In Just Three Days
Searching crafting item lists.
Analyzing surrounding environment.
Suitable crafting blueprint discovered: Riding Magic Doll
“Theo-nim, is this different from ordinary magic dolls?”
“Not so much different... more like it’ll make heavy use of the new spells I’ve learned.”
“An even more amazing doll will come out of this.”
Even dolls made with 1st-class magic had tremendous utility.
Lena seemed even more excited about what magic dolls made with 2nd-class magic could do.
“To maximize durability...”
I muttered as I engraved the Preservation Engraving mana circuits into the main frame.
At the same time, I embedded the first mid-grade magic stone at the heart position.
“Gotta circulate the magic stone’s power. Optimize the mana flow with Element Control...”
Mana disturbance detected
Magic circuit stability: 42%
Stabilization required immediately
Crafting assistant Lena stabilizes the circuits.
Magic circuit stability: 76%
I kept talking during crafting to help Lena understand the process.
And the effect showed right away.
Thanks to Lena, the mana circuit stability went up... incredible effect.
I could feel my crafting efficiency rising with her assistant ability added in.
With Lena’s help, I could push a bit harder.
“Precision Control is essential for autonomous driving.”
I explained while drawing the magic circle.
But another system warning popped up.
Magic stone resonance beginning
Unstable resonance phenomenon
Failure risk: Magic stone destruction 78%
This 2nd-class magic crafting was tougher than expected.
But back in my hunter days, I’d worked in worse conditions.
This crisis wasn’t even a crisis.
“In cases like this, adjust the mana burst timing with Delayed Hourglass...”
Blue mana enveloped the entire doll.
The spell Delayed Hourglass controlled the manifestation timing of magic.
Overlaying it stabilized the magic stone’s resonance at a steady pace.
Mana stability increased
First magic stone settling complete
“Lena, second magic stone.”
I took the second one and embedded it under the belly this time.
The core for propulsion.
Mana resonance approaching critical point
Mana collapse risk: 82%
Immediate halt recommended
“Th-Theo-nim, at this rate...”
“Not yet.”
I cast Mobilization Wind, and green light flashed from the magic stone.
Then layered on Mana Reinforcement.
I felt my body’s mana hitting bottom.
My head spun with dizziness.
“Now...”
I adjusted the mana between the two stones with Element Control.
Finally, I applied Curtain of Defense for a protective barrier.
The air in the warehouse vibrated instantly.
Mana circuits reconstructing
Mana approaching limit
Explosion on failure
Worker safety not guaranteed
The warning hadn’t even finished before a clear ping rang out.
Blue and green lights harmonized, forming the shape of a horse.
And the short message I’d been waiting for appeared.
New crafting blueprint added: Ultra-High-Speed Riding Magic Doll
Ultra-High-Speed Riding Magic Doll completed.
Enchanter proficiency: 30% → 34%
Inventor proficiency: >82% → 95%
Grade: Unique
Category: Tool/Mount
Durability: 100/100
Effects:
• Travel speed: Max 300%
• Continuous operation: 24 hours
• Rider fatigue: 90% reduction
Special Abilities:
• Auto-defense barrier
• Mana resonance enhancement
• Hazard detection
• Night vision secured
The crafting took a grueling four hours.
There were dangerous moments, but the result made it worthwhile.
“Insane! Unique grade!”
My second Unique-grade item.
A huge success.
The exterior, mixed with black iron, looked like an ordinary black horse.
But inside, it was packed with highly intricate magic circuits—an ultra-high-speed riding magic doll.
Its majesty was impressive.
“Wow, amazing! I’d believe it if you said it was a real horse!”
“Right? Hmm, shall we name it?”
“A name?”
I nodded at Lena’s words.
It had a metallic texture up close, but from afar, it really looked like a horse.
Though its performance would be worlds apart from a normal horse.
Doesn’t tire and runs forever... Red Hare fits, but it’s black?
I decided on a name.
“Black Hare. From now on, call it Black Hare.”
“Black Hare? Not like tomato...”
“Ugh, is it?”
“How about Hareling?”
“Just Black Hare.”
“Yes...”
Lena and I both lacked naming sense.
Once named, the system reluctantly updated it.
Ultra-High-Speed Riding Magic Doll name changed to ‘Black Hare’.
I quickly checked the message, then inspected Black Hare’s functions.
Fatigue 90% reduction...
I wondered how it’d apply.
Lena couldn’t hide her curiosity either.
“Can I... try riding it?”
“Sure. Let’s ride together.”
“Is that okay?”
“Of course. We made it together.”
We mounted Black Hare together.
Lena got on behind me.
