Genius Engineer in the Labyrinth - Chapter 55
Only Noblemtl
Old soldier (3)
As soon as Alan arrived at the 9th floor exit campsite, he took out a sign from the cart. The maze was the most crowded place, and there were many parties targeting the gatekeeper, so it was the best location if you wanted to make extra money by repairing.
“You don’t even rest for a moment. No, my sins are too great···.”
Taylor covered her face with her hands as she watched Alan continue to service other people’s magic tools.
Originally, Alan would always look for work whenever he came down here. But seeing Taylor reflect on her actions made him feel better, so he just stayed silent.
Some explorers who remembered Allen murmured as they looked at the newly added old man.
“I understand the repairman I see sometimes···.”
“Mechanic?”
“The lone magic engineer, you know. The dark-haired explorer over there near the cart.”
“Oh, someone wearing a gas mask?”
“While I was eating, I saw your face for a moment and you looked so young. But I’ve never seen the old man next to you before. He’s even in a wheelchair.”
“Why is there a wheelchair in the labyrinth? It doesn’t look like an ordinary object, but it’s really funny when you see it from here. Hey, look here. You have sharp ears.”
Alan, whose senses had become sharper through magical training, listened to their stories. So did Taylor, the original owner.
“If I were ten years younger, I would have smashed the faces of those bastards who treat others like scapegoats on the floor.”
“Calm down. It’s not something you would normally hear, and it’s not like you’re going to get hurt by saying things like that.”
Taylor spoke strongly to Alan, who was preparing the food.
“I told you, you’re too soft. You should never underestimate yourself in the labyrinth. Think of everyone except your comrades as murderers and robbers. Maybe even your party members are untrustworthy in some cases.”
“Will you do that too, sir?”
“Oh, my. Are you treating a person of character like me like a bunch of city thugs? That would be disappointing.”
“If anyone heard me, they’d think I was a bad guy. Just take the bowl.”
Taylor’s spoon dug into the steaming soup. It always seemed like soup, but it was one of the best ways to make hard calorie biscuits and compressed food taste good.
Taylor, who had tasted it, looked as if something was missing.
“It’s a popular taste that I’m familiar with. When I have time later, I’ll show you how to make labyrinth cuisine. I originally planned to open a restaurant, but I held back because of my main job. If you try it and ask me to make it every day, it’ll be a problem.”
“What is the ratio of truth to bluff?”
“It’s bitter to treat people like liars.”
“I’ve only heard of labyrinth cuisine. Have you tried it often?”
“Exploration doesn’t always go as planned. Supplies can get damaged during battle, and the labyrinths are so deep and wide that you can end up with a cart full of food. That’s why you should assume that any expedition that ventures further than the cave will definitely have to eat.”
Alan remembered what François had told the other explorers during Breaker’s lessons.
“Do you really drink underground blood?”
“I’ve heard stories of people who say that. They say it tastes exactly like human blood. These days, equipment has gotten better, and even a finger-sized compressed ration will fill your stomach, so it probably won’t be like that. It might have been different when you were exploring the labyrinth at the beginning. But… why do you have to talk about that while you’re eating?”
“Then let’s talk about other dishes.”
“Once you leave the cave, you’ll find yourself in a wild land, usually called a primeval forest. There are so many animals and so many unique plants, it’s the perfect place to plan a natural diet.”
“Because it is shipped directly from the farm, unlike cheap food sold on the ground, you don’t have to worry about heavy metal or plastic contamination.”
“Of course, this is a labyrinth, and there may be substances harmful to humans, so we must thoroughly investigate. If you let your guard down because it’s an animal you ate yesterday, you may never sleep again.”
“Are there underground people there too?”
“None. Labyrinths and caves have some similarities, but the primeval forest is completely different. It’s a place where you can’t find any traces of civilization even if you look for them. Of course, there are always exceptions.”
“You said you found the training method there?”
“Yes. The Taylor training method was in a building that looked like a temple built out of stone. When I visited again later to see if there was anything to eat, there was no trace.”
“If you’re done eating, please give me a bowl.”
As Alan cleared the dishes, he thought about the primeval forest. Unlike mazes or caves, it was difficult to navigate in a wheelchair. As he continued to stare at the wheel, Taylor caught wind of something.
“I’m already full of thoughts about going down there. I guess it won’t matter since the renovation will be finished by then and I’ll be able to say goodbye to the wheelchair.”
“Please say it’s treatment. Won’t that change my mindset?”
Taylor, who had been shrugging his shoulders, looked around and then glared at one place with a rare serious look. He was engaging in a staring contest with orcs who had lost all their hair and had tattooed their scalps.
Taylor whispered, his gaze fixed on hers.
“Didn’t I tell you earlier that you shouldn’t look down on me? Judging from their faces, they’re clearly criminals.”
“Orcs are originally fierce in appearance. Even by human standards, the scarier they are, the more handsome they are.”
“That’s not the problem. See those tattoos? They’re from a gang called the ‘Greenbloods.’ Aren’t they still gone? They’ve been around for a long time.”
“You managed to get in and out.”
“This is all I need.”
Taylor, who cupped his thumb and index finger, added further explanation.
“Either you bribe a cadre of the National Guard, or you join the Explorers Guild, which accepts anyone, and get a new ID card.”
“Like Roman Company?”
“Oh, those guys were there too. They were a union formed by the union, so in terms of size, they were bigger than Breaker.”
The snowball fight ended naturally as an expedition passed between Taylor and the orcs.
The two passed the 10th floor without any trouble. Unfortunately, the guard did not show his face. When they reached the cave on the 11th floor, Taylor put his palm on the wall as if he was reminded of old memories.
“I can definitely feel the touch of the underground dwellers. The ceiling and walls have a cave-like feel, but the floor feels like a concrete road.”
