Chapter 13
First Equipment Crafting
The hot sunlight tickled my face.
As if telling me to wake up, the rising temperature nudged me to open my eyes and get out of bed.
“Ugh…”
I groaned in pain from the muscle aches that had become almost like a chronic illness and headed to the bathroom.
I washed my face with the cold water that had cooled overnight to shake off the remnants of sleep, then checked the time on my tablet.
“6 o’clock… good.”
Maybe it was thanks to the two weeks of hard work under Camilla’s supervision. Now, no matter how tired my body was, I could reliably wake up at 6 a.m.
Satisfied that I wasn’t late, I immediately headed to the dining area.
Camilla was already there, having woken up even earlier than me, placing an energy bar on the table as she waited.
“Good morning.”
“Yeah, good morning.”
As I greeted her and took my seat, Camilla nodded in acknowledgment.
I remembered the empty lot filled with scrap and junk when I first arrived at the junkyard and asked Camilla:
“Yesterday, there wasn’t much scrap and junk left. Once the workshop stuff is done, can I rest today?”
Camilla swallowed half of her energy bar at once and replied:
“If there’s nothing to do, you can rest. But…”
“But…?”
“I plan to be out and about starting tomorrow. So get plenty of rest today.”
Going out meant farming scrap and junk, like when I first met Camilla?
The memory of moving all the scrap and junk that filled the minibus before selling the desert wasp carcasses flashed through my mind.
“I suddenly don’t feel like working.”
“You got that much from the parts you took?”
When I pouted, Camilla spoke casually, as if reminding me of the parts I had collected while working.
“I just did what the contract said, boss.”
I had used alchemy to forcibly meet the conditions and collected one part per day. Though I felt a twinge of guilt, I answered calmly.
“You didn’t expect this, did you?”
“That’s only because I’m skilled, right?”
“Exactly.”
When I replied cheekily, Camilla calmly finished the other half of her energy bar. I did the same.
In less than five minutes, both of us finished breakfast and got up as if on cue, heading toward the workshop.
“Starting.”
“Yes.”
As soon as we arrived, Camilla pressed the forge’s activation button and returned to her workstation to dismantle the remaining junk from yesterday.
I moved the leftover scrap that couldn’t even be used as metal onto a makeshift carrier, then dumped it into the forge. Slowly, the empty forge began to fill with scrap.
“Not much left.”
Even though I had to move it over ten times, thanks to two weeks of hard labor, there wasn’t much scrap left, and I finished in just five trips.
‘Ah, sweet.’
After converting the scrap into ingots, I quickly dismantled the junk.
[Deathworm Hide]
The hide of a Deathworm, a terrestrial dragon (地龍) that spends its life consuming minerals like rocks, stones, and sand.
Its hide is coarse and tough, impervious to bullets from close-range rifles and blades made of rare metals.
Absorbs and condenses surrounding mana.
High density, twice as heavy as normal hide.
By the fourth piece of junk dismantled, I confirmed its properties before setting it down.
“Huh? Already done?”
“Yeah.”
I had hoped to get a part for finishing quickly… but Camilla dismantled all the remaining junk, so I had to give up today’s part.
“Ah, what a shame.”
I checked the time and saw it was 4 p.m.—I had finished work surprisingly early.
“Good job today.”
“Yes, you too.”
“Today, do whatever you want, but make sure it doesn’t affect tomorrow’s work.”
“Got it.”
“I’ll rest in my room. If you have questions, come up.”
“Will do! Enjoy your rest!”
After seeing her off, I rushed to my room. It was sparsely furnished, but now crowded with the parts I’d collected over the past two weeks.
‘Like a winter squirrel gathering nuts.’
I had amassed about 30 kg of rare metals from dismantling junk that barely gave 1 kg per five pieces. I collected enough Deathworm hide to make a sleeping bag, along with parts from a [Pet Robot D-37], [Biological External Armor], and more. There were more than enough high-quality components to make two weeks of labor worthwhile.
I remembered past days of endless work without a single rest day.
‘Maybe I should take a little break today.’
The devil on my shoulder whispered. But tomorrow we’d be farming scrap again, and I didn’t know how long that would take. This might be the last chance to work in a workshop this size.
“Alright, I’ll work hard while I can…”
Despite the urge to rest, I knew now was the perfect time, so I swallowed my desire for a break.
“Honestly, a transport robot is more urgent than a weapon…”
Even if I used all my mana now, I couldn’t make a transport robot, or even a sniper rifle like I did before. Plus, I hadn’t revealed my abilities to Camilla yet.
“The equipment I can make quickly and simply, without arousing suspicion…”
I looked at the parts glinting in the sunlight and started prioritizing what I could craft.
