Tracking (2)
Hunter Administration Bureau, basement level 2.
In a dusty corner between the storage room and the machine room, Du-ho looked left and right in quick, furtive sweeps like the hero of a spy film.
“Hoguai, how’s this spot? Perfect, right?”
With a ripple in the air, Hoguai emerged from the Garage.
He zoomed his scope in and out, scanning the area.
-This is an excellent location, as it lies outside the CCTV blind spots.
“Okay, then set it up.”
Hoguai stepped back from Du-ho. As he opened his palm, light gathered in his hand. A moment later, a small pyramid rested in his palm.
Crack!
Hoguai flipped the pyramid upside down and drove it into the floor tile.
Woooong—
For an instant, the air trembled ever so slightly.
The coordinates were etched into space.
Hoguai registered Du-ho.
Watching from behind, Du-ho could only marvel.
He just drove that tiny thing into the floor, and now it can teleport us.
Then Hoguai lowered his scope.
-Save Point installation is complete.
“Man, you really worked hard.”
-Mecromancer-nim.
“Hm?”
-From now on, you needn’t say things like thank you or good work. You only need to give commands, Mecromancer-nim.
His manner of speaking was different, but Hoguai was exactly the same as Isto. Still…
“I still appreciate it.”
When Du-ho grinned and said that, Hoguai fell silent for a moment.
-…I will return now.
He said that briefly, then slipped back into the Garage.
“That guy. I guess he gets embarrassed too.”
Du-ho checked his surroundings once more.
Still no one.
Of course not.
There was no reason for any Bureau staff to come down to basement level 2.
Du-ho asked, “So I just go through the pyramid?”
-That is correct.
Hoguai’s voice echoed in his mind.
The moment Du-ho stepped over the pyramid, Moru Workshop’s secluded alley appeared in his field of view.
It was a different sensation from the Garage or the Abyss.
It felt as though he had pierced through folded space.
-How is it?
At Hoguai’s question, Du-ho answered, “…This is insane.”
-Hmph. I am glad you are satisfied.
Pride laced Hoguai’s voice, and at that very moment—
-So the stiff old man had a use after all. Heehee.
-Iron Head. It’s not stiff old man, it’s Hoguai!
-Ooooh~ you mean Hoguai child?
-…
Hoguai gave up on replying.
Rather than waste time arguing with that iron-headed fool, he would raise Du-ho to S-rank as fast as possible.
Du-ho snorted and opened the door to Moru Workshop.
* * *
The hide of a Drake Runner spread across the workbench.
Jang Mun-seo’s rough hand brushed over the leather.
“When cutting beast hide, you have to read the grain of the fibers, the direction the strength flows, before you can cut it clean.”
The leather knife in his hand moved with a soft swish.
The blade met resistance and trembled faintly.
Jang Mun-seo pressed down with practiced ease and drew out a single straight line.
Du-ho memorized every step.
Was his gaze too intense?
Heh heh.
“At this rate, your eyes’ll pop out.”
At the joke, Du-ho scratched his head.
“Now, you try it yourself.”
“Really?”
“For this sort of thing, real experience matters.”
The leather knife he was handed felt heavy.
He replayed Jang Mun-seo’s movements in his head.
Read the grain, apply the force, move forward.
That was the theory.
But…
Grk… squeak.
The result was disastrous.
The cut edge was a mess.
“Not bad for your first time.”
Du-ho thought Jang Mun-seo was just trying to comfort him, but in truth, Drake Runner hide usually pushed back against a beginner’s blade and stretched instead of cutting cleanly.
Yet…
He actually managed to cut it.
That meant he had a decent eye for it.
Seeing Du-ho’s face flush red, Jang Mun-seo smiled faintly.
“If you were good at it from the start, why would you need to be taught?”
Fair enough.
But still.
If he used the nanobots…?
“If you don’t mind, could I try it my way?”
“Go on, then.”
Given another chance, Du-ho reached for the hide again.
Silver dust spilled from his fingertips.
The nanobots flowed along the leather’s surface.
Snick.
They sliced cleanly through the material with ease.
Huh?!
Jang Mun-seo’s eyes widened.
“…You’re a Wind Cutter user?”
Instead of answering, Du-ho simply nodded.
There was no need to explain the nanobots.
Then Jang Mun-seo, astonished, continued, “Amazing.
You can cut with Wind Cutter, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone able to cut exactly the way they want.”
