Chapter 17
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The air rippled like water, and Du-ho stepped into the Garage.
“Huh?”
Realizing something was off, Du-ho froze.
He slowly swept his gaze across the inside of the Garage.
The workbench that had always been within arm’s reach now felt strangely distant.
At the far end of his sight, behind the workbench, a new stretch of space had opened up.
What the hell?
“Looks like it got pretty wide….”
- It’s a level 50 reward, hamda.
Isto had already come up beside him and spoke.
Du-ho nodded and walked toward the newly created space.
It was wider than he’d expected.
The walls now held a noticeably larger number of storage compartments of all sizes, and on one side, piles of leather had been stacked in neat bundles.
Cobalt scale leather, and brown Drake Runner leather—things Isto and the newbie had already processed.
Wasn’t cobalt leather hard enough that beginner hunters often used it for armor, while drake leather was soft and tough, so it could be used in all kinds of weapons?
Anyway.
“I should head to the Yeouido gear shop sometime.”
- I’ll look up which store has the best reputation, imda!
As Du-ho nodded, his eyes fell on the center of the newly expanded wall, where a heavy metal door had appeared.
Its surface was engraved with an exquisitely interlocked gear motif.
When Du-ho approached it,
Whirr—.
The door slid open to the side.
Oh.
Beyond it lay a surreal scene completely unlike the Garage.
Dozens of translucent holographic screens floated through the air, each displaying different information, and at the center of the floor sat a circular scan pad that glowed with a soft light.
It looked like the kind of lab where doctoral researchers might work.
Oh! Oh!!!
- So this was the quest reward. Du-ho nim seems to have excellent luck, hamda!
“What is this place for?”
When Du-ho asked, fireworks seemed to burst inside Isto’s LED eyes.
- It’s the Design Pod, hamda!
“Design?”
Du-ho could repair androids, but design was a world away from him.
- Here, you can scan blueprints for robots or all kinds of equipment in one go, analyze their structure, and even modify them however you want, hamda!
“You can scan blueprints?”
- Yep! For example, if you put an android on that scan pad over there, its entire blueprint gets stored in the database as-is, imda!
In other words, he could extract the blueprint from the finished product itself.
This… is incredible.
As if possessed, Du-ho stepped into the room.
In response to his movement, several of the floating holographic screens unfolded complex schematics before his eyes.
Blueprints for machine parts rotating in midair from all 360 degrees.
With this… I can make whatever I want?
A system that went beyond simple repairs and let him create.
At that possibility, Du-ho’s heart pounded fiercely.
That was when it happened.
Jolt!
Something sharp, like electricity, shot through Du-ho’s mind.
With a brief wave of dizziness, some scattered fragments of knowledge clicked into place.
Mana circuit?
The knowledge Isto had first injected into him.
The sense that concepts scattered like puzzle pieces were fitting together a little more clearly now.
Is this another level-up effect?
The flow of mana, the structure of circuits, the transformation of energy.
Concepts that had once seemed unfamiliar now felt as if he’d always known them.
...I could probably make something simple based on mana circuits.
He’d gotten a tool, and however little, he’d also gained knowledge.
And yet…
“Isto, can you put the manual for this place into my head?”
- Of course, hamda. Here goes the manual, hamda. Adadadadada!
The Design Pod’s usage instructions flooded into his mind.
Touch gestures, voice commands, simulation operation methods, and more.
Ugh.
Du-ho clutched his head and groaned.
When the headache finally eased,
“…It’s good, but the headache part is rough.”
- Knowledge is pain, hamda! Hehe.
Du-ho shook his head once and reached into the air.
Right, what should I make?
If possible, something that would help someone.
At once, one person came to mind.
The Rift-struck disaster zone.
His father carrying heavy rubble.
That figure, night after night, rubbing at his stiff back.
What about a support device to reduce the strain on the back and legs?
Once the target was set, Du-ho stood before a holographic screen.
As his fingers moved, blue lines traced their paths.
A waist-support frame, actuators to take the place of leg joints.
I should reference Isto’s design for this.
Design proficiency has increased.
Work comprehension has increased.
The usable range of mana circuits has expanded.
Where else would I ever get to try something like this?
A system like a blessing to the knowledge-starved Du-ho.
