Became a Mechromancer - Chapter 10

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 10
The Specter (2)
A few days later.
Hunter Management Bureau Basement Level 2.
The Machine Upcycling Department, being situated underground, was particularly dark and oppressive.
Click—
Park Gyu-tae cautiously opened the door and poked his head inside.
A cheap implant arm twitched intermittently.
Observing the mechanical parts hanging from the ceiling and the android in the corner, Park Gyu-tae swallowed hard.
Lim Doo-ho was nowhere to be seen.
Huh…?
“He hasn’t arrived yet?”
Park Gyu-tae’s face went pale as he hesitated to enter.
He peered into the office again.
Park Gyu-tae observed the two androids standing against the wall.
One of them suddenly rolled its eyes side to side!
“Eek…!”
He yelped and slammed the door shut.
Ever since that incident with Doo-ho, Park Gyu-tae had been gripped by an inexplicable terror.
As a result, he had come to dread being alone in the office…
Then Lim Doo-ho’s voice came from behind him.
“Good morning, Park Gyu-tae.”
Phew—
Park Gyu-tae clutched his chest.
“You’re here…”
“Yes?”
“Oh, never mind.”
I observed Park Gyu-tae quietly.
‘To think he’s even seeking psychiatric treatment over something so trivial.’
Of course, I’d heard it from Ham Bong-sik.
An android chasing him down as if to kill him?
Apparently, he kept having such nightmares.
Unbelievable.
‘In a world where science has advanced so far, people still believe in ghosts.’
-Ooh~ How about we keep scaring him then?
‘If Park Gyu-tae quits and a competent superior arrives, that’ll be even more troublesome.’
So I decided to offer him a carrot instead.
“You don’t seem to be in good condition, Park Gyu-tae. I’ll handle the morning tasks alone.”
“Huh? You… you’d do that?”
“Yes.”
Please just stay hidden somewhere.
Your presence won’t help anyway.
Park Gyu-tae said quietly.
“If the higher-ups see you, they’ll complain….”
“Then, what if you went up to the rooftop and came back?”
“Ah! I did store parts up there, didn’t I?”
Park Gyu-tae quickly turned around to leave.
“They should be in the rooftop storage, so contact me if you need any parts! That! I’ll bring them myself!”
“Pardon?”
“The transport, I mean! I’ll move the heavy stuff, and Lim Doo-ho, you stay here! There’s a dolly over there, right?”
The situation had completely reversed.
In the past, he would have dumped it on me with “You should be the one carrying this, you bastard.”
It seemed he was desperately looking for any excuse to transfer to another department.
Of course, without falling out of favor with the higher-ups and while maintaining a respectable appearance.
“That’s not necessary. I can—”
“No! I’ll do it! Let me! I want to!”
“Then do as you wish.”
“Y-yes… You just fix that mechanic thing you like.”
As Park Gyu-tae spoke with a nervous stammer, Doo-ho shrugged.
It didn’t sound particularly kind.
‘Compared to before, this is much better.’
-We still have a long way to go!
‘I can train him gradually.’
Whirrrr—.
Park Gyu-tae immediately loaded a heavy parts box onto the dolly and headed toward the elevator.
Watching him go, Doo-ho let out a hollow laugh.
“Life is truly ironic.”
-Doo-ho, by the way, why does that blockhead look so terrified?
Isto’s voice echoed in my mind.
‘It’s because of that android from the other day.’
-Huh? Just because of that?
‘I was surprised too, but that’s how it is.’
Actually, I had been deliberately pressuring the incompetent Park Gyu-tae, but it had resolved itself in an unexpected way.
Rustle, rustle….
Doo-ho changed into his work clothes.
Then Isto suddenly brought something up.
-By the way, Doo-ho. The command you gave that android the other day was truly a masterstroke!
Huh?
“What command?”
-You had Doo-ho order the android to look at Park, didn’t you?
“Me? That wasn’t me—it was you.”
-Huh?!
The two fell silent for a moment.
Then Doo-ho shook his head vigorously.
“…Let’s just work. Once we get going, we’ll forget all about this.”
-Y-yes, that’s right.
Doo-ho resumed his work.
And Isto headed into the Garage.
* * *
Before long, lunchtime arrived.
Doo-ho went to the convenience store, picked up a triangle kimbap and bottled water, and returned to the Department.
As he entered the Garage.
Tap-tap-tap, tap, tap-tap—.
The sound of an old laptop keyboard being struck echoed through the space.
Isto stared intently at the screen.
Wow~
-It’s gone up!
Doo-ho unwrapped his triangle kimbap and asked.
“What’s gone up?”
Instead of answering, Isto turned the screen toward him.
『Latkin Ore: 50,000 Coins → 70,000 Coins』
Doo-ho took a bite of his kimbap and marveled.
