Became a Mechromancer - Chapter 7

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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 7
Quest (1)
Phew.
“If I hear that automated announcement one more time, I’ll develop PTSD out of nowhere.”
Muttering to myself, I stepped off at the Bus Stop.
-Doo-ho. Please turn off your mobile phone.
Oh, right.
Only then did I pull out my phone from my pocket and power it down.
“Thanks.”
-Hehehehe, a simple task indeed!
A smile spread across my lips.
The fact that there was a presence standing beside me in this unfamiliar place brought me comfort.
And then….
My jaw dropped almost immediately.
What came into view was a colossal sinkhole spanning five hundred meters in diameter.
The bottomless abyss resembled the mark of a god thrusting an enormous spear downward toward the earth.
Good heavens….
“So this is the Abyss.”
The Abyss—a place I’d only heard whispered about, humanity’s new frontier and land of opportunity, called both calamity and blessing—was now etched vividly before my eyes.
Centered around the Abyss, the skyscrapers of the Five Major Hunter Families rose in a perfect circle like ancient megaliths.
Entranced, I moved toward the edge of the Abyss. The jagged black bedrock emanated a peculiar sense of oppression.
‘Would it be okay to touch it?’
As I looked around, Isto spoke.
How dare you!
-Who would stop you, Doo-ho? It’s not like it’ll wear away.
‘Should be fine, right?’
-Of course.
Only then did I reach out my hand to the black bedrock.
Huh?
The black stone against my palm was frigid as ice. Yet soon a scorching energy seeped deep into my hand, and a strange sensation arose as if an unknown force flowed through my veins.
-Mana is flowing through the bedrock, you see.
“So that’s why ordinary people are forbidden from approaching.”
-Precisely. Mana addiction would cost you your life.
In other words.
Had I not turned off my phone moments ago, mana interference would have already destroyed it.
Patting my chest and lifting my gaze, a sign caught my attention.
『Warning: Do not gaze into the abyss for extended periods』
…Why?
Human nature: the moment you’re told not to do something, you want to do it all the more.
Without realizing it, I shifted my gaze toward the center of the Abyss.
It was no mere sinkhole.
A colossal chasm writhed like a living, breathing organism.
In that moment.
Within the pitch-black void, phantasmagoric visions shimmered like mirages.
The shadow of a towering tree piercing the heavens.
Mysterious luminescent clusters glimmering faintly like starlight in the night sky.
Surreal scenes—as though glimpsing primordial dreams—flickered past my consciousness.
Just as my awareness began seeping slowly into the darkness.
Thud───!
A heavy impact struck my back.
‘What… what is this?’
Suddenly jolted back to clarity, I spun around in alarm.
A heavily armored Hunter stood before me.
“Were you trying to get yourself killed?”
“Pardon?”
“Didn’t you see the warning signs? Staring into the Abyss like that.”
“Ah… I apologize.”
“No need to apologize to me. Just be careful from now on.”
As the Middle-aged Hunter walked away, I scratched my head in confusion.
-Doo-ho! Doo-ho!
Isto’s urgent voice echoed in my mind.
‘What’s wrong now?’
-I kept calling, but you wouldn’t respond. Are you alright now?
‘Don’t be so dramatic. I was just looking at the Abyss for a moment.’
-That’s not it. You stood there motionless for a full ten minutes.
‘…Ten minutes?’
My eyes widened in shock.
I could have sworn I’d only been staring for a few seconds.
But reality told a different story.
A chill ran down my spine.
‘If that Hunter hadn’t snapped me out of it… something terrible might have happened.’
Then Isto explained about the Abyss.
-You must fulfill the conditions set by the Abyss on the first floor before descending to the second floor.
‘Conditions?’
-Yes. And from the second floor onward, you can enter the Abyss from anywhere—you don’t need to come here specifically.
‘I see.’
-But what’s strange is….
Isto trailed off before continuing.
-I don’t understand why the Hunters here go through the trouble of coming all the way here to enter through the entrance. Could the system be different in this location…?
‘I’ll find out once I go in.’
-Ehehehe, that’s right!
In that instant, a status window materialized before me.
[Changtian Clan abandons the conquest of Floor 82]
“!?”
Startled, I stumbled backward, and the surroundings began to stir.
“The Changtian Clan gave up again….”
“What on earth is on Floor 82….”
“With only three months left, is that really okay?”
“What are the rest of the Hunter Families doing!”
The people’s anxiety and raised voices weighed heavily on the air.
Thanks to that, I grasped several truths.
The Abyss was a system announced to all Awakened ones.
And the difficulty of the lower floors was so extreme that even clan-level organizations crumbled.
Most of all….
In three months.
Seoul might be consumed by the Abyss.
I exhaled sharply and muttered to myself.
“As always, one of the Hunter Families will handle it. I should just focus on my own affairs.”
-My way~ that’s very good!
“That’s not what I meant.”
-Pardon?
“It’s not something my concern can solve, that’s the point.”
-Isn’t that the same thing?
In the end, I sighed and decided I should just enter the Abyss.
Let’s do it!
[First Abyss entry detected]
[Welcome, Lim Doo-ho]
A cold system voice brushed past my ears.
Simultaneously, my vision….
Dazzlingly.
…turned white.
* * *
Whew….
‘It enters just from thinking about it?’
I steadied my breathing and surveyed my surroundings.
A dim forest.
I lifted my gaze.
Colossal trees beyond imagination completely obscured the sky.
Wind seeping through the branches rustled the leaves.
Each time, the scent of the forest tickled the tip of my nose.
The air was so refreshing it seemed almost unbelievable.
The first floor of the Abyss was like a living Primordial Forest.
‘It’s completely different from the Abyss Rift.’
-That’s correct. An Abyss Rift is merely a byproduct of the Abyss’s mana overflowing and seeping into reality; the ecosystem itself cannot be transferred.
Isto’s voice resonated in my ears.
The fear that had gripped me began to subside.
Then, in that instant!
A gasp escaped my lips!
A status window blazed into view before my eyes.