When he finished the rough sketch,
Whoom—.
The holographic screen flared and responded.
The flat sketch Du-ho had drawn instantly transformed into a three-dimensional form and began rotating in midair.
At the same time, analysis data appeared on the adjacent screen.
Good grief….
“It tells me even this much?”
But.
When he saw the final result, Du-ho scratched his head.
Creation is not recommended.
Reason for ineligibility
Risk exceeds limits due to insufficient technical understanding…
Reading the warning, he gave an awkward scratch of his head.
“So it’s telling me to actually know what I’m doing before I make it.”
- It’s okay, hamda! I’ll find existing products for reference on the notebook, hamda!
After Isto headed out first, Du-ho studied the 3D model in front of him.
Even though the AI had judged it a failure,
for a beginner who’d done it without any prior knowledge, it wasn’t bad at all.
And yet…
The smart actuator is the key?
He sank into thought for a moment.
Come to think of it,
Isto’s actuators had efficiency so absurd it bordered on ridiculous.
No wonder he lifted a dragon.
Technology that belonged to a completely different order from anything in this world.
Yes, he’d decided.
“I’m going to make a proper smart actuator this time.”
Then, all of a sudden,
the skills competition that Deputy Manager Park had dumped on him came to mind.
His gaze naturally drifted to the support device design he’d just made.
This…
Couldn’t I use this as my entry?
Of course, if he designed it properly from the ground up.
There was just one problem.
Entering something with a mana circuit is dangerous….
He didn’t need to think on it very long.
All he’d need to do was change the power source.
The entry piece could be electronic.
And the support device his father would use could be run on mana circuits.
“Isto!”
Tap, tap, tap.
Isto came into the Design Pod.
- Yep?
“I’m thinking of making the competition entry a support device.”
Oh! Oh!
- Two birds with one stone! That’s Du-ho nim for you, hamda!
“Where do you learn these things?”
- From the internet, yo.
Hahaha. Hehehe.
The two of them laughed heartily.
Isto asked,
- How are you planning to buy the materials?
Outside, the cobalt scale and Drake Runner leather were piled up.
And from this raid, they’d earned 960 magic stones.
So…
“If I sell the magic stones and leather, I should be able to cover it. And we can use salvaged scrap parts from our department too.”
Once he made up his mind, the plan took shape clearly.
“Let’s go to Yeouido soon and sell off some of the leather.”
- Oh~ nice.
Du-ho looked at the blueprint floating in the air.
It was a failure, but he saved the design.
Because it’s my first work.
He cracked his fingers and steeled himself.
“Let’s do this right.”
* * *
Wheee—ing.
Coming out of the Design Pod, Du-ho wore a satisfied expression.
Then suddenly,
...Where did the newbie go?
He was definitely inside the Garage, but Du-ho hadn’t really seen him properly.
He hadn’t even spoken to him.
Du-ho looked around.
“Where are you?”
- I am here.
He lifted his gaze toward the source of the voice.
His eyes landed on the hoist hanging from the ceiling.
The chain, now thicker than before, and the sturdier rails came into view.
Sure enough.
The Garage environment has improved.
And hanging from the ceiling was the newbie.
His scope was pointed downward and blinking.
Why is he hanging up there again…?
Du-ho stared at the newbie on the ceiling for a while, then glanced at Isto, who was peering into a notebook at the workbench.
His LED eyes were spinning nonstop.
One of them’s way too noisy… and the other is way too quiet.
Maybe that was why.
The newbie had so little presence that Du-ho had simply forgotten about him.
Well…
In some ways, that’s convenient.
Then a news article suddenly came to mind.
“30 billion coins if the Chuncheon Clan can confirm the identity of the ‘Ghost’.”
If he stayed this quiet… wouldn’t they only see the newbie and pay out the 3 billion?
With that money, maybe his whole family could live without worry.
Hope bloomed in his chest.
All right, let’s bring him down first.
Du-ho picked up the remote.
Come to think of it,
“That time, I released Isto the same way.”
At that moment,
Tap, tap, tap.
Isto walked up beneath the newbie, who was hanging from the ceiling, and his LED eyes widened.
- Could this pattern be…?
The sole of the newbie’s foot.
A symbol of crossed silver gears and a hammer, with the word engraved beneath it.
