Genius Engineer in the Labyrinth - Chapter 52
Only Noblemtl
Magic training method (2)
As Alan stared at the drinks on the table, the old man grumbled. It suited his grumpy face very well.
“Are you a food inspection officer?”
“Huh? What does that mean?”
“Do they have taste sensors on their tongues like those guys? Or maybe it’s made of plastic or contaminated water, so just drink whatever’s given to you.”
Civilizations that use magic power pollute less than those that use oil, but they inevitably pollute nature to meet the needs of people living together.
Even Maze City, home to tens of millions of people, cannot avoid pollution, and the food sold for cheap is likely to have been harvested from problematic land. Or, they may have mixed plastic and sawdust and lied about it as food.
But the reason Alan hesitated was different. The identity of the brown and yellow mixed drink in front of him.
“It’s barley tea, so just drink it. It’s cleaner than cheap, unbranded bottled water or roughly pumped groundwater.”
“Barley tea?”
Alan’s eyes moved slightly and looked behind the old man. There was a can that had just been opened in the trash can. He could clearly hear the bubbles sloshing out.
The old man, who had clearly been drooling just a moment ago, was now gulping down the fermented alcoholic barley tea.
‘Is this alcoholic dementia? If you have manaheart, your liver function will also improve, but how much do you have to drink to get that?’
As Alan was thinking about this, the old man, who had been observing him with one eye while holding the cup to his lips, spoke.
“Get rid of those unlucky eyes.”
“···?”
“You must be wondering what I mean. Did you think I wouldn’t know because your eyes are droopy like fish eyes? At this age, I can tell what someone is thinking just by looking at their mood.”
He said such a big thing so casually. It is important to understand the inner feelings between people, but most people do not know that and act carelessly.
Alan sat still and looked at the old man.
“Then why don’t you tell me why you got hurt? Then I won’t make a mistake about that part.”
“You seem really persistent… If I don’t tell you, you’ll cling to me like a pest.”
“Maybe so, maybe not.”
Alan deliberately twisted the words. The old man smiled slightly, as if he liked that behavior. It could have been a hollow laugh.
“Hey, look at this guy. The reason my head is like this is because I had some trouble while practicing.”
He put both hands on his head and opened his mouth.
“It’s a self -defense!
“This time I didn’t think about anything.”
“I know. I was just saying.”
The old man focused on the cup again, carefully licking every drop of barley tea that clung to the rim.
I could see why the ‘brain strengthening’ item was ‘low’. It wasn’t meant to be a disparagement, but the old man must have had problems trying to overcome it.
The brain and spinal cord are not called the ‘central nervous system’ for nothing. They are such important parts that such a name is appropriate. If you mess with them carelessly, something big can happen.
“Aren’t you going to drink?”
Before Alan could answer, the old man took the drink he was insisting was barley tea and downed it in one shot. And the trim that followed was perfect.
“Ugh!”
“I’m Alan.”
“So? When François introduced you, he didn’t even tell you my name?”
“It was only marked as [Retiree 1].”
“Ha… kid. I’m Taylor. Okay, the introductions are over, so go.”
“Lord François said that if you come here, you can learn magical training methods.”
“Did you even save that kid’s life?”
Alan told the story of what happened in the labyrinth. As the story progressed, Taylor’s expression became distorted. As if he had eaten several sweet potatoes without a drink.
“You annoying kid. I told you to throw away your pride and live, but you still haven’t fixed that bad habit.”
“Is your pride that strong?”
“Do you believe that? Of course, there was a pride issue, but I think it’s a ploy to build a relationship and then convert to a full-time position.”
“Agent, are you talking?”
“You keep talking about the main point. But anyone can fill that position…”
Taylor frowned suddenly, a deep wrinkle forming between her eyebrows that could have been used to farm her food.
“If it’s because of the ban, you don’t have to tell me.”
“You said that too? You seem more capable than you look. After all, Breaker wants to break through the labyrinth more than anyone else, and to do that, you need a lot of talented people.”
“Do you know why?”
“Jake knows. He’s a snake.”
“Are you by any chance friends with Chairman Marshall···.”
“Friends… It’s just a coincidence that we joined the company at the same time. He was a genius and a member of the royal family, and I’m a piece of shit… No, why am I telling you this?”
Even though Taylor, who was taken aback, raised the tone of his voice slightly, Alan spoke in his usual unclear tone of voice.
“It was an interesting conversation. I guess you have a very broad knowledge base because you have a lot of experience.”
“What’s the big deal? I’m just talking nonsense to a stranger and I’m falling asleep. If you’ve heard this far, then get out of here quickly.”
Looking at Taylor, who was reluctant to tell him anything, Alan remembered what Francois had said.
“Do you need tuition by any chance?”
As soon as the word tuition came out, Taylor’s expression changed quickly. He looked like a dwarf loan shark who smelled money.
“Do you have a lot of money? Then 1 billion coins···.”
“With that money, you can buy other training methods.”
“I know. Then let’s do this. You get your pension in two months. Use that money to help me out until I go to a nursing home. If you don’t like it, you can just close the door and leave.”
“Do you have no money saved at all?”
“I have to buy drinks today… no, even rent is expensive. Why is that….”
Taylor tapped his head with his finger, meaning he was using it for medical expenses.
‘I’ve managed to avoid having to touch my pension until now…’
Then Alan’s eyes caught something. He zoomed in on the wad of paper sticking out of the trash can and saw the word ‘horse racing.’
It was a match where dragon horses, unicorns, and other magical creatures participated. The ticket prices were high and the odds were enormous.
Taylor noticed Alan’s gaze and moved the wheelchair slightly to cover the trash can.
Just then the doorbell rang and the door opened.
