Chapter 5. I Received My First Reward
Chapter 5. I Received My First Reward
“Man, this definitely looked way easier when I was studying up on it through videos...”
Knowing the theory and actually putting it into practice were separated by a gap as wide as the Colorado River.
I had every necessary part, every tool, and even the knowledge perfectly laid out in my head, but...
For someone like me, with absolutely no hands-on experience, installing an engine was like a person who had only ever learned swimming from books suddenly diving straight into the water.
On top of that, there were all sorts of difficulties that came from doing the entire job alone.
Just getting the engine seated in place had been one of them.
“Please, just go in already...”
If there had been two people working, one person could have checked the angle and position from underneath the car while the other made adjustments, and the whole thing would have been done in ten minutes.
But by myself, I had to crawl under the car to check the engine mounts and the transmission angle, then come back out and ease it in little by little, repeating that process dozens of times.
If you think about trying to hang a picture frame straight on the wall by yourself, it will probably be easy enough to understand.
Of course, that was not the only issue. There had also been countless smaller problems, like getting confused about the routing of a line or hose and connecting it wrong,
“Whoa, whoa—stop, stop!”
or fastening a clamp too loosely and having coolant leak out all over the place.
But!
After spending a full two days eating and sleeping in the storage unit, and nearly twenty hours of actual work time,
“Whew, once I tighten this...”
the installation of the Ford 302 small-block engine was finally complete.
“...It’s really done? Haha, so this actually works.”
Dust and sweat were caked all over my body, and my hands ached from gripping tools for so long.
A seasoned professional could have finished the whole thing in four or five hours at most. But I had done it myself.
That fact mattered more to me.
Now all that remained was the fruit of my labor.
In other words, starting the engine.
I had followed every step exactly as instructed in my head. I had checked everything thoroughly a second time and a third time.
Even so, it was true that a thread of anxiety was still rising in the back of my mind.
“Whew...”
The storage unit was quiet. Afternoon sunlight filtered in through the crack in the door and shone across the Mustang’s beautiful body.
Click—
With the nostalgic sound of the car door opening, I lowered myself onto the old leather seat.
The hand holding the key trembled slightly.
Please... please let this go in one try.
I took a deep breath and gently inserted the metal key. After lightly pressing the brake pedal, I slowly twisted my wrist.
Chiiing— chiiing— stop.
The cranking sound—the external motor turning the engine over to start it—rang out a few times, then stopped.
Calm down... this is fine. One more time.
It had been asleep for twenty years, so of course it was not going to leap awake that easily.
I exhaled slowly and turned the key again.
Shuuuuuuk— chiiing, chiiing, chiiing, chiiing—
This time, the starter spun again along with the sound of the carburetor drawing in air.
The air would mix with gasoline and be fed into the engine, the spark would fire at the proper timing, and if the first explosion went off—
Vrrr, vroooom—
“That’s it!”
At last, the long-awaited first ignition burst to life.
The pony that had slept for so many years had come back to life in this very moment.
Vroom, vroom, vroom, vroom—
Through the palms gripping the steering wheel, the engine’s rough vibration transmitted itself directly into my body. The once-silent storage unit filled with the sound of its breathing.
It really feels like a heart is beating...
At the same time, my own chest throbbed like it was about to burst.
Something hot surged upward from beneath my sternum.
You were the one that had been standing still ever since I was eight years old... and only now, at twenty-eight, have I finally brought you back to life.
Before I knew it, my eyes had grown slightly damp.
For a while, I sat there silently in the growling Mustang, taking in its heartbeat with my whole body.
As time passed, the engine gradually settled down and quieted, and at the same time the prominent exhaust note began to tickle my eardrums.
“Damn... yeah, this is exactly the flavor of V8 sound. Then I guess it’s about time we went out for our first test drive. What do you think? You want to stretch your legs too, don’t you?”
Gorong, gorong, gorong—
As if answering me, it gave off a rough exhaust note, sounding ready to dash out at any moment.
“All right... let’s go!”
I slowly pulled the T-shaped metal lever down into Drive. Resistance engaged in the transmission, and the engine note and vibration shifted subtly.
When I released the brake and turned the wheel little by little, the big body began to move with a gliding smoothness.
The moment it left the shadow of the storage unit, the pouring red glow of sunset gradually swallowed the Mustang’s body from the front.
Since I was already out, I eased it fully down the driveway and onto the road.
