Became a Mechromancer - Chapter 14

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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 14
Protection (1)
The colossal beast lifted its head.
A creature the size of a five-story building.
My shoulders instinctively shrank inward.
The beast’s slit pupils narrowed further as it fixed its gaze upon me and Isto.
A suffocating silence descended.
What made it even more menacing was the pitch-black coloring that seemed utterly incongruous with the desert surroundings.
Surely not….
‘Do I really have to face that thing?’
Cold sweat trickled down my forehead.
In that moment.

[Hidden Quest Triggered!]
◈ Protect the Black Dragon’s Egg
Time Limit: None
Refusal Consequence: Black Dragon becomes hostile
Success Reward: Convenience Facility
Accept / Decline
After steadying my racing heart.
I read through the details and grasped the situation.
“Protect an… egg?”
Only then did I understand the true identity of that colossal beast.
‘I never thought I’d ever lay eyes on a dragon.’
And.
The moment I saw the refusal condition, my expression hardened.
Oh no.
‘That dragon would become my enemy.’
In other words.
It wasn’t yet my enemy.
Isto and I slid down the sand dune together.
Beneath the Black Dragon’s chest, I discovered an egg roughly the size of Isto.
Gazing upon the dragon cradling its egg, I found myself seeing the image of my parents desperately protecting their family.
Yet a question suddenly arose.
“Isto, is it normal for Black Dragons to lay eggs in a place like this?”
I’d never come across any posts mentioning dragons appearing on the second floor.
Hmm…
-This place is ideal for egg-laying, so from the north to this desert, it migr-migr-migr-migrated….
Isto’s words cut off abruptly, and a question mark began blinking across its LED eyes.
Doo-ho shook his head.
Isto’s memory block was unavoidable.
But he could piece together some of the puzzle fragments.
‘Of course, it’s just speculation….’
The vanished Ancient Forest’s first floor.
The new first floor—the Desert.
And the Black Dragon that came from the north.
Perhaps.
‘…could it be that one world is divided into layers?’
The thought flashed through Doo-ho’s mind.
In any case.
This Quest weighed on him.
“Can we protect the egg?”
Isto lifted his head to look at the Black Dragon.
-Protecting just the egg poses no problem. However, this Quest essentially means protecting the mother who carries the egg as well… I cannot guarantee success.
The edge of the Oasis, exposed on all sides.
It was the worst possible position—anyone could target them.
“Y-yes, that would be the case.”
Doo-ho nodded.
A moment of silence.
-Refusal would be the rational choice.
“….”
-If you fear that Dragon, you can enter the Garage. I will handle it.
Isto’s fists clenched immediately.
Doo-ho’s brow furrowed.
“…Isto. Lower your fists.”
-Ah! Yes, sir.
That was when it happened.
Kiiiiieeeek—!
A piercing cry poured down from the sky.
Isto lifted his head.
Hmm….
-From the sound of that cry, they’re gathering their numbers.
“They?”
-Beasts like Drake Runner and Cobalt Scale. That cry was a signal to unite.
“Drake Runners are fast on their feet, and Cobalt Scales have good endurance, right?”
-Yes, that’s correct. If they unite and attack….
Isto trailed off and made a proposal, looking toward the Dragon.
-Why not refuse the Quest and instead hunt all the beasts and the Dragon for experience points?
“…What about the Dragon’s egg?”
-If that bothers you, I can handle it….
Thwack!
Doo-ho flicked Isto on the head.
Ow, ow, ow.
In the end, it was Doo-ho’s hand that hurt.
-Huh? Are you alright?
Actually, you see.
Isto isn’t wrong.
Maybe that’s the right answer.
But….
The gaze of the Black Dragon, curled protectively around her egg, kept catching in my eyes.
‘Is there… any other way?’
My thoughts grew heavier.
My gaze turned toward the Oasis.
In the center lay a small island.
‘If I moved her there…?’
It was far too cramped for a dragon to dwell.
I shook my head.
‘My ability only warps metal and such….’
Then sand caught my eye.
Wait a moment.
Warp?
Could this possibly….
‘Could it work?’
I pressed my palm against the ground immediately.
I applied my metal manipulation ability to the sand.
Shhhhhhwoooop—.
Iron sand writhed and surged upward together with the sand.
It was an enormous mass of tangled sand.
“It works!”
Huh!
-Doo-ho, you can manipulate sand?
“Isto! There’s a considerable amount of iron sand mixed into this sand!”
-Oh, oh~ I didn’t know that myself!
Doo-ho mixed the sand and iron sand together recklessly again, forming another massive chunk.
“Isto! Throw all of this around the island! Hurry!”
-What are you trying to do…?
