005. Factory
I firmly declined Officer Gwan’s suggestion that I retake the Hunter ranking test immediately today.
I used the excuse that too much had happened already, and I needed some time to sort out my thoughts.
But the real reason was simple—
I was dying to know exactly what this ability of mine, the one labeled Factory, actually was.
Before going in for any official test, I first needed to understand my power.
Jang Seulbi actively supported me.
“Yeah, he’s right. He even killed someone today. It’s just been too much. He was a normal civilian until yesterday, so don’t push him too hard.”
“Then how about tomorrow? Tomorrow afternoon. Go home and get some good rest today.”
Officer Gwan seemed restless, itching to figure out my ability as soon as possible.
Before I knew it, I’d exchanged contact information with the vice guild master of the Berserker Guild and even received his business card.
According to him, I didn’t need to personally contact the Hunter Association.
He would take care of the procedure, and once the test schedule was set, the Association would send me a message tomorrow.
Seulbi rose from her seat.
“Okay, we’re done here, right? Ji Woojun, let’s go.”
“You’ll take him home?”
“Yes. I’ll look after him.”
Officer Gwan’s eyes crinkled into a broad smile.
“Ah, that looks nice. She’s so devoted.”
“Ugh! You’re about to say something weird again, aren’t you?!”
Seulbi gave him a sharp glare, grabbed my sleeve, and pulled me out of the office.
Somehow, the ruder she was to these uncles, the more they seemed to like her.
“You did well. Let’s head home. I’ll take you there.”
“No… I’ll go alone.”
“Huh?”
I gave a sheepish smile.
“I feel like I’m imposing too much. I’m tired too… I can just take the subway by myself.”
“…”
She studied me carefully, then asked,
“You’re not upset about something, right? That officer didn’t say anything out of line, did he?”
“No, nothing like that. I’m really grateful. I’m just… tired, that’s all.”
She searched my face as if to confirm my sincerity, then finally let go of my sleeve.
“…Okay.”
“Sorry, haha. I’ll see you next time.”
“Be careful, okay? You’ll go straight home?”
“Do I look like a kid to you?”
“I’m just worried. Did you keep that thing safe?”
“That thing” was, of course, the leather pouch bag full of ether crystals I’d taken from Go Homin.
“Of course.”
I tapped my chest reassuringly.
As soon as I got home, I stripped off my clothes and socks, then flopped onto my bed in just my underwear.
Of course, I didn’t forget to carefully set the ether crystals—worth tens of millions of won—on my desk like a sacred offering.
“Ughhhhhh.”
Stretching my limbs, I felt the sweet ache of exhaustion spread through my body.
The clock showed it was only around 6 p.m., but if I closed my eyes now, I felt like I could sleep like a log until morning.
What a day.
It was probably the most important day of my 25 years of life.
After all, today was the day I awakened my very first ability as a non-awakened, vanilla, ordinary civilian.
It was also the first time I had killed a person… and the first time I’d spoken directly with an S-rank awakened.
If I ever wrote an autobiography at the end of my life, there was no way I could leave out the story of today.
I summoned Navi.
‘Navi.’
— Yes, Master.
The crisp, feminine voice of my so-called AI supporter answered immediately in my ear.
‘…This isn’t a dream, right? You’re really here?’
— Of course. Isn’t the fact that you used “Auto” earlier to eliminate your enemy proof enough?
She had a point.
If Navi’s voice was just my delusion, then that silver weapon that had appeared and killed Go Homin wouldn’t make any sense.
I spoke in my mind.
‘Tell me what exactly this “Factory” ability is.’
— Yes. Factory is the ability to create and operate a weapons-production plant within your subspace.
‘A… weapons factory?’
I’d never heard of anything like that before.
— Correct. But at the beginning, the equipment you can make is insignificant and small in scale. The more time and resources you invest, the more the Factory will grow. If nurtured carefully, you’ll eventually command a massive mechanical army as its supreme commander.
Insignificant equipment, she said.
But hadn’t that so-called “initial equipment” already killed an A-rank Hunter?
If that was considered weak, then just how powerful would a massive mechanical army be?
My heart started pounding in excitement.
This really did feel like a true S-rank ability.
‘But isn’t it strange? A whole factory inside a subspace? That sounds like some kind of over-technology. Do awakeners even have powers like that?’
This ability felt far too alien compared to what I knew.
Normally, awakened powers fell into categories like combat, magic, production, buffs, detection… but I’d never heard of anything like this.
A playful chuckle reached my ears.
— Hehe, don’t try to learn everything at once. I’m a superintelligent AI, remember? I’ll tell you what you need to know at the right time. What matters now is securing the resources required to run the Factory.
‘…Can I actually see the factory?’
— Yes. Would you like to enter subspace now?
‘It won’t hurt, right? Or trap me forever once I go in?’
— Nothing like that. While you’re inside, external time in the real world will freeze. When you exit, time resumes again.
‘…’
That alone sounded incredible.
