Episode 24

Machine race, Machina.

These tribes were the ones I was really sick of dealing with. Due to the nature of my ability, it was easy to handle a machina whose entire body was made of metal.

Because of this, the dungeons where Makina came out produced good income compared to the amount of time spent, and the income was used as necessary funds prior to hunting down villains.

“error-!”

The automaton was made by combining three or four, and it grew bigger, and the upper entity automaton with increased parts quickly blinked its eyes.

The automatons that came under my control seemed incomprehensible.

But that’s not all.

“Is there a mute function?”

I compressed the terminal of the automaton with my ability and cut it with rip-and-tear.

The metal shards bouncing in all directions found their place again before they even touched the ground.

Because it wasn’t just automatons that I could reproduce.

“warning-! warning-!”

“Malware-!”

Even the Automatrons were taken away, and they began to howl in fright.

Anyway, malware, what kind of malware am I? Well, it might seem that way from Makina’s point of view.

The number of automatons and automatons that appeared increased, but many of them turned to my side as well.

But the odds were on my side.

Unlike those who just stop immediately after being smashed, the mechanical dolls under my control can be restored.

The whole place was filled with dull echoes and noises. I proceeded, slicing down the mechanized dolls that leisurely rushed at me.

“Safety-Unlock. Charging Start.”

At that time, a dull echo spread from the Autoportron side.

The name of the simple fortress was not simply a name given to it because it was large. Unlike the regression, I can guess why this guy suddenly appeared.

The blueprint for the ‘Soul of the Ancient Gods’.

The security level must have been upgraded when I got it.

“Mana-Reactor Artillery Ready.”

The giant cogwheel of the autoportron rotates, and when hit by a person, the pit of the stomach splits open to the left and right.

A huge cannon opened through the open gap.

That’s why it’s called a fortress. Since the gun is attached to the body, it can only be called a fortress.

The air vibrated with a hum and the inside of the cannon began to turn red.

“Target Lock-On.”

The cannon was aimed right at me.

These lumps of metal seemed to like to report their condition like that.

With a roaring sound, the field of view was instantly filled with flashes of light.

“Not bad.”

It seemed that the magic of the dungeon core was also used, and the firepower was stronger than the normal autoportron.

Of course, I’m not going to be beaten to this level. In front of me was a mass of completely melted and crushed scrap metal.

It was thanks to ordering my mechanical soldiers to grab hold of nearby enemies to avoid being hit by the beam.

“Target alive. Re-Charging.”

He started collecting mana again. I had no intention of staying silent.

I manipulated the scrap metal piled up all over the boss room. They destroyed the remaining automatons and took control of them.

“Let’s try it.”

In addition to that, I also collected the metal and gears that make up the walls of the boss room.

A metal typhoon raged inside the boss room. I became the eye of the hurricane.

It looks chaotic at first glance, but none of the fragments orbiting me have collided.

But for a moment, the metals clashed and made a sharp noise.

It wasn’t a mistake. What I want is union, not collision.

“Unknown-Error! Unknown-Error!”

The metals that collided then stuck to my suit. Scattered scrap metal gathered and became a giant leg, torso, and arm.

The cog wheel turned and acted as a joint, and the scrap metal came together to become a smooth piston pipe.

Thus, what was completed was ‘Auto Prime’, one of the top-level entities of Machina, a fortress larger than Auto Fortune.

Originally, it was difficult to implement with only my mana, but since this place was covered in metal, it was manageable enough.

“System-malfunction. Emergency-Protocol activated.”

Autofortron made a mechanical sound like a scream. If you compare it to a military style, it feels like a general appears in front of a sergeant.

Perhaps because of that surprise, Autofortron’s body began to split here and there. It was all big and small guns.

He must have judged that there was no time to recharge mana.

A series of dull roars were heard, and the shells filled the field of vision.

I had no intention of getting it right.

“All bullets fired.”

My side also opened all the guns. Of course, there were so many guns that it was incomparable to the autoportron as much as its bloated size.

A high-heat beam, similar to that fired by the Autoportron, filled the gaps with cannonballs flying with a thud.

The shells that flew at me were either engulfed in a beam of light and either dissipated in mid-air or collided with the shells and exploded.

Through the flashes and explosions, I could see the Autoportron’s body being torn apart.

“It’s easy.”

Amidst the crackling sparks, the Autoportron fell completely silent. The core was completely powdered and could not be seen.

“It’s a bit of a waste, but…”

I looked back at the autoprime I had created.

“It’s okay because I rode it once.”

While fighting this, I decided to be satisfied with realizing the idea I once had.

Since the core is completely destroyed, the dungeon will be closed soon.

I have to go out.

* * *

“What the hell is going on?!”

The management team leader in charge of managing the dungeon, ‘Saw Wheel Labyrinth’, screamed as if asking.

