Genius Engineer in the Labyrinth - Chapter 81
Only Noblemtl
Kaka, a goblin the size of an orc, stood up completely unlike his subordinates. When a magic cannon flew at him, he swung his arm outward to knock it away.
“If you have excessive magical power, you’re a cripple. But is this kind of random attack possible?”
“That guy had excellent magical power control from the beginning. Of course, he generated a lot of magical power and was also violent. But something is strange. He must have received some kind of treatment here.”
“I’m afraid you’ll think I’m the same old fool, so I’m analyzing and talking nonsense in this situation. Don’t just think about it, show it with action.”
After hearing those words, Nobak quietly got up and moved towards the factory.
Kaka looked at his back for a moment, then his eyes lit up. A blue light flashed and he entered a multi-call mode.
“What is the damage situation?”
[Most machine gun turrets have been disabled.]
[Contact lost with the four outer boundary team members.]
Kaka thought back to the spider he had seen through the office window earlier. It had wrapped its legs around the subordinate’s head and exploded. The dead men must have been hit with a similar trick.
[The vehicle is safe.]
[External personnel have been ordered to return.]
“Tell me one by one… No, that’s enough. Even if it means taking a loss, we have to do it all at once.”
Kaka’s eyes lit up again and he gave an order. He was not someone who fought according to plan, but a leader who trusted his body and stepped forward.
Look at his body, which is 2m tall despite being a goblin. This is the result of taking growth hormones, bone density enhancers, and steroids in appropriate proportions since childhood.
“When I give the signal, run out immediately.”
[All right.]
I might lose some subordinates, but what’s the big deal? There are plenty of young people trying to get under the Corona Cartel, so I’ll just take on more subordinates.
It was the result of a combination of the organization that ruled Aromaa and the mindset that they would survive even if it meant trampling on someone. They also knew that in order to avoid being trampled, they had to become the one doing the trampling.
[Use smoke grenade!]
[Magicians spread smoke with wind magic!]
There was a brief exchange of words between the cartel members, and smoke bombs were set off throughout the factory. It seemed as if they were determined to block the artillery fire since they were losing in a long-range firefight anyway.
The thick smoke became clouds that spread across the ground, swallowing up the surrounding landscapes one by one. The Ebi wearers even created wind, so the speed at which the clouds expanded was extremely fast.
[Now. Run!]
At the same time, a rough engine noise was heard from the back of the factory. The artificial engine noise inserted into the horsepower-driven cars can be turned off, but it was intentionally left on to distract the intruders.
The two tactical transport vehicles that the organization members had been riding in to Maze City simultaneously exited the back of the factory. They looked like trucks, except for one thing: the cargo area where the troops were loaded was protected by a square piece of metal plate.
Just before the smoke screen burst, the scout spiders that Alan had released in all directions picked up on the enemy’s strange behavior. Pieces of information were pieced together one by one and reconstructed through Alan’s brain.
“I think they’re going to block my eyes with smoke and then rush in. I think the two trucks are going to circle around and come here. They’re moving.”
A number of footsteps could be heard through the smoke. The increasingly louder sound meant that the distance was getting closer.
Taylor, who had been protecting Alan’s blind spot, threw the perforated car door to the side.
“This is enough, leave the close combat to us.”
“Brother, who’s in charge of the truck?”
“Alan will take care of it.”
Alan nodded and stepped back. Even with the assistance of the powered exoskeleton, his arms felt sore under his powersuit armor.
‘It must be because the weight is not balanced.’
If you wear each piece individually, like plate armor, the weight will cause the balance to be off, but if you wear everything, the weight will be distributed, making it comfortable.
Of course, the biggest problem was Allen’s body. Fortunately, he had been able to increase his body’s endurance through treatment and training, otherwise his shoulder might have been dislocated.
thud!
When I detached the arm portion of the power suit from the reinforced exoskeleton, it fell to the ground and made a heavy sound. Even that was quickly drowned out by the screams and explosions heard up ahead.
Now that they had each taken their roles, it was Alan’s turn to stop the truck.
A spider acting as a relay spider climbed onto Alan’s shoulder. It amplified the signal sent by the scout spider and transmitted it to Alan.
Alan’s vision was split in half. His right eye looked at the place he was currently in, while his left eye scanned his surroundings as if he were flying a reconnaissance plane in the air.
The Corona Cartel’s transport vehicles were split into two and were approaching us.
‘There is a defect in one of the two.’
If possible, I wanted to accumulate as much damage as possible before it appeared in front of me. Originally, in any war, it was easier to create conditions for winning first and then go into battle.
‘box?’
beep-!
‘No, wait a minute.’
beep···.
A strangely high and low response came back, perhaps because of the surrounding noise. Of course, Alan paid no attention and focused on the truck.
Reconnaissance spiders placed on top of nearby buildings transmitted the truck’s location in real time.
‘The distance is 200m. The location is 10 o’clock.’
Alan decided to first aim for the truck approaching from the left. There were quite a few abandoned buildings and factories nearby, so the angle was a bit off, so he moved a few steps to the side.
Only then could I glimpse the other side through the gap in the collapsed wall. There was a brick wall there too, but one was easier to break through than two.
He aimed the grenade launcher with his right eye, and watched the approaching truck with his left eye. Just before the truck reached the spot Allen was aiming for.
The bullet flew at high speed. The armor-piercing bullet with [Penetration], [Spiral], and [Acceleration] engraved on it jumped out, making a hole in the brick wall.
The angle was slightly off in the process, but it ended up lodged in the truck’s wheel just as Alan had expected.
“What the heck···!”
The truck lurched violently. Before the driver could finish cursing, it crashed into a brick wall.
