Genius Engineer in the Labyrinth - Chapter 49
Only Noblemtl
Field trip (3)
The ice chains effectively bound the feet of the underground people and automatons. Even if they evaded, the path was blocked in front, making the formation complicated.
‘Let’s just watch for now.’
Alan lowered his gun and loaded only the bullet.
Since Matan created the binding plate, there was no need to hack the automaton with the eye ability. Hacking consumes a lot of psychic and magical power, so it was better to hold off unless it was a truly critical situation.
“Put the adjustment lever on the single shot···.”
“Just keep hitting them with a hammer. They don’t even move. Let’s have a contest to see who can hit the most knee joints.”
As the monsters that seemed ready to attack at any moment froze, the college students who had felt earthquakes in their pupils regained their composure.
The psychological pressure varies depending on the distance, but being somewhat distant and even tied down allows the tension to be relieved.
The students began to shoot at the enemies who had become targets in the shooting range. As it became safer, their attacks became more daring, and they even used weapons other than guns.
It wasn’t a melee weapon like a blunt weapon or a bladed weapon, but a ranged weapon.
“If you just connect to the memory correction and inject magic power into it···.”
A solid piece of earth floated before the muttering student. The artificial brain, Ebi, was a tool that could complete magic by simply pouring magic into it.
Because of its convenience, it had many owners. Since attending college meant you had some level of wealth, it was actually strange not to have one.
When the student who had completed the magic stretched out his hand, stones that had been rotating around the bracelet that had turned blue shot out.
Explorers prefer helmet-type devices to get closer to the brain, and they come in various forms, such as bracelets, gloves, and drones, perhaps choosing design over performance.
Even though its performance was a bit lacking, it couldn’t be said to be weak if it was a magic that was being used by more than ten people. Numbers also have power.
The students remembered Allen’s demands and attacked mainly the bridge, causing all the bound underground people and automatons to collapse on the spot.
Oros had already picked up a shard of ice and was rubbing it with his fingers. The ice did not melt easily even though it was in his warm hands.
“The duration of the magic bullet’s effect is extremely long. I feel it would be a waste to use it here.”
In short, it means that it is sufficiently effective even further down.
Although he was grateful for the compliment, Alan was expressionless. He was more concerned about the misfire than about success or good reviews. Of the three shots he fired to spray water, one just fell to the ground.
As Alan remained silent, Oros spoke again.
“Considering the maintenance time, I guess a 2nd-grade magic stone was used. Am I right?”
“···Yes, I split it and used it.”
In fact, Allen’s magic bullet was an item that had a first-class magic stone worth only a hundred thousand coins as its core and was filled with mana.
A 2nd grade magic stone was worth over a million coins, so even if Allen wasn’t greedy for money, his bank account wouldn’t be able to withstand shooting magic bullets with a 2nd grade magic stone.
Although the excessive magical power brought physical discomfort and problems with lifespan, it boasted usefulness that was not to be envied in these cases.
‘I think I was in my mid-30s…’
Aside from hypermania, a truly severe form of schizophrenia would have finished off its owner in his early twenties, so Allen still had some time left.
Thanks to the evil spirit’s blood-salting flower, he might be able to get a longer respite, but he couldn’t just relax because the problem was his own.
‘If you die, you won’t be able to read books. You won’t be able to make magic tools either.’
Alan shook his head slightly and looked ahead. As things seemed to be getting settled, the college students relaxed their tension, but Professor Oros and his escorts stared straight ahead.
It wasn’t a mindset of not letting down my guard until the very end, but rather two figures were actually raising their bodies from behind a barbed wire fence made of scrap metal.
It was over 3m tall, used a blunt weapon similar to a hammer, and had a single red eye on its head.
“Goalkeeper?”
“On the 14th floor, the gatekeeper appears like a normal automaton, but it’s different. If you look closely, you’ll see the difference.”
Oros shook his head at Alan’s words that he blurted out without thinking.
“The heavy armor that appears from the 19th floor and below also appears from the 13th floor. As expected.”
“Does the word ‘as expected’ mean that you expected it?”
At Alan’s question, Oros smiled slightly and continued speaking. In the meantime, the escorts made the college students step back.
“Do you know about typhoon theory?”
“This is the first time I’ve heard of it.”
“Typhoons are a disaster for human civilization, but they are a completely natural phenomenon. They also have benefits such as the movement of water resources, equal distribution of energy, and air purification. In a similar vein, when an accident occurs in a labyrinth or a great force collides, the frequency of occurrence of unusual phenomena increases.”
“It’s like a living thing that reacts to stimuli.”
“You get the point. Recently, Chairman Marshall and the Collector fought from the cave to the surface. It means that they turned the labyrinth upside down like a typhoon.”
Oros’s words meant that he had deliberately planned the field trip now because it would be good for studying unusual phenomena when they occur.
‘That’s what a seeker of knowledge should do.’
When Alan gave him a look of agreement, Oros gently placed a thick hand on his shoulder and nodded.
Alan and Oros are having a silent conversation, while Carlson watches them with a weary expression.
Alan came to his senses and looked ahead at the stinging gaze he felt from somewhere.
The heavy armored soldier was an underground man wearing a reinforced suit. Although his range of motion was narrower than that of the fully mechanical gatekeeper, he moved more skillfully because he had a pilot. So I couldn’t miss the opportunity to observe him.
“Shall we go forward?”
Oros took Alan and stood next to the escort.
“Escorts, please take charge of the heavy armor on the right.”
As the people split into left and right, Allen naturally made eye contact with the heavy armored soldier on his left. Since they were inside the defensive base, that is, inside the open space, there was plenty of room to move.
