Became a Mechromancer - Chapter 40
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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 40.
Chaos (2)
Lim Doo-ho, then…
‘The author either knows the secret of the pattern, or at minimum, possesses equivalent knowledge.’
Na Manager’s rigid expression conveyed exactly that.
Go Gyeong-taek’s lips curved upward slightly. He rose from his seat and greeted Doo-ho with a measured tone.
“I am Go Gyeong-taek, secretary to the Han Hyun-chul Family and advisor to the Changtian Clan.”
“Ah, yes. I’m Lim Doo-ho, supervisor at the Reboot Center.”
After the introductions, Doo-ho tilted his head inwardly in confusion.
‘A family secretary… and an advisor?’
He wasn’t sure what to call him.
Crease.
Na Manager’s frown deepened further.
‘That cunning fox…’
Go Gyeong-taek had clearly caught onto something.
Na Manager had to end this situation somehow.
So.
“Supervisor Lim.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You should head out now. We’ll talk later.”
“But sir, I also need to verify something.”
Ugh.
Go! Leave! Why are you resisting!
Watching Na Manager’s face crumple, Go Gyeong-taek smoothly extended his hand.
That sword.
“Would you mind if I took a look?”
“Oh, of course.”
Doo-ho placed the sword on the table.
“I was actually needing to verify it myself anyway.”
In that instant, Na Manager’s face went blank with shock.
Already… you fixed it?
Lim Doo-ho!
‘Why are you so conscientious?!’
Why, why, why!
Meanwhile, Go Gyeong-taek’s face bloomed with a satisfied smile.
Seeing how he moved without question or complaint, Go Gyeong-taek became certain—this was a typical craftsman type whose hands moved faster than his mind.
‘If he’d had any suspicions, he would have questioned it before fixing it.’
Go Gyeong-taek suppressed a smirk as he picked up the sword.
Shing.
The sound of a blade sliding from its sheath rang out through the cafe.
I had expected patterns to be etched across the polished steel.
“…Huh?”
But it wasn’t new.
‘Isn’t this the same sword I originally purchased from the Hunter Management Bureau?’
Naturally, the patterns were etched into the blade exactly as they had been before.
Wait?
Go Gyeong-taek rubbed his eyes and checked again.
‘How is this… possible?’
As he turned the sword this way and that, he channeled mana through it.
Whoooosh—.
The temperature around them plummeted instantly.
“What? Did someone turn on the air conditioning?”
“Why is it so cold?”
“Who’s using a chilling skill in a cafe!”
At the commotion, Go Gyeong-taek immediately withdrew his power.
Both his unique ability and amplification skill had worked flawlessly.
‘That’s definitely the same sword from back then!’
Confusion washed over him.
Like being struck in the back of the head with a sledgehammer.
And….
Na Manager, who had trusted that Doo-ho had properly engraved the patterns, was equally bewildered.
Hah… it was ruined.
Should I just quit everything and go farm in the countryside?
Early retirement plans were flickering through his mind when.
“Would it be acceptable if I restored it to its original state with the patterns engraved?”
At Doo-ho’s question, Na Manager snapped back to attention and mulled over those words.
Wait a moment.
‘Restored’… not ‘engraved’?
Hold on.
He quickly examined the sword again.
Looking at it now, it was exactly as it had been when he sold it before.
Na Manager’s eyes widened.
He said it had been restored as new at the Changcheon Workshop, and now he’s saying he restored it back?
Was such a thing… even possible?
Ah! No, that’s not it.
If that’s the case, there’s no need to worry about patterns at all! Of course, next time we engrave, we’ll find a different method.
Na Manager turned his head to look at Doo-ho and broke into a wide smile.
Thinking how impressive this was.
Wondering why he hadn’t mentioned this sooner.
Meanwhile.
Go Gyeong-taek couldn’t tear his eyes from the blade.
His gaze, which had been scrutinizing every corner of the sword’s surface, froze at one spot.
A glimmer.
Light reflected off it.
