Chapter 31
Chapter 31
Translator: Penny
Chapter 31: The Super Beautiful Girl Pilots a Transforming Mech
Episode 31: The Ultra-Beautiful Girl Boards a Transforming Mech
"Since the Industrial Class cadets are currently using the Forge, should I come back later?"
"Ah, yes...!"
Several days had passed since I witnessed Baek Sia's crazed gaze.
Baek Sia was truly a unique individual.
Normally, she was timid, secretly watching the protagonist from behind and supporting him like a virtuous wife—a typical, run-of-the-mill "defeated heroine" archetype. But...
- That machine over there... If you're not using it, could you give it to m— No, just give it to me. Right now.
- Miss Sia? It's almost lights-out time...
- Wait! I haven't fully grasped the internal structure of this machine yet. I can't go to bed until I figure it out.
Baek Sia's character, who refused to sleep until she disassembled the machine she couldn't dismantle during the training camp, and who would transform into a madwoman obsessed with machines, created a bizarre contrast.
Players were captivated by this gap. They called her a "engineering student heroine" or something like that, focused solely on her field.
I... unfortunately, I'm not like that.
Well, from the moment I started playing the game until I was transmigrated into this world, I was desperately trying to make Yun Se-a the heroine, staking my very life on it. I genuinely knew nothing about character storylines or anything like that.
The only relationship stories I knew somewhat well were those of Seong Arin, Kang A-yul, and Hanae Sakura, whom I had chosen as heroines during my first playthrough, before I understood Yun Se-a's appeal in Yu Eun-ha's story.
Well, that's all in the past now.
Honestly, just remembering the main story was already a Herculean task... Trying to recall the heroines' individual details was simply impossible.
To clear the entire story and return home, I needed to ensure the characters grew strong enough to protect the world I was leaving behind. For now, I had to focus on Baek Sia.
"Now then, Miss Sia, how much do you know about blacksmiths?"
When I asked Baek Sia, she answered calmly, like a model student reciting a textbook from memory.
"Hmm... I've heard that Heroes can enter the Gates and use equipment crafted specifically for those environments. They can also have additional effects inscribed onto the gear, providing beneficial enhancements. These Enchantment Formulas are typically engraved onto weapons and armor. Equipment with inscribed effects is about ten times more expensive than plain gear, as far as I know."
"Exactly! You're well-informed."
"I've heard about it from my parents constantly. They've always said they hope I'll do that kind of work in the future."
Just like the story.
Baek Sia's talent for crafting is so extraordinary that it's often said the God of Blacksmiths must have been reincarnated as her.
Baek Sia's parents were well aware of this. They likely persuaded her that while it was admirable to act as a Hero within the Gates, crafting equipment to enhance the Heroes' abilities could also be a way to save lives.
To summarize Baek Sia's situation, it was like a child with extraordinary talent in fighting games wanting to become a real-life combat athlete.
However, after fully understanding her overflowing talent and meeting the Class A Blacksmith recommended by the protagonist—the player—Baek Sia blossomed. Like a firefly in a train game, she donned ironclad armor and soared through the Gates, unleashing the ultimate display of firepower.
Back then, I had told my blacksmith friend in Class A the same thing and immediately put him into practical production. He had shown remarkable talent... What kind of quality would Baek Sia's debut work reveal?
Clang...
I opened the iron door and stepped inside. The coldly cooled forge greeted us.
Since no one's here, they haven't even lit the fire.
This Chartered Forge was one I had painstakingly secured, even resorting to a forceful protest—promising to remove my earrings for Eve—just to witness Baek Sia's weapon crafting.
Clink, clank!
"Let's see... the instructions say the blast furnace operates like this. Miss Sia, could you bring over the hammer and those Low-Purity Mithril ingots?"
"Ah, yes!"
Baek Sia swiftly ran to a truck-sized cart and filled it to the brim with chunks of Low-Purity Mithril.
She seems to have a lot of questions.
Even as she loaded the cart, her expression clearly showed she didn't understand my request. Just as expected of a genius mechanic, I thought.
"But... why do we need Low-Purity Mithril? Its durability is..."
"You're well aware that Low-Purity Mithril's only advantage is its high Mana Amplification, but its overall durability is terrible, making it easily breakable even under minor stress."
"Yes, I know that much. That's why High-Purity Mithril, with its superior durability, is considered a top-tier material like Alternium Alloy or Orichalcum."
Alternium Alloy—a material created by combining the most advanced materials achievable through human technology.
Orichalcum, a rare metal found inside the Gates.
The common trait between the two materials is that both conduct Mana exceptionally well while also possessing considerable durability.
The material we'll be using is Mithril, which has lower durability than Orichalcum but boasts one of the highest Mana Amplification rates among all materials.
According to the tier list... High-Purity Mithril = Orichalcum = Alternium Alloy >> Other Metals >> Low-Purity Mithril.
Even High-Purity Mithril isn't particularly durable. Low-Purity Mithril, with its inferior purity, is so brittle that it shatters even when heated for forging, earning it a reputation as a cheap material so worthless that a wooden sword would be more effective.
With this level of quality... it should be possible.
I pulled a bottle of blue potion from my pocket.
