Genius Engineer in the Labyrinth - Chapter 73
Only Noblemtl
The magic stones that Alan had collected frugally turned out to be worth more than he had expected, and thanks to them, he was able to move from his original residence to a larger building.
The new lair was also a warehouse. It was spacious, easy to store equipment, and easy to manipulate. It was the perfect place for Alan, who was practicing magic engineering.
Since it was a relatively safe neighborhood, they brought in some expensive magic engineering equipment. Its name was Runeprint. It was a device that could draw runes and circuit magic more precisely and precisely than a rune pen.
If only I had the ability to resolve the interference of the magical fields emitted by the runes, I could draw several times as many runes on the same area.
The only downside is that it is too big to carry around, so you have to keep it in storage. However, the advantages are so great that the downsides are not noticeable.
The next benefit is the acquisition of new knowledge. Alan, who had been reading the introductory text and the beginner’s interpretation book until they were worn out, finally got his hands on a new book.
Taylor watched the prosthetic hand he had entrusted to Alan disintegrate in real time, then glanced at the cover of a book nearby.
“’Star Character Intermediate Interpretation 1′. What are the numbers attached to the end?”
“Of course, it means volume 1.”
“A book worth 10 million coins? How many copies are there?”
“Volume 10.”
“What the f–k… I wasn’t swearing at you, I was swearing at the publisher. You know that right? What kind of book is so expensive? I’d rather buy a used book.”
I wonder if Alan hasn’t thought about what Taylor is thinking.
“The used price is set high to begin with. When a new theory is established, a revised edition comes out and the content changes slightly, so I just bought it as a new product. And if they messed with the used book, there is no way to check.”
For example, the symbolism of the star character changes even if the angle or position is slightly different. That is why it is also a difficult subject.
Anyway, what if I bought the book and someone tampered with it? What if they changed the asterisk that means ‘protection’ to ‘attack’? What if it causes confusion with its ambiguous meaning?
“Anyway, Alan, isn’t this a problem you can solve through trial and error? Just say that the new one is better.”
“There’s a reason for that. I thought about that a lot when I was young, when I was going through the garbage. I wanted to have something that was completely mine. And I think the price of books is reasonable.”
Magical engineering is a discipline that allows ordinary people to handle magic. Since it is one of the most important pieces of knowledge in a world where mystery is the beginning and the end, its price is somewhat considered.
Even if that’s not the case, people who are going to buy it will buy it no matter how expensive it is. Especially if they have a strong desire to explore like Alan.
Taylor was pleased by Alan’s earnest attitude, but also felt a chill when he saw the book, which was thicker than a brick.
“Do you like books better than ramen?”
“You say the obvious so obviously.”
“I’m worried.”
“What is it?”
“I’m thinking of showing off my magical engineering knowledge when I go on a date with my lover later. The streetlights are really pretty. Aren’t they? That streetlight is from a certain company that recently removed the existing circuits and instead superimposed [luminescence]···.”
“That sounds plausible.”
“No. I explained to you as an example why this shouldn’t be done.”
Preparations for the next expedition went smoothly. Taylor’s magicware was inspected, the magic bullets were made, and the leopard guards and vanguards were strengthened.
Shiva, who was half-lying on the sofa, opened his mouth while watching Alan work.
“Brother Allen, I thought it was easy to get off, but in fact, it was a lot of hard work that went into it. As expected, you can’t see the whole world by looking at just one side. That’s why it’s so wonderful and amazing.”
“I find it more mysterious that you are here. Why did you settle down here when you have a nice house where the priests of the Mother Church live together? It is also a wealthy area, so it must be a good place to live.”
Shiva laughed at Taylor’s nagging at him for putting his prosthetic arm back on.
“If your body is too comfortable, your mind will also be trapped in it. Moderate asceticism helps in your training.”
“Does that mean the environment here is not good?”
“You’re misunderstanding me again. It would be easier to think of it as simply adjusting to a new environment. And you can’t stay in your mother’s arms forever, right?”
“Just tell me about that bottle.”
“What about Seongsu? Can’t you see its transparent, clear, and splendid colors?”
“Do you think I wouldn’t know if you just took off the label? Give me some too. It’s in the fridge, right?”
Taylor strode over to the fridge and opened it. It was full of glass bottles with traces of labels still on them.
As if they had just had an argument, the two lightly clinked the glass bottle and tilted it. Taylor buried her butt in the sofa and turned on the TV.
The channel that had been changing in response to the signals sent by Taylor’s artificial eyeballs was now fixed. A gruff-looking announcer was reporting the news.
[I told you about the incident at the magic stone mine in the labyrinth last time. The city government, enraged by the scene of the horrific violation of human rights, finally took up arms. Meanwhile, Lockhart claimed that they had no knowledge of the incident, and announced a statement that the incident in the labyrinth was carried out by an individual to satisfy his greed. They have already arrested the director who led the incident, and they are ready to hand it over at any time···.]
Taylor clicked her tongue as she watched the news.
“Personal deviation? Looking at the idiot who is announcing it, it seems like he is already starting to cut off the tail.”
“But can’t we trust that the city government has stepped in?”
“I told you last time. The stakes are complicated. In fact, Lockhart is just a figurehead. I guess he’ll just take care of one director and give some money here and there to cover it up. That’s always the case, so it’s not surprising.”
Alan looked up from his panther grooming session at the sound of the noise.
“You’re trying too hard to concentrate. You even got a living room set up when you moved into a new house, so why are you talking in the studio?”
The leopard stood up and rubbed itself against Alan’s leg. It also bared its teeth at Taylor and Shiva.