“First, weapons.”
Since we’d be on the minibus handling desert wasps together, nothing would threaten my life tomorrow. So, no weapons needed.
“Physical enhancement equipment is out too.”
I could feel my back and body screaming from the heavy work tomorrow. Plus, such equipment is complex, costly, and time-consuming—so not practical now.
“Then, that leaves armor.”
I paused, considering what to craft, and realized something important:
“Wait, why did I forget? I should make mana-related equipment first.”
The hardest part of using alchemy on junk was the physical and mental fatigue from sudden mana consumption. If I exhausted all my mana, I could do nothing but sleep.
Equipment to reduce this side effect or lower mana consumption would give me more flexibility.
“Gloves would work best.”
I could make accessories, but Camilla would question why I made them. My current leather gloves were old and dirty, so I had a valid reason. Leather gloves were also easy and quick to make, avoiding detection of my alchemy.
“Decision made.”
But how should I craft it?
“Pouring mana won’t magically dismantle it like junk…”
The only item I’d ever crafted via alchemy was a [Homemade Bomb].
“Maybe I can follow the same method… but back then I didn’t add mana effects.”
Just then, Tip appeared, as if it were my turn after two weeks.
[Tip: To craft a special effect item, you need the appropriate form and materials.]
[You may use system assistance to craft a magic item.]
[Use system assistance? Yes / No]
“Long time no see.”
But its instructions were unusual, making me frown.
“You have to use the system to craft magic items?”
This felt different from the system help I received for alchemy before, subtly warning that mishandling mana could be dangerous.
‘I should mostly refrain from using it alone.’
I pressed “Yes,” and a translucent message appeared.
[Tip: Two conditions must be met to craft a magic item.]
[1. Magic Item Design]
[Magic Item Design Window]
Purpose of crafting the magic item
Form of the magic item
Materials used
Optional penalties
“Alright.”
The translucent window gave a VR-game feel. After fiddling with the window out of nostalgia, I focused on designing the item.
“This is always fun.”
After an hour, I completed a satisfactory design. The system summarized it briefly:
[Magic Item Design Window]
Purpose: Reduce post-mana exhaustion and improve mana efficiency
Form: Leather gloves
Materials: Deathworm hide (size to make gloves), 1 kg rare metal
Penalties: Only the crafter may wear; only alchemists; humans only.
Penalties enhance special effects.
“Maybe I could’ve simplified it more.”
Still, all the essentials were there. I confirmed the design, and a second message appeared:
[2. Place the chosen materials in your hands and draw mana to use alchemy.]
“Alchemy? I can do it blindfolded now.”
I placed the hide and metal in my hands and drew mana.
Thrum.
With a satisfying heartbeat, slightly more mana than two weeks ago flowed into the materials, melting them like ice cream in summer. They flowed around my hands, moving like living things, reshaping themselves.
“Ugh…”
Even though the design wasn’t complex, this consumed more mana than anything I had done before. If I hadn’t increased my mana pool slightly over the past two weeks, I couldn’t have crafted this today.
“Phew.”
I forced myself to stay conscious despite extreme fatigue and examined my first piece of alchemically crafted equipment.
“Oh… wow.”
Though I was exhausted, the gloves were stunning. At first glance, they looked like normal black leather gloves, but:
‘Look closer…’
Embroidery with [Rare Metal] gleamed brilliantly. The wrist featured a coiling snake, the back of the hand had a large alchemical circle with a triangle, and the fingertips displayed the five elemental symbols.
“Wow, this is insane.”
I admired them like a work of art, then checked for practicality, moving my hands around.
“Surprisingly light.”
Despite using twice-heavy Deathworm hide and 1 kg of rare metal, they were lighter than expected.
“Let’s test the effect.”
I activated the gloves’ special property.
[Alchemist’s Woe]
A magic item crafted from Deathworm hide and rare metal. Reflects their natural properties, serving as armor and a mana battery.
Finger symbols reduce mana cost by 10%; wrist ornament consumes stored mana to reduce post-mana exhaustion by 50%.
Stores up to 10 mana.
“Long explanation.”
Wearing them reduced post-mana exhaustion, decreased mana consumption by 10%, and gave a 10-mana battery.
‘My current mana is 3.3…’
Roughly triple my mana pool.
“Is my mana pool really that small?”
Not sure if this is normal for others or just me.
“Whatever, at least this is clear.”
To increase max mana, I must experience post-mana exhaustion and fully recover repeatedly.
“Eh, I don’t care.”
Still fatigued, I collapsed onto the bed.
“Time to sleep.”
The best way to recover from mana exhaustion is just to sleep, so I closed my eyes and prepared for tomorrow.