It was a Supreme Mana Potion, given to me by Eve with a stern warning not to use the Demonic Eye's power or Mephisto's essence unless absolutely necessary.
I had brought four or five more Supreme Mana Potions from the Yuseong Group's warehouse, bringing my current total to... exactly six bottles.
Glug, glug, glug!
I uncorked all the bottles and drained them in one gulp.
"Ch-Chairman?! Drinking that many Mana Potions could cause Mana Overload—"
"Shhh."
Using Psychokinesis, I gathered the countless Mithril fragments scattered around the forge into a single pile.
When fully assembled, the Mithril shards would easily fill a house. As they coalesced, they emitted an eerie, grinding sound, merging into a single mass.
Crack...!!
".........!!!"
Baek Sia watched my actions in stunned disbelief, as if she couldn't believe what was happening before her eyes.
Will this work?
Mithril, being notoriously brittle, could shatter even under minimal force. Using my psychokinesis, I pulverized the Mithril into the smallest possible fragments, then subjected them to immense pressure and heat to compress the material to its absolute purity.
Boom!
The heavy thud of a falling object echoed through the forge. A radiant, silvery-white Ultra-High-Purity Mithril ingot materialized, its surface gleaming with unparalleled brilliance.
Ultra-High-Purity Mithril is a material Baek Sia will develop herself later when she creates new materials... Well, the situation here is too urgent to wait.
"Phew... Looks like it worked out... thankfully."
Thud!
Considering I'd chugged six Supreme Mana Potions to achieve this, the result seemed somewhat underwhelming. Still, it appeared I had successfully created enough Ultra-High-Purity Mithril to forge Baek Sia's full-body suit.
Baek Sia approached the massive Mithril Alloy—measuring 1 meter wide, 0.5 meters tall, and 30 centimeters thick—as if she didn't even have time to catch my staggering form.
"How is it possible to create Mithril Alloy with such precision?! Did you compress it under immense pressure...? No, there must have been frictional heat and various other variables... Wait, Chairman?!"
"Finally noticing me?"
Fortunately, I had collapsed onto the makeshift cot I'd anticipated needing.
"I... I'm so sorry! I must have lost my mind...!!"
"No, it's natural for artisans to be drawn to exceptional materials... I understand."
Look at her. Baek Sia was trying to apologize sincerely, but she was rolling her eyes, desperate to catch another glimpse of that magnificent Mithril Alloy, like a tiger starved for a hundred days.
"Alright, all the materials for you are ready. Now, unleash your talent."
"Yes! I... I'll create a masterpiece that truly deserves to be called the best!"
Clatter!
"Ah, the furnace operation..."
"I already know how!"
I was about to explain, but Baek Sia, as if this place were her own home, effortlessly manipulated the machinery with one hand and began forging a silver-white armor from the Mithril Alloy.
Well, I'm tired anyway... maybe I'll just take a nap...
Yawn... What time is it?
[3:58 PM]
I slept for about five hours. Why is my phone so hot...?
[Chairwoman Eve] (99+)
...?
What's this?
Should I call her?
The call connected immediately. Judging by Chairwoman Eve's urgent tone... she must have seen it.
["How did you do that?!"]
"Ah, you were watching the CCTV?"
["Yes! Thank goodness Cheonma and Jinmyeong were with me... If anyone else had seen that, it would have been a massive scandal!"]
Well, that was to be expected.
Low-purity Mithril, which I thought was useless scrap, has been transformed into a new material with mana amplification far surpassing Orichalcum and durability comparable to Alternium Alloy...
No wonder Eve is so astonished.
"Let me be clear: this technique can only be performed by someone who has honed psychokinesis to its absolute limit. It's utterly impossible with modern technology."
For now, I can't reveal this technique. It was created using a crude, makeshift method that only I can replicate.
Still, if you can do it...
"I drank six Supreme Mana Potions and still suffered mana exhaustion. I doubt I'll ever be able to do it again."
"Alright, if you say so, then so be it. I'll let this matter slide."
"Thank you for your consideration."
Fortunately, Eve seemed to have no intention of exploiting students, as she let the matter drop after I pleaded that I was on the verge of death.
"Um, if there's any Mithril left over, could you leave some in the Chairwoman's Office?"
As expected, the Chairwoman is a kind person.
If it were me, I would have immediately resorted to threats or force to coerce them into producing the alloy. Yet she was even willing to turn a blind eye.
She probably wouldn't use all of it to make armor anyway...
As expected, there was some left over.
Baek Sia had vanished without a trace, leaving behind about one-third of the Mithril ingots.
Eve's staff... was made of Alternium Alloy, right?
If so, this staff crafted from ultra-high-purity Mithril should be far more efficient. It should awaken the full extent of Eve's power from her prime, allowing her to reclaim her position as an active S-Rank Hero.
"Chairman! Are you awake?"
"Ah, Miss Sia..."
And then, while I was reviewing the cost estimates for the Mithril Alloy to be used in the staff, Baek Sia's voice rang out... but.
Kugugung...!!!
"...Wow."
Before my eyes stood a colossal steel giant, easily towering over two meters tall.
Now I understand why firepower enthusiasts weep tears of joy—and then die—when they see something like this.