Genius Engineer in the Labyrinth - Chapter 408



Only Noblemtl

Vacant space (3)

Shiva and Nicola showed up carrying a lot of souvenirs, like people who had just returned from a business trip. Nicola used his [Telekinesis] magic to throw the broker and the mask to the ground.

“Sir, I caught him.”

“I was wondering why you were wandering around without any communication, and you captured Wang Geon. But how did you manage to capture him?”

This time it was Shiva who answered.

“I subdued it with my Titan.”

“Was it easy?”

“It was easy to use Brother Nicola as bait.”

Taylor passed the trembling broker and crouched down before the mask that was writhing like a caterpillar. The caterpillar wasn’t an empty word.

“Hey, where did your arms and legs go?”

“You know who took care of it, right?”

Taylor glanced at the box that was rummaging through the newly added corpses. Removing the mask’s limbs was not a cruel decision, but a rational one.

“Well, I don’t know what Depth 6 will do.”

Since Alan was also absent, there was a high chance of an accident if we tied him up carelessly, so we needed to get into the habit of always checking and checking again thoroughly.

As Nicola removed the believer’s mask, the average orc’s face appeared. He looked at the grim expression and slightly protruding fangs and then said.

“Let’s open our eyes.”

“···.”

He forced his eyelids open and shone a bright light. As Nicola examined the orc, the box flew over and watched.

“You’re still strong even without arms and legs. Scan me.”

Beep.

The box opened a drawer and took out an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scanner. As the white cylinder blasted blue light at the orc, a translucent window with the scan results appeared in front of Nicola.

“As expected, depth 6, different from the magic circuit.”

Beep.

“Hey, you’re the same. But the more I look at it, the more strange it seems. I remember… I’m sure I’ve seen it somewhere.”

Taylor leaned against the buffalo, took a breather, and listened to Nicola.

“What’s wrong, is there a problem?”

“I remembered. Sir, do you know what the depth of the limit of an ordinary person is?”

“Usually depth 5. Why is that?”

It is the ceiling of a person who lacks even one of talent, chance, or effort, and the majority of magic users end their lives without even reaching depth 5.

But human desire and curiosity always try to break down the wall. Civilization has always developed that way.

“I have seen the experimental records of an organization that attempted to artificially break the limit. They are not exactly the same, but the records and the orcs’ magical circuits are quite similar.”

“The South Pole has such abilities?”

“You know that blue sailboat they acquired? There should be a facility inside the decisive weapon that can print depth 6.”

“You’re crazy. The Collector makes clones that are exactly like you, and the South Pole makes Depth 6? I can see why they call it a decisive weapon.”

“I’m glad I got at least one thing done before I joined my colleagues.”

“Ah… There must be another one somewhere in Maze City. Damn it.”

In normal circumstances, I would have abandoned the warehouse and gone into hiding somewhere in the city, but right now I had to protect Alan. And why did the South Star attack now of all times?

“You must have noticed Alan’s absence. It’s a headache.”

Taylor scratched his head and looked around. The buffalo had thick cables plugged into its body, replenishing its horsepower. When Alan was around, he had never known the word “insufficient,” but now, when it moved violently, the warning sign for remaining power came to mind.

The box was repaired by laying Shiva’s Titan in the warehouse vacant lot. Even if it was caught relatively easily, it was a fight between depth 6, so there was no way it would be okay.

“Hey, is it taking long?”

Beep.

“I need to be able to understand what you are saying.”

“It will take about 4 hours to completely repair it.”

“It only slightly torn on the outside, so why does it take so long?”

Taylor’s eyes widened as she heard Nicola’s interpretation. The box turned its camera eye slightly to look at Taylor.

Beep.

“Translate.”

“I’m not Alan, and if Titan repairs were easy, anyone would have ridden it. And don’t bother me while I concentrate.”

A small crane emerged from the shutter through which the buffalo had emerged. The box was secured to the Titan’s body by the crane, and the parts were replaced in their entirety.

Zion handed Taylor the terminal.

“Taylor, look at this.”

