Edwin Lunar Chapter 7: The Simulation Trial

Read chapter 7 of Edwin Lunar by MananTayal on NovelPedia.

The Simulation Trial The mechanical creature slammed into the street with enough force to crack the ground beneath it. Edwin jumped backward instinctively as sparks exploded from the ruined pavement. The machine towered above him, easily three times his height, its black armor covered in glowing red patterns that pulsed like veins beneath metal skin. Its eyes locked onto him immediately. Target acquired. A metallic roar echoed through the ruined city simulation. Then the creature attacked again. "RUN?" Edwin shouted. "THAT'S the test?" The machine's massive claw tore through the side of a collapsed building exactly where he had been standing a second earlier. Concrete and steel exploded across the street. Edwin sprinted down the ruined roadway as fast as he could. Behind him, the creature smashed through obstacles effortlessly. The simulation felt terrifyingly real. Heat from nearby fires burned against his skin while dust filled the air around him. Every footstep from the machine shook the street itself. Edwin's mind raced rapidly. No weapons. No armor. No combat training. How exactly was he supposed to fight this thing? The mechanical beast lunged again. Edwin slid beneath a fallen metal beam just as the creature crashed through it violently. Sparks erupted everywhere. Think. Think. Years repairing machines had taught Edwin something important: Everything breaks somehow. You just had to find where. He turned sharply into a damaged alleyway and pressed himself against the wall while the machine searched nearby. The creature's head rotated slowly. Scanning. Red light moved across the environment methodically. Edwin studied it carefully. The armor plating around the joints looked thicker than normal combat machinery. Probably reinforced to prevent mobility damage. But near the neck— There. A narrow exposed section where glowing energy lines connected beneath the armor. A weak point. The problem was reaching it. The machine suddenly detected movement. Its head snapped toward him instantly. "Oh come on—" The creature charged. Edwin grabbed a loose metal pipe from the ground and sprinted toward the nearest ruined building. The machine followed immediately, smashing through debris behind him like an unstoppable tank. He reached the collapsed structure and climbed rapidly across broken support beams. The creature slammed into the building seconds later. The entire structure shook violently. Edwin nearly lost balance. The machine climbed after him surprisingly fast. Too fast. "Who designed this nightmare?" Another roar echoed through the simulation. Then suddenly— The building began collapsing. Edwin's eyes widened. He jumped toward another platform just as steel beams snapped beneath him. The machine crashed downward through the collapsing structure in an explosion of debris. The moment it fell— Edwin moved. He grabbed a hanging electrical cable swinging nearby and launched himself downward directly toward the creature. For one brief second even he realized this was insane. Then he slammed the metal pipe into the exposed energy line beneath the machine's neck. Blue sparks exploded violently. The creature froze mid-motion. Its red eyes flickered. Edwin hit the ground hard and rolled painfully across broken concrete. The machine twitched once. Then collapsed. Silence filled the ruined city. Edwin lay there breathing heavily. "…That actually worked." A mechanical voice echoed across the simulation. "Combat evaluation complete." The destroyed city vanished instantly. The chamber walls reappeared around him. Edwin slowly stood, still catching his breath. A holographic display appeared overhead. TACTICAL ANALYSIS: HIGHREACTION SPEED: ABOVE AVERAGECOMBAT EFFICIENCY: IRREGULARPHYSICAL STRENGTH: MODERATEADAPTIVE INTELLIGENCE: EXCEPTIONAL Then another line appeared. PRELIMINARY STATUS: BEGINNER CLASSIFICATION Edwin frowned. "Beginner?" After all that? The chamber doors opened suddenly. Carl nearly fell inside immediately. "You're alive!" "…We