“I’m good with my hands.”
“So am I.”
Heh heh, hahaha.
Their laughter filled the workshop.
One week passed from that day.
Du-ho’s initially clumsy hands grew steady and natural.
He learned how to cut leather, shape it, and combine it with the item.
“You’ve got a natural knack for this.”
Jang Mun-seo said that and offered to teach him metalworking next.
Du-ho did have metal manipulation, but…
Why refuse when he’s offering to teach me?
And if he was going to submit the piece to the competition, he would need paperwork stating where it had been made.
In the end, the frame for the assistive device was built at Moru Workshop, while the smart actuator that served as the joint was made entirely by Du-ho in the Garage.
That was the moment Metal Manipulation truly shone.
On a Sunday afternoon, Jang Mun-seo admired the skeleton of Du-ho’s assistive device.
“You…”
He looked up at Du-ho, then said with genuine admiration, “I think you’re more suited to this line of work than hunter work.”
Du-ho had never considered himself a hunter in the first place, so the praise hit him square in the heart.
The Drake Runner leather was fitted seamlessly over the frame, and the joint movement became even smoother.
Jang Mun-seo lifted the assistive device and examined it from every angle, shaking his head in disbelief.
He said it was absurdly smooth.
“It’s truly remarkable.”
He clearly wanted one for himself.
“Should I give it to you once it’s finished?”
“Would that be all right?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? If anything, I’d be honored if you used it.”
“Then I’d like one too, if you please.”
Du-ho wore a satisfied expression as he accepted the assistive device Jang Mun-seo handed back to him.
* * *
That night, in the Garage.
On the frame brought from the workshop, Du-ho fused his trump card, the smart actuator.
The smart actuator was the crystallization of the design port, metal manipulation, and the nanobot skill.
Small, yes, but it held a heart of potential that was incomparable to existing technology.
What’s more, thanks to Jang Mun-seo’s guidance, he had managed to perfect not just the product’s finish but its design as well.
“All that’s left is the circuit.”
The competition entry was an electronic circuit.
And for the assistive device he would give his father, the plan remained the same.
I need to engrave a mana circuit.
Right then—
Du-ho was startled by the sudden quest.
He quickly read through the text.
Huh?
“Dimension Entry… changes to Dimension Control?”
Oh! Oh! Oh!
-It’s a skill upgrade, hamda!
As Isto’s LED eyes sparkled and he made a racket, Hoguai clicked his tongue.
-Tsk. What an iron-headed fool.
-Eh?!
-Mecromancer-nim, you should pay attention to the fact that it changes from “entry” to “control.”
“…Control?”
Dimension Entry was a skill directly related to the Abyss.
If this meant controlling something connected to the Abyss…?
By the time his thoughts reached that point, Du-ho had made up his mind.
“I’ll accept it.”
-A wise decision.
After accepting the quest, Du-ho headed straight into the design port.
On the circular scan pad in the center, the blueprint for the mana circuit was spinning.
I just need to draw the mana circuit as it is…
It wasn’t much experience, but while repairing Isto, he had gained some familiarity with mana circuits.
Only this time, it wasn’t a restoration job.
He had to go from placement all the way to engraving.
So he studied the blueprint again.
He enlarged the center of the lumbar support frame.
The optimal place, where energy would spread outward in all directions.
-Du-ho nim, you don’t need to feel pressured, hamda. If you fail, you can just make it again, imkka.
-Since you’ve already made the assistive device once, you’ll be able to build it faster even if you do fail.
At Isto’s advice, Hoguai added his own.
Watching the two of them, Du-ho rolled his shoulders.
“That’s hurtful.”
-Hm?
“Why do I get the feeling I’m going to fail?”
-I’m not saying that, hamda. Mana circuits are difficult the first time you try them.
-The iron-headed fool is right. That’s why the quest reward is so great.
Listening to them only made his competitive spirit rise.
“If it’s hard, that just makes me want to do it better.”
He concentrated mana into the tips of his fingers and drew a blue trace through the air.
The mana circuit pattern gradually twisted into something more and more complex.
├─ Tier 1:Basic recognition of mana flow ✓
├─ Tier 2:Can reproduce circuit paths ✓
└─ Tier 3:Precise circuit engraving — UNLOCKED ★
The system messages kept appearing.
He kept moving his hands without pause.
Time slipped by endlessly.
Sweat gathered in tiny beads on his forehead, but his hands never once stopped.
