Quantum Jump
The Clarendor Kingdom. This island nation had secured a technical victory against the Empire in the great war seven years ago. While their own territory remained completely untouched, the Empire had been forced to sign a ceasefire treaty due to the relentless guerrilla warfare. So what was the secret behind their triumph over the Empire?
It was deficiency.
Because the Empire dominated the center of the continent as the hegemonic power, it ironically spurred the development of advanced navigation techniques to open new sea trade routes. In other words, if the Empire was the center of overland trade, the Clarendor Kingdom was the center of maritime trade. They had developed triangular sails that could sail against headwinds, pioneered countless sea routes, and advanced their navigation technology to the point where they could reach every corner of the continent.
As a result, there was a vast difference between Imperial ships and Clarendor ships—like the difference between heaven and earth. While the Empire was still stuck at the level of mere galleys, the Clarendor Kingdom had reached the final tech tree of the wooden sailing ship era: ships of the line. They were the undisputed strongest in naval combat.
Moreover, the Empire knew virtually nothing about sea monsters. Having never pioneered routes where such creatures appeared, they had developed neither weapons nor defensive systems to counter them.
‘But the Clarendor Kingdom is different.’
The Clarendor Kingdom had prepared for everything. The combat personnel aboard their ships were professional hunters specialized in taking down sea monsters, and they even profited financially from the byproducts of their hunts. Of course, their navigators and sailors were all highly trained veterans as well. It wasn’t just their shipbuilding technology—the gap in human resources between the Empire and the Clarendor Kingdom was simply insurmountable.
‘Looking at it this way, I can understand why they didn’t choose me.’
Technology alone had its limits. From what I could guess of the Imperial Princess’s judgment, even if I used my technical knowledge to build Clarendor-style ships of the line, the most critical factor—skilled navigators—would be impossible to obtain, rendering the entire effort useless. To navigate the Magenta Strait leading to the Wall of Water, you absolutely needed seasoned sailors and navigators.
“Well, if I build this, none of that will matter anymore.”
At this very moment, I was staring at this. Or rather, its 3D holographic representation.
In other words, a Dreadnought-class battleship.
‘A ship that marked a turning point in the history of world naval power.’
The Dreadnought-class battleship. This class of warship, which became mainstream in the early 20th century, showcased revolutionary concepts and performance in speed, firepower, and various other aspects. It rendered all previous battleships obsolete. To put it simply, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the image most people conjure when they hear the word “battleship” originated from the Dreadnought class.
In short, the Dreadnought was the standard model for all battleships.
“If I could just build this ship…”
Clarendor’s ships of the line. Their unique sailing techniques. Their offensive and defensive systems prepared for sea monsters. None of it would matter anymore. Because the ship I would create would be relatively free from the influence of weather conditions like wind and waves.
From the start, comparing a steam-powered, high-speed battleship to a sailing ship that relied on wind and oars was impossible.
‘Is the technological gap between the modern world and this otherworld also a product of deficiency?’
Deficiency. In the era I came from, there was no mana or spell formulas. Naturally, this led to the development of natural sciences and mechanics, eventually creating a brilliant civilization. In contrast, the technology here was bizarre. Instead of cars, they had spell-powered mana carriages. Instead of sailors, they used spells and mana to row. The era and technology were all jumbled together.
The architectural styles and daily customs were undeniably medieval, yet some technologies rivaled the modern era. And a few others had undergone a kind of Galápagos syndrome—like Japan in the digital age stubbornly pursuing analog methods.
“Anyway…”
The important thing was that because their natural sciences hadn’t developed, I could fully enjoy this technological disparity. What would happen if I rammed my Dreadnought against the Clarendor ships of the line, which they proudly called the pinnacle of naval technology?
“Hmm. Right now, it’s just counting my chickens before they hatch.”
It was still just empty excitement. Having blueprints didn’t mean I could build it. The prerequisite was having the industrial capability to construct such a vessel. In other words, there were no factories.
Only after building a factory capable of producing such a massive warship could I even attempt to make one.
‘There’s also no manpower.’
The second problem was the lack of skilled labor. And not just any workers—highly trained personnel who fully understood and could execute their tasks. To secure such high-quality manpower, I’d have to educate them from scratch, which would cost an astronomical amount of money.
Building the factory itself would devour an enormous sum. In the early 20th century, it was said that constructing just a few battleships could bankrupt a nation’s economy. It required astronomical support.
“What if I poured in… all my personal wealth?”
Fortunately, the money issue could be somewhat covered. I was already raking in massive profits by selling air conditioners and mosquito nets nationwide. I was already one of the Empire’s wealthiest individuals.
“And if I get help from the dwarves?”