“Could this be the creator’s handiwork?”
“Either he whipped the underground people to make it, or he took the underground kingdom that was living well down there and stuffed it here. He’s a great gentleman in many ways. … Something’s coming.”
The cave prepared a welcoming greeting for outsiders. The silhouettes visible beyond the swaying walls were three. A good number to test the wheelchair’s performance.
“I’ll show you the skills of a veteran, so watch carefully.”
As Taylor stepped forward, an underground man and two automatons appeared. Coincidentally, the underground man was riding in a chariot pulled by the automaton.
“Can you make me like that too?”
“You said you graduated from a wheelchair. You should concentrate more.”
Despite Alan’s beating, Taylor remained relaxed. He completely let go of the wheelchair levers, and pressed a single button as the enemies charged.
There was a clank of metal on metal, and the launcher popped out from under the armrest. Taylor adjusted the barrel and pressed a single button.
A magic bullet with [Explosion] overlapping popped out and floated in the air for a moment, releasing its power in the middle of the automatons pulling the tank.
Kwaaang!
After a deafening noise passed, the hazy dust cleared, leaving behind only metal debris and chunks of flesh.
“Did you see it?”
“Mattan did everything from start to finish.”
“Equipment is skill. The ability to handle it is skill. I precisely specified the impact point and that’s how the results came out. Do you admit it?”
Alan nodded. The same bullet could have a completely different outcome depending on whether it hit the leg or pierced the head.
Taylor’s marksmanship was objectively good, and the weight of the wheelchair meant there was little recoil.
Having reached the 12th floor, the two needed a break, and to do so they had to find a safe open space.
While Alan was looking at the map and estimating the location, Taylor suddenly moved her wheelchair and leaned against the wall. Then she felt around.
“What are you doing?”
“Don’t just stand there. Come here. My legs are crippled, so I can’t reach if I just sit down. Press where I’m pointing with my finger. Yes, right there.”
As Alan followed suit, a section of the wall that had seemed intact began to cave in. Then, the rock folded like paper, revealing a new passageway.
“Do you know the treasure chest?”
“If it means skull.”
“That’s right. A skeleton made from bent scrap metal.”
“I heard there is an Ooparts that violates the law of repelling intruders, like a compass.”
“So there are different opinions on the significance of the labyrinth’s existence. Let’s stop talking about the headache and get started. This is called a secret passage. There might be treasure, trash, or underground people at the end.”
“It’s a bit strange. The walls there were thin, so there wouldn’t be any space for something like this···.”
“That’s why it’s a labyrinth. An unknown place whose true identity no one knows.”
Alan walked forward, observing his surroundings, then asked quietly.
“How did you find it?”
“Accumulation of experience. This is my secret, so I will keep it to myself.”
It was a narrow-minded statement for someone who had taught him magical training methods without any hesitation, but Taylor wanted to show off his health in this way.
‘Now that I’ve decided to live, I don’t want to be treated like a useless old man.’
It would have been easier if I had told Alan, but I didn’t like the fact that I had to carry the burden.
While I was thinking that, I arrived at the end of the passage.
“It’s a dud.”
On the table was a disassembled automaton. It was nothing special.
“Something is missing.”
“It would be even stranger if you hit the jackpot right from the start. Originally, jackpots don’t come to those who are greedy without putting in any effort. They come to those who have been working hard since the beginning without being noticed.”
Alan looked at Taylor with new eyes. He said frivolous and rough words, but sometimes they touched his heart. At times like these, it felt like he was a grown-up from a long time ago.
“What are you staring at so intently? Aren’t you secretly cursing me for wasting your efforts?”
“···.”
The secret passage discovered on the 12th floor was a new knowledge and experience. It was a secret known only to those who knew.
As I searched for a campsite, I kept looking at Taylor.
“Don’t give me that look like a puppy waiting for food. Do you think I can see the secret passage every time? The location changes every time, so I just think it’s luck… No, what day is it?”
Taylor manipulated the lever and was back against the wall. This time, just like before, the dark passage gaped open.
The inside of the secret passage, unlike the cave, had no black fog, so it was possible to observe further.
“This place is quite strange.”
“Prepare for battle.”
As Alan silently packed up his gear, Taylor pointed to the ceiling and walls. At first, there were small pipes sticking out, but they got thicker as they went deeper.
“You have eyes, so you can see the pipe. If you enter a secret passage and there is a pipe like that, it is a sign that there is an enemy.”
“What do you expect?”
“It looks like an automaton production plant.”
It was common knowledge that enemies in caves were born by breaking through the walls.
“Does this mean that the automatons we encounter are created here?”
“If you come back next time, the secret passage will be gone, so that can’t be it.”
Alan wanted to solve his curiosity, but for now he had to take care of the task at hand first.
I stopped the cart before reaching the end of the passage, slowly approached it, and observed what was in the open space.
Pipes lining the ceiling, tables with disassembled automatons, shelves lined with magic stones and soulstones, and finally, the underground people bustling about.
As Taylor said, this was a factory. However, there was no automated equipment to be seen, and the underground workers brought in the parts themselves and assembled them.
“Something feels strange.”
“What kind of point?”
“There is no such thing as an automaton. Why does it have a lion’s head on a horse’s body?”
The underground man who was working on the task screamed at his colleague next to him when things didn’t go as planned. The colleague then hit the underground man on the head and pointed to the lion’s body next to him.
Despite the strange sight, Taylor remained indifferent.
“If I knew that, I’d be a college professor. Let’s make a plan on how to deal with it. Even if we just sell the magic stones, we’ll make a lot of money.”
As Taylor said, the jackpot was jackpot. If we could defeat all the enemies.
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