He kept forcing his focus higher and higher.
He had stood for so long that his limbs felt numb and shaky.
And yet…
The sensation of mana flowing from his fingertips and taking shape in empty space.
I don’t want to stop.
This moment, creating something that did not exist in the world, was so intoxicating it nearly made his head spin.
If he hadn’t been this deeply absorbed, Du-ho would have collapsed long ago.
Isto and Hoguai watched him from behind as he lost himself in his own world.
-He’s my master, but he looks cool, hamda.
-For once, I agree with the iron-headed fool.
And at last—
The mana circuit was complete in midair.
Huuup—
He drew in a deep breath.
Now I need to anchor it onto the assistive device.
While drawing the mana circuit, he had painfully realized the importance of stamina.
He was glad he had started exercising lately.
Still…
“If I’d designed it in separate parts, this wouldn’t have been so hard.”
-That’s right, hamda. Then you could’ve taken it easy.
“You should’ve told me that sooner.”
When Du-ho gave Isto a hurt look, Hoguai—no, Hawk… no, Hoguai—cut in like a predator scenting prey.
-I just assumed that loud-mouthed iron-head had already told Mecromancer-nim.
-You long-bodied bastard!
As Isto hopped around in outrage, shouting that he was being wronged, Du-ho deliberately put him to work.
“Isto. Bring me the assistive device.”
-Oh! Oh! Understood, hamda!
Since Isto had been teasing Hoguai so relentlessly, Du-ho had chosen him on purpose.
A little later, the assistive device was placed before him.
Once the rough sketch of the mana circuit was anchored onto the assistive device, the first stage would be done.
It was hard, but it had to be done now.
The mana circuit outline floating in the air is volatile.
Even now, it was growing fainter.
He gathered his mental strength again.
At his gesture, the massive mana circuit in the air compressed and sharpened into clarity.
Swish, swish, swish…
As Du-ho moved his hand, the blue mana circuit drifted down as smoothly as a butterfly settling on a flower.
The moment it touched the assistive device’s frame, the circuit sketch anchored itself perfectly onto the surface.
Haa…
Only then did Du-ho let out a long breath and sway on his feet.
Yes!!!
The thrill of succeeding on the first try!
A little later, after enough rest, Du-ho stood before the workbench again.
He looked down at the assistive device.
His heart was beating fast for no reason.
Calm down.
…I already did this with Isto.
Back then, it had been a repair job on something broken.
He steadied himself with an internal murmur.
He brought the tips of his fingers to the center of the assistive device.
Swish…
Nanobots spilled from his fingertips.
Silver dust flowed downward, following the rough outline of the mana circuit over the metal frame.
As he carved the mana circuit one line at a time—
Scratch, scratch—
The nanobots burrowed into the metal, and blue light began to glow faintly from within.
The sound of the circuit being engraved filled the silent Garage.
[Your proficiency has increased]
[Your proficiency has increased]
[Your proficiency has increas…]
How much time had passed?
With the final mana circuit finished, the nanobots returned to Du-ho’s fingertips.
Hup!
He took a deep breath.
Then he checked the center of the assistive device at once.
The circuit was beautifully engraved.
A precise, intricate pattern.
Still…
Compared to Isto’s and Hoguai’s mana patterns, it was crude. Once again, he felt just how extraordinary the Mecromancers who had made those two truly were.
Even so, Du-ho roared, “...I did it!”
Isto cheered along with him.
Oh! Ohhh!
-I knew you could do it, hamda!
Hoguai, too, widened the scope-eye more than usual to show his joy.
Du-ho held out his hand.
“Isto, give me one mana stone.”
-Yes, sir!
Du-ho took the mana stone and placed it into a box shaped like a battery pack.
It was a disguise, meant to avoid drawing suspicion from others.
Of course, the assistive device he submitted to the competition would have a real battery pack attached in its place.
He slid the battery pack containing the mana stone into the slot at the center of the circuit.
Click—
The moment it locked into place—
Woooong—
The mana flowing from the mana stone lit up blue and began spreading through the circuit.
Like hot blood returning to cold metal.
He put the assistive device on at once.
Whirr—
The device activated and clung to his waist and legs.
The Drake Runner leather wrapped softly around his skin, so comfortable it was almost unbelievable.
Swish.
He tried taking a single step, and…
“What the hell….”
Goosebumps erupted all over Du-ho’s body.