Became a Mechromancer - Chapter 28

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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 28.
Misunderstanding (1)
In front of the Hunter Management Bureau’s main entrance.
The footsteps of arriving employees came to a halt, one by one.
A hologram displayed above the main lobby was the cause.
『2069 Government-Sponsored Functional Competition
Congratulations to Employee Lim Doo-ho on winning the Grand Prize.』
The employees gazed up at the hologram, each offering their own commentary.
“There was a competition like that?”
“The Hunter Management Bureau won the grand prize in a functional competition?”
And understandably so—despite its decline, the Hunter Management Bureau remained centered around Awakened individuals.
Of course, they used androids to subdue Awakened ones, and non-Awakened regular staff members possessed full-brain interfaces, but that was the extent of it.
They didn’t even have a research institute, and as an organization with little interest in technology.
“A grand prize in a functional competition, no less.”
“But who is Lim Doo-ho anyway?”
“I have no idea, never heard of him.”
“If he won the grand prize, he must be a prodigy in that field, right?”
And then….
Na Yong-seok, the department head, stood off to one side of the main entrance with his arms crossed.
His gaze remained fixed on the entrance.
The bureau’s work hours began at 9 AM.
When I checked Lim Doo-ho’s time records….
‘He always clocked in precisely at 8:50.’
I glanced at my smartwatch.
『08:42:52』
Hehehehe~.
‘He’ll be moved when he arrives soon, won’t he?’
A hologram banner at the Hunter Management Bureau’s main entrance was unprecedented!
Na Yong-seok had deliberately come in early this morning to wait for this moment.
The moment when Lim Doo-ho would be moved!
‘That’s when I’ll step forward and offer my congratulations.’
While he’s overwhelmed, I’ll whisk him away and seal the contract—game over!
Hehehehe…
While I was lost in these sweet fantasies, the Female Staff Member standing beside me spoke hesitantly.
Um….
“Director, it’s past 9 o’clock now.”
“Huh?”
Looking at the Female Staff Member.
“He must have been late after attending a celebration gathering.”
Time flows on once more.
Na Yong-seok wiped his face dry.
Could it be.
Am I really resigning???
“Yeon, try contacting him. Quickly!”
“Yes!”
The Female Staff Member manipulated her smartwatch.
A moment later.
“Director.”
“Can’t reach him? Or is he not coming?”
“That’s not it… Lim Doo-ho clocked in.”
Na Yong-seok’s eyes widened.
What are you talking about!
“I’ve been here the whole time.”
“So I checked Lim Doo-ho’s entry record, and it shows 8:50 AM.”
8:50 AM?
Na Yong-seok was bewildered.
‘I’ve been here since 8 o’clock!’
If Lim Doo-ho had passed by, I would have definitely seen him.
“This doesn’t make sense!”
As he raised his voice, the Female Staff Member, who had pressed her lips shut, felt inexplicably wronged.
* * *
Hunter Management Bureau Basement Level 2.
I emerged from between the warehouse and the machine room through the save point.
How many androids could have come in?
Regardless, the backlog must be considerable.
Well….
‘It’s only natural since I took yesterday off.’

That was when it happened.
A man loitering near the entrance of the Machine Upcycling Department came into view.
“Park Deputy?”
“Oh, you’re here?”
Park Deputy visibly relaxed the moment he saw me.
“Why are you outside, sir?”
“Ah, well….”
Park Deputy laughed awkwardly.
He clearly couldn’t bring himself to say ‘There’s a ghost in the office!’
Watching him, I scratched my cheek.
‘He’s still afraid of the office, I see.’
-That blockhead’s mental fortitude is pathetically weak.
But then again.
‘I was pretty spooked by that android eye incident last time too.’
-Eek! Eek! I had forgotten about that, so why are you bringing up scary things?
At Isto’s unexpected remark, I let out a quiet laugh.
I then brought my finger to the fingerprint scanner, and a short beep confirmed my arrival.
As I opened the door and stepped into the office, Park Deputy followed me inside.
Hmm….
‘How can I help Park Deputy overcome his fear?’
It was bothering me.
Just as I was pondering this.
-You could erase his memory.
‘Is that even possible?’
-Medical Super Intelligence can do it.
‘You can’t?’
-Should I come out and smack that blockhead upside the head instead?
Good grief.
‘Let’s not go there.’
In any case.
Having learned that Super Intelligence exists across various fields, I flexed my fingers.
“Well then, shall we get started today?”
I placed an android on the workbench and activated the ‘Component Detection’ skill.
