Became a Mechromancer - Chapter 9
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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 9
The Specter (1)
“Should I give you the golden axe or the silver axe?”
-I want the amorphous alloy axe!
“There you go~.”
This wasn’t some ancient folktale.
Lim Doo-ho and Isto were horsing around in front of three axes lined up before them.
Up close, it was actually quite a pleasant sight….
But from a distance, watching them dance around axes amid corpses made them look like raving lunatics.
Lim Doo-ho spoke with an expression of supreme satisfaction.
“Isto. Take all of these to the Garage!”
-Yes, sir~.
Isto transported the axes to the Garage.
Lim Doo-ho followed him inside and asked.
“Isto, let’s apply these to your body later.”
Oh! Oh!
-You mean I’ll get upgraded, master?
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I use something this good?”
-That’s awesome!
At Isto’s reaction, the corners of my mouth lifted involuntarily.
Never mind that amorphous metal was difficult to machine.
‘I have metal manipulation, after all!’
Just moments ago, I’d tested metal manipulation on the axe head and managed to separate the handle exactly as I wanted.
In other words, my compatibility with amorphous metal was excellent.
And beyond that!
With consistent practice, my skills would only improve.
In my mind, I began sketching out Isto’s tuning plans one by one.
“What if we start by replacing the joint sections?”
-Ooh, that sounds like a great idea!
The metal in question was both hard and elastic.
“Plus, it has excellent mana conductivity—it’s perfect!”
-You’ve already figured it all out, master!
“Kid, who am I?”
-You’re the Mechromancer Lim Doo-ho, sir!
Hahaha, ehehehehe!
After laughing our fill, we both exited the Garage.
Then a message window appeared.
[Hidden Quest Complete]
Reward: Legacy of the Forgotten Technician
A small box etched with a gear pattern materialized before Lim Doo-ho.
‘Is this the Legacy of the Forgotten Technician?’
Curiosity gnawed at me, but I pushed it aside.
I grabbed the box and stashed it in the Garage.
‘Time to get my head straight and get back to work.’
With that, I left the Abyss to deliver the repaired android to the Hunter Management Bureau.
* * *
Thirty minutes after Lim Doo-ho departed the Abyss.
[Global Announcement]
With the extinction of Queens Ratkin, Abyss Layer 1 of South Korea will disappear.
“What did it say?”
The sudden announcement sent Yeouido into turmoil.
Most people initially couldn’t believe it and asked for clarification.
“Abyss Layer 1 is disappearing?”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
Questions born from bewilderment cascaded endlessly.
“Queens Ratkin? Not Kings Ratkin?”
“Is that a typo?”
“Was there even such a creature?”
And soon, an even greater question followed.
“If this Queens thing died, why would Layer 1 disappear?”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
“I seriously don’t understand.”
In the end, only one question remained.
“Then… what happens to the rest of the layers?”
In that moment, curiosity became reality.
Uuuuuuuung….
An ominous, low-frequency vibration that pressed down on the air and burrowed into the very marrow of one’s bones.
“What… what is that?”
From the heart of the Abyss, a resonance like the herald of the world’s end rippled outward.
“The sensor! Check the sensor readings!”
As the hunter at the observation post peered at the sensor, numbers unlike anything ever witnessed before began to fluctuate wildly.
A voice trembling with dread escaped.
“This is insane….”
At that very instant.
Fwoooosh!
Layer 1 collapsed inward, leaving behind a colossal void.
BOOOOOM!!!
A shockwave tore through the air in its wake.
Ahhhhhhh!
“E-Earthquake!”
“Everyone down!”
Amid the chaos of screams and alarms intertwining, the system’s voice struck my ears once more.
[The final conquest layer, Layer 82, is being readjusted to Layer 81]
An even greater transformation began immediately after.
Rumble… Boom—!!
A deafening roar erupted from deep within the earth, as if an ancient giant were awakening.
It was the sound of the Abyss’s layers—each with its own distinct sky and ground—being forcibly pulled upward one by one.
The heavens collapsed and the earth surged upward; a cataclysmic upheaval was unfolding within the Abyss itself.
Boom—! Boom—! Boom—!
With each layer interlocking, Yeouido trembled as if struck by a colossal hammer.
[The period is being reset due to layer reorganization]
One final impact—Boom!!!
With the last shock.
Silence descended upon the Abyss.
The hunters who had been lying prone began rising to their feet one by one.
The final announcement rang out.
[The conquest period for Layer 81 has been extended from 3 months to 5 months]
A system message I’d never heard before.
