Inside her demonic-themed mech, Clara charged at William.
The mech's arm stretched forward, its shape twisting as it transformed and grew larger.
By the time it reached William, the fist had swelled so big it could crush his whole body.
William tried to move, but his mind was slipping. Half of his consciousness had already faded, while the other half clung weakly to awareness.
Controlling his body was nearly impossible. Moving at all was a struggle. Yet, he still tried.
His body refused to respond, but his jetpack did. It flared to life, lifting him into the air and carrying him away at the last moment.
"Hahaha! That trick won't work anymore, boy!" Clara roared.
The jetpack was quick, but the new mech's speed was faster.
The giant fist easily closed the gap.
[BOOOOM!]
The strike smashed down, trapping William between the fist and the floor.
But…
The impact was far from normal. The blow tore through the padded flooring, shattered the concrete beneath, and sent tremors rolling through the entire building.
It was overkill.
"HAHAHA!"Clara laughed madly as the fist struck William.
But when the haze cleared, her excitement shifted to alarm. A sharp sense of dread stabbed through her chest.
Before she could even check the wreckage, a dark figure already stood among the rubble.
It was the last person she wanted to see.
The figure vanished instantly, leaving only a streak of yellow light that carved straight through her mech.
Her demonic machine froze mid-motion, then collapsed into countless pieces, fragments glowing faintly with trails of yellow mana.
Just as fast, the figure reappeared—this time carrying a group of healers.
Clara, thrown to the ground when her mech was destroyed, sat trembling.
Her whole body shook as she stared at the floor, too afraid to look up.
"He doesn't have a heartbeat!!" one of the healers shouted.
Clara's entire body jolted.
Heavy footsteps approached her. A pair of legs wrapped in loose black garments came into view.
She didn't dare to look up.
Then a calm, rigid voice spoke. "If he dies, I'll revoke your mechanic license and send you back home."
Clara's fists clenched at his words, but she stayed bowed, unable to resist his presence.
The man's eyes remained fixed on her, cold and steady.
Meanwhile, the healers scrambled over William. His condition was catastrophic: crushed bones, torn organs, massive blood loss, internal bleeding, and a heart that had already stopped.
By all standards, he was dead.
But there was still a small window before his soul drifted too far for even magic to reach.
One healer poured high-tier magic into his veins, forcing broken blood vessels to reconnect and repairing vital organs one by one.
Another healer worked to restore blood circulation, healing William's lungs while forcing oxygen back into his body—especially his brain.
The third healer focused entirely on his mana flow, stabilizing its chaotic state after life had left him.
Every second was a battle against time.
***
[Beep—beep—beep]
The sharp rhythm of a heart monitor rang in William's ears.
'Huh…??'
Consciousness returned. William's thoughts snapped back into place as he tried to open his eyes and sit up.
But the moment he moved, a violent migraine struck, slamming him back down on the bed.
"You shouldn't move right now," a voice cut in.
William startled at the sound, only then noticing another presence in the room.
A man with a scar running across his face stood in the corner.
His eyes are focused and sharp, while the black shinobi outfit he wears looks intimidating.
"Can you remember what happened?" the man asked.
"Uh… the last thing I remember is a giant fist smashing down on me."
"Do you know why you were there?"
"I… think I came to take a test for Unit Zero?" William hesitated. "Did I… pass?"
"You died."
"???"
"The fist killed you. We revived you."
"..."
"Unit Zero is infamous for its brutal training, pushing soldiers to the brink of death.
Although this test wasn't meant to go that far, now you know what it's like to be one of us.
So let me ask you: do you still wish to join, knowing full well you might die in training?"
The man's eyes locked on William.
William stared at the ceiling, silent.
The man waited, then finally rose, preparing to leave.
"I imagine you need time to think. I'll leave you—"
"Can I become strong if I join your unit?" William interrupted, his voice strained but determined.
"Strong enough to protect the people around me."
The man stopped, then answered with a flat, unvarnished truth.
"No. No matter how strong you become, you can't protect everyone."
"..."
"But we can make you strong enough to survive—and give you a fighting chance to protect those beside you. That's all."
"..."
"You don't need to answer now. Think carefully."
With that, he walked out.
William lay alone, thoughts spiraling. He remembered the mech's crushing fist. He remembered holding Tonto's lifeless body in the battlefield.
Fear of death rose inside him, but guilt over Tonto's death burned even stronger.
His fists clenched. His choice was already clear.