While the driver was unable to control himself due to the strong impact, the truck, which had been moving forward steadily, collided with another wall and slid down while tilting. Since the wheels did not touch the ground, the truck stopped immediately.
The shaking disappeared, and the drug-injecting magicware embedded in the driver’s body began to release stimulants. The pain controller also began to work, relieving the pain.
The driver, who had just come to his senses, saw something the size of a fist before his eyes.
“I···.”
I was about to say, ‘What is that?’ but my mouth moved slowly. As I pondered what on earth this phenomenon was, I realized what the object was.
It was Matan. Only then did the driver understand what the phenomenon of time passing slowly was.
‘They say time passes slowly when death approaches.’
Those were the driver’s last thoughts.
Boom!
The windows of the transport vehicle were shattered with a loud bang, and flames engulfed the entire driver’s seat. As if that wasn’t enough, another flying bullet turned the car into a hot oven.
‘What kind of bull was it? There was a punishment where people were locked inside and a fire was lit below···.’
Alan pushed aside the sudden thought and focused on the next truck. The last truck also had its wheels destroyed by an armor-piercing round.
Kwajik!
The metal plate covering the cargo area tore and something burst out. A huge figure slid across the asphalt, spewing sparks and debris.
Novak was Novak, but he was bigger than the information Kiri had given him and what Allen had seen for himself. His arms and legs had grown thicker and longer. His torso was the same.
‘When did you change it?’
Magic wear that is so large that it ruins the body proportions is usually called a golem body, and Novak was wearing it all except for the head.
At first glance, it may seem similar to a power suit, but the differences are clear. The power suit is worn over the body, while the golem body replaces the body parts.
The now-elderly Nobak, who had grown from 7 heads to 11 heads, stepped forward, his feet squeaking along the asphalt. He looked like a human head attached to a gorilla’s torso.
It was so heavy that every time its metal feet hit the floor, a dizzying noise was heard.
‘Fire it.’
Alan’s signal was relayed to the hidden leopard. The creature, which had been fooled by the streetlight and moonlight, opened its mouth wide and let out a beam of light.
Jiyik!
Black soot settled where the red heat line had been drawn. The light reached the nearby wall and burned away even the tattered placard.
Unfortunately, Novak dodged the unexpected blow, leaving an afterimage.
‘You must have used a reflex accelerator.’
So, he must have run away after seeing the flash of light just before launch.
It would be difficult to demonstrate such abilities without the magic wear that maximizes reflexes and signal transmission speed. If Novak were a physical cultivator, then it might be possible, but he is a magic engineer.
“You always show off your cute skills.”
Although there was not a single swear word in it, anger was seeping out from between his tightly clenched teeth.
Novak didn’t stop his body as he spoke. He checked the leopard’s location and approached it only at angles that were difficult to fire the beam at.
“Are my eyes okay?”
“···.”
Alan didn’t feel it was worth answering. Since one side was out of communication, Novak’s face was distorted. It was sad enough that he had been treated by a test subject he thought he had placed below, but now he was refusing to talk to him, so it was a natural reaction.
“The facial muscles remain. I thought it was artificial skin, but it looks like the face is made of original skin.”
“this···.”
The answer he received was completely unrelated to his question. He felt a surge of anger as he met the expressionless face and the gaze that seemed to be analyzing an inorganic substance.
He should have been the only one who could have reacted like that. If there was a hierarchy, he should have been above and Alan should have been below.
Noh Bak spoke again, calming his boiling stomach.
“If you open your eyes, at least you can die in peace···.”
Phong!
A box waiting on the roof of a nearby building fired a bullet. Noh Bak’s body, which had stopped talking, became blurry.
In the slowed time, Nobak’s hand reached out towards Matan. Blue fog formed over his hand.
Alan knew the trick. He had already experienced the act of striking the bullet in the mine. That was why Taylor had been teasing him for a while about team killing him.
The blue fog surrounding Noh Bak’s hand probably has a similar effect to [Slow], so if you touch it, the movement of magical power or the detection of shock will be delayed.
Then, of course, the magic bullet wouldn’t explode on time, but that didn’t matter right now.
As soon as Alan gave the signal, Matan’s shell cracked and water poured out instead of flames.
Two of the three runes written on the matan were [Submersion] and [Rain]. There was shallow water flowing beneath Alan’s feet as well.
There was no need for a large amount of water like when freezing the guards, just soaking the nobak completely. The water flowing around the nobak spread out like a spider web.
Nobak ran again. The water that had caught his feet splashed in all directions.
Alan’s eyes and brain were strengthened by Taylor’s magic training, so he could clearly see Novak’s movements. Of course, it was another matter for his body to follow along properly. So he planned a range attack.
Alan aimed his grenade launcher at the ground, or more accurately, at the water stream. And fired.
Hit the button!
This time, instead of an explosion, there was a loud sparking sound. The high-voltage current electrolyzed the water, and the hydrogen that rose up was hit by the current, causing small flames to appear.
Blue static electricity was emitted from all over Noh Bak’s body, and even his remaining eyebrows were burned off.
If it were normal electricity, it would have attacked both Alan and Novak without distinction, but this was electricity made of mana.
In addition, the rune I didn’t mention earlier was [Target]. It marked a kind of dot on Novak, so the current was directed only at him.
Nobak, whose body had been twisted in an odd direction due to the thrilling shock, regained his posture. His eyes were bloodshot.
“You refuse even though I gave you a chance? I’ll see if you’ll still be so arrogant even if I gouge out both of your eyes.”
“Conversations should be held with people.”
Noh Bak’s face distorted as he finally got this kind of response.
“You’re ugly.”
It was further distorted by personal attacks.
End