficient, and resolute nature unique to mechanical thinking.

Ryan and Jelona were currently overlooking all this from the walkway above the massive factory that was gradually coming to life from its deathly silence, the half-elf ranger shocked to see the construct creatures—a rare sight in Faerûn—working in orderly groups, complex and intricate yet strictly disciplined.

"Hoo~" The mage let out a soft breath, as if to exhale all the shock and longing in his heart.

At this moment, Ryan suddenly understood what true golem mastery and the power of steel really meant.

He truly was the one who had managed to build a Gundam from scratch with his bare hands in another world; looking at the production lines gradually reviving below as the ruins activated, Ryan expressed that he was extremely envious.

Of course, the main reason was definitely not because Ryan saw bionic female humanoid machines among the pile of angular robots; those humanoid robots with beautiful appearances, alluring figures, and various hair colors were dressed in exquisite and gorgeous clothing, their exposed skin indistinguishable from real people, standing out like ink dots on white paper amidst the pile of strange steel creations.

Ryan felt that as a diligent and studious student, he absolutely could not let the hard work and knowledge of this predecessor be buried deep beneath the heavy mountains, ignored by all.

The mage made up his mind to learn the craft of making golems and bionic robots in the ruins; it wasn't for those scantily clad young ladies—the pure-hearted youth claimed that he actually just wanted to accumulate more skills, follow the path of the great predecessor, and incidentally build a 2B-style lady to fulfill a dream.

"Ryan, are these all golems?"

Looking at the majestic factory that resembled a steel city below, Jelona's tone was filled with disbelief and confusion.

After all, on the continent of Faerûn, golems were strategic resources that usually only wealthy and powerful mages had the qualifications and financial resources to possess.

Ordinary clay golems and stone golems could already serve as the sturdiest shields in a team, being reliable existences for both manual labor and combat.

And higher-level ones, such as enchanted iron golems, were not only impervious to blades and spears but also possessed the immense strength of a bull, capable of deciding the outcome of a small-scale battle.

The terrifying number of golems and the massive steel city before her deeply shocked the half-elf ranger; having never experienced assembly-line construction or the age of steel, Jelona was clearly unable to be as calm as the mage.

Having recovered from his initial surprise, the mage's wandering mind was already considering how to design his own unique golem; hesitating between a maid outfit or a JK uniform, Ryan heard Jelona's question and answered softly:

"Yes, these are the creations of an ancient magical empire, a massive golem production factory; this master is terrifyingly powerful."

When he said the last sentence, Ryan's tone was so faint that only he could hear it, the youth, deeply feeling his own weakness, making no effort to hide his admiration, envy, and longing.

After lingering his envious gaze on the miracle of steel, Ryan still reluctantly pulled the half-elf ranger, who was stunned by the power of steel, across the aerial walkway and arrived before a sealed silver-white door.

Following Alexander's method, Ryan did the same, aiming his palm at the magic crystal on the door and inputting his magic power; the exquisite patterns on the door lit up one by one, just as expected.

"Beep, visitor detected, conducting qualification review..., temporary authority under inheritance mode detected, identity verification passed.

Respected Inheritor, welcome to the Virtual Martial Arena, wishing you a pleasant assessment."

The familiar cold, mechanical voice made Ryan's mood shift from sunny to cloudy; having been tricked by the Tower Spirit before, Ryan harbored doubts about the second round of assessment—passing it easily was absolutely impossible.

Only one of a kind understands another; the old schemer Ryan simply could not accept what kind of insane, hellish designs would appear next.

As the green indicator light lit up, the silver-white door slowly pulled open to both sides, but unexpectedly, what appeared before the two was not the scene Ryan had anticipated.

Hearing "Virtual Martial Arena," Ryan's first reaction was a neural-link nutrient pod, but he hadn't expected this virtual testing ground to be so unconventional.

"Please read the Virtual Martial Arena management instructions and user manual thoroughly before entering; please bear the consequences for any errors caused by improper operation. The final right of interpretation belongs to the Tower of Babel Tower Spirit system."