Why Steam Engines Specifically
"Wait, hold on. You didn't even hear my full proposal. You're really just going to let me do it? No strings attached?"
"My dad's research institute has a spare lab that's just sitting unused anyway. With my access card, you can use pretty much any of Taesan Special Steel's equipment. Come to it this weekend."
I was speechless. Back in Peluah, I'd needed stacks of contracts and even Veritas Oath Scrolls to seal bloody negotiations with Muller and the other merchants. But this chaebol heiress was throwing open the doors to a lab worth billions like it was the local PC bang!
"You... how do you trust people like that? What if I cause an accident or something?"
I asked in disbelief, and Sea-ah propped her chin on her hand, looking up at me impassively.
"Kang Woojin. You're the lunatic who holed up in the library last semester devouring nothing but engineering textbooks."
"...Yeah, pretty much."
"A guy who grinded that hard for straight A+'s isn't gonna borrow lab gear to build a bomb. You've gotta be desperate about something to come begging me like this."
She was sharper than I'd expected, seeing right through me. She looked detached, but she'd already run her own 'credit check' on me. As a merchant, it felt like a smack to the back of the head—but there was no better ally than this.
"Th-thanks. I really owe you big time."
I scratched the back of my head awkwardly, and Sea-ah paused as she went to plug her earbuds back in.
"So, what exactly are you trying to do? Why would an undergrad need Taesan Special Steel's vacuum melter or tensile tester?"
The moment I'd been dreading had arrived. I laid out my two core objectives clearly.
"I need two things. First, alloy ratios for special steel that can achieve maximum strength with minimal elements, even in 'harsh conditions' where current smelting tech and impurity removal aren't perfect."
This was tailored for the crude blast furnaces of the fantasy world.
"Second, precise data on its yield strength and tensile strength—how many times the ultra-high pressure it can withstand compared to standard steam engine boiler plates."
I needed the limits to handle mana steam's abnormal explosive power.
Sea-ah's brows furrowed slightly as she listened.
"Special steel smelting in harsh conditions? Ultra-high-pressure steam boilers? What is this, regressive tech research? Nobody builds steam engines or uses special alloys anymore—unless it's for deep-sea subs or aerospace. Why are you really doing this?"
She'd hit the nail on the head, and I flinched inwardly. I couldn't exactly say, 'I need it to cross dimensions and boil mana-laced water to power giant ships.' I'd end up with a psych ward referral instead of lab access.
I cleared my throat and pulled out my prepared cover story.
"Uh... I've been writing a novel lately."
"A novel?"
"Yeah. It's about a mechanical engineering student isekai'd into another world, sparking an industrial revolution from the ground up—a tech-progress alt-history fantasy. But I'm a history nut, so I want real data on what steel needs to handle for steam engines in those crude conditions to make it authentic."
I figured the flimsy excuse would get shot down by this icy chaebol third-gen.
But then—
"Oh, like a territory-building tech tree webnovel? You're writing that stuff?"
"...Huh?"
Sea-ah's eyes sparkled with odd interest. A faint hint of curiosity cracked her impassive face for the first time.
"That sounds fun. I read fantasy webnovels on breaks too. But you're going that hard on historical accuracy? Won't readers drop off from the complexity?"
Totally unexpected. This cold engineering loner was a webnovel fan!
"Uh, yeah... Readers these days love the details..."
I stammered, and Sea-ah spun her pen deftly, firing off a sharp question.
"But your setup seems kinda inefficient, no?"
"Inefficient? How?"
"In a fantasy world, there's mana and magic crystals, right? Why not use electromagnetic induction—wire copper coils for a generator and jump straight to the electrical tech tree? Why bother mining coal, boiling water, and slogging through that crude, inefficient steam era?"
Her question cut deep. Historically, steam engines on Earth were barbaric, with 10-20% efficiency, wasting energy into the air. Electric motors were quieter, cleaner, more efficient.
But I knew the continent's realities better than anyone—as Peluah's master merchant.
I leaned over the desk, channeling my philosophy as both engineer and trader.
"Sea-ah, you're right. Electricity's superior. But a 'tech tree' doesn't let you skip steps."
"Why not?"
"Commercializing electricity needs precise copper wire drawing, insulating rubbers from chemical industry, large magnet machining—and above all, a continent-spanning power grid infrastructure. None of that means squat without it."
My eyes gleamed as I ranted on.
"But in a medieval fantasy infrastructure? Building that initial capital and setup overnight is impossible. Steam engines? Crude and barbaric, sure—but with iron, coal, and water, you get explosive power right now."
The true value of steam engines wasn't efficiency. It was humanity's first revolution: controlling and creating 'power' independent of nature—wind, water, beasts.
"If electricity's the sleek tool promising the future, steam's the brutal hammer smashing through the wall in front of you. I want my novel's protagonist wielding that violent, intuitive hammer to crush the world's arrogant elites."
My conviction poured out, vivid as if I'd hammered the metal myself in that world. Sea-ah stared, mouth slightly agape.
A moment later, a tiny smile curved her cold lips.
"...Solid setup. I like it. You're approved."
"Huh?"
"Smashing elites with a brute hammer? That'll make for some satisfying plot."
She slid a black magnetic security card from her wallet across to me.
"This Saturday, 9 AM. Taesan Special Steel Building 3, basement lab. I'll set it up ahead. Let's nail the perfect 'hammer' alloy ratios for your novel."
I picked up the black card. Triumph surged in my chest.
I'd breached reality's walls. Overcome capital and infrastructure limits.
The heart of the steel behemoth that would tear the other world's trade routes apart was about to be forged in this Earth's chaebol lab.
"Thanks, Sea-ah. Really, thank you."
She pulled her cap low and plugged in her earbuds.
"Partner, my ass. If your novel blows up, just drop my name in the acknowledgments as consultant."
Unfortunately, I couldn't keep that promise.
What I was building wasn't a novel.
*
Saturday, 9 AM. In front of Taesan Special Steel Building 3, under the Taesan Group—the heart of Korea's manufacturing might.
I whistled lightly at the massive, sleek glass tower. A true fortress of knowledge, fusing modern capitalism and engineering—no mage's ivory tower could compare.
"You made it."
In the main lobby, Yoon Sea-ah stood in a white lab coat, safety goggles perched on her head. Gone was the drab loner in the break room cap; she radiated elite researcher vibes, ready to lead a national project.
"Yeah, you're early too."
"Follow me. Basement 3, B-Lab."
She led the way, tagging her black master card on the security gate. A cheerful beep, and the sealed glass doors slid open.
We rode the elevator to B3 and entered the lab.
"Ooh! Our Sea-ah—er, Student Yoon Sea-ah! You're here!"
"Welcome! Setup's all perfect!"
Three or four middle-aged men waiting inside bowed deeply in enthusiastic greeting. Rough around the edges in oil-stained work clothes under lab coats, but their eyes burned with sharp intensity—real deal field researchers.
"Thank you for your hard work, Senior Kim. Sorry to drag you in on a weekend."
"Aigoo, no need for such formalities! Helping the chairman's daughter—cough, I mean, our company's future, Student Sea-ah—with her studies? Weekend's nothing!"
The man called Senior Kim chuckled heartily, laying on the flattery, then blinked at me behind her.
"But... who's the guy behind you?"
A flicker of wariness in his eyes. From the researchers' perspective, the precious heiress bringing some random guy to a private lab on a weekend morning? Half curiosity, half hostility—like, 'This punk better not have designs on our young miss.'