Became a Mechromancer - Chapter 62

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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 62.
Junior
The Conference Room was in disarray.
A man in a formal suit entered.
At a glance, one could tell he held a high position.
Lim Doo-ho’s eyes narrowed, and admiration escaped his lips.
Wow….
‘Such a precisely crafted synthetic brain. Remarkable.’
Had it not been for the artificial eye embedded in the man’s forehead, it would have been nearly impossible to distinguish him from a natural human.
Yu So-young was certainly equipped with a high-level synthetic brain as well, but this man was in a different league entirely.
The Moderator’s words echoed through my mind—to summon the administrator.
Then this person must be…?
“Chief Lim Doo-ho. I’m Heo Seong-beom, Administrator of the External Communication Team at the Industrial Science Complex.”
My eyebrows rose slightly.
Chief?
They were addressing a participant by their rank?
I bowed my head in acknowledgment.
“Yes. I’m Lim Doo-ho.”
Heo Seong-beom’s expression was impassive, yet the artificial eye embedded in his forehead appeared sharp, as though observing me intently.
In that moment of my vigilance.
Unexpected words came from Heo Seong-beom’s lips.
“Since Chief Lim Doo-ho belongs to the Hunter Management Bureau, broadly speaking, we’re both civil servants, aren’t we?”
“…!”
Could it be….
‘Is he trying to suppress me through hierarchy?’
Just as I was on guard, Heo Seong-beom asked matter-of-factly.
“I received a brief report on the way down. The gist is that since it’s not specified in the regulations, you won’t be selecting a mentor. Is that correct?”
“…Yes.”
“I understand Chief Lim Doo-ho’s position. However….”
Heo Seong-beom tilted his head ever so slightly.
“That logic doesn’t apply in this procedure.”
“Why not?”
In response to my question, Heo Seong-beom made a light gesture with his wrist.
The Industrial Science Complex’s operational guidelines appeared as a hologram in the center of the Conference Room.
Content scrolled rapidly past.
Heo Seong-beom extended his hand and stopped the display.
There, the Complex’s logo, document number, and one boldly highlighted line came into view.
He enlarged the sentence so everyone in the Conference Room could see it.
『Participants shall select one mentor candidate from the available options.』
Heo Seong-beom spoke calmly.
“This clause means ‘two mentees select one mentor from among three mentors.'”
He seemed intent on resolving the situation with only that single stated sentence.
“This regulation presupposes selection. Therefore, ‘no selection’ was never an option from the start.”
A brief and concise answer.
To Doo-ho’s eyes, he resembled a veteran who had resolved countless malicious complaints.
Well, of course.
‘An official from the External Communication Team—that says it all.’
Mounting a counterargument here would yield more losses than gains.
The truth was.
‘Choi Tae-jin, the representative I never wanted, is no longer at this table.’
I’d achieved half my objective; I needed to compromise here.
Not for wordplay, but for the real matter at hand.
“I understand, Heo Seong-beom. However, the reason I refused to select a mentor is….”
As if cutting off Doo-ho’s words, Heo Seong-beom suddenly bowed his head.
“I’ll apologize first.”
“…I’m sorry?”
In Doo-ho’s bewildered mind, the voices of Super Intelligence’s trio echoed.
This guy, this guy.
-He’s worn down to nothing.
-Mechromancer! This is a strategy to resolve things swiftly without giving an opening.
-I agree with Hogu’s assessment, ribbit!
Heo Seong-beom offered a smile.
“In fact, a standard agreement for protecting Global Competition participants’ technology exists within the Industrial Science Complex. We should have notified you beforehand, but it’s been omitted as a matter of practice all this time.”
So that was his apology to Doo-ho.
He continued.
“In the early days, we did notify, but at some point it became mere formality.”
“In any case, you weren’t notified….”
Before Doo-ho’s negative follow-up could emerge, Heo Seong-beom promised concrete action.
“I’ll persuade the mentors to sign the technology protection agreement that Chief Lim Doo-ho is concerned about.”
In his words, I could discern the real reason.
‘The mentors have been refusing.’
As evidence, Professor Han Ji-hyuk, whose eyes met Doo-ho’s, let out a dry cough.
At that very moment.
“Heo Seong-beom. I’m in my fourth year as a judge, and I’ve never once heard of that notification, have I?”
