**Episode 2
Mechromancer (2)**
“Ugh!”
Startled, Im Du-ho clutched his head.
Then—
- Oh dear, sorry if I startled you.
A voice echoed inside his mind.
“W-who are you?!”
- Your sympathetic nervous system is overactive. Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, hold for 4… now exhale through your mouth…
“…?”
- Hurry!
Urged by the mysterious voice, Du-ho followed the breathing method without thinking.
Strange situation aside… he calmed down.
And then it hit him—
The random summon he heard at level-up.
“…Don’t tell me—you’re that ‘Super Intelligence’ thing?”
- Oh~ sharp, aren’t you? That’s correct.
Silence followed.
Du-ho rubbed his temples.
In six years at the Bureau, he had heard of all kinds of awakening abilities—but never something like super intelligence.
A disturbing thought crossed his mind.
No way…
‘Is this schizophrenia?’
- Not a mental illness~ The ‘Mechromancer’ you asked about is someone who grants life to broken machines. Like how a necromancer raises the dead. Get it now?
“…!!”
Du-ho was speechless.
Necromancers—he knew those.
But giving life to machines?
“What kind of nonsense is that…?”
- Wait!
The voice cut him off urgently.
- About 20 Ratkin are approaching. Arrival in roughly one minute. Oh? Another group is joining them.
“—!”
Even after awakening, he had barely managed to kill two.
Facing a pack was impossible.
Fear gripped him.
He grabbed the broken axe dropped by a Ratkin—anything to steady himself.
Then—
- Are you planning to fight personally, Mechromancer?
“Then what, you’ll fight?!”
- If you wish.
“…What?”
He let out a hollow laugh.
‘You’re just a voice in my head.’
- Not insane, and yes—you heard correctly.
“You… can read my thoughts?”
- Is that what matters right now?
Screeches grew closer.
Even without seeing them, he knew—there were many.
- So, what will you do?
There was no time to think.
If he wanted to live—
“…Help me!”
- Just give the command. Your safety comes first. Hmm, no time—converting skill ‘Garage’ into inventory and opening it.
“What are you even—?”
A window appeared before him.
An inventory.
Inside it… various items.
But one slot stood out—
A humanoid figure flashing.
- Select and summon the humanoid.
At that moment—
SKREEEEE—!
The Ratkin charged.
Du-ho selected it instantly.
Ripple—
The air distorted.
A humanoid appeared.
Slightly larger than a Ratkin.
A round helmet-like head.
A large LED screen displaying circular eyes.
And the thought that struck Du-ho—
No way…
‘Machines work inside the crack?!’
Then—
Whirr—
The humanoid raised its hand.
- Mechromancer, please rest in the vehicle.
At that exact moment—
A Ratkin lunged with a dagger.
The humanoid grabbed its head—
CRACK!
Smashed it into the ground.
Three more jumped onto its back and legs.
Whirr—
Calmly rotating—
It slammed one into the wall.
Splat!
Dead.
Thud! Kick!
The rest dropped lifeless.
Du-ho stared in shock.
Then—
More Ratkin attacked.
Axes. Spears.
Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew.
But not a scratch.
From inside the taxi, Du-ho muttered:
“…They don’t stand a chance.”
More kept coming.
Five died instantly.
Then six dropped from the ceiling.
The humanoid tore them apart effortlessly—
like crushing apples.
[Experience gained]
[Level Up!]
Notifications rang nonstop.
“What? It’s fighting—but I’m getting the experience?!”
After a few minutes—
Over 60 corpses littered the ground.
All within 3 minutes.
Crack—
The last Ratkin’s neck snapped.
[Level Up!]
Du-ho wiped cold sweat.
“This is… a massacre.”
As he stepped out—
The humanoid raised a hand.
- A stronger one is coming.
Then—
Grrrrr…!!!
A roar.
A King’s Ratkin appeared.
Over 2 meters tall.
Silver-white fur like armor.