Alan didn’t hesitate and aimed the grenade launcher right away.
container!
There was a soft yet sharp gunshot sound, and the armored soldier’s body shook before the sound could even echo off the walls of the empty space.
That was the end. The [Penetration] and [Explosion] bullets that had taken away the goalkeeper’s arm were blocked by a blue shield. The heavy armored soldiers that originally appeared from the 19th floor were definitely different.
The guy who had been staggering for a moment straightened up and glared at Alan. It wasn’t just a simple stare. The amount of light emitted from his single eye gradually increased.
‘The goalkeeper needs some warm-up time…’
Even in the face of sudden circumstances, Alan responded calmly. Although his heart was a little hot, it was not the heat of battle, but his thirst for knowledge that he would gain by defeating the heavy armored soldiers.
The shield used by the heavy armor is ultimately a function of mana. Among the magic bullets prepared by Alan, there was a type that interfered with that process.
Click!
One of the virtues that a magic engineer’s hands must possess is speed. Alan quickly loaded the magic bullet and inserted the magazine.
“It looks dangerous. Should I step forward? The heavy armored personnel carrier is completely different from the goalkeeper, so if you prepared the magic bullets according to the goalkeeper, it might not work.”
“I’ll give it a try anyway.”
The runes contained in the mana bullet are [Confusion] and [Infiltration]. It has similar effects to the mana pulse grenade.
Two loaded magic bullets. As Alan injected magic power into the handle, the magic bullets flew one after another.
As expected, the shield reacted quickly, but sparks flew at the point of impact of the first bullet and a hole was blown open. The second bullet went right through it and struck the heavy armored soldier in the single eye.
Boom!
Even though it was a magic bullet that specialized in destroying magic circuits, it still had destructive power, so the heavy armored soldier’s head was thrown back. When he pushed his head forward again, the light in his single eye had gone out.
“oh!”
Taking advantage of Oros’ brief exclamation, Alan loaded another bullet and aimed at the armored soldier who was running towards him.
container!
The shield must have been broken. I thought I couldn’t stop it this time, so I fired the magic bullet.
bang!
It hit the hand of the heavy armored soldier, fell to the ground, and exploded.
Although Alan’s bullets and launchers were prototypes and somewhat slow, witnessing such a scene hurt his pride. The humiliation was quickly replaced by a desire to rise.
‘I guess I’ll have to adjust the launch speed. This time, I’ll try overloading it so that it explodes even with a small impact.’
As Alan was about to aim the launcher again, a large body blocked his path.
Oros, who had blocked the front, placed his hand on the muzzle of the gun and pointed the firing muzzle downward.
“You’ve worked hard so far, so leave it to me.”
Oros, standing in front, looked like a castle wall. When he spread his arms to the left and right, his already large size grew even bigger.
“Knowledge is stored in the brain.”
Oros tapped his head with his finger.
“There is no unimportant organ in the body, but it is especially important for scholars. So, to safely protect the storehouse of knowledge, the body must be strong.”
At the same time, there was a sound of something being ripped and torn. Green muscles writhed viciously between the loose threads and torn fabric.
Knock knock knock!
A 3.5m-tall heavy armored soldier approaches right in front of you.
A 2.1m tall old orc blocks the way.
The orc threw his fist without hesitation. There was no trickery in it. There was only strength and confidence.
Boom!
A loud explosion that was hard to believe was made from human flesh and bone and the outer armor of a heavy soldier clashing together resonated through the empty space.
The sound was so loud that even Alan, who had no change in expression, frowned slightly.
That was the end of it. In just one shot, the armored soldier fell silent. Red liquid flowed out from the hole in his torso.
“Thanks to Explorer Alan for removing the shield and draining the magic power.”
Could that really be true? Alan shook his head internally. Even if it weren’t for him, Professor Oros had the power to silence the heavy armored soldiers with one blow.
There was a reason why the frightened students calmed down when they saw the professor’s muscles.
As the heavy armor on the escort side was cleared out, students were entering the open space. Their eyes sparkled. I don’t know if it was because of the loot or their desire to learn.
“Oh, your clothes are torn.”
Professor Oros’s exploration suit was a mess.
‘Was that a garment that could be torn apart if you wanted to? And that too with just muscles?’
The muscles that were revealed here and there were so taut and tight that it was hard to believe that it belonged to an old man.
Oros smiled at Alan.
“The Department of Labyrinthology requires a combination of both the civil and military. I have always thought that Explorer Alan is a suitable candidate…”
Suddenly, Oros’ words stopped. Alan followed his gaze to a sculpture he had never seen before.
It was a skull made from scrap metal and other odds and ends, and was about the size of a drum can. The crystals embedded in its eyeballs also emitted a red light.
Oros, who had been acting like a leisurely gentleman until now, quickly ran over and stood in front of the skeleton.
“You’ve been guarding this. I didn’t expect to see this on a field trip, our students are really lucky.”
“What is this?”
“Just as we seal away toxic magical waste, the Underworld also stores their unwanted items in this way.”
As the students stood next to Alan, Oros grabbed the skull’s upper and lower jaws with both hands.
“Ugh!”
The suit bulged again as if it was going to tear, and at the same time the skeleton’s mouth was forced open with a creaking sound.
Oros reached into the mangled skull and pulled something out.
Inside the transparent sphere, which appeared to be made of glass or crystal, a needle was floating as if in zero gravity.
Oros looked at the object and said:
“The object we found this time is a compass. Some students may be seeing it for the first time, while others may already know it. Carlson, you probably know it, right?”
“Yes. It’s an Oparts that points to the door leading to the next floor. It’s useless in mazes and caves because the door locations are fixed, but from there on, the doors move a little bit, so it’s very useful.”
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