There is no better feeling than improvement. To respect yourself a bit more than yesterday.

Izo gazed over the 100 crush his skull between their hands orcs wearing cloth and a smattering of armor. They still favored large axes and clubs but now they had a few who used bows of bone.

A gigantic difference to the weak mobs, he fought ten days ago. They also have a couple of 2-meter hyena and wolf hybrids that some of them rode.

If he saw them ten days ago, he would’ve run in fear. Five days ago, he would run while whittling them down but liable to a fatal mistake. Now, he would fight them head on even when his knees were shaking. He knew what to do thus his fear wasn’t so much.

Just like how repeated swimming with Sun Hee and Sung Soo eliminated his fear. Improvements however would only remain if maintained.

Some of the other contestants had slowly gotten used to life here. Too used that they began to enjoy battling too much.

Izo can’t say if their behavior was the correct one but he fears his enemies and respect their lives. He would kill for these are violent and irrational monsters but he would remember that they are also alive.

Sun Hee the natural squad leader gestured for him to stay behind her as she takes point. She also points to the decimator drones and ordered Izo to hold their fire.

Izo nodded and they advanced at the same time the orcs begun mobilizing. They had their shield bearers at the front and their ranged at the back then split into two. They aimed to encircle the puny humans.

After fighting enemies’ multiple times, one builds a profile of their enemies. One of the biggest reasons Napoleon lost at Waterloo was his enemies had by then a good grasp of his tendencies.

So does Sun Hee with the orcs. Izo had picked up on some battle tactics but he wouldn’t dare flaunt it in this company. Maybe it was because of her genes from her father or her personality was more suited, Sun Hee was just better at fighting.

She formed more hand symbols

‘Left. Attack then meet me back in the center.’

Izo moved without hesitation and brought up his Eyepopper shotgun. He strode close but enough that he can back off.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

More of a slow 1 and 2 marching beat than a spastic EDM rave, the shotgun fired and its armor penetrating slugs pierced through shield then body. Some of them fall in pain but most were just hurt. Orcs had tenacious vitality, enough they could still survive even with damaged lungs.

They had a big flaw however that they were quick to angry and despise not retaliating. Especially when their food was so close.

Izo fired half his magazine then backed off.

‘Needs more.’

They didn’t break formation and lost their rationality yet, so he reapproached and fired a bit more.

Another thing Izo learned was not to be a stickler to plans. Some situations require independent and maybe reckless actions.

‘Why aren’t they doing attacking?’

He reassessed their formation and noticed that they left some space in the center.

‘VIP?’

Disobeying Sun Hee’s order, he opened the wrist screen on his left hand. Usually, each wrist controller was for one drone so one could control them accurately. To control multiple of them there were general orders however that he could give like hover over user, fly in a circle and lots of generic commands. This time he only chose to control all their machine guns.

Izo fell back as he moved the joystick. The wrist screen followed the center drone’s camera.

‘Children?’

There were young orcs there. No candidate had ever encountered an enemy’ offspring in the arenas.

‘Crap. Without a doubt, it would be horrid.’

At some points in combat, one has to make a split-second decision that deserves to be fully ruminated.

Izo knew of the orc’s violence and fast reproduction. How they’ve been tried to be accommodated before with unsuccessful results. He could use this fact to pacify his mind.

This would be disdainful behavior to him however.

He feels no hate for them or view them as evil. To eat all other beings is fair behavior. To wish to only fight is understandable. That’s simply how they evolved.

‘It’s beneficial to me. I acknowledge its evil but still.’

The Decimator drones unleashed a fast-firing salvo. Izo could hear the high-pitched shrieks as the bullets ripped through the young orc’s bodies.

The mature ones were in an absolute standstill. They gazed at Izo as if confused. Their veins surfaced from their necks and their grips held tight their weapons. Foam and spittle came out their mouths at the same time as loud battle cries that will break their voice.

He ran towards Sun Hee who was also being chased by orcs. Noticeably however, the other half instantly locked on to Izo for what he did.

“What’d you do?”

“Tell you later.”

The green skins gathered their rage and chased after Izo.

At this point, if he gets killed by them. He would accept it with no anger.

‘They have the right.’

He changed the near empty magazine to a new one.

‘But so do I. All’s fair in nature.’

From a living being to another, they’ll just have to determine who will survive.

Finally in less danger, Izo only now noticed the floating window in front of him.

[ Candidate Live on Air. Please be warned. ]

*

Talcum opened the door to his house. It was small and white with no other being inside.

Golems don’t procreate and they don’t have families. Since they were created by humans however, they have gained their culture. Its how received his name and his gender. Having maids, servants and a few friends over was normal for his status. Yet his furniture was bare. Not even single memorabilia from his 500-year life were here.

Talcum was quiet at home preferring reading or watching at random. Unexpected for the bombastic and avant garde film director who created masterpieces that made one’s heart beat in excitement in their action-packed beauty.

A decade back his house was filled with awards and props brought home since they allowed him relieve the feeling. The genuine emotions of adoration, love for life and belief for the future as the audience watched his crafted film hero radiate and glow. Oh, how he loved the unity that no matter specie they felt the same.

It was somewhere in this happy bubble that his belief popped. In his absolute success, he realized his made-up heroes are just that, made up. Overcoming the impossible in a fiction world in their story lives.

To truly inspire, to truly unite hearts and bring long lasting happiness Talcum would need a true hero of the realest upbringing to create the possible amidst the non-soapy realm of reality.

So, he left directing films and went where his destiny is to be. Where the true heroes are made.

His few years was fine and his artistic touch improved the ratings in record percentages. Talcum was disappointed in the lack of success.

‘Kaylee Jones. She could have been.’

She was a bit soft, only following the proper lines. Talcum’s hero needed independence in will.

There were a few others who were a blend of powerful and charismatic yet none satisfied his standard.

‘Only this one short fella.’

And speak of coincidence, Talcum’s potential knight of hope just did something.

‘In front of the broadcast even.’

Izo Shelley knowingly killed children in his battle tactics. The Theocracy’s citizen would view it as honorable and warriorlike, the Coalition’s would be neutral but a small percentage of will be enraged.

‘They tend to be very vocal too.’

[ Talcum: Izo Shelley killing the harmless innocent. Blow it up.

Staff 1: Director, aren’t we supposed to make him a hero?

Talcum: Oh, we are. Make a promotional video. Color it purple. Make it black. Post in on the forums, advertise it and send it to the Life Protection Activists and the shamans.

Staff 1: I sure hope you know what you’re doing director. Those people- they’re crazy.

Talcum: Thanks for the concern but I will deal with it. ]

‘More like he’ll deal with it.’

He could imagine the hype, hatred and hollering of the hovel homed hicks during the 20,000 points race. The fans of Jae would join force with Izo’s haters and it would be glorious.

Talcum couldn’t stop his body from glowing in green, black and red.

‘Win or lose doesn’t matter. He’ll be in the spotlight whether muddied or cleansed.’

Talcum laid in bed unable to calm himself. It was only in the wee hours of wax time did his rocky body lost its glow and hid itself to conserve energy.