Oh!
“The price jumped significantly.”
-You haven’t even seen the best part yet!
This time, a headline appeared: ‘King’s Latkin Ore Auction Final Bid: 10 Million Coins!’
Doo-ho’s eyes widened.
“T-ten million coins?!”
-Yes! But the Queen’s Latkin has never been discovered, so we can’t determine its market value.
“That makes sense.”
In other words.
With the collapse of South Korea Abyss Layer 1, Latkin Ore prices had skyrocketed.
Then did other countries’ Abysses not contain Latkin?
They did.
However, the color of Latkin Ore varied by country.
South Korean Latkin Ore had a pale violet hue.
Thanks to its rarity and symbolic value, it was experiencing explosive popularity both domestically and internationally as a commemorative item marking the collapse of Abyss Layer 1.
Doo-ho sipped his water and calculated mentally.
One thousand Latkin Ore would yield seventy thousand coins.
Add seven Kings Ratkin Stones to that….
‘140 million coins?’
My heart was pounding at that moment.
-Doo-ho. They’re looking for a Hunter related to the disappearance of Abyss Layer 1. You should step up! I’ll help you!
“No.”
-Pardon?
“There’s no reason for me to get involved.”
Isto blinked in surprise.
-Why not?
I swallowed the last piece of my kimbap triangle and let out a low chuckle.
“If I step forward… you’ll be exposed too.”
Isto tilted his head in confusion.
As if asking what that had to do with anything.
“Electronic devices have never functioned in the Abyss until now. What do you think will happen when you appear?”
-They’ll worship me without hesitation.
At those words, my lips twisted.
‘This one’s got confidence for days.’
Nine times out of ten.
“They’ll either make you a research subject, or if they deem you dangerous, they’ll try to dispose of you.”
Isto trembled violently.
How dare they!!
-Dispose of me, Isto, who will lead the vanguard of world conquest?!
Yeah.
That world conquest thing is the real problem.
“Anyway, now isn’t the time.”
I continued speaking as I walked toward the workbench.
“Once we solidify our position and both grow stronger… and if we gain more allies, we can step forward then without any rush.”
-Hmm… it’s unfortunate, but I’ll comply.
When I nodded, Isto closed the laptop and climbed onto the workbench, lying down.
“So what should we do with these Stones?”
-You can use them, Doo-ho!
“I need to save some for you to eat.”
-No problem. Once we enter the Abyss, magical beasts are everywhere.
Isto treats the Abyss like a convenience store.
I let out a hollow laugh.
‘I’ll sell the Ratkin Stones gradually while watching the price rise, and for the Kings Ratkin Stones… I should look into auctions.’
-What about the Queens Ratkin?
‘I’ll keep it for now. I don’t know how it might be useful yet.’
After finishing my assessment, I cracked my knuckles.
“Now, let’s examine the arm joints.”
-Oh~ Finally an upgrade!
“But Isto, last time in the Abyss, time in the Garage flowed the same as reality?”
-Ah! That.
“Yeah, that.”
-Time outside only slows down when both Doo-ho and I are in the Garage together.
“Okay. Then shall we start the upgrade?”
With those words, silver particles flowed from Doo-ho’s body, cascading down both arms.
* * *
After the disappearance of South Korea Abyss Layer 1.
Days had passed, yet the issue showed no signs of dying down.
Rather, the fervor only grew hotter.
It was only natural.
Seventy years since the Abyss appeared.
This was the first time such a thing had ever occurred.
Thus, all manner of heated debates erupted across the internet.
『Hunter Gallery New Posts: 50,000』
South Korea Abyss Layer 1 Obliterated
└Was this even possible???
└What even is Queen’s Ratkin?
└They said the layer disappeared after defeating that.
└Can’t go down, so finish it from above. Crazy.
└Why would they go deeper if they could do this?
And such discussions.
Foreigners going crazy about coming to South Korea
└No room to stand in Incheon Airport arrivals.
└Immigration boom season 2. Lol.
└Flights are all sold out.
└Korean language schools are going wild. Lol.
Nationalists praising South Korea.
Why the disappearance of Layer 1 is so incredible
└Impossible for 70 years. But Korea did it.
└Undeniable, truly the king move.
└Proof that Layer 1 wasn’t functioning properly all this time.
└If Layer 2 disappears too, does the interval extend?
└This makes sense!
└Hunters were just feathering their own nests this whole time.
└The entire nation weeps today.
Conspiracy theories and blame-filled posts flooded the forums.
A cacophony of arguments swept across the internet.
And….
Overseas markets were equally thrown into upheaval.
CNM launched special broadcasts, while BBG updated South Korea news every hour on the hour.
As for China and Japan, their reactions could be summed up in a single phrase.
『If Korea can do it, so can we!!!』
However, what truly captured the attention of each nation’s Hunter organizations was something else entirely.
