Small Revolution - 1
With Hoya's pitiful glare, I first issued temporary entry permits to the group and stepped into the gate.
The number of researchers my sister had brought was five in total. The moment they entered, their eyes widened as they looked around in awe.
"See? This place is on a whole different level from that dump of an American gate, right?"
"It's real... I can't believe a gate like this exists in Korea. And there's a ton of troll blood here?"
The oldest among them seemed to be my sister.
"Yeah, just wait and see. Seon-woo!"
At my sister's call, Seon-woo came galloping over from afar, riding Baekya.
"Woooaaah!"
He jumped off the white tiger in what he thought was a cool pose—but to me, it was utterly embarrassing. He'd even gotten a cape from somewhere. A full-body steelman suit made by Si-yeon, complete with a cape... It made me cringe so hard I wanted to die.
"You called?"
He twisted the right ear part of the steelman suit's helmet. Not pressing, but actually twisting it. Then the front faceplate opened, revealing his face. He must have just come back from hunting—sweat-drenched and, in my eyes, hilariously ridiculous.
Anyway, the reason Seon-woo was striking such a pose was probably because he'd heard three of the five incoming researchers were women. The problem was, he hadn't heard that his first love was among them.
My sister could be so mischievously cruel in moments like this.
"O... oppa?"
"Yes?"
Seon-woo turned at the sound of "oppa," looking at Juyeon. He quickly twisted the small circle on the left side of his face this time, covering it again.
"Heh heh heh."
The suit could automatically equip and unequip itself, but that was still beyond our capabilities. That's why he had to manually twist those parts all over. To make it fully automatic would probably require mechanical engineering expertise. Maybe I should recruit a mechanical engineer. It was something I needed to consider for myself too.
"You... you're Juyeon?"
"Yeah, but why'd you cover your face again?"
Did she really not know, or was she enjoying it? I was dying to know.
"Heh heh."
Thwack!
Nyaong.
Hoya, perched on my shoulder, smacked the back of my head again.
"What? Can't I laugh a little at my friend embarrassing himself?"
Hoya spoke to me like that.
Nyaa! Nyaa nyaa nyaa.
"That he doesn't even have a first love is even more embarrassing? You... that's harsh!"
Thinking about it, he had something to be embarrassed about, but I had nothing—and suddenly my own vacuum-sealed, pristinely pure past felt embarrassing. Pfft! And yet this cat laughed at me. Such a two-faced feline.
Anyway, back to spectator mode.
"You... were in the science track?"
I realized why that guy got dumped. That's why we're friends—bound by the stickiest, most pitiful friendship. He's the pathetic one, but being around him makes me feel pathetic too.
"Oppa hasn't changed a bit."
Juyeon smiled radiantly as she spoke. But why did that smile feel like it hid a dagger?
"Hahaha, that's my charm."
Don't do it! Stop!
"Yeah, that's oppas charm. Have you been well?"
"Me? Eh... yeah?"
"I see. It's not been that long since I started doing well thanks to oppa, and here oppa's been doing great all along?"
Women's conversation styles were tricky. Talking with Hoya was way easier.
Then my sister came over to my side.
"What do you think?"
"Think about what?"
"My idiot little brother?"
"Just so you know, sis."
"Yeah?"
"He's my one and only friend."
"Ah!"
My sister looked at me with the enlightened gaze of a sage who had achieved deep realization.
"You knew?"
"W-Well... yeah?"
"Alright, live happily ever after with Hoya."
She patted my head, and an odd feeling washed over me—pity emanating from her fingertips. Was this a skill?
I remembered a book from my childhood that was popular. Something like "Man from Another Star," "Woman from Another Star"—maybe men and women were in the same human category but actually different species? Like dogs and cats: both pets, but worlds apart in thought and behavior.
So my choice was definitely Hoya.
"Right, Hoya?"
Nyaang?
"Got it, no more nonsense."
I scooped Hoya into my arms. At times like this, he nestled in adorably and obediently.
"Kim Seon-woo."
"Huh?"
Seon-woo snapped to attention at my sister's call.
"Troll blood."
"Ah, follow me."
Seon-woo led the group to the warehouse. Watching them go, I headed back to the glass workshop.
From a rough glance, they didn't seem like they needed deep vetting. Of course, someone would screen them for ulterior motives—our greatest village head. I'd asked him to house them and probe for any hidden agendas. The village head, our territory's true treasure, was a human lie detector.
