I'm No Engineer, Though (1)
“Now I can finally breathe.”
I shoved a handful of thoroughly wrung-out potato into my mouth, savoring the sweet respite.
Not the building with the rooftop lounge, but the one across from it.
Thankfully, the spot that must've been a café had a break room, so that's where I crashed. My body was aching all over, and I'd burned through a ton of stamina, so heading back right away wasn't happening.
A short break wouldn't hurt.
Sure, I'd looted the place clean... but hey, having a spot like this to chill was a blessing in itself.
Catching my breath, I leaned against my gear bag and stared blankly at the ceiling.
Shattered lightbulb. Room covered in brown paint.
...Yeah, not paint—blood, probably.
If this were before I got isekai'd, I'd have freaked and bolted. But sadly, this world's daily routine involved bloodbaths.
Hell, I'd offed over ten guys with these hands myself—getting spooked by a few bloodstains would be ridiculous.
How the hell did I end up like this?
I let out a hollow chuckle and pulled a steel ball from my pocket.
The satisfying heft of it. I carried these to hurl like bullets at threats, but sadly, no chance to use 'em this time.
The owner's build looked like it'd shrug off a car crash without a scratch.
Good thing slamming that elevator into him worked. Otherwise, I'd have been his next meal.
“...Sigh.”
Thinking back still gave me chills.
Me, main character in some unasked-for horror game? Lucky it was action-adventure genre.
Pure horror? I'd be dead by now.
Chuckling dryly, I got to my feet.
Break time over—time to head back.
...Mina's probably worrying, too.
Not like anything would've happened in the short time I was gone, but leaving a kid who hasn't even hit adulthood alone still felt off. Especially since she couldn't protect herself.
Couldn't exactly assign her a bodyguard like in the original story, either...
I stepped out of the break room, waited by the window until a passing hunter moved on, then quietly headed toward the Swamp Zone.
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After a couple hours' trek, I crossed through the gate into the Swamp Zone and let out a sigh of relief. Hunters crawled all over out there—kept me on edge until I was through the gate.
Hard not to when any of 'em could turn enemy.
The guards were eyeing everything, so no one's dumb enough to start trouble here... but in a world like this, a few psychos were bound to pop up.
Like third-rate fantasy novel thugs.
Wait, this is a webnovel—figures those types exist.
If that guy hadn't creeped on Mina, I'd have ignored him.
Guys like that just get clingier if you let 'em.
Lost in those thoughts, I spotted the hotel.
Our little dive. I pushed open the door and glanced at the desk.
The owner sat there, tapping away at a calculator, tallying cash. He looked up at the door's creak, spotted me, and grinned welcomingly.
“Back quicker than I expected. Good haul?”
“Probably.”
“Vague answer.”
“Gotta check first.”
Whether what I grabbed was the real deal or a bust.
Going by the original story, this stuff was a weapon that'd plunge the Swamp Zone into chaos way later on.
Selling it for personal gain felt iffy... but back then, everyone knew what it was and went nuts for it. No choice.
Offload it right, and I'd be swimming in cash. Use it wrong? Could wipe out a small city.
...Nothing'll go wrong, right?
Unlike canon, no one knows what it is yet. I'll quietly restore the data inside, sell it off for cash.
In this era, the government's the only ones who could make use of it anyway.
They'd preserved the pinnacle of human tech— they'd put it to good use.
Problem is, I'm probably a wanted man.
No tabloids here, no papers—just word of mouth for news.
Even right next to Seoul, getting in's a pain without connections. No clue how the Research Institute shook out.
That's why I can stroll around carefree.
Apocalypse perk, kinda.
In a straight hunter story, I'd be holed up in some crime syndicate or hiding by now.
“First raid's gotta be exhausting. Get some rest. Come down for meals.”
“Thanks. I'll repay the favor someday.”
“Looking forward to it.”
I headed straight upstairs and knocked.
No answer. Out working?
I unlocked the door, dropped my gear in the corner.
Unpacking later—shower first.
Grabbed clean clothes and underwear, headed to the bathroom.
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“Anyplace with a computer I can use?”
“Computers... yeah, a few spots. Power here's spotty, but having one beats not.”
“Not at the hotel, huh.”
“Ours crapped out months ago.”
Crapped out.
“Mind if I take a look?”
“You know computers?”
“Can fix 'em, more or less.”
Assuming the guts match what I know.
But computer designs don't change overnight—worth a shot.
Followed his lead back to the warehouse that same day.
“In that box.”
I hauled it down from the shelf, popped the lid.
“Somewhere to dust it off? Gotta clear the crud first.”
“Rooftop work?”
“...Yeah, sure.”
No radiation storms or dust devils here, so fine.
Grabbed the box, headed up with the owner.
“This'll do.”
“Yup. Can't leave the desk empty—I'm heading down.”
I waved him off, opened the box, pulled out the tower.
Case chipped and rusted from age.
But the familiar shape hit like nostalgia. I rested a hand on it, staring blankly.
Just days ago, I'd been firing up rigs like this for games.
Man, even those punishing games sound good now.
Not here, though.
Servers' companies all collapsed—duh.
Shaking off the wistfulness, I cracked open the case to check internals.
Hm.
Worked till recently—better shape than expected.
Dusty as hell, but...
I slipped fingers inside, triggered a faint attraction force. Dust clung despite the weak pull.
Blasted it off with wind, repeated—gather, blow away.
“...But will it even boot?”
Power supply, parts—all aged out. Might need swaps.
But no trying, no knowing. Grabbed the rusty screwdriver from the box, disassembled for cleanup.
Cleanup meaning dust-busting... nothing else to do, no spares.
Just... hope it works.
Prayer meta fulfilled, I packed the cleaned tower back.
Time to test somewhere with power.
Carried it downstairs.
Owner approached with hopeful grin.
“How's it look?”
“Gotta plug in and see.”
“Right. This way.”
Followed to a dim corner room on the first floor. Office setup.
His workspace.
“Used to keep it here.”
I unpacked tower and monitor, set 'em up, hooked cables.
Mouse, keyboard, speakers... power cord.
Just hit the button.
Please work—this'll make everything so much easier...
With bated breath, I pressed power.