The guild's "stadium" was not a stadium.
Not technically.
There were no towering seats. No grand architecture. No giant projection screens displaying rankings and statistics like the professional leagues over in Solspire.
It was a courtyard.
A very large courtyard.
But calling it a courtyard felt insulting considering how much blood, money, and pride had been spilled there over the years.
So everyone called it the Stadium.
Or the Arena.
Or "the pit" whenever they lost badly enough.
Tonight, the Stadium was crowded.
Hunters leaned over railings lining the upper walkways. Secretaries had abandoned paperwork under the excuse of "field observation." Even logistics workers lingered near the entrances pretending they were moving crates while very obviously watching the center field.
Because standing in the middle of the courtyard—
Was a giant.
The Iron Golem stood motionless beneath the floodlights, vines trailing lazily along its pale metal frame. At nearly ten feet tall, it dwarfed most beasts in the guild, and unlike many large creatures, it didn't twitch nervously or snarl aggressively.
It simply stood there.
Like an ancient statue deciding whether violence was worth the effort.
Jewel stood near its feet, one hand resting against its leg while James grinned proudly beside her.
"Still can't believe that guy sold it for two hundred thousand," James whispered.
"He undersold it by at least triple," Jewel whispered back immediately.
"No kidding."
Around them, murmurs spread through the guild members.
"Inanimate-type?"
"No… way…"
"That thing's a 2☆?"
"Bullshit."
"It's HUGE."
"Could probably punch through a transport truck."
One particularly old Hunter narrowed his eyes.
"…That thing feels heavier than a 2☆."
At the edge of the arena stood their opponent.
A senior guild member named Darrow.
Tall, broad-shouldered, permanently annoyed-looking.
And currently deeply offended.
"You're telling me," Darrow growled, arms crossed, "that oversized scrap heap is supposed to beat Fang?"
Beside him, a massive Cobra Beast slowly rose from its coiled position.
Four stars.
DPS-oriented.
Fast enough to blur if fully unleashed.
Its scales shimmered dark bronze beneath the lights while black venom dripped steadily from elongated fangs. Unlike tank-type beasts that focused on endurance and direct clashes, Fang specialized in penetration strikes.
One clean hit.
That was all it usually needed.
Jewel swallowed nervously.
James leaned toward her.
"You got this."
"I literally got this thing three hours ago."
"Exactly. Beginner's luck."
"That's not how Beast commanding works."
The secretary from earlier sighed from nearby.
"Can we begin before one of you passes out from anxiety?"
---
The match started quietly.
No giant announcement.
No countdown.
Just Darrow snapping his fingers once.
"Fang."
The Cobra vanished.
Gasps erupted instantly as the snake crossed nearly half the courtyard in a blur, body gliding across stone with terrifying precision.
Jewel reacted late.
"Block!"
The Iron Golem moved.
Not fast.
Never fast.
But solid.
Its massive arms raised just as the Cobra struck.
CLANG.
The sound echoed through the courtyard like a steel beam being hit with a hammer.
The Cobra recoiled slightly.
The Iron Golem didn't move an inch.
"…What," Darrow muttered.
Fang attacked again immediately.
And again.
And again.
The Cobra became a streak of bronze and black around the Golem, striking from impossible angles—jaw, joints, neck, legs.
Each hit produced sparks.
Metal screeched.
But no puncture came.
The Iron Golem simply endured.
Jewel slowly realized something important.
It really was absurdly durable.
The crowd realized it too.
"No way…"
"That Cobra cracked a Stone Rhino once."
"It's not even denting!"
The Iron Golem finally swung.
Slow.
Heavy.
The Cobra dodged effortlessly.
The fist smashed into the courtyard floor instead.
BOOM.
Stone exploded outward.
Everyone nearby flinched.
"…Okay," James whispered. "That definitely hits harder than a 2☆."
Darrow clicked his tongue.
"Constrict."
Fang changed tactics instantly.
The Cobra lunged upward, wrapping around the Iron Golem's torso with shocking speed. Layer after layer of scaled muscle tightened around the construct's body.
The metal groaned.
The crowd leaned forward.