“Are you feeling more emotional?”
“No, I diversified the behavioral patterns according to what was written in the book I recently bought. I thought it was a useless function, but it’s not bad. If we develop it further, it will be able to make conditional judgments based on changes in the battle situation. In the future, we will aim for autonomous judgment, and ultimately, strong AI that thinks like a human and makes its own judgments. If possible, I would like to give it the best armor, but I don’t have time for that yet···.”
Click!
Suddenly, the warehouse became quiet as the door closed. Shiva, who had been rolling around, and Taylor, who had been taking holy water from the refrigerator, both disappeared.
Alan shrugged and got to work.
*
“This is my second time, and there are so many explorers.”
“Oh my, you country bumpkin.”
No matter what Taylor said or did, Shiva focused on the spectacle. Occasionally, she would look at the children and offer a prayer to the Mother of All.
Taylor looked at the sight with interest.
“I thought you’d nag me, but you’re surprisingly quiet.”
“There must be a reason why you entered the labyrinth. It’s hard to find work on the surface, so I guess you chose the labyrinth as an alternative.”
“That’s right. Labyrinth work is dangerous, and children only get half the pay of adult porters. But they’ll still have enough to eat for a few days, so come here. They already know everything by the time they come here, so they’re basically like adults.”
“That’s a bit···.”
“How does it compare to a goblin?”
“Rather, I think those kids are stronger.”
Alan, who was sitting on the cart, raised his head at the strange feeling that came as he passed through the labyrinth gate. He put the things he had finished working on into the box that followed Matan, and started walking on two feet.
“This time, our goal is to kill the guards and take a quick look around the primeval forest.”
A reminder of the goal. This time, Taylor and Shiva listened seriously.
“Just by stepping in for a moment, your reach won’t change, but if you keep doing it, you’ll be able to move from the first to the second line.”
Actually, that was the biggest reason. It currently takes hours just to get in, but if we changed the line, it could be shortened significantly.
Shiva stroked his beard as he enjoyed the strangely humid, iron-smelling, and oily air of the labyrinth.
“It’ll be a hassle to go down every time. Is there no space door that works in the labyrinth?”
“Just as the real world and the labyrinth are different dimensions, you can think of the different layers of the labyrinth as different dimensions.”
“Ordinary space pockets are useless in the labyrinth, but what about Ooparts? Then maybe we can find an Ooparts that opens space gates someday.”
“If it exists, it would be widely known already. The history of labyrinth exploration goes back over a hundred years. Well, it might exist in deeper places.”
As usual, the first to third floors, where workshops were set up, could be passed quickly without fighting. Stepping onto the fourth floor, Shiva tilted his head as he suddenly looked at the empty maze.
“It’s only one floor, but the difference is huge.”
“That’s why beginners… Alan.”
“On floors 1 to 3, the location of the manhole where the automaton pops out is fixed. From floor 4, it changes randomly. The enemies that appear also become stronger, so the efficiency decreases.”
“Oh, there’s a manhole over there…”
Shiva pointed to the ceiling. The manhole paused for a moment and then began digging into the rock again.
Shiva watched in amazement as the stone split and reassembled like pudding.
“It’s still amazing to see it again. And it even deceives people… It doesn’t seem wrong to say that the labyrinth itself is a living organism.”
The next manhole appeared sooner than expected. The automatons that emerged from it were two deer. They had blade-like horns that spun around to rip apart the explorer’s flesh.
Shiva tried to step forward and free the monster’s soul, but Alan stopped him.
“Let this kid handle it.”
“The leopard···.”
Shiva, who was trying to see the leopard, realized that Alan’s finger was pointing to the box that was following him around.
“Uh, what does it look like?”
It was only then that I realized that the box had changed slightly. The body, which was about the size of a drum, had grown larger, and there was a camera on top that looked like a crab’s eye.
The box, which had been called by Alan, moved its eyes here and there and fixed itself on the running deer. The camera turned red, and the middle of its body opened up and a launcher popped out.
Phong!
One shot, one explosion. The deer were blown up before they could even approach.
The box rolled nearby and this time it took out a mechanical arm. The arm, reminiscent of a crab claw, moved around to dismember the deer and collect the loot.
Taylor looked at the sight with admiration.
“Are you trying to automate the collection? Now that I look at it, it looks exactly like a pair of tongs.”
“I got inspired. But the collection isn’t that precise, so you have to step up and take down enemies like the goalkeeper.”
Unlike Taylor, who was pleased that it had relieved some of the hassle, Shiva had a serious expression.
“Brother Alan.”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
“Brother Taylor has a shotgun, but I only deal with enemies up close. Is there a chance I’ll get caught in a magic bullet?”
“I will take good care of it so that it doesn’t happen again.”
“Then that’s good.”
Alan’s voice was additionally inserted into Shiva’s ears, who were feeling relieved.
“There are also calculations that even if you are caught in the blast radius, you won’t be seriously hurt.”
“yes?”
“I saw you in the mine last time, and you were incredibly strong. You were hit head-on by a magic bullet, but you just fainted.”
“Could it be that the owner of that magic bullet was Brother Allen?”
“I made it, but the manager kicked the bullet I fired, so you could say that the ownership changed. In soccer, the last person to touch the ball scores.”
“···.”
Shiva, who had prayed to his mother, searched through the cart to find holy water.
Alan and Taylor watched the scene and talked quietly.
“You said you were looking for a new repertoire, is that it?”
“That doesn’t seem like acting, it’s sincerity. No matter how much I think about it, you were wrong this time.”
“Was power the problem?”
“That’s not it···.”
End