I was also a hero of the Dwarf Allied Kingdom and their savior blacksmith. If I could borrow dwarven engineers capable of building advanced underground cities, constructing a factory for the battleship might be feasible.
“And if I put the Sibalsaegi members to work?”
Besides, didn’t I have the Sibalsaegi members who could act as supervisors to oversee factory construction in my place? They were currently studying not only physics but mechanical engineering day and night, so they should be able to understand the blueprints to some extent. If I made them study the factory designs thoroughly while only sleeping three hours a day, perhaps they could direct the laborers.
“Come to think of it, I can get the laborers for free too, can’t I?”
Why hadn’t I thought of that sooner? I was now a Count who had been granted a peerage. Although I hadn’t yet chosen any of the three candidate territories, I possessed the authority to conscript the vast lands and the people living on them. I had my own land and my own people.
“……”
After considering all these points, I thought it over once more. Was building a Dreadnought-class ship possible?
“No, it still won’t work.”
The conclusion was the same. The supporting industries for shipbuilding were far too underdeveloped. The reason the Dreadnought class could even be born was because technology had advanced in a step-by-step manner: steamships, ironclads, pre-dreadnoughts, then Dreadnoughts. They had climbed the tech tree gradually.
‘The time investment would be enormous too.’
Above all, it would consume a massive amount of time. The more time was delayed, the more astronomical the costs would become. I’d need to employ at least hundreds, if not thousands, of laborers, and paying their wages for several months would strain even my resources.
“The belly button would end up bigger than the stomach.”
More than anything, my time and energy were too precious. I was already busy enough just developing the suit. My top priority was preparing for the demon invasion, not unraveling the mysteries of this world.
“The technology exists, but the conditions don’t support it.”
Of course, if I asked the Imperial family, I would receive full support. Given everything I had done so far, if I pushed strongly enough, they would probably drag in the nobles to provide assistance. But I didn’t want that. If I built the ship with their support, it wouldn’t truly be mine. Besides, my time and energy were too valuable.
“Forget it. Let’s just drop it.”
After all, neither the Imperial Princess nor Elena had chosen me. The Empire would have to take some losses in negotiations with Clarendor, but there was no need for me to go all out to make up for those losses. The important thing was to strengthen myself and the NPCs around me in preparation for the destruction scenario. Everything else was just a secondary option.
For now, I decided to put the battleship construction on hold.
The next day.
The second nomination ceremony, where Group B would nominate opponents from Group A, began. If the first evaluation match involved Group A picking opponents from Group B for 1-on-1 fights, the second round was the reverse—Group B picking from Group A.
That day, I nominated Lucas once again. I wanted to confirm whether my newly improved suit could perfectly counter his attacks.
“You’re cruel. Are you trying to crush me, Ed?”
“Last time you said we could fight again anytime. Don’t worry. The evaluation matches value the process more than the result.”
“Then go easy on me.”
“Well… we’ll see?”
“I’ll treat you to Macbeth pork.”
“Deal.”
After our previous duel, Lucas and I had grown closer. We now casually called each other by name and sometimes grabbed a light beer together. He used to have an obsession with appearing as the perfect prince from a fairy tale, which made him seem somewhat artificial, but now he felt more human. Maybe it was because he had accepted that he wasn’t perfect.
“……”
However, after casually chatting with Lucas, my mind quickly returned to yesterday’s thoughts. The fact that I had set aside the Dreadnought-class battleship kept bothering me. Was there really no way to build it? If exploring the world’s three great magical anomaly zones was a crucial event in the game, I would need to clear it perfectly.
“…Hmm.”
These worries continued as I walked through the academy grounds. Without any particular destination, I wandered around the vast campus in circles, chasing one thought after another.
-Whoosh!
While I was drifting aimlessly, the sound of a sword cutting through the air struck my ears. It was Enya. She was training intensely without even noticing I was nearby.
“……”
Her sword was beautiful. Her blade flowed gracefully under the light of the setting sun. But Enya’s expression was dark. No, beyond dark—it was desperate, as if she were being chased by something.
‘I suppose that makes sense.’
And I knew exactly why.
Her shocking defeat in the first evaluation match. She had lost without being able to do almost anything. And it was to an opponent she had fought evenly against during the class evaluation. It meant the gap in their abilities had widened dramatically. While Enya remained in place, her opponent had risen to a level where he could completely overwhelm her.
‘Because she’s developing Battojutsu.’
It was because Enya was in the middle of developing her Battojutsu. Trying to fight with an incomplete sword style that wasn’t fully realized yet was a losing battle.
-Whoosh!
Perhaps because of that incident, emotion began to seep into Enya’s sword. Irritation, anger, resentment, desperation. Those negative emotions showed in both her blade and her expression.
