CHAPTER 53: CH:53 APPLICATION DENIED? PREPARE TO DIE

As the crowd roared in victory, and Earthrea’s stone fist remained proudly suspended in the air like a trophy, Dila let out a proud smirk.

But then—

"Ack—!"

Her expression twisted suddenly.

Her knees buckled.

She grabbed at her left side—right where Evos’s axe had crashed into her earlier. Her fingertips came away wet and red.

"Owww—! Oww oww oww—! Why does it hurt now?!"

She winced, her voice squeaky from pain, one eye twitching.

She looked down.

Her clothes—auto-repaired as always—covered it up, but blood was definitely leaking through.

"Why—?! Why am I bleeding?!" she cried inside her head, wobbly and close to tears. "Nari?! But The Cascade Shield automatically activated! That supposed to block everything!"

☆ U-Um... ☆ Nari’s voice wavered in her mind, sounding like a guilty kid who just broke a vase.

☆ Y-Yeah, so... funny story, Master. Cascade Shield did activate, but—uh—it’s an early version. It forms super close to your skin. So... technically it absorbed the hit, but the momentum still slammed into your ribs like a magical freight cart... ☆

Dila’s face deadpanned.

Then twisted again in pain.

"Ow ow ow—it makes sense now!" she squeaked, flailing as she half-danced in place.

"That’s why I couldn’t stand right away after the hit! My internal organs were probably scrambled like breakfast eggs!"

Fran, watching from the sidelines, tilted her head. "Sister Dila? Are you okay?"

Dila left ear twitch a bit and she turned to her, face pale, holding her side and trying not to cry.

"Y-Yeah! I’m f-fine! Just a little... internal bleeding... probably..."

Fran looked horrified.

Sarios started to stand. "We need a healer—someone, call the a doctor healer —!"

☆ Wait! ☆ Nari piped in quickly, ☆ It’s not fatal! Your HP is still 9,800 out of 25,000 as of now! Buuuuuttt. Still draining.☆

Dila’s eye twitched.

She looked toward the stunned crowd, gave a very forced thumbs-up, and whispered weakly:

"Yeah... this is fine... totally worth it... just... bleeding a little..."

She then slowly sank down and sat flat on her butt like a defeated mushroom.

The crowd blinked.

One guy whispered, "...She won, but why does it look like she lost now?"

Another replied, "...I dunno man, but she’s got guts."

Dila ears twitched a bit again and she muttered under her breath, with glassy eyes:

"Yeah. Guts... leaking out slowly."

Dila was still sitting on the ground, holding her side, wincing and muttering weakly like she just got slapped by a truck disguised as an axe.

And then—

Fwwhhhmm...

The towering Earthrea Golem, still frozen in its punch-pose from knocking Evos into next week, suddenly twitched.

Its stone joints creaked, and its glowing red eyes flashed brighter with a soft hum.

Then... it spoke.

In a low, rumbling voice that echoed through the dome like a rockslide:

"GIVE MY MASTER A GUILD CARD..."

Everyone flinched.

"GIVE MY MASTER A GUILD CARD..."

The guild bar collectively blinked.

Even the defeated Evos twitched slightly from his unconscious slump on the floor.

"GIVE MY MASTER A GUILD CARD!"

It shouted louder this time, turning its massive head slowly—directly facing the Guild Master, who was now trembling up on the balcony, still pinching his mustache in disbelief.

"E-E-Eeeehhh!?" the guild master squeaked like a balloon losing air.

Then—

BOOM!!

The golem charged forward, massive steps quaking the floor beneath it, fists raised high like a boulder on steroids.

The magical energy dome around the arena sparked as Earthrea slammed its fist against it with a thunderous crash.

CRACK—BOOM!!

The barrier flickered, blue sparks bursting like fireworks.

The crowd gasped, some even ducked behind the railings. The receptionist held her clipboard like a shield.

Meanwhile, Dila blinked, sweat trailing down her face.

"W-Wait... what’s happening?" she asked in a daze, holding her ribs. "Why is Earthrea... yelling about guild cards???"

☆ U-Um... ☆ Nari said cautiously in her mind, ☆ It might be... possible... that your desire has temporarily transferred into the golem through your mana sync while you were emotionally overwhelmed... ☆

"You mean... it’s mad because I’m mad??"

☆ I mean, maybe! I-I don’t have full diagnostics on emotional-mana resonance syncing yet! ☆

Dila deadpanned, still sitting.

"...Great. Now my golem’s throwing a tantrum for me..."

The Guild Master’s eyes were wide as dinner plates as he peeked through the curtains. "S-Someone shut that thing up before it punches a hole in reality!!"

But the golem pounded again.

"GIVE. MY. MASTER. A. GUILD. CARD!!"

The crowd erupted in laughter and cheers.

"SHE DESERVES IT!!"

"YEAH! GIVE THE TINY GIRL A CARD ALREADY!!"

"HER STONE PET’S SCARIER THAN THE MUSCLE DUDE!!"

Fran was laughing while still crying a little. "Go golem go!"

Sarios put a hand to his forehead, muttering, "I can’t believe we’re being held hostage by a support-class tantrum machine..."

Dila looked up with teary eyes, whispering with a bit of embarrassment:

"...Earthrea... you big emotional dummy..."

The golem slowly turned to look at her—its glowing red eyes dimming slightly.

"...Give my master... a guild card..." it said one last time—calmer, quieter... like a toddler finally calming after a big cry.

Then it knelt beside her and stood still like a loyal guard.

Silence.

Even the guild master peeked again, now pale.

Then the receptionist nervously raised her hand.

"...Should I just... process her card now?"

Dila, still cradling her side in pain, gave a thumbs up while lying on the floor.

"Nahh...no....." he was shaking.

