Kai, a Japanese graduate student, dies in a freak accident and wakes up in a sword-and-sorcery world. Chosen by a whimsical god, he receives the Golem Summoning skill. His golems are two massive ape-like creatures, always active but without free will, moving only on his command. The adventurer guild scoffs at him. Old-timer Godan sneers that two golems are useless.
But Kai has a secret weapon: his past-life knowledge as a science student and a hardcore pro-wrestling fan. He commands his golems
Golem Pro-Wrestling in Another World - Recovery from Defeat: Days of Spirit Countermeasures and Lifestyle Improvement
Morning light filtered through the gaps in the thin wooden boards.
Kai lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. The old wood grain seemed to twist and warp like the remnants of last night's dream.
*(Ugh... worst way to wake up.)*
His body felt heavy. Like it had been packed with lead. That unpleasant sensation of having his life force drained by Malouno Kage still lingered deep in his core. His fingertips were cold, and a dull ache throbbed at the back of his head.
Second floor of the Ram's Horn Inn. Kai's room had become unrecognizably cluttered over the past few days.
Parchment blueprints were spread across the entire floor. Samples of stone and iron were piled high on the desk. The walls were covered with notes scribbling out golem structures.
"...The reason I lost is clear."
Kai sat up and drank directly from the water pitcher by his pillow. Cold water ran down his parched throat.
*(All physical attacks passed right through. A fist of rock means nothing against an incorporeal spirit. So what do I do? I have no choice but to change the golem's constituent material from something physical to something magical.)*
In his head, the golem's structural diagram spun round and round. Exterior armor, internal skeleton, mana circuits. His knowledge of materials engineering from his past life fused with this world's materials, beginning to explore new possibilities.
"Holy attribute, magical materials... This world has magic ore, right? Stones that absorb magic, mined from the Volga Mountains."
Kai picked up one of the blueprints spread on the floor. A conceptual sketch of incorporating magic ore into the golem's exterior. Traces of countless revisions had left the parchment crumpled.
*(The problem is maintenance cost. Every time I incorporate magic ore, the mana required to control the golem skyrockets. Just maintaining two golems at all times already makes mana drain during sleep an issue.)*
Kai exhaled deeply.
"...Hah. Long road ahead."
That was when it happened.
BANG BANG BANG!
A rough knock echoed through the room.
"Hey, Kai! You've gone and trashed your room again, have you? Aren't you going to eat breakfast?"
It was the inn's proprietress, Mira Horn. A caring woman in her forties who ran the Ram's Horn Inn single-handedly.
Kai hurriedly opened the door.
"Morning, Mira. Yeah, I was just lost in thought. I'll be right down."
"Honestly, your room is always covered in scraps of paper. Clean up once in a while."
Mira placed her hands on her hips and shook her head in exasperation. Her gaze flickered over the mountain of blueprints on the floor.
"Well, it's good that you're so dedicated for someone so young. But you need to eat properly. You've barely eaten since yesterday, right?"
"Heh heh, caught me?"
Kai scratched his head. His short black hair was sticking up more than usual. Bedhead.
"Of course I noticed. Your face is as pale as a ghost. Come on downstairs. I've got boar stew warming."
At Mira's words, Kai's stomach growled audibly.
"...Whoa. Yeah, I guess I really am hungry."
"See? Now hurry up."
Mira led the way down the stairs. Kai followed with a wry smile.
The dining hall on the first floor was brightly lit by the morning sun. Several guests were having breakfast. The smell of bread and soup stimulated his stomach.
Kai sat at a corner table and accepted the stew Mira brought over.
"Thanks, Mira."
"Oh my, so polite. What's gotten into you? That's not like you."
Mira grinned.
"I don't know, I just thought eating something warm would pick me up."
"Is that so? Then eat plenty."
Kai picked up his spoon. One mouthful of the rich stew warmed him from the core.
*(Delicious. ...Alright, once I've eaten, it's time to hunt for materials.)*
As he shoveled down the stew, Kai assembled the day's schedule in his head.
---
The morning in the royal capital of Volkhardt was full of energy.
In Galatea Square, the daily open-air market had already begun. Around one hundred and fifty stalls were packed tightly together, selling everything from food to daily necessities to low-grade materials.
Weaving through the crowd, Kai first headed to the herb shop "Green Dew Hall."
Green Dew Hall specialized in herbs gathered from the Crevasse Forest. The owner, Elma Liet, was a gentle woman in her thirties, famous among adventurers for never budging on price negotiations.
A bell chimed.
"Welcome."
Elma looked up. Her soft brown hair was tied back, and she wore a calm smile.
"Ah, Kai. It's been a while. Here for recovery potions today?"
"No, I actually have something to ask. Do you handle holy attribute materials?"
"Holy attribute, is it?"
Elma tilted her head.
"I'm sorry. What we carry is mainly herbs used as ingredients for recovery potions and antidotes. Holy attribute items like holy water fall under the Church's jurisdiction. We don't handle them here."
"Figured as much. The Church, huh..."
Kai placed a hand on his chin, deep in thought.
"If it's holy water, you can buy it at the Central Church's shop. Though it is quite expensive."
"How much are we talking?"
"Ten silver coins for a small bottle, I believe. And that's the price for believers. For adventurers, it might be a bit more."
"Ten silver coins... and how far does that go?"
"Well, for a single purification, about half a small bottle, I'd say."
Kai calculated in his head.
*(Ten silver coins for two uses. Five silver coins per use. ...If I'm mixing it into golem materials, I'd need far more. Using holy water as a material isn't realistic.)*
"That was helpful. Thanks, Elma."
"Sorry I couldn't be of more use."
"No, no, the information alone is plenty. I'll be back for recovery potions."
Kai waved lightly and left Green Dew Hall.
