Became a Mechromancer - Chapter 56
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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 56.
Mentor (1)
Now then….
“I hereby commence the Garage hearing.”
Thunk, thunk, thunk!
Doo-ho tapped the workbench with a monkey wrench instead of a wooden gavel.
Flinch!
The three Super Intelligence units standing at the opposite workbench—or rather, the witness stand—tensed.
One might wonder what this was all about from the early morning.
“The witnesses surely understand this: as long as we four remain in the Garage, time is infinite.”
So don’t even think about glossing over anything.
Doo-ho had dressed up the proceedings quite formally.
Yet contrary to his tone, he sat askew in his chair and pointed to an article displayed on his laptop screen.
“Witness Isto.”
-…Yes, esteemed member… no, Doo-ho sir.
“World conquest, domination. These sensational phrases. You wrote this article yourself, correct?”
Isto blinked his LED eyes, then turned his head away brazenly.
-I don’t recall, sir.
“What did you just say?”
-I have a heavy workload, so I don’t remember the details. Besides, that was the algorithm’s autocomplete function….
“Is that what you call an answer!”
When Doo-ho raised the wrench, Isto flinched but still had his say.
-Shouldn’t a hearing show respect for the other party!
“Our witness Isto here. You’ve learned nothing but terrible things from the dark web, haven’t you?”
-There is no end to learning, sir.
Doo-ho’s gaze, rubbing his temples, shifted to the side.
“Witness Bom. You scrawled ‘hand it over’ on the second floor. That’s clearly extortion, isn’t it?”
Puffff….
Bom-i puffed out her cheeks and played innocent.
“Who inflates balloons during a hearing?”
-I ask that you refrain from personal attacks, croak.
“Who put you up to this?”
-It was pure artistic expression. Esteemed master, please clear up this misunderstanding, croak.
“Art, my foot.”
-Are you dismissing my work? Apologize at once, croak!
Tsk.
After clicking his tongue once, Doo-ho turned his questioning to Hawkeye.
“Where did you go in the early morning, witness?”
But.
He chose to remain silent.
“Will you continue to maintain this silence?”
Tap-tap-tap. Click.
Hawkeye calmly displayed text on the laptop screen.
『I will provide a written response.』
“….”
Doo-ho pressed his forehead.
The truth was.
I had staged this mock hearing to keep my emotions from flaring up.
Anyway.
I decided it was time to have a serious conversation.
Of course.
‘I need to punish them.’
“You two are banned from consuming mana stones for two days.”
Doo-ho’s forced fasting warning.
-W-we remember now!
-Isto made us do it, ribbit!
-I merely followed the iron-headed one’s opinion.
-Y-you worthless scrap metal that can’t even be fixed, don’t talk!
The moment I threatened to cut off their food supply, their supposedly unshakeable alliance crumbled instantly.
Doo-ho chuckled and crossed his arms.
“So, tell me in order what you did and how you did it.”
.
.
.
A moment later.
After hearing everything they had done in the early morning hours, my expression darkened.
“You know you’ve crossed the line, right?”
No matter how much it was for my sake.
‘If I let this slide, next time they’ll commit even worse acts without hesitation.’
So….
“If you ever do this again without my permission, be prepared to be unsummoned.”
-We understand!
-We were wrong, ribbit!
-I am deeply reflecting on my actions, Necromancer.
Doo-ho broached the main topic.
“So when you hacked in, all sorts of things came up, right?”
Isto quickly opened a document on the laptop and showed it to me.
-Look at this. It’s very interesting.
A frown creased my brow as I stared at the screen.
None other than Go Gyeong-taek’s double ledger.
Just a glance at it made it feel like Pandora’s box—something that should never be opened.
Among its contents were purchase records for items from the Changtian Clan that had been sent to the Hunter Management Bureau for repairs not long ago….
Doo-ho exhaled sharply and pushed the laptop toward Isto.
“Listen, Isto.”
-Yes?
“You didn’t upload this anywhere, right?”
-Should I upload it?
Ugh, seriously!
“…Don’t! I’m telling you not to!”
-Okay.
Doo-ho had no desire to harm others unless he suffered direct damage himself.
But.
“Just keep it safe.”
-Yes?
“After all, a balloon is always more frightening before it pops.”
Ooh!
-I understand your wicked intentions, Doo-ho sir.
“….”
That’s… really something!
In any case.
With the file in hand, the other party wouldn’t dare dig too deeply into Ghost.
A form of insurance.
Especially since Isto said he’d handled the threat… no, the delivery well.
‘The Hunter Management Bureau problem should be resolved too.’
Yes….
That should be enough.
* * *
Doo-ho dressed himself and gathered his things.
He stepped over the save point installed on the room’s floor.
Before him stretched a secluded alley in Yeouido Zone 3.