Krak!Krororo!Krarak!
Karak was teaching glassmaking to a few orc workers. The guy was only level 2 now. But I had zero desire to interfere. Why? He trained the orcs excellently.
"You're doing great, Karak. Today, let's master our glassmaking skill... well, not quite, but level it up a lot."
What to do with the glass? Make window panes, obviously. But we could bring in regular window glass from outside without issue—it was just heavy. However, things like glass beakers got crushed when brought in. Machines wouldn't work either.
That's why I was doing this. I didn't fully understand what the gate allowed or blocked. Fishing rods worked, lighters didn't. So we had to make all the lab equipment ourselves.
Maybe the system blocked them because they could lead to dangerous inventions?
Anyway, right now, we needed sheet glass. We could import it from outside, but as the population grew, it was impractical—currently only usable by the Gapyeong folks.
So this time, I planned to replace all the orc houses' windows with glass for brighter homes.
We spent a good while pulling glass and forming sheets. It wasn't as pristine as Earth-made, but skills covered it decently.
Over a few days, I leveled up Glassworking and finally hit level 10.
Glassworking (Active) skill has reached MAX level.
You have acquired Glass Processing (Active) level 1 skill.
You have acquired Glass Engraving (Active) level 1 skill.
Production maxed out, and finally, Glass Processing and Glass Engraving skills unlocked.
I called my sister, asked for needed lab tools, made them, and delivered.
Then the female orcs started peeking around curiously.
"Hm? What's up?"
Koro, kororo kokorok.
"Oh, so you want necklaces via glass engraving? With this? I could buy better ones from outside?"
But the female orcs wanted this. I made a few, and loyalty spawned a new stat: respect.
And one more person.
"Um, me too."
"Helena?"
"Yes."
"What, really? Over this?"
"Because it's beautiful."
"Just glass? We have gems in our mine?"
"But this can be shaped as desired, right?"
"Gems can be cut too... or not?"
Glass was easy to melt and shape, but fragile.
Then Helena chanted a spell and infused the glass. She picked up a small hammer and struck.
Thud!
Not a shatter— a thud. The slender engraved glass held firm against the hammer.
I used Observation on it.
Observation skill used.
Item: Reinforced Glass Engraving (Level 8).
Glass reinforced by magic. Immune to physical shocks. Resistant to magic level 8 and below.
No special effects, but this alone made it incredible.
"Helena."
"Yes."
"That reinforcement magic?"
"Yes, exactly. Shall I teach you?"
"Please. I'll make whatever you want."
"Great!"
Through Helena, I learned Translation Magic and Reinforcement Magic. Reinforcing glass to withstand any physical impact was huge merit—inside the gate and on Earth.
"Oppa, oppa!"
"What? What?"
"That thing, that thing."
"Huh? Huh?"
"You know the essential for the steelman suit, right?"
The steelman suit's eye area was currently open. An arrow through there could be dangerous. Filling it with reinforced glass would boost defense.
"Got it ready."
"This is why I love oppa."
"Only now?"
"And when you make pineapple pizza?"
"Heh. Start with mine."
"Got it."
Si-yeon excitedly grabbed the safety goggles she'd made and left. I took the lab tools I'd crafted to my sister's lab.
The orc construction team's skills were sharpening daily. Soon, our territory might become a city. They were obsessed with road maintenance lately.
Recently, tree seeds from the forest sprouted in our territory—rubber trees. No more importing cart wheels. Best part: I didn't have to process the rubber myself.
A chemist researcher taught the orcs, and now some workers handled rubber.
Our territory developed day by day.
"Sis."
"Oh, you're here? That it?"
"Yes. Your ordered lab tools."
"Exactly what we needed."
Sis looked very satisfied. Then she said,
"You know?"
"What?"
"Process troll blood inside and take it out raw, the efficacy drops sharply."
I hadn't known. Never tested potions outside.
"Really?"
"Yeah, but the US experiments it raw. Probably why they failed."
I hadn't realized the difference.
"So..."
Sis explained US methods—they didn't even know the difference. She learned here. Troll blood wasn't potent enough before.
"Then limb regeneration might be possible?"
"Even more."
"More?"
"Lightly, scalp regeneration first."
"Huh? Hair growth?"
"That'd be the result."
"Whoa! Regrow scalp, eat black beans?"
"Perfection. Luscious locks."
Another blockbuster product. This would sell.
"Others..."
The more she explained, the more uneasy I felt.