Genius Engineer in the Labyrinth - Chapter 7



Only Noblemtl

Novak Clinic (3)

After accepting Vito’s offer, Alan became his assistant at an unprecedented speed. Vito, who was initially disappointed, soon accepted the reality and actively interacted with Alan.

Alan, who was reviewing the discussion he had with Vito the day before on the bed, opened his eyes at the sound of someone.

“Mr. Alan, here’s your schedule for this month.”

“Thank you for your hard work. You still have time, so use it freely.”

“All right.”

After finishing the Mana Training Method, Alan carefully looked over the terminal the worker had handed him. A jam-packed schedule without any holidays awaited Alan.

Alan tapped his finger on the newly added schedule, then grabbed his toiletries and left the room. Just as he was about to enter the washroom, a dark-skinned bulky figure blocked his way.

“A fatherless man.”

“There are no shrimp.”

Unlike the bulky ones who had their bodies replaced with artificial eyes and golem prosthetics, Alan’s body was the same as when he flew. He didn’t even have the Evies that one gets when one becomes an assistant.

It was because of Novak’s order to see how the body and magical circuits of the overpowered magical powers would change. Even though he had become an assistant, he still maintained his status as a test subject, so the bomb necklace was still there.

“But isn’t it the same situation?”

“I came here of my own accord, so I’m no different from you.”

“I thought it was sold···.”

“···.”

Alan deliberately scratched the skin near the engraved necklace.

“Anyway, I’m busy, so could you please step aside? Time is money.”

“What an unlucky kid.”

If you show abilities that are far superior to others, there are bound to be those who are jealous, and the size of your body reveals your petty nature.

Still, he was afraid of Nobak and just growled like a leashed animal. The big guy shrugged his shoulders and turned around.

“On the topic of toys···.”

“Good morning.”

Alan waved at the disappearing giant. It was easier to deal with such honest people. Those who approached him as if nothing had happened were much more dangerous.

There was a reason why the assistants who usually treated me with utmost respect suddenly showed hostility. The phrase ‘B2’ written on the schedule was decisive.

The second basement floor was a workshop where corpses were dissected, and the magicware removed was washed, repaired, and sold. It was such a horrible place that it was embarrassing to even use the word slaughterhouse, but everyone wanted to work there.

As the number of times you touch Magicware increases, your skills will improve rapidly, and most of the assistants thought of this as an opportunity.

Alan’s opinion was different, but since it was Novak’s order, he had to go down. He had experienced enough being tortured by the electricity emitted by the necklace.

After preparing, Alan sent his workers to other tasks and went down the stairs himself.

Even though I had barely taken a single step, I felt a queasy, unpleasant feeling inside. It was as if the space itself was pressing down on my body.

But there was a moment when I tried to move while leaning against the wall to keep time.

“hmm···.”

I almost misstepped without realizing it. This time, it wasn’t my weak body that was the problem, but my left eye that was the culprit.

When I covered my eyes alternately with my palms, I could feel a stark difference in my vision. It wasn’t a defect caused by excessive magical power.

‘Nobak···.’

It was because of the liquid that was put in my eyes every time I was called to the hospital.

‘Why do you keep putting in samples and catalysts? It means that there is a reason to investigate the structure or state changes of the eye’s magic circuit…’

Alan shook his head. He arrived at the door before he knew it. When he went inside, a disinfection room greeted the guests.

Push!

Alan instinctively closed his eyes and covered his mouth. He was unable to defend himself completely, and the pungent scent prickled his nostrils.

After waiting for a moment, the air was released and the door on the other side opened. As I passed through the air curtain, the smell of disinfectant and an unmistakable stench approached me, comrades in arms.

As Alan looked at the workbenches surrounded by opaque plastic curtains, Vito, who had arrived earlier, spoke up.

“Are you frowning just now? I thought you were always expressionless, but you actually have facial muscles. I thought you had your entire face made of magicware and covered it with artificial skin.”

As Vito said, I put my finger on my face and felt the wrinkles between my eyebrows slightly narrow. I rubbed it gently and it quickly disappeared.

“Is this place suitable for you?”

“At first it was disgusting, but after a few months it became bearable. Oh, and I suggested to the boss that we be on the same team. Thanks, right?”

“···.”

“Not really? How blunt. Let’s go over there. The workbench on the left with the number 3 written on the curtain from the direction you’re looking is our responsibility.”

Vito, who kept his assistants in check with his characteristically sharp eyes, became especially talkative when Alan was around. It was proof that he regarded him as a collaborator rather than a competitor.

As I opened the curtain and entered, I saw a sturdy stainless steel workbench. Next to it were surgical tools and a Hippocrates, a precision surgical assistive prosthesis.

“Do you know what that prosthetic hand is?”

“Yes. We prepared an exoskeleton form so that anyone can wear it without any problems.”

It was ironic that a prosthetic hand named after a famous oath-taker and ancient healing wizard was being used in a place like this.

Ellen looked away from the sharpness of the scalpel or rotary bone saw on Hippocrates’ finger. There was a small elevator there.

As if waiting for Alan to look, the door opened and today’s item appeared in a lying position.

“Hey. It’s okay. I won’t say anything, so just watch.”

Vito must have felt offended by Alan’s displeasure as he pressed the button and placed the object on the workbench. Alan looked up for a moment, observing the paleness of the object.

“It’s a camera.”

“Oh, that? Don’t worry about it. The boss is watching to see if we’re doing well or not. Now, focus.”

Alan smiled bitterly. He knew it, and Vito knew it too. Why is it called a ‘surveillance camera’?

