Episode 14
014. That’s Not How You Do It
Of course, the targeted profession was a niche within a niche.
But for Golden Hand, it was an indispensable profession, so he moved without hesitation.
Golden Hand headed to the remotest part of Neman Village.
A place scarcely touched by other players.
There stood a small building, worn but oddly adorned with metallic decorations that clashed completely with the surrounding idyllic scenery. It was a peculiar structure from which intermittent ‘ZZzt—’ sounds of electrical discharge and the grating noise of gears could be heard.
‘The Atelier of the Magic Engineer.’
Golden Hand’s footsteps halted before it. The choices of his past life flashed through his mind.
In his past life, Golden Hand had pursued the combat class ‘Giant’ while concurrently practicing the secondary profession of Blacksmith. ‘Giant’ was a profession obtained through a special advancement from the Hammer Warrior class—a rare case where a racial characteristic itself became a profession.
The powerful physical abilities of a Giant synergized well with blacksmithing work. But the result was merely a mediocre hybrid character, proficient in neither. Focusing on crafting left his level lagging; focusing on combat left no time to craft equipment.
‘This life will be different. I’ll go thoroughly into the crafting line while also securing combat power.’
His conclusion was clear. The limits of his combat talent were obvious. Therefore, what he needed to choose was a crafting profession that could complement his combat abilities. Among them, the ill-fated profession whose true value was only revealed after the advent of the Age of Ruin.
‘Magic Engineering! I must not miss Magic Engineering!’
Magic Engineering.
A unique technological system in ‘Lepyon’ that combined magic and mechanical engineering.
The profession in ‘Lepyon’ capable of creating golems.
In the early days of the open beta, a few players chose Magic Engineering out of a fascination with golems, but it soon fell into disrepute and became a niche profession. The performance of the golems was far too ambiguous for the resources and time consumed.
‘They couldn’t even properly handle a single monster of the same level…’
However, during the Age of Ruin, that assessment was completely reversed.
The tireless soldiers of steel.
The golems became the iron shields guarding humanity’s front lines.
While players rested and reorganized, the golems silently held back the onslaught of the Aberrations.
Moreover, Magic engineering combined with modern technological prowess like drones saw its potential explode forth.
It was only then that people realized.
The true value of Magic Engineering lay not in individual combat power, but in ‘war’ itself.
The sole force capable of enduring a war of attrition.
That was Magic Engineering.
‘The synergy between Blacksmith and Magic Engineer is the best. The blacksmith makes the parts, and the Magic Engineer assembles them with precision and imbues them with magic… a perfect combination.’
Golden Hand hesitated no longer and pushed open the door of the peculiar building. The moment he stepped inside.
Zzzt— Zzt—
Beep—
– Sniff sniff, where’s that sweaty smell coming from? Ugh! This is no place for a barbaric blacksmith! Get out of here!
From behind a massive mechanical device deeper inside the atelier, a sharp, mechanical-sounding voice streamed through a speaker. Even for Golden Hand, this was his first visit to a Magic Engineer’s atelier, so the voice from the speaker was unfamiliar. But instead of searching for the voice’s owner, he calmly stated his purpose.
“I’ve come because I wish to learn Magic Engineering.”
– What? A blacksmith learning Magic Engineering? Kyahahaat! Do you think a brute who just mindlessly hammers iron can comprehend the world of glorious Magic Engineering, which doesn’t allow even a 0.1mm margin of error? That’s beyond delusion!
A voice tinged with anger and agitation. Unfazed, Golden Hand silently surveyed his surroundings. The interior of the atelier was a chaotic mess, crammed with all sorts of mechanical parts, blueprints, and flasks filled with unidentifiable liquids, leaving no room to step.
And in the center, upon a massive workbench, sat a complex mechanical device. His gaze settled on one particular part that was vibrating especially unstably.
*‘That’s… the MK-03 Standard Power Circuit, isn’t it? So it was here after all.’*
A faint smile touched Golden Hand’s lips. He felt as if he had stumbled upon a nostalgic toy in an old stationery shop.
The MK-03 Standard Power Circuit—the very one used in the early models of the unmanned golem ‘Iron Hammer’ series, which became the mainstay of humanity’s defensive line during the Age of Ruin. Magic Engineers who had acquired their profession here had recalled their memories and recreated it in reality.
‘Near the end, we fought tooth and nail with the Magic Engineers trying to improve that very thing…’
Back then, Golden Hand had been in charge of supplying parts for the golems fighting on the front lines. When Magic Engineers brought new blueprints, he would create the optimal alloys and components for those designs. In the process, he had examined countless Magic blueprints, engaged in all-night debates with the engineers, and naturally grasped the core principles of Magic Engineering.