The one wearing an aggrieved expression was none other than Yu So-young.
Heo Seong-beom quickly recovered.
“I’ll ensure no similar cases occur in the future. So I ask for your generous understanding, Dr. Yu.”
Everyone in the conference room said nothing more against his words.
Well….
‘If I push further, I’ll just look like a troublemaker.’
Reading Doo-ho’s expression, Heo Seong-beom stepped forward in place of the Moderator.
“Lim Doo-ho, please select your mentor now.”
Ding—
At those words, a notification arrived on Heo Seong-beom’s smartwatch.
The moment his brow furrowed as he checked the message, Doo-ho made his decision.
“I would like to have Dr. Yu So-young as my mentor.”
Professor Han Ji-hyuk couldn’t hide his bewilderment. And Lee Jun-ho turned his gaze away, brushing his chest.
Phew.
Lee Jun-ho muttered inwardly.
‘I just aged ten years.’
Despite the unfortunate incident, Choi Tae-jin had become the mentor. So his team colleagues would be delighted.
Smirk.
Seeing Professor Han Ji-hyuk with his head bowed, happiness finally welled up.
‘Meeting you was disgusting. Let’s never see each other again~.’
Just as he was cleanly bidding farewell.
Ahem.
Heo Seong-beom cleared his throat, ventilating the entire conference room.
“We just received contact from Sanin Heavy Industries.”
Before he could finish speaking, ominousness flickered across Lee Jun-ho’s face.
Heo Seong-beom continued.
“Representative Choi Tae-jin has expressed his intention to withdraw from the mentor position for this competition.”
“No, that can’t be!”
It was Lee Jun-ho who cried out. Color drained rapidly from his face. His gaze turned toward Yu So-young before he hung his head low.
It was already too late.
Lim Doo-ho had chosen her, and on top of that, he had backstabbed him!
As his jaw trembled and his gaze shifted.
Professor Han Ji-hyuk was smiling with an eerie grin.
‘Welcome to hell, you bastard!’
He didn’t say it, but Professor Han Ji-hyuk’s eyes were saying exactly that.
Moreover, even if Lee Jun-ho tried to refuse the mentor selection, there was no way out since Heo Seong-beom had just nailed it down.
Watching the two people filled with conflicted emotions, Dr. Yu So-young felt a tingle run through her pan-cerebral nervous system.
A subtly exhilarating sensation she hadn’t felt in a long time.
She looked at Doo-ho on the podium.
When Doo-ho bowed politely, she let out a hollow laugh.
In the end.
That child got exactly what he wanted.
No, that’s not right.
‘He carved his own path.’
She spoke briefly.
“Lim Doo-ho. Do your best going forward.”
With those words, the whirlwind of mentor selection finally came to an end.
The Moderator stepped forward.
“This concludes the mentor selection process. We will now proceed with announcements regarding the Global Competition….”
* * *
A short while later.
As the announcements finished, the sound of chairs scraping echoed throughout the room.
Just as Doo-ho was about to leave the Conference Room.
“Chief Lim Doo-ho.”
Turning around, it was Heo Seong-beom.
“Do you have a moment to spare?”
“…?”
“It will only take a moment.”
Following him, I entered a small Break Room attached to the Conference Room.
-Is that guy trying to give you a piece of his mind?!
At Isto’s concerned remark, I exhaled softly.
‘Isto.’
-Yeah?
‘Does everyone in the world think like you?’
-Huh?!
-Iron Boy needs to hear harsh truths more often, ribbit.
-What’s with the frog talk, you sword!
As the two of them bickered.
Heo Seong-beom projected a hologram into the air and manipulated something.
Ding.
My smartwatch chimed.
He turned and spoke.
“It came through right away.”
“Pardon?”
“Take a look for yourself.”
Opening the message quickly, a small silver card appeared as a hologram. The back of the card bore the Industrial Science Complex emblem.
Wait, this is…!
As I stared in surprise, Heo Seong-beom smiled and spoke.
“I refrained from speaking earlier with people around, but I apologize again for the insufficient prior notice.”
“No, no, that’s not necessary.”
Flustered, I waved both hands.
It was rare for a mid-level administrator to apologize like this.
More than that.
“If I accept this, it could cause problems later….”