Constriction attacks weren't about poison or penetration.
They were about force.
Relentless crushing pressure.
The Cobra tightened harder.
And harder.
The Iron Golem's movements slowed visibly as its arms became pinned against its body.
Jewel panicked briefly.
Then remembered something.
The Iron Golem wasn't alive like normal beasts.
It didn't breathe.
Didn't panic.
Didn't tire.
"Body slam!" she shouted suddenly.
The Iron Golem obeyed instantly.
It simply threw its own weight sideways.
The entire courtyard shook.
BOOOOM.
The Iron Golem slammed into the ground hard enough that cracks spread across the stone floor.
The Cobra loosened instinctively.
"Again!"
Another slam.
Fang hissed violently now, grip slipping further.
Darrow's eyes widened.
The Iron Golem grabbed the opportunity immediately.
One enormous hand seized the Cobra near its neck.
The crowd gasped.
"Impossible—"
The other hand grabbed lower down the body.
Then—
The Iron Golem lifted the entire massive snake overhead.
For one horrifying second, Fang dangled helplessly in the air.
Then the Golem smashed it downward.
CRASH.
The stone courtyard cratered.
Dust exploded upward.
Several spectators stumbled backward.
When the dust settled—
The Cobra was still alive.
Barely.
Dazed, body twitching weakly as it slowly unwound itself from the crater.
The Iron Golem released it immediately instead of following up.
Fang slithered backward shakily toward Darrow, defeated.
Silence filled the Stadium.
Then chaos erupted.
"What THE HELL?!"
"That thing just folded a 4☆!"
"It's a tank-type MONSTER!"
"No—it's literally a monster!"
James jumped into the air cheering.
Jewel looked stunned.
The Iron Golem calmly reached into the vines growing along its shoulder.
And pulled out a rose.
It offered the flower toward Jewel.
The entire guild went dead silent again.
"…It's polite," someone whispered fearfully.
Jewel accepted the rose immediately.
The Iron Golem seemed pleased.
Darrow rubbed his face slowly.
"…I hate that thing."
"You lost to it," James said helpfully.
"Thank you, James. I noticed."
From the upper balcony overlooking the courtyard, a figure finally moved.
Guild Leader Soul Ray stepped forward.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Conversations quieted.
Hunters straightened subconsciously.
Soul Ray was… difficult to describe.
Green hair fell unevenly around his face, contrasting sharply against the dark gas mask permanently strapped over his mouth and nose. Purple eyes glowed faintly beneath the courtyard lights, sharp and unreadable.
Even his clothing looked strange—long dark coat, reinforced gloves, boots too heavy for casual wear.
And despite the mask, somehow his voice always carried clearly.
"Interesting," Soul Ray said.
His gaze locked onto the Iron Golem completely.
Not Jewel.
Not James.
The Golem.
He descended the stairs slowly, boots echoing across the courtyard.
The Iron Golem watched him calmly.
For a brief second—
The two simply stared at one another.
Then Soul Ray spoke.
"Where," he asked evenly, "did you procure such a specimen?"
James immediately grinned.
"Cubic Creatures!"
Jewel nodded quickly.
"A self-funded Beast shop near the eastern district."
Soul Ray's purple eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Cubic Creatures."
The name clearly meant nothing to him.
Yet.
James continued enthusiastically.
"The owner's weirdly nice. Young guy. Black hair. Has this floating squid thing."
"Ghastling," Jewel corrected automatically.
"Right, Ghastling."
Soul Ray tilted his head slightly.
"A self-funded store produced an inanimate-type capable of overpowering a four-star damage beast."
Nobody responded.
Because when he said it aloud—
It sounded ridiculous.
Soul Ray looked back toward the Iron Golem.
The Golem stared back.
Then slowly offered him a rose too.
The entire guild froze.
James whispered frantically.
"TAKE THE ROSE."
Soul Ray stared at the flower for several long seconds.
Then carefully accepted it.
The Iron Golem nodded once.
Only then did everyone breathe again.
Not for Soul Ray's sake, but rather the Golem's sake...
Of course no one knew at the time, the golem would only get upset if hewas refused a flower...