Genius Engineer in the Labyrinth - Chapter 120
Only Noblemtl
Lecter’s impression was faint. Like his appearance, his presence was also very weak, so if you were absentmindedly staring at him, you might even forget that he was there.
Unlike Alan, who was weak due to having too much magical power, Lecter seemed weak despite having magical power.
His face also glowed at times, when he consumed caffeine. Only when the warm liquid passed down his esophagus did his skin regain its luster.
“I really live for coffee.”
“It’s a good thing if you can find energy through your favorite foods.”
“Even if you do that, you’re just using up your energy for the next time. When you wake up in the morning, you’ll be crawling with terrible fatigue all over your body.”
Before telling him what the job entails, Lecter took Alan to a café inside the university, saying he had some work to do. Recharging his caffeine fix was also work.
Since the cafe is located near the labyrinth department building, there were also a few students taking dissection classes in the parking lot.
Lecter, halfway through his coffee, gestured for her to get up.
“At first I thought he was a victim of the professor’s clutches, but I wasn’t.”
“Are you a victim?”
“The professor is so passionate that the subordinates have no choice but to follow him. It’s okay to be a little careless, but they have to be aware of the situation…”
Professor Oros is a depth 5 expert. Even though he is old, he has the vitality of a young person. He is even famous for his strong body. What more can I say?
“So I’m really tired, but the results are good.”
“If you work hard, you should be rewarded accordingly. That’s normal.”
“That’s a utopian statement. And don’t misunderstand what I said. The professor is a strict but good person.”
“Was there any misunderstanding?”
“Okay then.”
The exterior of the labyrinth department building was finished with bricks, giving it an old-fashioned feel, but the interior was completely different. Golems moved things, and students moved quickly on floating platforms.
Alan smelled coffee in the paper bag the new golem was carrying. Lecter scratched the back of his head.
“It would be convenient if you delivered it, but then you wouldn’t have time to rest. Do you know how I feel?”
“yes.”
“You understand… right?”
“Why are you so shy?”
When Alan asked directly, Lecter smiled awkwardly.
“I don’t know if I should say this, but when I look at you, you remind me of one of my professors, and without realizing it, I…”
It meant that he learned by instinct. I don’t know what happened, but he must have gone through a lot of hardships.
As soon as the conversation ended, Lecter stopped walking. He was now in the basement of the Labyrinth Department, and right in front of him was a large circular door.
“This is the Ooparts storage. There are Ooparts whose abilities have been discovered, and there are also ones whose abilities are still unknown.”
As Lecter placed his palm on the door, a blue wave enveloped his entire body. As a sort of security check, the magical power contained in the wave could be transformed into a weapon to eliminate intruders.
[Welcome to visit.]
When he heard the voice of a neutral child, Lecter turned around for a moment.
“It’s an artificial spirit that guards the treasure vault. We often use the word spirit instead of intelligence, so you should remember that too.”
“Okay, let’s go in.”
“Wait, wait. Unfortunately, outsiders are not allowed in here. So just wait a moment.”
Alan felt as if the sky was falling. There were so many treasures sleeping inside, so many things to enjoy with his eyes, how could he possibly give them up?
I couldn’t help it because I was an outsider. And if I went in and got branded a criminal, I would face a lot of difficulties, so I endured it with superhuman patience.
“I can feel the disappointment just by looking at your face.”
As Lecter left those words and went inside, Alan unconsciously touched his face. The muscles in his face seemed to have drooped.
After a while, Lecter came out carrying a large box. Judging from the runes painted on the outside, it was an item specially designed to store and transport Ooparts.
“It’s a box to block out external magical powers. It’s important to prevent tampering.”
“Oh… How did you know? Other explorers just carry around Ooparts, so why bother doing that?”
“I’m also learning magical engineering.”
“This is the most ideal form the professor hopes for.”
“yes?”
“Exploring the dungeon while accumulating knowledge in your head at the same time. Magic engineers are a profession that is well-known even on the surface, so few people go down to the dungeon, but you are unique.”
“What about wizards?”
“Those people only use their knowledge for the sake of the organization they belong to. They also have a strong sense of superiority.”
The Rector placed the box on top of a wheeled disc-shaped golem. The golem followed behind him on its wheels, and even took flight when stairs appeared.
“As you can see from the announcement, I will explain the job again. I will take the Ooparts I have prepared and go to the labyrinth. Since you are a magic engineer, you will understand why.”
“It must be to experiment with Oparts.”
“That’s right. There are times when your abilities are only used there, or hidden secrets are revealed. I’d like to ask you to come then, since we’re leaving tomorrow morning, but there’s something I need your help with.”
“What is it?”
Contrary to expectations, I was exhausted from not being able to see the Oparts, but I couldn’t just carelessly handle the request I received. If Lecter had said so, I would soon go down to the labyrinth and see everything I wanted to see, so now was the time to listen to him.
“We are currently in the process of implementing a curriculum for automata.”
“Could you please ask me to fix it···.”
Alan paused for a moment. Repairing automata was a nice hobby to pass the time.
“It’s easy.”
“That’s not what I’m asking for···.”
Their mouths opened at the same time. Lecter turned his eyes and smiled. Although he seemed to be smiling brightly, his expression became gloomy as the sullen expression was added.
“It’s a more fun exploration than I thought. First, I’m going to disassemble the stopped automaton piece by piece and see what functions it has.”
“Do you also do repairs?”
