i used to be a solo developer for a game, well used to be, i died after finally finishing a game, it was a great game, but i died before i could upload it.

the idea of the game was that you were a weak monster, and you needed to grow stronger, kinda obvious, i know, but the twist was that there were many cheats to evolve into certain monster types, one of the most powerful ones being "scrap golems".

the scrap golems start off being the weakest, but if you get a certain item you can instantly evolve into the final form, however the item is way too rare to actually get in the early game without insane luck.

why am i telling you this? because i became a scrap golem! my body is so weak that i can only sit against a tree while not moving! this is boring!

i feel way too heavy, heavy and empty, as if i am missing a part of myself.

clang clang clang.

suddenly i hear something, wait, no way, this is...!

as if to mock me not being able to move suddenly a golem appears in front of me, "finally! someone to help me!" i thought, but i was wrong, that golem in front of me is a "hunter golem", basically my worst nightmare right now.

why? well because hunter golems hunt and eat other golems, and i can not move! i am basically a lunchbox to this guy!

did i mention that i designed those hunter golems? great idea i know.

as the hunter golem kept getting closer with its sharp teeth i thought to myself that i was done for.

but suddenly a light appeared underneath me, wait i recognize this light, this is a summoning circle! i am saved, unless my summoner is also in danger, but at least i will be safer with someone who can actually move! "i accept!" i think to myself, as if receiving an order the summoning circle started to shine even brighter! yes! i am saved!

as the light started to shine even brighter the hunter golem ran into it to attack me, "can you not see i am escaping!? go away!" as i was thinking this i disappeared together with the hunter golem in front of me.

clang!

"oof! that was a harsh landing" i thought to myself as i landed bottom first on the ground, normally i am supposed to be summoned while standing up, but i could only sit before this so i landed a bit less beautiful than i was supposed to.

"wow! this place is really nice" i think as i look around the area, it seems that i was summoned on top of a podium inside a large hall filled with what looks like students and their teachers.

screech! as i almost forgot about the hunter golem that was chasing me it let out a pain filled scream.

when i look over i see that it is getting shredded by many attacks from all sides, "ha! serves you right!" i think to myself as i begin to look for my summoner.

"hmm, where could my summoner be?" i remember that in the game summoned creatures are summoned with their backs to the master to react to combat.

as i look behind me i do not see anyone, huh? wait, why do i hear someone crying?

as i hear sobs i look below where i looked before and see a silver haired young girl with tears in her eyes.

she is at most three quarters my height, so she must be pretty short, after all, scrap golems are not large at all.

"why is it worthless?" the girl started sobbing louder after she said this, hey! that is rude, you know!? as i was thinking that i suddenly realized that the girl had a weird aura around her, the aura made me feel as if i had to listen to her every order.

"loyalty, huh." i thought as i realized what this aura was, loyalty was a thing i had made for every golem so they could never go against their masters, however that only counts for npc golems, players who chose a golem as their start dont get this, because, you know, no one wants to be a pet in a game, i think.

so why in the holy spaghetti do i feel the loyalty!?

wait, am i not a player?

am i just an npc now?

right before i had a mental breakdown my body moved on its own to a line of different monsters, ah, my fellow summoned creatures, no wait, why are they all so impressive!? there is even an earth drake here! a wyvern too!? now i get why i was called worthless!

after becoming sad i saw the students who i guessed are the summoners walk in front of their summoned monsters, you know, i feel really out of place here, with all the high rank monsters here.

even the students could destroy me easily, that is how weak i am. the students are even looking at me and my summoner while laughing.

"marie! come to the main office." as this voice was heard the entire hall became silent, and my summoner started walking towards the exit with a sad look on her face, i started following her, not like i could do anything else with this stupid loyalty.

looks like my master is named marie, huh, wait, that is the name of a character i made! marie silverhawk, the unlucky girl who summons a worthless monster and then sells it!? i knew she seemed familiar! so she is one of the main cast i made, so that must mean the others are here too.

looks like my own game design is really biting my hand right now, i made you! why are you being so annoying!?

well, looking at the bright side, at least i know that this is basically my game! and because i made it i know all of the cheats!

as i was thinking this we arrived at the main office, inside the office there was a man sitting on a couch looking very disappointed.

the man had long silver hair, a thing every member of the silverhawk family had, even his eye color was silver, which showed he was the family head.

