The Birth of the Mecha Basilisk
When they told him to surpass limits, they meant creating a mount that surpassed the limits of existing mounts, not surpassing the limits of the sheer madness that mechanical engineering blacksmiths usually pulled.
"Shouldn't you focus on crafting the mount first? If you do, I'll help you as much as I can," Lee Da-bi said.
"But that's the thing—it's not as easy as it sounds."
Tae-hyun fell into deep thought. What kind of mount could surpass existing limits?
"Building a new rocket or motorcycle wouldn't be a bad idea."
"Your skills have leveled up a lot, Tae-hyun, and you've gathered plenty of useful materials too."
From the Demon Realm to the Ancient Empire quests, and even the Hungry Chaos quests, Tae-hyun had amassed all sorts of exotic materials. Whatever he made now would undoubtedly be far superior to his previous creations.
"True, but if I'm going to make something, I want it to be truly useful. Something that can overcome the limitations of the existing ones..."
"That's tough. Mechanical engineering mounts aren't perfect, after all. They definitely have their drawbacks. To overcome them... maybe you could try incorporating other skills?"
What if he built something like a mechanical dragon or a mechanical horse, but infused it with alchemy or magic to lessen the burden?
"But doing something like that would take way too long. I don't even have a recipe."
No matter how high Tae-hyun's Blacksmithing Skill and Engineering skills were—even as one of the top rankers in Pan-On—creating a brand-new item without a recipe was no simple feat. He would have to start a quest, gather information, collect materials, go through trial and error...
"Ah."
"Did you think of something good?"
"Starting from scratch would definitely take too long. But what if I recycle something that already exists?"
"What? Did you happen to obtain a mount item like that while clearing quests?"
Lee Da-bi was surprised. If he had such an item, it would indeed make things several times easier. He could repair it, or try to extract a recipe from it... She knew Tae-hyun had cleared many bizarre quests, but she hadn't expected him to have pulled off something like this.
"No. I'm thinking of using the guys I already drag around with me."
"...???"
"Hmm... The sturdiest one here is definitely the Basilisk. Alright, let's go with Nantione."
"No! Master! This is truly too much! *Sob!*"
"Master. Even so, in what way are we inferior to that Basilisk? Sure, we might lag behind in raw strength or constitution, but that brainless monster can't even cast a single proper spell, can she?"
The two dragons protested vehemently.
But Tae-hyun remained unmoved.
"I'm sorry. But I've thought it over, and I think Constitution is going to be the most important factor."
"Ki-it."
Nantione nodded as if in gratitude. The two dragons beat their chests in sheer frustration.
"Look at that... that devious snake-head!"
"Why on earth should a Gold Dragon lose to a Basilisk?!"
The two dragons wailed, pounding the ground in resentment. If nothing else, losing to that Basilisk was utterly humiliating.
"Kyaoo?"
Bulbul-i tilted his head in confusion at the sight of the two dragons. Because...
This didn't exactly seem like a good thing to him. He was pretty sure he had heard Tae-hyun muttering things like "test subject" and "I wonder if this will actually work..."
"By the way, do you guys even know what I'm trying to do?" Tae-hyun asked curiously.
Come to think of it, he hadn't really explained anything, yet they were all reacting so passionately. Was this... affection?
"Uh... we don't really know?"
"What is it?"
"Ki-it?"
"From now on, I'm going to equip mechanical engineering gear onto you."
"..."
"..."
"..."
The two dragons and the single Basilisk froze, their expressions turning dead serious. What?
"Come to think of it, I have a powerful skill like Engineering. I figured I could make good use of it."
Just as there were cyborgs that were half-machine and half-human, there was no rule saying a mount couldn't be the same. It was a method to further enhance an already powerful physical body using mechanical engineering items.
Hmm. I came up with this myself, but for once, I actually really like this idea.
"Ki-i-i-it! Ki-i-i-it!"
Nantione rejected the idea violently. As she shook her head frantically in refusal, the two dragons let out a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness it wasn't me!
The Gold Dragon elders must have saved me.
For these proud creatures, parading around in bizarre, unheard-of mechanical contraptions was a fate worse than death. Furthermore, it wasn't just any equipment. In a way, it could be far more dangerous than cursed gear. Knowing exactly what kind of skill Engineering was, Nantione was utterly horrified.
Nantione refuses!
If you fail to persuade her, intimacy may decrease.
Seeing that the intimacy he had painstakingly built up with food was about to drop, Tae-hyun stood before Nantione and spoke with utmost gravity.
"Nantione. This is something only you can do. I can't do this without you."
Am I crazy for feeling jealous of that? Lee Da-bi thought to herself.
It was a line completely devoid of romance, yet strangely, she felt a pang of envy.
"I need you to help me with something no one else can do, Nantione."
"Ki-it..."
"You'll help me, right?"
"Ki-it."
Nantione blushed and nodded. Of course, since she was a Basilisk, the sight was actually quite terrifying.
Persuasion successful!
Nantione has accepted.
If this becomes known to the Erangs Royal Family, it may incur the wrath of the royals.
For treating the princess carelessly...
...
...
"Wait, why would they be angry?" Tae-hyun couldn't understand. He was just draping her in better equipment, so how was this treating the princess carelessly? She was going to be stronger and sturdier!
Carbanog sighs, muttering that strength isn't everything in this world.
[Mechanical Basilisk Armor] is completed!
[Overheat Booster] is completed!
When used, the overheat effect may cause instability...
...
...
"Mecha Basilisk...!"