Shortly after the black clothed man left, the door opened again, and a short, red-haired girl stepped in.
William's eyes widened. Panic surged. He shot upright, ignoring the blinding migraine that stabbed his skull, and pressed himself against the wall.
Clara.
Her demonic image, burned into his mind, flared up again.
Seeing his reaction, Clara froze. Then, trembling, she dropped to her knees. Tears welled in her eyes as she kowtowed on the ground.
"I… I'm so sorry!" she cried, her voice breaking.
William had only just been revived, and with his mind still recovering, he reacted out of pure fear when he saw Clara.
His thoughts froze, leaving him unable to process anything—he could only act on instinct.
After a few minutes, William finally regained some rational thought.
Clara still sat on the floor, her eyes red and swollen.
They stared awkwardly at each other.
Finally, William spoke. "Um… so explain yourself?"
"You destroyed my mech. It reminded me of the bastards who always destroyed my mechs before. I got angry. I lost control."
Her bluntness left little space for conversation. But William still pressed on.
"Are you a dwarf by any chance?"
"Yes."
"I see… you're in Unit Zero, right?"
"Yes."
"What's the unit like?"
"Hell."
"How are you trained?"
"Running."
"And the rest?"
"Beaten to death."
"..." William's migraine flared up after having this conversation.
But he sighed and kept going.
"That mech you used on me—did you make it yourself?"
Clara's mood shifted instantly. Pride surged into her voice. She crossed her arms, smirking.
"Of course! And it's not just a 'mech.' It has a name. The one you fought was Dark Knight, one of my newest creations. It's an auto-piloted unit that can fight on its own.
The one I piloted was Demon King. My finest, strongest mech. It stands above all others I've built."
She launched into a rambling explanation, her nose tilting higher as she boasted about the details.
William muttered, "So you've got Demon King, Demon Queen, Dark Knight… what's next? The Four Heavenly Generals?"
Clara froze. Her eyes widened.
"You know the Four Heavenly Demons?!"
"Yes… it's a common fantasy troupe isn't it?"
Her eyes sparkled like stars.
Soon, the conversation spiraled out of control, shifting from mechs to her obsession with demons, her hatred for heroes, and her beliefs about how the stories should end.
William just sat there, wondering, How did it come to this?
***
The next day
William was discharged from the hospital.
With his mind made up, he returned to Sector E to officially join Unit Zero.
The same concrete building loomed before him, unchanged. The doorway still opened wide, and the inside was pitch black.
He walked around the building again and again, torn.
It was the only place he knew Unit Zero was, but he also knew it was where recruits were tested.
If he went in, he might face another trial—but if he didn't, he had nowhere else to go.
The black-robed veteran hadn't told him where to report, and he had forgotten to ask Clara.
Now he was completely lost.
Hours passed. The sun rose high, then began to sink again.
Finally, with no choice left, William stepped into the building.
He paused at the entrance, silently praying the same brutal test wouldn't start again.
One step. Nothing.
Two steps. Still nothing.
Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight.
[BOOM]
The door slammed shut, and the lights flickered on.
As they brightened, a half-naked, muscular man came into view in the middle of the hall, swinging a massive broadsword, his sweat-covered body glistening under the light.
He noticed William, and a wide smile spread across his face.
"Welcome! Are you here to join Unit Zero?"
The unexpected friendliness eased William's tension slightly.
"Good! What kind of weapon do you use?"
"Huh? Ah… well," William raised his hands nervously.
"I actually took the test 2 days ago, but I ended up hospitalized. I was looking for where to report to Unit Zero."
The man's grin widened.
"So you already took the test, yet you still came back?"
"Uh, yes."
"Great! Then after this spar, I'll take you straight to Unit Zero base."
"..." William froze, anxiety creeping in.
"Wait, that's not what I—"
"You must be eager to grow stronger, coming back after just one day of rest!" the man boomed with excitement.
He tossed William a sword.
"Come on, let's start right away. I'll be your opponent."
"NO, THAT'S NOT—!!" William shouted, but the man charged forward, laughing wildly, his three-meter broadsword raised high.
William tried to lift his weapon, but it was far too heavy.
The broad sword came crashing down.
The impact slammed William's arms against his chest and sent him rolling across the padded floor.
"Ah, sorry! My swords are usually too heavy for normal people to pick up."
The man grabbed another sword and threw it.
It flew like a spear and stabbed into the ground right next to William's face, its polished blade reflecting William's reflection.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to introduce myself. The name's Viktor."