“I clearly locked the door.”
When Alan turned his head, he saw a golem that looked like a Doberman Pinscher. As soon as the golem saw Alan, it told him what it wanted to do.
[VVIP, unpaid rent. Please move out by this week.]
I wondered why the door was open, and it was the maintenance golem. Alan turned his head to see how Taylor would react.
“swimming···.”
I was in a state of total confusion again.
Two months and magical training. Sometimes, the knowledge you learn is magical training, even at the risk of your life. There was no way Francois would have introduced you to something that was on the market.
Alan, who had made up his mind, or rather, had made up his mind since he came here, grabbed the handles of the wheelchair.
*
In the corner of Alan’s storage room, there was an extra bed. And next to it was a box of diapers for the elderly.
“You little punk. I told you to take that and throw it away.”
A voice was heard suddenly. Taylor was glaring at Alan with an unpleasant expression.
“I’d rather have a shotgun in my mouth and pull the trigger than wear that.”
“Your voice is so powerful. I’m glad you’re corrected.”
“We can’t communicate···.”
Taylor pushed the lever on his wheelchair forward and walked away.
The first thing Alan did when he got to the warehouse was to add a power source to the wheelchair. He inputted a simple star character into the soul stone, changed the wheels, and connected them to a lever, and an automatic wheelchair was created in no time.
Taylor seemed to like it, even though he was annoyed and asked why I changed it, and he went for a walk around the area diligently.
Sometimes, his eyes would roll around like he was suffering from dementia, and sometimes, while speaking normally, he would suddenly close his lips.
‘It must be hard for you with the soldiers and the goldsmiths harassing you from both sides.’
The extent of the frustration was hard to fathom unless you were the one involved. Fortunately, there was no need to open the diaper box. Strangely, Taylor came to her senses when it was time to go to the bathroom.
After finishing his work for the day, Alan lay down on the bed to practice his magical training. Then Taylor manipulated the lever and came closer.
“Why is it called Taylor Method?”
“Your aesthetic sense is third-rate. Well, I found it in a labyrinth and named it after myself. I thought it would be good, but it was a total dud, just like my life.”
“That could be the case.”
“It seems ambiguous. Do you agree with the part about the cultivation method being bad? Or do you agree with the part about my life being the problem?”
“···.”
As Alan remained silent, Taylor brought up the old story again.
“No, think about it. You’re exploring the deepest part of the labyrinth, and suddenly a strange building appears. And inside you find a book about magical training. Of course you should be excited.”
“You must have felt sorry.”
“Still, it was the best training method for me. In fact, because of the artificial mana heart, it was difficult to learn other types with the same efficiency.”
Taylor yawned and opened her mouth wide, demanding something from Alan.
“Let’s see how much you’ve learned by giving it a try.”
Taylor’s training method has a unique feature: when using magical power, a circle is created in the center of the forehead, and two additional circles are created centered around the two eyes.
The three circles overlapped in one place, which was the space between the eyebrows.
As soon as Alan used his magic, a circle appeared on his forehead.
“It’s already been two days since you told me… No, it’s a bit slow. I made it on my forehead in one day.”
“You said it took more than two months last time. It took more than a year to make three won···.”
“Oh! I have dementia and my memory is fuzzy. If you keep doing that, you’ll be arrested for elder abuse and disabled person abuse.”
“Why is the truth being caught?”
While Taylor muttered in silence, Alan felt as if he had awakened.
“You said the brain-boosting effect was weak, but that’s a lie?”
“What does that mean?”
“My mind has become much clearer, and my memory has also improved. For example, I can now review books that would normally take me a whole day to read.”
“Even if you use an analogy, it’s the same thing. It can’t be… What’s the difference? If you’re smart from the start, are you more effective than others?”
“Is this the difference in brain expansion surgery?”
There were few people who did not undergo brain augmentation surgery. How many people would refuse to have their knowledge easily accessible by simply inserting a memory modification device into the back of their neck?
“You didn’t get it? That guy was crazy.”
“Why are you swearing all of a sudden?”
“No, it’s only natural that I’m surprised that a guy without even a magicware on his head is beating up guys who are just bragging about being magic engineers. Was it Kiki yesterday? He was bragging about the automaton he made on a video call and got beat up by you.”
At that moment, bubbles began to rise from the water cooling pipe behind Kiki’s head. This meant that her head was hot.
I almost cried. Even though he looks like a robot, he was very expressive.
“Please tell me this is sincere advice.”
“Do you want to talk nonsense?”
“Why do you like dogs so much?”
“It’s a loyal animal. And it’s friendly too.”
“Don’t change the subject. The word ‘dog’ that you use so often is a curse word.”
“Ughh …
Taylor opened her mouth again. Seeing her only do this when it was disadvantageous, it felt like selective dementia.
Alan, who had put on a bib with a chick print that Taylor hated, went back to bed.
Certainly, the training method was effective. As my control over the magical energy that was tormenting my body increased, so did my concentration, and it seemed that I would soon be able to handle the three runes.
From there, he was in the ranks of a craftsman. Although he still had the distant goal of becoming a master craftsman or a master, he was also a very talented craftsman.
No matter which company I applied to, I was accepted as long as I wrote in my self-introduction that I could use three runes.
As it was almost time for dinner, Alan got up from his seat and saw the chick bib thrown on the floor.
Taylor’s mouth twitched as she glanced at the wheelchair.
“Coca···.”
“You mean the white powder? So there was a reason you couldn’t pay the rent.”
“You crazy bastard, not that. Roasted cockatrice. Eeeeek···.”
Taylor pretends to be sick, but secretly drops very specific wishes.
Alan nodded willingly. Gastronomy was an area where money was not spared along with the acquisition of knowledge.
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