Genius Engineer in the Labyrinth - Chapter 15



Only Noblemtl

Maze City (2)

Alan, sitting in the passenger seat of a white SUV, looked outside, feeling the dry wind coming in through the window. The endless wasteland with a few hints of green stretched out.

Unlike Lanka, which had a lot of undulating terrain, it was really easy to see the horizon in Soldos.

That’s why there were many roads that stretched out in a straight line, and the numbers on the car dashboards often exceeded 100.

“People who visit Maze City for the first time are surprised by how vast the land is. You are no different.”

A bearded man spoke to me while driving.

At a motel that is both a rest area and a lodging facility, I repair broken magic tools and receive payment. At the request of a customer who witnessed the scene, I inspected the interior of the car.

Luckily, it was a problem that Alan could fix, and while talking, we ended up going to the same destination, so we ended up riding in the old man’s car together.

The old man was very satisfied.

“Before it was repaired, the engine was panting like an old horse, but now it’s as lively as when I first got on board. It’s good.”

“thank you.”

At Alan’s answer, the old man turned his eyes slightly and examined his indifferent face.

“Because the expression on its face was always the same, at first I thought it was an android or a golem with artificial skin.”

“I often get that misunderstanding.”

“You should laugh a little.”

“When that happens.”

The conversation paused for a moment. I intuitively sensed that there was something dark about the man’s personal circumstances, but this man was no ordinary man and he persisted in talking to me.

“Then you should create something like that. You’re young and have the skills, so you’ll settle down quickly. When you have that kind of free time, look around you and find small joys. Or you can create new relationships.”

“Thank you for the advice.”

During the conversation, the car’s speed gradually decreased. A checkpoint that looked exactly like the entrance to a military base was blocking the middle of the road.

A staff member dressed like a special forces member confirmed the man’s identity and then slowly approached the passenger seat where Allen was sitting.

“The driver’s identity has been verified, but the passenger…doesn’t he need any identification, like a passport or temporary residence permit?”

“Oh, I almost forgot this.”

Alan slipped a rolled up wad of bills into the hand of the employee who had come into the passenger seat.

“Welcome to Maze City.”

The warm-hearted persuasion touched the heart of the staff, and the pass sign was immediately given. Since Maze City was an autonomous city, it was not as strict as a border.

As the barricade returned to its original shape, the SUV smoothly rolled over it.

After running a little, I came across a cluster of solar power plants nearby.

In other places, the clouds were thick and there was little sunlight, but here, all the clouds blocking the sun were blown away using weather control magic. It was as if a hole had been ripped through the sky.

The power plant collected sunlight, converted it into electrical energy, and transmitted it through wires to the city.

As Alan zoomed in on the power plant, the old man spoke to him.

“If you’re a magic engineer, are you thinking of joining Hextech or Chilseong?”

“No. I’m trying to enter the labyrinth.”

“Oh… You chose such a dangerous profession as a maze explorer. My son is also in the midst of puberty, and he always brags about becoming the best explorer whenever he gets the chance.”

“The bigger the dream, the better.”

“You think the magic you use as an Ebi is your own ability? You need to have your own ability, not external things, but you’re still young and don’t know that.”

The old man’s face was filled with worry.

Labyrinth explorers played an important role in driving modern civilization, but they were naturally dangerous. People overlooked the life allowance and focused only on the fact that they made a lot of money.

So, as a father with a child, he had no choice but to dissuade his son, and it was a good sight for Alan.

“Hey, you? I think you just laughed.”

“I don’t think so.”

“No. The corners of my lips went up slightly.”

At that moment, Alan’s eyes caught sight of buildings that looked like cylinders. The exterior walls were all made of transparent glass, so they were well-structured to receive sunlight.

Alan asked a question to change the subject.

“That’s a vertical farm complex. Isn’t it amazing?”

Vertical farms grow crops by stacking them in layers, similar to putting people in apartments. Because it is a controlled environment, growing conditions such as artificial light, humidity, and nutrition can be maintained at a constant level.

“I thought it was a building. It’s so big that I can’t see the end.”

“That’s just a part of the city. Do you get an idea of ​​how big Maze City is?”

“I knew it in my head, but seeing it in person was definitely different.”

There are many labyrinth cities in the world, but the labyrinth in Maze City is the largest. That’s why it’s called the Great Labyrinth, and the size of the city is also proportional.

It was difficult to properly count the population because the floating population was so large and illegal immigrants kept flocking in.

“That’s why the security is a bit unstable. There are so many people who sneak in over the barriers… Of course, people with decent jobs like you are excluded. There’s a difference between people who come in with dreams and abilities and those who come in only after money.”

The man who said that dropped Alan off at the entrance to the city.

“I’d like to give you a ride to your destination, but I have plans today so it won’t be possible.”

“It’s okay. Thank you for giving me a ride here.”

“It was a fair deal. Anyway, I hope you get what you want. If my son ever finds himself hanging around the labyrinth, please beat him up and convince him.”

The old man’s artificial eyeball turned blue. This was a phenomenon that occurred when communicating or transmitting information.

That didn’t last long, and soon the light went out and the old man looked bewildered.

“Huh? Have you ever had brain expansion surgery?”

Brain expansion surgery that implants MagicWear directly into the head can transmit information directly to the brain without having to go through the eyes and ears.

Most people start getting the procedure done at a young age, so it was rare for a purist like Dr. Oak or Allen to be involved.

The man scratched his head and took out a photo from the sun visor above the driver’s seat.