Part information materialized in the air.
『No. L-CB
Clavicle Dislocation』
From using the skill repeatedly, I had become more adept and precise than the android’s diagnostic program.
Hmm….
‘I just need to reattach it.’
I peeled away the synthetic skin of the android to begin repairs.
Park Deputy approached me cautiously.
Um….
“Is there anything I can help with?”
I lifted my head.
Looking at him, Park Deputy’s expression seemed quite serious.
“Aren’t you going to the rooftop?”
“I’ll just… lend a hand.”
“You could take a break, you know.”
“No! Tell me what to do! I want to help!”
The man who had been shirking work just days ago.
Now he was volunteering to do anything….
-Lim Doo-ho, the blockhead’s brain must be broken!
Broken, my foot.
‘That’s actually his normal state.’
I was smiling as I was about to respond when.
My smartwatch rang.
When I accepted the call, an unfamiliar woman appeared in the hologram.
-Is this Lim Doo-ho from the Machine Upcycling Department?
“Yes, that’s right.”
-Did you happen to take a day off today?
“No, I didn’t.”
-Then when are you coming to work?
“I’m already at work.”
-??
“…?”
We stared blankly at each other.
Then the woman came to her senses.
-I see… understood.
The woman’s voice trembled slightly.
She was clearly flustered by this incomprehensible situation.
Click.
The video call ended.
What was that?
I shrugged and resumed my work.
* * *
By afternoon, the woman who had called that morning reached out again.
She asked me to come to the 7th Floor Conference Room.
So I found myself sitting in the conference room.
‘Are they giving me a reward for receiving the award?’
I imagined being converted to a permanent employee.
What….
Imagination doesn’t cost money.
If anything, it makes me happy.
-Lim Doo-ho, are you nervous?
‘…A little?’
-Mechromancer. You mustn’t be swayed by the frameworks humans have constructed.
Hmm….
But I’m human too.
Just then, the door opened and Na Yong-seok entered.
His face was brimming with smiles.
“Lim Doo-ho! Have you been waiting long?”
“No, I just arrived.”
I rose from my seat and greeted him.
Na Yong-seok settled into the chair across from me, studying my expression.
‘…He’s far too composed.’
No nervousness whatsoever.
No excitement either.
Come to think of it, he’d seen the hologram at the main entrance this morning and simply passed by without reaction.
And so a thought suddenly occurred to him….
‘He might harbor resentment toward the Hunter Management Bureau for six years of contract work.’
But then again.
In the natural world, treatment for a high school-educated technician is inherently meager. The Bureau had already extended his contract for six years—that was generous.
Na Yong-seok, collecting his thoughts, spoke.
“Lim Doo-ho, congratulations on winning the grand prize.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
We exchanged pleasantries back and forth.
As the atmosphere grew considerably warmer.
Na Yong-seok broached the main topic.
“Your submission documents listed Moru Workshop. How do you know Jang Moon-seo the craftsman?”
I paused for a moment.
‘Why is he suddenly asking about the master and me?’
I deliberated briefly.
It wouldn’t do to mention selling the master large quantities of demonic beast hides….
Those hides came from the vanished Abyss Layer 1, after all.
I met Na Yong-seok’s gaze directly.
Wait, this is the Hunter Management Bureau….
‘He’s figured out that I’m an Awakened One.’
Having calculated my response, I opened my mouth.
“Actually… I awakened a few months ago.”
“I know.”
I picked up the titanium fountain pen resting on the table, thinking it was just as I expected.
“The thing is….”
I began speaking and gathered mana at my fingertips, deploying the Metal Manipulation skill.
The fountain pen began to deform, flowing like liquid.
It stretched long.
It flattened and widened.
Soon the edges sharpened.
In an instant, the titanium fountain pen had become a finely honed knife.
[Proficiency has increased]
Well, well.
‘It’s been a while since I heard that.’
I smiled and slid the knife across the table toward Na Yong-seok.
“When I showed this ability to the CEO there, he took quite an interest in it.”
I answered, mixing truth with fiction.
I had filed an Awakened report, and hadn’t caused any social disturbance, so there was nothing problematic about it.
Good heavens….
Na Yong-seok quickly picked up the knife to examine it.
His jaw dropped open.
‘No forging required?’
Surely it wasn’t just a convincing shape?
So he lightly touched the blade to test it.
Sting!
Blood beaded from Na Yong-seok’s finger.
I was startled.
“Are you, are you alright?”
Na Yong-seok cast a Heal spell on his hand, showing me his fully restored finger.
