Chapter 776: If This Is a Prototype, What Will the Final Version Be?

Chapter 776: If This Is a Prototype, What Will the Final Version Be?

When Leo climbed to the Gnome’s workshop on the plateau, they were still working to perfect the prototype, determined to show him their best work.

"Check if the retractable blades are properly oiled! And that energy gun! Make sure you’ve used the ice from the noble beast, Whisk for cooling!"

Leo heard Orvik, the leader of the mechanist-talented Gnomes, bark orders one after another as he busied himself with various tasks.

Knock! Knock!

Leo knocked lightly on the door.

"Who is it? Please don’t disturb us for a little more time! We need to prepare thoroughly before Lord Leo comes to inspect!"

Leo was amused by the Gnomes’ enthusiasm. They hadn’t even realised that Leo himself had arrived.

"Well, if you aren’t prepared yet, I can come back later."

As if someone had poured cold water over their enthusiastic, overheated heads, the Gnomes suddenly went still.

Tham!

Orvik rushed over and flung the door open.

"Lord Leo! Please forgive me!" He immediately bowed low.

"Alright, there’s no need to do all that. Stand up."

Orvik straightened up, looking a little flustered. Behind him, the other Gnomes quickly lined up in formation as if they had been trained to do so.

Well, all except one...

"Is it complete?"

"Y-yes! The prototype is complete. We were just preparing everything so that we wouldn’t mess it up!"

"Show me."

Orvik nodded and turned around, but froze.

Thak! Thak! Thak!

There was one Gnome who hadn’t joined the formation. He clung to the Golem’s small head, seemingly lost in his work as he hammered away, creating a visor-like opening to give the otherwise bland head some texture.

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Name: Zibber

Race: Gnome

Soul Rank: Common

Bond: Slave — Type: Equipment Bonded

Status: Low 1-Star

Talent: [Mechanist Instinct] — 1 Star

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"ZIBBERRRR!" Orvik immediately shouted.

The sound startled the Gnome, who looked around in confusion.

"Get down! Lord Leo has come to inspect!"

Zibber immediately panicked and lost his balance, falling straight down from the nearly 3-meter-tall Golem.

"Ayi! Ayi!" Zibber rubbed his back in pain but still scrambled over to the formation, where he stood with his frame trembling slightly.

Leo simply waved his hand, and a green light enveloped Zibber, healing his injured back.

"T-thank you," Zibber stammered nervously.

After that, Leo finally got a proper look at the Golem, and he had to admit that he was amazed by how much the Gnomes had changed it.

It stood unsupported, its arms slightly extended sideways—a position maintained by Howl’s manipulation.

This gave the Gnomes the perfect posture to work with.

As for the Golem itself, it possessed a bulky body of rugged grey stone, its surface carefully polished by the Gnomes’ hands.

A brilliant white energy core was embedded in its chest. It was obviously a high-ranked Earthpulse Heartcore, at least Low 4-Star. No wonder they had used only a single Heartcore; it contained enough energy to power the entire 3-meter frame.

Leo also noticed the system hadn’t responded to the Heartcore in the Golem’s chest, just as it hadn’t when he encountered the Golems created by the Tree Behemoth.

That meant the Gnomes had successfully integrated the Heartcore into the Golem, making it part of it and removing the individual identity.

Its right arm housed a blade and a heavy hammer, and from the looks of it, both seemed interchangeable via a retraction mechanism. The hammer was for blunt-force attacks, while the blade was meant for cutting.

But the most interesting part was its left arm. It held a miniature, primitive-looking gun made of crude metal components, and it seemed incomplete.

Then there was the visor that the Gnome named Zibber had been hammering away at.

However, the overall appearance still looked a bit dull...

Orvik noticed Leo’s expression and quickly explained.

"Lord! We haven’t powered up the Golem yet. There’s a switch that activates the energy extraction mechanism from the Heartcore!"

Saying that, the small man trotted forward and pressed something beneath the white core.

At that moment, the Golem came to life.

Hummmmmmm~

A low hum of energy filled the workshop as white light spread through the Golem’s body. Starting from the chest, it reached the shoulders before travelling through the Golem’s internal structure without producing any visible external effects.

The changes became visible again at the extremities, especially in the primitive gun, which began glowing with white energy. Even the hammer’s lining lit up brilliantly.

And finally, the visor began to glow as well.

"Hoh..." Leo actually thought it looked quite good.

He tried sensing the Golem’s power level and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Mid 3-Star!"

Orvik was immediately delighted by Leo’s exclamation.

"Yes, My Lord!" he confirmed before explaining further.

"We have integrated spirit equipment into the interiors of the hammer and gun. They can respectively unleash bursts of energy capable of damaging even High 3-Star beings. We have personally tested it with elf ladies!"

"The hammer can deliver strikes with the power of a Peak 3-Star being if 2% of the energy from the Low 4-Star Heartcore is extracted for each strike!"

Leo nodded in satisfaction.

"What would the Golem’s strength be if you worked on a larger variant? Let’s say, a 5-meter one?" Leo wondered, thinking about how Howl’s Avatar could become a powerhouse in its own right.

However, Orvik’s expression grew complicated.

"My Lord, we are still trying to figure out how to attach multiple Heartstones to a single Golem. For a 5-meter-tall variant, we would need at least five Low 4-Star Heartcores to ensure proper functioning and allow it to operate for an adequate amount of time..."

Leo nodded. That was understandable.

"How long does this one work?"

"Three hours after a full charge under high-intensity combat conditions."

"That’s pretty good."

It meant that if the Golem were used for patrolling or simply walking around, it could easily last 12 hours. And since Heartstones were rechargeable, it could serve as a feasible defensive unit.

"You mentioned integrating spirit equipment. What tier were they, and what would happen if you used better ones?"

"My Lord, since this is only the first prototype, we used White-tier (1-Star) spirit equipment. However, it can easily handle Peak Green-tier (2-Star) equipment. With those, it could even take on Peak 3-Star beings! Though larger-sized beasts might still pose some threats."

Leo was shocked.

Had they just created a 3-Star combatant using 1-Star equipment?

"What about repairs? If this Golem is heavily damaged or incapacitated, how long would it take to repair?"

At that, Orvik’s eyes lit up.

"My Lord! That’s the most important part! We discovered something groundbreaking that makes the whole thing far more cost-effective!"

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*Image of 1st Golem Prototype*