Genius Engineer in the Labyrinth - Chapter 53
Only Noblemtl
Old Soldier (1)
After Alan took over Taylor’s livelihood, their living expenses increased significantly. When they were alone, they could just manage to eat, but now that there were two of them, that was no longer possible.
‘But it’s difficult to treat them to just any food.’
Thanks to Francois’ introduction, who would teach you magical training methods in exchange for taking care of you for two months?
As Alan watched his account dwindle, he felt the need to secure funds.
Since I couldn’t go into the labyrinth with a sick person, I looked for something to do on the ground.
“Can you fix this revolver?”
“The barrel is completely bent. It’s time to buy a new one.”
A bar that arranged work for mercenaries and freelancers became a temporary workplace.
Compared to regular home visits, this one paid better and allowed me to see a variety of magical tools. In fact, I had seen so many runes applied to items like washing machines and refrigerators during my time at the Novak Clinic that I thought they were trivial.
Since Alan’s prices were cheaper than those of professional repair shops, people flocked to him and his income was decent.
At first, they were suspicious, but once they showed their skills, they quickly calmed down. They were already familiar with illegal methods, and they received treatment from unlicensed doctors, so would it be any different if they were magic tools?
“You came with Grandpa again today? That’s great. Next time, I’ll bring a friend too.”
There were also many people who said similar things. Did the grandson’s devotion to taking care of his grandfather with a headache move the hearts of the guests?
That can’t be true.
Do people who fill their pockets with blood and death have any soft hearts? Of course, they may, but even that small warmth is only directed to family and friends.
So the reason the customers flocked here was because Alan was a skilled repairman.
Rolf watched from the counter. The broker and bar owner had hair and a beard that resembled a lion’s mane. It was dyed fluorescent red, making it stand out.
Of course, this dwarf didn’t let Alan into his shop without any conditions. 20% of the daily profit went into his pocket. Originally, it was 50%, but after seeing Alan’s skills, he reduced it significantly.
It’s a kind of seat fee. If not for that, anyone can come and pretend to be a magic engineer, and after all, this is Rolf’s shop.
Taylor, sitting at the bar counter, sniffed at the cup filled with clear liquid and frowned. It wasn’t alcohol, it was soda.
Taylor glanced at Alan and spoke quietly to Rolf.
“Now is your chance. Hurry up.”
“My grandson said he would cut the percentage of the bribe if I gave him alcohol.”
“Grandson, my ass. Just give it to him and he won’t say anything.”
“This guy has dementia and can’t even recognize his own grandson.”
“I told you, he’s not my grandson···.”
“Is he even an adult? In this day and age when people can abandon their own blood relatives without hesitation, would they take anyone with them? And an old man who is always noisy and always has a hard time?”
“Today or tomorrow? That’s a bit harsh.”
“I admit that.”
Taylor was clearly an old man with wrinkles on his face, but his upper body looked like that of a strong young man. This was a world so mysterious that it was hard to judge his age.
Rather, it was dangerous for the elderly. If you lived in this world and were healthy until that age, it meant you had some talent.
Rolf said casually as he groomed his beard.
“But going quickly is a way to help my grandson…”
“Ugh! I think I’ll just set it on fire.”
Taylor, who had been glaring, quickly became gentle. The reason was because of the glass of whiskey that Rolf had secretly handed him. He quickly drank it and was looking at what Alan was doing when their eyes met.
It was hard to know what he was thinking because his expression and eyes didn’t change. At first, I could guess, but now it was difficult.
‘That makes it even scarier.’
Taylor smiled as brightly as she could, and Alan looked at her for a moment before starting to clean up the place.
Rolf laughed at Taylor’s struggling appearance and then greeted Alan as he approached the counter.
“Business is already over for today?”
“Yes, I have a place to go. I’m paying the rent today.”
The wad of cash on the counter was a bit thin. Rolf, who had counted money as many times as a bill counter, noticed it right away.
“Isn’t it a little little? I made a pretty good living today.”
“You promised to give me a discount if I buy you a drink.”
“How much for a drink? He’s expensive even for someone like that.”
“I originally planned to give only 5%, but now it’s 10%.”
“It’s flawless.”
Rolf nodded and took the cash. He saw Alan leaving the bar, followed silently by a heavy wheelchair. Anyone could tell that it was his grandfather.
Taylor boarded the monorail and released his sealed mouth. It wasn’t heading home.
“Where are you going?”
“Western Sky.”
“A pharmaceutical workshop with a beautifully decorated garden? This is my first time there.”
“You’ve never been there?”
“I didn’t have to bother going back and forth because Breaker has a subsidiary. Why are you going?”
“I suddenly got a call last time saying that I forgot to take my medicine.”
“What medicine?”
“···.”
The conversation stopped. Taylor scratched her head and fiddled with her wheelchair. When she woke up, the wheelchair had changed again.
When I pressed the button next to the lever that designated the direction of movement, the bottom of the thick handle opened and the shotgun muzzle popped out.
“crazy.”
As Taylor felt the stinging gaze, he quickly returned the wheelchair to its original position, and the citizens who were familiar with weapons also lost interest. Except for the child who was whining for a transforming chair.
Alan got off the monorail and remained silent. At first, Taylor was quiet, but he kept asking why, perhaps because he was bored with the silence.
“You want to keep a secret between us?”
“It’s been a week since we met.”
“You are very picky.”
Upon entering Western Sky, guests were greeted by lush greenery. Unlike the gray outside, there was green everywhere you looked.
Alan took off his mask naturally, and Taylor was impressed.