Every time I entered, time would stop? Even if there were no factory, this was basically like having my own “Room of Spirit and Time.”
‘All right. Let’s go in.’
— Yup!
The moment Navi responded, my vision exploded into darkness, then slowly cleared.
And the scenery before me was completely different.
“…Wow.”
I couldn’t help but let out a breath.
It was a desolate, empty space.
About 40 to 50 pyeong in size, rectangular in shape.
The ceiling was high, and the walls and floor looked like dull metal.
Strangely enough, it wasn’t dark despite the lack of lighting.
There was no decoration, no equipment, nothing at all—
except for a silver lump of metal, about the size of two fists, sitting in the middle of the floor.
‘That must be… the “Auto” from earlier.’
Suddenly, the silver lump began squirming like slime.
Before my eyes, it transformed into the shape of a chibi, three-heads-tall girl character.
“…??”
As I gawked, she bowed politely, then immediately toppled forward.
“Argh!” Thud.
Her oversized head must have thrown off her balance.
Clutching her forehead with tiny hands, the little metal doll spoke.
“Ow, ow… Hello, Master? This is our first time meeting face-to-face.”
Suspicious, I asked,
“You… are Navi?”
“Yes. For now, this is the best form I can manage since we lack resources. I’m lucky even one set of nanomachines is functional…”
For something so tiny and cartoonish, she even sighed in a very human-like way.
Though her body was pure silver, the design was surprisingly detailed.
Her hair was styled in braids, her cute one-piece skirt flared naturally at the knees, and a tiny ribbon decorated her collar.
“Wait, did you just say nanomachines?”
“Yes. As you said—over-technology, at least by this world’s standards.”
By this world’s standards? Did that mean there was another world too?
Unsure if I was dreaming, I squatted down in front of the Navi doll.
She chattered on.
“Mithril changes its form when infused with ether. Inside, the nanomachines reshape it as needed. That’s how I was able to create this avatar. Once you secure more mithril, you’ll be able to operate multiple ‘Autos’ simultaneously.”
Mithril—
A rare metal sometimes found in gates. Highly conductive to ether, but its properties weren’t fully understood. Research had only just begun to apply it experimentally to gate-related technology.
And yes, its name was borrowed from fantasy novels.
Of course, there was no way I could obtain such a rare, expensive material anytime soon.
I decided to ask the most important question first.
“Can I become an S-rank Hunter?”
“Of course! As long as you grow the Factory.”
What a confident answer.
If that were true, the possibilities ahead of me were enormous.
S-rank Hunters always reached the top in combat ability, wealth, and connections.
“What should I do first?”
As if waiting for the question, Navi replied,
“The very first thing you must build is an Energy Repository. Simply put, it’s an energy storage unit. It’s the starting point of every tech tree.”
That I understood.
In strategy games, it would be like the initial building set up at your base.
So the first equipment was fixed, though everything afterward would be up to me.
Navi continued explaining,
“The subspace you’re in right now is maintained only by your body’s ether. But once you build an Energy Repository, it will gradually absorb surrounding ether to run the Factory automatically, and production efficiency will improve!”
“Good. Then let’s make that the goal. What do I need?”
“We’ll need ether crystals. With the amount you acquired today, it’s just enough.”
I froze.
“…All of them?”
“Yes. It’ll be tight, but if I manage resources carefully, it’s possible.”
My mind reeled.
Spending millions of won worth of ether crystals right from the start?
So this was the scale of an S-rank ability.
I’d been so happy to earn a fortune, but apparently, every bit of it would be swallowed by this subspace.
It pained me, but I had to think long-term.
Compared to the wealth this ability could earn me in the future, a few million was nothing.
Even Officer Gwan had casually offered me an annual salary of 200 million won.
It’s an investment for the future.
But Navi wasn’t finished.
“And we’ll need physical materials from the real world. Iron, wood, plastic—anything works.”
“Anything? Even trash?”
“Yes. Please bring any unused items into subspace. The nanomachines will dismantle and recycle them for production.”
I nodded. Time to get started.
“All right. Let’s leave for now.”
“Aye aye, sir!”
Navi saluted cheerfully with her tiny hand pressed to her forehead.
Exiting subspace was the same as entering.
Darkness spread like an explosion, then peeled away—
and I was back in my room.
I gazed at the pouch full of ether crystals on my desk with lingering regret, then took out my phone to snap a photo.
It was my first time handling such a large amount at once, so it was worth commemorating.
At least I could use my subspace to dispose of them, which was reassuring.
If the crystals had suspicious origins, there could be a trail leading back to my killing of Go Homin.
After that, I followed Navi’s advice and went around my one-room apartment gathering junk.
Even though I thought I lived pretty minimally, I still had plenty of clutter:
clothes I didn’t wear, books I didn’t read, chipped plates, freebie cups, random online purchases still unopened.
Still feeling it wasn’t quite enough, I hesitated before hauling in my electric fan, which had just been taking up space since the season changed.
Will this be enough?
— Yes, this should be plenty for today!
