Keneric was alive but trapped.


    Previously he had wedged himself into one corner to escape the golem''s reach, but this strategy was turning into a fatal mistake as minutes passed.


    The giant continued dragging things out one by one. Its large hands worked like an excavator, digging toward Keneric. Most of the lockers were yanked out, the benches were long gone, and even the underground plumbing was ripped away with the tiled floor.


    Now the whole place looked more like a hollowed out cave than a college locker room.


    Meanwhile, the mushrooms outside made their way inside, hoping to discern Keneric''s immediate location. But Keneric didn''t let them linger for long. As soon as the mushrooms crossed a threshold, he killed them mercilessly. The drawback was alerting the giant outside, but he couldn''t risk the mushrooms getting too close.


    From an outsider''s perspective, this might look like a stalemate, but the giant was making steady progress.


    Also, Keneric knew the golem could have crushed him in one quick swoop by breaking the sidewalls, but it didn''t. Instead, it moved with care.


    The conclusion was clear. It wanted him alive. It wanted him in one piece.


    Finally, all the lockers, benches, and debris blocking the path were dragged out of the long-room-turned-cave, and the giant reached for Keneric. Its hand moved straight to grab him, but at the last second, Keneric jumped sideways, saving himself from a cruel fate.


    The same couldn''t be said for the spot he had just stood on. The shower pod was yanked outside, leaving only broken privacy glass and a crater behind.


    But Keneric felt relieved. Because he instantly saw a light of hope.


    Above the shower area, there had been a closed vent, sealed with a strong metal cover with holes only for air and steam to pass. Now though, after the giant''s attack, the cover was damaged and half torn from the ceiling.


    Two problems still remained.


    First, the vent cover was still half attached and needed to be dealt with.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Second, the ceiling was too high after the giant had dragged everything out and deepened the bathroom floor.


    Keneric had a crazy idea, and in this desperate situation, it felt better than sitting like a dumb duck, taking the onslaught of attacks.


    Nevertheless, the golem outside didn''t give Keneric time to think and attacked again. He dodged by a hair''s breadth. The giant''s attack felt faster than before.


    Keneric got up and killed the new batch of mushrooms that had walked inside again. The uncovered wet floor was now lined with deflated mushroom corpses.


    But he let one mushroom live.


    Using the sharp end of his spear, Keneric yanked the mushroom from the ground and launched it toward the half-open vent. He failed at first, and the mushroom landed on the ground, glowing with silver light.


    The giant attacked again, and Keneric dodged. The dodging was becoming harder as time passed. The golem seemed frustrated too, and its attacks grew fiercer and smarter each time.


    The attacks also changed mannerisms.


    The first time, it struck in a straight line. The second time, because Keneric jumped to the side, it tried to cover both corners in one swing. The third time, Keneric ducked, letting the golem''s smelly, rotten hand pass over him.


    This time, however, he finally sent a mushroom flying to stick on the vent on the ceiling, where it started glowing. Keneric also didn''t kill the other mushrooms walking inside. So when they reached the right distance, they glowed like the first mushroom, alerting the giant.


    Just as Keneric had figured. These mushrooms worked as the giant''s eyes or ears where it couldn''t see directly.


    As if proving Keneric''s guess, the giant''s hand attacked the ceiling vent, ripping apart the silver piece blocking the way.


    As the smelly wooden fist retreated in defeat, holding mashed wall and glass pieces, Keneric ran at full speed and jumped. He was athletic to begin with, playing volleyball for years. Instantly, he closed the distance, using the giant hand as a launching pad with his right leg. He jumped—grabbed the vent entrance with one hand. With the other, he pushed his makeshift spear inside.


    The giant, startled, tried to grow more mushrooms on its hand. But by then, Keneric had already pulled himself up, leaving the locker room, and was now crawling through a large duct leading to a junction.


    The right path led back to the volleyball court where the giant''s main body had stood in the beginning. The left led to the parking lot behind the gym. Obviously, Ken chose the left path and crawled through the narrow space to the end.


    Instead of a vent cover like before, Keneric found a blower pushing air out, blocking his way this time. A vent cover would have been more troublesome, but it only took two kicks for the ventilation fan to break, clearing his path.


    Meanwhile, the giant inside the gymnasium couldn''t wait any longer. It broke the sidewall, and looked inside with its perplexed yellow eyes, but never found Keneric where it last sensed him. Because of the height difference, it missed the small vent opening (small compared to its size) on the ceiling.


    Frustrated, it spread mushrooms into adjacent rooms, searching for Keneric in a frenzy, but never found him.