Your Ability Isn't That Simple (3)
Your ability isn't that simple. (3) Episode 32. Your ability isn't that simple. (3)
And that dwarf dude—well, to be precise, he's only a dwarf in appearance.
"Just so you know, I'm originally Korean, by the way."
"Pardon?"
"My trait happened to change my looks too. At least I didn't turn into a girl. Haha!"
From this dwarf uncle who was actually a natural-born Korean with pure Kim lineage flowing through his veins, I learned this bizarre truth.
"Hang on a sec, let me just... If the theory holds, then any mechanical equipment you... Wait, come to think of it, I haven't even introduced myself yet?"
"Section Chief Lee here gets so hyped he ignores everything, you know."
"Ahem, sorry about that. My engineer side just takes over sometimes."
"Happens. I'm Kim Saeron."
"...Huh? What'd you say?"
"Kim Saeron. Everyone reacts like that at first 'cause it sounds kinda girly."
As we got to introductions, just like always, the dwarf uncle's brain short-circuited for a moment upon hearing my name.
But that passed quickly.
"R-right! Well, I'm Sin Chang-seok. Section chief at the Management Bureau, and in charge of this lab-cum-training ground. Call me Chief Sin."
"Nice to meet you, Chief Sin."
Sin Chang-seok, whose name evoked images of some famous singer-dancer just from the sound of it, shook off the confusion.
"Anyway, we've got armored vehicles, regular cars, and heavy construction equipment here on bureau grounds for hunters and staff to use. We'll test those first, yeah?"
"Oh, got it."
"And I've reached out to contacts outside, and the government's hooked—they're sending gear our way. If things go well, something awesome could happen by the end of the week!"
"Uh... yeah..."
"And with your help, Kim Saeron, we'll finally build the dream of every guy's dreams—a giant robot dinosaur!"
"Uh, is he always like this?"
"Yep. Just roll with it."
Sure enough, his eyes sparkled like a kid's as he rambled about all sorts of gear, perfectly matching his dwarf looks.
The problem? That gleam had a hint of mad scientist madness, just like we'd joked about earlier. With his bushy beard making his eyes pop even more, the insanity in them stood out crystal clear.
So even though the ice had broken during intros, seeing that full-on crazy vibe hit me again, cold sweat trickling down my spine once more.
But bailing out wasn't even an option worth considering.
Plus, while I didn't have quite as much mania as Chief Sin, I was a guy too, after all.
-Vrrr, thud!
"Alright, let's start with this! Ivren M-689 construction excavator!"
"Uh, sure."
"Absorb it and mount up!"
The moment a massive excavator—tens of meters long and wide, weighing 20-30 tons—rolled into the center of the underground workshop, a thrill hit me.
If I absorb that and swing it as an attack, won't it just pulverize orcs and everything with a basic hit?
And sure enough, once the chief gave the go-ahead, I touched it...
From now on, you can use the 'Ivren M-689 Large Excavator'.
Would you like to mount it?
"Whoa, it actually works."
"Knew it!"
Not only did it register as my gear, but mounting was an option too.
"Quick, do it!"
"On it!"
I absorbed it fast, swapped it into my mounted equipment slot in the status window...
-Thud!
"Whoaaa!"
"Ooooh!"
"Hmm?"
The excavator's signature "robot arm" shot out exactly where I wanted, ready to strike.
And the endless tracks? I could pull those out from my feet or legs too.
Things were going even better than expected, so I was pumped, Chief Sin was ecstatic, and even Kim Aran—who didn't seem into this stuff—was hooked watching theory turn real.
With that smooth first success, we moved on to absorbing and testing gear hauled up from below, one by one.
It was weird to keep saying it, but damn, it was genuinely exciting.
The absorbed gear didn't shrink to fit my body—it deployed at full size.
When I just carried it, no one noticed, sensors didn't ping.
But swing it in attack? Or get hit? The full mass kicked in, slamming the target like a body weighing as much as all my absorbed gear combined.
Sure, it was just mass—no actual physical damage like bruises or blood from bare fists...
"Heh, completely defies laws like conservation of mass."
"That's why EX-ranks are tricky. Too many hidden quirks till you test 'em properly."
"True that."
"Yeah?"
In other words, my punches weren't bare-handed, and the reaction force from attacks factored in the absorbed gear too.
At this point... well.
"I've been climbing the Tower with shackles on...!"
"Dude, 20mm or 30mm autocannons with Ala Bong were already OP."
"Just a figure of speech."
Realizing I needed even more power left me feeling all pumped and bittersweet.
But life doesn't always give you what you want.
As the status window, Tower, and hunter norms showed...
Even EX-rank didn't make you some invisible dragon shredding everything in super-munchkin style.
Testing the next excavator, an armored car, the chief's personal SUV—consumer vehicles...
And "weapons"—swords, guns, all sorts of unheard-of gear...
"Saeron, why not absorb that one?"
"Trying, but no dice."
"I see... So if it doesn't register as a 'weapon,' no absorption?"
Consumer vehicles? Mechanic Lord didn't even trigger.
Weapons? Swords, blunt weapons, spears, bows—handheld melee? No go.
But if it had internal mechanics, absorption worked fine.
"Three chainsaws make it stronger, right?"
"Director Kim, that's copyright infringement."
"Why's this dagger absorbable? Looks like a plain military knife."
"Oh, that? My experimental high-frequency vibro-knife. But it's a dud—just buzzes uselessly, so no need to absorb."
"Ah, gotcha. But this one's a no? Looks mechanical."
"Conditions are weird. Crossbows use mechanics too, and that one's wizard gear with transformation circuits and mana cores etched in."
Crossbows—obvious machines? Nope.
Wizard staves and gear? Mostly no absorption.
I couldn't help shaking my head at how convoluted this trait was.