The supervisor who returned after evacuating the students who had escaped reported the situation with a stiff face.

“We don’t even know why. Originally, it was supposed to be just an automaton.”

“Suddenly Autofortron appeared. Besides, the homeroom teacher is trapped there!”

The manager of the management team raised his forehead with a gloomy face. He himself was responsible for not understanding that the dungeon boss had changed.

In his eyes, people gathered outside the control line caught his eye. Everyone was holding their cameras and pressing the shutter in succession.

“Hey! Not controlling properly!?”

“Yes, old! Back off!”

“Everyone back off!”

They were reporters who came out to cover the scene. It’s not a problem that’s happening now, but it’s the villain, ‘Mosquito’, who came to cover the incident and heard the commotion.

“Sweep, I’ll summon the security hunters first.”

“But there are only 10 of us.”

“If it’s an autoportron, it’s code yellow class. We need to ask for support.”

At the words of the supervisors, the manager frowned. He knew that much.

“Chief, Chief!”

At that time, one of his subordinates hurriedly ran. The manager’s irritation was about to explode.

“You are the head of headquarters!”

“what?!”

He got a walkie-talkie right away. In preparation for paralysis of the communication network, the headquarters command came down through radio, not through a smartphone.

<Explanation of the situation, to the point only.>

Bae Seung-ju did not even greet or receive. The manager immediately explained the situation.

<… are you sure that only Kang Tae-min is left?>

“Yes, old! The supervisor and 14 students all came out.”

<Okay, then let’s jump right in without support.>

“···Yes?”

The management team leader blinked for a moment. Auto Fortron was a monster that had to be dealt with by at least 15 hunters.

Even if Kang Tae-min was alive, he would not be in perfect condition, so it was an unreasonable request to enter without additional support.

“Bo, Chief of Staff…!”

<Report the results as soon as they come out.>

The radio call ended with that. It means no other options are given.

The management team leader became dead and delivered the order to the security hunters who hastily gathered.

“Yes?”

“Only us?”

“her···.”

Of course, the Hunters who were preparing to rush in were also taken aback. But even so, he could not refuse the order.

Isn’t it someone else’s direct order from the head of the headquarters?

“for a moment···.”

“Is the gate strange?”

The Hunters, who were ready to rush in, had no choice but to hesitate again. It was because the light of the gate leading to the dungeon was starting to fade.

“What happened?”

“Is the dungeon… being closed?”

The intensity of the light emitted from the gate is known to be related to the dungeon core. In other words, the weakening of the light of the gate meant that the mana of the core was depleted, and it was taken as a sign that the dungeon was closed.

“Stop, stop entering!”

The management team leader also saw it and quickly stopped it. If the gate disappeared, the hunters who went inside would not be able to return.

“What happen? What happened!?”

The management team leader shook his head.

A childish voice that I hear even though I’m still distracted?

At the end of that line of sight was a female student with sharp eyes.

“Hey! Let me out…”

“T-T, Chief! She is the granddaughter of Changhwang!”

He was about to shout, but he shut his mouth at the urgent whispers of his subordinates.

‘God, why are you giving me such an ordeal…’

The management team leader just wanted to cry at this situation. But he calmed down and explained.

“… all we can assume is the possibility that the core’s mana was depleted midway through the fight.”

“Then what about Master?!”

“I don’t know. If you’re injured… you probably won’t be able to get out in time.”

Joo Da-hyun’s eyes lost focus. She didn’t think Kang Tae-min would lose. Isn’t he a skill that rivals even his own grandfather in spearmanship?

However, not being able to get out of the dungeon and the gate closing were another problem.

“I’m sorry.”

The management team leader said so and looked for the walkie-talkie. As Bae Seung-ju said, it was to report right away.

Right then.

“uh···?”

“I’m out!”

“It’s out!”

The security hunters raised their voices in an uproar. All eyes turned to the front of the gate.

A man came out of the gate where the light was flickering.

Click click, the reporters outside the control line pressed the shutters even harder.

Kang Tae-min glanced around, recognized the supervisor among the waiting hunters, and approached.

“What about the students?”

“Oh, no, it’s okay. For safety reasons, they were sent out of the controlled area.”

“Uh, what happened?”

The supervisor asked with disbelief. Taemin Kang replied with a calm face.

“It looks like there was very little mana left in the core. The boss stopped maneuvering himself.”

“Still, it’s amazing that you’ve endured until then!”

“Yes, you are very fortunate!”

“thank you. Let’s take a look at the children first.”

Kang Tae-min was just about to move. The manager of the management team rushed over and handed over the walkie-talkie.

“Bo, this is the head of the headquarters.”

<Mr. Kang, are you okay?>

A voice mixed with laughter came from the other side of the walkie-talkie.

“Yes, it is fine.”

