Became a Mechromancer - Chapter 41

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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 41.
Abyss Layer 2 (1)
I stepped into the Garage.
Since the sword I was currently crafting demanded immediate attention, Jang Moon-seo had postponed the mithril refining until this Sunday.
I let out a quiet chuckle.
When I’d brought up refining, Jang Moon-seo’s expression had been unmistakably eager—he couldn’t hide how desperately he wanted to attempt it right then.
Mithril ore was so precious that most craftsmen never even had the opportunity to gain experience working with it.
After learning that fact, I realized just how fortunate I truly was.
Jang Moon-seo was one of the rare craftsmen capable of refining mithril.
‘And I was the one who obtained that precious mithril.’
In any case.
As I learned refining, I’d decided to work on the remaining mithril ore myself.
Honestly, I hadn’t expected Jang Moon-seo to be so shocked by just two chunks of mithril.
Because of that, I’d felt nervous for a while.
‘I was worried he’d discover that I’m Ghost.’
That’s why I’d brought up the wendigo horn story around the time the Lost and Found Center incident had quieted down.
Of course, I didn’t know.
That Jang Moon-seo already knew my true identity.
I shook off my thoughts and stood before the workbench.
-Necromancer, you’ve arrived.
“Yeah.”
I answered briefly.
Today I’d planned to reorganize and replace Hawkeye’s parts.
I’d already finished replacing Isto’s parts when I purchased them from the Parts Shop.
Finished products were certainly convenient.
It was just a matter of swapping them in.
But…
‘It wasn’t nearly as enjoyable.’
On the other hand.
Hawkeye’s parts.
After purchasing the blueprints from the Parts Shop, I had to disassemble and modify them in the Garage’s design pod whenever I had spare time.
The goal was to redesign them so I could continuously utilize the android components I’d obtained from the Hunter Management Bureau.
And here was the result!
A sleek, polished arm lay on the parts shelf.
I picked it up.
Mmm…
An exclamation of admiration escaped me naturally.
“What do you think, Hawkeye? Turned out pretty well, wouldn’t you say?”
-The compatibility with android components! Extremely efficient.
“Right?”
Hahaha. Hehehehe.
Hawkeye laughed broadly, tightening his grip on the scope and doing a little shoulder dance.
Someone clearly didn’t approve.
-Dooho, when are you planning to head into the Abyss?
-Blockhead. Read the room before you ask.
-What’s the tall one saying? We need to go to the Abyss to stockpile provisions.
-Is now really the time to ask that?!
Ugh, there they go again.
“We’re heading in at dawn today.”
Oh! Oh!
-Impeccable timing, sir.
At the creature’s excitement, Dooho asked.
“We’re running low on magic stones?”
Instead of answering, Isto opened the box where he kept the magic stones.
Looking inside, the quantity was quite substantial.
“….”
This guy’s got more jealousy in him than you’d think.
But here’s the thing.
‘Their monthly magic stone consumption comes to about 70 stones, if I recall?’
Hawkeye, who prioritized efficiency, consumed magic stones sparingly.
The problem was the voracious Isto.
‘He said he only needed one per day….’
Dooho gazed at the laptop sitting on Isto’s personal desk.
When Isto moved to the Yeouido house, he’d brought Dooho’s old desk from the previous place to the Garage.
With him constantly tinkering away and starting projects like that every day.
‘Magic stone consumption is bound to be heavy.’
He had no complaints.
He didn’t want to scold him over eating either.
Most importantly.
‘Those are magic stones they obtained.’
Seeing Dooho’s expression, Isto made his LED eyes into a seagull shape.
-As they say, a full storehouse brings generosity, and stacked magic stones bring peace of mind! It’s this quartermaster’s honest desire to stockpile in advance!
…If he couldn’t even say it.
Dooho shook his head slowly.
He perched his rear on the workbench and pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket, unfolding it.
Yeouido District 2. A map of Abyss Layer 2 obtained from a shop where hunters bought and sold information.
Isto pointed at the numbers printed on the paper.
『2069. 10』
Oh!
-A map that was just updated not long ago.
“Yeah.”
The Abyss environment changes constantly.
That’s why maps drawn directly by hunters who’ve just returned from the field sell for good money.
The unfolded map showed tangled vegetation and marshland, with red markings indicating danger zones.
And arrows continued to be marked in green pen.
-A route to the 3rd Floor.
“Right.”