Meanwhile, Vito took out his scanner and checked the condition of the item. He scanned it carefully from head to toe.

“All I have is my right hand and my Magic Stick. I’m lucky. If I had artificial organs, it would have taken a long time.”

“Is it a magic stick?”

“Oh, I didn’t know it was slang because I only read books. You know that thing that hangs on a man’s lower body? If I just say this much, you’ll know what it is, right?”

Wearing surgical glasses and a mask, Vito quickly removed the two MagicWears from his body and placed them in the disinfectant, then picked up the two objects with forceps as bubbles formed.

“Send the body up the elevator… Already done. What about the eyes?”

“I’ve taken care of it. I know the basic procedures. But do you know why we collect eyes?”

“I’m busy doing what I’m told… Since I have some time left, should I take a look at some magic wear?”

Vito pointed first.

“It’s a simple prosthetic arm made of metal and artificial skin. The skin is cheap, so you can tell it’s fake at first glance. The basic shape is like this, and the internal structure or function can be changed according to the user’s needs.”

“The thin cables must be nerve connections.”

Alan was wearing surgical glasses with a magnifying function, so the cable appeared large. The cable, soaking wet with disinfectant, extended out of his wrist.

“That’s right. If you connect it to a real nerve, you can control the prosthetic hand through brain signals or muscle movements. It also has a recoil control function. It must have been part of a cartel. Or an enemy force.”

“Oh, so that’s why there was a gunshot wound.”

Alan thought of the round hole near the heart. If there had been an artificial organ that had cut through the skin, he would have been horrified at the horror inside.

The largest drug cartel in the port city of Aromaa was Novak’s main client. They deal with each other because they are all black.

After that, Alan learned from Vito how to use the equipment and the repair methods that exist for each magicware.

Because he was a fast learner, Alan’s skills improved noticeably. The desire to finish work as quickly as possible also spurred his acquisition of knowledge.

After about a month, Vito informed me that his probationary period was over.

“As expected, you learn quickly. You can do most basic repairs. Well, you touch things every day, so it’s impossible for your skills not to improve.”

“How do you repair integrated circuits?”

“I don’t know about that. The boss could do it, but he doesn’t teach us that kind of knowledge. We just replace spare parts or fix simple circuits. As you know, it still works fine.”

Unfortunately, knowledge was money and power. The truly valuable knowledge belonged to the powerful, while the distorted and fabricated information floating around on the Internet and in the market deceived the blind.

Alan sighed and moved his hands mechanically. The speed of completing the daily quota was getting faster and faster. He tried his best to calm his emotions and even used self-hypnosis to forget that he was a corpse.

But one day, after checking the items, Alan was unable to proceed with his work as usual.

“Huhh······.”

It was not an object, but a person who was taking weak breaths.

Alan unconsciously stroked the dark brown hair that his mother had given him. The woman lying on the workbench had the same color of hair. Even her hairstyle resembled her mother’s.

I still remember that day vividly. The boat being lifted by the waves, and the words my mother barely managed to convey before it was destroyed.

‘I love you.’

Alan, who had been keeping his eyes closed for a long time, put Hippocrates on his arm. The scanner had already checked the inside. His hand moved on its own to remove the bullet embedded in the artificial lung.

Vito, who had just opened the plastic curtain and come in, whispered firmly while looking around.

“Are you crazy? You can’t do this. If the boss finds out, you’ll be in big trouble.”

“I will take responsibility. You go out.”

“I told you, you’re going to get in big trouble. Did you forget the security camera?”

Alan’s cool judgment told him not to do this, but his hand moved involuntarily. The bullet caught in the tweezers was already coming out through the hole.

Tangrur.

The bullet hit the workbench, making a loud noise. At the same time, a deep voice was heard.

“What are you doing now?”

Despite Novak’s question, Alan’s hand was still suturing the wound. A deep furrow appeared between Novak’s already wrinkled eyebrows.

“You don’t know how high the sky is because you keep saying yes and yes.”

Exactly!

The owner of the clinic snapped his fingers. And Alan’s body trembled and fell to the side. The electricity from the necklace was causing his muscles to stiffen.

“Tch!”

Alan lost consciousness after hearing the sound of Nobak’s tongue clicking.

When I opened my eyes again, my vision was dark. Light was coming in through a gap somewhere, dimly illuminating the interior.

“This is···.”

As I turned around to check my surroundings, something hit my hand and fell down with a loud noise. It was a broken prosthetic hand with holes all over it.

Eyes adapted to the darkness transmitted more information to the brain than before. Broken magicware was scattered everywhere.

“It’s a trash can.”

It was a place that Alan also knew from having visited several times. It was a warehouse where completely broken magicware and magical tools were discarded.

As I pulled the doorknob, the chain clanked. Then came the voice of the worker working under Alan.

“Mr. Alan, this is the boss’s order to reflect for a week. I will bring you food when the time comes.”

“thank you.”

“This is lunch.”

A rice ball in a plastic bag was thrust through the slightly open door. Alan took the bag and sat down on the dirty washing machine.

As the footsteps of the workers faded away, the surroundings became quiet. Alan looked around while shoving food into his mouth. He saw small vents and scattered magic tools.

‘One week.’

If it had been another assistant, he would have been locked up for over a month. Or he would have been disposed of. Of course, the reason Novak showed mercy was because the other person was Alan.

‘You are so kind, considering the health of the test subject.’

Squeak squeak!

Alan’s eyes followed the small creatures. The rats roamed around fearlessly even in the presence of humans. Some of them even coveted the crumbs of rice balls.

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