‘What is this?’
As he tilted the blade, a tiny marking revealed itself.
An anvil?
‘Was there something like this back then?’
It seemed oddly familiar….
Gasp!
‘This is…?’
The hand gripping the sword trembled ever so slightly.
‘Jang Moon-seo’s seal?’
Go Gyeong-taek set the blade down and steadied his breathing, then checked again.
No matter how many times he looked, the seal belonged to Jang Moon-seo.
Surely not.
Did he go all the way to Yeouido and back?
That’s impossible!
Even a one-way trip from the Hunter Management Bureau to Yeouido would be tight on time.
Even if we generously assume he made the round trip.
How much time would it take to forge this blade?
‘It’s utterly impossible.’
The conclusion was….
‘Does this mean Jang Moon-seo is at the Hunter Management Bureau?’
Insane.
No matter how much he disliked Changtian Clan, this was absurd.
A glance.
He looked back and forth between Lim Doo-ho and Na Manager.
No.
That couldn’t be.
If someone of that caliber were at the Hunter Management Bureau, there’d be no reason to hide it.
Unless they were keeping it completely under wraps.
‘Then what about this seal?’
A seal doesn’t lie.
Especially not one stamped by Jang Moon-seo with mana!
Because.
‘The meaning of this seal is….’
Go Gyeong-taek bit his lip.
It meant the blade was at its peak condition right now.
In this country, only that person knows how to do this.
Worldwide, there are eleven of them.
“Is it in perfect condition…?”
But Doo-ho answered his murmur.
“You know that skill well. Yes, it’s in perfect condition.”
Thump!
At Doo-ho’s confirmation, Go Gyeong-taek’s heart sank.
Insane.
It’s real.
Go Gyeong-taek’s gaze fixed on Doo-ho.
‘Is Lim Doo-ho… a disciple of Jang Moon-seo?’
All manner of thoughts swirled through his mind.
Then.
“If I restore the rest like this, there won’t be any more issues with this, right?”
At Doo-ho’s question, Go Gyeong-taek, coming to his senses, stumbled over his words instead.
“Huh? Ah… y-yes, that’s correct.”
“I understand. However, given the quantity, it will take some time.”
“Ah, yes.”
Doo-ho bowed and left the cafe.
Go Gyeong-taek was utterly bewildered.
He said he would restore the remaining eight.
‘Jang Moon-seo is definitely the real deal.’
He quickly gathered his thoughts.
‘If he’s connected to that person….’
I mustn’t be clever about this.
No, if I carelessly meddle,
‘I might end up touching Han Hyun-chul himself.’
Rather….
Through Lim Doo-ho in this opportunity,
I must forge a connection with Jang Moon-seo!
Even if the Hunter Management Bureau is tedious.
* * *
After Lim Doo-ho left.
The arrogance from before was no longer visible in Go Gyeong-taek.
The truth was,
‘I should wrap this up quickly and slip away without giving them any excuse to criticize.’
With that in mind.
“I look forward to your continued support, Na Manager.”
He bowed respectfully.
And added,
“Please tell the Master Craftsman… that I’m grateful for the items.”
Na Manager’s expression turned bewildered.
‘Master Craftsman? Ah… he must be referring to Lim Doo-ho.’
It was a misunderstanding, but one thing was crystal clear: the entire situation had shifted, for reasons unknown.
“Director Go.”
Na Manager proceeded cautiously.
“One I’ll write off as a service, but what will you do about the remaining eight?”
Damaging them with restoration skills at the Changcheon Workshop had been his own mistake.
Go Gyeong-taek opened his mouth.
“I’m setting the repair fee at 200 million coins per item.”
‘I can always extract it from the executives anyway.’
With that, the matter was settled.
But Na Manager’s narrowed eyes were anything but ordinary.
He tapped the table lightly and tilted his head with sharp precision.
“Where exactly does that math come from?”
“…Pardon?”
“You take perfectly fine goods, reduce their performance by half, and think 200 million coins in repairs settles it?”