Everyone doubted their ears.
“Extended? …That’s a good thing, right?”
“Of course it is! We got two whole extra months!”
“The Changtian Clan failed their conquest attempt today!”
Woooooah!
Every hunter and awakened being in Yeouido erupted in cheers of relief.
The most astounding fact was that every building in Yeouido remained intact.
Nothing could have been better than this.
As the situation calmed, people gathered in small groups and began discussing the incredible event they had just witnessed.
“Does anyone know about the Queen’s Ratkin?”
“Which guild managed to hunt something like that?”
“Could it be… the Changtian Clan deliberately swept through Layer 1?”
That makes sense!!
“Those guys are obsessed with inflating their own value!”
“Wait, wait. The point is that blindly breaking through the lower layers of the Abyss isn’t everything!”
All manner of speculation and conspiracy theories poured forth.
Meanwhile, hunters who glimpsed hope began dreaming of a new shift in the world order.
Seventy years since the Abyss revealed itself to the world.
This was the first time an upper layer had vanished.
And on that day.
The last hunter to set foot in the vanished Abyss Layer 1 was only one person.
Lim Doo-ho.
* * *
As I entered the Hunter Management Bureau, my expression grew vacant.
“Isto? What are you talking about?”
-Huh?
“You’re saying Layer 1 has vanished?”
-Ah, well….
“What? You know something about—”
As people began glancing my way, I swallowed the rest of my words. I quickly moved to a corner and slipped into the Garage.
“Tell me! What do you know?”
-Hmm… It seems the Queens Ratkin went extinct, so the ecosystem collapsed.
“The announcement said it was because of extinction too, but what exactly does that mean?”
Suddenly, Isto’s body trembled.
Question marks appeared in succession across the LED eyes.
“Isto?”
-Huh! When did you come in?
This bastard.
‘…Not again?’
-Huh?
“You clearly knew something just a moment ago.”
-Wha?!
Damn.
“I can’t even record this.”
-???
As frustration drove me to pound my chest,
[Abyss Layer 1 Clear Reward]
Reward: ‘Dimensional Access’ has been granted.
Wow!
“You startled me!”
An unexpected reward materialized in my status window.
I narrowed my eyes and read it carefully.
“Dimensional Access?”
-Hmm… To grant this as a reward. It seems rather excessive.
“You’re going to say you don’t know when I ask you about it again, aren’t you?”
-Am I really like that?
“Yeah.”
Isto’s LED eyes trembled indignantly before he began his explanation.
-Dimensional Access isn’t a skill—it’s normally granted to all hunters who enter the Abyss.
“Keep going.”
-As I mentioned outside the Abyss before, you must go there for your first entry, but after that, you can enter from anywhere.
“Oh! Oh! That thing?”
-Yes, that’s correct.
I received it as a reward for contributing to the clearing of Layer 1.
Or so it seems.
“Could it be something only I can do?”
-That appears to be highly likely.
Oh! Oh!
-Now that I think about it, even the Abyss has realized how magnificent our Lim Doo-ho is. Judging by this special treatment.
“Come on, special treatment? If it weren’t for you, I might’ve been dead within an hour.”
-That’s not true. Dying in a Layer 1 Quest is an absurd assumption.
Absurd assumption, my foot.
I alone annihilated a thousand Ratkins, seven King Ratkins, and even Queen Ratkins on top of that.
Even if Lim Doo-ho knew nothing about hunters.
“Even an average guild couldn’t pull that off.”
-Ehehe~ Is that so?
“It’s late, but thank you for today.”
-Mm, mm… I merely did what was natural.
For some reason, Isto seemed unaccustomed to receiving gratitude.
‘Is he secretly shy?’
In any case.
With my curiosity somewhat satisfied, I left the Garage and headed briskly toward the Machine Upcycling Division on Basement Level 2.
* * *
Park Gyu-tae sat alone before a hologram, his eyes bloodshot as he repeatedly watched the CCTV footage.
I’m going to lose my mind.
“I’m certain it came in….”
I was already reviewing the security footage from when I clocked out yesterday through this morning for the fifth time.
My eyes are killing me!
“Just get caught, you bastard.”
I had pinned all my hopes on footage of Lim Doo-ho entering this place.
But.
No matter how many times I looked, I couldn’t find Lim Doo-ho anywhere.
“Did the camera malfunction?”
That couldn’t be it.
I myself was clearly captured arriving late this morning.
“…Did he really not come?”
Based on the evidence, the android had vanished, and Lim Doo-ho had taken a half-day.