"marie! why did you summon something like that?" the man said angrily while pointing at me.

"i apologize, father, i do not know." marie answered sadly.

"do not worry, i will not hold this against you, however, you should get rid of it, do you understand?"

"yes, father." marie seemed to calm down after hearing this.

"good, you can leave now."

as i followed marie out of the room to the market i could feel stares from everyone we came across, i did not mind but the same could not be said about my summoner, from being born in a powerful family and being pampered, to then summoning something like me and being looked down on, looks like this is pretty hard on her.

while trying to move on my own i realized that i can not even lift a finger without an order, this is so annoying! so all i can do is chase after my summoner while stumbling like an idiot.

as we finally arrived at the market, i could see hundreds of people walking around, selling and buying stuff, as i walked i looked over the stalls to see if there is anything that could get me out of this mess.

"wait is that? holy carp! it is!" i yelled in my mind as i suddenly saw something that made my mind go wild.

"there! move! now!" i was yelling internally while trying to move closer to a certain stall.

because i stopped moving and was just shaking i attracted a lot of attention, even marie looked over, i mean, who would not look if something that sounds like a whole gang of people beating a trashcan could be heard next to them?

no matter what i told my body to do nothing happened.

"i have a way to better protect my master!" as i was at the end of my patience i yelled to myself.

clang!

"huh? that worked?" i asked myself as i finally could control my body.

"show... how..." a voice in my head said slowly.

"what?"

"how... better... protect... master..." the voice continued.

"do not worry, i can make myself strong enough to protect the master, if i can get to that stall!" i said as i was walking to the stall.

"understood..."

while i was being looked at i walked closer to the stall, the stall was a tiny carpet on the ground, with a person sitting behind it, the person was wearing a black robe that i knew better than anyone else, that person is the mystery merchant! they sell random stuff every time you meet them, even rare items, for a higher price. and the current items look like trash, except for one item!

"transfomation rock!" as i happily yelled in my mind about what the name of the item is i arrived at the stall.

the transformation rock is a rare rock that has the shape of an egg, and hatches into a golem, however it is also the item needed for the scrap golem evolution i made!

"hmm? a lone scrap golem?" the robed person questioned.

"egg..." as i tried to speak the voice in my mind took over my body again.

"a golem wants a golem egg?"

"yes..."

"tha-" as the robed person started talking they were immediately interrupted by someone yelling.

"you stupid golem, follow me right now!" the person yelling was my summoner, marie.

"but..."

"no buts, now!"

"hold on, miss marie, this golem was just looking through my wares, maybe you want to look too? the robed person smiled.

"no, i will not, goodbye."

as marie walked away my body automatically followed.

"ah carp, it is completely hopeles-, huh?" as i was thinking someone put something in my hand, as i looked who it was i saw the mystery merchant smiling next to me.

"show me something good!" the mystery merchant said while looking at me.

after hearing this i saw what was in my hand, it was the transformation rock!

"eat it!" i yelled at the voice controlling my body, and without a second passing the rock entered my mouth.

"gaahhh!" as the rock evaporated in my mouth it hurt way more than i expected, causing me to fall on the ground unable to get up.

everyone around me looked in surprise at the changes my body gained, from looking like an uneven skeleton made of scrap all the way to looking like a powerful armored knight.

the entire time a screeching sound came from my body, and the voice in my head kept screaming in pain.

after around ten minutes the pain got less and i was able to stand up again.

"wait, why do i not hear the voice anymore?" as i thought to myself a voice came out of my helmet

"eh? i can speak?" the helmet said loud enough for the crowd to hear, as the helmet was trying out their new voice and started flying around i realized that the voice in my head was really in my head, literally, it is inside my helmet!

wait, helmet? my evolution should turn me into an actual golem, not a suit of armor! no, wait, the armor is filled with metal and other parts, what is this?

wait, "status!" as i thought a single word a screen appeared in my mind.