“That’s… per item, sir.”
Na Manager exhaled a long sigh.
“You shameless bastard.”
“Y-you… shameless…?”
Na Manager pressed his case against the dumbfounded Go Gyeong-taek.
“If you have any conscience at all, put your hand on your chest and think about it. Demanding an identical replacement for goods you destroyed through your own negligence—does 200 million per item even make sense?”
Go Gyeong-taek’s insides churned with fury.
And on top of that, the near-casual tone of address.
Crack!
Unable to contain himself, he slammed the table.
“Na Manager! Are you saying we shouldn’t do business anymore?!”
In the past, this would have made him flinch.
But Na Manager was different now.
Go Gyeong-taek’s gaze remained fixed on the sword, desperate and unwilling to look away!
So this was the moment to press harder.
“If you don’t like it, just take the items and go. Keep your hands off that sword.”
“…!”
What are you going to do about it? Na Manager’s expression seemed to say.
The old Go Gyeong-taek might have drawn the blade and demanded a duel on the spot.
But.
Seethe, seethe.
With his insides burning black with desire, Go Gyeong-taek couldn’t bring himself to break things off.
The 80th Floor was cleared, but the clan’s sub-teams would need these items soon as well.
Moreover, they were the sub-teams I was nurturing.
So I couldn’t just walk away like this.
Na Manager read that desperation and drove the wedge deeper.
“For this item repair cost, you’ll pay half the purchase price.”
“You bas— No, that’s too much!”
“Just a moment ago, you—”
“You must have misheard.”
Slightly irritated, Na Manager pressed harder.
“Going forward, if Changtian Clan tampers with any items sold by the Hunter Management Bureau, we will assume no responsibility whatsoever. I’ll be adding that clause.”
Thump-thump…
Go Gyeong-taek’s vision went white as his blood pressure spiked.
He bit his lip until it nearly bled, barely clinging to his sanity.
He’d tried to extract a single artisan who used mysterious patterns, only to end up shouldering massive costs and unfavorable contract terms instead.
And yet.
“…Very well. Let’s do it that way.”
It was a declaration of defeat.
In the end, Go Gyeong-taek staggered out of the cafe.
Watching his retreating figure, Na Manager clenched his fist.
Excellent…!
A feeling of exhilaration flooding through my chest.
To talk so boldly to Changtian, supposedly South Korea’s finest.
Damn right!
‘The era when you devoured everything is over.’
Na Manager couldn’t suppress the grin spreading across his face.
Then suddenly, I recalled the person who had overturned this entire game.
Lim Doo-ho.
No, our Doo-ho.
He’s so brilliant I could die, truly.
Resolving to give my absolute best support from now on, Na Manager ordered a coffee for Doo-ho.
Forgetting about Park Deputy’s.
* * *
Late at night.
The two of us finished our workshop work and locked the door.
I pulled out chicken, beer, and tteokbokki from the garage and spread them across the workbench.
“Everything’s ready.”
“Heh heh, with you around.”
Gulp, gulp.
We wet our throats with canned beer.
Thanks to the heat that had built up in the workshop all day, the beer went down particularly refreshingly.
Ahh, ahhh~.
Jang Moon-seo dipped the chicken into the tteokbokki and ate it, while Lim Doo-ho savored the crispy batter, insisting the original was the best.
After eating for a while, Lim Doo-ho opened his mouth.
“Someone from Changtian Clan came by this afternoon.”
“From Changtian?”
“Yes. A man named Go Gyeong-taek.”
Jang Moon-seo’s hand froze mid-motion.
“Slit-eyes?”
“S-Slit-eyes?”
Momentarily flustered, Lim Doo-ho relayed what he’d heard from his superior.
That Go Gyeong-taek had damaged an item while using a restoration skill at the Changcheon Workshop, and came to the Hunter Management Bureau to request repairs. But then…
“For some reason, he obediently signed the contract exactly as Na Manager proposed. And he paid half the purchase price at that.”