“No time! Keep moving it until I say we’re done!”
-Understood!
Splash!
Isto hurled an enormous chunk into the mixture.
Then another—splash.
I continued blending sand and iron scraps, forming massive clumps.
“Don’t stop!”
Screeeech! Screeeech!
Drake Runner’s cry echoed once more.
“Isto. Move faster!”
-Yes! Yes!
[Proficiency increases]
[Proficiency increases]
[Proficiency increases]
Unbelievable. What is this?
‘They’re counting it as proficiency….’
Perhaps that was why.
Silver nanobots erupted from my fingertips in a torrent.
Now I could process sand across a far wider range in an instant.
And.
Thanks to Isto tirelessly ferrying sand chunks, a substantial artificial island had formed in the center of the Oasis.
Excellent!
‘Now I just need to build a bridge.’
I walked forward and extended a bridge of iron-mixed sand in a straight line toward the artificial island.
It was a perilously narrow bridge.
Seeing it, exclamation marks flashed across Isto’s LED eyes.
Oh! Oh!
-Such creative strategy! You truly are remarkable, Doo-ho!
I rushed toward the dragon and shouted.
“Move over there and incubate your eggs. It will be far safer!”
But Black Dragon simply remained motionless, cradling her eggs.
“It’s dangerous here! Ugh! How am I supposed to communicate with you!”
I grabbed my head in frustration, then looked at Isto.
“Can you talk to Black Dragon?”
Isto answered calmly.
-Black Dragon does not wake once she begins incubating until the eggs hatch.
“…I’m losing my mind.”
It would be so much safer if she went over there…
-Rather than that, please harden the area around Black Dragon. I will move her.
“That makes no sense at all!”
Isto’s body was far smaller than mine.
And yet.
-I am Isto.
In the end, Doo-ho hastily hardened the sand and constructed a support structure around Black Dragon.
The strain was considerable, and dizziness washed over me, but I gritted my teeth against it.
‘I’ve come this far—I can’t give up now!’
“Isto!”
Crunch, crunch!
At my signal that we were ready, Isto retrieved a King’s Ratkin stone from the mana pouch and consumed it whole.
In that instant.
A brilliant light erupted from Isto’s core.
Whiiiiiiiing!
Output surged to maximum as intense heat radiated from Isto’s body.
Isto gripped one edge of the structure I had created with all its might.
‘It sounds simple, but there’s no way that could actually work….’
My doubts proved unfounded.
Rumble, rumble, rumble….
The tremor spread outward.
And together with the hardened sand support, Black Dragon’s body slowly began to rise.
Doo-ho’s jaw dropped open.
Isto’s strength.
‘…This much?’
But.
Isto’s body glowed red-hot.
[Warning! Isto Damage Rate: 2%]
[Warning! Isto Damage Rate: 3%]
[Warning! Isto…]
The damage notifications continued to assault my ears.
My lips grew parched.
‘Should I stop here?’
-No. I… am Isto!
In that moment.
Black Dragon, lifted along with the support structure, began to shift slowly.
Screeeeeech!
An ear-splitting shriek tore through the sandstorm.
Emerging from the dust was a bipedal reptile.
A frame slightly smaller than a human’s.
Its entire body encased in tough, tan scales.
Between them gleamed vertical golden pupils that locked directly onto Isto.
Whoosh—.
A long tail swept across the sand.
Sand dust erupted in an instant.
Drake Runner, spear in hand, charged toward Isto.
Doo-ho tried to stop me.
-Leave it be.
Whoooosh!
The charging Drake Runner burst into flames the instant it touched Isto’s extreme heat.
[Experience gained]
How hot is that thing?
The Drake Runners that followed in succession met the same fate.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Screeeech—
They blazed like fireballs, transforming into experience points.
[Experience gained]
[Experience gained]
[Experience gained]
But at the same time.
[Warning! Isto damage rate: 7%]
[Warning! Isto damage rate: 8%]
[Warning! Isto damage…]
The damage continued to accumulate.
Yet Isto silently carried Black Dragon to the center of the island and set her down safely.
Then, blocking the bridge entrance, I spoke.
-This is worth trying now. Hehehehe.
Doo-ho watched me and felt a lump in his throat.
Huh!?
-Doo-ho. Why do you look so sad?
“People can feel that way when they’re happy too.”
-Is that so?
That was when it happened.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Tremors that shook the earth itself.
A massive form covered in gray scales began crossing the bridge.
Cobalt Scale.
A heavy beast with a body as hard as stone.
Unlike the nimble Drake Runners, this one was threatening with its charge alone, like a rhinoceros.
But.
Thud—!
A light punch from Isto crushed it flat.
It tangled with the beasts behind it and plummeted headfirst into the Oasis waters.