Heo Seong-beom cut off my words and answered firmly.
“There’s no issue. Lim Doo-ho, you’re a civil servant yourself, aren’t you? This is a civil servant welfare card issued by the Industrial Science Complex, so please accept it as our apology.”
Ah!
So that’s why I emphasized being a civil servant earlier.
The mystery finally resolved itself.
“We have high expectations for this Global Competition.”
“Pardon?”
Doo-ho’s expression grew uncomfortable, but Heo remained unmoved.
If anything, he seemed intent on bolstering Doo-ho’s confidence.
“The judges were quite competitive with each other regarding Lim Doo-ho.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Especially Choi Tae-jin—I’ve never seen him so eager before.”
“…!”
“So I’m giving this to you as both an apology and encouragement.”
Doo-ho didn’t refuse further.
Unnecessary refusal could hurt the other person’s feelings, after all.
Heo added one more thing.
“One family trip per year. All transportation and accommodation fully covered.”
I tried to move past it with a simple acknowledgment, but…
“A tip: the renewal date is January 1st.”
Heo’s voice dropped slightly.
“Since there’s not much time left this year, taking a trip wouldn’t be a bad idea, would it?”
When Doo-ho thought of his family,
Heo flashed a subtly cunning smile and whispered low.
“You must use it this year so it resets next year and you can use it again.”
Then he gave a thumbs up.
As if to say, wasn’t that a wonderful benefit?
At this unexpected gift, Doo-ho offered an awkward smile and bowed his head slightly.
“I’ll use it gratefully.”
* * *
That night.
Yu So-young’s detached house located in UN Village.
Hisss—
As the vacuum entrance door opens, disinfectant gas sprays forth.
Whirr.
The cylindrical glass door beside the entrance rotates halfway open. Yu So-young steps straight in and leans her back against it.
-Switching to charging mode.
A gentle male voice accompanies the closing of the glass door. Simultaneously, the door of a capsule-shaped backup station in the living room opens.
Whoosh. Click!
Another Yu So-young emerges, dressed in comfortable silk pajamas. Real-time synchronization of a full day’s memories and sensory data transmitted from the outdoor android body is underway.
Flump!
She buried herself deep into the Living Room sofa.
Blank….
After staring into empty space for a long while, she drew in a hollow breath. Even though she no longer needed to breathe, the habits of her human days persisted.
“This is absolutely ridiculous….”
No matter how much I thought about it, Lim Doo-ho’s behavior today was far from ordinary.
‘How has someone like that managed to live quietly all this time?’
…Ah!
As if something had occurred to her, she swept her hand through the air, projecting a massive hologram into the void. Documents unfolded immediately.
『Consent to Basic Information Verification for Mentee Tendency Assessment and Mentoring Implementation』
Yu So-young’s fingers froze as she was about to open the document.
Could it be….
‘Did he refuse consent by spouting something about regulations?’
Sigh….
She exhaled a long, heated breath.
“Just thinking about him causes memory overload.”
Swish.
When she waved her hand to touch the file, it opened far more easily than expected.
“So he consented to this one?”
Truly, he was incomprehensible.
As the access began, Yu So-young leaned back against the sofa with her arms crossed.
Despite being a full-brain entity, she preferred this hologram method to net diving. She called it retro sensibility.
That was when it happened.
-Viewing authorization complete.
She straightened up quickly.
An academic record so sparse it was almost bare.
Ah….
‘He did say he was a high school graduate.’
Scanning through the certification list, it was quite diverse. Among them were credentials that were extraordinarily difficult for naturals to obtain.
『Hybrid Biointerface Tuner, Ultra-Precision Circuit Designer』
“…!”
Does intelligence skyrocket upon awakening?
Her eyes widened as she checked the acquisition date.
“He obtained it in 2060?”
That’s impossible.
He’s currently 26 years old—how could a natural high school student have obtained that?
Of course, there was a school where one could acquire such credentials.
The high school she had graduated from.
Curiosity piqued, she pulled up Lim Doo-ho’s alma mater.
『Korea Advanced Technology High School』
“…!”
Her eyes blink repeatedly.
Lim Doo-ho….
“My… junior?”
became a Mechromancer
Author｜
Gungang E
Publication Date｜
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 permission.
UCI｜
G720:N+A277-20260210015.0062

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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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