After hearing the full story, Jang Moon-seo chuckled inwardly.
‘It seems Slit-eyes must have misunderstood after seeing my seal.’
Looking at his disciple, he could tell the boy still had no idea what was happening.
Jang Moon-seo took a sip of beer before speaking.
“Thanks to you, the Hunter Management Bureau landed a blow on Changtian.”
“All I did was show him the sword and ask a question.”
‘But it was only possible because you intervened at that moment.’
Jang Moon-seo smiled broadly and popped a piece of tteokbokki into his mouth.
Then, suddenly, he changed the subject.
“Haven’t shown me yet?”
“Oh, just a moment.”
Crash—
Wendigo horns came pouring out of the Garage. There looked to be at least eighty of them.
Jang Moon-seo marveled at the quantity.
‘Just how strong is this guy?’
Normally, five Wendigos per Quest would be considered a lot, but this easily exceeded seventy.
“Can these be disposed of?”
“Well, at two hundred thousand Coins each, they should sell quickly.”
Oh…
‘Sixteen million Coins, then.’
Lim Doo-ho’s face brightened.
“Thank you so much!”
“But what about the Wendigo magic stones?”
Crunch. Crunch—
The sound of magic stones being chewed reached Lim Doo-ho’s ears.
He scratched his head with a wry smile.
‘They need to eat and live too.’
But he couldn’t say that.
“I disposed of them in District 2.”
“…I see.”
Noticing Jang Moon-seo’s suspicious gaze, I quickly changed the subject.
“Actually, I wanted to ask you about this.”
I reached toward the Garage.
Thunk—!
I set a heavy mineral down on the table.
Its silvery-blue light reflected off the Workshop’s illumination, gleaming softly.
“I happened to find a box, and this came out of it.”
Jang Moon-seo’s hand froze.
His eyes, which had been drinking beer, locked onto the mineral.
Pshhhhh!!
He sprayed beer everywhere.
“M-Mithril?!”
He picked up the raw stone. The weight transmitted through his palm.
When he channeled mana into it, the mineral vibrated faintly and emitted light.
What in the world.
‘Even before refinement, the purity is absurdly high….’
Looking at the mithril, old memories flashed briefly through his mind.
Mithril he’d touched only a handful of times in his entire life.
It was precious in itself, and handling mithril required the right environment.
The problem was….
‘Those damned clan bastards ground me down so much I could never create a proper masterpiece.’
I spoke to Jang Moon-seo, whose heart was pounding.
“I want to learn refining.”
Jang Moon-seo set down his beer can.
“Come this Sunday.”
He averted his gaze, pretending indifference, then added curtly.
“I’ll watch from the side.”
“You won’t demonstrate it directly?”
When I asked naively, Jang Moon-seo took a sip of beer instead of answering.
If I lay hands on it….
When will you ever get another chance to properly work with something this precious?
“There’s only one, so you need to handle it yourself if you’re going to improve.”
I tilted my head in confusion.
“Then wouldn’t it work if you had one too, Master?”
‘If we refine together, we’ll finish quickly and sell it for several times the price.’
Thunk!
With that intention, I pulled out another chunk from the Garage.
Oh my!
Seeing the second mithril, Jang Moon-seo clutched his chest.
“You’re going to give me a heart attack!”
Jang Moon-seo’s hands were genuinely trembling.
Not merely from shock, but from an unexpected opportunity that had presented itself.
A glance.
I look at the mithril.
Just this single piece….
‘If I purchased this and crafted the masterwork of my lifetime… could I?’
Meanwhile, Lim Doo-ho was fidgeting with his hand in the Garage.
There are still three more pieces remaining, but…
I’m worried Master might struggle.
‘…I can’t take them out.’
I Became a Mechromancer
Author |
Gungang E
Published |
February 25, 2026
Publisher |
Talesyx
Website |
https://talesyx.com
Email |
[email protected]
ⓒ Gungang E, 2026
This publication is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without permission.
UCI |
G720:N+A277-20260210015.0040
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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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