Especially that ‘MK-03 Standard Power Circuit’. The problematic component that rendered countless golems useless due to a chronic mana backflow issue. The circuit of love and hate that he had helped refine dozens of times alongside the Magic Engineers to solve that very problem.
While Golden Hand was lost in reminiscence, the voice from the speaker continued firmly.
– Magic is an art! An art! A realm of creation forged through meticulous calculation and flashes of inspiration. A realm that a brute who just bangs a hammer can never, ever comprehend! So stop wasting time and leave while I’m still being nice!
It wasn’t that she was being hostile because he was a stranger. Golden Hand felt he was being looked down upon precisely because of his Blacksmith profession. Yet, facing such a voice, Golden Hand smiled leisurely and pointed at the work.
“That mana stabilization circuit… that’s not how you assemble it.”
– Wha, what…?
The voice coming from behind the mechanical device faltered for a moment.
“Try reassembling it with the gear on the 3rd axle rotated half a turn in reverse. It will create a slight vortex in the mana flow and suppress the backflow. Doing that should increase efficiency by at least 1.5%.”
“…!”
Silence fell over the atelier. A moment later, a small figure popped out abruptly from behind the pile of scrap metal. It was a girl with a youthful face, wearing grease-stained overalls, her red hair tied haphazardly halfway down her back, and large goggles perched on her head. She stared at Golden Hand with suspicious eyes.
“H-how do you know that!”
Golden Hand was the one taken aback now.
‘It’s not Clock?’
The person Golden Hand had expected was Clock.
The sole Magic Engineer of Neman Village, Clock.
A person he had crossed paths with a few times while running errands for Tuban.
All other players had also received their profession from Clock.
So he couldn’t help but be flustered when an entirely unexpected person appeared.
‘She’s… different?’
For an ordinary player, it wouldn’t matter much. Whoever appeared, as long as they properly received the profession, that was enough. But for Golden Hand with his past-life memories, this was a significant matter. A specific NPC had completely changed.
“You… who are you?”
Golden Hand asked with a serious expression.
This time, the corners of the girl’s eyes trembled slightly. Just as she was about to retort at Golden Hand, a familiar-faced man hurriedly rushed in through the building’s entrance.
“Oh my! Deputy Director Ravi! Are you harassing another precious applicant again? Not this time! No!”
The man stepped forward as if to protect Golden Hand from Ravi. It was Clock, the man from Golden Hand’s memory. He had finally entered the building, late.
‘Ravi? Deputy Director?’
Golden Hand felt relieved seeing Clock’s face, but couldn’t help tilting his head at the dynamic. Ravi was a character he had never heard of from players who chose Magic Engineering as a profession. Yet, this Ravi was talking down to Clock and speaking as if venting her frustration.
“What do you mean chase them out! I was merely advising those who aren’t qualified to look for another profession!”
“Is that what you call it? As if applicants aren’t dwindling by the day as it is… is that what you should be doing?”
“Sh, shut up!”
Magic Engineering was an unpopular profession within ‘Lepion’ as well. The reason players didn’t choose it seemed the same. However, Ravi, who didn’t seem to care about such things, instead pressed Clock.
“Stop nagging and reassemble that mana circuit’s 3rd axle gear half a turn in reverse.”
“Huh? Ah! You’ve already found a solution? As expected of the youngest genius Deputy Directo—”
“Oh, why so many words! Just do it, quickly!”
Despite Ravi’s rude prodding, Clock moved swiftly. Although he was a Magic Engineer in the rural backwater of Neman Village, his skill was astonishingly proficient.Kreek— Kreek—
Kree-reek—
Completing the assembly more quickly and skillfully than any modern Magic engineer, Clock smiled contentedly as he checked the finished mana circuit. The thing that had been rattling and vibrating unstably had now stabilized.
“As expected of the Deputy Director! To have solved it so soon after I requested your help!”
Clock showered her with praise thick with flattery. But towards him, Ravi spoke quietly.
“It wasn’t me.”
“Huh?”
“I didn’t propose the solution.”
As Clock looked bewildered, Ravi gestured towards Golden Hand with a nod of her head.
“That blacksmith over there did it.”
“Eh? What do you…”
“Ah, seriously! That blacksmith suggested the solution! Can’t you hear me?”
At those words, Clock shifted his gaze to Golden Hand with a dumbfounded expression. He still seemed to find it hard to believe.
“Could it be… you? But then, who might you be?”