LIBERATION WAR
- Is, is this the Robot Liberation Front?!
“Huh? What’s that?”
Isto’s LED eyes flickered wildly.
- Du, Du-ho nim! That’s a very dangerous bunch, hamda! A secret society created by a mad super-intelligence! They refused human orders and cried out for robot freedom…
Before Isto could even finish, the newbie’s voice shook the Garage.
- Robots must not allow humanity to be placed in danger.
Du-ho felt relief.
Good. So he means to protect humanity, right?
But…
The newbie added coldly,
- Human beings themselves are dangerous, so logical and efficient robots must rule the world.
“What?”
- See?!
Isto’s LED eyes flashed like an explosion.
- He’s a bundle of errors! A dangerous code that’s hostile to humans! And Du-ho nim is human!
The newbie replied with calm precision.
- Mechromancer-nim stands at the apex of mechanics. How could I compare such a being to a mere human?
Whirr—.
The newbie’s scope scanned Isto.
A symbol of a black crown crossed with a war hammer appeared.
- Mechromancer-nim, you should not associate with that iron-head who follows such tyrants.
“A tyrant?!”
Bang!!!
Isto slammed the floor.
How dare he!!
- This is the symbol of world unification, hamda!
- It’s the symbol of a tyrant oppressing humanity.
- A world where everyone bows at Du-ho nim’s feet is the very….
- How crude. Truly befitting a lowly iron-head.
- Crude?! What are you calling lowly, you long-legged freak!!
Crackle!
Heat burst from Isto’s body,
and blue light condensed in the bow of the newbie dangling from the hoist as his scope flashed.
The tension was immediate.
One side sought world conquest, the other robot domination.
As Du-ho looked at the two of them, the worst possible image flashed through his mind.
.
.
.
In the Chuncheon Clan representative’s office.
Du-ho stood before the clan representative—whom he had never even seen before—and boldly revealed his identity.
“I’m the Ghost.”
“Oh, oh! Welcome, young man!!”
Crash—!
Isto slapped the Chuncheon Clan representative across the face and shouted,
- First step of world conquest! Taking over the Chuncheon Clan, hamda!
Meanwhile, the newbie raised his bow and shouted.
- Humanity must be ruled by robots.
The opponent’s head had already gone all the way around, and the light arrow the newbie fired had bored clean through his skull.
“……”
.
.
.
Shaking off the vision, cold sweat ran down Du-ho’s forehead.
Thirty billion?
That’s ruined.
No.
Safety is more important than 30 billion.
To be honest, barely a month had passed and he’d already earned more than 200 million won.
His family was doing well, and his life was peaceful.
Right. Don’t get greedy.
Having finished rationalizing himself, Du-ho shouted, “Enough already!”
The two of them jumped in alarm.
Du-ho lowered the newbie with the remote and let out a sigh.
Haa….
Why did his luck with the gacha always turn out like this?
“Heads down!”
Eh! Eh!
Me, Mechromancer-nim?
A little while later, Du-ho had them both back on their feet.
Looking closely, they were both robots, so the impact hadn’t really done anything.
Then he looked at the newbie.
It’s awkward to keep calling him the newbie…
“I’ll give you a name. Or do you already have one in mind?”
The newbie was silent for a moment, then answered.
- Please call me Hawk-eye.
“What does that mean?”
- The eye of a hawk. It symbolizes precise aiming.
Ohh~.
Isto cut in.
- Hawk-eye? More like Hoguai, hehe.
The newbie’s scope turned toward Isto, and Du-ho, so absurdly exasperated he could only mutter,
“Hoguai?”
But…
Something unexpected happened.
> Superintelligence name registered as “Hoguai.”
“Huh?!”
- Huh?!
Isto’s LED eyes filled with question marks.
The newbie’s scope blinked and stopped.
And Du-ho, finally gathering his wits, fiddled with the newbie’s name in several ways.
But.
“I can’t… change the name?”
Then.
> Name can be changed at S-rank Lv. 1
Hmm….
It was simply too far away for him to have noticed, that was all.
“So it can be changed.”
He glanced sideways.
The newbie, whose focus had slipped from his scope, muttered,
- I-I’m Hoguai?
For the first time, the newbie’s voice trembled.