[Experience gained]
[Experience gained]
[Experience…]
As expected, the battlefield had tilted decisively in my favor.
Now the demonic beasts could only enter through the narrow bridge.
* * *
How much time had passed?
Splash, splash—.
Growing impatient, several Drake Runners and the Cobalt Scales that followed them leaped into the Oasis.
But.
They floundered about before crawling back to the shore.
Meanwhile, the stone-like Cobalt Scale sank due to its sheer weight.
The corners of Doo-ho’s mouth curled upward.
‘The moat effect is working perfectly.’
But the joy was short-lived.
Whoosh—thunk!
A spear embedded itself in the sand beside me.
Then.
Whistle, whistle, whistle!
Arrows and spears rained down.
“Damn!”
I hastily scattered nanobots.
The silver powder slightly altered the trajectory of the incoming spears. But it wasn’t enough to deflect them all.
That’s when Isto cried out.
-Doo-ho! They’re charging in force!
Fifteen Drake Runners surged across the narrow bridge.
Screeeech!!
They shrieked in unison, wielding spears and axes.
Isto spread its arms wide.
How dare you!
-Mere Drake Runners!
The situation was precarious. Projectiles flying from the shoreline obstructed Isto’s vision.
Ting! Clang!
Isto’s LED display flickered with animated flames.
-How irritating.
Seizing the moment, the Drake Runners attempted to leap over Isto and breach the Artificial Island.
Scrape, scrape!
Scales rasped against stone with a dry, harsh sound.
As if threatening Isto itself.
Thwack! Crack! Snap.
Thanks to the upgraded joints, Isto managed to block them with swift movements.
‘This is precarious….’
Even as I thought this, I narrowly adjusted the trajectory of incoming arrows with my nanobots.
The limits were stark.
So I twisted my body using assassination footwork, letting the remaining arrows and spears slip past.
Then—!
Crash!
A massive boulder struck the Artificial Island directly.
Rumble….
The entire island trembled.
Black Dragon’s body tilted as she lost her balance, and the egg in her embrace began to slip downward.
A dizzying moment.
The dragon forcibly twisted her contorted body, wrapping her tail around the egg and bringing it back to her chest.
Whoosh….
Arrows and spears poured down like rain.
They didn’t pierce her back, but struck continuously around the egg, sending sand and dust scattering.
Roooaaarrr!!!
Black Dragon’s roar shook the battlefield.
Whether it was fury or a warning, her shriek was impossible to discern.
Doo-ho’s face hardened.
‘Damn it… at this rate, the egg is in danger.’
Another barrage of arrows descended.
Whoosh! Ting! Clang!
I barely deflected them with the nanobots.
In the chaos, a spear with a broken trajectory lodged into the ground.
But I couldn’t block everything.
Arrows and spears kept plunging directly in front of the egg Black Dragon cradled.
Roooaaarrr—.
The dragon’s anguished cry erupted again.
The island shook, and the air trembled.
Dizzy….
My vision wavered.
Was it from consuming too much mana?
‘Honestly, this is overwhelming….’
I shifted my gaze to Isto.
Splash!
He seized Drake Runner and hurled him away.
The one who fell into the water thrashed about before going limp.
[You have gained experience points]
[Warning! Isto damage rate: 18%]
Along with the experience points, Isto’s damage kept worsening.
In a sense, it was inevitable.
Isto’s body had been strained from moving the massive Black Dragon, taking its toll.
At least there was hope.
Doo-ho opened his status window.
[Experience: 1480/1482]
‘Just a little more!’
Thwack! Crack—
Isto’s fists sent two Drake Runners scattering into nothingness, blood and flesh dispersing through the air.
[Experience gained]
[Experience gained]
And finally!
[Level Up!]
In that instant, a warm current spread through my entire body.
Fatigue melted away and strength surged forth.

[Super Intelligence summoning is now available]
[Will you summon?]
Accept / Decline
“A-Accept!”
The moment those words left my lips, Super Intelligence’s positions began spinning like a roulette wheel.
『Close-combat type.
Defense specialist.
Medical support type.
Crafting…
…』
The list slowed gradually.
Clang—!
It came to rest on a single position.
[Garage expands]
[Super Intelligence has been summoned]
I hastily called out to my new companion.
Then from the shimmering void—
Whoooosh—
A brilliant blue flash shot forth in a straight line.
I had become a Mechromancer
Author |
Keongang E
Publication Date |
February 25, 2026
Publisher |
Tail Six
Website |
https://talesyx.com
Email｜
[email protected]
ⓒ Health e, 2026
This publication is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced or copied without authorization.
UCI｜
G720:N+A277-20260210015.0014

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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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