The weightlifting began.
By lifting the horizontal bar attached to the magi-device, the force exerted by each golem could be measured.
The required posture was limited strictly to an overhead pressing motion known as the "jerk."
(They're calling this a demonstration, but wouldn't it be more accurate to call it a performance evaluation?)
Jin watched the proceedings as these thoughts crossed his mind.
First up was Bib #1, the Avalon general-purpose golem used as a baseline for comparison.
Partly due to its female-type build, the result was announced:
"Bib #1: 197 kilograms."
This figure of "197 kilograms" was displayed directly on the front of the measuring apparatus, allowing anyone to assess the golem's power at a glance.
"Bib #2: 445 kilograms."
Even though it served as a baseline comparison, it proved its mettle as an Avalon combat golem by scoring more than double the general-purpose model's result.
"Bib #3, Prototype 8:...739 kilograms."
An impressed murmur rose from the spectators.
(Yeah, Eira, Groma, and Kachea are doing great.)
Since a ball-joint style build had virtually no bearing on raw power output, this impressive number was purely the fruit of their clever optimizations.
And then:
"Bib #4, Storm:...926 kilograms."
A collective gasp of astonishment rippled through the crowd.
(They must have tapped into the power of the outer frame, too.)
It seemed they had incorporated a mechanism into the general-purpose Storm that allowed its exterior armor to execute Forming in pinches to boost maximum output.
Jin felt a sense of satisfaction seeing their ingenuity pay off so effectively.
"Bib #5, Lotte Type 53:...357 kilograms."
Considering it was a female-type, general-purpose model, this was a remarkably respectable figure.
(An Adriana-style... No, a "simplified" Adriana-style, perhaps?)
Judging from its flexibility, output, and movement patterns, Jin formed a quick assessment of its design principles.
(It's likely an Adriana-style simplified almost to the absolute limit. They probably tried to strike a balance between human-like movement and production costs.)
"Bib #6, Jupitera: 302 kilograms."
"Dammiiiiit! How the hell did we lose to a female-type golem like that?!"
(They're making a scene again... Why, you ask?...Ah, it's missing an ether converter....The ether driver's efficiency is just abysmal.)
Jin couldn't help but feel that the crew from the Hampton Workshop were rather uncouth.
"Bib #7, Aria: 345 kilograms."
(Oh, that's Marquis Kuzuma's entry. It's crafted with remarkable care.)
Jin was pleased to see that the Craft Queen Workshop had properly nailed down all the essential engineering fundamentals.
"Bib #8, Great Rock:...299 kilograms."
(Hmm, there's still plenty of room for improvement. Now that the influence of the Magic Federation is gone, we can look forward to what they accomplish next.)
"Thank you very much. That concludes the weightlifting segment."
Since this was a performance evaluation rather than a tournament, no official rankings were assigned.
"Next, we will proceed to the reaction speed measurement."
This was an evaluation category Jin had never encountered before.
(Well, I understand what they're trying to measure.)
He found himself intensely curious about their testing methodology.
(If it were me... maybe I'd fire lasers from random directions and time how fast the golem evades them... Or perhaps...)
While he let his mind wander through the possibilities, the testing apparatus was brought into position.
The device resembled a large table fitted with a vertical front panel; viewed from the side, the surface formed an L-shape.
The panel was made of a translucent material—most likely Ground Spider resin.
"Points of light will illuminate at random across this panel. The golem's reaction speed will be evaluated by its ability to strike these points accurately."
As the announcement explained the rules, Jin blurted out without thinking:
"It's Whac-A-Mole?!"
Though physical targets wouldn't be popping up, the underlying concept was identical to Whac-A-Mole.
"Indeed, it bears a striking resemblance," agreed Reiko, who shared Jin's knowledge.
"Whac-A-Mole?"
Nearby, Freddie, Greena, Rubina, and Marikka tilted their heads in confusion.
"Ah, it's a kind of game....Though I imagine this device will move incomparably faster."
At the moment, the apparatus was operating at a slow pace to demonstrate the mechanics to the crowd.
"As you can see, the light flashes for a fraction of a second before vanishing. Once it disappears, the next location will light up with no set pattern."
Flickering and blinking, the illuminated spots appeared and vanished in rapid succession.
"The tempo will gradually increase, allowing us to quantify the golem's reaction speed."
The crowd seemed convinced. In fact, a thought occurred to several onlookers:
(...If the speed of that thing was scaled down for humans, wouldn't it make a fantastic game or training device?)
"Now, let us begin."
Bib #1 went first.
It held a specialized sword in its right hand, crafted from a material designed not to damage the testing apparatus.
At first, the pace was leisurely. Starting at intervals of about one second, it gradually accelerated—0.9 seconds, 0.8 seconds, and faster still.
"Oh, this is quite fascinating."
Because the lights appeared on both the tabletop and the vertical front panel, striking the front required a precise thrusting motion.
It demands pinpoint accuracy alongside raw reaction speed... Jin observed.
"Time! Bib #1: 0.2 seconds."
The spectators could not yet tell whether this was fast or slow.
(The numbers naturally fluctuate depending on the measurement method. In that sense, having baseline benchmarks like this is ideal.)
In tests of this nature, results varied based on standards and procedures. It was therefore crucial to establish clear definitions to ensure consistent evaluations across different settings.
"Next is Bib #2."
As a combat golem, it wielded a sword in each hand.
(Holding two blades won't necessarily quicken its reflexes, but there's merit in evaluating it in its natural combat posture.)
Just as Jin anticipated, despite being a dedicated combat model, it was not exceptionally faster, nor did dual-wielding offer any distinct mechanical advantage.
"Bib #2: 0.15 seconds."
(Hmm, hard to judge with so few data points.)
Jin watched with keen interest, knowing the broader picture would become clearer with subsequent entries.
"Bib #3, Prototype 8... Begin!"
Prototype 8 wielded a single-handed sword. And then:
"Oh!"
"That's pretty fast!"
Right, left, front, left, center... It struck each shifting point of light with flawless precision.
Even the casual onlookers in the audience could clearly register its swiftness.
"Bib #3: 0.08 seconds."
(Hmm. Because they eliminated all redundancy in its construction, its movements are remarkably nimble.)
Jin recognized that this reaction speed test measured a complex synergy: the processing throughput of the control core, the response and contraction speed of the magical muscles, and the transmission velocity of the magi-circuits.
(If even a single element falls short, it drags the entire system down.)
And at last, it was time for Freddie and the others' Storm.
"Bib #4, Storm... Begin!"
Starting at the one-second mark, the tempo steadily ramped up...
"O-Ooh?!"
Glares and murmurs of amazement erupted from the crowd.
Storm's movements were visibly, breathtakingly swift.
(They kept the exterior armor lightweight this time, after all.)
A heavy outer shell imposed a massive physical tax all on its own.
(On top of that, they designed the skeleton to function as magi-circuits.)
Furthermore, they had utilized a relatively high-grade control core. And on Hourai Island, anything described as "relatively high-grade" was, by world standards, an unparalleled masterpiece.
"Bib #4: 0.04 seconds."
(Yeah, those are fantastic numbers.)
In his heart, Jin offered Freddie and his fellow disciples nothing but high praise.