[name: unknown(not chosen yet)]

[species: scrap golem dullahan(can evolve)(unique)]

[gender: unavailable]

[strength: level 20]

[speed: level 15]

[defense: level 20]

[magic: level [error]]

[name: unknown(not chosen yet)]

[species: scrap golem dullahan helmet(unique)]

[gender: unavailable]

[strength: level 10]

[speed: level 20]

[defense: level 5]

[ magic: level 5]

excuse me!? what is this status!? i have these stats? even a wyvern is weaker than me! haha! come at me!

as i was getting way too confident in my head suddenly i realized that the helmet also had a status, while not as strong as me, it could at least fight a wyvern without losing.

huh? dullahan!? uh oh. as i realized what this means i immediately grabbed the flying head and held it in my arms, afraid it might get damaged.

"hey, head? could you not go too far away from me next time?" as i asked in my mind suddenly my voice came out, my old voice! though it had become more robotic i still recognized it.

"why?" my head asked.

"because you are my head! if you go too far i can not see!"

"oh, okay."

"hold on, how about a name for you?"

"a name?"

"yes, a name!"

"but monsters can not name monsters."

"i am the reincarnation of a powerful existence, this is of no problem to me!" i boasted, after all, i am the creator of this system so i know how to name myself!

"really?" the helmet asked.

"instead of saying i can, i am simply going to do it, from now on you will be named "zero"."

as i said the name the helmet started to shine for a bit before returning to its original state, however it had transformed from an ordinary knight helmet into a death knight helmet, making it look very intimidating.

"thank you, oh great one!" the helmet said full of reverence, looking at me like i was a god.

after realizing what happened the crowd went absolutely wild, some thinking it was fake, however my next action proved them wrong.

"from now on i will be named "01"." as my words left my mouth the same thing that happened to the helmet happened to me as well.

this made the crowd go even wilder.

now i look like a true death knight! my originally calm look now changed into a black armored death knight with sharp edges everywhere on my armor, as if i had knives taped to every side of my armor, as well as a black cape, the only thing that i am missing is a large sword.

but, golems recieve debuffs when wielding equipment that requires even a little amount of skill, so i gave up on thinking about having a sword.

however instead of a sword, i gained very sharp claws on my fingers, looking like bear claws made of metal.

ignoring the crowd i walked to my summoner and said "lets go "master" were you not going to sell me?"

these words made the crowd go even wilder again, after all, a named monster is stronger than an unnamed monster, and now someone was selling a monster that could name monsters!

no one knew how to name monsters, yet this one could name others easily, as they all remember what i said they realized that when i said "i am the reincarnation of a powerful existence" i was speaking the truth.

"w-what?" after i said that i was going to be sold by her, marie instantly went pale while stumbling over her words because of the pressure of the crowd.

"i want it!"

"no, i want it!"

"i also want it!"

the crowd went wild, attracting more people, when those people heard what was going on they also went wild, causing more people to hear it, eventually the entire market area went into chaos, the rich and powerful ones yelling about wanting to buy me, and the poor and weak simply looking at the others showing off.

this chaos made me remember how the story goes, it starts with the player character who lives here, however monsters attack this place and the player was forced to escape, then they come across a new town, after a while the new town gets attacked by monsters, not normal monsters, but named monsters, after this, named monsters appeared everywhere, causing chaos, then the player has to defeat all named monster commanders, after that they can fight the final boss and save the world.

"500 energy stones!" a voice yelled out causing me to return from my thoughts, seems like the staff here are holding an auction for me.

"600 energy stones!" another voice said.

then suddenly.

"2000 energy stones!" this amount made everyone look at the person who made the bid in shock, however, after looking at the person who made the bid everyone realised why they had so much money, it was the city lords daughter, so it is no wonder she had so much money.

"are there any higher bidds?" the auctioneer asked.

"then, the item goes to miss karin!" after hearing this many people left in disappointment, however some stayed behind to congratulate the girl named karin, not without hidden motives though, but thankfully i jumped in at the right time.

"greetings, my new master, karin, i am 01, and this is zero." i introduced myself and my helmet.