He emerged from the alley and entered the interior of Moru Workshop.
Jang Moon-seo, who had placed a magic stone in the heating furnace, spotted Doo-ho and furrowed his brow.
“I sent you a message, and you didn’t see it?”
“Huh? You did?”
Doo-ho checked his smart watch and found a text from Jang Moon-seo sent early that morning.
‘Get some proper rest today.’
‘Why would he send something like that?’
Tilting his head in confusion, Doo-ho raised his arm to show off his bicep.
“I’m not tired at all. Besides, I have something to show you.”
Jang Moon-seo shook his head at Lim Doo-ho’s jest.
‘Making such a fuss in the early morning and claiming he’s fine….’
“Is youth truly a blessing?”
“Sir?”
“Never mind. Since you’re here, prepare yourself.”
“Yes, sir!”
As Doo-ho answered loudly and began donning his gear, Jang Moon-seo added something more.
Hmm….
“Actually, go outside and hang up the ‘CLOSE’ sign, then come back.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Let’s refine mithril today.”
Doo-ho’s eyes widened.
“Not tomorrow?”
“The commissioned sword I was working on finished earlier than expected. So let’s do it today, and you can rest well tomorrow.”
Jang Moon-seo gestured with his chin toward the sign resting on the table.
Telling him to go hang it on the door.
Doo-ho picked up the sign and asked.
“Should I lock the door?”
“If you hang it on the inner gate, people will turn back on their own. The sword client said they’d come in the afternoon anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”
Jang Moon-seo’s indifferent reply.
Doo-ho nodded and quickly went out to hang the ‘CLOSE’ sign on the inner gate before returning.
Then, suddenly.
A memory surfaced—Jang Moon-seo crafting a sword alone.
He’d glimpsed it by chance.
Master…
‘He looked truly magnificent.’
The image of Jang Moon-seo breathing soul into metal while sparks flew was nothing short of….
A god of the forge.
Like Hephaestus himself.
-Is that what you mean?
‘Don’t ruin my moment of awe.’
I’m already awkward about how you got your name from that anyway.
-…awkward!
‘Here we go again.’
Doo-ho exhaled a sigh, his gaze turning toward the work table.
An object lay there, draped in cloth.
Clearly a finished sword.
‘I want to see it.’
Sensing Doo-ho’s stare, Jang Moon-seo smiled warmly.
“If you’re curious, just look. Why are you standing there so vacantly?”
“Really?”
Guffaw, guffaw, guffaw.
Jang Moon-seo laughed heartily and walked toward the sword instead of answering.
The blade resting in its scabbard.
Its size was smaller than I expected.
‘Is it made for women?’
Shhhhk.
As Jang Moon-seo drew the blade from its scabbard, a cold, piercing light flowed across the steel.
…Wow.
An exclamation escaped my lips.
My head bowed naturally to examine the blade more closely.
This is….
‘Master’s original work!’
Light rippled across the blade like waves.
Jang Moon-seo ran his mana-infused fingertips across the steel once.
Uuuuuung….
The blade resonated as if breathing with life.
“You crafted this from Echo Metal, didn’t you?”
I’d heard that metal of that type reacts to mana and generates ultra-vibrations.
In other words.
This legendary blade would possess cutting power beyond imagination.
Jang Moon-seo nodded instead of answering.
The reactions of the Super Intelligence units observing from the Garage through my eyes were intense.
Ooooh!
-A insane blade!
-That a human could achieve such perfection is truly remarkable.
Just as Hawkeye was marveling at it.
Hop.
Bom-i, who had emerged from the Garage, suddenly perched on my shoulder.
Puff….
Its throat inflated once.
The creature mimicked the color of my clothes.
‘So it had this ability.’
Bom-i whispered into my ear.
-This is real art. Ribbit.
I agreed with those words.
Perhaps.
‘Item crafting might be just as fun as mechanics….’
-Doo-ho! Doo-ho!
‘Huh? What?’
—How about we extract the Echo Metal we’ve been mining right now?
Ah, that’s right!
“Master, there’s something I wanted to ask.”
“…?”
“I’ve managed to obtain some Echo Metal.”
Hmm…?
“Let me see it.”
Lim Doo-ho quickly retrieved a burlap sack from the Garage.
“All of this is Echo Metal?”
Seeing his master’s astonishment, Lim Doo-ho scratched his cheek awkwardly.
…Well.
“I was asked to do it….”
Jang Moon-seo, observing his bewildered disciple, recalled the morning news.
The reason someone had written “hand it over”….
Had he carved it out of frustration while mining alone?
‘My disciple, but how absurd.’
Hehehehe…
As Jang Moon-seo laughed heartily at his great misunderstanding, Lim Doo-ho found himself laughing along.
“I’ll purchase it.”
“You will, Master?”
“You don’t wish to sell?”
“Of course I do.”
