No! I don't want to be a Super Necromancer!

The laughter in the Powerful Mage Coffee Club was still going strong as Damien Bloodbane slumped into a chair, temporarily at a loss on what he should do next.

Athena happily munched on a pastry Maru had tossed her way, her feet swinging under the chair as if she had no care in the world.

Damien Bloodbane, however, had plenty of cares.

No tuition money.

No coffee for the shop.

And now, a mystery golden-haired child who had adopted him as her brother out of nowhere.

His day couldn't get any worse.

Or so he thought.

Because right then, amid the lingering chuckles and coffee chatter, one of the older, more serious-looking elders suddenly spoke.

"Well," he said, his voice low and deliberate, yet carrying a certain weight. "Should we do it?"

The room fell silent.

Several elders exchanged glances, their faces suddenly thoughtful.

Damien Bloodbane sat up straighter, instantly suspicious.

Maru's eyebrow raised. "Hah. You're actually serious?"

The old man, whose name was Hong Fei, stroked his beard. "I wouldn't have asked otherwise."

Damien Bloodbane, still half-drying his coffee-stained shirt, frowned. "Do what?"

Old man Hong Fei completely ignored him, turning to the group.

"We need five," he stated simply.

Riki perked up, eyes gleaming. "Oh? And how many do we have?"

"Four," Maru said after a pause. "You. Me. Hong Fei. Xian Fei."

"Tch." Riki grinned, rubbing his hands together. "That's one short."

The moment he said it, the entire table of old men turned to Damien Bloodbane.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

"…No," he said immediately.

"You don't even know what we're doing yet!" Maru grinned mischievously.

Damien Bloodbane crossed his arms. "Doesn't matter. If it involves you people, it's probably bad for me."

"You wound me, boy," Riki dramatically clutched his chest, staggering as if he'd been mortally wounded.

"This is an important matter," the serious old man Hong Fei pressed, folding his arms.

"Yeah," Riki chimed in. "A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

Two more elders, who had been quietly observing, leaned forward.

One was a tall, wiry man with long, silver hair tied into a loose ponytail. Unlike the others, his posture was lazily elegant, his movements slow and measured, like he had all the time in the world.

This was Xian Fei, known for his ridiculous luck in gambling and his ability to talk himself out of anything.

He took a slow sip of his tea before finally speaking.

"Consider this part of our studies." Xian Fei said seriously. "Knowing our enemies is having half the victory."

The last elder, a stocky, bald man with a massive scar across his left eye, grunted.

Unlike the rest, Bai Yun rarely spoke unless necessary, but when he did, it carried weight.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I'll watch. Let the errand boy participate."

Damien Bloodbane's eye twitched.

They truly considered him, Super Soldier Damien Bloodbane, as their Gopher!

Across the table, the rest of the old men looked deeply unamused.

A thin, sharp-eyed man with a permanently skeptical expression snorted loudly.

"This is a reckless waste of time and money," he muttered.

The second disapproving elder, a heavyset man with a deep frown, grunted.

"This is exactly why people say old mages lose their minds after too much mana exposure," he said.

"Oh, shut up, Liang," Maru waved him off. "You're just jealous you didn't think of it first."

"I am jealous," Liang snapped. "Jealous of the IQ points I would lose if I joined whatever stupid plan this is."

"You're all acting like children," the thin old man added, rubbing his temples. "I've never been more disappointed in my life."

"And I raised Riki," Liang muttered.

"Hey!" Riki protested. "I turned out great!"

The thin old man gave him a long, tired look.

Damien Bloodbane narrowed his eyes, glancing between the excited troublemakers and the visibly exasperated group of elders.

"…Okay," he finally said. "Now I'm even more suspicious."

Xian Fei smirked, twirling his teacup between his fingers. "Ah, but curiosity is a powerful thing, no?"

"Not powerful enough to make me agree," Damien Bloodbane shot back.

Bai Yun simply crossed his arms, his scarred eye gleaming.

Maru grinned. "Well, too bad."

Without any warning, he and Riki lunged forward, grabbing Damien Bloodbane by the arms.

"Wha—hey!" Damien Bloodbane struggled, but their grip was shockingly strong.

"You're our errand boy!" Maru declared. "Consider this part of the job!"

"Yeah! It's a great honor!" Riki added, dragging him toward a side room.

"You people are insane!" Damien Bloodbane gritted his teeth, twisting to look at the other old men, silently pleading for help.

The disapproving elders just shook their heads, looking at them like disappointed parents.

"You old fools," one of them muttered.

The thin elder sighed. "Idiots."

"But amusing idiots," Liang admitted.

Yet… none of them stopped it.

Damien Bloodbane groaned, already regretting every life decision that led him here.

The side room was surprisingly modern compared to the rest of the old coffee shop.

And in the center were five top-of-the-line Virtual Simulation Pods.

Damien Bloodbane stared.

"…What the hell?"

These weren't just any machines.

These were Battle Gods Arena Sim Pods—the same ones used by professional players and military pilots.

They were insanely expensive.

And these old men had just bought five of them like they were snacks.

Riki grinned. "Beautiful, aren't they?"

Maru patted one of the pods. "I've always wanted to try this out. But, y'know, being a mage and all…"

Damien Bloodbane rubbed his temples. "So let me get this straight—you guys, powerful mages, bought these insanely expensive machines to play a game that's literally based on the thing mages hate the most?"

Maru laughed. "Exactly."

Mechas.

The very symbol of technology's defiance against magic.

The longstanding rivalry between mecha pilots and mages was practically cultural at this point.

And these old mages were about to break that taboo.

Like excited children sneaking into something forbidden.

Damien Bloodbane sighed.

The little girl tugged his sleeve. "Brother, what's this?"

He looked down.

"…It's a game."

Maru grinned. "The world's biggest and best Mecha Simulation."

Battle Gods Arena was the ultimate test of combat skill, used for recreation, training, and even professional military drills.

It was a flexible battleground, capable of hosting a variety of mecha combat formats.

One-on-one duels of skill.

Two-on-two team skirmishes.

Five-on-five full-scale tactical battles.

Even chaotic free-for-all brawls where only the last pilot standing emerged victorious.

It was the greatest test of tactics, teamwork, adaptability, and piloting ability.

Even China's top military units trained here, using its hyper-realistic battle simulations to prepare for real-world warfare.

The simulation boasted nearly every mecha design in the world, from mass-produced models to experimental prototypes—with the only exception being top-secret military units.

Its cutting-edge system could replicate up to 90% of real mecha responses, from movement physics to weapon recoil, armor integrity, and power consumption, making it the closest thing to piloting a real mecha without stepping into one.

For some, it was a game.

For others, it was a proving ground.

For the best, it was war.

And these four lunatics were treating it like a toy.

Damien Bloodbane sighed again.

"…Fine."

Maru pumped his fist. "YES! We got five!"

Riki cackled. "Time to break some rules!"

The elders watching from the door just shook their heads.

"Idiots."

They could say whatever they wanted, but the fact was, they were already standing at the door, unable to hide their curiosity. Whether it was to watch the five make complete fools of themselves or to see how the battle would unfold, they weren't about to miss this.