Golem said. "BIG MISTAKE!!!"

It re-engage and look back while turning it’s body again walking toward further off from Dila looking up at the guild master.

Suddenly—

FWOOSH!

Earthrea’s elbow hissed—its right forearm locking backward. Its arm began to rotate, spinning slowly like a turbine. Red fire-like energy surged from the joints, then turned to blue—a focused stream of raw power.

The entire arena went dead silent.

The spiraling glow intensified, a piercing sheeeeeeee whistling like a jet engine charging. A magnetic pull whipped the dust into a spiral storm around the golem’s feet.

☆ WARNING. MASSIVE EXPLOSION PUNCH DETECTED. CATASTROPHIC DESTRUCTION LEVEL. ☆

Nari’s voice buzzed in Dila’s head, panicked and glitching.

☆ Master—your skills have combined! "Bloom Flair Chaine" and "Brave Aura" are OVERLAPPING—this is beyond normal output! ☆

"What!?" Dila staggered. "That was possible!?"

☆ Apparently now it is! This isn’t just a punch! That thing’s gonna erase this arena!! ☆

Dila saw Earthrea take a stance—its turbo-charged fist aimed squarely at the glowing energy barrier. Blue lightning arced from its arm like a weapon ready to fire.

Dila shrieked, "Earthrea, STOP!! NO!! I SAID STOP!!"

But Earthrea stepped forward again, shaking the ground.

Just before impact—

"ALRIGHT ALRIGHT!!" the guild master’s voice screamed from behind the curtain.

"YOU WIN!! You’ll get your appraisal! Your guild card! Just don’t level this place to the ground! PLEASE!"

The room was frozen in fear. Even the adventurers near the exit had already started climbing over one another.

Sarios was pale. "S-S-Scary..."

Fran gripped his arm tightly, equally shaken. "Y-Y-Yeah... scary..."

Then—at the last possible moment—

Earthrea halted.

Its blazing arm began to power down.

Flicker... Flicker...

The red glow in its eyes faded.

Then, without warning—

KRSSHH!

The golem’s body crumbled into shattered stone and arcane fragments, collapsing like a temple being unmade. Dust swirled in the air.

Dila gasped while still sitting and fell to her right side, clutching her left side.

☆ Mana Status: Critically low. 1 / 2500. ☆

She blinked, her entire body shaking, drenched in sweat. "Wh-What just happened...? Nari...?"

☆ That punch... would’ve leveled half the kingdom, Master. ☆

Dila’s eyes widened.

"I... I’m. I will never summon Earthrea ever again when it’s moody..." she muttered, trembling. "It even—overrode—my mana control. That wasn’t a golem. That was a walking catastrophe..."

She still leaning from the right side.

"...I think I scared myself more than anyone."

The sunbeams filtering through the stained glass windows of the Exonory Guild Bar felt oddly brighter than usual—as if trying to wash away the trauma that had just unfolded underground.

Back in the surface guild hall, mugs of ale trembled slightly in nervous hands. Conversations were no longer rowdy. They were shaky.

At one long wooden table, a few older adventurers huddled, whispering over half-finished drinks.

"She really came back up like nothing happened..." one said, eyes wide.

Another took a slow gulp of his ale, still visibly pale. "Was that really just a battle for an ID card...?"

A younger guy leaned forward, whispering harshly, "I mean... she could’ve leveled the entire kingdom block. For paperwork. PAPERWORK."

Someone else muttered, "No one that pretty should be allowed that kind of power. That’s cheating."

"Creepy," said a rogue-looking man with fingerless gloves. "Like a suicidal maniac, but she was smiling the whole time. I think I like it." with an exaggerated talk.

"You would," the rogue’s friend said, rolling his eyes.

A tall female warrior next to them added, "Good thing she didn’t tell that golem to keep going. That last punch looked like it could’ve erased the whole building to dust."

"Yeah," someone else muttered, clutching their beer like a lifeline. "If that monster had swung just one more time, we’d all be drinking from the sky right now..."

At the corner, Sarios had his arms crossed, leaning near a support beam and still sweating bullets. He stared down at his now mostly-empty mug.

Fran sat beside him on a stool, hunched over with her chin resting on the bar top, still shaken.

"I didn’t... expect that," she whispered.

"You and me both," Sarios muttered back. "We signed up to help her get a guild ID in the last moment but she handle it on her own but still, not watch a golem nearly commit kingdom-wide destruction..."

Then the guild master entered the room from the back, his hair messier than before and his face pale as parchment. He glanced around as the whispers fell silent.

Every adventurer stared at him like he was the idiot who poked a sleeping dragon with a stick.

He straightened his collar, forced a laugh, and said shakily, "Aha... so! Where’s the, uh... young lady? The... golem commander?"

Just then, Dila walked in slowly, bandaged at the side, but standing with grace. Her Archane staff floated quietly beside her, orbiting gently. Her silver-white hair shimmered as she looked around the silent room.

All eyes turned toward her.

She blinked. "Why is everyone so quiet?"

No one dared to answer.

One guy raised his mug with a forced smile. "To... the girl who didn’t destroy the guild bar."

The room nervously chuckled. Then a few more raised mugs.

"To the suicidal maniac!" someone shouted cheerfully.

"To the Princess of Paperwork!"

"To she the Destroyer!"

Dila facepalmed. "Oh no... what have I started..."

Nari’s voice pinged gently in her mind:

☆ At least you will now start the process of having the guild card, Master... and possibly a new nickname. Or five. ☆

Dila groaned and dropped onto a stool.

"Great... now I’m famous. For being terrifying."

Fran looked up at her with awe. "Sister... you’re so cool."

Sarios sighed. "Or insane."

Dila, smirking slightly, leaned her chin on her hand. "Hey, insane or not... I got what I came for."