Her eyes widened at the auto-adjusting optimal posture.
That instant.
Whoosh—
A faint blue light enveloped us.
The mana barrier deployed automatically.
“This is... unbelievable. Is this really something we crafted?”
“We made it together, and it’s not over yet.”
“What else is there?”
Lena buzzed like she was on a ride.
I pointed to the empty slots on both sides.
“I prepped these for mounting Sunogi. Made it so you can fight from atop the doll.”
I’d designed Black Hare with combat in mind.
Lena was speechless at the thoughtfulness.
“Let’s rest today and head out early tomorrow.”
Lena spent a while admiring Black Hare after that.
But soon went to bed.
Expecting grueling marches starting tomorrow.
Of course, my expectation of grueling marches was completely wrong.
Morning came, and we mounted Black Hare to set off.
A simple mana injection made it move smoothly.
Activating Mobilization Wind accelerated it to astonishing speeds, but riders felt no shaking.
Comfortable.
Too comfortable.
Far from grueling—this was effortless travel.
And this ride quality.
Delayed Hourglass even delayed and dispersed travel shocks.
“This is... really something.”
Honestly, even I hadn’t expected this from my creation.
Beyond expectations.
Speed at 300% maintained
Rider fatigue 90% reduction active
Mana circuits at optimal state
“Even just Mobilization Wind would drain mana fast, but sustaining this long...”
Magic’s biggest flaw was short duration.
But the resonance of two mid-grade magic stones shattered that limit.
Optimizing flow with Precision Control and syncing resonance with Element Control yielded this.
Plus optimized circuits meant almost no mana loss.
Lena, though, struggled to adapt.
“Th-Theo-nim! Scary!”
Lena gripped my waist tight, pressing her chest against my back.
I felt her warmth.
And her trembling.
Luckily, the unexpected softness didn’t make me fall off.
Well, no one adapts to this speed right away.
Familiar to my modern hunter senses, but not to Lena.
Horses were fast here—three times that was too much for her.
Auto-defense barrier active
Hazards detected: None
Remaining mana: 82%
Plenty of mana left.
Best part of riding Black Hare: no monster or undead interference.
They can’t keep up.
By the time they appeared, we’d already passed.
No local monsters could match this speed.
At this pace...
Three days.
Three days to reach Baron Sellevan’s castle.
Merchants and mercenaries took twenty days together.
Dealing with ambushes one by one slowed them.
But now?
No need.
Just ignore them.
Auto-drive dodged obstacles too—couldn’t be easier.
Barrier handled branches fine.
Clop clop clop clop clop.
Black Hare’s mad hooves echoed through the forest.
At this rate, we’d arrive sooner than thought.
“Theo-nim, Baron Sellevan’s castle is already in sight!”
Thanks to Jacob’s map, we took the shortest route.
We climbed a small ridge overlooking the baron’s land and scouted the castle.
The situation was clear at a glance.
“Looks serious...”
From afar, it didn’t look good.
A large army surrounded Baron Sellevan’s castle.
About a thousand men?
I judged calmly.
Defenders inside: around three hundred.
Numbers favored the attackers heavily.
“But they’re not attacking the castle.”
As Lena said, they’d encircled but held off assault.
Defenders lacked numbers but could hold in a siege.
“Still okay for now. Defenders always have the edge in sieges. They’re probably planning to starve them out.”
“Is that so? Still feels uneasy...”
“It’s fine. No siege weapons prepped yet... doesn’t look like a direct assault.”
I analyzed coolly.
Lena seemed amazed by it.
“How do you know all this, Theo-nim?”
“Huh?”
“I don’t know much about wars...”
“Oh, just... there was a slave who knew that stuff before. Heard it from him. Read some books too.”
Had to brush it off vaguely.
This knowledge was common in the modern world via media if interested.
But not here.
Sending soldiers to climb walls directly? That’s suicide. Problem is knights and mages?
One difference from modern knowledge: knights and mages.
They couldn’t be judged simply by modern standards.
But not a big issue now.
Viscount Haft’s side has knights and mages too... but so does Baron Sellevan.
Attacker numbers higher, but quality similar.
That maintained the standoff.
Unless Viscount Haft had special knights or mages, status quo would hold.
“Fire! Keep ’em back!”
“Who do you think you’re sneaking into?!”
“Go to hell with Welden! You think Baron Sellevan’s an easy mark?!”
Thud thud thud—
As I assessed, commotion erupted on the front lines.
Some of Viscount Haft’s stealthily scouting troops got spotted and ambushed.
But the arrows Baron Sellevan’s defenders loosed.
My Sunogi.
My Sunogi was shining on the battlefield.