Then I pressed down slightly with the tip of my foot.
Skree! Grrrroooom—
“Wow!”
At that instant, it lunged forward like a horse struck by a whip.
The tires clawed at the asphalt and shoved the heavy body ahead.
Even if it’s a small-block, a V8 is still a V8.
Every time I pressed the accelerator, the thick sense of torque—the immediate force pushing the body forward—was so satisfying that it almost snapped my neck back.
Bwaaaaaaa—
Rows of saguaro cacti lined both sides of the road and vanished rapidly behind me one after another.
The intake noise, the fan noise, the sound of the belt turning... and above all the deep, weighty exhaust note produced by the V8.
It all came through with a vivid, living sensation modern cars could never deliver.
I felt as though I could finally understand, at least a little, why Americans loved these old cars so much.
Maybe what my father had wanted to pass on to me had been experiences like this, and the memories made while sharing them together.
Of course, for that, too much had already become tangled, twisted, and gone astray.
Still, at least in this moment, it felt as though I could forget all the complicated things and simply enjoy the drive for what it was.
When I cracked the window open a little, the softly warmed Arizona air rushed in and tousled my hair.
The road ahead still stretched far into the distance.
I leaned deep into the seat and once again put pressure into the tip of my right foot.
Grrrroooong—
The Mustang’s roar was sweet no matter how many times I heard it.
This time, I did not turn on the radio.
Ding!
—————
[Restoration Complete]
Vehicle: 1967 Ford Mustang GT
Restoration Value: A-
-GT Package (+)
Difficulty: C
Contribution: 25%
Proficiency Adjustment.
Basic Vehicle Appraisal Skill Activated.
$Escaping Open-Eyed Blindness.$
(You will now be able to more accurately perceive a vehicle’s condition through visual inspection.)
Restoration Value (A-): Base Coins 4,000
Contribution (25%): ×0.25
Difficulty (C): ×1.4
Coins Acquired: 1,400
Well begun is half done.
First Restoration Special Support: 10,000 Coins
Final Coins Acquired = 11,400
—————
The moment I returned to the storage unit after the short test drive and shut off the engine, those familiar message windows began appearing in rapid succession inside my head.
A restoration completion reward...?
The restoration value was easy enough to understand at a glance, and as for contribution... maybe it was fairly low since all I had done was install the engine. Then again, maybe it was actually pretty high.
And the difficulty was C?
Well, fair enough.
The parts had been easy to acquire, and in reality it had practically been a matter of just dropping in the engine and being done with it.
As for that skill called Escaping Open-Eyed Blindness, it seemed safe to understand it as the kind of ability that increased my vehicle-diagnostic capabilities...
But what are these coins?
If they were Bitcoin, that would be fantastic, but somehow I doubted that was the case.
At that moment—
Ding—
[Would you like to browse the Coin Market?]
As if answering my question, another message popped up.
Since it was called a market, did that mean I could buy things with coins?
Yes.
Just like last time, I made the decision in my mind.
At once, a massive screen much wider than any of the previous message windows unfurled before my eyes.
Damn... what is all this?
The screen contained a comprehensive listing of parts for every imaginable automobile, arranged by year, maker, and component category.
An original carburetor for a 1969 Camaro Z/28, a steering wheel for a 1971 Datsun 240Z, an OEM spoiler for a 1991 BMW E30 M3...
Like scrolling a mouse wheel, I frantically moved my eyes up and down the screen, scanning through it.
They even have things like this?
[Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Head Set] = 200,000 (C)
The farther down I went, the more absurd the parts became, and the number of coins required rose exponentially.
There were even parts that, in reality, would naturally be considered impossible to find—things like an original frame rail for a 1932 Ford Roadster—openly listed right there.
But can I actually buy any of this?
Half doubtful and half hopeful, I decided to test it with something cheap.
[Lucas Hot Rod & Classic 10W-40] = 5 (C)
(Translator’s Note: Lucas — A British manufacturer of electrical components that supplied equipment to numerous British and European vehicles. Aging Lucas systems acquired a notorious reputation among classic-car owners for electrical faults.)
I bought a one-quart bottle—about one liter—of Lucas engine oil for 5 coins.
Then—
Ding!
[Order complete. The item has been stored in your inventory.]
Coins Deducted: -5 (C)
Remaining Coins: 11,395 (C)
Along with a cheerful chime, the order-complete window appeared.
“...Huh? That’s it?”