“The air and the magic are completely different. If I had known it would be like this, I would have come here a long time ago.”
“Bystanders are kicked out. If you want to stay, you have to pay the price.”
“But I guess there are a lot of people who want to come?”
“If you can laugh at Fairy’s pranks.”
Arriving at the area where the fairy was, Alan couldn’t hide his embarrassed expression. The vines that he had seen when talking to important guests were blocking the entrance.
It was difficult to interrupt him like this. I was looking for a suitable place to wait when I heard a playful voice.
“Idiot, moron, forgetful!”
All of them were words that were far from Alan. Regardless of how Alan felt, Fairy seemed to enjoy her own actions.
The fairy, satisfied with the teasing, threw a small bamboo tube and ran away. Inside it were seeds of the bloodsucking flower.
“Now turn around···.”
Alan stopped talking. He followed Taylor’s gaze as it focused on something, and at the end of it was a head of black, silky hair.
There are many people who feel beautiful when looking at flowers. The appearance of the flower fairy, Yohwa, was similar. It was the same when looking through the gaps in the vines.
When there was no answer despite calling several times, Alan said the word Taylor hated the most.
“Grandpa, let’s go home now.”
“Just call me uncle. How can I be called a grandfather when I don’t have any kids?”
“Hehehe!”
As Taylor was shaking his head, a fairy burst out laughing from above the big tree.
“What do you call that?”
“My conscience is running away!”
“Aren’t you going out?”
“I don’t know!”
Taylor looked up and saw them laughing amongst themselves and hiding in the thick bushes. Then he said a word.
“I guess I like bad bosses.”
It was definitely a crime if you just look at their appearance. That one was a girl with plump skin, and this one was a wrinkled old man.
But the reality was the opposite.
Taylor said she was in her 60s because she was talking about pension, even though she didn’t know her exact age, and Yohwa was once called “sister” by a grandmother in her 70s.
Alan watched Taylor groan, then switched the wheelchair to manual and pushed it from behind.
As we sat down at the table, eating the groceries we had purchased on our way home, Taylor opened her mouth.
“Aren’t you going to the labyrinth?”
“···.”
Alan looked back and forth between Taylor and the wheelchair in silence, wondering how he was going to get the patient down there.
“You get bored just going back and forth between home and work, don’t you?”
“Repairing magic tools is fun every moment. It’s a new feeling every time I do it. It’s also fun to look into how they work.”
“···Let’s not talk. Even if he looks like an old man, he can handle a maze easily. Look at his arms. Can you see the muscles?”
What could be the source of the wheelchair drift shown at their first meeting? Of course, it was the large biceps.
Alan’s head was calculating that the maze was fine and the cave was doable, but he shook his head firmly.
“Think about whether your experience in the labyrinth has become a romantic memory over time. Or is it because of the Yohwa boss?”
“That’s nonsense.”
“Full body plastic surgery is a bit expensive. Since you’ll have to replace all your skin with artificial skin, you won’t be able to get a consultation from a doctor after visiting the labyrinth for a day or two.”
“No. I said that’s not what I thought.”
“There is also a way to receive your pension in advance, although the amount will be reduced.”
“···.”
“I’m joking.”
“You say it with a straight face, so it seems sincere. You’re not going to nag me for eating expensive food, are you? Wow, I almost got sad.”
During the meal, Taylor explained the benefits of going down with him. There was a lot of information that Alan would find fascinating: shortcuts, enemy weaknesses, hidden locations, etc.
“Do you really need to go down there and take risks? Just explain it to me.”
“If you shove it in your head, it won’t last long. If you whisper it in your ear, will you remember it?”
“It’s a bit strange today. I heard there’s still a lot of magic training methods that need to be taught.”
“That’s true···.”
Taylor continued to explain, but Alan couldn’t hear him.
‘Are there any gaps in the passages of the Magic Training Method? No. There is nothing to reinforce.’
Alan’s brain concluded that it knew the entire Taylor method.
‘Something seems strange.’
It may be an overly calculating thought, but humans are creatures that easily forget kindness, so if you were going to give it, you had to do it in several installments.
For example, in the case of the magic training method, the last verse is told the day before the pension is paid.
But Taylor called them all back before a week had even passed, saying that they were unlucky because they learned too quickly, but that teaching was fun.
‘He said he’d tell me the most important part later, but···.’
Alan infused his left eye with magical powers. After learning a new magical training method, his clairvoyance and soulstone interference abilities became stronger.
I usually try not to use it on people I know, but this time it was an exception.
“Wait a minute, what are you doing!”
As a faint circle formed on Alan’s forehead, Taylor covered his chest with the blanket on his lap, but he was secretly impressed.
‘I thought there was a lot of time left to adjust the light, but already?’
Anyway, Taylor’s response was too late. The scene he saw with his own eyes was stored in Alan’s brain.
Contrary to popular belief, the heart is located slightly to the left of the center of the chest.
In contrast, Manaheart was entirely on the left, and so was the artificial Manaheart.
The artificial mana heart that Alan saw with his own eyes was unstable. Naturally, the artificial magic circuit connected to it was not in good condition either.
Since the magic circuit is strange, what about the magic wear implanted in the body? The brain expansion device, reflex accelerator that enhances reflexes, and pain controller were all a mess.
To Alan, it was like holding a lit stick of dynamite. Everything that looked normal was Taylor’s acting.
The silence that had been maintained for a moment was broken.
“Are you going to use the labyrinth as your tomb?”
Taylor didn’t answer.
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