Ike''s fist never struck the hammer. It was made of metal, doubtlessly some kind of super tough magical alloy. Instead, he punched the air and let the shockwaves strike the auto-hammer. They mmed into it with the force of a thousand punches. The whole structure screeched, metal squealing, and it tilted slightly against its bearings.


    Across the room, another BAM! sounded out as Wisp struck the meat grinder.


    Latching onto the hammer, he drew back his arm, readying another blow.


    Down below, the puppets jolted. The assembly puppets continued their jobs, the same as ever, but the army lurched into motion. They moved in no particr way. Instead, they all swarmed the machines at once. They grouped around the base, staring up at it. A big ck blot of metal gathered below him as more and more of them joined up around it. It reminded Ike of an ant colony. All the puppets mindlessly joined in as best they could, but no one particr individual seemed to know precisely what the whole was doing.


    Since none of the puppets were attacking him, Ike kept beating on the hammer. It creaked and swayed, but held steady. The hammer kept beating away, shaping the armor. The structureined, but nothing gave in.


    Ike grimaced. He hung there, twenty feet in the air high on the hammer. His feet pressed against a notch in the metal, one hand wrapped around the back of the support, his free hand swinging against his side. He twisted his lips. Shockwave Punch isn''t doing it. What else can I use?


    He activated Lightning d, but the lightning instantly fled his body and flew through the metal into the ground. The nearby puppets jumped. ck smoke leaked from the cracks in their armor.


    Ike deactivated Lightning d. Huh. That''s an interesting weakness. Good to know now, before I punch something big and metal, and Lightning d vanishes. He considered the rest of his skills.


    [Name: Ike | Age: 16 | Status: Nm | Rank: 2 [Abyss Dweller]]


    Skills: Common: 11 | Bronze 3 | Silver 2 | Gold 1 | Rare 2 | … | Unique: 4


    Common: All-Around Runner Lvl 8 | Razor Handling Lvl 9 | Spear Handling Lvl 4 | Axe Handling Lvl 4 | Sword Handling Lvl 9 | Bow Handling Lvl 1 | Primitive Crafting Lvl 9n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Bronze: Sensory Enhancement Lvl 9 | Mana Maniption Lvl 5 | Lunam Maniption Lvl 0 | Aether Maniption Lvl 0


    Silver: Flurry of Kicks Lvl 3 | Chlorophyll Lvl 1


    Gold: Shockwave Punch Lvl 5 | Ice Armor Lvl 4


    Rare: Smander Healing Lvl 9 | River-Splitting Sword Lvl 8


    Unique: Lightning Dash Lvl 9 | Lightning Grasp Lvl 9 | Lightning d Lvl 4 | Lightning Caller Lvl 3


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    He pinched his chin, thinking. River-Splitting Sword is meant to be able to split a river, but I don''t think I''ve reached the metal-severing level of mastery yet. Flurry of Kicks would probably end with my feet broken and nothing gained. Shockwave Punch…already tried it. The Ice Armor-Shockwave Punchbo is probably my best bet. Especially since the Lightning skills are going to be useless here.


    Ike nced left and right. He reached up, grabbing for the next support. One hop at a time, he crossed the hammer. Atst, he reached the top, where the metal bar that ultimately mmed into the armor mmed up and down. He hung beside it, watching it beat. Lifting his hand, he cast Ice Armor on the pole.


    The pole yanked upward, shattering the ice.


    He pressed his lips together. That''s not going to work, either. Hmm.


    The hammer shook. Startled, Ike looked down. The puppets beat upon the hammer as one, mming their full weight into it.


    Ike''s eyes widened He grinned. I can use this.


    He drew off the wolfskin and tucked it into his storage ring. He waved his hands. "Hey, idiots! Right here! Come get me!"


    The puppets'' eyes lit up. Red lights burned in their helms. They charged. One or two charged directly into the hammer and were crushed, while others mmed into the hammer. From all sides, they beat at the hammer, pushing and pulling. A few of them drew strange, red-hot weapons and smacked them against the supports. The metal nged and trembled, wobbling hard under Ike.


    Ikeughed. "Weaklings! You''ll never reach me!"


    The puppets roared. They smashed into the support. All their strength mmed into the hammer. The metal creaked. The hammer tilted to the side. It struck the earth beside its anvil, and the pole cracked.


    "Yes!" Ike punched the air, then hesitated. He waved his hand instead. "I mean, oh no! You''ve almost got me!"


    Already enraged, the puppets paid him no mind. They charged endlessly into the hammer, slowly ripping it out of its foundation.


    "Nice acting."


    Ike looked up, startled. Wisp stood over him, casually standing parallel to the ground, her feet nted on the side of the hammer''s support. Her wolf skin hung over one shoulder, its visible side out.


    "Finish with the grinder?" he asked.


    "No sausage," sheined, sitting down on the top of the hammer. A momentter, she nodded. "Yeah."


    "Wanna help me with this?"


    "I think you''re doing great," Wisp said, chuckling. She nodded. "Look at them. Doing all your work for you. That''s peak human, right there."


    "What? What''s that mean?" Ike asked.


    She nodded. "Isn''t that what humans do best? Trick other humans into doing their work for them. Like the city lords, for example. They sit up in their cities and do nothing, while you guys work so hard down below. Well—not you, but you know. Human mages. In general. While we beasts go out and do all work ourselves."


    Ike thought for a second, then nodded. "Yeah. I guess so. Wait, but if that''s very human of me… doesn''t that mean I''m human?"


    Wisp chuckled. "You''re definitely at least half human. Eh, maybe you are human. Just a weird one."


    Ike pointed. He raised his brows.


    "Or… you''re a beast!" she said, making a feint leap at him.


    He rolled his eyes. "Come on."


    Wisp tilted her head. A rare pensive expression passed over her face. "It could go either way, honestly. You don''t smell like a beast. But then, I''ve never met a half-beast before. So I wouldn''t know. Maybe you''re a half-beast that smells human."


    "I''m d you''re willing to admit I might be human," Ike said, nodding.


    A roar echoed across the hall. "Who''s messing with my equipment?"


    Ike perked up. Wisp''s head snapped forward.


    "Looks like the puppets'' boss is here," Wisp murmured, vanishing back under her wolf pelt.


    Ike nodded. He drew his wolf skin over himself as well and leaped off the hammer, leaving the puppets to beat at it alone.


    On the other side of the hall, opposite where they''d entered, a pair of wooden double doors flew open. Ike tensed, his eyes locked on the doors.