Beneath its feet,
was a layer of iron ore.
To mechanical lifeforms, iron ore was like bran husks—extremely low in nutrition.
However!
Once iron ore was smelted, it transformed from low-nutrition husks into rich, nourishing delicacies!
Such was the magic!
The mechanical monster had only just been born, and its hunger for food was as intense as any other monster.
It dug fervently, and in just half an hour,
had unearthed a massive pile of iron ore!
The iron ore formed a small mountain, with the highest point reaching ten meters—
as tall as a three-story building!
At this moment, the Primordial Dragon King and the giant crab Flameclaw were locked in fierce combat,
with no time to pay attention to what was happening nearby.
They were so focused on their battle, they hadn't even noticed the mechanical monster!
After all, mechanical monsters had no aura. Unless seen or heard directly, they were nearly undetectable.
Just then,
the great Creator Lin Han poured out his loving guidance.
"Primordial Dragon King, Flameclaw, set aside your fight for now—use your high-temperature flames to smelt that mountain of ore!"
Metal, like native lifeforms,
belonged to the planet itself.
As the Creator, Lin Han was an outsider and couldn't directly manipulate metal using Authority Points—
unless he could raise his divine rank!
For now, he could only utilize metals through indirect methods.
…
Upon receiving the divine command,
even the mighty Primordial Dragon King dared not disobey.
As an aerial unit, it held absolute mobility.
It immediately ceased its attacks and flew toward the designated mountain.
It had passed through this location during its previous battle.
As for Flameclaw the crab, it moved sideways and had poor eyesight.
While charging too fast, it crashed headfirst into the pile of iron ore!
This—
greatly delighted the Dragon King!
What a perfect opportunity for personal revenge!
It took a deep breath—its monster cells had powerful healing abilities,
and the previously inflamed hydrogen-separation sac was now functioning smoothly again!
The Dragon King's belly swelled—
a clear sign of its deep murderous intent toward Flameclaw!
"Rooooaaarrrr!!!"
With a mighty roar, the Dragon King unleashed a fan-shaped blast of flames from its mouth!
The high-temperature fire surged intensely, like molten liquid pouring over the iron ore pile!
Flameclaw, now buried in the ore pile, was instantly roasted by the intense heat!
If it were an ordinary creature, it would've been killed instantly!
However!
Flameclaw was no ordinary being!
It was a monster that had once cooked itself alive!
Moreover, it had been named Flameclaw by the Creator!
Its core attribute was now fire!
Thus,
while enduring the Dragon King's flames, Flameclaw also released its own internal heat at full force!
The intense heat from above and below collided with fierce pressure and temperature differences.
As a result, the two heat streams clashed violently,
causing a lateral explosion.
The blast conveniently blew away most of the impurities in the iron ore.
Although some pure iron was also lost, it was a small price to pay!
The ability to refine metallic iron using such a method was already a remarkable feat!
The heat of dragonfire and Flameclaw's blaze continued for a long time.
Eventually,
the mountain of iron ore was successfully smelted.
Though the yield was less than ideal,
the mechanical monster still digging in the pit was absolutely ecstatic!
"Splash!"
Flameclaw crawled out of the molten iron.
Most of its shell had already carbonized.
If it were any other crab, it would've been inedible, let alone able to survive!
But Flameclaw was still brimming with energy!
Its eight legs suddenly accelerated,
and in an instant, it hurled itself at the mountain.
With that impact, its carbonized shell rapidly shed off.
From below, a brand-new shell began to grow!
Once the new shell had formed, the giant crab Flameclaw raised its head once more and stared up at the Primordial Dragon King in the sky.
That look was unmistakable...
Two words—Again! I'm not done yet!
The Primordial Dragon King looked down at the dumb iron brute on the ground.
It really was a certified ironheaded fool!
Not only had it roasted itself with its own heat...
But now, for absolutely no reason, it had barged into the Dragon King's territory demanding a fight to the death!
Seriously, as a dragon, when had it ever offended a crab?
How was this reasonable?
It wasn't!
What the heck!
"Clack clack!!"
The giant crab waved its massive claws in a show of arrogance, openly provoking the Dragon King.
With its temper, the Primordial Dragon King couldn't stand being taunted!
On the spot, without a second thought, the battle resumed!
As the two powerful monsters clashed once more...
The infant mechanical monster quietly climbed out of the mine pit and began frenziedly absorbing the molten iron scattered across the ground!
It drank it all in with utter satisfaction!
The molten iron seemed almost alive, flowing instinctively toward the mechanical monster's body.
As each drop of iron was absorbed, the mechanical beast's body visibly grew—fast!
[Your creation has greatly advanced through feeding!]
[You have gained 20 Authority Points!]
In mere moments—
The mechanical monster's size doubled!
The mine tunnel it had just dug could no longer fit it!
Helplessly—
It swung its now stronger claws and began expanding the tunnel anew!
"Creating a mechanical monster is way harder than creating other types," Lin Han muttered. "But if this one can grow properly, it'll be the flashiest of them all—not just powerful, but downright badass!"
Right now, Lin Han's entire focus was on building up this single mechanical monster.
He had no plans to create more.
After all, production was limited, and even raising just one mechanical beast made growth feel painfully slow (relatively speaking).
"Mechanical monster, bear with me for now—let's turn your head into an excavator. You'll dig faster that way. Once you're all grown up, I'll give you a full makeover!"
With that, Lin Han activated his Supreme Authority and began a transformation.
"Modify mechanical monster's head—turn it into a digging shovel!"
[Consumed 10 Authority Points. Mechanical monster's head successfully transformed into a shovel!]
Mechanical monsters were different from their flesh-and-blood counterparts.
Even if its head was modified now, it could be changed back later.
Besides, at this stage, the mechanical monster's head was little more than an empty frame.
Sure, a shovel might look a bit embarrassing now,
but dig hard, eat well, and one day it could undergo plastic surgery to become a tall, rich, and handsome mecha!
That was a perfectly legitimate path to success!
Build the body first—then spend Authority Points later to sculpt the perfect form!
No flaws in this plan!
"Go on, excavator! If that's not enough, I'll slap two world-piercing drills on you next!"
Immediately!
The mechanical monster, now wielding both shovel and claws, dove into the mining tunnel and began an insane excavation spree!
With the new shovel mod up front, efficiency instantly doubled!
Now that was the power of science!