---
His next stop was the blacksmith workshop "Teppen."
A weapon shop and workshop located on Blacksmith Street, a five-minute walk from the guild branch. The owner, Dolk Hammer, was a short, stocky former miner in his fifties—skilled with his hands but known for his rough tongue.
When Kai entered the shop, the sound of hammering iron rang out.
"Hey, if it isn't the golem kid. What do you need today? More iron ore scraps?"
Dolk spoke brusquely without stopping his work.
"Today I wanted to ask about holy silver. Can you work with it?"
"Holy silver? Ah, that white silver. Yeah, I can work it. But it's expensive."
Dolk set down his hammer and turned to face Kai. His wrinkled face appraised Kai like he was sizing him up.
"How much?"
"Well, for the amount you'd need for a golem's exterior, no less than twenty gold coins."
"Twenty gold coins!"
Kai couldn't help raising his voice.
*(Twenty gold coins—that's two thousand silver coins. C-rank quest rewards are typically three to ten gold coins. That means two or three quests' worth of rewards would vanish entirely.)*
"You're making a face that says it's too expensive. But holy silver is rare. It can only be mined from limited veins in the Volga Mountains. The Church places a lot of orders too, so there's not much of it on the market."
"...I see. Got it. Let me think about it."
Kai smiled lightly and had no choice but to back down.
*(The money I have on hand won't come close. Holy silver is out of reach for now.)*
"Well, if you're in a hurry, there's also the option of buying a used holy silver weapon and melting it down. That might only cost you about ten gold coins."
"I see, melt down used gear... I'll keep that in mind, Dolk."
Kai thanked him and left Teppen.
---
The material hunt was back to square one.
Holy water was too expensive to use as a material. Holy silver was twenty gold coins. Even melting down used equipment would cost ten gold coins.
*(Either way, it's out of my reach right now. ...Save up money, or think of another approach.)*
Kai walked through Galatea Square, holding his head.
That was when he saw a cart stuck in the road ahead of him.
"Damn it, the wheel's stuck in a rut again!"
A merchant-like man was pushing the cart, drenched in sweat. The wheel was firmly wedged in a groove in the cobblestones and wouldn't budge.
The people around merely watched with pity, no one offering to help.
*(...Wouldn't a pulley make that easy to get out?)*
Kai's science-minded brain reacted instantly.
"Hey, old man, hold on a second."
Kai borrowed a sturdy rope and several pieces of lumber from a nearby stall.
"What is it, lad?"
"I'm going to use the principle of pulleys to change the direction of force. Like this—I'll create a fulcrum with the lumber..."
Kai quickly assembled an improvised pulley system. He secured the lumber to the cart's frame and threaded the rope through.
"Alright, now try pulling this rope. It should take far less effort than pulling straight up."
The merchant-like man pulled the rope, half-doubting.
Then, the cart that hadn't budged a moment ago began to move with a creak.
"W-Whoa!? Amazing, it's so light! This is incredible!"
A stir arose from the surrounding crowd.
"What's that, magic?"
"No, it's not magic. That young man did something—some kind of trick."
Kai grinned.
"Not magic—physics. I'm changing the direction of the force and amplifying it."
"Wow, impressive, lad. As thanks, come by my shop and take some fruit."
"Oh, for real? Lucky. I won't hold back."
Kai received a basket of fruit from the merchant and left the scene.
*(Right. The material hunt has hit a wall, but this direction has potential. Convenient tools that apply modern knowledge. I can earn some money with these while saving up funds for materials.)*
A new plan began to turn in Kai's head.
---
Over the next few days, Kai began spreading convenient innovations using modern knowledge around the guild.
First, he made pulley devices for hauling cargo. Then a simple water filter for purifying rainwater. He also made a foldable sunshade stand.
In a corner of Galatea Square, Kai lined up his handmade tools and began demonstration sales.
"Come one, come all, take a look! With this pulley, heavy loads lift with ease! A dream tool that requires no strength!"
People gathered at Kai's call.
"Hey, is that the rumored golem user?"
"Why is a golem user selling household goods?"
Kai paid them no mind.
"Here, miss, give it a try! Just pull this rope and the water bucket lifts right up."
"Eh, me? Well, just a little then."
The young woman timidly pulled the rope. The heavy-looking water bucket rose smoothly.
"No way, it's so light! This is amazing!"
"Right? No magic needed. Don't underestimate the power of science."
Kai puffed out his chest proudly.
"Lad, does that water filter really turn muddy water clean?"
"Watch this. Pour this muddy water in here..."
Kai poured muddy water into the simple filter. Water passed through layers of sand and charcoal, dripping into the container below.
"See? It won't be perfectly clear, but boil it and it's drinkable."
"Ooh... that's a blessing. This'll be handy in the season when the well water gets cloudy."
The old man was impressed and bought a water filter.
*(Alright, business is going well. At this rate, I'll save up for the holy silver bit by bit.)*
Kai did a mental fist pump.
---
That evening.
Kai stopped by the Vandur tavern.
He counted the day's earnings and sat at the counter with a satisfied grin. He ordered a mug of ale and gulped it down.
"Ahh! Nothing beats a drink after a day's work!"
That was when it happened.
"Hey, look at this. The golem brat's feeling good over a single mug of ale."
A grating voice he recognized.
Kai turned to see Godan sitting at a central table with several cronies. Short reddish-brown hair, stubble, bloodshot reddish-brown eyes. As always, he glared at Kai with half-lidded, condescending eyes.
"Heh. You stepped up to a C-rank, got sent running by a spirit, and you've still got the nerve to sit there drinking so carefree."
Godan spoke loudly, deliberately making sure everyone around could hear.
The tavern's atmosphere tensed in an instant.
"Your little doll games only work u
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