"now that you are my master, you should know that my extra services are not free, i will only fight for you for free, naming and skill training will cost 100 energy stones each, however you are my master, so i will charge you half the price!"

"what!? you want to be paid fo- wait did you say skill training?" karins expression went from angry to surprised in a few words.

"yes, I did say skill training, i can teach most monsters, and even some humans new skills, unfortunately evolution is not yet available, however that would cost at least 200 energy stones, some materials and time."

"evolution!?" what was left of the crowd immediately went wild, my previous master, marie went even paler, which made me laugh internally, i do hold grudges so be prepared for more surprises, my previous master, no, wait i was the one who made the story so i guess it was my own fault.

"g-great one, why did you change masters like that? this does not feel right." my helmet suddenly said.

"this was her plan to begin with, she came here to sell us, so i played along." i answered while looking at marie.

"really?" the helmet looked at marie with what seems to be a pleading look, like a puppy before being left alone at home, but i can not tell because it is a helmet.

"yes... my father told me to get rid of you." marie said sadly and full of regret.

"see, i told you." as i said this the helmet seemed like it was going to cry, but it is a helmet so no tears came out, only a soft sobbing sound, like what marie did when she summoned me.

"cheer up, you are now named and have a new master who needs you." i said to the helmet.

"really?"

"yes really, you, no, we have a new master, so keep your head high, preferably just above my shoulders." i joked.

"ah, of course! i have to be brave!" the helmet said energetically, not getting the joke, but still moved back on my body, where my neck is supposed to be.

"then, master, should we go?" i asked my new master, karin, who was looking at me and my helmet.

"go where?" karin asked confusedly.

"that is for you to decide, master."

"however, i would like to look around for some materials." i added.

"what are you looking for?" karin asked.

"i need a soul stone, a pretty big one. thankfully i know where to get one." i answered while looking at the mystery merchant.

immediately understanding my words the mystery merchant smiled, grabbed a large opened geode filled with purple crystals, and handed it to me "50 energy stones, and a skill." they said.

"i will pay, if you can teach me a skill too after we get back." karin smiled.

"sure." i said while karin gave 50 energy stones to the mystery merchant.

"thank you!" the mystery merchant said while taking the energy stones "so what now?" they added after counting the energy stones.

"if you would wait a second." i said while taking the soul stone, moving my helmet to the side, and then stuffing the soul stone into my body from where my neck is supposed to be, surprising everyone around again.

slowly the soul stone disappeared into my chestplate, and when it completely disappeared open purple mouths with sharp teeth made from gaps in my armor appeared on my helmet, chest, and the palms of my hands.

well, not actual mouths but fake mouths that looked like they were painted on, making me look even more intimidating than before.

"wow, so, what changed aside from your looks?" karin asked curiously.

"the success chance of skill training went up, this will be necessary for teaching you a new skill as payment" i said to the mystery merchant "i think i know what skill you want, infinite randomized shop, right?" i added.

"how did you know!?" the mystery merchant asked full of shock.

how could i not know, the skill i just talked about is the advanced version of the skill that the mystery merchant has now, limited randomized shop. this skill is a family skill, all members of the family are born with it, however, every generation the skill will become weaker, until it completely disappears, but now the mystery merchant has the chance to get the advanced skill, so of course they would want it, though i will not say these things in public for privacy reasons.

in the game the mystery merchant would eventually join the main characters team, and only then would you be able to enhance their shop skill by taking a part of a monster that has the soul attribute, and making the mystery merchant eat it. the only negative part of this is that the mystery merchant will stop liking you until they use the skill and realize what happened, because, well, who wants to eat raw monster parts, especially soul attribute monster parts since they always look either scary and inedible like me and my armor, or they look gross and are poisonous on the level of instant death like a lich.

so you need to find a monster with soul attribute, and that is not dangerous to eat, thankfully my armor is not poisonous, and i can remove the sharp parts to make the only dangerous thing about it being a choking hazard.

this skill enhancement was one of the reasons i wanted the soul stone.

"here, eat this." i said as i pulled off one of my armored fingers, removed the sharp parts, and gave it to the mystery merchant.