“It’s already gone up to the heavens and caused chaos.”

The title of the video Zion played was ‘Titan Rampage’. Several blocks of residential areas outside were blown away, but there were no casualties.

Taylor looked at Shiva.

“How many blocks did you destroy?”

“There are no dead brothers or sisters. Since the place is scheduled for demolition anyway, the company in charge will probably be happy.”

“Can a monk say that?”

“Is there a problem?”

“no.”

Taylor looked up at the sky as Shiva took out the vial of holy water. It had only been a day since the incident, but he was already tired.

“Should I call the police?”

“Sir, special forces may be different, but they are useless.”

“I know. I just said it because I was frustrated.”

He kicked the protruding rock. The small rock hit the broker’s forehead with a loud thud.

“Eww!”

“Hey, elf.”

“I don’t know anything. Really.”

“I can’t help but not know.”

“I see you understand.”

“That’s a different story from forgiveness. You must have investigated us before you accepted the request, but you insisted on doing it? Are you asking me to cut it out because your liver has grown so big?”

The names and strengths of the Labyrinth Explorers are easy to figure out. The names are too simple information, and the strengths can be easily guessed by figuring out what byproducts they trade.

“Okay, I was wrong!”

“There are two cases like this.”

Taylor looked down at the broker with cold eyes.

“Either they thought we were idiots, or they had a strong support group. But that’s not it? Those people you think are your support groups have no intention of protecting you. That’s why they probably mobilized brokers and mercenaries to cut off their tails.”

“···.”

“They’re not stupid, so they must have kept their identities a secret. But you must have guessed something. You took on the job because you calculated that we wouldn’t be able to handle the situation. Is that right?”

If it were Alan, I would have just cut off his head metaphorically, but it was a hassle and took a long time to convince him.

“Please save me. I thought it was just a request to gather information.”

“Information gathering? Then what is a warlock?”

“A friend who specializes in controlling small creatures.”

“Wasn’t the goal assassination or sabotage?”

“Absolutely not.”

The problem was that the information collector was a box. If it was Alan, he would have somehow managed to extract the contaminated information.

Taylor just turned his head and asked Zion for an explanation.

“I was surprised when you said you were a warlock.”

“You’re a warlock, right?”

“You’re trying not to say a word. Who taught you?”

“Taylor.”

“You taught me well.”

I was so surprised when I heard the word ‘warlock’ because of the recent incident with the collector. There was no separate treatment for low blood pressure.

“Taylor felt the dark magic too.”

“That’s right.”

Those who have no talent for magic but want to become a wizard at any cost turn to black magic. It was clear that the mercenary had purchased an elixir from a back alley.

Black magic uses the human soul, emotions, and body as materials, so it leaves its own unique traces. The dirty, sticky feeling was too hard to hide.

“I think there was a slight misunderstanding.”

“Then will you spare my life?”

In the past, I would have dismissed it as a joke and immediately stomped on its head. But now that I thought Alan was watching, I became more cautious in my actions.

“Gathering information is not a mortal sin. First, tell me who you think is behind it. Oh, and open the bankbook too.”

“···.”

The confessed broker left the warehouse with his empty pockets and the warlock.

“Hey, keep an eye on me.”

Beep.

Spiders, birds, and rats popped out of the box’s drawers and followed cautiously behind the broker and the mercenary.

Taylor had in mind the organizations the broker had chosen. He could either touch the broker to erase his tracks, or he could just watch, knowing that he was bait.

We decided to leave the decision to Alan and focus on the most pressing issue, the South Pole.

“Even if it’s mass-produced, there are multiple ones with a depth of 6?”

“Brother, can I ask for help?”

“You know what happened to Katan after death.”

“Of course.”

Thinking of Catan as a puzzle piece, it was difficult to call people carelessly. Betrayal is something that happens when you trust someone.

“I’m sorry to bring this up, but Brother Nicola and Sister Zion···”

Zion turned his head away from the dawn.

“Why me?”

“He didn’t have to tell Jake, he knew. Katan and Jake often explored together, so it might be okay to call an agent. The problem is…”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Nicola.