“It is true, but it’s a bit different from what you think. Students do learn magic engineering, but compared to people working in the field, it’s nothing.”
“Oh, so that’s why you use repair kits made by major companies instead of Rune Pens.”
It’s not a fancy item called a repair kit, but simply contains a soul stone with a special character entered in advance and simple repair tools. An automaton repaired with a kit becomes a simple machine with its combat ability reduced.
“When did you see it? Or did you already know about it?”
“When I was dissecting Terragula earlier, I saw a student holding it.”
“You have a keen eye. You are a magic engineer, so I’m sure you can try many different things if you allow me.”
Alan and Lecter entered a room labeled Laboratory. Several students were sitting at large desks. The wolf-shaped automatons on the desks were the teaching materials for the day.
As Lecter finished preparing everything and stood close to the window, Professor Oros came in. He ripped off the intact outer armor with his bare hands and explained each function.
“···Then Assistant Lecter will take care of the rest.”
As soon as Professor Oros left, Lecter stepped forward.
“I sent you today’s lesson content in advance. Is there anyone who didn’t receive it?”
When a student raised his hand, Lecter’s eyes lit up blue. It was a transmission of information through the brain extension device.
Lecter clapped his hands vigorously as he looked at the classroom that had become a mess.
“Okay, focus. As always, I’ll send you the ones that finish quickly. Remember what Professor Oros said? Just knowing something doesn’t make it knowledge. You have to be able to express it externally. So, let’s begin.”
Lecter’s words were perfectly correct. You can quickly acquire knowledge through a brain extension device, but is that really acquisition? You have to be able to embody it perfectly in your body, and only then can you say you understand.
This was especially true in disciplines involving magical powers. And this was a department that studied labyrinths filled with all sorts of mysteries.
The students opened the repair kit and took out the tools and parts inside. First, they started disassembling the wolf.
As Alan watched, Lecter asked quietly.
“Are you bored?”
“No. It’s fun to see how other people approach it.”
“What a fun explorer.”
Even the sight-seeing was part of the job. Since it was a position dealing with automatons, Alan had to guard this position in case of an emergency.
“For that reason, the facilities are good.”
Alan looked at the circular object attached to the ceiling. The magic tool attached next to the fire detector granted a protective shield to registered personnel in the event of an accident.
“But we can’t leave everything up to the magic tool. There are administrative procedures here too.”
“Wouldn’t Professor Oros be more trustworthy than the Explorer?”
“Everyone has their own place and time. That is their own value. Simply put, the professor’s time and your time have different values.”
Alan nodded slightly. The words Lecter had just spoken were cold and piercing, yet they were also the truth that pierced the world.
“Was my comment a bit harsh?”
“no.”
In fact, Alan didn’t really think much of it. He was confident that he might fall behind now, but if he kept trying, he would get ahead, no, become a great person.
‘It’s okay to overtake, but let’s go together.’
‘why?’
‘You are a human. Can you live alone?’
That was the way of life I learned from my parents. It used to be painful to even think about, but now I feel much better.
Just then, a wolf was rising. The students were delighted that they had succeeded.
‘well···.’
It didn’t look like anything to Alan. First of all, the momentum felt rough, and the magical power was mainly concentrated in the artificial muscles. That was a signal to attack.
Of course, that didn’t happen. When Alan hacked into the star characters, the wolf collapsed.
Students who had dreamed of free time began to rack their brains and analyze the reasons for their failure.
“hmm···.”
Lecter looked at Alan with a strange look.
“Plus one point.”
“···?”
“It’s a self-evaluation, so don’t worry too much about it.”
After finishing speaking, Lecter approached the student who raised his hand.
“Brother Lecter, I’m done.”
“Minus one point. Call me assistant.”
“Another strange noise… Did you stay up all night last night too? I heard that if you do, you’ll die quickly.”
“I’ll take care of that.”
People tend to act strangely when they don’t sleep. Alan turned his head to check if the other students were doing well.
*
The next morning, Alan, Lecter, and the students met in the labyrinth.
“What about Professor Oros?”
“He came down yesterday. Don’t worry too much about that.”
There were other explorers where Lecter pointed, and they too had received this commission, just like Alan.
“The destination is the 8th floor, so it shouldn’t be too difficult. By the way, the power suit is cool.”
Unlike yesterday, when he had a slender appearance that belied the explorer, the current Alan was very sturdy. The students seemed to sense the difference as they looked over and whispered among themselves.
“What is that automaton following behind? I’ve never seen it before.”
“I made it. I’m mainly in charge of transportation.”
The leopard is still left at home because the work is not yet finished. Taylor pretends not to care but dusts it occasionally, so there should be no problem.
“You’re very knowledgeable about star characters. The one you hacked yesterday was like that too···.”
“I see.”
“I’m a teaching assistant in the Labyrinth Department. Do you think anyone can sit in this seat?”
Alan shook his head. There was no way Professor Oros would take Aesongi with him as his assistant.
Lecter continued, pulling out an Oparts that resembled a plastic cylinder.
“See that syringe barrel-shaped Oparts here? I found it at the place I’m going to next. It converts the magical power extracted from the magic stone into liquid magical power. I’m going to go there and experiment with it.”
Alan kept his mouth shut and nodded. That Ooparts was an item that extracted the life force of living beings and converted it into magical power. It was currently unable to function properly due to the loss of other parts, but it was better not to know.
End