I quickly opened the {Inventory} tab in the menu.
[Lucas Hot Rod & Classic 10W-40] × 1
In one slot of the inventory window, which looked exactly like something out of a game screen, the oil I had ordered and its quantity were listed precisely.
And beneath it, the [Withdraw] button was blinking, fully activated.
This can’t possibly...
Barely suppressing my trembling, I selected Withdraw.
At that instant—
Thunk—
A one-quart bottle of engine oil suddenly appeared on the floor of the storage unit.
Even having seen it happen directly in front of my eyes, it was almost impossible to believe.
It was magic, plain and simple.
“H-Hahahahahaha... haa...”
Faced with a situation so unreal that my reason could not keep up, I laughed like a madman.
It has texture. It has weight. Even the smell of the oil is exactly real.
Though it had appeared out of nowhere, the bottle of engine oil was unquestionably real.
At first, when strange windows had started flickering in front of my eyes and vehicle service manuals had become instantly understandable, I had doubted myself.
I thought maybe my PTSD had gotten worse, or maybe my mind had finally snapped completely.
But once it went beyond that and started outright intruding into the physical world like this, I found myself accepting the ability exactly as it was, without any further resistance.
And from that moment on, the whole situation started to feel incredibly fun.
Wait a second. Then what’s the most expensive thing in this place?
A sudden impulse came over me. I wanted to see the very end of this mysterious shop.
Down, farther down. Yeah, keep going all the way.
Shushushushush—
Because the list was so enormous, it took quite a while to scroll all the way down.
If I ever need to find a specific item, I’m definitely going to need the filter or search function.
While idly thinking such things and continuing downward, I finally reached the very bottom of the list.
But—
Huh...? Is this right?
What was waiting for me there was something completely unexpected.
A mysterious screen with the image section blacked out.
Under the product name, all it said was One-Time Use Only.
I tapped the image to open the detailed description, and there, all by itself, was a single short line.
[Restoration is guaranteed.]
It was just that one cryptic sentence, impossible to tell whether it was a declaration or encouragement.
And the number of coins required was...
Ten... hundred... ten thousand...?
A staggering 10,000,000 coins.
Ah, I get it. This must be some kind of Easter egg the developer put in here.
I had no idea who had made it, but it had to be a joke.
After all, as someone who had only just gathered 11,395 coins, the number ten million was so distant I could not even begin to imagine it.
And yet, even so, I could not easily take my eyes off that sentence.
[Restoration is guaranteed.]
Is it some kind of cheat that repairs any car without fail? Or if not that... could it maybe work on things other than cars?
For a moment, the bleak memories of my childhood flashed across my mind, but I pushed them away just as quickly.
Even if I indulged in wishful thinking a hundred times over, it would not matter until I actually had ten million coins.
With a strange bitterness rising in me, I exited the Coin Market.
Still, one way or another, it was true that I had obtained an incredible power.
Not only did I gain knowledge about whatever model I registered for restoration, I also had coins that let me acquire parts for free, and on top of that, an appraisal skill.
And thanks to it, I even got to enjoy the luxury of taking this thing out on the road...
As I stroked the Mustang’s steering wheel, I called up again the sensations I had felt during the drive just now.
The Arizona desert road at sunset, the rough yet warm tone produced by the V8 engine, the steady vibrations traveling through the body...
It really was fun.
Honestly, the driving itself had been enjoyable, but the process of restoring it had been just as good.
There was something deeply appealing about giving a second life to machines that had been left broken and abandoned.
Now that I’ve got this strange ability, maybe I should seriously dive into automobile restoration...
It was not a bad idea.
Right now I was still a complete novice, but if I steadily built up my proficiency and made good use of the coins, it felt like I could make some decent money too.
I’m tired today, so I’ll sleep. Tomorrow I’ll show the car to Steven and casually ask him about restoration work.
He was a bastard I hated looking at, but a promise was a promise, and if anyone knew the ins and outs of restoration as a profession, it would probably be him.
After covering the Mustang carefully with the cloth again, I got into my beloved Chevy C1500 and headed for the Quality Inn where I had stayed a few days earlier.
I did not forget to stop by Circle K and stock up on cold beer.
This time, it would be my first shower and real bed in three days, so the beer was bound to taste even better than last time.
[1967 Mustang instrument cluster]
CC-BY-2.0 by jchalendard
[1967 Mustang interior]
CC-BY-2.0 by Triple-green