That’s how I learned he was a Healer.
“So this skill is how you connected with Jang Moon-seo?”
“Yes. The CEO taught me various things, and I’ve been going to the workshop to learn the craft lately.”
After hearing my words, Na Yong-seok stood up from his seat.
“Wait a moment… bear with me.”
“Ah, yes.”
* * *
Na Yong-seok stepped out of the conference room and contacted someone.
Soon Kim Tae-sung’s face appeared on his smartwatch hologram.
-What is it?
“I’ve directly confirmed Lim Doo-ho’s ability.”
-How is it?
“It’s absolutely remarkable.”
He showed the titanium knife he held in his hand.
“I reshaped this titanium fountain pen into a knife in an instant.”
-…What?
“It’s not just a convincing shape—it’s a high-grade knife.”
-Hmm….
Kim Tae-sung stroked his chin.
“That’s why I contacted you. How far should I adjust the specifications?”
Kim Tae-sung was equally perplexed.
He’d never heard of a transformation skill before.
Then something occurred to him.
-Na, go to the item warehouse and show that kid some degraded items.
“Sir?”
-We need to know if his skill can handle repairs too.
“Ah! Understood.”
-First, issue him a permanent employment contract, and tell him if he produces meaningful results at that, uh, Global Functional Competition, we’ll promote him.
“But if Lim Doo-ho repairs the degraded items, what should we do then…?”
-Don’t ask questions. We have to keep him no matter what.
Na Yong-seok exhaled deeply after ending the call.
‘I need to grab the items and head back.’
* * *
Na Yong-seok entered the conference room.
Carrying a sword in hand.
“Sorry for the wait.”
“Not at all.”
Na Yong-seok set the sword on the table and regarded me in silence.
His mental calculations churned fiercely.
‘The higher-ups were blinded by Jang Moon-seo’s reputation. But….’
Jang Moon-seo was an already-finished, difficult-to-handle old tiger.
This one, by contrast, was a young dragon just opening its eyes.
The Machine Upcycling Department.
A place others avoided, a mere waystation people passed through briefly.
Yet.
This young man had endured there for six years.
That was stubbornness—proof of an unshakeable resolve.
‘And the moment he awakened as a Production-type Awakener, what happened?’
Merely three months.
In a span most struggled just to adapt, he proved his worth by wielding his target.
‘At first, I dismissed him as just another employee who knew how to tinker with machines.’
Na Yong-seok tasted bitterness in his mouth.
‘That was my oversight—not knowing Lim Doo-ho had awakened.’
The future of this new organization rested with this man.
‘Not Jang Moon-seo the craftsman.’
To be honest.
Even just repairs without forging—jackpot!
With resolve hardened, Na Yong-seok slid the sword across the table toward me.
“Could you take a look at this?”
“…?”
*Shhk…*
I picked up the sword and drew the blade from its scabbard.
A chill?
The azure blade emerged, and a cool aura settled over the conference room.
Though chipped in places, it bore an unmistakable air of quality.
-A frost-imbued magic sword. High-grade, barely transcending the common rank.
‘This is a magic sword?’
-Indeed.
When I discovered a crack in the blade, Hawkeye spoke up.
-Cold as it is, it would only serve as a fire starter.
Only then did I understand.
‘He’s asking me to repair this.’
Right on cue, Na Yong-seok asked.
Lim Doo-ho.
“Try repairing the sword with that ability of yours.”
“This sword?”
“Yes, yes.”
I gazed down at the sword for a moment.
Then….

[Quest Generated!]
◈ Repair the Frostblade
Time Limit: None
Reward: Frostblade Rank Upgrade
Accept / Decline
‘Of all times for a Quest to appear.’
I examined the details.
‘Item repair seems possible, but….’
What kind of reward is this?
I lifted my head to look at Na Yong-seok.
Unaware of my thoughts.
‘Why does he look so hopeful?’
Wait.
Is this perhaps an expensive item?
As that thought crossed my mind.
‘I don’t need to rely on the Quest reward anyway.’
Then, I should set the tone first.
Clang.
Lim Doo-ho placed the sword on the table and opened his mouth.
“Director Na.”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
I…
“Why must I repair this?”
I Became a Mechromancer
Author |
Keongang E
Published |
February 25, 2026
Publisher |
TalesYX
Website |
https://talesyx.com
Email |
[email protected]
ⓒ Keongang E, 2026
This publication is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced or transmitted without permission.
UCI |
G720:N+A277-20260210015.0028

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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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