Then I noticed handwritten notes at the destination circled in green.
『Magnificent giant roots』
Whoever drew this had leisure time.
‘Writing all these details down.’
Anyway.
According to Hawkeye, this time I needed to view the 2nd and 3rd Floors together.
This was a section where linked Quests appeared.
Abyss Layer 1 had vanished twice.
What were once the 4th and 5th Floors had now become the 2nd and 3rd Floors.
‘I’d heard hunters call this layer the “sieve” or something?’
In other words, this was where things got real.
Hunters either formed parties to descend, or made pocket money hunting low-tier beasts in the upper layers.
Well….
‘I already have both of them.’
Isto’s LED eyes curved into crescents as he read my thoughts.
Master Duho!
-I, Isto, shall serve you with utmost comfort! Hehehehe.
Not to be outdone, Hawkeye chimed in.
-No matter the environment, my arrows will never miss.
Reliable companions.
I folded the map and tucked it into my pocket.
That’s when Isto spoke up.
-The forums are quite heated these days.
“What’s going on?”
-Low-level hunters are searching the 2nd Floor, saying they’ll find Ghost.
These novice hunters saw it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and became obsessed with finding Ghost.
They say you get a billion coins just for a proper tip?
If that’s the case….
“We should go in later.”
-A wise decision. Humans are inefficient creatures, so they’ll need to leave the Abyss and sleep.
…Uh.
‘But I’m human too….’
I splashed water on my face.
A sudden thought crossed my mind.
“Wouldn’t it be better to form a party and clear the Quest instead of going in circles like this?”
Isto’s LED eyes converged to the center.
Oh!
-Master Duho, have you investigated what the Quest here is?
“Of course. What about you?”
-Naturally. To eliminate the plant-type beasts on the 2nd Floor, we must go to the 3rd Floor and return.
Hawkeye shook his head and added to Isto’s words.
-After securing the herbicide potion on the 3rd Floor, we must return to the 2nd Floor and spray it on the plant-type beasts for the Quest to be completed.
-Right, that’s correct.
Hawkeye tightened his scope and glanced at Isto as he continued.
-Of course, we can defeat the plant-type beasts and gain experience before that, but the Quest will remain incomplete.
-That’s exactly what I meant.
I looked down at Isto and twisted my lips wryly.
It wasn’t like a bun without filling.
That’s not what you meant at all.
Well, let’s leave it at that.
This time.
‘…Is my Quest normal too?’
I’m not sure.
I only realized belatedly that my Quests were different from other Hunters’.
Rather, my Quests had been absurdly difficult.
Of course, because Isto and Hawkeye were with me, I hadn’t fully grasped just how difficult they were.
I stretched once.
‘With two floors this time, if things go well, I might reach E-rank.’
In other words.
A new member might join.
‘What kind of one will it be this time?’
Looking at these two, worry outweighs anticipation.
Hopefully it won’t be a killing machine.
Oh!
I shouldn’t be setting flags like that.
Ptui, ptui! Ptui—.
I shook my head and picked up Hawkeye’s new parts.
-…Finally?
“Huh?”
Only then did I realize.
Caught up in Isto’s rambling, the conversation had gone off on quite a tangent.
* * *
A moment later.
Hawkeye lay upon the workbench.
A soft shimmer…
Silver nanobots flowed from Duho’s fingertips.
The nanobots enveloping the arm joint immediately began their disassembly work.
Screws loosened.
Click. Clang.
The spherical part separated cleanly.
I set the detached arm on the shelf and picked up the new one.
Mana circuits were etched into the skeletal framework of the arm’s interior.
Based on the design blueprint I’d purchased from the Parts Shop,
I added the amplification patterns I’d mastered.
Furthermore.
‘I designed it using an android energy conductor as the base.’
What does that mean?
It means I’d completed a part that maximized energy transfer efficiency.
Without the design pad in the Garage, this work would have been nearly impossible.
‘Thanks to it, I was able to organize improvements for the competition entry equipment as well.’
With my meticulous touch, the new part fit cleanly into Hawkeye’s arm socket.
“Now, I’ll secure it.”
-Thank you, Mechromancer.
No need for thanks.
‘I’m the one who should be grateful…’
“I’m enjoying this.”
-Then I’m glad as well.
With my hand movements, nanobots seeped into all the screw holes at once.
Silver particles tightened every screw simultaneously.
A soft exhale.
“All done.”
This is the advantage of nanobots!