The fact that we nearly died, yet survived.
In a desperate situation where Seoul might be swallowed whole by the Abyss in three months, we had secured two precious months of time.
And there was an unexpected bonus on top of that.
“The difficulty dropped, didn’t it?”
“Really? You’re sure?”
“Yeah, the guys who actually went in said so themselves.”
With Layer 82 reduced to Layer 81, the overall difficulty had decreased by one tier.
A true resurrection!
It was like watching a dying patient suddenly leap to their feet and stride about.
As a result, governments worldwide began flooding the South Korea Hunter Management Bureau with requests for information sharing.
* * *
Hunter Management Bureau 12th Floor Conference Room.
Before Director Ma Jeong-seok floated dozens of holographic screens in chaotic disarray. Director Kim Tae-sung and Director Park Soon-kwon were each studying the displays before them.
Director Ma Jeong-seok swept the screens away with a gesture and spoke.
“Na, make your report.”
As Deputy Director Na Yong-seok stood and gestured, a new hologram materialized.
“This morning, the American government submitted another information request….”
“Hold on.”
“Yes, Director.”
“Tell them we know nothing.”
“…Understood.”
Watching Na Yong-seok press his lips together, Kim Tae-sung asked.
“How are the Hunter Families moving?”
“Ah, yes.”
Data appeared immediately.
『Han Hyun-chul Family – Contract signing bonus up to 500 million』
『Seo Jin Family – Contract signing bonus up to 700 million』
『Lee In-jun Family – Contract…』
Kim Tae-sung furrowed his brow and shook his head.
“It’s a money war like no other. But why does everyone insist there’s only one person?”
“Twelve teams entered the Abyss that day. However, from Layer 1 through Layer 10, there were no group entry records.”
“Pathetic lot, the whole bunch of them.”
Director Ma Jeong-seok exhaled a heavy sigh.
“Their eyes are so fixated on the lower layers that upper-layer Rifts form. And even if we assume there’s one person on Layer 1… it could be coincidence. Yet look at this chaos.”
A brief silence fell.
Kim Tae-sung carefully opened his mouth.
“…Director, even if he’s a novice, the system must have issued him a Quest. If he cleared it, that’s genuinely extraordinary.”
“Hmm, Kim Tae-sung has a point.”
Even ordinary Quests fail more often than not.
But a Quest involving the annihilation of Abyss Layer 1?
Without a doubt, it would have been far more difficult than anyone could imagine.
Ma Jeong-seok tapped his chin thoughtfully.
“So, where is this person now?”
“…Well, that’s the thing.”
Na Yong-seok switched the display.
『Abyss Layer 1 Entry Records: 0 individuals』
Everyone’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Then Na Yong-seok spoke up.
“That day, there was no Hunter who checked in at the entrance whatsoever.”
“That’s impossible!”
“Exactly, it doesn’t make sense. That’s why he earned the codename ‘Phantom.'”
Park Soon-kwon, who had been observing quietly, finally spoke.
“I heard there are many fake clearers out there.”
“It’s pathetic. Why do they tell lies that fall apart the moment you test them?”
“Right. All they need to do is present a Queens Ratkin Magic Stone.”
At Park Soon-kwon’s words, Kim Tae-sung burst out laughing.
Pfahahaha.
“Present a Queens Ratkin when I’ve never even seen one?”
“…Kim Tae-sung, that’s not it.”
“It’s not?”
“No, it’s not. High-ranking Magic Stone appraisers can tell. Their eyes can see the source.”
“Well… if Park Soon-kwon says so.”
Shortly after, Ma Jeong-seok leaned back in his chair and concluded.
“Our job is to ensure he doesn’t slip away.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
It didn’t matter if he joined a Guild or a Hunter Family.
The Hunter Management Bureau’s treatment had always been poor anyway.
But if this ‘Phantom’ remained in the country…
‘Perhaps the rumors are true—the number of layers in South Korea’s Abyss might continue to decrease.’
So the answer was clear.
“Tell the Phantom that we’ll provide full support regardless of which domestic organization he contracts with.”
This was the most pragmatic approach.
Yet Kim Tae-sung couldn’t hide his disappointment.
Sigh…
‘If only he would join our Hunter Management Bureau… our position would change overnight.’
They had no idea whatsoever.
That at this very moment, that ‘ghost’ was repairing an android in the Hunter Management Bureau Basement Level 2.
Became a Mecromancer
Author |
Geon-gang E
Published |
February 25, 2026
Publisher |
TalesYX
Website |
https://talesyx.com
Email |
[email protected]
ⓒ Geon-gang E, 2026
This publication is protected by copyright law and may not be reprinted or reproduced without permission.
UCI |
G720:N+A277-20260210015.0010

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————