Direct transaction successful.
Lim Doo-ho earned 15 million Coins right there on the spot.
A price higher than anticipated.
Clap!
Jang Moon-seo clapped his hands together cheerfully after completing the bank transfer.
“Now then, shall we begin?”
“Yes!”
.
.
.
Jang Moon-seo set aside his mirth and picked up a Mithril ore.
“I’ll demonstrate, so watch carefully.”
“Yes!”
Jang Moon-seo stood before the smelting furnace. He retrieved a reddish-glowing magical stone from the shelf.
Listen well.
“To refine Mithril, you must use magical stones obtained from at least the 30th floor of the Abyss.”
Hah! Crunch.
With a sharp cry, the magical stone crumbled in Jang Moon-seo’s grip.
Screeeech───.
As shattered fragments scattered into the refining furnace, heat surged violently upward. My face flushed with warmth. I instinctively stepped back.
“Don’t be afraid.”
With those words, Jang Moon-seo lifted the raw ore and pushed it into the furnace.
He then grabbed a handful of powder from a small container and sprinkled it into the refining apparatus.
Whoooosh!
Flames erupted from the raw ore.
“When the color turns purple, take it out.”
We both watched silently into the furnace.
The mithril ore gradually shifted from blue to other hues.
Jang Moon-seo picked up large tongs, extracted the ore glowing purple, and placed it on the anvil.
He picked up a chisel and small hammer, selecting the strike point.
Clang!
Crack.
A stone fragment fell away as the purple returned to blue.
‘Ah! So that’s how you separate it.’
Jang Moon-seo’s movements accelerated while I held my breath, watching intently.
‘How does he find that boundary with just a glance?’
Each time the chisel struck, stone dust scattered. The fallen fragments contained no mithril.
He had struck precisely at the ‘boundary’.
‘…Could I ever do that?’
-Don’t worry, sir!
‘You’re going to implant my master’s skill into my head again?’
-That’s right.
In a way, that’s reassuring.
And shortly after.
Jang Moon-seo’s mithril loss rate after refining was nearly zero.
He wiped sweat from his brow and spoke.
Phew…
“It’s not like it used to be.”
“No, sir. You were truly at your best.”
“You rascal, your flattery is the best.”
Ha ha, hehehehe…
Master and disciple laughed in good spirits.
“Give it a try.”
I stepped before the mithril ore with a considerably lighter heart.
Soon Isto’s voice reached me.
Here we go.
-Loading now. Da-da-da-da-da!
Isto’s cheerful chatter, heard after so long.
Jang Moon-seo’s movements.
Were converted to suit me, flooding into my mind.
Was it thanks to leveling up?
No headache accompanied the process.
All I did was tap my temples a few times.
Whoosh.
Nanobots flowed from my fingertips as I steadied my breathing.
The silver dust attempted to seize the mana stone and shatter it.
‘Why is it so incredibly hard?!’
Hngh!
I barely managed to break the mana stone only after pouring every ounce of strength I possessed into it.
I continued my work calmly without panic.
As I extracted the mithril from the refining furnace and separated it, I gritted my teeth and pushed forward through sheer force.
The reason being that while my technique and knowledge were solid.
‘I should have raised my level far higher beforehand!’
Because Jang Moon-seo made the work look so effortless, I had deceived myself.
‘It wasn’t easy—my master is simply exceptional, which is why it appeared that way.’
I understood once more just how remarkable Jang Moon-seo truly was.
‘Now that I’ve started, I’ll see this through no matter what!’
A moment later.
Whoosh.
I withdrew my nanobots.
As I gazed down at the result, my mind went blank.
Scattered across the fractured stone were considerable fragments of mithril.
What is this?
I’d be disappointed if I couldn’t even manage this much.
‘I really want to go to the Abyss to level up.’
Oh!
-Motivation, very very good!
Meanwhile, the corners of Jang Moon-seo’s mouth, who had been watching Doo-ho sternly, began to curl upward ever so slightly.
Well, I’ll be.
He pulled it off in one try, something so difficult.
Even Jang Moon-seo himself, known as a talent-blessed genius, had only managed it after three days of attempts.
And there had been far more residue left on the stone than what remained now with Doo-ho.
As they say, the student surpasses the master?
‘This is becoming enjoyable to teach.’
That was when it happened.
Clap, clap, clap!
At the sound of applause, both Doo-ho and Jang Moon-seo turned their heads toward the door.
A woman in neat formal attire.
Or more precisely, a female-form android.
Huh?!
‘Why is Examiner Yu So-young here?’
Just as Doo-ho was bewildered, Isto’s voice rang out in his mind.
Ohhhhh!
-Is this… a heroine entrance?
I Became a Mech Romancer
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 reprinted or reproduced without permission.
UCI |
G720:N+A277-20260210015.0056
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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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