"Oh, I like the name."
Tae-hyun admired Daniel's naming sense.
Lee Da-bi thought to herself:
She looks like she absolutely hates it, though...
Nantione indeed seemed to detest her current state, clad in clanking mechanical armor and equipped with boosters.
"We should test it out first."
Before Tae-hyun arrived, the players participating in the race were already gossiping.
"Did you hear?"
"About the tournament? Of course I did."
"No, not that. They say Kim Tae-hyun is here."
"What? Kim Tae-hyun is here?!"
The eyes of the players participating in the race gleamed.
"Isn't this a massive opportunity?"
"What opportunity? You mean the opportunity to get blacklisted by Kim Tae-hyun and quit the game?"
"...What kind of nonsense is that? I'm not talking about attacking him. I'm talking about beating him in the race."
"!"
His friend's face filled with surprise. Come to think of it, when else would they ever get a chance to beat Kim Tae-hyun in a one-on-one match? If they could somehow defeat Kim Tae-hyun in this race...?
"Sit down, grandson. Let me tell you an epic tale."
"Grandpa, are you going to talk about the time you beat Kim Tae-hyun again?"
...It was something they could brag about for generations.
"If we win just once and avoid him after that, we'll be 1-0. On paper, we'll be stronger than Kim Tae-hyun."
"That is incredibly petty and cowardly, but I absolutely love it!"
"And besides that, imagine the views we'd get if we beat Kim Tae-hyun."
Everyone waited for Tae-hyun with pounding hearts. This was an opportunity they would normally never have.
If it's Kim Tae-hyun, will he ride a motorcycle?
No, maybe a rocket.
Whatever it is, mechanical engineering mounts have clear weaknesses. We can disrupt him.
If we can just ram into him and drag him into a chaotic brawl, even Kim Tae-hyun is finished.
Everyone else will be targeting Kim Tae-hyun too, so we have the advantage.
Like the Arena, the Sky Island Race sealed most stats and skills, granting random skills instead. The skills provided differed every time, tailored to the characteristics of the mount and the player.
It required the experience to quickly assess the good and bad skills the moment they were received and use them with seasoned expertise. A racing novice could never beat a veteran!
"It's Kim Tae-hyun!"
"Where?"
"Over there!"
"...???"
The players unconsciously looked up. Kim Tae-hyun was positioned way too high.
Thud, thud, thud—
"Is... isn't that a Basilisk?!"
"There's way too much stuff attached to it for a normal Basilisk, though?"
"Did Kim Tae-hyun use his mechanical engineering skill to build a mechanical Basilisk?"
"Can you really just snap your fingers and build something like that?"
Amidst the bewildered players, Tae-hyun tossed out a question.
"Is the entrance to the race this way?"
"U-uh, yeah."
"Thanks."
Tae-hyun entered immediately. Watching him go, most of the players who had been bragging about "beating Kim Tae-hyun and immortalizing it" began to shrink back.
Jie-in exchanged looks with the other players.
"You know the plan, right?"
"I know, so stop asking."
Among the players at the starting line, Tae-hyun exuded the most overwhelming presence. It was because his mount was several times larger than anyone else's.
Chirr, chirr.
The Mecha Basilisk dominated the surroundings with its imposing presence.
But there are many of us, and Kim Tae-hyun is alone.
They had all agreed before starting: target Kim Tae-hyun first!
"3, 2, 1..."
"Strike!"
The moment the race started, Jie-in veered his mount and rammed straight toward Tae-hyun. His mount, the Iron-Clad Boar, was a very rare mount known for its high charging power and constitution. Furthermore, Jie-in had rolled excellent skills.
[Heavy Ram], [Shockwave]! Both are perfect skills for disruption!
The other players also activated their respective skills and charged at Tae-hyun.
The attack is successful!
Failed to penetrate the Mecha Basilisk's defense.
No damage taken.
Mecha Basilisk uses [Swallow]!
Crunch!
The Basilisk vented her foul mood on the other players.
"Aaargh!"
Before the race could even properly begin, the player screamed as they were swallowed whole and eliminated. Once swallowed, it was an overpowered skill that allowed no evasion or resistance!
"Avoid it!!"
"Good job, Nantione. Swallow them all!"
Tae-hyun was quickly grasping the secret to winning the race. Sure, he could run in first place and cross the finish line...
But if I just kill everyone else, I'll still be first.
Carbanog marvels at your train of thought.
"Where do you think you're going! [Magnetic Pull]!"
Tae-hyun used the skill he had received to drag back a player who was trying to escape. Instantly, Nantione opened her massive maw and swallowed them.
You have eliminated an opponent!
A movement speed buff has been applied!
Tae-hyun's reaction speed made the players realize something. This was not the reaction of someone simply counterattacking because they were targeted.
That bastard Kim Tae-hyun was waiting to attack us from the very beginning!
How can a first-timer pull off such high-level tactics...?!
Attacking and disrupting others right at the start was a risky move that could easily leave the initiator lagging behind if executed poorly.
"Damn it, I'm out of here!"
"You coward! You said we'd fight him together!"
"That's not the kind of opponent you fight! Anyone can see that mount is built for combat!"
Making excuses, the players began to flee one by one. As they quickly accelerated and widened the gap, they let out sighs of relief.
He can't catch up!
As expected, it has high combat power but lacks speed.
Watching their retreating figures, Tae-hyun thought to himself:
This map requires three laps, right?
Tae-hyun didn't bother chasing them. He simply stood still at the starting line and waited.
Come to me.