Karl Claister

"G-good day, judges. I'm Karl Claister, and my creation is a Golem called 'Explorer'..."

The pale young man spoke with a stammer. His flaxen hair was casually tied back, and he wore an out-of-season dark green suede jacket.

He glanced at Wade, revealing a nervous smile tinged with familiarity and admiration. Then he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and began introducing his creation in a slightly strained voice.

Materials, spells, functions, design principles...

But perhaps because his voice sounded like he was chanting scripture, most of the audience paid no attention to what he was saying. Their eyes were entirely drawn to the Golem's appearance.

Its overall outline could barely be recognized as humanoid, but every part seemed cobbled together from scraps pulled out of a junk heap—

Its torso resembled an oversized cauldron, while its limbs were comparatively thin. Its head was a sphere, with a blank expression sketched onto it in simple lines.

It followed Karl Claister forward, its legs constantly trembling as though they could barely bear its weight.

Its gait was especially unusual. One leg would jab violently forward, sending its body dangerously pitching ahead. Just when it looked ready to fall, the other leg would hurriedly creak after it, stabilize it, then suddenly swing violently backward.

The audience's hearts felt as though they were bouncing on trampolines, abruptly leaping into their throats before dropping again. They eagerly anticipated the clumsy thing collapsing into a pile of pieces, but the Golem ultimately made its way, trembling, to the judges.

Karl Claister tried not to look at the faces full of smiles. He kept his eyes fixed only on Wade before him, and his speech became slightly smoother.

"Everyone... everyone can probably see that the Explorer Golem cannot carry people. Its core value lies