[Main Quest]
◈ Eliminate 50 Ratkin (0/50)
Reward: Qualification to Enter Floor 2
Time Limit: None
I drew a deep breath and scanned the contents.
“Fifty Ratkin…?”
-Hmm. That’s the easy difficulty.
“What did you say?”
A ripple spread through the air.
Space shimmered as Isto materialized before me.
-I am Isto. Fifty Ratkin isn’t even a warm-up.
Recalling what had happened in the Abyss Rift, I found myself nodding instinctively.
‘That’s true enough.’
LED eyes widened in a smile.
-You should proceed with the plan you devised at the Garage. I shall handle this matter myself.
It was a reassuring declaration.
“Then, let me go in and—”
Before I could finish speaking, a new notification window appeared.

[Hidden Quest Triggered!]
◈ Amorphous Alloy Collection (0/3)
Condition: Mechromancer Detection Ability
Time Limit: None
Reward: Legacy of the Forgotten Artificer
Rejection: Block 4 Hidden Quests from Job Trait
※Accepting will link this to your Main Quest.
Accept / Reject
‘…Amorphous alloy?’
My eyes snapped wide open.
“The atomic arrangement is disordered, so it’s called metallic glass. Its strength and corrosion resistance are unparalleled, and it absorbs impact without fracturing.”
-Precisely. Moreover, its mana conductivity is dozens of times higher than ordinary metals.
“Excellent material for mana circuits and sensors.”
Isto’s LED eyes widened.
-You know about this, Doo-ho!
“Ha, you’ve got some knowledge yourself? If I can get my hands on the real thing… I want to try applying it to you?”
Oh~ oh!
-Then I’d become a transcendent body, wouldn’t I?
We exchanged grins, eyes locked on each other.
The quest content was too enticing to let the rest slip past my attention.
But then I caught sight of something that didn’t sit right.
“I don’t understand how it links to the Main Quest.”
-Better to gain than to lose.
“Where did you pick that one up?”
-From the internet.
I chuckled and accepted the Hidden Quest.
And then!
[Main Quest has been updated]
The existing window flashed, and new text materialized.