<I never thought you would come out alone.>

“I was lucky.”

<I’m curious about the secret of that luck. If you have time, let’s talk…>

“It’s still working time, so I have to decline. We need to look at the students as well.”

When Kang Tae-min refused like a knife, Bae Seung-ju laughed.

<Okay. So let me ask you this one thing.>

“Yes.”

<···Have you seen any suspicious person inside the dungeon?>

Bae Seung-joo whispered very softly. Kang Tae-min’s eyebrows twitched.

“well. I’m not sure what you mean by a suspicious person.”

<Um… I see.>

“Yes. Oh, I would like you to pay the raid reward as soon as possible. Now I’m going to take the students to dinner.”

<hahahaha, you don’t have to worry about that. Please give me some time next time.>

“That would be nice.”

Kang Tae-min replied and handed the walkie-talkie back to the team leader.

“Master!”

“Sam!”

“I knew you would come back!”

In the meantime, Joo Da-hyun, who announced the news of Kang Tae-min’s return, was crossing the control line with her classmates.

* * *

[The suspect in the ‘Mosquito’ case is still unknown.]

[Hunter Association, ‘The dungeon accident and the Mosquito incident appear to be unrelated’]

[Single-person gate closing, what’s behind it?]

[Academy teacher closes the gate alone!]

In the news article, there was a picture of Kang Tae-min coming out of the gate alone.

Bae Seung-joo quickly skimmed through the article and let out a blank laugh.

[···The students who practiced attacking the dungeon are known as the students of the special class, the top class of the ‘Noblesse’ Academy, and their homeroom teacher, Kang Tae-min…]

Make sure to read from noble mtl dot com

Like the mistake he made when he first visited the academy, reporters described the special class as the top class.

“Well, it’s not wrong now.”

Bae Seung-ju lowered the Internet window and put the report window on the screen.

[‘Cog Wheel Labyrinth’ Practice Report]

[Target – Noblesse Academy Special Class]

It was a report prepared by the supervisor.

Several items, such as combat, understanding and coping with traps, and cooperation, all received the highest marks. Unfortunately, only the boss attack score was omitted and recorded as an average score.

Still, it was a pretty impressive result, and it was a score worthy of being recognized as the highest in the Noblesse Academy.

“I’m not at the level of being a problem child…”

Kang Tae-min’s own skills are also good, but his educational ability, which raised the students’ skills in a short period of time, was more impressive. Although the method was a bit rough, anyway.

Bae Seung-joo wanted to apply the education method to the police hunter training process as long as the effect was certain.

‘It doesn’t come easily.’

The problem was that Kang Tae-min had no intention of joining the association. Bae Seung-ju licked his lips and checked the next report.

The second report was also about the ‘cogwheel labyrinth’, but it was different.

“He must have been hiding in a dungeon…”

In fact, the overseers weren’t just overseers, they were security hunters tasked with capturing Mosquito.

It was because the last trace was found near the dungeon. From the circumstances, it was highly likely that Mosquito had hidden in the dungeon.

For this reason, the supervisors managed the evaluation and safety of the students and looked for traces of Mosquito inside the dungeon in their spare time.

However, since the dungeon was already closed, there was no way to check again. All Bae Seung-joo could do was stay at home.

“Did you not come out of the dungeon?”

The first possibility was that Mosquito, which had been hiding deeply, had been trapped. But soon Bae Seung-joo shook his head.

“I’d rather be arrested than locked up in a dungeon.”

Mosquito kills every time he wants blood. There was no way a man like that would want to remain in a dungeon full of machines.

However, only Kang Tae-min came out.

“It’s most likely that he killed it…”

Bae Seung-ju took a deep breath. If Kang Tae-min and Mosquito had met on the way out, there would have been trouble.

Of course, it was clear that Mosquito was the first to use it. Kang Tae-min must have confronted him in self-defense.

“Did you cross the line or not…”

However, even in self-defence, killing is not an easy task. It was unknown whether Kang Tae-min killed Mosquito himself or left it in the dungeon.

One thing is certain, the only thing is that he didn’t answer his question honestly.

“It would be nice if I could just point it in the right direction.”

The previous dungeon break incident, and this one too. Kang Tae-min’s outstanding ability continues to be proven.

How good it would be if he worked hard for the same ideal as himself under him.

“I need to look a little more actively.”

A small smile appeared on Bae Seung-joo’s lips. The picture on the screen changed.

It was a picture of several people.

They were trustworthy Association Hunters picked and picked by Bae Seung-ju.

“Who would like…”

Talking alone is not enough to get to know a person. It was a direct relationship, not a superficial one.

Bae Seung-joo thought of putting one of them next to Kang Tae-min.

“If you’re a student, you’d better be a little younger.”

In the name of being a new student at Noblesse Academy and a burden in the special class.

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