“Oh, shit. This is too much.”

“Are you talking to me right now?”

“I’m talking to Shiva, who brought up the subject. I understand what Elder Shiva is worried about. It’s true that I was initially sent to guard Alan. I admit it.”

“now?”

“I used up all my competitive points to get valuable materials from the warehouse of the magic tower. I’m all in on Alan. If he doesn’t rise, I’m in trouble.”

Taylor patted Nicola on the shoulder, who was feeling aggrieved.

“I brought it up because I needed to tie it up firmly, so don’t be too upset.”

“That’s right. Please continue to be my junior’s graduate student.”

“Didn’t I tell you not to say that?”

Taylor pushed Zion away to calm them both down and put his arm around Nicola.

“Of course I can’t ask for help from the Eselma Tower, right?”

“You call that a story? Have you forgotten what kind of person the Master is? He will ask you what is going on, and no matter how you try to explain it to him, he will come to the right conclusion.”

He encourages competition among his disciples and takes the resulting sacrifice of his subordinates very lightly. What kind of attitude would such a person have if he found out about Alan’s condition?

“Wait a minute, if you report it, won’t you be able to recover your score or something? Even if you made a contract with Allen, there are plenty of ways to destroy the Eselma Tower.”

Taylor lowered his voice, and Zion gripped the handle of Dawn tightly. Nicola didn’t even notice, but she brushed her blonde hair back refreshingly.

“That’s not romantic.”

As a wizard, Nicola is very experimental and has a sinister side, but he also shows a naive and honest side at times. The pure white magic is probably a reflection of that.

Taylor chuckled, ruffling Nicola’s blonde hair as she did so.

“Romance… Hehehe.”

“No, what are you doing? Oh, really!”

But how could a wizard shake off a body that had been transformed into a warrior, even one that had been transformed into a dragon? When Taylor freed Nicola, the magpie nest had already been built.

Even though they seemed to be laughing and chatting, they had already finished their work. Taylor asked Zion.

“What about the watching eyes?”

“doesn’t exist.”

“Battles between magic users are a daily occurrence.”

The city has maintained a zero-accident record since it was renamed Maze City. A few deaths near the warehouse were nothing new, let alone a Titan rampage.

The citizens living nearby also packed their bags after seeing them maintain a state of alert rather than reporting it to the police. As expected of a Maze City resident, they were quick-witted.

At lunchtime, Breaker’s agents swarmed in. François, the gray-haired orc and the man in charge, greeted Taylor.

“It’s been a while.”

“Isn’t there a first season?”

“I followed the chairman to the labyrinth. There are only a few people there, but I can’t leave because I’m in charge of company security.”

“I was as lost as Alan.”

François brought dozens of agents, ten of whom were in Depth 5.

“Do you know what’s going on?”

“The Chairman told me that if Zion asks for help, I should just go without asking. Oh, and while I’m at it, he also told me to ask Allen for a blood draw.”

“There is nothing I don’t know.”

“What did you say?”

“I’m just talking to myself.”

“What is Alan doing?”

“He’s busy.”

François didn’t ask any more questions. At his command, the other agents hid in various places without a word and guarded the warehouse.

It was quiet until D-6, D-5, and D-3. At midnight, when D-3 was transitioning to D-2, the rough wizard Omar yawned with his jaw wide open.

“Then your jaw will fall off, you punk.”

“Sir, no, I can’t even call you old man anymore. What kind of treatment did you have?”

“What a worthless kid. With that way of speaking.”

“I learned everything from the old people.”

“I should have beaten him more and made him a better person, but I missed the opportunity because the person in charge changed. It’s my fault.”

“François said it was urgent so we came in droves, but it’s nothing. I can just go to sleep.”

“Or so.”

“You shave off all your eyebrows when you sleep? I won’t be fooled twice. Hey! Sky!”

Omar chuckled and pointed his hammer-shaped staff at the sky. People burst out of the pitch-black hole. At the same time, explosions erupted from the surrounding alleys.