Dual massive axes in its hands.
Its breath burned with rage at the sight of corpses.
Du-ho swallowed hard.
‘That’s “slightly stronger”?!’
The creature charged.
BOOM— BOOM— BOOM—
The humanoid sprinted forward.
CLASH!
The King’s Ratkin brought down both axes—
KRAAAAAAASH!!!
The ground shook.
Dust filled the air.
Du-ho’s heart froze.
‘Even if it’s strong… that’s too much…’
Then—
The dust settled.
“…Oh my God.”
Only the lower half of the King’s Ratkin remained.
Its upper body—
obliterated.
The humanoid stood there.
Unharmed.
Du-ho trembled.
For 70 years, no electronic device worked inside cracks.
Yet this thing—
not only worked—
it annihilated a monster like that.
‘If this secret gets out… humanity wouldn’t fear the Abyss anymore.’
His chest swelled.
For a moment—
he imagined winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
…Until—
- Let’s grow stronger quickly and begin world domination. I’ll assist you, Mechromancer.
“…”
Du-ho froze.
World what?
“Did I just hear that right?”
The humanoid’s LED eyes changed—
smiling → flat line.
- Peace prize? You’re a Mechromancer—why is your head full of flowers?
“W-what did you say?!”
- World domination! If not the world, at least conquer a nation! With your potential, it’s possible!
Du-ho grabbed his head.
This guy…
‘Incredible power—but completely insane.’
The humanoid stepped closer.
- You may want peace, but war and conflict drive technological advancement! A Mechromancer must seize power and develop weapons!
Du-ho sighed.
“I think a war maniac trained you. I don’t need that—”
The humanoid’s chest glowed.
- I’m serious. That is the true mission of a Mechromancer. I will support you for it.
“Are you crazy?! I just want to live peacefully with my family!”
- You want to live well using Mechromancer power?
“Yes!”
- Then let’s conquer the world and live in abundance!
“Ugh!”
Talking to a wall…
- I am not a wall.
“Stop reading my thoughts!”
- I can stop replying, but the link cannot be cut.
Du-ho sighed deeply.
- Living normally with this power is like an elephant gently patting an ant.
“…What are you?”
Before it could answer—
Voices echoed in the distance.
Hunters.
Relief washed over Du-ho.
But behind him—
- Strong mana users. Shall we subjugate them for our future conquest—
“NOPE.”
He instantly stored the humanoid back into the inventory.
‘If they see this, it’ll cause huge problems.’
- Why store me?! Release me and—
“Shut up!”
- …
Silence.
‘Good. It listens to commands at least.’
No need to show it to the hunters.
Let’s clean this up first.
* * *
“Hunters! Over here!”
From the darkness, Du-ho’s voice echoed.
A hunter activated a defensive skill.
“Was there a report of someone entering before us?”
“No.”
“Then who is that?”
They approached cautiously.
“A survivor dragged in with a taxi?”
“That makes no sense—company said he’s a Natural!”
Then—
“I’m Im Du-ho, Machine Upcycling Department, Hunter Management Bureau!”
They froze.
“…Wait, that matches the info.”
“No, he’s awakened.”
Confusion spread.
Du-ho spoke again:
“I know it’s hard to believe… but I awakened inside the crack.”
Silence.
“Wasn’t he 26?”
“Yeah…”
“The oldest recorded awakening was 22—Zhang Wei from China.”
“…Then this breaks the record?”
Murmurs erupted.
“Incredible…”
The leader approached, smiling slightly.
Meanwhile, Du-ho sighed in relief.
“I thought I was going to die.”
“We were cautious—it’s an unusual situation.”
“Of course.”
“Congratulations on your awakening.”
But something felt… off.
‘Why are there no monsters nearby?’
Then—
One hunter pointed behind Du-ho.
“L-look…!”
They all turned—
And froze.
Dozens of Ratkin corpses.
And in the center—
The remains of a King’s Ratkin, split in half.