And eventually—
“Damn it!”
She stabbed her sword into the ground. The more she swung, the more her defeat came to mind, and only her frustration grew.
Having played her route several times in the early days of the game, I could understand how she felt.
“……!”
In the midst of that, our eyes met. The moment she saw me, she lowered her head and clenched her fists tightly. Then, with a complicated and subtle expression, she gave a sad smile and asked, ‘Do I look pathetic?’
“Want to talk for a bit?”
I was feeling restless anyway. I brought Enya to my lab and offered her something to drink. After taking a sip of the cool water, she spoke first.
“Honestly, I’m starting to wonder if this is really the right path for me.”
“……”
Enya jumped straight into a serious topic from her very first words. It seemed she was having doubts about her Battojutsu. The fact that she went straight to the main point without any preface showed how deep her concerns ran.
“Ed, everyone except you says the same thing. They say I’m obsessed with some ridiculous sword style. That I’m stuck in place with no progress. That I won’t improve and will end up as just an ordinary swordsman. Even my family says so.”
Well, at this point, their advice was technically correct. The only reason I could support her Battojutsu was because I already knew the future timeline.
“…Ed, what do you think? Do you still believe I should keep walking this path? I really don’t know anymore.”
Her eyes trembled like a candle flame in the wind. What could I do for her? I couldn’t tell her I’d come from the future. Nor could I hint at her training methods. The countless failures and frustrations she was experiencing now were all necessary steps toward her eventual success.
My role wasn’t to give her shortcuts. It was to support her so she could endure all this despair. If she took a shortcut, her Battojutsu would never be completed. She had to go through the process of failure and desperation on her own.
As I was thinking about Enya, the words slipped out before I could stop them.
“…Maybe it’s because you’re trying to make a quantum jump.”
I suddenly dropped a science joke on her. Asking if she was trying to quantum jump.
Enya looked at me with a bewildered expression.
“Qu-quantum jump? What… what does that mean?”
“……”
Why had quantum mechanics suddenly come to mind? Since I’d already said it, I decided to explain what had popped into my head.
“Um… there’s this thing called quantum mechanics. It’s a field that explains the microscopic world…”
I gave her a rough overview of quantum mechanics. Enya listened with a fascinated expression.
“…How did they figure something like that out? So you’re saying everything in this world is made of things called atoms?”
“That’s right.”
“Even me? My body is made up of countless atoms?”
“Yep.”
“Hmm… then what does that have to do with quantum jumps?”
Quantum jump. Also translated as “quantum leap,” this term refers to the discontinuous movement of an electron that, instead of moving continuously along a fixed orbit, suddenly disappears from one orbit and appears in another.
I explained to Enya the principle of discontinuous energy transitions. After understanding my explanation, she nodded.
“Quantum jump… so that thing called an electron doesn’t move continuously, but jumps to the next orbit like it’s leaping?”
“Exactly.”
Thankfully, she understood it surprisingly well. I then explained why I had compared her situation to a quantum jump.
“So you’re in the middle of preparing for a leap. To make a quantum jump, you have to continuously apply a certain level of energy.”
“……”
“A lot of people can’t endure this phase. Because it’s not continuous, they can’t see the results right in front of them. But the moment of quantum jump will definitely come. If you can keep pouring in energy without falling into despair.”
Come to think of it, that was how life worked in general. There were many times when you felt like you’d worked as hard as you could, yet you were still stuck in place. But if you kept going steadily, before you knew it, you’d reached an entirely different level. It was just that Enya’s Battojutsu required even more energy than most.
“I’ll guarantee it. I believe it will absolutely work. Even if you lose, even if people around you say whatever they want, don’t pay them any attention. Quantum jump is an immutable law.”
Enya looked at me. Her atmosphere and expression had changed completely. The distrust and anger that had lingered on her face the entire time had vanished.
“Thank you. You’ve never been wrong before. So I’ll trust you, who trusts in me.”
Enya said this with a bright smile. It looked like she had completely washed away the worries that had been weighing on her.
“Yeah. You look much better when you’re smiling.”
With our worries lifted, we drank beer and talked about all sorts of things. During our conversation, I casually mentioned my own concerns. I wasn’t really looking for a solution—just venting. Enya took a sip of her beer and replied.
“Shortening the time… you must have a lot on your mind too. It would be nice if the workers you’re planning to use could make a quantum jump as well.”
The moment I heard Enya’s words, it felt like I’d been hit in the back of the head with a hammer.
Why hadn’t I thought of that?
I could just make the territory residents… quantum jump.
“Enya. You’re a genius.”
Let’s modify the territory residents.