[Main Quest]
◈ Floor 1 Clear Conditions
– Eliminate 1,000 Ratkin (0/1000)
– Annihilate the Queen Ratkin (0/1)
Time Limit: 1 hour
Failure: Death
Gasp!!!
What… what is this?!
It’s absurd enough that it changed from 50 to 1,000.
One hour?
“No, why do I die if I fail?!”
My mind went blank.
No matter how strong Isto was, eliminating 1,000 in one hour seemed impossible.
And then there was the Queen Ratkin—a name alone that sounded formidable.
“What is a Queen Ratkin? Is it stronger than a King Ratkin?”
-Well~ the Queen Ratkin is indeed the apex of this world. Though, she just spends her life birthing offspring.
Like a queen ant, in other words.
If that’s the case…
“There wouldn’t be dozens of King Ratkin guarding her, would there?”
Please say no.
-Oh~ correct answer.
Goodness, Doo-ho.
Lim Doo-ho clutched his head in his hands.
“…This can’t be real, right?”
-Come now~ would humans tremble at mere ants?
“Where in the world do you find ants that massive?”
A single Ratkin wielding an axe appeared where Lim Doo-ho pointed.
Screech—crack!
The Ratkin, spotting them both, convulsed and charged forward.
Patter-patter. Smack!
Isto stepped forward casually and delivered a light slap across its face.
Crunch. Thud…
The Ratkin’s head twisted full circle as it crumpled to the ground.
-As you can see, that’s how it is.
True…
I couldn’t deny Isto’s strength.
But.
“I’d have to wander through this vast forest for a whole hour!”
It was a reasonable concern.
This was an enormous forest with no visible end.
Just looking at it, searching for Ratkins would easily take an hour.
-No need to search, sir.
“Huh?”
In that instant, Isto stretched his neck out long.
Squeeeeeeak─!! Shrieeeek!! Squeak squeak squeak!!!
He mimicked the Ratkin’s cry loudly.
“What are you doing?!”
As Isto’s bizarre behavior left Doo-ho utterly bewildered, something extraordinary unfolded around him.
Screech! Shriek! Squeeeak!!
From deep within the forest, Ratkin roars echoed from every direction—far more numerous and overwhelming than those from the Abyss Rift.
Doo-ho’s skin crawled.
Good heavens….
Isto’s LED eyes crinkled with amusement.
-That’s the sound they make during hierarchy battles, sir. So I mimicked it.
“Hierarchy battles?”
-Yes. The entire pack comes to confirm the challenger. They should all be gathering now.
Boom boom boom boom!!!!
A tremendous tremor began building gradually.
Between the towering trees in the distance, a massive wave of Ratkins surged forward like a black tide.
Gasp! Gasp! Gasp!!!
At the sight, Doo-ho’s breath caught in his throat.
Whirrrrr whirrr─
Isto stretched his body once.
Crunch crunch!
He pulled a magic stone from his pocket and swallowed it whole.
And then….
-You should head into the Garage, sir. I’ll handle things here.
“…Are you really going to be okay?”
Shove.
Isto pushed the terrified Doo-ho into the Garage and gave a thumbs up.
-See you later. Hehehehe~.
With those words, Isto extended his arm.
Boom!
In an instant, dozens of Ratkins were obliterated into fragments, and the stench of blood spread through the air.
* * *
Doo-ho stood dazed in the Garage.
Soon after, an incomprehensible, eerie sound flowed into his ears.
[Alert alert alert alert alert…]
As if the system had malfunctioned, the word ‘alert’ repeated infinitely,
[Warning warning warning warning warning…]
This time, the sound of ‘Re’ burrowed deep into my ears.
The moment Lim Doo-ho furrowed his brow in bewilderment.
[You have gained experience.]
[You have gained experience.]
[You have gained experience.]
[You have gained experience.]
[You have gained experience.]
[Level Up!]
Notification windows erupted like fireworks.
It seemed Isto had swept away dozens of Ratkin in the forest in an instant.
Yet Lim Doo-ho’s hands grasped at empty air.
There was clearly work to be done, but it slipped through my fingers.
He muttered to himself.
‘I came in thinking it would be simple….’
“What is the meaning of this?”
-Lim Doo-ho, do not worry. I am unharmed. Please proceed with the plan as intended.
At Isto’s calm words, Lim Doo-ho exhaled deeply.
I forcibly steadied my wavering resolve.
He looked up at the ceiling.
An android suspended from an old mounting frame rolled its eyes down at me.
Certainly….
“Electronic devices are functioning inside the Garage.”
Normally, all the electronic circuits would have burned out by now. Yet the android’s eyes were moving.
And this was outside the Abyss Rift—it was the Abyss itself!
Whirrrr—!
Lim Doo-ho immediately pulled down the android and laid it on the workbench.
I rolled up my sleeves.
“First, let me repair your waist.”
Even as I worked, the sound continued ceaselessly in my ears.
[Level Up!]
[You have gained experience.]
[Level…]
The fact that Isto was fighting outside, blood spraying.
Steadied my resolve.
And….
The Garage felt like a small workshop isolated in the middle of a battlefield.
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 under copyright law and may not be reproduced or distributed without authorization.
UCI |
G720:N+A277-20260210015.0007

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————