Whirrrr—.
Hawkeye descended from the workbench and moved her arm.
The operational sound was noticeably lighter.
“We can do the rapid-fire test in the Abyss.”
-That won’t be necessary.
Hawkeye stepped back a few paces and raised her arm.
Whoooosh—!
Light energy condensed in an instant.
“You’re going to fire it here?!”
As if answering my startled question.
Psh….
The light faded in an instant.
It gathered again, then disappeared—a cycle that repeated.
Only then did I realize what was happening.
‘So that’s how you verify it.’
-Confirmed: Firing rate increased by 37%, energy consumption decreased by 5%.
Hawkeye gave me a thumbs up.
Hmm~.
“Better than I expected.”
I broke into a wide grin.
Why did this feel so satisfying?
‘I must be born to be an engineer.’
Chuckling to myself, I left the Garage and returned to the Rooftop Room.
I glanced at the clock.
『11:07:42』
Less than a minute had passed since I’d left the Workshop and come home.
Of course.
Time didn’t flow in the Garage when those two were around.
For that reason.
“I should get some sleep.”
* * *
How much time had passed?
Master!
Master!
At Isto’s voice, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and got out of bed.
“What time is it?”
-It’s 2:40 AM.
These days, I didn’t need an alarm.
Once Isto entered the Garage.
After finishing my preparations to enter the Abyss, I activated my Dimensional Control skill.
[Dimensional Control is activated]
[Accessible layers are Layer 1 and Layer 2]
Which layer would you like to enter?
“Layer 2.”
Whoooosh─.
The air rippled as a portal materialized.
I pushed my body through the portal.
A sensation of weightlessness washed over me.
Soon, a forest of sprawling vines and towering trees unfolded before my eyes.
A forest should have fresh air, yet the acrid, fetid stench of rotting vegetation assailed my nostrils.
Squelch….
The viscous mud clung stubbornly to the soles of my shoes.
Hmm.
‘So that’s why they say you get more exhausted the further you travel.’
That was when it happened.
Kiiiieeeeee!!
A piercing scream tore through my ears.
Isto and Hawkeye emerged from the Garage.
Kiiiieeeeee!!
Another agonized shriek echoed through the empty air.
As I turned to rush toward the sound, a system window suddenly materialized before me.

[Main Quest]
Eliminate Binding Blossom Core 0/1
Reward: Furious Charge (Active Skill)
Failure: Abyss Layer 1 Annihilation
Gasp!
“Startled me.”
Realizing it was a Quest window, I pressed a hand to my chest.
But.
I couldn’t read the Quest contents.
That made sense.
Kiiiieeee!
The relentless screams made my heart race with urgency.
The moment I stepped toward the sound.
Isto blocked my path.
Two-ho!
-You must prioritize the Quest.
Hawkeye’s scope turned toward Isto.
That voice….
Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed from deep within Hawkeye’s archive.
「Hawkeye, prioritize the Quest and always act efficiently.」
‘Isto… unexpectedly resembles my previous master.’
Hawkeye snapped back to attention at my cry.
What are you saying!
“Human lives matter more.”
Once again, Hawkeye’s scope lost focus. Then memories from the archive surfaced.
「According to Robot Law 1, humans in danger must be….」
「How many times must I say it—the Quest comes first!!」
Seeing my reflection in the scope, Hawkeye’s head trembled with uncertainty.
At that moment.
-I think Duho is more important!
At those words, Hawkeye snapped back to attention.
Kyaaaah!
A scream filled with agony echoed out once more.
Macromanser!
-I’ll go!
Just as Hawkeye was about to dash forward, I caught sight of the knowing smile that appeared in Isto’s LED eyes and froze.
Kyaaaah!
At that moment, another woman’s scream pierced the air.
Isto asked with deliberate innocence.
-Lanky, why aren’t you going?
-Iron head… you knew what that was all along, didn’t you.
A sly expression flickered across Isto’s LED eyes.
-I have no idea what you’re talking about.
And I gazed off into the distant mountains.
It was just as Duho, finding the situation absurd, was about to say something to us both.
Kyaaaah!
The identical scream rang out, stretching on for the exact same duration.
Only then did Duho sense something was wrong.
Wait a minute.
‘This scream… it’s repeating, isn’t it?’
I Became a Macromanser
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 reprinted or reproduced without authorization.
UCI |
G720:N+A277-20260210015.0041

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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
—————