“He’s a magic engineer, how interesting. Anyway, this is what my son looks like. What do you think?”

“I felt the greatness of genes.”

“What? Oh, you mean it’s the same? Hahaha!”

The old man left with a smile.

It wasn’t a request made because he really wanted to persuade his son, but it was something that came naturally because he loves to chat.

Thanks to this, Alan had no time to be bored while coming to Maze City.

Now it was time to take the first step toward achieving his real goal. Alan didn’t want to waste time sightseeing around the city. The mysterious knowledge that was only available in the labyrinth was waiting for him.

As he was walking down the street, a square window appeared in front of his left eye, visible only to Alan.

The name of the large-scale communication network that connects networks is ‘Samramansang’. In the eyes studied by Nobak, there was also a connection function.

Alan entered the subway station while scanning the public information related to the labyrinth.

Because the entrance to the labyrinth is controlled by the city government, you must join a group to explore it.

There was no way a company with a solid foundation and human resources would accept Alan without an ID, and Alan didn’t want to join the company either, so he looked for the next alternative.

‘There are quite a few Explorers’ Guilds.’

Once you enter Maze City, it’s incredibly easy to become an explorer. It was beneficial for the city managers to cram as many people into the labyrinth as possible.

Alan’s gaze rested on the name of the most capable and powerful group of explorers created for that purpose.

‘Breaker’

Unlike other combinations where even the incompetent can easily register, Breaker has a skill test, so the incompetent are automatically filtered out.

Alan got off at the station closest to the breaker and took the escalator.

As I ascended to the ground, the sky had already become dark, and in contrast, a forest of glittering buildings appeared before my eyes.

People who looked like explorers were walking around carrying heavy bags or bundles, and Alan also joined them and went inside.

The first floor was a very spacious hall. Automatic doors were installed on both sides for each department, so that first-time visitors would not get confused.

Those who looked like labyrinth explorers entered the door marked ‘Settlement Room’, and Alan followed the arrow marked ‘New Registration’.

It was 9pm, so everyone except those on duty had left work, and a golem receptionist modeled after the upper body of a human greeted Alan.

[What brings you here?]

“I would like to register as an explorer.”

[You have not undergone brain expansion surgery. Please wait a moment.]

The golem, with its hand down, fumbled around for a while before placing a round, transparent crystal down in front of Alan.

[Please place your hand on the correction ball. This is a procedure to determine whether there is a recent criminal history and to store the personal information of the prospective explorer in the database.]

The area where Alan placed his hand on the crystal ball turned blue. It was the stage where fingerprints and mana patterns were recorded.

[Identity verification is not possible. If you have a special skill, you can easily create a new identity. If you pay an additional amount, the processing speed will be incredibly, incredibly fast.]

“under···.”

Alan put his hand on his forehead and took out the few remaining bills. Fortunately, the Golem took the wad of money without saying anything, as it met the requirements.

[Thank you for your cooperation.]

“···.”

[Do you have a specialty? If combat suits your aptitude, go underground and test your skills against the Grade Measurement Golem. If you have any other specialties, please let us know now.]

“What should a magic engineer do?”

As Alan finished speaking, the Golem pulled out a snake-shaped mechanical doll from under the desk. It was an automaton that appeared as an enemy in the labyrinth.

[Similarly, there are repair tools in the basement. Please repair it as best as you can and bring it to me.]

While Golem was explaining, Alan examined the snake with his eyes. As if he was seeing through it, he saw its internal structure and found three broken circuits.

There was no need to bother moving. He took out the rune pen, slightly opened the snake’s scales, and reconnected the broken circuit.

Charurk!

As the snake, whose aggression had been reduced, coiled itself up calmly, the sound of its scales rustling echoed faintly. The golem simply watched the scene for a moment.

“It’s over.”

[Then the next step is···.]

After several questions were exchanged, the golem spat out a simple ID card with Alan’s name and a picture of his face from its ‘ㅡ’ shaped mouth.

[Labyrinth Explorer ID Card]

-Name: Alan

– Floor: 0

-Special skill: Magic engineering

-Special skill: None

As Alan looked at the rather plain ID, the Golem continued speaking.

[Would you like to register your profile for the party member recruitment? If you are a beginner explorer, I recommend a party. Otherwise, the practical lecture of the explorer directly under the Breaker is only 5 million won right now···.]

“No, it’s okay.”

Alan flatly rejected the golem’s offer to suddenly speak like a show host.

The system was better organized than I thought. If it were another group, they would have turned illegal immigrants like Alan into consumer goods, but Breaker seemed to be trying to somehow develop labyrinth explorers.

Instead, the settlement fee is a bit high, and it is also annoying for other reasons.

The entrance to the labyrinth was safe enough for him to walk through alone, so Alan planned to go into the labyrinth alone tomorrow to check out the atmosphere for himself.

“Are there any good places to stay nearby?”

[List of companies that have partnered with Breaker.]

This time, the golem spat out a map from its mouth. It had the locations of accommodations classified into high, medium, and low priced categories.

Alan, whose wallet was empty from convincing the checkpoint staff and oiling the golem, chose a cheap lodging and crossed the road as shown on the map.

The inside of the unmanned hotel was filled with explorers in shabby clothes. Some walked around with hopeful eyes, others with gloomy faces.

From the first floor, the capsule-shaped sleeping spaces reminiscent of beehives were packed tightly together. Those who needed to sleep went inside one by one like caterpillars.

Alan watched the scene for a moment. There were only two types of things that could enter a hive like that: food for the larvae, or larvae that would eventually turn into wasps.

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