Moreover, hadn’t the two of us fought yesterday?
Well, technically Lim Doo-ho had taken the brunt of it.
I glanced at the clock—it showed 2 PM.
Maybe….
‘Should I just bail and say I had an urgent matter?’
A tempting thought flashed through my mind.
If I left before my supervisor arrived, Lim Doo-ho would have to answer for it soon enough.
Let’s do it!
The moment I decided that….
The hologram on my desk flickered to life.
The moment I saw who was calling, my face went pale.
『Ham Bong-sik, Department Head』
I’m screwed.
“Y-yes, yes. Park Tae… no, Park Gyu-tae speaking.”
-Park, you’re all set, right?
“W-well, about that….”
-Hey, I know it’s all done. Why are you acting like that? I’m heading down in 5 minutes.
Cold sweat poured down like rain.
“Department Head, wait just a moment! Right now… this is…”
Click.
The call ended, and I fell into despair.
“5 minutes? Did he say 5 minutes?”
There was no escape now.
‘Am I losing my mind… did it really disappear….’
Aside from that, the fact that the expensive android had vanished made me even more anxious.
Could the android have left on its own?
“That’s it! That must be it!”
Just as I clenched my cheap implant fist, finally having found an excuse.
Clang—.
The door opened and Lim Doo-ho stepped inside.
“Good afternoon.”
At his calm greeting, Park’s assistant exploded.
Hey!
“Lim Doo-ho!”
Whirr, clang, whirr. Clang.
Park’s assistant bolted forward on his prosthetic leg and fired a question at Doo-ho without preamble.
“How the hell did you get in here?!”
“Pardon?”
Doo-ho’s expression turned blank.
“Through the door, sir?”
“No! How did you get in yesterday?!”
“I was at home. We talked on the phone yesterday, didn’t we?”
“Enough! Where did you hide the android?!”
Park’s assistant’s voice bordered on a wail.
“The android, sir?”
“I don’t know how you managed to carry something that heavy, but you definitely took it!”
Doo-ho’s expression genuinely conveyed his bewilderment.
“Park, why would I take that? Besides, is it even light enough to carry? It’s not a weight a natural like me could handle.”
“Please… please just stop and bring it back! The director arrives in five minutes!”
Faced with Doo-ho’s airtight alibi, Park’s assistant’s face crumpled.
“What am I supposed to do?”
“You mean you haven’t even reported this? You’ve made this worse.”
Footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Park’s assistant felt his heart sink.
“I’m screwed….”
Just as he grabbed his head and buried his face in his desk.
‘Isto, take it out.’
-Roger~.
Isto quietly emerged from the Garage, positioned the android, and slipped back inside.
Right on cue, the door opened and Ham Bong-sik stepped in.
“Park, did you have lunch… what’s with this atmosphere?”
Park’s assistant lifted his head and blurted out desperately.
“Director! This lunatic Lim Doo-ho stole the android!”
“…What?”
“Yes! It’s not on the CCTV, but he hid it to mess with me! Actually, I played a prank on him yesterday to teach him a lesson….”
Park’s assistant poured out six months of incidents with Doo-ho as if confessing to a crime.
Burdened by the thought that he might have to compensate for the expensive android, he had chosen workplace harassment as his defense.
And then.
Park Gyu-tae launched into self-justification.
“I may have gone too far, yes, I admit it. But listen here! No matter how much Lim Doo-ho has fallen into depravity, I can’t just let him walk away after secretly stealing company property, can I?”
Then I looked at Ham Bong-sik.
“Park Gyu-tae, go see a doctor.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Move the android already.”
“Didn’t you hear what I said! This bastard Lim Doo-ho….”
Park Gyu-tae!!!!
Ham Bong-sik exploded with a shout.
“Why are you talking to a colleague like that?”
“─!”
“And what? The android is right there! Are you on drugs or something?!”
Park Gyu-tae slowly turned his head toward where Ham Bong-sik’s finger pointed.
An android stood in the corner.
“…This… this can’t be real?”
Park Gyu-tae’s face went blank.
Then his eyes met the android’s, which suddenly flickered open.
Ahhhhhhh!!
Crash, bang, clatter….
Park Gyu-tae, seized by terror, toppled loudly to the floor along with his chair.
I Became a Necromancer
Author|
Geon-gang E
Published|
February 25, 2026
Publisher|
Talesyx
Website|
https://talesyx.com
Email|
[email protected]
ⓒ Geon-gang E, 2026
This publication is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without permission.
UCI|
G720:N+A277-20260210015.0009
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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
—————